/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.16477248]

Is it possible to be truly happy as a Christian?
My mom is Catholic and my dad Protestant. My dad is agnostic (like many protestants) and my mom, while no longer a regular church attendee, still clings to her faith. Outside of this both believe very strongly in Christian morality. They are, generally, unhappy people who have had tough lives, although things have recently started getting better for them.
I wish that I could liberate them from this life-denying ideology. As happy as they may be currently, I fear they will always be plagued by the resentment and guilt inherent to the religion. I see it in them, especially in my mom, who is a smart person but is stubborn and will stick to her faith because it is what she decided upon a long time ago.
I have thought about having them read Nietzsche-my mom reads a lot and could definitely handle it, my dad maybe not so much, so I mainly refer to my mom here. But I foresee no positive outcome from this.:
>They don't understand it
>They understand it but choose to deny it---my mom most likely would never admit to it changing her mind, but it could hurt her, I think
>They understand it and have an existential crisis and become depressed for having lived so much of their lives by something so terrible and fundamentally anti-life
>They misunderstand it but still lose faith, causing them to slip into nihilism
None of these seem worth it to me, and even the best of these options is not worth the possibility of one of the worst.
I was raised Catholic. While I began doubting the existence of God from a young age, I still believed wholeheartedly in the ideology. This unwavering belief that, even if not based in fact, the Bible is correct and the dogmatic acceptance of morality left me, among other things, unable to handle the "evils" of the world, resulting in extreme depression/mental illness and, ultimately, nihilism. It wasn't until, not merely rejecting the idea of God, but rejecting the Christian morality that is rooted so deeply in western culture, that I have been able to be happy--and it is a happiness, and a fulfillment, unlike what I have experienced ever before. Not because I am atheist (I still consider myself agnostic) but because I am specifically untethered from Christianity. Even still, I catch myself moralizing every now and again--it is by all means a difficult thing to shake.
Can Christians experience this fulfillment, even under the oppressively toxic dogmas of Christianity? Is there hope for my parents? All I want is for them to be truly happy and love life.

[Anonymous No.16477252]

Jesus was a delusional rogue rabbi whose mother Mary was an adulteress and father Joseph a cuckold. His whore mother put into his mind since he was a young child that God was his "real father" and that he was a very special boy. Jesus grew very knowledgeable about the Old Testament, began to believe that he was the "Emmanuel" whom Isaiah spoke of and so he sought to fulfill the prophecies as the Messiah which he studied.

He was an apocalyptic preacher whose teachings were never meant to be written down, in fact, he announced the end of the world as being imminent and told people to give up everything and follow him; he stated that his generation was to witness it all. He was crucified, died and, of course, never rose from the dead, but his closest and most faithful followers convinced themselves of that lie and went on to preach, converting many.

For several decades following the decomposition of Jesus' corpse, stories and legends about him were spread by word of mouth before some of them were selected and written down, thus leading to the Gospels whose anonymous authors mostly copied each other. Then came Paul, an energetic and zealous repentant ex-hunter of Christians who claimed to have a vision, joined the apostles and wrote the bulk of the New Testament, introducing many teachings of his own, hence the term "Pauline Christianity". Without him, Christian theologians would be helpless.

Since Jesus appealed to the uneducated, illiterate and lowly people which constituted the overwhelming majority of the Roman Empire, his death cult spread like wild fire. The roman government, being opportunistic, eventually made it the official religion thus cementing and validating its existence. Due to this, nations grew culturally with Christianity at their core and so it has lasted to this day, aided by theologians' relentless mental gymnastics, colonialism, as well as teachings of repentance, redemption and paradise after death which attract the emotional human mind.

[Anonymous No.16477314]

>>16477248
>life-denying ideology
Are you the same Anon who constantly accuses everyone of being miserable while himself seething over and over?

[Anonymous No.16477335]

The problem with christians is that they uphold their moral dogmas since birth consciously and/or unconsciously but have discarded god, which defeats the point of upholding a moral system and thus all they see around them is evil without the good, compassionate and salvation for their souls (God)

[Anonymous No.16477341]

>>16477252
huh?

[Anonymous No.16477359]

>>16477248
>my dad [is] Protestant. My dad is agnostic
Huh? I mean I can understand a "cultural" Catholic, or a "cultural Jew", but a cultural Protestant? The religion is already stripped of all its cultural baggage and is essentially defined by belief in God. You can't really be an agnostic Protestant

[Anonymous No.16477362]

>>16477248
>Is it possible to be truly happy as a Christian?
yes

[Anonymous No.16477370]

Of course it is. Just follow the basic rules of the official Christian lifestyle. Pick and choose whatever you like from the Bible and from Christianity, and reinterpret or completely ignore anything you don’t like

[Anonymous No.16477409]

>>16477359
poor choice of words on my behalf--meant to say "basically agnostic". He believes in God (or at least he says he does) in the loosest of terms, none of the passionate faith that my mother has. Truthfully I doubt he believes in God anymore, but he still says he is protestant so... The point still stands that he believes very strongly in Christian morality.

[Anonymous No.16477426]

>>16477248
>oppressively toxic dogmas of Christianity?
That's well thought out bait, or you are either completely dumb, Christianity has existed for thousand of years it didn't stop people from being happy, if your parents are sad maybe it's some other reason, and you are just pulling shit out of your ass to somehow blame religion.

[Anonymous No.16477444]

>>16477426
I’m sure those peasants who worked themselves to death for their feudal lords were very happy

[Anonymous No.16477479]

>>16477444
Do you mean the feudal peasants who only had to work 80 days a year because of Church-mandated holidays? Yeah that must have been tough going.

[Anonymous No.16477491]

>>16477248
>toxic dogmas of Christianity?
I'm sorry, you need to fuck off back to r*ddit

[Anonymous No.16477508]

>>16477444
If there was no famine or war, peasants worked less than the average salaryman, that didn't stop them from being happy and holding festivals all over the year.
Life is about connections, have you tried taking your parents on a trip? Talking to them? Having fun with them? You would do these things if you actually cared about their well being, but here you are blaming religion on a cartoon discussion website.

[Anonymous No.16477517]

>>16477248
>Is it possible to be truly happy as a Christian?
Yes, most devout Christians I know have shining eyes.
>resentment and guilt inherent to the religion.
Your parents sound like odd Christians, Ann.
>dogmatic acceptance of morality left me, among other things, unable to handle the "evils" of the world
Then perhaps don't do it dogmatically lol
>resulting in extreme depression/mental illness and, ultimately, nihilism
You sound like an odd bloke, Anon.

Perhaps moral philosophy is not for everyone.

[Anonymous No.16477527]

>>16477248
contrary to how many of us are raised the point of life is not the pursuit of happiness. nor is it the point of Christianity.

[Anonymous No.16477538]

>>16477444
>muh enlightenment propaganda
>noooo you have to scrape away a meagre urbanite existence at a soul crushing factory/desk job
>dark ages bad

>>16477479
>>16477508
I'm glad someone knows what's up

[Anonymous No.16477837]

>>16477426
I'm not saying that they are sad solely due to Christianity, as I said in my OP they have had a hard life. What I am saying is that Christianity is a massive fetter which keeps people resentful and guilty.
I am not saying that they will magically be happy once renouncing Christianity, but I am saying it's a hugely important step.
>>16477527
Never said it was, still want my parents to be happy and fulfilled. And obviously it's not the point of Christianity

[Anonymous No.16477857]

>>16477248
>I have thought about having them read Nietzsche
Lol kys

[Anonymous No.16478106]

What the fuck is it with you people and despising guilt? Why do you think personal accountability and growth is bad? No wonder you want to drag everyone down into your miserable, egoistic little box of hedonism. Fuck off.

[Anonymous No.16478149]

>>16477837
its the opposite od resentment, you are projecting based on your own spiritual poverty. being accountable, to yourself, to God, and by extension to all humanity and all life is liberating and life affirming. we are brothers in pain and sin, and the religious mode is not to say "this sucks... why should I do anything" and fall into self serving guilt repudiation (which ends in misery since you essentially believe in nothing beyond your own person, which is nothing), or you can say "we are all guilty for one another, so why not me? why should I not be kind?". the second mindset is healthier and happier than yours, you are literally trying to read them the philosophy of an incel who had a mental breakdown.

[Anonymous No.16478163]

>>16477837
Do you want them to abandon what little connection they have to morality so they are free to indulge blindly in things that will make them superficially happy in the moment?

[Anonymous No.16478194]

>>16477370
6/10 for the effort

[Anonymous No.16478218]

>>16477248
lmao is that pepe goethe?

[Anonymous No.16479207]

>>16477252
>Penis on the blue board
You might be going to jail

[Anonymous No.16479349]

>>16477508
>Life is about connections
That’s a little hard when half of your village dies from the plague