Sometimes the frustration is endless when one tries to reason with Christians. Whether it's a Christian apologist or a skeptic hoping to convince a believer of the need for rationality, the result is usually hopeless. Not only, however, do some (or most?) Christians seem to be volitionally unwilling or emotionally incapable of engaging in a detailed and elaborate conversation about why Christianity is true, they also have little to no desire to talk about the real effects and errors of incompetent and baseless "Christian" traditions about moral ideas.
I, unlike many other Christians, do not oppose nudity [1], profanity [2], bikinis [3], opposite-gender friendships [4], metal music [5], M-rated video games, R-rated movies, or many of the other shunned practices or things uncommon in generic American Christian circles. But I am not the only Christian who believes nudity is not immoral and is in fact positive; many other websites have taught that already. I am not the only one to defend use of profanity as a largely amoral habit; a surprising amount of intelligent Christian peers have agreed with me. A slowly increasing amount of Christians are finally realizing that there was never anything sinful or unnatural or inherently "dangerous" about representatives of both genders evolving deep, passionate friendships with the other sex. I am not the only one who holds these positions. I have never refrained from being vocal and transparent about the fact that these things are not morally abominable. Not only does the Bible not condemn these things, they can be extremely healthy and beneficial when viewed properly.
There are more complex and obscure truths I have discovered that present Christians are far less familiar with about issues like premarital sex [6]. These revelations are extremely controversial, but at least some Christians are still willing to discuss the arguments for each side and assess them rationally.
But there are ideas which I have come to know as true which I have yet to publicize or speak with others about. In fact, I have arrived at some very unusual and intriguing conclusions. Now why would someone like me, uncaring about the upsetting of traditions or the offense of other people at genuine truths, abstain from telling others? Because of fear? No. Unfortunately, a significant part of my hesitation to discuss my conclusions or leanings with fellow Christians is because I do not expect them to care to consider if they are wrong. They are so entrenched in their false ideals that they label anyone who tries to lead them away from such errors and fallacies an unrighteous person.
My frustration is sourced not only in the fact that these Christians adhere to false or weak beliefs on various moral matters--the true problem is ultimately that many of them are unwilling to change even when their arguments are thoroughly refuted and an airtight case is constructed against their positions. They have simply assumed their conclusions without realizing the error of such a strategy and the fact that they are being hypocritical when they criticize other people for assuming different moral beliefs. When someone invests legitimate effort into separating baseless traditions and preferences of the current Christian culture from actual truths, sometimes painfully and agonizingly and very patiently, he or she is usually greeted only with suspicion and contempt by others who have never even tried to seriously verify their own claims. Then, in unfocused and unsound attempts to defend their inherited moral beliefs, the ignorant majority in the church will resort to non sequiturs, circular reasoning, appeals to emotion, and citations of unauthoritative extra-Biblical tradition.
Because I care about what is objectively wrong in and of itself, I condemn acts and attitudes the modern church seems unaware of or apathetic towards. Prison rape, anti-intellectualism, unchristian ideas about government, and legalistic slippery-slope rules erected by ignorant Christians are all regular targets of my moral indignation. But I do not care to appease other people--believers or those in the secular world--by supporting their fallacious and pointless false morality. Even if I may not publicize my conclusions, I will still abide by them. There exists such an infuriating irony in the church: Christians reject the very Old Testament laws they ascribe to God as they endlessly invent suffocating and irrational moral principles to replace them with. Will it be profitable for me to share my more controversial positions which I have yet to divulge to others? The willingness of others will determinate that.
[1]. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/08/bible-on-nudity-part-1.html (I have yet to continue this series, although I eventually will.)
[2]. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/profanity-profane-or-permissible.html
[3]. See these articles:
A. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-folly-of-modesty-part-1.html
B. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/can-clothing-objectify.html
C. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/09/are-superhero-movies-sexist.html
[4]. See here:
A. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/08/opposite-gender-friendships-part-1.html
B. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/09/opposite-gender-friendships-part-2.html
[5]. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-defense-of-metal-genre.html
[6]. http://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2016/08/on-exodus-2216-17.html
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