So you don't believe in God, or the 'Christian' version of God...

Why?

I need help in formulating a strong and valid reason my MC would not believe in God and would in fact be very anti-Christian.

Thanks :)

Because I've always believed in other deities, even when I was a perfect Christian child. Because a lot of Christians preach hatred and intolerance and anti-science and I can't cope with being identified with people who would embarrass me.

Your MC might simply never have felt a Divine presence, and thus would have no intuitive reason to believe in one (in much the same way that most people don't believe in unicorns or leprechauns).

As for being anti-Christian... oh Lordy, where do I start? Christianity has been responsible for some truly awful periods in human history (the Crusades, the Inquisition, the way that even today Christians tend to quarrel viciously among themselves) and individual Christians, like the Westboro Baptist Church and those idiots who leave religious tracts disguised as $10 bills on tables for underpaid waiters and waitresses to find, can be spectacularly cruel, nonsensical and ignorant (just look at the "good" Christian kids who drive gay kids to suicide on a semi-regular basis). Add that to the way some Christians launch into a screaming "UR GOIN TO HELLLLL!" sermon when confronted with anything even vaguely dissimilar to their own opinions and you'll see why some people paint all Christians with the same nasty brush. (Please note that I'm not saying that such bigotry is right, only that it's understandable given the way that some Christians behave.)

Some people take a look at how some Christians act and come to the conclusion that they'd rather burn in Hell than be part of the fan club of a God whose believers engage in such behaviour, regardless of whether or not they believe that the Christian God exists.

The Judeo-Christian concept of God is extremely masculine; we have a male God with a Son and the Fall is all women's fault for eating the apple (but what can you expect being formed as an afterthought from a man's ribs?). I'd work with Christianity's, old boy, male-exclusive, out-dated aspects.

The religion reflects the surrounding society and there's still much troubling about women ministers/teachers, Paul's letters/advice about women, etc. Too, a lot of Christian Bible history is based on earlier religious practices (part of why I could never be a Mormon it's too "created" as a whole rather than something that naturally developed out of ongoing experience).

Even Divine-Inspired, someone living in First Century Palestine could not anticipate Twenty-First Century Palestine, much less Twenty-First Century United States? Yes, a thief is a thief is a thief but. . .that's too simplistic to be very useful anymore in this day and age and my belief in a Personal Savior cannot be the same as your belief in a Personal Savior because we're very much not the same person and society has made it harder and harder to either understand those "different" from ourselves or the opposite, to even acknowledge (political correctness) that they are different.. I cannot learn from you because you are like me, whether you are or not.

Because there are too many contradictions in the Bible, there are so many things in the Bible that evolved from secular influences, and honestly it all sounds just a little too perfect for me. Like, the whole thing about Christianity being a religion for the masses and how even if your life sucks, it's okay because there's another life for you after death where everything will be as it should have been for you on Earth, and you'll get to be reunited with all your dead loved ones. But be careful, because if you screw up, you'll be sent to a fiery pit of damnation for all of eternity (which, by the way, the standards for who goes to Heaven and Hell have changed drastically over time).

I read the bible. That's really all it took. Also, I read other mythologies. And then there is science. When I was agnostic i used to think that what ever was the divine had created the world through science but even that is just a lazy way of explaining the science (most of which goes over my head).

Basically, believing in the judeo-christian god was, at a certain point, like believing in santa claus.

Christianity took from judaism which took from various pagan myths and escalated from there. it isn't new or much different and holds no emotional impact for me.

Strong and compelling reasons not to believe in a God:

seeing no reason to believe in a god
seeing no evidence of a god
not being raised to believe in a god
seeing in the god reflections of qualities that you find undesirable or immoral

basically, the strong and compelling reasons for people not to be Christians are going to be pretty similar to the strong and compelling reasons you feel for not acknowledging the core concepts of every other religion as being true.

Tabster: I have never really been a Christian - I was raised non-religious, sought religion in my early teens and found Paganism - but I very much enjoyed watching the first six or seven videos in this playlist. (You can click on them to view them on youtube if you'd rather; I found that an easier way to view myself.) The fellow in the videos was once a strong Christian and it is his documentation of his journey to atheism. I think it would be the best help for what you're asking.

I'm not a fan really of Christianity - or at least that subsect of Christianity that believes in a literal hell as punishment for non-believers. Mostly because that seems completely at odds with any kind of loving god. At any rate I quite like many Christians, and I think if I was Christian I would probably be Anglican. I do take issue with the concept of conversion, particularly the historical conversions of Saint Olaf. (It pains me that he is still honoured as a saint. May his soul not find its rest.) Missionary work historically has destroyed religions and indeed contributed to the destruction of cultures. That it still goes on disturbs me - if you want to do charity work, do charity work. Give them a bible if it makes you happy. Don't impose your religion upon them, or make agreeing to hear about your religion a condition for receiving help. Especially in areas where the religion practiced is endangered. (I speak of course with a general 'you' and not to you personally. You seem very nice.) I have heard - believe it or not! - about mission trips to parts of Europe! Places that are very Catholic! This one girl's school went on a mission trip to a city in Lithuania that actually has a hill covered in crosses. It's remarkable. I'm not sure what their intent was - converting the Catholics perhaps? Makes me think they had been reading those loathsome Chick Tracts!

So I suppose my main issue with Christianity is the lack of acceptance of other points of view. From a polytheistic perspective.... the person down the road might worship Athena and that's fine with me. I've met Athena, lovely goddess. The person across the road might worship Jesus. Fine, never met him but I'm sure he's wonderful also. I like that variety. When I was a child I used to read books about polytheistic cultures and wish we still had that variety - now I know those religions are springing back to life I still wish there was that variety in many places (but I'm also more aware of the private nature of religious belief). My main issue with Christianity is the "this way, or no way" standpoint of the religion as a whole, and of some sects in particular that do not see the value even in other forms of Christianity. While many Christians have been kind and respectful of me and my religion - and this is something I very much appreciate - so too have some dismissed my sacred things without even trying to understand that they might hold for me the same significance that a cross or the bible holds for them.

At any rate that is my perspective - I would not call myself "anti-Christian", but I wanted to share my standpoint.

None of us are born believers... nor are we believers because of our family. We are saved by our own desire to be with the creator of the universe and to have a relationship with Him.

A Non believer in Christ can be such for many a reason.
1) never heard the name
2) see the "Evangelical" and see something wrong
3) just doesn't believe

4) and to me the reason i was not a christian... was because i just never understood Who Christ is... i read the word... saw the failures of his people, saw what i knew are mistakes in the bible.... and never wanted to be like them....Christ or his followers....

Now i am saved because i know God and i trust in His Son.

Because paganism is a choice of path, where one makes one's own soul decisions and makes one's own path. I have always been deeply thoughtful about the meaning of life, and have studied a lot of paths. I don't believe anyone got it right and that there are many gods, one of them has been used as an excuse to kill and maim others... and oppress women.
I also studied the history of xtianity and basically the romans romanticized the story a rebel who preached against roman rule, added in Moses law, corrupted a lot of Celtic myth and used it politically to control the masses and to try to keep the empire together...

Why *should* anyone believe? The burden of proof is on the "godly"--and they don't meet it.

For a lot of people I know...There are two main reasons they dont believe in God.

1. How could an all knowing all loving God lets such bad things happen to good people? Examples like...a child getting abused...young kids getting bullied and then killing themselves...stuff like that.

2. A lot of Christians are very judgmental...especially to the LGBT community. (gays and trans) They are bullied because of it and those Christians are just very hurtful and hateful. So that could be why you MC is against Christianity? Cause of all the ones who are so judgmental.

Hope this helps. =]

Because there is lots of evidence that the bible is false, is one of my reasons.

Also, one thing to consider is the fact that there have been hundreds of thousands of religions throughout time, a few of which have become very huge nowadays, and all feel very strongly that their's is the true religion, and have much proof. That in itself should breed skepticism.

Your MC is anti-Christian because of personal experiences. Maybe they were gay in a Mormon family. Maybe they were so disgusted by the Catholic child-abuse scandals that they swore off Christianity. Maybe they learned about the history of missionaries and the horrific things they did to people in Africa, India, and the Americas (especially the Native Americans, who had their children seized, sent to boarding schools, and Christianized against their will by the US govt for over a hundred years).

Maybe your MC read about Christ and found him a compelling figure, but realized that the entire faith was more about hypocrisy and judging others in practice. And that people take the Bible and interpret it to justify whatever they want. Or he finds out that the Bible was created by the Byzantine Empire 325 years after Christ died by a bunch of Greek scholars on the dime of an Emperor, even though it was presented as unadulterated fact by his church. And so he gets thinking that, well, if this entire hulking mass of a religion is built on all these half-truths and hypocrisies and people never putting their money where their mouth is, then maybe your MC doesn't need to be a part of it at all.

And thus develops a skepticism towards the entire religion, given that people are preaching and judging each other, based on commandment of books they don't understand and don't know the history of, and committing all sorts of atrocities/lavishing themselves in consumerism and power in the name of a guy who told them to love their neighbors and give all their money to the poor.

Or maybe that was just my childhood. I dunno.

Have you tried looking up William Lane Craig? He's one of the foremost Christian apologists in the world and has several debates up on Youtube. Here's a video of him debating Christopher Hitchens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KBx4vvlbZ8. You can also find him debating other atheist authors like Sam Harris, etc.

Watching the debates might give you a good idea of both sides, what they believe, and why they believe it. They're very entertaining as well!

Not anti-Christian, but I'm an atheist because I don't need "god" to have a rich and wonderful relationship with the world.

TheTabster,

Youtube search any Christopher Hitchens video, and you will find a very thorough explanation of both of those topics. This one will get you started:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7UImBPq4WI

One of the reasons I find Christianity objectionable is because it teaches the idea that you can punish someone else for your sins (ie, Jesus) and be forgiven. I think the idea of a whipping boy in any circumstance is terribly unjust.

All those reasons are why I am NOT a Christian or in religio. I DO BELIVE in God and in Jesus I AMA CHRIST follower which If you BELIVE the bible and in Jesus you are supposed to be. But people get all upset and think that how they interpret the bible is right and if you do so a diffrent way you will go to hell and suffer. It is also peoPle like that I want to pont to that in the bible it says not to argue obviously People have not got that part vecaue of all the crap that has been done said and all that. Personally I gues a reason one would not BELIVE is because they never got the chance. I grew up with southern baptists as familey so god has alway been around for me hope I could help

I'm a born again Christian. I think the point of the thread was to why someone would be anti-christian. As a Christian writer I write about this a lot. Of course my characters end up believing. I'm not here to argue other people's believes, just to help the original poster.

The times I've written about someone totally against Christianity it has been because of a bad experience in the church, a very strick religious doctrine (very legalistic), a traumatic event that they could not explain how God would allow A or B to happen.

I am though confused about how can someone not be a Christian and believe in JesusChrist... that by definition is a Christian. I do understand if the person doesn't attend church may not consider themselves Christians, but the Word Christian came from JesusChrist. They may not be a practicing Christian which is what sounds like.

Contrary to my screenname I wae raised Jewish. The reason I have for being "anti-christian" is that I view the old testament as being complete. I have no need for Jesus in my jdaism and I resent the phrase Judeo-Christian because the only mytholgy the 2 religions have in common is that jesus was jewish and therefore cpnsidered himself thevjewish messiah. But everything after jesus was crucified has in my opinion no relevance to judaism.