In Reply to: Re: Christian atheism -- an oxymoron, or is it? posted by OT2 on March 10, 2006 at 13:07:26:
Well now this is another interesting article imo. I read it differently in that I don't compare it to Berg but it sounds like someone who admired the lifestyle of Christ without assigning divinity to him. In that sense, a person could be an "unbeliever" and yet admire and even want to follow with living a life full of actions that are admirable and not at all like Berg.
From that point of view, I can see people being "Christians" in the sense of how they lead their lives and not religion, even more than I see people who call themselves "Christians" and live like David Berg did are living nothing at all that is Christ Like.
I don't feel like it is fair to say Berg was a Christian atheist. I don't think he was either a "Christian" or an "atheist". I see him more as a predator who was very intelligent and also very ill with a type of illness the puts the person with it in a jail cell rather than a psychiatric hospital. Or both perhaps.
I say this because I know many wonderful people that consider themselves to be "Christians" and some consider themselves as "atheists".
I don't believe a person has to have a religion to have a sense of ethics and a conscience. At the same time, a religion can be a great comfort for a person.
I think that is a hard thing for some ex-members, to accept that the world is not black and white, either/or and neither is it "one size should fit all". I like the variety and notice there are people that are respectful and considerate people, not perfect, but those characteristics are had by people of all religions and no religion.
That is how I see it. Thanks for the discussion. :)