The good news?

It never seems to fail... Whenever the door to door religion salesmen come knocking, I'm just not home. Unlike most that want to avoid them, I would actually like to explain the errors of their flawed arguments. Sadly, they either come when only my wife is home, or when we are both out. The latter was the case yesterday. We got back to find one of their senseless flyers stuffed in our screen door. Since I keep missing them, I am now left responding digitally instead... so lets get started!

First I must take issue with the need to proselytize door-to-door as they do. One thing that seems to be consistent with these incessant salesmen (well, they're sometimes women as well, which highlights their ignorance of their own scripture) is the need to tell you about the 'good news'. Yes, they start to tell you about Jesus and Heaven like it's some brand new information that no one has ever heard before. Guess what, going door-to-door asking people if they've heard about Christianity makes as much sense as walking into a computer lab and asking if they've heard of Google. We've all heard about it. Be it from family, friends, church, etc. Christianity is not some new revelation, and your sect isn't any more special.

By going door-to-door as you are, you are only annoying those trying to sleep in, spreading very old 'news', and stroking your own egos. It is also a rather wasteful and counterproductive thing to do. Rather than doing the equivalent of asking Civil War reenactors if they've heard of Gettysburg, why not do something positive and productive? These leaflets are nothing more than a waste of paper and ink that will either wind up in people's trash or recycling without the majority even being read. So the time and expense of creating and distributing these materials is wasted. Why not donate the resources to the Red Cross? Instead of going door-to-door, why not organize a food drive instead? If your true intentions are to do good, I can tell you that you are failing at that mission.

Okay, now on to the leaflet...

What I received was in two parts; a small flyer telling me 'How to get to Heaven', and a smaller pamphlet with other silly claims that only make any sense at all if you already believe (further highlighting the futility of this practice of door-to-door proselytizing). Let's start with the four point 'How to get to Heaven' flyer...

1). We are all sinners. Lovely way to start off a conversation. How would you like it if you went to a gathering after work and when people walked up to talk said that you were a disgusting and terrible person before asking how your day at the office was? Would you carry on that conversation? Would you view this person as loving and compassionate? I should hope not! But that's what you're doing and how you're asking people to view you. In fact, Christianity as a whole continues this ugly path. Christianity says that everyone is born dirty, terrible, disgusting sinners that are deserving of eternal fire and torment for the penalty of simply being born. Even innocent newborns that have literally done nothing more than eat, sleep and poop. Then Christianity turns around and tries to claim that it is compassionate and loving because they want to try and 'save' you from that lake of fire. No, Christianity is not as compassionate as it would like to think it is. You reduce life to a prison, while I embrace it. So please, carry on claiming that atheism makes life meaningless, when Christianity is the one actually claiming all lives start out horrible and worthy of punishment...

2) There is a penalty for sin! Actually no, not there isn't. The important part to realize is that there is no 'sin' to begin with. Sure, there is right and wrong, but no sin or eternal sin. When someone claims to hold both the disease and the cure, you better take notice! Christianity claims that there is this terrible 'disease' of sin. Then, rather conveniently, it also claims to hold the one and only cure for this blight. Trouble is, all we have are outstanding claims, and nothing to back them up. So this claim is as meaningless to me, as Mormonism's claim of Joseph Smith's seer stone and golden plates are to you.

3) Christ died for your sin! Please prove sin, and also that Jesus (who's existence also isn't confirmed) died for them. Furthermore, why glorify human sacrifice? Isn't that rather barbaric and speak volumes of the primitive people who wrote the text that you so glorify? Some will claim that Jesus had to die to wash away the sins of humanity. But why? You also claim to have an omniscient and omnipotent god. such a being doesn't have to do anything. If I were that god, rather than resorting to ritual sacrifice, I would look into the 'hearts' of all to derive who is worthy, and who isn't. Far more loving, and bringing us to point four...

4) You must ask Jesus to save you! Amazingly, Christians today largely miss how flawed this proposed system is. Romans 10:13 claims that whoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved. So taking this excerpt (that this church included) at it's word, it doesn't matter what kind of a person you are. According to this, though I live a good and honest life, try to help others when I can, have never been arrested, done drugs, and am about as non-threatening as they come, I will spend an eternity in Hell fire. Meanwhile, a man can kill, rape and steal, but then be genuinely repentant of his crimes and find himself in paradise. Christianity is basically a big 'get out of jail free' card. Acts are of no importance. I can live a crime-free life, and Christianity would punish me simply because I no longer believe. Yet the life-long criminal could be rewarded simply because he believes in and worships the deity in question. Talk about terrible injustice trying to sell itself as the ultimate justice! Oh, course, there is no Heaven or Hell, so this gaping flaw is of any real import.

Now for the itty-bitty Easter pamphlet that was included...

The first ridiculous claim  made is this... 'Every leader of every other belief system has died and their bodies remain in the grave. However, Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again from the dead'. Let's just ignore the fact that Jesus' very existence remains unconfirmed. Thusly his supposed resurrection remains a wholly unsubstantiated claim. Until you can prove these things, your assertions are meaningless. Furthermore, your claim reveals your ignorance and/or lack of research into other belief systems. Resurrection was old hat for gods by time Jesus 'came around'. There is actually a decent list of deities that are said to have been resurrected  from death. Some sharing the same time of year Christians will claim Jesus was born and was resurrected. Not surprising, since there is very little original in Christianity. Heck, some Pagan belief systems believe in the annual death and rebirth of their god(s) and/or goddess(es) to this very day. So no, even if we take your claim at face value, you are very wrong.

Next it claims that 'Sin is the reason there is death.' Come again... Sin being the reason for death isn't even consistent with the teachings of Christianity. Ah, but when have they ever let that bother them before... When I was still a Christian, we were taught that Jesus was sinless. Otherwise, his sacrifice would not be the 'ultimate sacrifice'. Yet Jesus still died. If Jesus was 'sinless' and still died, then sin can't be the reason for death. If sin is the reason for death, he should not have been able to die if he didn't sin.

Then, on the very next page is says that Jesus never sinned. Talk about a short attention span! They claim that God does not want anyone to perish, and that Jesus' death was the only answer to the problem. Oh how little they think of their god. If he is as all powerful as Christians claim, then the previous claims become meaningless. If God doesn't want them to perish, they don't have to. If God is all powerful, Jesus doesn't have to die to wash away sins. Why not simply judge people by who they are, rather than what they believe? It would certainly be more just.

Finally, it claims that receiving Jesus is the only way into Heaven. Funny since they assume that there is a heaven, that it is a good place, and that you want to go there. Truth is, if Heaven is real, and as advertised by the Christians who constantly talk it up, I am not interested. Heaven as 'sold' is a terribly unjust, boring place where to unending nature of eternity would make ceasing to exist quite more appealing. So please consider these facts before you try going-door-to-door again. You are assuming people haven't heard your message... They have. You're assuming people want to hear your message... Most don't. Finally you're assuming your message is positive and appealing... Newsflash, it isn't!

-BH


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