Christians – Harmonia Philosophica

How many scientists are Christians? (Does it matter?)

Statistics of religiousness are a hot topic.

A friend recently initiated a discussion regarding science, religion and the ‘war’ between them. One of the basic elements of the discussion was the number of scientists who are Christians and of course the actual number of christians in the world to-day. The discussion heated up, with many people invoking researches and polls where the number of scientists who are religious or atheists was documented, explained or projected, while taking into accounts multiple criteria and factors.

Yes, the number of religious scientists may be falling.

On the other hand, there could be polls claiming otherwise.

But at the end, does it matter at all?

Should Christianity care about diminishing or increasing numbers of christians?

If we take a good look we will understand that we are looking at the whole topic from the wrong angle. The problem of Christianity to-day is not that it has a dropping number of faithful going to the church. Or an increasing number of people going to the church. The problem is that Christianity (and christians) care about the number of people going to the church…

Nietzsche once said that the first and last Christian died at the cross. Whether this is true or not I do not know, however I do know that I would surely prefer to have Christianity with only one Christian who is a good and humble person, than having billions of followers who argue and debate about whether the numbers of Christians are rising or falling…

And since the discussion is abour religion and science, the same applies to science as well. I would also prefer science with only one proper scientist, open to all possibilities, self-criticizing eveything and with a free spirit, rather than millions of self-proclaimed scientists who are just parroting the same things over and over again because someone else has said them.

In every case, remember: Less is more…

Be aware and be worried when your followers increase too much.

You are doing things suspiciously right…

PS. All the above also apply for atheism and agnosticism as well.

Outside the Church!

We usually forget what is obvious.

This photo won a Pulitzer Prize, depicting a priest holding a soldier who dies in Venezuela (details here).

We tend to go to church to remember that we are Christians. To light a candle, to pray, to feel mentally uplifted. And yet, Christianity is not the buildings. Not even the church canon or its typical rules. These are of course very important elements carrying significant symbolisms and functions (on multiple levels), no one denies that. But if one looks at life and at the world with a clearer eye, he will see that its most Christian moments took place outside the buildings and outside the formal framework of some liturgy – many times not even by Christians.

In moments of despair, death, pain and agony.

Christianity is not us either. Why should it be? Wy have we won the title of “Christian”? Because we do superficial things that even a child could do? Basically, I don’t care much what Christianity is. In moments of despair, death, pain and anguish, who would care anyway? And yet, it is in such moments that we remember again something that was once obvious to us.

The world is full of pain and horror.

The world is dark.

And yet somewhere inside us we remember vaguely…

(But with absolute certainty)

That there is light somewhere…

Who is a Christian? (Tip: Perhaps not the Christians)

Photo by **Spiros Kakos** from **Pexels**

An interesting question that arose from a discussion with friends about the crime of a mother who recently threw her baby in the trash. Someone commented that this is a consequence of the nihilism of modern atheism, for which man is nothing but a mixture of flesh and blood. So what’s wrong with throwing a baby into the trash?

Someone objected: But the one who did this might be a Christian.

So the interesting question is: Is it? Who is a Christian after all?

Why are you a Christian? Because it is written on your identity card? But it is not anymore! Because you do what you do according to what Christ says? But not even the Apostles did well in following His teachings. Is someone killing a child simply a Christian simply because he or she identifies himself/ herself like that? Is an atheist a Christian if he follows with his heart all the teachings of Christ even if he consciously identifies himself as a non-Christian?

I think this is one of the occasions that the question is more important than the answer. And to be more precise, our difficulty to answer, simply mean that the question itself is wrong…

Why communism (and modern capitalistic society) is against Christianity.

Many people confuse things which should not be confused.

Many people believe the first Christians were communists.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Christians believe in the after life and despise property because they are not materialists. Communists are based on materialism, they are atheists and are against property only because they want property.

Many people believe modern capitalistic society is against communism.

Again, nothing could be further away from the truth.

Study those two society organization systems carefully and you will see that their foundations are essentially the same.

Both of them call for having zombie-citizens, who do not think on their own. Both systems call for doing something here and now, in this world: Communism calls for revolution and producing for the state, capitalism calls for buying things and producing even more. Both systems adhere to the dogma of materialism.

This makes them have another thing in common: A deep hostility to anything Christian!

You see, those believing in Christianity believe in a place far away from here. Christians tend to give little consideration to the earthly issues that matter to those who see only matter. On the other hand, all other systems of thought since the Renaissance had one thing in common: Viewing man as something outside of the cosmos. Seeing the cosmos as something different from us. Believing man is the center of everything. Envisioning man as destined to rule that cosmos. This lust for control has poisoned our thought for many aeons now. And due to that lust, both capitalism and communism are deeply anti-Christian in every sense of the word.

The hero of Marx was Prometheus.

The same hero we admire.

Marx wanted to change things.

Change is the god of modern society.

Do not be fooled by differences in the surface.

The ocean below both systems is the same.

Dark and evil. Void and full of nothingness.

Rome was threatened by Christians due to the same reasons. Having a set of citizens who didn’t believe in ‘earthly’ things was a danger to the greatest earthly empire in the world. Modern materialistic empires feel the same threat.

Modern Christians will meet their fate sooner or later.

Death.

But what the adversaries of Christianity do not understand.

Is that Christianity was BORN through death!

I am a Christian. Not a “Christian”.

Every time I talk with an atheist about religion I receive a lot of anger. Anger which is based on the “evils done by religion” throughout the centuries.

But I am not an archbishop.

I am not the Patriarch.

And even if I was, should I be held responsible for mistakes performed by people who claimed to be “Christians” centuries ago? In the same way science is not in any way responsible for atrocities performed in its name (e.g. eugenics), Christianity cannot be held responsible for atrocities performed in its name by people who obviously did not follow the Christian values of love, forgiveness and repentance.

We love attaching labels. (you are a “Christian”)

We love categorizing. (you are a “Christian”, thus the same as people who called themselves “christians” and killed people in the past, as if Christ taught murder)

We love deducing conclusions. (you are a Christian so you like killing like some people who called themselves “christians” and killed people in the past, as if Christ taught murder)

Methods which are nice for creating science.

But which are terrible for human communication.

Let’s all see the other for the man he really is. Let’s not judge people as if they represent crusaders, atheist eugenics researchers, the Pope or Hitler. Let’s just talk to each other as if we talk to… each other!

I am a Christian.

I am not a “Christian”.