u/fundamental-error

Authoritarian tendencies within Christianity, where they exist, can be presumed to be based on Old Testament historical austerity, on the one hand (Deuteronomy, war, "kill so and so", etc.), and the preaching of "faith alone," in the New Testament on the other.

The existence of heaven and hell remains controversial within mainstream Christianity. Those who do believe in them seem to exist in their own worlds.

But I'm not here to rudely shake strangers out of their slumber. They can believe whatever they want.

What I am asking is how this supposedly deep faith expresses in any way the teachings of the New Testament.

In the New Testament, Jesus is no stranger to challenging the status quo. His teachings have potential value for skeptics, humanists, agnostics, and believers alike. People who one does not presume believe in an afterlife may still take these teachings seriously. They do, in fact, have practical value and worldly consequences.

The Christians that I perceive as being drawn to authoritarianism, as far as I can tell, have thrown out most of the teachings and parables of Jesus (and probably don't read the Bible on any kind of regular basis, as far as I can tell). The line between religion and law has been blurred, as also tends to happen with law and philosophy; the ambiguity is not the fault of these Christians themselves.

The reason I'm raising this problem in the first place is that frequently I've had occasion to be "peer pressured" by "Christians" (who also seem to be white and conservative), to be a certain way, judge a certain way, and believe a certain way. They seem to acknowledge that I have some respect for the Christian tradition; I tend to have respect for most religious traditions.

Christianity is, in a word, about transphobia, and not compassion. White people, not black people. Social conservatism, not social welfare or benefit. Donald Trump, not AOC. In short, when I am propositioned by "Christians," I find that I am being asked to completely abandon everything I myself hold to be true.

The history of Christian flirtations with authoritarianism seems to be not only connected to conservative politics, but to reactionary conservative politics. And that is how I am experiencing it now. As a progressive agnostic, I don't feel that I'm getting anything whatsoever out of these interactions.

So... perspectives?