Ten Cliches Christians Should Never Use

[mr blur]

We Christians have a remarkable talent for sticking our feet in our mouths. When searching the words most commonly associated with “Christian,” the list ain’t pretty. I think part of this can be attributed to a handful of phrases that, if stricken from our vocabulary, might make us a little more tolerable. Yes, these things may mean something to you, but trust me, non-Christians don’t share your love for these tried-and-true cliches.

So in no particular order, here are ten phrases Christians should lose with a quickness:

1. “Everything happens for a reason.”
I’ve heard this said more times than I care to. I’m not sure where it came from either, but it’s definitely not in the Bible. The closest thing I can come up with is “To everything, there is a season,” but that’s not exactly the same. The fact is that faith, by definition, is not reasonable. If it could be empirically verified with facts or by using the scientific method, it wouldn’t be faith. It would be a theory. Also, consider how such a pithy phrase sounds to someone who was raped. Do you really mean to tell them there’s a reason that happened? Better to be quiet, listen and if appropriate, mourn alongside them. But don’t dismiss grief or tragedy with such a meaningless phrase.

<snip>

More: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christianpiatt/2012/07/ten-cliches-christians-should-never-use/

[LAGC]

1. Good stuff.

K&R.

[Anthony McCarthy]

2. Everyone says that

It's not only Christians who say that, everyone says that. Materialists think everything happens because that's how the chemicals arrange themselves. Sometimes they dress it up in some bogus stuff like Freudianism or behaviorism but, in the end, they think there's a material cause to everything. And, eventually, those explanations prove to be unfounded and they move on to the next intellectual fad.

I figure we will never know if there is a reason many things happen or what that reason might be. Science can do a lot of things but it can't do everything.

[LAGC]

4. Did you even read the articles? (There's 3 of them.)

"Bless your heart."

[Anthony McCarthy]

7. Of course I did. It wasn't that long.

What did I say that you're trying to refute?

[trotsky]

6. LOL

You are funny.

[Iggo]

9. No we don't.

[edhopper]

12. Help me out here

when you miss-characterize someone's thinking and just make up an argument for your opponent, is that a Strawman and ad hominen or an appeal to ignorance?

[bmbmd]

3. Bookmarking.

Nice find. Thanks.

[jeepnstein]

5. Amen!

[cbayer]

8. Good article, but I think it is singing to the choir here (maybe that should be one

of them as well, lol).

These are like dog whistles. Even a lot of religious people find most of these phrases really off putting.

[raccoon]

10. Great article. Recd. nt

[rug]

11. Cliches are as prevalent as roaches.

For the Christians...

1) You just don´t want to be held accountable for your sins.
2) It is clear that this world was created by God. Everything about it is just right for us.
3) God can kill children because he is a God of justice as well as mercy.
4) You can´t properly interpret the Bible unless you believe every word of it.
5) You were never a true Christian if you used to be a Christian but aren´t anymore.

For the atheists...

1) God became his own father to sacrifice himself to himself to gain forgiveness for the people he made so they won´t go to the hell he made - but in Gethsemane, he prayed to himself not to sacrifice himself to himself, unless he insisted on it. Yeah, that makes sense.
2) So you think the world is only 6000 years old..?
3) Priests touch little boys.
4) All the major wars and persecutions in history were because of religion.
5) The Bible is morally unacceptable (example).

[eomer]

13. I'm an atheist and I know quite a few atheists; I never heard any of those "clichés for atheists"

1. I never heard anything like that and can't make much sense of it.
   
2. I say some people think the world is 6,000 years old, others don't. The ones who do are mistaken.
   
3. Some priests touch little boys, others don't.
   
4. Some of the major wars and persecutions were because of religion.
   
5. Parts of the Bible teach splendid morals, other parts are morally unacceptable.
   

I'm sure you know that your "for atheists" list are mostly straw men. I would wonder why you do this but it seems obvious.

[rug]

14. They're not mine. Google atheist cliches and post your own,

Cliches make poor arguments. Look around if you doubt it.

[eomer]

19. A valid argument doesn't lose force over time.

Maybe specious claims do, however.

[mr blur]

16. Struck a chord there, eh? Quick, have a go at atheists!

There, feel all better now?

(you forgot The Pope was a Nazi, and Mother Teresa was a self-serving, mean bully in love with the idea of poverty, not saving people from it.)

[rug]

17. No, you will post it again. Your repertoire is quite limited.

[dimbear]

15. My fave, and the shoplifter's motto, "God helps those who help themselves." n/t

[chalky]

18. There's a great one at the "Ten More Cliches..." link on that page

America was founded as a Christian nation. Honestly, I find it hard to believe we are still having this conversation, but here we are. Anyone with a cursory understanding of history understands that we were founded on the principle of religious liberty – not just the liberty to be a Christian – and that many of the founding fathers explicitly were not Christian. Thomas Jefferson, anyone?

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christianpiatt/2012/07/ten-more-cliches-christians-should-avoid/

[Phillip McCleod]

20. true if anything America was founded on masonic ideals

not christian ones. masonic ideals were in turn founded on rosicrucian ideals (see dame francis yates) derived from, of all things, alchemy...

with a healthy dose of iroqouis confederacy