Why is it okay for missionaries to lie?

[PanzerJaeger]

Depends on your type of faith, honestly. Many christians take the view that man is a flawed creature, and that the bible itself is a flawed product of man, while the exploits and teachings of jesus himself (which makes up a relatively small portion of the bible anyway) suggest that if you're pure of heart and intention god will judge you accordingly. Its not so much about following the specifics as it is trying to 'do what jesus would do,' if you will.

That's not all christians, obviously, but many that you call 'casually' religious are in fact just skeptical of the establishment, but not the message.

But that's just it. Even if we eliminate everything from Christianity except the teachings of Jesus, the vast, vast majority of Christians do not even attempt to emulate some of his more inconvenient messages, such as those regarding the accumulation of wealth for example. If Christianity was anything more than a convenient moral code in which to indoctrinate children and maintain social ties, there would be no rich Christians, and none who would try to be rich.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

But that's just it. Even if we eliminate everything from Christianity except the teachings of Jesus, the vast, vast majority of Christians do not even attempt to emulate some of his more inconvenient messages, such as those regarding the accumulation of wealth for example. If Christianity was anything more than a convenient moral code in which to indoctrinate children and maintain social ties, there would be no rich Christians, and none who would try to be rich.

Jesus alos said everybody would fail to be a "good£ person, nevermind Christian, anyway.

We're all epic screwups, any other religion would try to change that - hell Communism basically fails because it tries to make people "behave".

You lack faith, that part of you that feels the sunshine and interprets that as God isn't as significant as the sceptical part of you. That's fine, but not everybody is like that.

I litterally spent years going "I can't hear you" even when I had a pretty good idea what I was hearing.

[PanzerJaeger]

I agree with you, but I don't think I made my point clear. Christianity is such a fractured mixture of different organizations, teachings, and establishments all competing with one another (and with other faiths) that the real message (Be good, be selfless, be humble, etc.) is often lost in the noise.

And even for those who do take it quite seriously, most understand that humans will err, and they will err often. The single largest message in the new testament is that Jesus offers redemption for the mistakes and imperfections of man, so that if you fail to live up to the standard you can repent and try again, so long as you are sincere.

Sincerity is certainly the issue. I would suggest that a man who goes to church on Sunday and to work on Monday to enrich himself is not sincere in his Christianity. There is a large difference between erring in the heat of the moment and structuring one's life in a manner that goes against the teachings of your god. Anyone who has an accurate understanding of Jesus' teachings understands that god's forgiveness is not a get out of jail free card. In fact, Christians at large should reject capitalism at its core, but the vast majority do not. Most people are willing to embrace a certain convenient Christianity as it comes with some significant social insurance in many parts of the world, but their actions do not suggest true belief.

[HoreTore]

It aint just the lutherans who spread these lies, the Catholics do it too. And they get rather pissed when someone calls their bluff....

I'm sure Jesus is proud.