This past Tuesday and Wednesday we set up a kvetching board on campus in the Pit. We wanted UNC students to kvetch about Christianity, specifically ‘Why I’m Not a Christian’. Many students stopped at the board for a few minutes, read what others had written, and then wrote their own thoughts. By Wednesday afternoon, objections, issues, complaints, and questions covered the board – all ranging from witty humor to insults to vulnerable, personal experiences. When you allow students freedom to express their opinions on something as significant as Christianity, their responses can be brutally honest, to say the least. The wall of the Facebook Event had more and more discussions as the event continued.
In light of all the feedback we received from students, Dr. J.D. Greear, pastor of the Summit Church, came to campus to continue the discussion and respond to students’ most common objections. He briefly shared some of his own story of why he is a Christian. J.D. then opened the floor to students for a time of Q&A. Some tough, yet great questions were asked about Christianity. You can read J.D.’s thoughts on the night in his blog post.
Below are a few of the students’ questions…
- “Doesn’t Christianity oppress women?”
- “How do you explain the differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament?”
- “Is it permissible to pick-and-choose which passages to follow within the Bible?”
- “Why do we need to believe in God?”
- “How can you trust the validity of the Bible?”
- “What happens to people who have never heard of Jesus or the Christian God?”
Here are some excerpts from the kvetching board on why UNC students are not Christians…
- “Altruistic ideas have not passed down from the Bible, but those of inequality and hierarchy.”
- “I’m a firm believer in my own religion.”
- “I don’t need to be.”
- “Organized religion only leads to wars and persecution.”
- “Because I read the Bible.”
- “My mom is Jewish.”
- “I don’t believe in God.”
- “I struggle with truly believing that I need God.”
- “I can have a community of love without having a religion or depending on a god.”