What makes Christianity appealing?

Remove the reward system from the Christian religion and the number of believers would drop dramatically. The idea that believers go to a wonderful place called Heaven, where they have mansions and streets paved with gold, is a huge draw. The idea that non-belief results in a trip to that nasty place called Hell is a great incentive to believe. Belief is motivated by a desire to continue beyond this existence in paradise - belief is selfish. Despite the insistence of Christians that their love for God is the driving force behind their continued faith, it is a selfish desire to continue on beyond this existence that motivates them. This is borne out by the techniques used to convert others to their faith.

I'm including a video of Ray Comfort on the Pier at Huntington Beach, CA, preaching the gospel in the open air. Comfort's technique is typical of every other evangelising Christian out there:

1. Persuade the person that they are bad.
2. Introduce them to the concept of Hell.
3. Introduce them to the idea of salvation.
4. Persuade them to save themselves.




To begin with, the Christian idea of what constitutes a 'bad' person is derived entirely from the Bible. It has absolutely nothing to do with the way a person behaves towards his fellow man and relates only to his breaking of the rules outlined in scripture. Did Comfort ask the man if he gave to charity, helped the elderly, made an effort to be kind, or worked hard? He had no interest in whether or not that young man was a humanitarian. The reason? It is irrelevant. It doesn't matter how kind and generous you are; if you have blasphemed you are bad, if you have lied even once then you are bad, if you've looked at a woman or man in a lustful manner then you are bad.

Consider the fact that it's impossible to go through life without ever telling a lie ('does my bum look fat in this?' - 'no, honey'). It's impossible to never look at a man or woman in a lustful manner. In short, if you have been human all your life then you are bad. So, with no reference whatsoever to how you actually interact with your fellow humans - how good a dad or husband you are, how much you contribute to society - you are declared to be a bad person.

Notice how part of Comfort's routine involves making the person feel small? The use of the words liar, thief, and murderer are all supposed to make the person feel ashamed - shame is a natural response to being outed as a liar and thief after all. Demoralisation is a big part of the conversion process.

I've never personally seen a video in which Comfort managed to get his way. He tends to view just having a person listen to him as a success, regardless of how little impact his words are having. But let's imagine that he manages to humiliate a person enough to have them feeling that they are worthy of some sort of punishment. Then along comes the promise of personal salvation. Not salvation for everyone if you convert, just salvation for you personally. Your family doesn't get to go to Heaven just because you convert, the poor aren't fed, the homeless aren't homed, and the world remains just as it it. By converting you have not aided anyone but yourself.

It is the base nature of man, the individual's desire to save himself, that makes conversion possible. Christians like Comfort recognise this fact, and that's why they place so much emphasis upon forcing their listeners to confront the idea of Hell. Who wouldn't want to avoid going to live in a fiery pit after all?

Belief for the love of God? Heck no... for the love of self.