What follows is my response to the claim
"Christians highly value the idea of choice". This statement could be looked at in three distinctive scopes. I find that it to be false in all three cases, so I addressed it as such. Unfortunately, I didn't make it clear that I was addressing the statement on different scopes, and this may have lessened the clarity of my earlier post. For that reason, I have decided to address again in each of the three scopes: The people, the doctrine, and the institution.
Note: this is worded in a "here's how it is" kind of way because I find the issue rather straight forward. If you find something is in error, or if you just want to respond, you can do so either through PM or in the thread dedicated to it (assuming it exists) Sorry if it's a bit long.
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THE PEOPLE
Looking at the statement in the scope of the individual people, it may be true that many Christians may regard the idea of choice as very valuable. However, they could also equally be against allowing choice, or they could be indifferent to it. In fact, it's not at all uncommon to see Christians going decidedly against the idea of choice. Whether that be abortion, homosexuality (which they claim is a choice), sex eduction, or whatever.
Point is, there is nothing inherent about being Christian that would make someone value choice any more than a non-Christian would. Therefore, to make a blanket statement claiming that “
Christian people highly value the idea of choice” is false.
THE DOCTRINE
Generally the Bible speaks more about what one should not do rather than about the idea of choice. Since it's main focus seems to be on setting limits for the people, particularly in the Old Testament, one could say that it's against choice. However, I don't think that's correct. For the most part, the Bible does not directly address the idea of choice. So in that sense I would say it's indifferent to it.
However, there is one very important way in which it could be said to be about choice, and that the idea that you can “choose” to follow Jesus and be saved. However, when you realize that the doctrine is actually saying that God made a place of torture and is planning to send you to it, then his offer to let you off the hook if you'll worship him starts to look a bit less like a true choice, and more like a sadistic game. While it technically could count as a choice, it's a choice in the same sense as it's a choice to be forced at gunpoint to sign a document that gives someone all that you own. Only it's far more severe than that. (Thankfully, I find no good reason to believe that hell (or god) exists, so there there is no need to play this sadistic game.)
Of course, not all Christians believe in a literal hell. In fact, the canonical books of the bible never speak of hell in detail, so ideas of what hell is or if it even exists can vary widely amongst believers. However, the problem I pointed out still exists. This is because a core part of the doctrine is in getting you to believe that you are inherently broken so that it can claim to be the cure. And in order to accept this "cure" you have to give up your natural self-worth and believe that you are worthless without the religion, and you have to devote your life to serving the religion, placing it as the central core of your being. So the “choice” to accept this cure, with all the baggage that comes with it, is still a rather messed up idea of supporting choice.
For all these reasons, saying “
Christian doctrine highly values the idea of choice” is also false, at least for any meaningful sense of the idea of choice.
THE INSTITUTION
History has shown us what happens when the Christian religion is in a position of power. It inevitably seeks to exert as much control as it can on those under it's reign. It is exactly this that has led to the crusades, the inquisition, and numerous other atrocities. Some might claim “but that's not my version of Christianity”, or possibly even “that's not true Christianity”. The second is a
no-true-Scotsman fallacy and so I don't think I need to address it further. For the first however, I would point out that these Christians are using the same holy book, and have many of the same tenets derived from it, and most importantly, they are a big part of what makes up the institution of Christianity. Plus, even big Christian organizations today can often be shown to be doing whatever they can to exert control, though it's limited by the fact that they must work from within a society in which it does not control the law (though it does it's best to work it's way into there as well.) The point is, the statement “
the religious institution of Christianity highly values the idea of choice” is most definitely false.
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As I've shown, for each of these areas, The People, The Doctrine, and The Institution, making a blanket statement
“Christians highly value the idea of choice” is false. It's for this reason that I state that it's absolutely false so strongly: because it's false no matter the scope.
