Debate: Is Christianity a healthy thing to believe in?
Side: no it isn't

There isn't just one interpretation of "the teachings of Christ". Different churches have their own views. The Mormons added a whole extra book to it. You're a Catholic, right? They believe in Purgatory, which directly contradicts 1 John 2:2 ("He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." [ESV]) The Bible, like any other book, is not set in stone; its meaning can change an twist over time. The Bible is fallible like any other book. The fact is that any rendition of Christianity, however warped, is still Christianity as long as its main tenant is belief in the Christian God. There is no such thing as "false Christianity" and there are no criteria required to be a Christian. Groups like the KKK (don't you have to be Protestant to join?) the WBC and Christian Identity are still Christian as their discriminatory view of Christianity influences their behaviour in the same way that Hitler's belief that Jesus was an anti-Semite justified his racism for him.About Pius XII... you seriously think that churchmen don't lie? They are earthly and fallible like the rest of us. The papacy have spread plenty of lies throughout its history. There have been many dishonest Popes. Take Alexander Vi, who secretly fathered children, slept with his daughter and commited his first murder at age 12. His family were in on the act as well; Johann Burchard, priest, wrote:“(Cesare) had them bound, hand and foot…. Some he shot, and others he cut down with his sword, trampling them under his horse’s feet… he wheeled around alone in a puddle of blood, among the dead bodies of his victims, while his Holiness and Madam Lucrezia, from a balcony, enjoyed the sight…”(http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonablefaith/2009/07/the-unholy-grail-pope-alexander-vi-1431- 1503/) Or how about Leo X, who abused indulgences for money that should have gone to the poor whilst he lived a lavish, spendthrift lifestyle? Or what about the current Pope Benedict XVI, who refused to act on complaint about a preist who had abused 200 deaf boys (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8587082.stm) and, during the infamous sex scandal invovling anal and oral penetration of children as young as three, told bishops to not consult the police on the issue on pain of excommuincation? Of the 5,000 abusive preists estimated to be in the US, just 150 have been brought to justice. This reeks of a cover-up. (http://bit.ly/WAGh9w) The church is guilty of propaganda on a scale that belittles Goebbles. Take Uganda, for instance. It's one of the most homophobic countries in the world-- the Anti-Homosexuality Bill could make being gay a capital offence. Where are they getting their anti-gay propaganda from? The church. The main sponser of the bill, David Bahati, has connections with The Family, an influential Christian group.And as for the Catholic church... don't you know that it's a deeply homophobic organisation? With LGBT youth who are rejected by their parents being eight times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population according to Caitalin Ryan, this is a serious issue. And let us also consider their stanse on contraception. It would have been fine if they had said "we don't like condoms but it you have to use one so be it". But no. Instead, they spread the dangerous lie that condoms somehow make HIV/AIDS worse. In Africa, where more than an eighth of the population are Catholic, the papacy has abused its power and has done nothing to ease the HIV/AIDS pandemic. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L1xvdZMC10)Let's have a look at some of your God's less savoury teachings, shall we? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.If a man still prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall say to him, "You shall not live, because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord." When he prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall thrust him through. (Zechariah 13:3 NAB) The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies! The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. At his command the oceans and rivers dry up, the lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wilt. In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. The LORD is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him. But he sweeps away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He pursues his foes into the darkness of night. (Nahum 1:2-8 NLT) For the land of Israel lies empty and broken after your attacks, but the LORD will restore its honor and power again. Shields flash red in the sunlight! The attack begins! See their scarlet uniforms! Watch as their glittering chariots move into position, with a forest of spears waving above them. The chariots race recklessly along the streets and through the squares, swift as lightning, flickering like torches. The king shouts to his officers; they stumble in their haste, rushing to the walls to set up their defenses. But too late! The river gates are open! The enemy has entered! The palace is about to collapse! Nineveh's exile has been decreed, and all the servant girls mourn its capture. Listen to them moan like doves; watch them beat their breasts in sorrow. Nineveh is like a leaking water reservoir! The people are slipping away. "Stop, stop!" someone shouts, but the people just keep on running. Loot the silver! Plunder the gold! There seems no end to Nineveh's many treasures – its vast, uncounted wealth. Soon the city is an empty shambles, stripped of its wealth. Hearts melt in horror, and knees shake. The people stand aghast, their faces pale and trembling. (Nahum 2:2-10 NLT)"I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their cities are now deserted; their streets are in silent ruin. There are no survivors to even tell what happened. I thought, 'Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings, so I won't need to strike again.' But no; however much I punish them, they continue their evil practices from dawn till dusk and dusk till dawn." So now the LORD says: "Be patient; the time is coming soon when I will stand up and accuse these evil nations. For it is my decision to gather together the kingdoms of the earth and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them. All the earth will be devoured by the fire of my jealousy. "On that day I will purify the lips of all people, so that everyone will be able to worship the LORD together. My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings. (Zephaniah 3:6-10 NLT)"You Ethiopians will also be slaughtered by my sword," says the LORD. And the LORD will strike the lands of the north with his fist. He will destroy Assyria and make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland, parched like a desert. The city that once was so proud will become a pasture for sheep and cattle. All sorts of wild animals will settle there. Owls of many kinds will live among the ruins of its palaces, hooting from the gaping windows. Rubble will block all the doorways, and the cedar paneling will lie open to the wind and weather. This is the fate of that boisterous city, once so secure. "In all the world there is no city as great as I," it boasted. But now, look how it has become an utter ruin, a place where animals live! Everyone passing that way will laugh in derision or shake a defiant fist. (Zephaniah 2:12-15 NLT) Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign LORD, for the awesome day of the LORD's judgment has come. The LORD has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners. "On that day of judgment," says the LORD, "I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs. Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies, and those who steal and kill to fill their masters' homes with loot. "On that day," says the LORD, "a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate and echo throughout the newer Mishneh section of the city. And a great crashing sound will come from the surrounding hills. Wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area, for all who buy and sell there will die. "I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem's darkest corners to find and punish those who sit contented in their sins, indifferent to the LORD, thinking he will do nothing at all to them. They are the very ones whose property will be plundered by the enemy, whose homes will be ransacked. They will never have a chance to live in the new homes they have built. They will never drink wine from the vineyards they have planted. "That terrible day of the LORD is near. Swiftly it comes – a day when strong men will cry bitterly. It is a day when the LORD's anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness, trumpet calls, and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and strongest battlements! "Because you have sinned against the LORD, I will make you as helpless as a blind man searching for a path. Your blood will be poured out into the dust, and your bodies will lie there rotting on the ground." Your silver and gold will be of no use to you on that day of the LORD's anger. For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth. (Zephaniah 1:7:18 NLT) "I will sweep away everything in all your land," says the LORD. "I will sweep away both people and animals alike. Even the birds of the air and the fish in the sea will die. I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble, along with the rest of humanity," says the LORD. "I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear. For they go up to their roofs and bow to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the LORD, but then they worship Molech, too. So now I will destroy them! And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the LORD's guidance or seek my blessings." (Zephaniah 1:2-6 NLT) "Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you." (Genesis 22:1-18)