Why don't Christians like personal accountability?

I am a bit confused on this question as I have never had the assumption that Christians and/or atheists don't like personal accountability. The only thing that I find a bit unfair is a sign I have sometimes seen: "Christians are forgiven ..." Does that mean athiests are not? Bit unfair that one if so. That being said I don't think that is an excuse to do unto another person a crime. Hate to admit it but, on a personal level, I have found most athiests to be kind people, whereas some Christians (the regular Church goers at least) I have known have proved to be real b------s. Sometimes I wonders why they go to Church at all as they seem to be missing the most basic of human kindness emotions towards others. I am not openly criticising Christians (or other belief systems) in general just some personal observations. There is a lot to be said for the humanists.

Eh...I'm not religious, but come on, man. Assuming Christianity is correct, think about the most obvious points:

1. Just on the numbers alone, it's clearly better for one innocent-but-willing person (i.e., Jesus) to get punished, rather than all of humanity, if this can make life (or the afterlife) better for everyone. The alternative is to have the entirety of humanity punished, which would just make everyone equally miserable. If it can reduce total suffering, then it can only be a good thing.

2. With that in mind, I'd say that Christians (real ones, anyway) most certainly do accept responsibility. Responsibility is the twin side of salvation. Salvation comes with the responsibility to correct past trespasses in the here-and-now and to prevent future ones from happening, rather than just wait around until the afterlife to get punished for them to make the scales even. It's not just Christianity -- quite a few religions are variations on this idea.

I'm curious if you find forgiveness an ethical act, or if punishment should always be meted out in response to an offense. The metaphor of crime/punishment itself is a very rigid, closed-off way of evaluating reality. You may not subscribe to this 'redemptive' theology and the religious life that goes with it, but your response shows that you're strongly influenced by it in how you're choosing to view reality in the present, and the possibility of a reality after death.

If you believe that an offense must always be punished, then your line of thinking is at least logically consistent.

But it also means there's no place for forgiveness in your life. Forgiveness, by definition, means offering mercy when there should be punishment instead. And to paraphrase Dostoevsky -- if you can't forgive others, nor even your own self, the state of your existence is hell itself.

Your argument makes perfect sense...

...IF you adhere to a soteriology of "penal substitutionary atonement." It's an idea that became popular through the writings of Anselm of Canterbury (also known for his 'ontological argument' for God's existence). The Catholic church and its offshoot Fundamentalist Protestants took this trope and fashioned an entire theology out of it.

Many Christians -- especially Eastern Orthodox -- don't conceive of salvation in those terms at all. I encourage you to explore deeper if you're interested.

hows Personal accountability like this:-

"But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." - Luke 19:8

God is a God of Justice... if you commit a crim he will expect you to pay for it within your means... but he doesnt not expect you to pay a debt that you are unable to pay.

eg. a child breaks a expensive window.. child says sorry and offers to do more chores..a reasonable parent will be fine with that but the child cannot afford to pay for a new expensive window cause they dont have a job/income.. The parent ends up paying for a new window on behalf of the child.I wouldn't.

so it ends up that the parent an innocent person being punished for the childs transgressions by having to fork up hard earned cash to replace the window. Is this moral or ethical?

Jesus had to become Human to represent humanity to pay an infinite debt that no finite human can every afford pay... this debt is for sinning against an infitine God.

Lord Jagged, whose canary-yellow cloak is blinding (good book series by the way), SO much of what you say would lead you to more understanding and answers, were you to continue to pursue the truth that lies beyond them.

With what we know now, the proof you need is there. How much do you seek it?

How many "outlandish" things in the Bible are revealed to be true, by modern science? MANY!

Many things people accepted as "mysteries of God" that "we will get an explanation for someday", are things we now KNOW to be true, such as "the Earth hangs in space on nothing" from the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Ridiculous right?

How did goat herders come up with that? They didn't. God told the author of that book, and he wrote it down. NOW, we know that the Earth DOES hang on nothing in space. I think our word for "Space" even comes from that very verse.

There are numerous things like that. Our controlled media is guiding us away from noticing this, big time, so you have to pay close attention.

The Human Genome Project is good to look into. as well as dimensional science (turns out there are ten dimensions, like the Bible says), and the implications of String Theory.

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Sooooo... Accountability, right?

People in general do not like accountability, so that includes Christians. But what people like or don't like is irrelevant in this situation.

The laws of the universe were set up by God. Satan used those against Adam and Eve so that he could hurt God, who loves us a great deal and meant for people to be like His created children.

In prophecy and promises from right when Eden was hidden from humans (likely, it is 4th-dimensional, as we likely were), it has been God's plan to redeem us through His 'Son aspect", if you will, becoming an actual human being, from womb to grave, and being killed like a guilty person, regardless of His innocence.

It is God Himself that does not want people to be ultimately accountable, because the laws He set up would then call for our spiritual death, the ultimate punishing and destroying of our actual self. He loves us too much.

Does that mean that some humans might get the wrong idea and do wrong things more? Sure, some of them, sometimes.

Personal accountability? Like the idea of all sins being an evil angel's fault.

Paul clearly states in Romans 1:18-21 that "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

But while there's still breath, there's still hope! You don't have to be blind anymore, LordJagged, if only you'd believe on Jesus Christ and repent of your sins. I say this only in love and fear for your eternal soul (Luke 12:5).

<The only thing I won't accept is punishment for not believing him, if he is supposed to be omniscient and omnipotent then he knows exactly what evidence I require to believe in him and is fully capable of giving it to me.>

Then, one of two things is true.

1. You will one day see that evidence. It could be something that you have known about all along. He also knows how long it will take for you to believe that evidence.

2. No evidence will convince you.

As for myself, if I deserve to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, and yet God forgives me because I accept Jesus' free gift of eternal life, I won't argue. But everyone else will be free to reject His gift.

Salvation is a free gift given to all who believe. If you confess with you mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.

I am a sinner, and even if I died on a cross I could not forgive my own sins, but Jesus was sinless and he died for my sins. When God looks at me He doesn't see my sins but the blood of Jesus that covers my sin and the blood that paid the price for my sins.