I'll try and clear a little about this
@Alec: The crafted idols you're talking about are only a way that christian church tried to enter into European pagan redneck mind after the first conversion, it's clear that this hhas nothing to do with Christ and his message, the statues were built in first medieval times when Christianity had to stand ground against paganism had to give a strong imagine both of saints and infernal creature so this doesn't deal with a real Christian a.k.a one that follow gospel and Christ's word (for this called Christian and not Churchian)
About that quote, it's normal that if one wants to pray he can do it at home, alone etc not in a Church, but again, first Churches were built in medieval time when fake christianity conquered power, first real Christians (St. Paul, St. Bartolomew etc.) gathered in catacombs, concelaed without statues, draperies etc..
Again cardinals and State Church can be scornfully called Christians, for ex. I won't call Christian a Pope that had sons with women etc. so again the deal doesn't exist, just look Mother Theresa of Calcutta, St. Francis, St Rita etc. they didn't live in palaces, or wore purple robes and jewellries, they were with lepers, afflicted etc. these can be called Christian for they follow the Word, not all the share of pseudo-christian we had in history and to whom many wannabe anti-christian address when scorning Christianity.
@frostbitengrimness It's widely now that havamal was compiled and reviewed by a Christian monk around 1000 after Iceland conversion so it's clear that Odin's sacrifice is under some aspects a copy of Christ's sacrifice, but, nevermind, even if we don't want to believe this, Odin's sacrifice was the most egoist of all religous/mythology history, if you only read the passage with more detailed it is said that Odin sacrificed himself to conquer the runes (he cried fell down and gathered the runes) so it's something to win for himself an higher degree of knowledge, sacrifice and stuff are completely out of theme and don't know of you read this or you thought it of your own.
Christ didn't die for your sins this is a wrong interpretation of late Church, if you see, the real meaning of Christ's death (as told also by St. Thomas, St. Augustine and protochristians) is to WIN sin, meaning the unremedly of death, in fact in the official mass after Eucharist it is said "In the day that Christ won death" meaning before Christ in death you could not find resurrection of the flesh but you dwelt in other world forever without a goal (like in greek-roman mythos), now instead, you can hope an after life, a sort of, I wouldn't call a reward because it sound childish, but an aspiration to come and live a second "golden age" on earth after the end of it all, I don't want at all call Christianity an egoism-religion, before life was ruled by egotism and violence (see Roman empire and also the manner jews treated ill-people i.e. lepers so both pagan and monotheist religions) Christ taught that even the last one of earth can be helped and that our goal is to make this world a paradise i.e. a better place to live, so nothing most far-off than egoism
@ NattensThyr & Alteredmindeath sorry cannot comment too highly philosophical statements :zombie:
On a side note: The post is long, and maybe has some grammar errors, but I wanted to add more, so don't blame me if I explained easy things that needed more spaces and time
