ForumsWEPRTheism and Atheism

4668 1384336
thepyro222
offline
thepyro222
2,151 posts
Peasant

I grew up atheist for 16 years. I had always kept an open mind towards religion, but never really felt a need to believe in it. My sister started going to a Wednesday night children's program at a church. Eventually, I was dragged into a Christmas Eve service. Scoffing, I reluctantly went, assuming that this was going to be a load of crap, but when I went, I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling. Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples. he wanted me to follow him. Now, my life is being lived for Christ. He died on the cross for my sins, and the sins of everyone who believes in him. He was beaten, brutalized, struck with a whip 39 times, made to carry a cross up to the stage of his death. This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done.
I still have my struggles with Christianity, but I've found this bit of information most useful. Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith. Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart. I invite my fellow Brothers and sisters of the LORD to talk about how Jesus has helped you in your life. No atheists and no insults please

  • 4,668 Replies
MRWalker82
offline
MRWalker82
4,005 posts
Shepherd

No atheists and no insults please


Just so you know you can't dictate who may or may not post in a thread or what they may or may not say so long as no one is breaking the rules. Nice try at censorship though.
MageGrayWolf
offline
MageGrayWolf
9,470 posts
Farmer

I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling.


I've gotten this feeling from watching science fiction, or just looking at the stars in the sky. Was Xenu calling upon my soul?

Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples.


How do you know this weird feeling was Jesus and not something else?

He died on the cross for my sins, and the sins of everyone who believes in him.


I'm pretty sure I've pointed out just how pointless this is. We have a being that's supposedly all powerful and all loving and such but can't forgive without having something or someone killed. That doesn't really make much sense at all.

Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith.

]
In other words we don't know but we know. This is just a contradiction.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/MageGrayWolf/atheistjokes/understanding.jpg

Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart.


Feelings can be wrong, even good feelings. Your basis for believing in Christianity is no better then any other religion out there. They all claim faith as a basis and all have vastly varying views. If going by that weird feeling was at all accurate we would see much more consistent beliefs based on it.

No atheists and no insults please


Sorry thread is open game. And considering just how easily it seems to be able to insult Christians, I've probably already done that here.
Darkroot
offline
Darkroot
2,763 posts
Peasant

the sins of everyone who believes in him.


The only thing I was thankful for in your post was you didn't say he died for everyone sins and that it's all our fault.

Was Xenu calling upon my soul?


Wasn't the alien soul within you?
PracticalManiac
offline
PracticalManiac
296 posts
Peasant

but when I went, I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling. Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples.


How exactly did he call upon your soul? Did he actually speak to you or were you just feeling a good vibe?

Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart.


What do you possibly have to gain from it besides hopes for an afterlife? You said you grew up Atheist, are you just throwing away your beliefs in logic so you wont screw up any chance you have of going to heaven when you die? Like just in case it is all real you will be guaranteed into heaven?

So I'm just wondering why did you choose to start believing in him anyways? So you feel like you have a free pass for anything wrong you might do?
iMogwai
offline
iMogwai
2,030 posts
Peasant

I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling.


I once felt something similar, but it was just gas.
mysteriousmexican666
offline
mysteriousmexican666
318 posts
Nomad

Atheists... C'mon guys you are being childish. You like to believe that you know what you're talking about, but in reality, all of you guys act like kids with all these comments like "I once felt something, but it was gas"

What do you possibly have to gain from it besides hopes for an afterlife? You said you grew up Atheist, are you just throwing away your beliefs in logic so you wont screw up any chance you have of going to heaven when you die? Like just in case it is all real you will be guaranteed into heaven?
You can't really deny science. But to many, you can't deny religion. So you live with both. It's common sense.
vesperbot
offline
vesperbot
955 posts
Nomad

thepyro22

actually Jesus died for the sins of the entire humanity, past or future, it's just those who have accepted that he died for their own sins and believed, follow him. That's why many people say "He died on the cross for the sins of everyone who believes in him", instead of "for everyone's sins".

It's a good thing that you employ your mind in what you call "struggles", and that you say "still". See, the devil doesn't want a soul to flee from him, so he uses our weaknesses to make us have doubts about Christ, this is hard to overcome but it's quite possible. Do persevere, and may the light of God guide you to heaven.

wolf1991
offline
wolf1991
3,440 posts
Farmer

He was beaten, brutalized, struck with a whip 39 times, made to carry a cross up to the stage of his death. This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done.


Sounds like a lot of stories I hear on the news today. People are killed, maimed, tortured and carry burdens, and yet there is no divine intervention. Your god isn't much for helping the oppressed is he?

Also, as the historian of this happy little community on AG I'd like to point out Jesus of Nazareth was in fact a real person. However, they suspect he was a schizophrenic who believed he was the son of Yahweh aka Jewish God (yes I know they're the same). And had to die to prove his love for him. Consequences that followed sparked an entire new religion. Yay martyrdom!

This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done.


Allow me to pull a quote from my own characters to sum up my feelings about this statement.

"Ten thousand soldiers will die in vain for their cause and no one will be moved. A single man will die and entire nations will bow and scrape before those who come after him, claiming divine word. Don't speak to me of righteousness." - Travis Kentworth

Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith. Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart.


Faith is just another excuse for ignorance. Ignorance is just another excuse for crimes. Claim they are righteous and you will be forgiven.

As such I leave you to ponder something. Every religious person I encounter acts as if they are defined by god. What if the god does not define you, but you define the god?

What if, assuming God is real, God is defined by the actions of his followers. Therefore, indifferent, cruel, ignorant, and with only sparks of compassion and kindness.
Highfire
offline
Highfire
3,026 posts
Nomad

Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith.

Do not feed me crap and tell me what my limitations are. I know more of what I'm capable of than you.

Atheists... C'mon guys you are being childish. You like to believe that you know what you're talking about, but in reality, all of you guys act like kids with all these comments like "I once felt something, but it was gas"

Don't try and make us look childish. I'm being aggressive, yeah, because on the other thread "Atheism FTW" I'm taking another step (comical relief to be fair), but in the end the childish thing of religion is ignorance and the fact that you feel safe with an almighty awesome God >.>
That is childish, not saying it's a bad way of childish, there are certainly pro's, but it is NOT
THE
TRUTH

You can't really deny science. But to many, you can't deny religion. So you live with both. It's common sense.

The only difference is there is proof for Science, whereas trying to prove Religion (or asking someone else to) only results in an attempted speech made to confuse you, whereas really they do not know what they're talking about.

What if, assuming God is real, God is defined by the actions of his followers. Therefore, indifferent, cruel, ignorant, and with only sparks of compassion and kindness.

Makes sense, it can kind of be seen how he'd be forgiven for making this rubbish people call life.
Why's it bad?
Look what I've spent my time doing. :P

Sorry thread is open game. And considering just how easily it seems to be able to insult Christians, I've probably already done that here.

Happens for everything religious.
If you name a teddy Muhammad you face jail time, true story if I remember right.
Unless the punishment was worse.

But it is very dire, religious people get hurt so badly over their beliefs and I cannot believe they think they are just for being so soft (hell I'm not a "hard-kid" but I do know to stfu and take it).

Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart.

So you feel it in your heart?

Bad idea. The heart is an involuntary and vital muscle, nothing more.
The brain, something some religious people (and myself) need to use a bit more is where things are directed from.

Mostly, anyway.

What do you possibly have to gain from it besides hopes for an afterlife? You said you grew up Atheist, are you just throwing away your beliefs in logic so you wont screw up any chance you have of going to heaven when you die? Like just in case it is all real you will be guaranteed into heaven?
So I'm just wondering why did you choose to start believing in him anyways? So you feel like you have a free pass for anything wrong you might do?

Sounds like cowardice to me.

If you throw away your belief under that basis, especially being a formerly logical person, I despise you, so, so much. I can see with many situations kids are born into a religious family and it is helplessly seeded into them, making an unbreakable will in the future, but if you grew up ATHEIST, then how can you not STAY ATHEIST?

With that, I will do 4 things:
1) Call BS on that story.
2) Call cowardice if said story is true.
3) Question your sanity and of course,
4) Question how you was actually raised.

Why for No.4? Because you don't seem to have been brought up logically, and that is a severe, stupid flaw, because Atheism (and Pantheism etc) is based on logical and scientific understanding. Saying what you believe happened (a big boom) without explanation (whilst we can't explain that part in particularly, but many others) is no better than religion.

No atheists and no insults please

I'm not an Atheist. I'm nothing, to my knowledge? Why? Because I developed my own character. And hell, I've mentioned videos that essentially contradict what I just said but self-awareness certainly makes the difference and dangit, I was making sure I done the right thing - it wasn't the case of logic etc, it was a simple case of having a reason (a good one) for everything I do.

- H
MageGrayWolf
offline
MageGrayWolf
9,470 posts
Farmer

You can't really deny science. But to many, you can't deny religion. So you live with both. It's common sense.


Science says the sun formed as a result of gravitational forces then afterwords the leftover debris formed into the planets.

Christianity says God made the Earth then the sun.

You really can't accept both without running into contradiction, which means you are left with having to deny one of the above statements.
Highfire
offline
Highfire
3,026 posts
Nomad

You really can't accept both without running into contradiction, which means you are left with having to deny one of the above statements.

I just wait till it's proven for the most part, it's just that I'm obviously tilted towards the Scientific method

- H
HahiHa
online
HahiHa
8,251 posts
Regent

Can you tell me why I never felt that calling? During school we had to go at least four times a year to church, and at least twelve times in the year before confirmation. I never talked with an atheist about religion before confirmation, for me it was usual that one was part of a religion and went to services (whether one liked it or not), the priest and the vicar were friendly, and my parents left me choose my way concerning religion on my own. You could think I almost had to become a believer, yet I am by far not the only one of my school who is atheist, and the only feeling I had concerning visiting religion course and service was the sense of duty I also had for the rest of school. Why did I not feel any calling when I was unaware even of the concept of atheism? Why did I slowly realize I never truly believed? Because of free will? Then, why did you feel a calling, why has your free will been restricted?

thepyro222
offline
thepyro222
2,151 posts
Peasant

I made this kind of more for Christians, not for atheists to come and flame Jesus. I'm not going to argue with any of you because all I will get is arguments back or denial of the proof that I give you, this is a prime example of your closed- mindedness. all I'm going to say is that I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus, and I'm proud of it

Kasic
offline
Kasic
5,557 posts
Jester

Okay, I have a few questions, they are not meant to be belligerant, deragatory, or anything else that might be taken as insulting.

One, why do you believe in the bible over any other religion? Fromy my point of view they all appear equally valid, what makes one more so than the other?

Two, do you actually hear voices, or is it all in feelings? Or do you not feel anything, but just trust that he is there?

Three, Why is/was Rock and Roll considered the Devil's music?

Avorne
offline
Avorne
3,087 posts
Nomad

I'm not going to argue with any of you because all I will get is arguments back or denial of the proof that I give you

Then you have the audacity to say:
prime example of your closed- mindedness


Can't you see that if your double standards were any larger then we'd have to have to declare them an independent nation?

You can't declare the enemy closed-minded while propagating your own closed-mindedness, you dolt, if you'd just admit that you were wrong then I'm sure we can all move on back to the debate at hand.

Oh, by the way, could you explain these contradictions in your holy book to me? I'd appreciate it.
Showing 1-15 of 4668