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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
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[quote]Then we can glorify the state like Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin did
No, because what they did was wrong.[/quote]
[quote]Why do you think that? Did your mom tell you? Hopefully you see my point.
If we didn't have religion, we wouldn't have 2/3 of the problems we have today in the world.[/quote]
Like....?
Who told you religion was such a bad thing? What major problems is it causing? And don't say the war in the middle east.
Religion saves people everyday. Religions don't start problems, it's the people who take it to far that do. Christianity, especially, tells us to love our neighbors, no matter what differences, and if they aren't Christian themselves, spread the word of God to them. Not forcefully, but slow and steady. Most of the problems in the world revolve around money and differences, not religion.
Oops. I messed up on that post. "Why do you think that? Did your mom tell you? Hopefully you see my point." wasn't supposed to be quoted.
Like....?
Like...holy wars, hatred against gay people, as you said the middle east, groups who take it too far, people who do not treat their child and instead pray for them to be healed, the ignorance it causes, blocking science from progressing, I could go on but I think you get the point.
Religion saves people everyday.
Or so it claims. You have no evidence that it saves people. There are prisoners who claim to have "turned christian" but i'd be willing to bet that over 3/4 of those are just looking to get sympathy.
Christianity, especially, tells us to love our neighbors
Churches today do, the bible they preach from, still does not.
I personally know a person who almost killed themselves because they thought they were lost in life. They were shown compassion and by God's will, they were saved. The Bible teaches a person how to be caring, and that caring nature is what saves people.
I personally know a person who almost killed themselves because they thought they were lost in life.
I'm sure you could find examples of that for many, many, many things.
They were shown compassion and by God's will,
No, they were shown compassion, and by those people's will and that person's own, they were "saved." God had nothing to do with it, other than be their cause for helping that person.
The Bible teaches a person how to be caring,
Obviously not, because then extremists would be extremely caring.
God does not hate gays. Many gay people say that they feel "trapped in a different body". In that case, it would be a mental condition. God doesn't punish the mentally ill.
@Kasic
your still not proving your point. What about that one prisoner that did get saved?
Right there you just said it's possible to get saved. What are you trying to prove if you've just admitted there is indeed a Lord saving people?
[quote][quote][quote][quote][quote][quote]holy wars
And that shows what you know about history.
You mean the ridiculous number of holy wars that took place in medieval times? I admit history isn't a strong point, but I know general things, not specific dates/all the things during those time periods.[/quote]
And do you know the circumstances in which the occured? There was nothing honestly christian about them.[/quote]
On the contrary, they followed the bible quite well.[/quote]
The bible doesn't call for killing people. Does that follow the bible? No. Well look at that. Someone who read the bible knows what he is talking about. I feel like an atheist right now. I see why you chose that "religion" (If I can call it that.) called Atheism. You guys always feel like you are right.[/quote]
Read your own **** book. The entire book of leviticus and deuteronomy is about killing people.[/quote]
Oy. Have you ever heard of reading in between the lines? Those verses reveal that those crimes are worthy of death. Death doesn't have to be murder.[/quote]
hatred against gay people and blocking science from progressing
Hatred against gay's is not following the bible. And it isn't blocking science at all. Do you know how much more science has looked into evolution because of religion?
[quote]Christianity, especially, tells us to love our neighbors
Churches today do, the bible they preach from, still does not.[/quote]
Can you stop telling us what the bible says? FFS.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV, John 13:34-35)
God doesn't punish the mentally ill.
Do the handicapped go to hell, South Park
I couldn't help myself :P
What about that one prisoner that did get saved?
Save one, kill thousands in a holy war, it all evens out right?
Right there you just said it's possible to get saved
Yes, it is possible for religious people to do good things, in fact, it's more common than the reverse of this.
What are you trying to prove if you've just admitted there is indeed a Lord saving people?
1) I never said that God saved him, I said people who believed in God saved him.
2) In that case, I wasn't saying religion was bad. However, I am trying to prove overall that religion adds nothing that is not already found elsewhere, and instead is just adding it's own particular list of "Evils" and "duties" that must be avoid/carried out, as well as the problems those bring.
It's like having 4 meals on the table. They each look alike, taste the same, and smell the same. However, one is poisoned. A starving man comes along, eats one, and goes on to live a better life afterwards. That's all fine and dandy. Then the next person comes along, and he's fine too. And the next. But the last one is poisoned and dies. Now of course, there's another table that offers the same food, yet, none of it has that poison.
Can you stop telling us what the bible says? FFS.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV, John 13:34-35)
If you stop saying the bible says to be nice, sure.
Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)
Hatred against gay's is not following the bible
It's at the very least sinning in the eyes of the church, which is pretty much the same thing. Unless of course you don't hate sin.
"If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives." (Leviticus 20:13 NAB)
[i]I never said that God saved him,
Again, your admitting there is a God
Those "lists" and "duties" are common sense things. They aren't hard to follow. In fact NOT following them is complete laziness.
[quote][quote][quote][quote][quote]Save one, kill thousands in a holy war, it all evens out right?
And that shows what you know about history.
You mean the ridiculous number of holy wars that took place in medieval times? I admit history isn't a strong point, but I know general things, not specific dates/all the things during those time periods.[/quote]
And do you know the circumstances in which the occured? There was nothing honestly christian about them.[/quote]
On the contrary, they followed the bible quite well.[/quote]
The bible doesn't call for killing people. Does that follow the bible? No. Well look at that. Someone who read the bible knows what he is talking about. I feel like an atheist right now. I see why you chose that "religion" (If I can call it that.) called Atheism. You guys always feel like you are right.[/quote]
Read your own **** book. The entire book of leviticus and deuteronomy is about killing people.[/quote]
Oy. Have you ever heard of reading in between the lines? Those verses reveal that those crimes are worthy of death. Death doesn't have to be murder.
And your metaphor is too far out there to sense. Nothing God offers will kill you.
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