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
For all those who think that atheists are amoral/disrespectful/conceited/in your face and doomed to eternal hellfire, I highly suggest watching this. Any comments/disagreements?
Just remembered ultimate atheist argument. 1) If God Has the ability to prevent evil, but not the desire, he is not omnibenevolent. 2) If He has the desire, but not the ability, he is not omnipotent. 3) If He has the desire and the will, how is there evil at all? 4) If he has neither the desire nor the will, why is he worthy of worship? Get yourself out of that one Christians/Jews! <evil laugh>
Or Job. Maybe even homosexuals, witches, blasphemers, sons of former sinners, and people of other religions. Not all were listed here, read Leviticus and Deuteronomy to see how many groups of people God killed for no absolute reason.
Well, as a Christian, its my job to warn as many people as I can about this impending judgement on all(not just 3/4) of humanity. So if you acknowledge that this is going to happen then why are you trying to deny it? Im just saying, why not give God a chance so you wont have to face this tribulation.
for no other reason than that is what your "benevolent" god desires?
You just proved that arguing with you is pointless. God doesn't desire people to go to hell. He wants all of his children to live with him forever. But there's two choices in this world. You can accept the loving almighty God. Or deny him.
(This is from a Christian stand point, I understand that not all people believe in god)
Well, as a Christian, its my job to warn as many people as I can about this impending judgement on all(not just 3/4) of humanity.
Have you ever questioned the need for such a judgement? Doesn't the idea of a mass punishment for the sins of our great great great great great great great great great (etc) ancestors that were supposedly paid for by the blood of Christ seem violent, barbaric, tyrannical and just overall unnecessary?
So if you acknowledge that this is going to happen
I acknowledged no such thing. I am speaking from the viewpoint of one who believes in Christianity for the sake of argument.
why are you trying to deny it?
I'm not doing that either. Simply put, I am taking a look at everything around me. What I can see is a 2000 year old book full of writings from people which suddenly appeared over 90 years after the events portrayed in it, meaning that they couldn't possibly have been written by the people claiming to have written them. Further, a full half of the Bible is selected Hebrew texts which have a completely different God in both temperament, punishment, and intervention. It concludes in a vague catastrophic prophecy and is chock full of metaphors to the point where anyone can say almost anything and not be directly wrong.
Or, we can look and see that witches, demons, faith healing, revival, and literal claims from biblical scripture do not in fact occur or are represented and realize that religion is just man's attempt to rationalize the world from a state of ignorance due to the unavailability of information because the proper technology and prerequisite knowledge was lacking at the time.
You just proved that arguing with you is pointless.
By objectively looking at and analyzing the actions of a supernatural being for which no evidence has yet to be presented which is acceptable to all parties? No. Arguing with me is not pointless, throwing emotional rhetoric and claims of faith at me is pointless.
God doesn't desire people to go to hell. He wants all of his children to live with him forever.
Then why don't they? If an omnipowerful being wishes something, by definition that is entirely possible. The only reason Hell would exist if God were real is if God wished to have people tortured for all eternity. Extending this, being omniscient God must have known that by creating things the way he did sin would come into the world and know every choice anyone would make, thus predetermining everyone's lives by being who he is. God's nature according to the Bible is vs the state of the world and his commands are contradictions.
You can accept the loving almighty God. Or deny him.
Post Hoc fallacy. This is not an either/or situation, as the many thousands of religions will show you. You have no basis to claim superiority of thought when your religion is just as unbacked as any other.
If you can present to me some evidence of your belief, by all means go for it. Just realize that pointing to something and saying "god did it" is not evidence, and attacking my point of view is also not evidence for your cause.
If God is omnipotent then what he desires is what would happen.
He wants all of his children to live with him forever.
Sounds a bit messed up. Can you imagine parents wanting their children to never leave home and have their own lives?
You can accept the loving almighty God. Or deny him.
I have trouble picturing an all loving all mighty being setting things up to, or at the very least allowing someone to be tortured for all eternity. Especially for simply denying that being. A being with the power to stop such torture (as they would have being all mighty) but not doing it would seem to negate an all loving aspect.
(This is from a Christian stand point, I understand that not all people believe in god)
And this is but one of many reasons such a stand point is messed up.
(This is from a Christian stand point, I understand that not all people believe in god)
And this might be the problem; as Kasic said, it isn't an either/or situation. If it were to be a real choice for all of us, everyone would have to at least accept the existence of your god; obviously not all do, so how can you say there are only two choices, and hold everyone responsible for their "choice", when not even the most basic premises are fulfilled? I don't mean to offend you but it is escapist to insist on such ideas. IMO if there was a christian god he would bring everyone before him after their death and ask them directly whether they want to oin him or not; not judge them on their earthly life.
