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
I'm just curious, why do atheists get mad at Christians pushing their agenda. Don't atheists push their agendas as well? Every time I mention God to one of my friends an atheist usually starts a debate with me quick as the flash. Just curious on why that is?
what kasic said PLUS that religion hurts many people and i just have the urge to show those people who officialy try to be holy and pure just how much pain their belief brings. (not that im atheist).
Also, how can atheists say the universe was formed without a creator or cause of its forming?
they can, and they do, and people keep asking. the thing is those people who ask dont even bother listening. they expect a silence in which atheists cant explain and when they dont get it they ignore.
Every time I mention God to one of my friends an atheist usually starts a debate with me quick as the flash. Just curious on why that is?
well for me, overtime its getting annoying to listen to someone talk about god as if its a fact he exists and as if EVERYBODY knows and agrees he exists. the response for this is: "no one knows for sure if he exists". and then the conversation starts by: "do you want to go to hell?"
same as above... ive never seen an argument like this started by an atheist. my guess is that christians WANT god to exist and CARE about gods existence while atheists simply THINK about logic and DONT CARE about evolution (or any other theory) because they know it has nothing to do with what is going to happen in the next 3 minutes. i mean, if you were ateist... you wouldnt care at all about what happened so much time ago because it doesnt affect you now does it? you also wont have any hopefull feelings.
Also, how can atheists say the universe was formed without a creator or cause of its forming?
For Gould, the additional "thumb" of the panda was the best example for adaptation instead of creation. For me, the mere existence of fungi that feed on callused skin is evidence enough against an all-benevolent god.
I have changed my view on religion. I now believe there is a God. The creation of a world this screwed up couldn't be chance!
One of the main points I use as evidence to show that at lest the Bible isn't the word of God is that its messages change halfway through (from the Old Testament to the New Testament). If God is omniscient, how can this happen? Surely his views and teachings would remain the same.
Interestingly, members of the Church of Satan don't believe in Satan. The following are the Nine Satanic Statements, which illustrate the Church's Beliefs:
1.Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence. 2.Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams. 3.Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. 4.Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates. 5.Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. 6.Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires. 7.Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development", has become the most vicious animal of all. 8.Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification. 9.Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years.
while atheists simply THINK about logic and DONT CARE about evolution (or any other theory) because they know it has nothing to do with what is going to happen in the next 3 minutes. i mean, if you were ateist... you wouldnt care at all about what happened so much time ago because it doesnt affect you now does it? you also wont have any hopefull feelings.
Umm no. First off this doesn't make much sense on the theory part as they do follow logic. Some of my favorite subjects involve what happened in the far past or what might happen in the far future. Just because I live in the now doesn't mean I don't care what will happen or what has.
Also, how come, in the story of Adam and Eve, God lets Satan into Eden?
Actually the story describes the snake as just that, a snake. This whole thing about the snake being Satan is an interpretation based on a line in Revelations where it refers to the devil as "that old serpent". This however doesn't mean it's referring to the snake in the Eden Garden.
Genesis 3:1 (NIV) Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The snake in the garden of Eden was just another animal.
Interestingly, members of the Church of Satan don't believe in Satan.
There are versions of Satanism that do believe in Satanism. Atheistic Satanism don't. Like in the type you are pulling these lists from, which is from the Laveyan Satanism. Satan here is used as the word adversary, particularly adversary to Christianity.
Now our "local friendly Satanist" I think has claimed to base his beliefs off the Laveyan version of Satanism, but has included the supernatural aspects instead of regarding himself as the highest being, which is what is most common from that version.
Umm no. First off this doesn't make much sense on the theory part as they do follow logic. Some of my favorite subjects involve what happened in the far past or what might happen in the far future. Just because I live in the now doesn't mean I don't care what will happen or what has.
meh. what i meant is that the past of your belief doesnt haunt your present and future (at least the close one... i have no idea and dont care about the sun exploding in who knows when). there is no eternal judgement you arent turning paranoid with that theory.
I'll just be at school talking to some friends and we'll talk about Church or an upcoming conference or something. Often some atheists will come out of nowhere and declare war on me for saying something to my friend. I mean, I have my rights to have a religious agenda, just how atheists have the right to not have a religious agenda. There's all sorts of war and bitterness that I just don't understand. No Christians I communicate with claim to be any better than those that aren't or even have religion. I just feel that atheists think Christian stereotypes are true...when they really aren't. You guys are probably just around mindless morons that don't even understand why they worship what they do.
I'll just be at school talking to some friends and we'll talk about Church or an upcoming conference or something. Often some atheists will come out of nowhere and declare war on me for saying something to my friend.
Not that I'm making accusations, but I'm not entirely convinced this isn't a situation of the victim card being played.
I mean, I have my rights to have a religious agenda, just how atheists have the right to not have a religious agenda.
Agenda? Interesting term to use.
But if you mean believe, yes you do have that right to believe what ever you like. But just as a precaution I will point out that you are not entitled to your own truth. If they are coming up to you butting into a conversation you are having with your friend then yes they are in the wrong.
There's all sorts of war and bitterness that I just don't understand.
Plenty of examples have been provided to the question of why an atheist would care about religion already.
I just feel that atheists think Christian stereotypes are true...when they really aren't.
Which stereotypes would those be?
You guys are probably just around mindless morons that don't even understand why they worship what they do.
Clearly Satan put dinosaur bones in the Earth to deter us from god.
Also, Satan created the carbon-14 atom, to make us think that the world is really older than 6000 years old. He also midwifed Charles Darwin and Carl Sagan, and personally invented every drug known to mankind.
And Westborough Baptist Church is immune to the callings of Satan. Yep.
What you believe doesn't make it true. Nor does it justify or validate that belief. In short what you believe is inconsequential to what is valid and true. Believing for instance that you can fly by flapping your arms doesn't make it true. No matter how much you believe that it is true, it won't make it so. We can just as easily say that you're entitled to be wrong, as we can say you're entitled to believe what you want and hold your own opinions. Entitlements don't establish truth.
So I learned in my history class a few days ago that the main cause of the crusades was not religion. My teacher told me that Pope Urban started the crusades for economic purposes (there was a lot of trade in Jerusalem at the time), and by doing this Pope Urban hoped to get his people to trust in him and his power. Religion was used to get people to join the war (though everything revolved around religion at the time anyway). And after the crusades Europe benefited a lot from being exposed to arabian goods and culture.
I think that this is intresting because it shows how people exploit religion, and not the other way around. This is also the reason I see religion as a neutral tool.
