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I want just one person to explain to me the importance of the possible life after death. Oh, sure, it can be clothed in all sorts of things like "being with God and loved ones" But if it doesn't exist, you will never know that you have wasted all this time and energy fretting about it.
I simply cannot understand why it is soooooo important that you worry and study about it.
As a Christian I really don't sit around and worry if I will make it to Heaven. I have already excepted Jesus and I know I'm there. If the Bible isn't true I know God exists and I don't really need a book to convince me. But the Bible when read with wanting to understand God and not adding all the extra stuff or mis interpreting it makes perfect sense.
If I die and there is no God, then I lived a life of love and full of energy to hopefully touch others lives and make a difference in a confused world.
As far as the "nuttiness" of the Bible allot of biblical passages used to cause me allot of trouble but I started studing the history of the Middle East and the nuttiness started making allot more sense.
Tried to give you points for this you know how it goes!! You are Soooooo right. Good post!! Amen
A lot of us have read the bible, but do not accept or believe it. Most people want to investigate something before rejecting it. You can't reject what you don't know.
If I read books by Charles Dickens, do I know him? Can I claim to have a personal relationship with him?
It really baffles me how anyone can claim to have a personal relationship with someone they cannot see, touch, hear, or dialogue with.
It's all about cute trite sayings like "Jesus lives in my heart" or "Jesus talks to me in my heart."
But really, when you press them, they haven't heard anything.
They really say that God talks to them in their thoughts, but they don't discuss differentiating God's thoughts from theirs. Wonder why God couldn't just TALK to them, like he did all over the place in the OT.
I live a decent and moral life and treat other people the way I wish to be treated do you think that will convert religious people to atheism?
It might make them wonder about whether or not everything they ever heard about those negitive atheists is correct. Nope, wouldn't convert them, but might help lift that load of guilt that a lot of them seem to be carrying.
It might make them wonder about whether or not everything they ever heard about those negitive atheists is correct. Nope, wouldn't convert them, but might help lift that load of guilt that a lot of them seem to be carrying.
You know not ALL Christians believe that atheists are bad people or going to HELL. God is the decider not the Christian. We have just chosen to place God above the rest and faith is ALL we have.
My mom's best friend for years we played at the beach with her kids, she babysit us, she was like a second mom and she openly rejected God and claimed Atheist. My mom a Christian. Her son was burnt in a burning car and his cousin died and she thought "NO LOVING GOD" could possibly do this to small children. She held this grudge against God and would say some pretty rude things about Christians so we all knew her feelings.
My friend Rowdy grew up with so many people making fun of him and though we were the same age I fought for his defense. I was quite the tom boy in school things have changed. He came out of this with a strong belief in the Lord and felt that although burnt and defending his looks that God made him a better person and he can get on his knees and touch the child that others have made fun of for their looks and they look at him and realize they don't have much to cry about.
His mom passed on a couple of years ago and before she died they spent 6 months with each other and just a few days before she died she asked him how he could still love the Lord with all his been through. This happened when he was 5 years old and may medical problems he is now 45. He told her he didn't like his looks, but he's been amazed at what his strange looks have produced in his life and he THANKED GOD for it all. She received Christ and died a few days later. How can this not be a miracle.
So just know even in the end a once known Atheist will sit in the Kingdom!!
You know not ALL Christians believe that atheists are bad people or going to HELL. God is the decider not the Christian. We have just chosen to place God above the rest and faith is ALL we have.
My mom's best friend for years we played at the beach with her kids, she babysit us, she was like a second mom and she openly rejected God and claimed Atheist. My mom a Christian. Her son was burnt in a burning car and his cousin died and she thought "NO LOVING GOD" could possibly do this to small children. She held this grudge against God and would say some pretty rude things about Christians so we all knew her feelings.
My friend Rowdy grew up with so many people making fun of him and though we were the same age I fought for his defense. I was quite the tom boy in school things have changed. He came out of this with a strong belief in the Lord and felt that although burnt and defending his looks that God made him a better person and he can get on his knees and touch the child that others have made fun of for their looks and they look at him and realize they don't have much to cry about.
His mom passed on a couple of years ago and before she died they spent 6 months with each other and just a few days before she died she asked him how he could still love the Lord with all his been through. This happened when he was 5 years old and may medical problems he is now 45. He told her he didn't like his looks, but he's been amazed at what his strange looks have produced in his life and he THANKED GOD for it all. She received Christ and died a few days later. How can this not be a miracle.
So just know even in the end a once known Atheist will sit in the Kingdom!!
I think it's good to raise a kid as some established religion and then let them choose what they want to be later. It allows them to atleast understand the religious sides point of view and also keeps them away from being "that atheist heathen kid" at school.
Yes. I have read the bible, or I should say finally read it from an objective standpoint. It's an interesting book, written by people who say it's divinely inspired. It has some good principles (most of which can be found in other religions) and advice but in the end it's just a book to me.
Yes. I have read the bible, or I should say finally read it from an objective standpoint. It's an interesting book, written by people who say it's divinely inspired. It has some good principles (most of which can be found in other religions) and advice but in the end it's just a book to me.
I agree, although I found it a bit cumbersome to get through.
Disclaimer: I am not atheist, but I don't subscribe to any organized religion either.
Hey all you athiests, how's it going? I was thinking about you guys the other day and I was wondering if you ever took the time to truly read the bible (at least just the New Testament)? I know probably only those who have read the bible will chime in this thread, but that's ok.
One thing that I find helps the skeptic would be to try reading a good quality bible like the NASM or KJV versions. I remember be giving a plain old bible that had no footnotes or guidance tools and was left trying to deciper every little verse. It wrecked havoc on the mind (and I was doing this as a young child). It was not until I started reading a "study bible" that it started making sense.
Nonetheless, if your faith did not convert after reading the bible (atheism is a faith too), what was the main reason?
Thanks.
I am not an atheist, but I do have friends that identify themselves as atheist and when I discuss religion with them, which is extremely rare, they have informed me that they have read SEVERAL different books. The Bible, the Koran, the Torrah (sp?), etc. I am sure that atheists do not wake up one morning and state that they will be atheist. I am sure they educate themselves on the various religious beliefs out there before they make their decisions on these.
In many cases, I have found some atheists to be more educated about the King James Version of the Bible then some self-professed Christians.
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, then I lived a life of love and full of energy to hopefully touch others lives and make a difference in a confused world.
He came out of this with a strong belief in the Lord and felt that although burnt and defending his looks that God made him a better person and he can get on his knees and touch the child that others have made fun of for their looks and they look at him and realize they don't have much to cry about.
