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Sitting here with my first cup of coffee, still not fully awake, I started pondering about what would be the first step in trying to find a way to inner peace through Christianity or any other religion.
I came to the conclusion that the first step would be to think about whether or not you believed in a life after death. If you didn't, or you didn't care if there was one, the teachings of Christianity would have little meaning. BUT the bible teachings about sevice to one's fellowman, would make life much more rewarding even if the message of eternal life was ignored.
It's only if you don't like the idea of death being the end of life, that a life afterwards becomes important. Not everyone finds the idea of being with the family that has gone on before appealing.
The next step would be to decide WHY it is or is not important to you.
I think you also have to grapple with whether you believe that there will be rewards and/or punishment in the afterlife which traditional Christianity and also Islam teaches.
Sitting here with my first cup of coffee, still not fully awake, I started pondering about what would be the first step in trying to find a way to inner peace through Christianity or any other religion.
I came to the conclusion that the first step would be to think about whether or not you believed in a life after death. If you didn't, or you didn't care if there was one, the teachings of Christianity would have little meaning. BUT the bible teachings about sevice to one's fellowman, would make life much more rewarding even if the message of eternal life was ignored.
It's only if you don't like the idea of death being the end of life, that a life afterwards becomes important. Not everyone finds the idea of being with the family that has gone on before appealing.
The next step would be to decide WHY it is or is not important to you.
Just throwing this out for thought.
Padgett, for me, it's not that I think the concept of heaven isn't a good one. I mean, who wouldn't think that after death arriving in a purely blissful place free of the evils of the world is a good notion? And, although I can see why many people believe in this I sometimes wonder if it is out of the WANT of this to be true than the actuality of it being true. For me, the two are entirely different. It's not that I don't want to go to heaven if there were one, for if there were the other option would be horrid. But, I also consider myself a logical person who finds myself in the position that regardless of how much I would like to THINK there is a heaven and a God who cares about us, I have seen nothing that can convince me that such a character exists. Yet, I look at the world around me, at nature and at science, and I see entirely plausible answers that more or less deny the existence of God. It's not that I search out the answers that deny God, it is what logic and reason have brought me to. I don't think many atheists are affected in their final position of their belief in the way theists are. Most often, and especially in the United States, we are commonly brought up in semi-religious households and some in very strictly religious households. It's not the desire to not want a God that makes us not believe it is the lack of logical evidence.
Of course, there are many out there who feel they have enough scientific evidence to support God, yet I have seen very little from the science world that actually supports "religious science". I think that "religious science" and "true science" (I am not demeaning one for the sake of the other I just don't have better verbage) are two different entities. One tries to base its conclusions on pre-supposed notions of there being a God. The ultimate outcome of a religious scientific experiment is to ultimately prove that God exists. However, "true science", and again I am not trying to belittle anyone's scientific following, uses the scientific method to come to an unknown conclusion and is unbiased of the results. In other words, I could in some perverted way prove to you that the sky was purple if I really wanted to, but true science can explain why it's really blue. If a scientist such as Dawkins were to stumble across something in his biological studies that proved the existence of God, I think he would seek God out, regardless of the public shame and embarassment he might go through. Again, it's not that we don't want a heaven, it's that we cannot logically come to the conclusion that one exists.
I've debated on here for a few months now, and I've come to the realization that regardless of the topic everyone seems to feel they are right in their own regards and to me it is a matter of perspective. For an atheist, and I'm speaking for myself, it's not that I don't want to believe, it's that I CANNOT, based on my own research and that of others, believe in such a thing as a God or a devil or any other omnipotent surveillance camera in the sky. For some, I guess it is a consoling fact that they are believing therefore regardless as to whether they are right or wrong they feel they are on the safe side. But, to that I must ask the question: Is that what you truly believe in the deepest wells of your heart? Do you TRULY believe there is a God and/or Devil? Or do you say this because it is what you have been brought up to say? Do you say this because the people around you expect you to say this? Do you say this because it is what modern society in America still seems to expect you to say? If you can answer all of these questions knowingly in your mind and come to the conclusion that you do truly still believe in an omnipotent, all-knowing, all-powerful being that has been here before time began yet needed no creator himself than my hat is off to you. But I, in a day of modern science and technology cannot bring myself to say this. I could say it aloud, I could go to church, I could preach on here, but it wouldn't be what I really felt.
Yet, we are here. So I must have some sort of logical explanation for it. Science gives us evolution and natural selection. They are proven theories, just as Einstein's Theory of Relativity is proven. I hate the word "theory" for a proven set of scientific datum because there is always the person that says it is only a theory and not a fact. Well, to me, that sounds as if they are grasping at straws to defend their beliefs, as I would expect anyone who felt so strongly about something such as this to do. Nonetheless, the word "theory" is attached to some of the most proven things in the scientific world and I suppose it is something I must learn to deal with.
Good question, Padgett! IMO, when someone is searching for inner peace, they have to come to the realization that the peace they are looking for is not something they can manufacture on their own. They need realize what the reason is that they don't have peace. Are they just trying to escape the busy rat race? Or looking for a release from their fear and guilt?
Well, I think I understand your point of view, Troop, and from my point of view, I wish it were different for you (as you probably sometimes wish we believers would "wake up and smell the coffee!") I will say this regarding whether we truly believe it in our heart. I can tell you I absolutely believe that God and an afterlife exists. I haved staked my life, the decisions I make daily, everything on it, and quite frankly, I couldn't NOT believe it even if I wanted to.
It's only if you don't like the idea of death being the end of life, that a life afterwards becomes important. Not everyone finds the idea of being with the family that has gone on before appealing.
Just plain OFFENSIVE.
You actually think that people who don't believe in an afterlife don't find the idea of being with their family forever to be "appealing"?
How short-sighted of you.
You think that people CHOOSE their beliefs based on what is APPEALING?
I love my family. Of course I would choose to be with them for eternity.
Still can't believe in an afterlife, though.
Have you taken to heart anything that you've read here that was posted by atheists?
It appears that you still have no clue what it means to not believe in a religion.
Sitting here with my first cup of coffee, still not fully awake, I started pondering about what would be the first step in trying to find a way to inner peace through Christianity or any other religion.
I came to the conclusion that the first step would be to think about whether or not you believed in a life after death. If you didn't, or you didn't care if there was one, the teachings of Christianity would have little meaning. BUT the bible teachings about sevice to one's fellowman, would make life much more rewarding even if the message of eternal life was ignored.
It's only if you don't like the idea of death being the end of life, that a life afterwards becomes important. Not everyone finds the idea of being with the family that has gone on before appealing.
The next step would be to decide WHY it is or is not important to you.
But, to that I must ask the question: Is that what you truly believe in the deepest wells of your heart? Do you TRULY believe there is a God and/or Devil? Or do you say this because it is what you have been brought up to say? Do you say this because the people around you expect you to say this? Do you say this because it is what modern society in America still seems to expect you to say? If you can answer all of these questions knowingly in your mind and come to the conclusion that you do truly still believe in an omnipotent, all-knowing, all-powerful being that has been here before time began yet needed no creator himself than my hat is off to you. But I, in a day of modern science and technology cannot bring myself to say this. I could say it aloud, I could go to church, I could preach on here, but it wouldn't be what I really felt.
I can say yes to this, GCSTroop.. but it's kind of interesting, before you posted this I had been wondering exactly the same thing, only opposite, about you and others who say they are atheists... In other words, to paraphrase your question, Is that what you truly believe in the deepest wells of your heart? Do you TRULY believe there is a no God and/or Devil? Or do you sometimes wonder, how could this be.... Do you say this because it is what you have been brought up to say? Do you say this because the people around you expect you to say this? Do you say this because modern society in America, tho proclaiming Christianity, is full of hypocrisy? If you can answer all of these questions knowingly in your mind and come to the conclusion that you do truly still believe that we all came about as a huge unfathomable lottery winning.......I don't know what to say, my friend.....
Sitting here with my first cup of coffee, still not fully awake, I started pondering about what would be the first step in trying to find a way to inner peace through Christianity or any other religion.
I came to the conclusion that the first step would be to think about whether or not you believed in a life after death. If you didn't, or you didn't care if there was one, the teachings of Christianity would have little meaning. BUT the bible teachings about sevice to one's fellowman, would make life much more rewarding even if the message of eternal life was ignored.
It's only if you don't like the idea of death being the end of life, that a life afterwards becomes important. Not everyone finds the idea of being with the family that has gone on before appealing.
The next step would be to decide WHY it is or is not important to you.
Just throwing this out for thought.
I have just recently asked these some of the same questions. Why I was asking them is a whole other post! But, I just prayed and asked Jesus into my heart. I just told Jesus that I want to live my life for him now! I just kept praying and then prayed some more. Soon enough, God revealed himself to me. He does every day! I don't need to "research' anymore....I know he is real and that he is the way. Infact, reading this thread before would have lead me off questioning things again......but not now! I'm very early on my journey with the Lord, but it's better than anything I could have imagined. I never knew what I was missing!
Blessings,
Nichole
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What kind of afterlife will we have....
, about you and others who say they are atheists... In other words, to paraphrase your question, Is that what you truly believe in the deepest wells of your heart? Do you TRULY believe there is a no God and/or Devil? Or do you sometimes wonder, how could this be.... Do you say this because it is what you have been brought up to say? Do you say this because the people around you expect you to say this? Do you say this because modern society in America, tho proclaiming Christianity, is full of hypocrisy? If you can answer all of these questions knowingly in your mind and come to the conclusion that you do truly still believe that we all came about as a huge unfathomable lottery winning.......I don't know what to say, my friend.....
For me....
