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Old 12-31-2009, 11:46 PM
 
Location: Lubbock, Texas
331 posts, read 497,972 times
Reputation: 125

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As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?

2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?

3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?

4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?

5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
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Old 12-31-2009, 11:53 PM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,853 posts, read 35,066,739 times
Reputation: 22694
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?

2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?

3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?

4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?

5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
I prefer to call myself a godless heathen rather than an atheist since that label has such negative connotations.

Simply put. The story is too bizarre to believe. My rational mind cannot wrap itself around the possibility that there is a bearded fellow in a white robe "up there" muddling in our affairs. I'm sorry. I giggle at the very prospect and I cannot understand how rational, intelligent people can possibly believe such drivel.

Besides, life is SO MUCH BETTER without him. I get to be responsible for myself 100 percent and I don't have some deity sticking his nose in my business.

20yrsinBranson
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Old 12-31-2009, 11:59 PM
 
Location: Rivendell
1,385 posts, read 2,450,088 times
Reputation: 1650
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?

2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?

3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?

4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?

5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
1. If there was a god, it would be cool if he loved me.

2. Which god should I believe in? What is your personal reason for not believing in all of the other gods?

3. Again, which god?

4. You can't turn against something you have never believed in. Have you turned against unicorns?

5. I have no problem with decomposing when I cease to exist. What does science have to do with it? Why wouldn't knowing(science) be better than hoping(faith)?
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Old 01-01-2010, 12:00 AM
 
Location: Victoria, BC.
33,508 posts, read 37,053,713 times
Reputation: 13981
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:
Quote:
1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?
No more daunting than being loved by the tooth fairy...I believe in neither.
Quote:
2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?
Simple. I have the ability and intelligence to differentiate reality from fiction. My reason for disbelief came from asking questions and reading the bible. Neither make any sense.

Quote:
3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?
I don't push against god. I push against the few religious that harm society in so many ways.

Quote:
4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?
See answer #3
Quote:
5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
Science and faith have nothing to do with each other...We all use science; we don't all have faith. I don't believe anybody is saved and faith will not change your fate after death....You'll rot like the rest of us.
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Old 01-01-2010, 12:05 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,942,616 times
Reputation: 29981
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?
Your question presupposes that "the idea that a God loves you" is, in fact, "daunting," a presupposition that frankly is weird.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?
If, as you say, you've been "trolling" this forum for a while, the answer should be readily apparent to you by now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?
Your question presupposes the existence of God and is therefore irrelevant to an atheist.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?
N/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
Science and faith mostly serve two different functions. Science is better than faith at ascertaining how the universe around us works, though some do attempt to use faith to explain how. Aside from that, faith mostly attempts to explain why the universe around us functions the way it does, which is not the purpose or function of science.

You too will end up six feet below the earth and decompose within a month (well, actually several months.) The difference between you and atheists is that the latter don't need to embrace a convoluted system of "faith" to shield themselves from this sometimes uncomfortable reality.

Last edited by Drover; 01-01-2010 at 12:17 AM..
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Old 01-01-2010, 12:10 AM
 
Location: In the moment.
206 posts, read 570,775 times
Reputation: 131
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?
It's not that is daunting, I just don't believes he exists.
2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?
IMO there is too much evidence to the contrary. It was made up in a time before we had the scientific answers that we have today.(again imo)
3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?
As a person who was brought up in the christian religion I think I started to seek other answers in response to religion being forced down my throat. The answers I found were more beliveable the the bible.
4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?
The forcible kind. Also what kind of a god who is all loving is going to damn you to eternal torment? Never made sense.
5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
Yeah. I like knowing this isn't practice. you only go around once.
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Old 01-01-2010, 12:13 AM
 
Location: South Africa
1,317 posts, read 2,052,728 times
Reputation: 299
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?
Not daunting, just ludicrous seeing he/she/it does not exist.
Quote:
2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?
There is no evidence of his/her/its existence but which one of the over 2000 gods are were referring to here? biblegawd?
Quote:
3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?
What gift? What grace? What mercy?
Quote:
4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?
All of it b/c it is all twaddle
Quote:
5. Is science really better than faith?
Yes, science deals in facts not fiction.
Quote:
Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
Nope, we all just become worm food.

Your questions are really not probing, what you need to understand, many atheists have drunk from your fountain and sung from your song sheets, it is by logic, deductive reasoning and evidence of the twisted historicity of the faith you hold dear to IOW deep research and preponderance we came to the conclusion it is all nonsense and rejected the "faith"

No theist is able to prove their deity outside of their holy books. All of them employ coercion to win converts and if their god was real, that would not be necessary.

I have no problem of non existence as I will not be aware of non existence just like I was not aware of non existence before I was 2-3 years old.

Religions just afford some a pretend situation to deal with their mortality esp. when a loved one dies esp prematurely to suggest they are in a better place. None of this is backed up by any facts, only presuppositions.

While many of us wrestled coming out of the delusion of faith, giving up the god belief was probably the hardest to let go of esp, if you dedicated a lifetime to this non entity.

The irony is that the alleged sayings of jesus are more meaningful to me now than when I was a theist like:

"Whom the son has set free is free indeed" Jn8:36

Reason's greetings
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Old 01-01-2010, 12:28 AM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,438,912 times
Reputation: 4317
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?
You assume I acknowledge such a thing exists and that I am just rejecting it. I acknowledge love, or at least the emotional perception of it, but I do not acknowledge it as coming from some sort of deified being.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?
There is simply no evidence. Why would I or should I try to change my entire life based around something with which there is no evidence for?

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?
I don't find the typical depiction of the Christian God to be one of grace or mercy. In fact, I find the depictions of the Christian God to be rather pedantic, infantile, and dictatorial - not loving.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?
It wasn't. I've always felt that way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
Lying to myself just to make myself feel better doesn't mean that the existence of God becomes any more real.

I was watching this show that I've become hooked on lately. It's called Dexter. He's essentially a serial killer but works for the Miami-Dade Police Department as a blood spatter expert. Long story short, as you watch the show, you find that he often muses to himself and we, the audience, are privy to those musings. One thing he consistently talks about is how he has no real emotions and no real feelings. He knows how to fake those things very well. So well, in fact, that even those closest to him don't know he's so cold and distant on the inside.

I don't feel that way. I have a wide breadth of emotional feelings and attachment. So much, in fact, that it can get the better of me at times.

However, when people discuss God, their belief in God, etc... I've always felt much the way the protagonist of the show feels. Yeah, I know I could stand in a church, profess some sort of faith, talk about the glory of God, and all the wonderful things about him. But, honestly, it'd be nothing more than a facade... a mask... to hide my lack of feeling. I feel absolutely nothing when people talk about God's love for me or ask why I reject this love. For me, it's the full embodiment of what 'non-existent' means.
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Old 01-01-2010, 12:28 AM
 
Location: Valencia, Spain
16,155 posts, read 12,819,560 times
Reputation: 2879
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?
It isn't "daunting"...it's just laughable.

Quote:
2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?
Why on earth are you asking atheists if they feel that a "god" has done them wrong? We don't believe in gods.

Quote:
3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?
We don't "push against God". We push against people who claim that gods exist without providing a single scrap of verifiable evidence to back up their claim. Oh, you mentioned a "free gift". A free gift is something that is given without conditions.

Quote:
4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?
I was born atheist. I've never believed in gods...but I would imagine that for those who once believed and WERE turned off by people preaching, it would have been the type of preaching you have just displayed in your OP.

Quote:
5. Is science really better than faith?
Well of course it is. Look what science has given you. What has faith given you but a belief that an invisible deity is concerned with YOUR welfare whilst allowing millions of others to starve.

Quote:
Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
You use the word "know" with such certainty yet you don't "know"....you 'believe'.
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Old 01-01-2010, 06:24 AM
 
598 posts, read 915,849 times
Reputation: 141
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmac112 View Post
As a Christian trolling these forums, I've met with a few atheists along the way. And I just have a few questions, from a Christian standpoint:

1. Why is the idea that a God loves you so daunting?

2. Why not even believe in God? Has he done you wrong? In other words, what is your personal reason for not believing?

3. Why push against God so much? I mean, why not just take His gift? Why fight His grace and mercy?

4. If it was a Christian's preaching about God that turned you against Him, what kind of preaching was it?

5. Is science really better than faith? Is knowing that you've been saved by God's grace and mercy worse than knowing that when you die, you'll end up below six feet of earth, and completely decompose within a month?
1. God is not about "love" -- religion is about controlling followers with religious codes. Can any "codes" work with a loving-God? No. Religion is all about coercion to control followers. In your scriptures, you'll read a lot about "wrath".

2. God is a human lie (bearded single white shemale in the sky) -- another human can easily recognize lies made by some human beings. Where's the evidence for your God -- I don't have any faith, I like to point out that's a lie.

3. Religion is a bad thing. Religion makes followers delusional, makes them lose their abilities to reason with their own brains. As a result, followers make wars with one another for religious reasons.

4. Preaching is a bad thing. Use your own brain and convince others with reasoning, don't do any preaching.

5. Faith is a bad thing. Humans have brains, use it. When someone wants you to believe in something, check on the evidences.

In summary, religions got it all wrong -- "preaching", "faith", "God", "heaven/hell/coercion/enticements", "worshiping", "pray" ... do away with all that garbage.
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