Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I guess we get to go to hell according to most Christian traditions. But not all. Some of them we just "cease to exist", others we are "disfellowshipped and apart from God", and in a few we are let off Scot Free despite our unbelief.
Figure out which one is "truth" and get back to me. I reckon I could be scared into believing if there is consensus among Christians.
If you need an illustration of what I am talking about just click on this.
Thanks for your response. I agree that there are many views. Each of us must study for himself, and draw his own conclusion. I ask God daily to show me His truth. Imho, no one should ever be scared into believing. I think it must be driven by love and a sincere desire to know God. PS. Sorry, but I don’t do links.
I find the bolded question naive. What on earth makes you think they WOULDN'T have considered that they might be wrong?
I'll grant that there are indeed a few atheists who say they never believed, not even in childhood (one, amusingly, once said he would sit in church and think, "Who are they talking to?") but the majority of unbelievers who post regularly on City-Data are former believers, mostly former Christians. In their struggle to try to keep believing even as their faith diminished, they surely asked whether they might be wrong at multiple times in the process.
And as mensaguy stated, it's not always a choice. One cannot force oneself to believe if one just don't believe or has come to have lost their belief for whatever reason. Sometimes, as in the case of MysticPhD, an atheist has an experience so profound that it brings about belief.
Sorry, but I never got past your first sentence. My post wasn’t meant to anger anyone.
Thanks for your response. I agree that there are many views. Each of us must study for himself, and draw his own conclusion. I ask God daily to show me His truth. Imho, no one should ever be scared into believing. I think it must be driven by love and a sincere desire to know God. PS. Sorry, but I don’t do links.
FYI, That is only a link to a thread that Mike started here on this forum
What if smite happy believers are wrong about God and He really wouldn't harm anyone? What if it really is unconditional love. What does that make them running around telling people that He will?
I can only speak for myself. You probably won’t agree, and that’s ok. My views are based on the Scriptures. Are my interpretations correct? I’d like to think they are, but I also know how easy it is to deceive oneself. All I can do is read, study, and pray for guidance. From what I can tell, God loves all of us. His love is unconditional. But His salvation, according to what I read in His word, is conditional. He says we must believe. We must repent, etc. Others may see it differently. We each must decide for ourselves what or what not we want to believe.
I can only speak for myself. You probably won’t agree, and that’s ok. My views are based on the Scriptures. Are my interpretations correct? I’d like to think they are, but I also know how easy it is to deceive oneself. All I can do is read, study, and pray for guidance. From what I can tell, God loves all of us. His love is unconditional. But His salvation, according to what I read in His word, is conditional. He says we must believe. We must repent, etc. Others may see it differently. We each must decide for ourselves what or what not we want to believe.
You assume that everyone believes like you do and believes scripture to be the ultimate authority. Not everyone believes that way.
You assume that everyone believes like you do and believes scripture to be the ultimate authority. Not everyone believes that way.
No, I know better. I know they don’t believe as I do. Each of us has the freedom to believe whatever we want about anything. That’s just the way it is.
No, I know better. I know they don’t believe as I do. Each of us has the freedom to believe whatever we want about anything. That’s just the way it is.
My apologies. You did say you were only speaking for yourself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
