call on atheists

Healthy skepticism of ALL worldviews is good. Skeptical of non-belief like found in Atheism? Post your challenging questions. Responses are encouraged.
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1over137
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call on atheists

Post by 1over137 »

Please, do not jump on anti-christian things without proper thinking and investigating.

Thanks.
But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:21

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 1:6

#foreverinmyheart
Thadeyus
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Re: call on atheists

Post by Thadeyus »

*Thumbs up*

Very much cheers to all.
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Re: call on atheists

Post by DowTingTom »

What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
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Re: call on atheists

Post by 1over137 »

DowTingTom wrote:What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
There are many atheists in my close surrounding who did not. It's not just someones from the street.
But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:21

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 1:6

#foreverinmyheart
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B. W.
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Re: call on atheists

Post by B. W. »

DowTingTom wrote:What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
Interesting that you claim to know about the bible more than those that witness to you and yet, on another post state that you do not understand why Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead. Also, the claim of knowing the bible yet making sense of it actually shows that you do not understand the bible.

I am a former atheist as are a few other folk here on this forum. So if you are really serious about actually understanding the bible then folks maybe able to help you come into an understanding of who Jesus Christ really is, and what He did upon the cross, and why.

So if you are serious, then tell us what you do know, in brief, about the bible, God, and Christ so we have some place to start.
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Re: call on atheists

Post by neo-x »

DowTingTom wrote:What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
In my xp, most atheists often do not know what they are attacking, even if they think they know about it. They ofcourse know their feelings, but my point is that they sometimes use the force of that feeling to unfairly create straw men and then knock them out and feel ever so confident that they know bibles more than others just because they happen to be a former church goer or believer. Being a former believer or remembering a bible does not count anymore than being a former atheist or a card carrying ACLU member does. However what does count is that you can understand the spirit and meaning of the passages you quote, failing of which obviously creates problems and therefore make discussions futile.

As B.W said he is a former atheist, so am I, so is 1over137 who started this thread. But if our former experience does not count towards our argument then the same is true for yours. Knowing a bible amounts to nothing. Present your case and we'll see.
It would be a blessing if they missed the cairns and got lost on the way back. Or if
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1over137
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Re: call on atheists

Post by 1over137 »

Yup, am former atheist from 0 until around 25 years old. Then 2 years agnostic, then 2 years Christian.
But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:21

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 1:6

#foreverinmyheart
DowTingTom
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Re: call on atheists

Post by DowTingTom »

B. W. wrote:
DowTingTom wrote:What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
Interesting that you claim to know about the bible more than those that witness to you and yet, on another post state that you do not understand why Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead. Also, the claim of knowing the bible yet making sense of it actually shows that you do not understand the bible.

I am a former atheist as are a few other folk here on this forum. So if you are really serious about actually understanding the bible then folks maybe able to help you come into an understanding of who Jesus Christ really is, and what He did upon the cross, and why.

So if you are serious, then tell us what you do know, in brief, about the bible, God, and Christ so we have some place to start.
-
-
-
P. S. it takes awhile to approve a new poster's post. I approved a few, so if there is a delay - don't worry. We do this to keep spam and offensive language, comments, off the readers view.
I didn't say I understand the bible better than anyone. I said I often find I know more about it than those trying to convert me. Not many of the people I've talked to over the years have been immediately familiar with the bit where God sends bears to maul some children who mocked Elisha for being bald, for example. None have admitted to previously realising that the two accounts of creation in Genesis contradict each other - were humans created before or after the other animals, for example (Genesis 1 - And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image. Genesis 2 - And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them)

I've made no claim to understand it. I just know a fair amount of what is in it. I know, for example, that it says that God died so he could forgive our sins. My other thread questions what on earth (or, indeed, in heaven) that might mean.

Thanks for approving my posts and for taking the time to reply.
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Re: call on atheists

Post by B. W. »

DowTingTom wrote:
B. W. wrote:
DowTingTom wrote:What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
Interesting that you claim to know about the bible more than those that witness to you and yet, on another post state that you do not understand why Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead. Also, the claim of knowing the bible yet making sense of it actually shows that you do not understand the bible.

I am a former atheist as are a few other folk here on this forum. So if you are really serious about actually understanding the bible then folks maybe able to help you come into an understanding of who Jesus Christ really is, and what He did upon the cross, and why.

So if you are serious, then tell us what you do know, in brief, about the bible, God, and Christ so we have some place to start.
-
-
-
P. S. it takes awhile to approve a new poster's post. I approved a few, so if there is a delay - don't worry. We do this to keep spam and offensive language, comments, off the readers view.
I didn't say I understand the bible better than anyone. I said I often find I know more about it than those trying to convert me. Not many of the people I've talked to over the years have been immediately familiar with the bit where God sends bears to maul some children who mocked Elisha for being bald, for example. None have admitted to previously realising that the two accounts of creation in Genesis contradict each other - were humans created before or after the other animals, for example (Genesis 1 - And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image. Genesis 2 - And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them)

I've made no claim to understand it. I just know a fair amount of what is in it. I know, for example, that it says that God died so he could forgive our sins. My other thread questions what on earth (or, indeed, in heaven) that might mean.

Thanks for approving my posts and for taking the time to reply.
Well then, you came to the right place and many here will provide the answers to those things you just mentioned!

With that in mind - many will begin to answer you in diverse ways...
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Science is man's invention - creation is God's
(by B. W. Melvin)

Old Polish Proverb:
Not my Circus....not my monkeys
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Re: call on atheists

Post by cnk12 »

Not many of the people I've talked to over the years have been immediately familiar with the bit where God sends bears to maul some children who mocked Elisha for being bald, for example. None have admitted to previously realising that the two accounts of creation in Genesis contradict each other - were humans created before or after the other animals, for example (Genesis 1 - And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image. Genesis 2 - And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them)
I'm kind of surprised no one else responded yet. It is no doubt because most well studied Christians don't give the remarks quoted above a second thought. While you may be familiar enough with the Bible to offer a summary of the story in II KIngs 2:23-25, you misrepresented it and took it completely out of context. I looked up the scripture and its meaning on the internet. One should consider the surrounding circumstances, culture, translation of the story and the point of the story. If not you won't be able to give it a fair summary. Take it from someone who is not a Christian yet, probably just an agnostic. From what I've read about Genesis, it isn't poetry, but more of a story of creation written with artistic flair. It is not a play by play chronological account of creation.

I've found virtually every anti-Christian summarization of scripture to be either misleading or false.
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Re: call on atheists

Post by Lunalle »

1over137 wrote:Please, do not jump on anti-christian things without proper thinking and investigating.

Thanks.
Yes, please do not do that fellow atheists... and anyone else for that matter!

Cheers
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Re: call on atheists

Post by Sam1995 »

DowTingTom wrote:
B. W. wrote:
DowTingTom wrote:What makes you think that atheists haven't considered their position?

I find that when religious people of any description stop me in the street they do so on the assumption that the only reason I don't share their beliefs is that I've not previously considered them. This becomes difficult when it transpires - as often it does - that I know more about the bible than they do.

I am an atheist, and I spend several years not only considering your beliefs, but also trying my hardest to make sense of them and believe them. I suspect many atheists have the same experience.
Interesting that you claim to know about the bible more than those that witness to you and yet, on another post state that you do not understand why Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead. Also, the claim of knowing the bible yet making sense of it actually shows that you do not understand the bible.

I am a former atheist as are a few other folk here on this forum. So if you are really serious about actually understanding the bible then folks maybe able to help you come into an understanding of who Jesus Christ really is, and what He did upon the cross, and why.

So if you are serious, then tell us what you do know, in brief, about the bible, God, and Christ so we have some place to start.
-
-
-
P. S. it takes awhile to approve a new poster's post. I approved a few, so if there is a delay - don't worry. We do this to keep spam and offensive language, comments, off the readers view.
I didn't say I understand the bible better than anyone. I said I often find I know more about it than those trying to convert me. Not many of the people I've talked to over the years have been immediately familiar with the bit where God sends bears to maul some children who mocked Elisha for being bald, for example. None have admitted to previously realising that the two accounts of creation in Genesis contradict each other - were humans created before or after the other animals, for example (Genesis 1 - And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image. Genesis 2 - And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them)

I've made no claim to understand it. I just know a fair amount of what is in it. I know, for example, that it says that God died so he could forgive our sins. My other thread questions what on earth (or, indeed, in heaven) that might mean.

Thanks for approving my posts and for taking the time to reply.
Do Genesis 1 & 2 contradict eachother or are they meant to paint two different pictures of the same process? I understand that you will question almost every aspect of Biblical scripture but please take context into account if you are to do so. You ask the question as to why God would have to die in order to forgive our sins, and the very direct answer is that an ultimate sacrifice was neede both to fulfill OT prophecies and atone for the sins of man-kind. All of this is Biblical. I wonder if your atheism comes from a position of true skepticism or from a reverse of an old statement from Karl Marx - "atheism is the opium of the people." As you don't believe that you'll stand face-to-face with Christ one day.
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." - C.S Lewis
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