Christianity, Religion and Atheism

I don't like atheists because most of them don't know what they're talking about. That stuff about the collective mind of man, okay. The afterlife might be the collective mind of man being in denial. Most religions believing in common things might be because they're common to all mankind. It's really because most religions came from the Holy Land, but Buddism could be the collective mind blah blah blah. The Bible could be a popular fairy tale that became truth like King Arthur and vampires. People think King Arthur and vampires are real maybe that happened with the Bible. Except for one thing. How do you explain Jesus? It's common knowledge the Bible is a collection of stories compiled years after his death. Everyone sent in letters and writings and whutnots, some were kept, some thrown out blah blah blah. But some of those writings and letters are from the actual apostles. So there were apostles. In fact archeaologists have discovered their homes and other things that prove they were real. If they were real then Jesus probably was too. So then it all comes down to one thing. Do you believe Jesus was the Son of God or just a regular guy? That should be the only reason to be an atheist.

Most people that are atheist are so because they want to do something the Bible says is wrong or because their priest or whatever did something bad or maybe they prayed and their prayer wasn't answered. Maybe cuz the tv made it seem cool, whatever, there's lots of reasons. They can't understand why bad this happen to good people etc...

No; those are some of the reasons some religious people become atheists, but almost all of the atheists who truly know what they are talking about (something you don't) are atheists simply because they have found no good reason to believe the stories they have heard about deities. It is as simple as that.

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One of the biggest myths told is that being intelligent is the absence of the ability to do stupid things.

If they don't have good reasons to believe in deities they don't know what they're talking about. Those are the ones I don't like. There's tons of evidence that the Bible stuff is true. Watch the History Channel there's always stuff on there. Evidence of this pharaoh or that, giant arks, stone tablets, ancient cities, ancient rivers beds being discovered. Daily life being described in the Bible then wine jars and pots and other things that were described being found. They even found St Peter's house. There is a ton of evidence. If you don't believe the Bible then take it as an historical document. Either way it all hinges on if Jesus was a guy or the Son of God.

Well, in all fairness, Sun, an Atheist can indeed acknowledge The Bible as having many historical truths in it, but not include Jesus Christ as the Son of God among them. In fact, I'd say any reasonable Atheist believes just that, for many of the reasons you've already stated.

Exactly. I like the reasonable ones. It's the other ones that annoy me.

I'm pretty sure some atheists even agree that Jesus existed -- just that he wasn't the sun of God, but another guy who thought he was a savior. There was savior fever around that time. See Life of Brian.




Meanwhile, there's actually a book titled, Jacob: The Man They Called Jesus. I have a $25 gift voucher, I might buy it and read it. Either that or I'll buy a paperback copy of Ionesco's Rhinoceros...

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www.esotericrabbit.com

A lot of people have been trying to tell me that I should believe what I wanna believe and let others believe what they believe unless they don't believe in anything, in which case i can convert them.

I cannot and will not do that.

I'm very sorry (well not at all really), but if you read the last few verses of Matthew, you'll see that for me, as a Christian, you are asking me to disobey the teachings of my Lord and Saviour. (And I'm not just talking about those verses, but hundreds of places in God's Word.

I KNOW that must sound rather (if not very) arrogant. I am sorry that it does. I do not mean it in that way.


I DO not believe in religion.


For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I just think you're going the wrong way of converting people.
Arrogance won't do that. Understanding and compassion towards those you're trying to convert will.

Did Jesus ever say that?

B&W did you like fight club?

"you have to accept the possibility that god doesn't like you...*"



* something along those lines anyway

(hey don't flame me, this is a movie forum after all)

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Another high quality post by Fez Wizardo

That was a mean as film. (No comment on the rest of what you said )


Yes I realise this.


Well he did say the 2nd most important commandment was to love your neighbour as yourself.

Hey, I'm just trying to give (what I believe are) the facts.

Excellent point: I hate to always be talking about Lewis, but he says loving your neighbor as yourself is the base for the whole thing, roughly. If you do that, you'll do them very little wrong...because loving your neighbor as yourself means looking after their interests as seriously and vigorously as you look after your own, for the most part. That one rule covers acts of evil, I believe.

Yeah and since Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind: Some people have said that real joy is found when you put;

J = Jesus first
O = Others second
Y = Yourself last

Hey, I believe the some your neighbour thing. I think it's very pure, and I really base myself around that one thing. My whole faith and moral decency (whatever scrap of it I have) is based around the love thy neighbour thing.

However, there is an arrogance in your attempting to convert those who don't have a religion here.

Believe it or not, I do.
I'm Catholic.
Bizarre, hey?

Well, it's not just about having a religion. A great number of Jews don't really believe in God...but they worship anyway, and they think of themselves as Jewish, religious, etc, even if they don't take it seriously. The same goes with lots of Catholics. So, being Catholic may or may not be an indiciation of your relationship with God. Just wanted to point that out...

THat's what I was trying to say before.

Yeah being born in a Christian family doesn't make you a Christian.
Going to church every Sunday, every day of your life doesn't make you a Christian either.

I mean some people who have never even read the Bible say they are Christians just 'cause they're parants are Catholic, or they were baptised as a small child, or some other stupid reason like that.