You're not the first Nazi atheist to tell me that.
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aaahmemories — 10 years ago(June 03, 2015 07:50 AM)
Jesus forgives our sins
If your deity's love were unconditional, that would be unnecessary.
I will pray for you.
See my sig line directly below.
Religion is like a rocking chair a lot of work to get nowhere. -
aaahmemories — 10 years ago(June 03, 2015 07:49 AM)
When it comes to emotions, facts are rarely if ever important. As you can see from this board, it's all about serving the emotions. Common mantras of the religious are, "Well, you can't prove it," (even when you have), and "You're just angry," (which you're not), and "You're misinterpreting it," (which you aren't). Facts are never as important to them as feeling good about their irrational belief systems.
As you point out, this has a lot to do with indoctrination, both in youth and later. Why do you think there are churches and services? They've got to convince themselves again and again of these beliefs. It's also like chanting, "Lalalala! Not listening! Not listening!" It shuts out the constant barrage of common sense that would otherwise demonstrate clearly and without doubt just what nonsense their religion is.
Churches also serve a powerful tribal function. They're a way of saying, "This is my tribe." It helps people define themselves, which clearly the majority are unable to do on their own. Churches are essentially social clubs. I once talked to a guy who say, "I don't know how you could live without the support system of a church."
Religion is like a rocking chair a lot of work to get nowhere. -
JeopardyLeyton — 10 years ago(June 03, 2015 02:56 PM)
I once met a Christian who told me that he wouldn't be a good person without Christ, which I thought was insane, and scary. He really believed that the only reason people were good was because they did what God told them to. I suppose that is useful for the rest of us, that these kinds of people who would otherwise willingly do bad deeds choose to follow a strict moral code to prevent them from committing harm, but a lot of atheists are very good people, who are and do good because they feel for other people and can empathise, which makes doing good a personal necessity, and not a rule of thumb.
I honestly don't mind if people choose to believe these things, any more than I mind people who choose to hunt big foot or believe they've been abducted by aliens or visited by leprechauns. It's when people think that their beliefs should be everyone's beliefs that it gets dangerous, and when you get people given special status and influence in society trying to covert laws and attitudes to fit those irrational beliefs, like the so-called 'pro life' movement or the anti homosexuality/gay marriage movement. That's when you have to argue against it. -
aaahmemories — 10 years ago(June 03, 2015 09:53 PM)
I once met a Christian who told me that he wouldn't be a good person without Christ
You're right about that being scary. Imagine an adult being unable to distinguish right from wrong without being told. I've often said there's an ominous pathology lurking behind religious belief, and history shows that people can and do commit unthinkable atrocities while believing these are "righteous" acts supported by their theology. A mob's a mob, whether driven by communism, racial hatred, or religious fervor. And a criminal's a criminal whether he claims temporary insanity or the word of his deity.
It's when people think that their beliefs should be everyone's beliefs that it gets dangerous
It's even more dangerous when they justify their actions by citing a power which cannot be proven and to which there is no appeal. Naturally, Christians love to misdirect attention from themselves by pointing at current Muslim atrocities, forgetting their belief system is a close cousin to that of Islam. A recent example of Christianity's poisonous influence is the death penalty bill for gays passed in Uganda, a measure heavily promoted with American fundamentalist money, never mind guidance, something considered a trial balloon for similar measures here in the U.S.
While at present they are a small minority in America, there are Christians who dream of a Christian equivalent of Sharia law becoming the norm in the U.S. There is nothing benign or innocent about this, and it bears an unmistakable resemblance to Islamic terrorism.
Religion is like a rocking chair a lot of work to get nowhere. -
DabacTSP — 10 years ago(February 13, 2016 03:49 PM)
My story (and many other similar stories I've heard) are quite the opposite. I was an atheist most of my life, and I got convinced and converted mostly due to the reason, the archaeological and historical evidence, regarding the Bible events and prophecies. It's a start. Then the life in faith is mostly on learning to trust and rely on God even if it seems in vain. But it works!
Cool music
http://audiosparx.com/MartinaSver -
aaahmemories — 10 years ago(June 04, 2015 05:11 PM)
BTW, Jesus foretold the present situation. It shouldn't surprise anybody.
Naturally. Whacky nonsense is always treated as whacky nonsense. Except by other whacks.
Religion is like a rocking chair a lot of work to get nowhere. -
efparedes-22140 — 10 years ago(June 22, 2015 11:18 AM)
Well, here's my take on the original question (which is a great question btw).
I agree with you that there are one too many insufficiently-equipped Christians attempting to evangelize the Word to non-believers. While their intentions are pure, they may end up causing more harm than good.
Having said that, I believe that there should be no limits to evangelizing the Word. I'm not particular to the method of how the Word is evangelized, so long as it is done accurately, like you said, with proper command of Scripture. Here's where it gets interesting though. Shows like A.D. obviously changed things up a bit. But the things they changed have not dramatically altered central themes inherent in the Acts. Those remain intact, so I don't have a problem with this show as a means to evangelize. It's a good effort and God willing it is good enough to bring back fallen-away Christians as well as attract those curious about Christianity to continue learning more about our faith.
There is a popular movement today which seeks to remove God from the equation. This movement claims that humans have always had the propensity to love, to be merciful and tolerant. That God had nothing to do with instilling these virtues in us. The more popular this thinking becomes, the less likely people are going to warm up to the usual attempts at evangelization. That's why we need as many avenues we can employ to spread the Word to everyone. We need to embrace new methods and at the same time monitor them to ensure their proper adherence to Scripture. -