Here is the question atheists can't answer...

[sealybobo]

God doesn't "send" people anywhere, they choose for themselves where they want to go after they die.

If you choose in this life to be with God, then after death your choice to be with God will be honored for all eternity.

If you choose in this life to reject God, then after death your choice to reject God will be honored for all eternity.

Then don't cry about Isis burning someone to death. If he's a Christian he'll go to heaven in 5 minutes but if he's not a Christian he'll just keep on burning for eternity

You're not even engaging in a good faith discussion. Perhaps I'm wasting my time with you.

Was I wrong?

 

[Vastator]

Actually praying does nothing outside placebo. Two hands doing better than 1000 praying.

And if God would just reveal himself once and not on a piece of toast. Do something only a God could do. Do away with Isis. Have the desert turn to quicksand

God sent his only Son into the world as an infant, and as a man he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the lepers, fed the multitude, walked on water, controlled the storms, cast out demons, turned water into wine, raised the dead, and as a grand finale he was crucified, died for our sins, and rose again on the third day and walked the Earth in front of witnesses.

And yet, after all this has happened, you demand more signs and wonders!!!

The ultimate martyr. Sounds like the story has been eggaggerated over time just a bit.

Jews apparently witnessed this and even they don't believe. Why should I if they don't?

Because the Jews are wrong. They ignore their own prophesies when they reject Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.

How Christ Fulfilled the Prophecies of Scripture

He didn't fulfill all the prophesies. Plenty enough reason not to believe.

You have not seen nothing yet


And I dare you to say to me ...that nothing in the bible has a bunch of historical in accurate n in it..
It has Been confirmed..

Try me

You got excited there. Your typing came across as incomprehensible. Care try that again? You know? In a manner that an English speaking person could reasonably respond to?

 

[Blackrook]

Sometimes when I talk to atheists on this forum, I feel like I'm talking to 12-year-olds. They blame God because everything didn't work out for them the way they wanted, or because some bad man did some bad thing and God didn't stop it, or because some person got sick and died. If God intervened constantly to make sure nothing bad ever happened to anyone, then he wouldn't be God, he would be a zookeeper, and this wouldn't be a world, it would be a zoo. The animals in the wild have to look for food and take care of themselves and sometimes they get eaten, but the animals in the zoo can lay about all day and the zookeeper tends to all their needs. They get fed when they are hungry and they get medicine when they are sick and no one has to worry about getting eaten by other animals. But the zoo is a prison, it has walls, and the animals can never leave their cage. It seems that some atheists want the world to be a prison for the mind, a place where there is no choice but to love God.

 

[Wyatt earp]

God doesn't "send" people anywhere, they choose for themselves where they want to go after they die.

If you choose in this life to be with God, then after death your choice to be with God will be honored for all eternity.

If you choose in this life to reject God, then after death your choice to reject God will be honored for all eternity.

Then don't cry about Isis burning someone to death. If he's a Christian he'll go to heaven in 5 minutes but if he's not a Christian he'll just keep on burning for eternity

You're not even engaging in a good faith discussion. Perhaps I'm wasting my time with you.

Or perhaps you are wasting your time clinging to your ancient Baal cult... You know the worst part about what you cultists do is? You cheapen life. Life is truly wonderful. Yet y'all run around trying to convince everyone that the world is an awful place. That life sucks. That they are flawed. But if you just join my cult everything will be better when you die. It's really fucking twisted.

What?

When did i e ver say ir yo u believe in God life would be better?

Life is always os a pain in the ass..

But believing in the man upstairs..makes it a little more bearable then not believing in nothing.

 

[Wyatt earp]

God sent his only Son into the world as an infant, and as a man he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the lepers, fed the multitude, walked on water, controlled the storms, cast out demons, turned water into wine, raised the dead, and as a grand finale he was crucified, died for our sins, and rose again on the third day and walked the Earth in front of witnesses.

And yet, after all this has happened, you demand more signs and wonders!!!

The ultimate martyr. Sounds like the story has been eggaggerated over time just a bit.

Jews apparently witnessed this and even they don't believe. Why should I if they don't?

Because the Jews are wrong. They ignore their own prophesies when they reject Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.

How Christ Fulfilled the Prophecies of Scripture

He didn't fulfill all the prophesies. Plenty enough reason not to believe.

You have not seen nothing yet


And I dare you to say to me ...that nothing in the bible has a bunch of historical in accurate n in it..
It has Been confirmed..

Try me

You got excited there. Your typing came across as incomprehensible. Care try that again? You know? In a manner that an English speaking person could reasonably respond to?

Excited?

No..

Just winding down tonight and gearing up tomorrow for another day at work


.

 

[sealybobo]

Sometimes when I talk to atheists on this forum, I feel like I'm talking to 12-year-olds. They blame God because everything didn't work out for them the way they wanted, or because some bad man did some bad thing and God didn't stop it, or because some person got sick and died. If God intervened constantly to make sure nothing bad ever happened to anyone, then he wouldn't be God, he would be a zookeeper, and this wouldn't be a world, it would be a zoo. The animals in the wild have to look for food and take care of themselves and sometimes they get eaten, but the animals in the zoo can lay about all day and the zookeeper tends to all their needs. They get fed when they are hungry and they get medicine when they are sick and no one has to worry about getting eaten by other animals. But the zoo is a prison, it has walls, and the animals can never leave their cage. It seems that some atheists want the world to be a prison for the mind, a place where there is no choice but to love God.

Thanks for the choice believe or burn forever.

And I can't even Jack off in private. Yes this is a prison if you believe in God.

It's heaven if you dont

 

[sealybobo]

God doesn't "send" people anywhere, they choose for themselves where they want to go after they die.

If you choose in this life to be with God, then after death your choice to be with God will be honored for all eternity.

If you choose in this life to reject God, then after death your choice to reject God will be honored for all eternity.

Then don't cry about Isis burning someone to death. If he's a Christian he'll go to heaven in 5 minutes but if he's not a Christian he'll just keep on burning for eternity

You're not even engaging in a good faith discussion. Perhaps I'm wasting my time with you.

Or perhaps you are wasting your time clinging to your ancient Baal cult... You know the worst part about what you cultists do is? You cheapen life. Life is truly wonderful. Yet y'all run around trying to convince everyone that the world is an awful place. That life sucks. That they are flawed. But if you just join my cult everything will be better when you die. It's really fucking twisted.

What?

When did i e ver say ir yo u believe in God life would be better?

Life is always os a pain in the ass..

But believing in the man upstairs..makes it a little more bearable then not believing in nothing.

Yes, wishful thinking. We get it

 

[Vastator]

Funny it seems to me cultist ideology is predicated on blaming God for all thier woes. He created the earth. He created the devil. He created people... The devil made people do bad things; and now my life sux... Talk about sounding like a 12 year old... Tell me this. Is there anything your God touches that doesn't turn to shit? For fucks sake heaven even had war in it according to your stories. If I get bored one day and decide to create a god, I'll do a much better job than the Baalists did. I promise you that.

 

[Blackrook]

God doesn't "send" people anywhere, they choose for themselves where they want to go after they die.

If you choose in this life to be with God, then after death your choice to be with God will be honored for all eternity.

If you choose in this life to reject God, then after death your choice to reject God will be honored for all eternity.

Then don't cry about Isis burning someone to death. If he's a Christian he'll go to heaven in 5 minutes but if he's not a Christian he'll just keep on burning for eternity

You're not even engaging in a good faith discussion. Perhaps I'm wasting my time with you.

Was I wrong?

Hell is not about burning in fire, it is about existence in the absence of God.

YOU are choosing to live without God in your life NOW.

That is YOUR CHOICE.

God cannot, will not, FORCE YOU to love him.

If you choose NOT to love God in this life, then your choice will be honored after your death in an existence without God.

God WANTS you to return to him, he wants it so bad that if you make one step in his direction, he will run 1000 miles in your direction and grab you in his arms, sweep you up, and hold a celebration in heaven that you have returned to him.

 

[Saul]

How did we get here?

Assuming you refer to humans as "We", we all arrived through the mechanism of the natural order of things that has no explanation as to cause and does not need one to function.
Answers to your question solve nothing due to the fact that they cannot be confirmed.
Curiosity is many times a burden; about existence itself, an unnecessary one to those with reality to cope with.

 

[Saul]

God doesn't "send" people anywhere, they choose for themselves where they want to go after they die.

If you choose in this life to be with God, then after death your choice to be with God will be honored for all eternity.

If you choose in this life to reject God, then after death your choice to reject God will be honored for all eternity.

Then don't cry about Isis burning someone to death. If he's a Christian he'll go to heaven in 5 minutes but if he's not a Christian he'll just keep on burning for eternity

You're not even engaging in a good faith discussion. Perhaps I'm wasting my time with you.

Was I wrong?

Hell is not about burning in fire, it is about existence in the absence of God.

YOU are choosing to live without God in your life NOW.

That is YOUR CHOICE.

God cannot, will not, FORCE YOU to love him.

If you choose NOT to love God in this life, then your choice will be honored after your death in an existence without God.

God WANTS you to return to him, he wants it so bad that if you make one step in his direction, he will run 1000 miles in your direction and grab you in his arms, sweep you up, and hold a celebration in heaven that you have returned to him.

 

[Saul]

i like how easily you tell describe the enthusiasm with which God will help us who *decide* to love Him. I wonder how you learned this? Do you really need positive reinforcement of your belief, or is it strong enough to withstand the doubts that logically-minded people have? If you want respect, give it; let people disbelieve, you will then be delivered.

 

[hobelim]

Curiosity is many times a burden; about existence itself, an unnecessary one to those with reality to cope with.

Questioning existence is a necessary function of coping with reality.

How is it even possible to cope with reality without attempting to understand it?

 

[The Professor]

When I was 12 years old (about 65 years ago), I had a 7-volume set of books called Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier. One of the things that Collier proposed is that when the Bible claimed men were made in the image of God, the word “image” did not mean a mirror image or likeness. He proposed instead that the word “image” actually meant imagination or mind. He concluded that mankind was created not merely in God's mind but out of the substance which was God's mind.

And here is where math comes in: Since the mind of God is infinite, any part of that mind is also infinite. Every mathematician knows that infinity divided by any number is still infinity, so if man was created out of the substance which is God's mind, than each man is truly omniscient. I have read many books which suggest that man's infinite knowledge explains such things as mental telepathy, NDEs, and other psychic phenomena. The theory is that each of us has complete knowledge of everything - past, present and future - however this knowledge is blocked by our continuous conscious awareness of our immediate environment and personal needs.

I am not saying that I fully agree with Collier's interpretation of the divinity of man. I am merely presenting another opinion on the subject. However, I believe that what Collier said requires at least some consideration since science seems to support his theory. The scientific consensus is that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed , although the two are interchangeable (first law of thermodynamics). For simplicity I will say that “things” can neither be created nor destroyed. Since things do exist but could not have been created, the logical conclusion is that everything which now exists has always existed, albeit in another form. Naturally, this reasoning applies to all things: every pound, every atom; everything which can be weighed or measured; anything which can be acted upon or which can act upon itself or anything else. This would include God.

From a purely scientific perspective, God could create nothing since everything has always been and always will be. However, God could transform that which always was and will be. The only question is whether there was anything outside of God for Him to act upon, or whether God simply transformed Himself. As mind boggling as it sounds, creation could be explained by the self-transformation of an eternal God. Actually, the self-transformation of God is the only explanation which harmonizes the scientific concept that things cannot be created from nothing and the Christian concept of God the creator of all.

One of the most difficult things to accept is creation. There are only two possibilities in all the world: (1) That which exists has always existed, although not necessarily in the same form, and (2) something can be created out of nothing. Both concepts are somehow intellectually unacceptable, but logic dictates that one must be true. The former hypothesis at least has some scientific support.

Some people see a conflict between science and religion, but I believe it all depends on how one defines the two terms Personally, I don't see I conflict and I will do my best to explain why.

I think it is insanity to assume that God would create the universe and then leave it to chance to determine how His creation would function. When things were created, the creation was complete. Each thing had its specific and unchanging characteristics, purpose and destiny. The metallic chemical element we call lead always behaves as it was designed. Among other qualities, pure solid lead will always sink in pure liquid water. I prefer to refer to the inherent qualities of things as their nature. This nature is constant and predictable for the world could not function otherwise. In essence, nature is the way God does things and science is the study of nature; therefore, science is nothing more than the study of the way God does things. Man has identified and even sent rockets past planets that were unknown a mere two hundred years ago. Using stem cells he has regrown a severed human finger complete with a perfectly formed nail; using recombinant DNA he has created life forms which had never before existed. But every scientific principle exploited by humankind has always existed just waiting to be discovered. There is no conflict between science and religion; they are merely different words used to describe the same thing: how God does things.

For the record, my idea of God is not an anthropomorphic being. I am amused by those who think that God is a bearded white man sitting on a throne somewhere in outer space. Although I will not go into great detail at this time (maybe later), my basic conception of God is an eternal, creative and sustaining force, a power which acts with absolute certainty and infallibility.

Do I believe in a type of existence beyond physical death? Yes, but it is based upon scientific principles which are consistent with my idea of God.

But that is only my humble opinion and I will not debate yours, unless you believe that God is an old long bearded White guy in the sky. I am convinced that if God wanted to assume masculine human form He would be a tall, muscle-toned, bronze-skinned man with wavy hair and six-pack abs. He would also have one hell of a schlong.

OK, I'm done here.

 

[Saul]

Curiosity is many times a burden; about existence itself, an unnecessary one to those with reality to cope with.

Questioning existence is a necessary function of coping with reality.

How is it even possible to cope with reality without attempting to understand it?

To understand reality, all one needs to do is deal with it (I did not say how well to understand it). To question existence is - to me, a waste of time and effort, and wears on the nerves if one is captured by the question.
By "Coping with reality" I mean dealing with life as it is, not with the why's of it.

 

[Saul]

When I was 12 years old (about 65 years ago), I had a 7-volume set of books called Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier. One of the things that Collier proposed is that when the Bible claimed men were made in the image of God, the word “image” did not mean a mirror image or likeness. He proposed instead that the word “image” actually meant imagination or mind. He concluded that mankind was created not merely in God's mind but out of the substance which was God's mind.

And here is where math comes in: Since the mind of God is infinite, any part of that mind is also infinite. Every mathematician knows that infinity divided by any number is still infinity, so if man was created out of the substance which is God's mind, than each man is truly omniscient. I have read many books which suggest that man's infinite knowledge explains such things as mental telepathy, NDEs, and other psychic phenomena. The theory is that each of us has complete knowledge of everything - past, present and future - however this knowledge is blocked by our continuous conscious awareness of our immediate environment and personal needs.

I am not saying that I fully agree with Collier's interpretation of the divinity of man. I am merely presenting another opinion on the subject. However, I believe that what Collier said requires at least some consideration since science seems to support his theory. The scientific consensus is that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed , although the two are interchangeable (first law of thermodynamics). For simplicity I will say that “things” can neither be created nor destroyed. Since things do exist but could not have been created, the logical conclusion is that everything which now exists has always existed, albeit in another form. Naturally, this reasoning applies to all things: every pound, every atom; everything which can be weighed or measured; anything which can be acted upon or which can act upon itself or anything else. This would include God.

From a purely scientific perspective, God could create nothing since everything has always been and always will be. However, God could transform that which always was and will be. The only question is whether there was anything outside of God for Him to act upon, or whether God simply transformed Himself. As mind boggling as it sounds, creation could be explained by the self-transformation of an eternal God. Actually, the self-transformation of God is the only explanation which harmonizes the scientific concept that things cannot be created from nothing and the Christian concept of God the creator of all.

One of the most difficult things to accept is creation. There are only two possibilities in all the world: (1) That which exists has always existed, although not necessarily in the same form, and (2) something can be created out of nothing. Both concepts are somehow intellectually unacceptable, but logic dictates that one must be true. The former hypothesis at least has some scientific support.

Some people see a conflict between science and religion, but I believe it all depends on how one defines the two terms Personally, I don't see I conflict and I will do my best to explain why.

I think it is insanity to assume that God would create the universe and then leave it to chance to determine how His creation would function. When things were created, the creation was complete. Each thing had its specific and unchanging characteristics, purpose and destiny. The metallic chemical element we call lead always behaves as it was designed. Among other qualities, pure solid lead will always sink in pure liquid water. I prefer to refer to the inherent qualities of things as their nature. This nature is constant and predictable for the world could not function otherwise. In essence, nature is the way God does things and science is the study of nature; therefore, science is nothing more than the study of the way God does things. Man has identified and even sent rockets past planets that were unknown a mere two hundred years ago. Using stem cells he has regrown a severed human finger complete with a perfectly formed nail; using recombinant DNA he has created life forms which had never before existed. But every scientific principle exploited by humankind has always existed just waiting to be discovered. There is no conflict between science and religion; they are merely different words used to describe the same thing: how God does things.

For the record, my idea of God is not an anthropomorphic being. I am amused by those who think that God is a bearded white man sitting on a throne somewhere in outer space. Although I will not go into great detail at this time (maybe later), my basic conception of God is an eternal, creative and sustaining force, a power which acts with absolute certainty and infallibility.

Do I believe in a type of existence beyond physical death? Yes, but it is based upon scientific principles which are consistent with my idea of God.

But that is only my humble opinion and I will not debate yours, unless you believe that God is an old long bearded White guy in the sky. I am convinced that if God wanted to assume masculine human form He would be a tall, muscle-toned, bronze-skinned man with wavy hair and six-pack abs. He would also have one hell of a schlong.

OK, I'm done here.

 

[Montrovant]

God doesn't "send" people anywhere, they choose for themselves where they want to go after they die.

If you choose in this life to be with God, then after death your choice to be with God will be honored for all eternity.

If you choose in this life to reject God, then after death your choice to reject God will be honored for all eternity.

But I am good, if Jesus died on the cross to save sinners..


Why can't I talk to God and take the place of misinformed non believers in hell?

Because you can't, and stop saying you will. All you're doing is confusing people.

How am I confusing people?

I am not dead yet...

If God is the creator, he took a billion years to decide what he wanted to create. He made a lot of mistakes and slowly worked out which creatures would survive and which would become extinct.

If man was created in his image, God waited billions of years to decide what that image would be

God exists outside time and space. He is simultaneously existing at the creation of the universe, and at the end of the universe, and all points between.

Do you believe in an eternal Hell? Would that mean God created me knowing I would not believe in him and would end up in Hell for eternity? Lovely fellow.

Even without a hell, if God knows the past, present, and future, and he created me as I am, and he is in control of what happens in my life, then he created me to be a person who would not believe.

Oh, and that would also mean there is no free will, what I've always been told is a basic underpinning of Christianity. How can there be choice if God knows what happens?

You have a choice whether to have faith in God and you know it. I'm not going to be drawn into a sophomoric discussion about pre-destination.

Sophomoric, huh?

So you say that God is outside of time, exists at all moments, created me, created all the good things in my life, yet any discussion about the fact that such logic leads to the conclusion that God intended every person to end up exactly where they end up is not worth your time? Got it.

How about the ridiculousness of a single human lifetime being sufficient to judge someone for eternity?

 

[onefour1]

The answer lies in the hymn, "If you could hie to Kolob":

If You Could Hie to Kolob

1. If you could hie to Kolob
In the twinkling of an eye,
And then continue onward
With that same speed to fly,
Do you think that you could ever,
Through all eternity,
Find out the generation
Where Gods began to be?

2. Or see the grand beginning,
Where space did not extend?
Or view the last creation,
Where Gods and matter end?
Methinks the Spirit whispers,
"No man has found 'pure space,'
Nor seen the outside curtains,
Where nothing has a place."

3. The works of God continue,
And worlds and lives abound;
Improvement and progression
Have one eternal round.
There is no end to matter;
There is no end to space;
There is no end to spirit;
There is no end to race.

4. There is no end to virtue;
There is no end to might;
There is no end to wisdom;
There is no end to light.
There is no end to union;
There is no end to youth;
There is no end to priesthood;
There is no end to truth.

5. There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above.
There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above.

 

[hobelim]

Curiosity is many times a burden; about existence itself, an unnecessary one to those with reality to cope with.

Questioning existence is a necessary function of coping with reality.

How is it even possible to cope with reality without attempting to understand it?

To understand reality, all one needs to do is deal with it (I did not say how well to understand it). To question existence is - to me, a waste of time and effort, and wears on the nerves if one is captured by the question.
By "Coping with reality" I mean dealing with life as it is, not with the why's of it.

If you understood the why of it coping and dealing with life as it is would become much easier.

 

[Saul]

As a kid of thirty-two, I had decided that God's image means of the same physical substance (recently described as DNA). At forty-two, I had decided that there is no physical substance in God, there was only theory. At fifty-two and a half, I decide that God was irrelevant to life's success, and only the creativity of one's self is all that a man's life needs. At sixty-four, and a half, I decided that in philosophy there is no such thing as true and false, or right and wrong, there is only opinion, which is always temporary until another comes along.
True salvation of the soul is in the waving of analysis, and the acceptance of a peaceful mind. But being at peace does nothing to save the world; it just saves one's self. And I am in desperate need of saving the world. Saul for President!!!!