Zone1 I've been an atheist for 60 years and have never once been tempted to believe in any god

[Carl in Michigan]

You're NOT being "punished" by God. You have this life. If that's all you believe in that's all you'll have.

ETERNAL LIFE is a GIFT from God for the BELIEVER in Jesus Christ. You're not going to b rewarded because YOU believe you're a "good" person. Neither will you receive the GIFT of eternal life

 

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,

1. I've spoken to G-D, and he said, .....
2. "You must be baptized."
3. Just out of the blue, so to say.
4. What do you say I said?

Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

 

[Carl in Michigan]

I don't believe you would be punished just for not believing in God.

You sound like someone empathetic, you mention the 'golden rule', and you seem to care (at least to some degree) about the suffering you cause, and the suffering that others cause. In my view this is what's most important.

Genuine faith in God can be very difficult to find for some of us, it can take a while and maybe the time is not enough for some. Personally I believe that's okay.

"The wages of sin is DEATH. But the GIFT of God is Eternal Life THROUGH JESUS CHRIST our Lord

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

You're NOT being "punished" by God. You have this life. If that's all you believe in that's all you'll have.

ETERNAL LIFE is a GIFT from God for the BELIEVER in Jesus Christ. You're not going to b rewarded because YOU believe you're a "good" person. Neither will you receive the GIFT of eternal life

Gross.

 

[frigidweirdo]

No one likes little girls with lying tongues ... by starting this thread, you fully admit to a higher power ... one that chastises little girl lying tongues ...

Anthropology states humans are a social animal ... our evolutionary advantage ... you are anti-social and hate the Truths the Bible lays out ... have all the sex you want, and use abortion to murder your children ... and lie lie lie ... over the internet, no one will kick your ass ...

You acknowledge God by hating Him ...

That makes no sense at all.

He hates the God that people believed in. In some ways just because people believe something, it exists. It doesn't exist as what they say it is. It exists as an idea.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

That makes no sense at all.

He hates the God that people believed in. In some ways just because people believe something, it exists. It doesn't exist as what they say it is. It exists as an idea.

And anyone can hate a fictional character.

 

[frigidweirdo]

And anyone can hate a fictional character.

Exactly.

But then I guess the one thing religion does is to teach flawed logic. It's a trying to fit a square hole into a round hole... makes no sense.

 

[Mac-7]

When I was 10 years old, we had a dog named Silver. A sealyham - sort of a largish Westie. He had been struck by a car when I was much younger and that had left him blind in one eye. We adapted. He adapted. But whenever he entered an unfamiliar space (the furniture moved, for instance) he would collide with things. I felt bad for him. Like most children my age I believed what I was told was the truth by my parents and the church they took me to. So I prayed as fervently and selflessly as I could manage that God would restore his vision. But, as would happen in any bad movie, his poor vision led Silver to wandering out in front of another car where he suffered another concussion which left him completely blind. Now all dogs go to heaven because all dogs are innocent. Every non-human form of life is innocent of the many sins the Bible spells out. Initially, I was angry. How could God cause my innocent dog to suffer, regardless of his motive or intent? The standard "mysterious ways" line didn't help at all. What did help was the realization that the best explanation was not that god was mysterious or unknowable, but that he simply wasn't there. The existence of the god described by the Bible and by our preacher and the believers I would talk with was simply not possible; not only because it violated all the laws of nature but because absolutely no evidence I could find supported the idea. Every thing I could learn about the world and how it worked refuted the idea of a caring, personal god who had created miraculous humans and a miraculous Earth to be their home and was everpresent, watching over us and, on proper supplication, violating the laws that he himself had set in place - if he felt like it.

As the years went by I simply became more and more convinced that there is a great deal about the working of the universe we do not yet know, but the basics - the principal of uniformitarianism, holds, everywhere and everywhen. Nothing is supernatural. No will directs or inspires the stream of events taking place over the passage of time. Only physics.

What signs or signals should I have caught that might have lured me back to my childhood faith? And how might my life have been different had I done so? I have lots of friends and I'm pretty sure most of them think I'm a nice guy. I buy fully and heartily into the Golden Rule. I believe it to be the sole basis of human civilization. How do you think my complete lack of divine faith hurt me? Will your god throw into a lake of fire because I led a good life but failed to do him obeisance? That is, of course, precisely what scriptures tells us. Why would ANY of you believe, much less WORSHIP such a god? He seems a monster. Would anyone care to correct me?

Why is an atheist so interested in religion?

 

[Meriweather]

Why is an atheist so interested in religion?

Possibly because they recognize that some get a lot from religion. Take a look from this perspective. Some Christians get a tremendous amount from praying the rosary. And some don't. The reason why some are interested in the Rosary and some are not is the same reason some are interested in religion and some are not. That reason?

What is in it for me?

No one is altogether altruistic. Plus, What is in it for me can be unselfish. For example, "It will help me to be a better person and therefore have a greater ability to help others."

An interest in religion may stem for someone searching for what is in it for him/her.

 

[Mac-7]

Possibly because they recognize that some get a lot from religion. Take a look from this perspective. Some Christians get a tremendous amount from praying the rosary. And some don't. The reason why some are interested in the Rosary and some are not is the same reason some are interested in religion and some are not. That reason?

What is in it for me?

No one is altogether altruistic. Plus, What is in it for me can be unselfish. For example, "It will help me to be a better person and therefore have a greater ability to help others."

An interest in religion may stem for someone searching for what is in it for him/her.

Is that “Way down upon the Swanee River” with tap dancing I hear in the background?

 

[Insaneworld]

"The wages of sin is DEATH. But the GIFT of God is Eternal Life THROUGH JESUS CHRIST our Lord

Great, thanks.

1) I don't believe in all your scripture, so quoting some is not necessarily that impactful.
2) I don't believe what you quote is inconsistent with anything I've said.

 

[Insaneworld]

Why is an atheist so interested in religion?

I believe he is interested in God, not necessarily religion, there is a big difference in my view.

 

[MarathonMike]

When I was 10 years old, we had a dog named Silver. A sealyham - sort of a largish Westie. He had been struck by a car when I was much younger and that had left him blind in one eye. We adapted. He adapted. But whenever he entered an unfamiliar space (the furniture moved, for instance) he would collide with things. I felt bad for him. Like most children my age I believed what I was told was the truth by my parents and the church they took me to. So I prayed as fervently and selflessly as I could manage that God would restore his vision. But, as would happen in any bad movie, his poor vision led Silver to wandering out in front of another car where he suffered another concussion which left him completely blind. Now all dogs go to heaven because all dogs are innocent. Every non-human form of life is innocent of the many sins the Bible spells out. Initially, I was angry. How could God cause my innocent dog to suffer, regardless of his motive or intent? The standard "mysterious ways" line didn't help at all. What did help was the realization that the best explanation was not that god was mysterious or unknowable, but that he simply wasn't there. The existence of the god described by the Bible and by our preacher and the believers I would talk with was simply not possible; not only because it violated all the laws of nature but because absolutely no evidence I could find supported the idea. Every thing I could learn about the world and how it worked refuted the idea of a caring, personal god who had created miraculous humans and a miraculous Earth to be their home and was everpresent, watching over us and, on proper supplication, violating the laws that he himself had set in place - if he felt like it.

As the years went by I simply became more and more convinced that there is a great deal about the working of the universe we do not yet know, but the basics - the principal of uniformitarianism, holds, everywhere and everywhen. Nothing is supernatural. No will directs or inspires the stream of events taking place over the passage of time. Only physics.

What signs or signals should I have caught that might have lured me back to my childhood faith? And how might my life have been different had I done so? I have lots of friends and I'm pretty sure most of them think I'm a nice guy. I buy fully and heartily into the Golden Rule. I believe it to be the sole basis of human civilization. How do you think my complete lack of divine faith hurt me? Will your god throw into a lake of fire because I led a good life but failed to do him obeisance? That is, of course, precisely what scriptures tells us. Why would ANY of you believe, much less WORSHIP such a god? He seems a monster. Would anyone care to correct me?

As I stated in another thread recently, It seems to me that Judaism makes more sense in that how you conduct yourself in life is the determining factor for Heaven or Hell.

 

[Frankeneinstein]

When I was 10 years old, we had a dog named Silver. A sealyham - sort of a largish Westie. He had been struck by a car when I was much younger and that had left him blind in one eye. We adapted. He adapted. But whenever he entered an unfamiliar space (the furniture moved, for instance) he would collide with things. I felt bad for him. Like most children my age I believed what I was told was the truth by my parents and the church they took me to. So I prayed as fervently and selflessly as I could manage that God would restore his vision. But, as would happen in any bad movie, his poor vision led Silver to wandering out in front of another car where he suffered another concussion which left him completely blind. Now all dogs go to heaven because all dogs are innocent. Every non-human form of life is innocent of the many sins the Bible spells out. Initially, I was angry. How could God cause my innocent dog to suffer, regardless of his motive or intent? The standard "mysterious ways" line didn't help at all. What did help was the realization that the best explanation was not that god was mysterious or unknowable, but that he simply wasn't there. The existence of the god described by the Bible and by our preacher and the believers I would talk with was simply not possible; not only because it violated all the laws of nature but because absolutely no evidence I could find supported the idea. Every thing I could learn about the world and how it worked refuted the idea of a caring, personal god who had created miraculous humans and a miraculous Earth to be their home and was everpresent, watching over us and, on proper supplication, violating the laws that he himself had set in place - if he felt like it.

As the years went by I simply became more and more convinced that there is a great deal about the working of the universe we do not yet know, but the basics - the principal of uniformitarianism, holds, everywhere and everywhen. Nothing is supernatural. No will directs or inspires the stream of events taking place over the passage of time. Only physics.

What signs or signals should I have caught that might have lured me back to my childhood faith? And how might my life have been different had I done so? I have lots of friends and I'm pretty sure most of them think I'm a nice guy. I buy fully and heartily into the Golden Rule. I believe it to be the sole basis of human civilization. How do you think my complete lack of divine faith hurt me? Will your god throw into a lake of fire because I led a good life but failed to do him obeisance? That is, of course, precisely what scriptures tells us. Why would ANY of you believe, much less WORSHIP such a god? He seems a monster. Would anyone care to correct me?

Hmmmmm...as an atheist myself and a dog/animal lover I can say neither a God nor the owners of that dog had that dogs best interests at heart...whoever it was that was responsible [god or owner] for him/her/they should be held accountable for that animals suffering.

 

[ding]

Speaking lies is evil ... can we agree on that? ...

As with most questions the answer is... that depends.

 

[SweetSue92]

When I was 10 years old, we had a dog named Silver. A sealyham - sort of a largish Westie. He had been struck by a car when I was much younger and that had left him blind in one eye. We adapted. He adapted. But whenever he entered an unfamiliar space (the furniture moved, for instance) he would collide with things. I felt bad for him. Like most children my age I believed what I was told was the truth by my parents and the church they took me to. So I prayed as fervently and selflessly as I could manage that God would restore his vision. But, as would happen in any bad movie, his poor vision led Silver to wandering out in front of another car where he suffered another concussion which left him completely blind. Now all dogs go to heaven because all dogs are innocent. Every non-human form of life is innocent of the many sins the Bible spells out. Initially, I was angry. How could God cause my innocent dog to suffer, regardless of his motive or intent? The standard "mysterious ways" line didn't help at all. What did help was the realization that the best explanation was not that god was mysterious or unknowable, but that he simply wasn't there. The existence of the god described by the Bible and by our preacher and the believers I would talk with was simply not possible; not only because it violated all the laws of nature but because absolutely no evidence I could find supported the idea. Every thing I could learn about the world and how it worked refuted the idea of a caring, personal god who had created miraculous humans and a miraculous Earth to be their home and was everpresent, watching over us and, on proper supplication, violating the laws that he himself had set in place - if he felt like it.

As the years went by I simply became more and more convinced that there is a great deal about the working of the universe we do not yet know, but the basics - the principal of uniformitarianism, holds, everywhere and everywhen. Nothing is supernatural. No will directs or inspires the stream of events taking place over the passage of time. Only physics.

What signs or signals should I have caught that might have lured me back to my childhood faith? And how might my life have been different had I done so? I have lots of friends and I'm pretty sure most of them think I'm a nice guy. I buy fully and heartily into the Golden Rule. I believe it to be the sole basis of human civilization. How do you think my complete lack of divine faith hurt me? Will your god throw into a lake of fire because I led a good life but failed to do him obeisance? That is, of course, precisely what scriptures tells us. Why would ANY of you believe, much less WORSHIP such a god? He seems a monster. Would anyone care to correct me?

Here is a question:

Why do you feel you deserve an answer to these questions?

Go your way. God will let you, until it's too late.

 

[AMart]

When I was 10 years old, we had a dog named Silver. A sealyham - sort of a largish Westie. He had been struck by a car when I was much younger and that had left him blind in one eye. We adapted. He adapted. But whenever he entered an unfamiliar space (the furniture moved, for instance) he would collide with things. I felt bad for him. Like most children my age I believed what I was told was the truth by my parents and the church they took me to. So I prayed as fervently and selflessly as I could manage that God would restore his vision. But, as would happen in any bad movie, his poor vision led Silver to wandering out in front of another car where he suffered another concussion which left him completely blind. Now all dogs go to heaven because all dogs are innocent. Every non-human form of life is innocent of the many sins the Bible spells out. Initially, I was angry. How could God cause my innocent dog to suffer, regardless of his motive or intent? The standard "mysterious ways" line didn't help at all. What did help was the realization that the best explanation was not that god was mysterious or unknowable, but that he simply wasn't there. The existence of the god described by the Bible and by our preacher and the believers I would talk with was simply not possible; not only because it violated all the laws of nature but because absolutely no evidence I could find supported the idea. Every thing I could learn about the world and how it worked refuted the idea of a caring, personal god who had created miraculous humans and a miraculous Earth to be their home and was everpresent, watching over us and, on proper supplication, violating the laws that he himself had set in place - if he felt like it.

As the years went by I simply became more and more convinced that there is a great deal about the working of the universe we do not yet know, but the basics - the principal of uniformitarianism, holds, everywhere and everywhen. Nothing is supernatural. No will directs or inspires the stream of events taking place over the passage of time. Only physics.

What signs or signals should I have caught that might have lured me back to my childhood faith? And how might my life have been different had I done so? I have lots of friends and I'm pretty sure most of them think I'm a nice guy. I buy fully and heartily into the Golden Rule. I believe it to be the sole basis of human civilization. How do you think my complete lack of divine faith hurt me? Will your god throw into a lake of fire because I led a good life but failed to do him obeisance? That is, of course, precisely what scriptures tells us. Why would ANY of you believe, much less WORSHIP such a god? He seems a monster. Would anyone care to correct me?

Your dog got hit by a car, which traumatized you, so there is no god . lol snowflake.

 

[Meriweather]

As I stated in another thread recently, It seems to me that Judaism makes more sense in that how you conduct yourself in life is the determining factor for Heaven or Hell.

Judaism has much to offer.

 

[ReinyDays]

As with most questions the answer is... that depends.

Well ... I certainly deny wearing adult diapers ... is that what you mean? ...

But I'll bite, where does God lie to Man in the Bible? ... and where does Jesus say it's okay to bear false witness? ...

 

[ding]

Well ... I certainly deny wearing adult diapers ... is that what you mean? ...

But I'll bite, where does God lie to Man in the Bible? ... and where does Jesus say it's okay to bear false witness? ...

You are changing questions now. Neither of those are what you originally asked. Not all lies bear false witness.