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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:30 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:15 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: Y'know it's not outright just my parents. I mean like everyone I know is a Christian. If I wasn't a Christian, I'd be saying close to 95% of the people in the area I live in are wrong. Heck, the city I want to live in (the only large one here, by large I mean like over 100,000 people) has a 3.9% non-religious population from the stats I've seen.
And if you did some searching and found that you don't believe in god, how would that change your life at all? It's all about deconstructing these fears. What would change, supposing you let go of religion? Would your values change? Would you love your parents and friends less? Would you find any less joy in the things you love to do? If you didn't want anyone to know, how would they know? I know plenty of atheists that go through the motions for the benefit of their families. Maybe you searched out and found some new friends in your area that you would never have had a chance to meet before.
Again, it's about finding your own truth. As J Smooth has said, what you believe, what your parents believe, what your town believes---none of it changes reality. The goal is to get as close to reality as possible. THAT part's up to you.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:35 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:30 am)SteelCurtain Wrote: (March 1, 2014 at 11:15 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: Y'know it's not outright just my parents. I mean like everyone I know is a Christian. If I wasn't a Christian, I'd be saying close to 95% of the people in the area I live in are wrong. Heck, the city I want to live in (the only large one here, by large I mean like over 100,000 people) has a 3.9% non-religious population from the stats I've seen.
And if you did some searching and found that you don't believe in god, how would that change your life at all? It's all about deconstructing these fears. What would change, supposing you let go of religion? Would your values change? Would you love your parents and friends less? Would you find any less joy in the things you love to do? If you didn't want anyone to know, how would they know? I know plenty of atheists that go through the motions for the benefit of their families. Maybe you searched out and found some new friends in your area that you would never have had a chance to meet before.
Again, it's about finding your own truth. As J Smooth has said, what you believe, what your parents believe, what your town believes---none of it changes reality. The goal is to get as close to reality as possible. THAT part's up to you.
But if I'm wrong I'll go to hell...
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:35 am
(March 1, 2014 at 8:08 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: Evolution is the greatest hoax in history and it is clung to because the only alternative is Creation.
It's like saying that alternative for women giving birth to babies is that storks bring babies to the parents. Creation or creationism is not an alternative because it isn't science.
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:43 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:35 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: But if I'm wrong I'll go to hell...
There are an infinite number of hells you could be headed to right now as a result of you being a christian, you know. I mean, if we're accepting things as possible without evidence, then any hell you care to imagine, that drags you down to it for any reason, is a potential worry. There could be a hell for you that's there because you're worried about hell.
The odds are the same, whether you're christian or not.
"YOU take the hard look in the mirror. You are everything that is wrong with this world. The only thing important to you, is you." - ronedee
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:46 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:21 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: Atheist's what if God's just trying to make it seem like he doesn't exist to test our faith? :S
And what if god created Christianity to test the gullible?
"I don't want to be around anyone that is gullible enough to believe this crap. I'm only letting skeptics into heaven", God
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:47 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:29 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: (March 1, 2014 at 11:27 am)Esquilax Wrote: You're allowed to disagree with people, though. So what, they're wrong about one thing? The things you like about them will still be present. Just maybe don't discuss religion with them if you think it'll end up in a fight.
But from what I've heard though atheists are one of the most hated groups of people out there.
You REALLY seem to be stuck on that appeal to popularity.
Yep, I'll admit, people don't like atheists. A hundred years ago, most Americans didn't like black people, either. Did that change anthing? Did that make black people lesser or inferior, just for being black? Or does it point out that some prejudices are society wide?
Again, you're intelligent enough to figure this out on your own. You don't have to turn to sources who are obviously biased (I mean, you don't get much more biased than a freakin' pastor).
I don't doubt that your parents of family or friends or the people in your church are nice people. Nice people can still be mistaken. I don't doubt they're intelligent, either. Intelligent people can be mistaken. In fact, I've found that the most intelligent people out there are the ones who are most aware of when they're wrong. Socrates himself based his intelligence on not knowing things and therefore asking questions (creating what we now know of as the socratic method). I'll even admit, we may be mistaken when we tell you there is no god or that the Christian god is make believe. Go out there and learn for yourself. Think about it. Study the Bible and science and never NEVER EVER just blindly believe something just because other people tell you to. Faith isn't always a bad thing, but blind faith can lead to some very bad places.
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"If you cling to something as the absolute truth and you are caught in it, when the truth comes in person to knock on your door you will refuse to let it in." ~ Siddhartha Gautama
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:47 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:43 am)Esquilax Wrote: (March 1, 2014 at 11:35 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: But if I'm wrong I'll go to hell...
There are an infinite number of hells you could be headed to right now as a result of you being a christian, you know. I mean, if we're accepting things as possible without evidence, then any hell you care to imagine, that drags you down to it for any reason, is a potential worry. There could be a hell for you that's there because you're worried about hell.
The odds are the same, whether you're christian or not.
But so many people believe in this hell. How could so many people believe in it if it's completely false? And please don't just say "Muslims or Hindus would be wrong in that case, what about them?". I guess I wonder that too. How are so many people convinced of something that's apparently wrong? How could it become such a strong force?
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:47 am
(March 1, 2014 at 8:08 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: "I am surprised they responded to you as much as they did.
Really, pages of posts.
By the way- the silver fox experiment (a poster referred to) was done by adding selective breeding to the mix (intelligence) so that is a bogus way to
try to prove evilution.
Quote:No, they were not selected for intelligence; they were selected for lack of fear reaction.
The point of the experiment was to demonstrate aspects of evolution. As a bonus, linkages of traits were discovered.
And the speckled moth thing has been debunked. The moths do not behave as the so called scientist claim.
If you are referring to the peppered moth, then no, it has not been debunked.
Quote:Here is a youtube vid you may like:
The theory of everything by Trey Smith.
I posted a link here last yr. and of course they didn't like it.
Trey is amazing, so are his other vids.
See you in the air.
He is an uneducated in science.
Quote:They want God to come to them and show Himself, or do a miracle.
They think this is like Burger King where you get to have it YOUR way.
Atheist are angry about it.
However the apostle Paul declared the creation shouts the glory of God.
They only need to humble themselves and pray the God of Heaven show them the truth. Become childlike.
God is always waiting (having already made the first step toward us) for our step to Him.
Statler Waldorf (a brilliant Christian poster here) has a signature that says it all: "There is no God" "And I hate him"
Evolution is the greatest hoax in history and it is clung to because the only alternative is Creation.
Just as Adam and Eve hid (they thought) from God, people hide today.
Becoming a Christian was the last thing I wanted to do- getting off the throne of my life and surrendering WAS hard, but Jesus said, "If anyone will TRULY determine to DO the will of God- he will know My teaching- whether it comes from God or from man".
I also suggest looking on youtube for Ravi Zecharia for amazing insight into Christian and atheist thinking.
Now, pray that the Holy Spirit directs your path.
You are not on your own.
If you never give up (the Gospel path)- you automatically win."
He doesn't seem to be lying to me.
You are an uneducated, credulous, delusional twit.
Skepticism is not a position; it is an approach to claims.
Science is not a subject, but a method.
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:48 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:21 am)JesusLover1 Wrote: Atheist's what if God's just trying to make it seem like he doesn't exist to test our faith? :S
You may be giving Him too much credit. Maybe He's just fucking with us.
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RE: A friendly Christian sent me a message
March 1, 2014 at 11:50 am
(March 1, 2014 at 11:47 am)Chas Wrote: You are an uneducated, credulous, delusional twit.
Again I'd just like to remind that the first post isn't my words.
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