(April 26, 2018 at 2:26 pm)G Alan Wrote: I sincerely apologize. I honestly should've known that there are some on here that do try to "convert". Thats not my intent and reasons at all. I shouldnt have responded in this thread. My reason for being on here is to figure out the reasoning and logic of an atheist. In particular, a self proclaimed atheist who has admitedly "walked away" from the Christian faith. When i say Christian i mean a Jesus following Bible believing Christian. Some on this site do not like me on here at all and thats ok. I will not post any comments at all from here on out. I will only read some threads that i find interesting and helpful for answering my questions. However , i will correspond only in the PM section. So , again, my sincere apologies. Thanks to those who have welcomed me. And a big ol FYI.... this does not mean i can't stand the "heat" from any of you! Or that i can't prove anything. This is just called respect.
Thanks.
G.
In fairness, if you really want to understand us, then you need to stop asking questions like "Have you never actually thought about the truth?" It's both a leading question (the implication is that you have the truth and we don't), and a probing one ("If they haven't, maybe they'll consider my religion!"). The bulk of us have been proselytized at so often that we see the little rhetorical tricks that come along with it, and, generally, react unfavorably to them. Why? Because they speak to a desire for conversion rather than mutual understanding; put another way, intentional or not, it's just another in a long line of instances where someone is lying for Jesus.
Ask smarter questions, like:
What was it about the bible you disagreed with? Any specific book or passage? Or was it a culmination of things within its pages?
Do you think the bible has any value as a moral guide? Do you think any of its lessons are applicable to life today?
Is there anything about the faith that you miss? Anything you still apply to your life today?
Coming into it with an attitude of "I have the truth, and I want to examine why atheists are so weird/deficient" like we're some sort of social science experiment for you to poke and prod at will only garner resentment from those of us who have dealt with that kind of thing before.