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| The Atheists Mantra; Why is the thought of no afterlife scary | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 28 2005, 10:24 AM (1,295 Views) | |
| HistoryDude | Oct 5 2005, 10:58 AM Post #61 |
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Shaken, not stirred...
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The fallacy with this argument, to my mind and again from a Christian perspective, is that God is not just a personal pick-me-up waiting over your bed whenever you want Him to help you or console you or heal you or comfort you. Bad things happen to Christians, too. He never promised anywhere that we would live a life of only miracles and mountain-top experiences. And He is not there just to pick us up when we want. A fulfilling relationship with God requires us to do our part, repent of our sinful ways, fight our sinful nature, accept the grace and mercy given to us only of God’s love through His sacrifice of Jesus and not in anyway because we deserve it, and live a life of holiness and Christ-likeness. And the hope and victory is in knowing at he will ultimately redeem us…even through suffering…if not in this life, in the next. |
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| HistoryDude | Oct 5 2005, 11:12 AM Post #62 |
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What has this got to do with Religion?
Nobody instilled in me anything. No government thrust it upon me to keep me from rioting. No society forced me to accept Jesus to keep me in-line, or whatever else you want to use. It was the awesome power of the Holy Spirit that led me to Jesus.
The fact is we are special. Look around at the rest of creation. Do you notice anything different bout us and the other forms of life?
Who’s “we?” Frail? I don’t get it. Rare? Of course…since throughout history we’re the only thing like us “we’ve” seen thus far, what do you expect?
Ah, but there is a purpose. Even if its just the silly “we must procreate so the species can survive.”
You’re assuming Science and Religion are in a battle. That’s another problem many people have that prohibit them from fully knowing God as best they can. They assume a a Scientific fact disproves God; another domino falling, if you will. It only illuminates another wonderful piece of God’s creation. The reasons that sound religious leaders and organizations “adopt” these facts is because they make sense. Christianity, as a human-organized religion, may have been founded 2,000 years ago…but it is not stuck there!
This is an extreme oversimplification of history and I assert totally unfounded. Society’s have not fallen because of a lack of something to live for…? The cause and effects of the delinces of peoples, empires, societies, countries, and civilizations is far more complex than that. |
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| who | Oct 5 2005, 11:21 AM Post #63 |
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Have light saber. Will travel.
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Since we are just going into different tangents I will drop the discussion. We already have one group that rules the US. They are called lawyers. |
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| who | Oct 5 2005, 11:27 AM Post #64 |
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Have light saber. Will travel.
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I do not have a hostility towards science. I just do not think it should be worshipped like a religion. Use it when it is useful. I also think that one should realize its limited scope. It disregards everything subjective like awareness, thoughts and feelings which is the nature of our experience. My training in science is fairly extensive. |
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| Fesarius | Oct 5 2005, 11:28 AM Post #65 |
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Admiral
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I could not disagree more with this statement. Of course, I cannot prove it. But we are set apart by God, for a purpose, and we are intentionally very different from every other species. All IMO, of course. |
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| who | Oct 5 2005, 11:30 AM Post #66 |
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Have light saber. Will travel.
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If you are refering to me, I have no fear of science. As for the rest, it is all part of the illusion. |
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| captain_proton_au | Oct 5 2005, 11:31 AM Post #67 |
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A Robot in Disguise
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So you think Athiest = Anarchists, running around like nothing matters? I think you know thats far from true
Why exactly would a Creator be better than me?
I wouldnt use history as an example there. And I dont think you can equate logic with the old testament in particular
Perfect Balance??? None of us can grasp the size and true nature of the universe, so some of us make up stories to fill in the gaps, we are not comfortable with things we dont understand |
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| who | Oct 5 2005, 11:36 AM Post #68 |
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Have light saber. Will travel.
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HistoryDude, excellent post! I would just add that “You can’t see God” should be, for the atheist, "I have not seen God". |
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| Fesarius | Oct 5 2005, 11:39 AM Post #69 |
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Admiral
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I am very comfortable with that which I do not understand. Is your assertion akin to a fear of the unknown, or is it something else? |
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| who | Oct 5 2005, 11:39 AM Post #70 |
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Have light saber. Will travel.
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Fes, I feel the same way. |
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| Fesarius | Oct 5 2005, 11:42 AM Post #71 |
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Admiral
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^^^ It's actually pleasing to read that, since all scientists are atheists. |
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| who | Oct 5 2005, 11:50 AM Post #72 |
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Have light saber. Will travel.
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God is not about proof. I think there was a great scene in CONTACT. Ellie (?) said on the balcony at the party to the new age "priest" that she could not believe in anything she could not prove. He asked her if she loved her father. She answered, "Yes." He said, "Prove it." |
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| HistoryDude | Oct 5 2005, 11:58 AM Post #73 |
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No I do not. I do believe Atheist = Hedonist. Anarchist is a political term and should Atheism become the majority lifestyle in society, I would hope the rule of law would still keep order and government. But I am not talking in political terms. But where is the joy in serving others when none of it matters? So why not just live your own life and who cares about others? I can't comprehend why an Atheist would?
He is the author of all things, omnipotent, all-knowing. He knows everything about you before you do, has set your steps before you. He knows your desires before you ask them. He has the power to work miracles. And most importantly He has the ultimate power to judge you…condemning or redeeming. Another problem that prohibits many from accepting Christ…humility, or lack thereof.
Why wouldn’t you? Why not use the collective human experience as one means to help base what you believe? And there is much logic and common sense in the Old Testament . There is also much in the Old Testament that sounds unbelievable. Logic is only one means to base your faith upon. And there is also more to Christianity than the Old Testament.
Holy cow, dude…there are myriad examples in nature. Just look at the ocean. You know how many species have individual jobs and functions, how each works together in harmony and without one part, other parts suffer because the disruption in the chain of interconnectedness? There are other examples in nature. And look at the complexity of the human body…heck, just the brain…and how perfectly it all works together. That, to me, is not “an accident.”
And some of us search for those questions that burn within our hearts, again by no accident, and find answers from sources that others have no chance of seeing because either there is no faith, no hope, or no desire to search merely beyond what feels good to them. |
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| Fesarius | Oct 5 2005, 12:01 PM Post #74 |
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Admiral
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Of course not. But I know you're not speaking to me there. I am reminded of the wonderful story of Newton and his mechanical planet-orbiting contraption. He built the model of the universe as he knew it in such a way that all of the planets could rotate and revolve around the sun. From all accounts, this contraption was so well-designed that several of the leading scientists and philosophers of the day, many of them his friends and all of them atheists, marveled at its construction and eloquence, and even tried it on occasion. The levers could make different planets move in different fashions, all by the crank of the constructed handle mechanism. When they asked Newton how such a marvelous device was created, he responded "It just appeared in my study, out of thin air." |
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| captain_proton_au | Oct 5 2005, 12:19 PM Post #75 |
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A Robot in Disguise
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Plenty of examples throughout history where religion was used as a form of control to corrupt.
Selective belief in the text is interesting, if one believes in part they have to believe in all, including the first couple of chapters of the Old testament and the number of times God gets angry and threatens to wipe out the world, he is not presented well in this section IMO
Why the assumption that God has planned every detail?, to me him just planting the seed and "seeing what happens" is also totally viable |
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