There isn't a single religion

[ChristineM]

Yes, imagine my surprise as well. Seems to be coming mostly from the left side of the fence

From over the atlantic puddle it looks more right wing conservative christian who hold administrative positions and use their influence to maintain the religious status quo

 

[joe1776]

Are you saying that american administrative departments show religious bias...? I would never have guessed

Oh, no, no, no. Just saying if they ever catch me and I have to do a stretch, I can guarantee I'd find Jesus.

 

[ChristineM]

Oh, no, no, no. Just saying if they ever catch me and I have to do a stretch, I can guarantee I'd find Jesus.

I am so glad i am not american and have to perjure my beliefs just to satisfy religious institutionalism

 

[Vee]

that preaches evil. All religions talk about love. So people are free to choose whichever religion they like! All religions are correct. All people can unite. And atheists have to say to other people that they choose love and not evil. How can atheists show to other people that they don't choose evil?

It's not so much about what they say, it's about what they do.
Words are easy, actions... not so much.

 

[ACEofALLaces]

Jesus said that no man can come to the Father except through Him.

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

I am just curious......how do you suppose people came to God BEFORE Jesus came up with that alleged quote?

 

[sun rise]

How can atheists show to other people that they don't choose evil?

Everyone shows what they choose by their actions.

I see no spiritual benefit to selling fear. It is the opposite of love.

Amen.

Tribalism, racism and nationalism have been just as effective as religion in motivating good people to attack and kill their neighbors.

True

When prisoners are polled on their religion, I think we should bear in mind that admitting to atheism wouldn't be smart since most will be facing parole boards in the USA dominated by Christians.

The bias against atheism has been shown in survey after survey.

 

[Dave Watchman]

I am just curious......how do you suppose people came to God BEFORE Jesus came up with that alleged quote?

They did.

Paul said so.

The Bible says so.

I'm a Bible believer.

"No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;
only he has seen the Father. - John 6:46​

People came to God BEFORE Jesus came up with the quote because Jesus is God.

Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.

They all drank from that rock, and that rock was Christ

"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

"They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. - 1 Corinthians 10:1-4​

 

[Twilight Hue]

Kill the infidels anyone?

 

[ACEofALLaces]

I'm a Bible believer.

I was well up in years before I managed to actually READ the bible. Up until then, I suppose one could say that I was a good candidate for becoming a 'believer'. But then after I READ the bible, I came to the realization that there is no way I could be a believer in all what I had read.
It never fails to amaze me when I encounter someone who themselves have read it, and comes away from that actually BECOMING a believer.

"No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;
only he has seen the Father. - John 6:46
People came to God BEFORE Jesus came up with the quote because Jesus is God.

Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.

It is stuff like this that also makes me wonder, how is it possible that an otherwise sensible person can make sense of this.....for what you are saying, is that God, needs to have people go through God, in order to 'reach' 'speak to' God.

No amount of verbal contortions can make that make sense to me. It's like Jesus (God) looking in a mirror and declaring to himself (God), that NO ONE can come to him (God), except THROUGH himself (God).

 

[Father Heathen]

Wouldn't that apply to anyone? Or everyone?

Of course, but OP singled out atheists.

 

[dianaiad]

that preaches evil. All religions talk about love. So people are free to choose whichever religion they like! All religions are correct. All people can unite. And atheists have to say to other people that they choose love and not evil. How can atheists show to other people that they don't choose evil?

By their fruits ye shall know them.

 

[Dave Watchman]

I was well up in years before I managed to actually READ the bible. Up until then, I suppose one could say that I was a good candidate for becoming a 'believer'. But then after I READ the bible, I came to the realization that there is no way I could be a believer in all what I had read, It never fails to amaze me when I encounter someone who themselves have read it, and comes away from that actually BECOMING a believer.

Seek the lord in your youth.

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"-- Ecclesiastes 12:1​

It is stuff like this that also makes me wonder, how is it possible that an otherwise sensible person can make sense of this.....for what you are saying, is that God, needs to have people go through God, in order to 'reach' 'speak to' God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. - John 1:1

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. - John 1:14​

No amount of verbal contortions can make that make sense to me. It's like Jesus (God) looking in a mirror and declaring to himself (God), that NO ONE can come to him (God), except THROUGH himself (God).

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. - John 1:18
​

Then it probably won't need to make sense right now. For the time being anyway. Even the God of the Old Testament, the Logos, would cause harm to Moses, just by being seen by him. Moses wanted to SEE God, but was told to hide in the cleft of the rock, a passing glance was all that could be safely tolerated.

According to my read, God the Father is Holy, Holy, Holy. And "the penalty for sin is DEATH." I don't think anybody would WANT the Ancient of Days to get too close to this planet right now, not even Moses, back in those days of Moses.

It's probably like superman, and kryptonite. The weak force, and the strong force. Matter, and antimatter. Frosty the snowman, meeting the summer sun.

There's no containment field.

We must be born again:

"Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared;
but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,
because we shall see him as he is.- 1 John 3:2

​

Peaceful Sabbath.

 

[ACEofALLaces]

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. - John 1:1

https://www.religiousforums.com/bible/john/1:1/

Probably going to get myself in real hot water over this, but after a careful REreading of those particular passages, I came up with a much different interpretation, which in MY opinion, requires much less verbal contortions, than the popularized interpretation.

So, here it goes.....In the beginning there was God, and God had his Word as "proof' that what God says, was indeed coming FROM God.
Remember, back in those days, there was no written language...everything was conveyed ORALLY.

So when anyone spoke OF God, it was accepted that it WAS indeed the WORD of God that was being conveyed. The Words were to be taken as if God has just spoken them right there and then.

The second half of this via your scriptural offering is in a followup posting.

 

[Sky Rivers]

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
Steven Weinberg 1999

... or politics... or personal gain.

 

[ACEofALLaces]

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

So since it is understood just WHAT the WORD of God means, the attending scripture is simply illustrating that the WORD of GOD, was made manifest in the MAN Jesus...so that when Jesus spoke OF God, that it was indeed the very WORDS of God that Jesus was speaking.....as if God was standing there (Himself) speaking them.
Of course I do not expect you or anyone else to accept my interpretation of that scripture.....however it makes MUCH more sense than the brain-twisting that is required to accept the notion that God BECAME God in the flesh in the form of Jesus.
I am not Christian, however I am NOT atheist either.....I rely more on common sense than spiritual gobbledegook, and as a result I see CLEARLY that Jesus (the) Christ was a man OF God....not a man FROM God.
YMMV

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I am just curious......how do you suppose people came to God BEFORE Jesus came up with that alleged quote?

Probably going to get myself in real hot water over this, but after a careful REreading of those particular passages, I came up with a much different interpretation, which in MY opinion, requires much less verbal contortions, than the popularized interpretation.

So, here it goes.....In the beginning there was God, and God had his Word as "proof' that what God says, was indeed coming FROM God.
Remember, back in those days, there was no written language...everything was conveyed ORALLY.

So when anyone spoke OF God, it was accepted that it WAS indeed the WORD of God that was being conveyed. The Words were to be taken as if God has just spoken them right there and then.

The second half of this via your scriptural offering is in a followup posting.

The answer to your first question is the 2nd posted quote. The 'I Am'

The I Am is 'Christ'. Christ is not a person it is a Title meaning 'Annointed One'

The Bible shows this connection with Jesus and the Virgin Birth. Though a Messenger from God is born in this world, they are born of the Holy Spirit, the 'I Am'.

Thus God is One and all Gods Mesengers are sent with the same Holy Spirit, they all teach us as the 'I Am'. This is also why some have mistakenly called some Messengers, God. Muhammad corrected that mistake made by the Christains when they made a doctrine called the trinity, when they made Jesus God.

Big and wonderful subject. Baha'u'llah has now explained it in detail. Baha'u'llah means 'Glory of God' and is the 'Father'. This is His Station as the 'I Am'.

Regards Tony

 

[shunyadragon]

Probably going to get myself in real hot water over this, but after a careful REreading of those particular passages, I came up with a much different interpretation, which in MY opinion, requires much less verbal contortions, than the popularized interpretation.

So, here it goes.....In the beginning there was God, and God had his Word as "proof' that what God says, was indeed coming FROM God.
Remember, back in those days, there was no written language...everything was conveyed ORALLY.

So when anyone spoke OF God, it was accepted that it WAS indeed the WORD of God that was being conveyed. The Words were to be taken as if God has just spoken them right there and then.

The second half of this via your scriptural offering is in a followup posting.

Are you making the assumption that Genesis, as cited represents reality in terms of God instead of an ancient mythical view of what the people believed when Genesis was compiled from various ancient sources including polytheistic Sumerian, Babylonian and Canaanite sources.

 

[Father Heathen]

... or politics... or personal gain.

That would fall under "evil people doing evil things." Religion has the distinction of making people think they're doing good when it is in fact it's the opposite.

 

[ACEofALLaces]

The answer to your first question is the 2nd posted quote. The 'I Am'

The I Am is 'Christ'. Christ is not a person it is a Title meaning 'Annointed One'

Well at the expense of sound pendantic, Christ, while indeed referencing having had oil administered to him, therefore signifying him as a SPECIAL unto God person......the word itself in more properly used in conjunction with the anticipated Messiah that the Jews were looking for to free them from their Roman occupiers.
JUST so you know that I know something about it.

 

[ACEofALLaces]

Are you making the assumption that Genesis, as cited represents reality in terms of God instead of an ancient mythical view of what the people believed when Genesis was compiled from various ancient sources including polytheistic Sumerian, Babylonian and Canaanite sources.

It is NOT necessarily an "assumption" as much as it is a conclusion arrived at by means of logical deduction. SEE? i told you this would upset many a believer's apple cart. Most people just accept...without question. Me?...I question EVERYTHING!