Your honest-to-goodness feelings on atheists.

[Willamena]

How do you know? How can a created being possibly or accurately know whether the Creator is wrong?

The answer lies in realism.

 

[InChrist]

I will have to keep hoping, then.

Me, too.

 

[Willamena]

No you don't.
But thanks for playing.

Ah! Subtlety beyond comprehension. Got it.

 

[InChrist]

The answer lies in realism.

Whose reality? That of finite humanity or the eternal Creator?

 

[Vinayaka]

Everyone is right ... from their perspective, based on their experiences. Actually, I don't see any need for atheists, theists, etc. to try to convince the other. If you meet a man on a deserted island, and you're parched, he has water, I don't think it will matter what his beliefs are.

 

[Willamena]

Whose reality? That of finite humanity or the eternal Creator?

Whose doesn't matter... I mean philosophical realism, "the belief that our reality, or some aspect of it, is ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, perceptions, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc."

That's how "god" gets placed outside of the world.

 

[McBell]

Ah! Subtlety beyond comprehension. Got it.

Beyond your comprehension perhaps, but not do to Subtlety.

I will now allow you the ever precious last word.
Have a nice day.

 

[Willamena]

Beyond your comprehension perhaps...

That is what comprehension means, yes.
Thanks for playing.

 

[Nymphs]

Actually, not really at least not the God of the Bible. Have you read the book of Hosea? Throughout that book, the entire history of Israel in the OT and in the NT it is shown that God loves people although they fall short over and over again. Not one person with the exception of Jesus Christ has ever kept the laws to perfection. Do you think God is not aware of this reality about human nature and our tendency to sin and break the laws. God's response and God's way to remedy the situation is love, grace, and forgiveness, not law-keeping. Anyone who responds and receives His love is given eternal life. That is the promise in His Word.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus... Romans 3:21-24

I've read the Bible enough to know that there is no unconditional love in it.

 

[work in progress]

My honest feelings about atheists are that they are spiritually blind lost sinners in need of a Savior like anyone else. I love atheists because God does...for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have e life. John 3;16

Personally, I don't consider condescension to be the same thing as love.

 

[work in progress]

Being an atheist, I smile condescendingly, and carry on.

Nice! That sounds like a good answer to "I'll pray for you."

 

[work in progress]

No, no, no, I don't believe atheists need a Savior simply for being atheists. I believe everyone needs a Savior simply because we all sin. Atheists are included with "everyone".

During my early years as a Christian, the things I found most offensive were:

conditional salvation, which in point of fact means that the vast majority of the people in the world are damned, because they are not Christians, not including the fact that there are a multitude of different Christian sects with different doctrines for salvation.

and Original Sin - The vast majority of devout Christians I have known in my life, are too full of themselves to make it likely that they have ever considered the full implications of this doctrine...but teaching children to fill themselves with self-loathing and grovel and debase themselves for salvation, is child abuse. Even if this did win a ticket to a future paradise, I would still consider it demeaning and degrading.

 

[work in progress]

Well I have many things to say on the subject.

First, I have some admiration. Most of the believers are believers in a religion because that is how they were born. An atheist is thinking.

Second, as a muslim, I feel that it is part of my duty to explain to him Islam for I believe that Quraan is the word of God.

Third, I would respect his stand because it is not my duty to convert him, but it is my duty to tell him the message because I am aware that many atheists are atheists because they didn't find that right religion that would answer their questions.

Most of what I know and have learned about Islam in recent years, has been mostly for the purpose of trying to separate myth from reality. In a nutshell, the hysteria and misinformation generated after 9/11 about what Muslims really believe about their religion and how it relates to others, led me to do a little fact-checking on the subject.

But, when it comes to seriously considering Islam as a spiritual path, the biggest stumbling block I would have is that it comes from the same tree that gives us Judaism and Christianity - religions I have given up on, and don't want to hear from anything similar!

 

[Leftimies]

Well, I feel that they are atheists. I guess. I mean, what am I supposed to feel?
Or did you mean atheist as irreligious? Because the two are not same at all: atheists can still be religious.

 

[Sabour]

Most of what I know and have learned about Islam in recent years, has been mostly for the purpose of trying to separate myth from reality. In a nutshell, the hysteria and misinformation generated after 9/11 about what Muslims really believe about their religion and how it relates to others, led me to do a little fact-checking on the subject.

But, when it comes to seriously considering Islam as a spiritual path, the biggest stumbling block I would have is that it comes from the same tree that gives us Judaism and Christianity - religions I have given up on, and don't want to hear from anything similar!

What do you exactly mean by anything similar?

 

[Sir Doom]

How do you feel about atheists?

Same thing I feel about everyone else. Mostly harmless.

 

[LuisDantas]

During my early years as a Christian, the things I found most offensive were:

conditional salvation, which in point of fact means that the vast majority of the people in the world are damned, because they are not Christians, not including the fact that there are a multitude of different Christian sects with different doctrines for salvation.

and Original Sin - The vast majority of devout Christians I have known in my life, are too full of themselves to make it likely that they have ever considered the full implications of this doctrine...but teaching children to fill themselves with self-loathing and grovel and debase themselves for salvation, is child abuse. Even if this did win a ticket to a future paradise, I would still consider it demeaning and degrading.

This. So very much this. Thanks!

 

[LuisDantas]

What do you exactly mean by anything similar?

As I understand it, he means religious paths that expect people to basically feel ashamed of even existing and beg to a God that they may or may not believe to even exist in the first place to "forgive" them.

Trust me, that is very, very unhealthy for a great many people. All the more so because most of the victims make a point of spreading the disease.

And that is a very common manifestation of Christianity, alas.

Whether it should be, and how common if at all that same illness is in other Monotheistic faiths is a question that I would rather not attempt to answer at this time.

 

[Sabour]

As I understand it, he means religious paths that expect people to basically feel ashamed of even existing and beg to a God that they may or may not believe to even exist in the first place to "forgive" them.

Trust me, that is very, very unhealthy for a great many people. All the more so because most of the victims make a point of spreading the disease.

And that is a very common manifestation of Christianity, alas.

Whether it should be, and how common if at all that same illness is in other Monotheistic faiths is a question that I would rather not attempt to answer at this time.

Well am not sure that is what he meant.

But to address what you have said, I think that if an atheist were to believe in God, he should find a complete answer for all his concerns. One complete answer that is coherent and one should not feel, at any point, that he is forcing himself to believe in something that doesn't make sense to him.

 

[LuisDantas]

Well am not sure that is what he meant.

Neither am I really. But it is a reasonable guess, seeing how he seems to have previous experience with Christianity, as I do.

But to address what you have said, I think that if an atheist were to believe in God, he should find a complete answer for all his concerns.

You don't seem to realize how absurd that statement is, my friend.

You might as well say that were a woman to have a penis, she would have a far easier time in the bathroom.

We atheists aren't theists with a "part missing".

Leaving aside the odd case of the person who thought she was atheist without truly being (they exist, but are definitely a minority among atheists), very nearly all of us simply have no use and no convenience for the idea of a God.

As a concept, it has positive uses... but not for everyone, not by a long shot. It is not even particularly safe even for Theists.

One complete answer that is coherent and one should not feel, at any point, that he is forcing himself to believe in something that doesn't make sense to him.

That, it is important to understand, makes no sense whatsoever for an Atheist. We are atheists, we are not pretending to be or attempting to be.