Challenge for all atheists

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Lord have mercy! You say you were brought up in church? Revelation is about the end of the age, God's final battle with Satan (God wins, by the way), the Rapture of His church, Tribulation, and on and on.

You need to re-read your King James Version of the Holy Bible, pray to God for understanding, and get it straight.

Please consider your eternal soul. I'd much rather spend eternity in heaven praising God than in the lake of fire (hell) with Satan.

Oh come now, Christians themselves have many interpretations for that book, what it refers to, who it talks of including that it was about Nero and the difficult times they lived in. I'm sure you know that. Don't act all shocked that someone brought up in a church had a different understanding of what the book was written for than you.

 

[stardream]

Lord have mercy! You say you were brought up in church? Revelation is about the end of the age, God's final battle with Satan (God wins, by the way), the Rapture of His church, Tribulation, and on and on.

You need to re-read your King James Version of the Holy Bible, pray to God for understanding, and get it straight.

Please consider your eternal soul. I'd much rather spend eternity in heaven praising God than in the lake of fire (hell) with Satan.

I grew up reading the King James. You can't tell me anything I don't already know. I was taught all the usual four horsemen, rain of fire and end of days. What they didn't tell me was the story of John Darby.

The whole 'rapture/left behind interpretation of Revelation was started by a man named John Darby because a woman in his congregation had a fever induced dream about the end times which he worked into the doctrines of his particular denomination. A man named Scofield brought the idea to America via the Scofield Reference Bible and it took off among many Protestant sects. The 'rapture, great tribulation' and so forth are ideas unique to American Christianity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby

 

[thestrangequark]

Oh, and to be serious for one very brief moment here, @urbandefault , I appreciate what you wrote. I have always been a nonbeliever, and as such, I encounter three types of believers: one gives no shit what I think, and the other two types are the two you've characterized. Despite my posts here I don't make a general habit of mockery of believers, and only engage in light ribbing of what I think to be misguided ways because I'm sure I am just as deserving of mockery for many of my own ideas.
I have friends who are strong believers who, like you say you strive to do, try to preach only by example: they find the best elements of their religions' teachings and live devoutly by those. They discuss their faith with me openly when the subject comes up and they don't push, and I don't push my lack of belief on them. We give each other reasons why we think the way we do, and that's all. I tend to have a lot in common with these friends; despite our polar opposite understanding of the fundamental reality of the universe, we are in the most agreement about how people should live their lives and treat one another.

And then there are people like the OP, who just want to take a shot at nonbelievers and confuse closed-minded determination for evidence and confuse patronization for effective preaching. You learn pretty quickly as an atheist to distinguish who's who.

 

[Amaris]

Indeed. @urbandefault, while I was most certainly poking a little fun, that's all it is. Someone comes in and challenges all atheists and can't be arsed to stick around or say anything beyond "you'll see when you die!", well, it's too tempting to pass up. When I was a devout Christian... Hell, when I was a minister, I learned how to talk to people, and I never confronted them like they were idiots who tried to run from God. I was curious as to why they didn't believe, but not once did I ever tell them that God was going to show them, that's just petty and mean spirited. Some of my dearest friends, even at my peak of Evangelical Christianity, were atheists, Wiccans, Satanists, you name it, and they were clearly good people.

A soft word turns away wrath, but it seems like so many Christians today have nothing but harsh, spiteful words. There is this drive to prove that they're being persecuted in the United States, when the worst most of them is experiencing would be mild disagreement. Jesus told Peter to put away his sword, but so many modern Christians not only keep them unsheathed, but like to poke at innocent people who are not bothering them, and it does create a current of resentment. When one hits someone over the head with a Bible, and then acts surprised when that person defends themself, one has no one else to blame but one's self.

The OP, @5billionof5billion, wanted to challenge atheists. This is not how Jesus approached non-believers. Shoot, this isn't how any of the apostles approached non-believers, well except for Paul, and he was everything Jesus was not. So even admidst all of my joking and poking around, there really is a strong love underneath all of it, because I want the OP, and those who are as reactionary as he or she is, to see that brazen challenges against others without properly doing one's due diligence in scripture, and more importantly searching one's own heart for love and compassion to share with others, do nothing more than stir the pot and cause more unrest between one another, and sowing discord is not the way to be the salt of the earth or the light of the world. It is a good way to blind someone, though.

 

[Avro Arrow]

It is so sad that many articulate, so-called educated folks are unbelievers. I truly believe you all are in for a big surprise after you die.

Perhaps. I'll tell you what... if your belief system is correct, then you can sit at God's right hand up in heaven and laugh at my poor tortured soul's torment for all eternity.

If it's not, though, then neither of us will be a position to do, say, or experience anything after we're dead, so neither of us will be able to say anything or experience disappointment about you being wrong.

Win-win for you, no?

I'm well educated and well read and I proudly believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Bible!

And again, that's perfectly within your rights. I'm really glad for you that your faith gives you so much happiness. I am personally not going to tell you that your belief is "wrong", or that you should change your beliefs to match my worldview.

Are you willing to extend the same courtesy to me?

 

[sojourner]

You know what's more frightening than heaven or hell? Non-existence.

Besides, I'll read the bible when God decides to edit it for corrections. His ghost writers keep making mistakes.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I dunno. Not existing before I was born didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable.

 

[Amaris]

I dunno. Not existing before I was born didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable.

Fair point, though I do get annoyed that all of the information I have acquired will fade away into nothingness. That is, of course, unless we find a way to transfer that information to something more permanent.

 

[Avro Arrow]

You know what's more frightening than heaven or hell? Non-existence.

Frightening to you now, sure. When you actually don't exist, there's no possible way it can bother you, by definition.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Fair point, though I do get annoyed that all of the information I have acquired will fade away into nothingness. That is, of course, unless we find a way to transfer that information to something more permanent.

Would you be a head in a jar? I'm thinking it might suck quite a bit and also would be hard to kill yourself as a head in a jar if it was unbearable. Still I don't like that I will miss things so I would consider it.

 

[Amaris]

Would you be a head in a jar? I'm thinking it might suck quite a bit and also would be hard to kill yourself as a head in a jar if it was unbearable. Still I don't like that I will miss things so I would consider it.

Nah, I wouldn't be a head in a jar. I am interested in the post-mortem rapid vitrification process, though. That seems promising.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I like how it has to be the King James version, because as we all know that god speaks in archaic English, and no other language.

I know it's the language of the Gods. I read it in old Thor comics.

 

[Amaris]

I know it's the language of the Gods. I read it in old Thor comics.

Well, you have documentation, it seems.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The Celtic Gods from Thor, predate the Romans bringing Christianity to Briton, if that's who you're talking about.

 

[Amaris]

Well, if I recall correctly, animism is the oldest religion for humanity. If anyone has a claim on spiritual certitude, it would be the animists.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The Celtic Gods from Thor, predate the Romans bringing Christianity to Britainy, if that's who you're talking about.

Norse Gods. Brittany is in France and was founded by Britons who left Britain due to attacks by the Norse and the Anglo-Saxons following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. IIRC, Rome was in Britain before Christianity became the state religion of Rome.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I already changed Brittany, but the celtic Gods were bit players in some Thor adventures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_(Marvel_Comics)#The_island_of_Avalon_and_the_Celtic_Gods

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Thank you so much for this wonderful testimony! I am a Christian and am so happy to see someone stand up for Jesus. There are so many unbelievers online. God bless you, Jason Irelan!

You and other UNbelievers are so wrong. Posts like this sadden me. If I were you, I would be very, very careful about speaking against one of God's children, and most importantly, against God.

Lord have mercy! You say you were brought up in church? Revelation is about the end of the age, God's final battle with Satan (God wins, by the way), the Rapture of His church, Tribulation, and on and on.

You need to re-read your King James Version of the Holy Bible, pray to God for understanding, and get it straight.

Please consider your eternal soul. I'd much rather spend eternity in heaven praising God than in the lake of fire (hell) with Satan.

It is so sad that many articulate, so-called educated folks are unbelievers. I truly believe you all are in for a big surprise after you die.

I'm well educated and well read and I proudly believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Bible!

No, not a threat. Just stating Facts.

You are not a believer in God according to YOUR OWN WORDS. You have been fooled by Satan and will join him in Hell unless you repent and turn to God.

All that I have said, the Bible says not to cast your pearls before swine. I probably won't post more here.

You UNbelieving in God folks seem to have made up your minds that you refuse to serve God.

The power of Christian (the board owner) compels you to use multiquote.

Just to recap for those joining our episode already in progress, so far nonbelievers have been:

- Threatened.
- Gleefully condemned to eternal damnation by a guy who really seems to get off on the idea, which I'm pretty sure is some kind of no no.
- Told to kill themselves.
- Told that they have no conception of morality.
- Had their education questioned.

Super duper example you two are setting. Fortunately most people know that the majority of Christians aren't like you guys.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I already changed Brittany, but the celtic Gods were bit players in some Thor adventures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_(Marvel_Comics)#The_island_of_Avalon_and_the_Celtic_Gods

The Celtic Gods never got the same press as the Greco-Roman and Norse Gods. At least the Celts have all the Samhain/Halloween/Witchcraft stuff. Seems like half the "evil" we know comes from suppressing Celtic culture

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Just to recap for those joining our episode already in progress, so far nonbelievers have been:

- Threatened.
- Gleefully condemned to eternal damnation by a guy who really seems to get off on the idea, which I'm pretty sure is some kind of no no.
- Told to kill themselves.
- Told that they have no conception of morality.
- Had their education questioned.

Super duper example you two are setting. Fortunately most people know that the majority of Christians aren't like you guys.

I also want to point out that Chakotay who I have no fondness of because, J/7 was a super chill guy who was always interested in hearing about others beliefs and went out of his way to find the good in them and to validate folk. He never went all "yo, B'Elanna, you killed your spirit animal you're gonna BURN".