Another what if.....

[Stingy Jack]

Originally posted by Je Suis Phnomne
Or my all time favorite :rolleyes: *Whats the harm in believing, come on. If god does exists and you belive, you have lost nothing, but at the same time if god exists and you dont believe, then you have lost everything.* to which my reply is.....*If and this is a big IF this god you speak of does exist, he is claimed to be a forgiving man, and if at that time I am before him, and truly beg forgiveness then I should be forgiven and allowed to pass*
then they give me this shit about having your cake and eating it too and thats not the way things work, etc etc etc.

so I say.... begone with ya, keep drinkin that kool-aid on sundays, and putting faith in air, give some more money to your church, the preacher needs a new caddie, and please please please answer this question before you go..... If everything in your world comes crashing down, bills are behind, losing your home, wife is leaving, kids hate your guts etc etc etc. Where is your god then? Free Will my ass. Sounds more like a Sadistic Hidden Video.

::end rant::

Yeah, I've heard that one before ... often. They have a name for that argument ... something like Big Gamble ... I don't remember. I always say in response: "Don't tell me I lost nothing if I lived my life believing a lie. The only life I had, and I wasted the thing walking about, not bothering to try to figure out what it was all about, what was truth, what was not. I'm sorry, but this is the only life I have. I don't want to live it lost in a delusion."

And I agree with your idea of God not forgiving the good. I mean, I'm a good guy. I teach, contribute to the community, help others when I can, don't commit any crimes, and treat people right. My only fault is that I don't believe in god. Then, there's the sadistic killer who spends his life torturing children, raping people, disemboweling people and forcing them to eat their own intestines ... but right before he dies he asks God for forgiveness and accepts Jesus in his heart. Say he and I die at the same time. He gets into heaven, and I go to hell. I mean ... I'm just a mere mortal, and I have a greater sense of justice than that.

[BudMan]

Originally posted by Steelsymth
I said this in another post so I went back and copied it:

I belive in the great Magnet he is my God and he said to me "GO FORTH AND DRINK BEER AND HAVE FUN...LIVE YOUR LIFE TILL YOU DIE AND ALWAYS LOVE YOUR FELLOW EARTHINGS" so I do.

Very well said.

[Vodstok]

Thems the rules, and they are hard and fast, inmutable. But they are also open to interpretation, so that is not necesarrily so. But you cant break them, even a little, or you will go to hell. But he is a forgiving god, so you can beg for forgiveness. But dont beg for forgiveness, because he will see through your ruse, and you will go to hell. Now, bow down and beg for forgiveness, for thatis the only way to redemption. But god knows all, and he will see in your heart that you dont believe, so you will be damned. unless you beg forgiveness and accept jesus when you die. But that wont get you out of a life filled with sin! But it is the only way. And you have to be a good christian, YOUR WHOLE LIFE. or you will go to hell. Unless you ask for forgivenes on your death bed, in which case, you can save yourself....


Need i continue?

[Je Suis Phnomne]

Originally posted by Vodstok
Thems the rules, and they are hard and fast, inmutable. But they are also open to interpretation, so that is not necesarrily so. But you cant break them, even a little, or you will go to hell. But he is a forgiving god, so you can beg for forgiveness. But dont beg for forgiveness, because he will see through your ruse, and you will go to hell. Now, bow down and beg for forgiveness, for thatis the only way to redemption. But god knows all, and he will see in your heart that you dont believe, so you will be damned. unless you beg forgiveness and accept jesus when you die. But that wont get you out of a life filled with sin! But it is the only way. And you have to be a good christian, YOUR WHOLE LIFE. or you will go to hell. Unless you ask for forgivenes on your death bed, in which case, you can save yourself....


Need i continue?

soooo ummmmm God's a lawyer? I think I read a contract similar to that once , gotta be a lawyer, only those sick bastards could come up with terms like that lol

[Vodstok]

I should be a preacher. I could make people shit themselves and then make them think they are going to hell for it.:D

[Je Suis Phnomne]

If the sin doesnt fit you must aquit!

[Vodstok]

"MAn didnt come from monkeys.... God made monkeys for man to feed bananas too"

[Egekrusher]

I believe that it really depends on how technologically advanced we are at the time. If this were to happen RIGHT NOW, at this very moment, we'd be looking at WWIII. There's no doubt about that in my mind.

However, if this were to happen 100 years from now, and we keep advancing at the pace that we are now, then I think we could handle it. Why would technology make a difference? As we rely less and less on our own judgement, and more and more on the judgement of machines, we have less of a need for the "protective God" syndrome. Our technology will protect us from ourselves and each other. There will be no need for the typical Godhead father figure. People will become less and less reliant on him. Plus, by that time, there is a very good chance that we will have sufficiently advanced space travel technology to make it to other solar systems, and possibly discover other life forms, which would disprove God in itself.

[orangestar]

Originally posted by Egekrusher
I believe that it really depends on how technologically advanced we are at the time. If this were to happen RIGHT NOW, at this very moment, we'd be looking at WWIII. There's no doubt about that in my mind.

However, if this were to happen 100 years from now, and we keep advancing at the pace that we are now, then I think we could handle it. Why would technology make a difference? As we rely less and less on our own judgement, and more and more on the judgement of machines, we have less of a need for the "protective God" syndrome. Our technology will protect us from ourselves and each other. There will be no need for the typical Godhead father figure. People will become less and less reliant on him. Plus, by that time, there is a very good chance that we will have sufficiently advanced space travel technology to make it to other solar systems, and possibly discover other life forms, which would disprove God in itself.

You're right. I think people 'needed' God a lot more in the past then they do now.

A note on the 'Big Gamble' thing. I figure that since Im an atheist now, Im pretty much screwed if there really is a God. I wont ever be able to truly accept Jesus as my savior or whatever I have to do to get into heaven, so I may as well live my life to the fullest while I have it. I think some Christians/Catholics/whatever dont take enough risks because they think that they'll have enough fun in heaven, they dont need to have fun here. I know I wouldnt want to live my life that way.

I get a lot of crap from my friends (who have all been raised Christian) about being an atheist. The one thing they say that really infuriates me is "Whatever, your loss". I just cant figure out what Im losing out on by not putting all my faith in a fairy tale.

[Je Suis Phnomne]

Originally posted by orangestar
I get a lot of crap from my friends (who have all been raised Christian) about being an atheist. The one thing they say that really infuriates me is "Whatever, your loss". I just cant figure out what Im losing out on by not putting all my faith in a fairy tale.

Just another cop-out defense by the Religious Right. In an attempt to better understand those that persecute me for what my beliefs are, or lack thereof, at an early age I took the bible sat down and read it cover to cover, and just incase in my infinite wisdom *grinz* I might have read it at too early an age to understand it, I read it again a few years later drawing this conclusion:

Fundamentalists will claim you can't understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit, they'll claim the Devil has blinded you if you take up political positions counter to theirs. The sad part is, however, that they really believe it. They are so addicted to their own made-truth that anyone who doesn't agree with them must, in their view, be blinded by the forces of evil.

hmmmmmm blaming evil for my not understanding is like blaming penthouse for carpal tunnel syndrom.

Remind them of their own "blindness" when it comes to the Bible. Remind them that in Exodus, chapter 20, the Ten Commandments tell us to keep the Sabbath Holy - that is, that we're not to work or toil on Saturday. Fundamentalists changed that day to Sunday even though such a move was not mandated in the Bible. Also, most Fundamentalists ignore the commandment no matter what day they choose. They mow their lawns. They rake their yards. They go shopping. And, in today's busy world, many of them catch up on unfinished business by working at home. Next remind them that in Mark 10:21 Jesus said in order to follow him they must sell everything they have and give it to the poor. When was the last time you saw a Fundamentalist do that? You can cap it off by showing them that in 1 John 3:8 we're told not to judge others. As soon as Fundamentalists claim Satan has blinded you, they are judging you. They are turning a blind eye to their own sin and their own failure to follow the Bible.

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