Atheism

[Bread_of_Life]

Orthodox Christian

That's funny, but what you say is what Orthodox Christianity teaches, except for that there is absolute good and absolute evil which however are not in our close reach and we cannot comprehend them fully.

Right, the difference is that I do not believe in the possibility of absolute/objective good and evil.

hmh

One simple question I have is this. What or where do you go when someone dies?

The simple answer is, we cease to exist (we are annihilated) and our bodies rot away and are consumed by bacteria and insects of various forms.

I'm not sure if this is the only atheist belief on the subject, but it is mine.

[BobTriez]

The simple answer is, we cease to exist (we are annihilated) and our bodies rot away and are consumed by bacteria and insects of various forms.

Do you find comfort in that Nik ? And if so......how can you be sure you are correct ? No need to answer....just think about it.

God bless,

Bob

[Bread_of_Life]

comfort? are you kidding? I'm scared to death of it (if you don't mind the pun!). I don't want to be annihilated, I want to live forever - but me wanting it doesn't make it so.

[BobTriez]

comfort? are you kidding? I'm scared to death of it (if you don't mind the pun!). I don't want to be annihilated, I want to live forever - but me wanting it doesn't make it so.

Well, since you answered You should be scared Nik. But you know what ? You say you wanting it doesn't make it so. You are correct. Nether does me wanting it make it so.....thankfully, God wants it for us. So willing He died ( John 3:16 ). You've been here awhile and you've heard it all time & time again. I won't tell you something you already know. You have the knowledge of His plan for you....you just need to accept it.

Just a quick verse for you to ponder Nik....

2 Peter 3:9-10

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Even if us wanting it doesn't make it so ( nor can it ), God wanting it can and does make it so.

Be blessed Nik,

Bob

[georgesbluegirl]

Occasionally wonder about death - you know, those "what if everything I believe is wrong" moments where I imagine death as an ending. I read William Cullen Bryant's "Thanatopsis" once in this mood and it was immensely comforting. It makes death - even real, final death - beautiful. It's one of my favorite poems on the subject.

"Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim

Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again,

And, lost each human trace, surrendering up

Thine individual being, shalt thou go

To mix for ever with the elements,

To be a brother to the insensible rock..."

"Yet not to thine eternal resting-place

Shalt thous retire alone, nor couldst thou wish

Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down

With patriarchs of the infant world - with kings,

The powerful of the earth - the wise, the good,

Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past,

All in one mighty sepulchre. The hills

Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun,-the vales

Stretching in pensive quietness between;

The venerable woods - rivers that move

In majesty, and the complaining brooks

That make the meadows green; and, poured round all

Old Ocean's gray and melancholy waste, -

Are but the solemn decorations all

Of the great tomb of man."

"...As the long trains

Of ages glides away, the sons of men,

The youth in life's fresh spring, and he who goes

In the full strength of years, matron and maid,

The speechless babe, and the gray-headed man -

Shall one by one be gathered to thy side,

By those, who in their turn shall follow them.

So live, that when thy summons comes to join

The innumerable caravan, which moves

To that mysterious realm, where each shall take

His chamber in the silent halls of death,

Then go not, like the quarry-slave at night,

Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed

By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,

Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch

About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams."

Realize these excerpts are in every way a tangent...but the poem's been on my mind. Anyway, I like it.

[UndecidedFrog]

Dear hmh,

This is my opinion. You don't have to accept it if you dislike it. DISCLAIMER: I am not a christian.

One simple question I have is this. What or where do you go when someone dies? In Christianity, we believe you go either to heaven or hell. In Buddism, they believe you are reincarniated. What is the general belief of Atheists? Or is there a myriad of beliefs, as what is found in religions?

I really cannot speak for all atheists, but I can speak for myself. As this atheist, I do not go anywhere after I die. I simply cease to be, but in my case (if my wishes are followed) my body will not decompose, but will turn into ashes upon cremation. Death is the very end for me, so I try to live every day of my life as if it were my last. You can imagine what joy I have daily.

I also think that I do leave behind part of me when I die, in my children. If I have done my job correctly, they will be influenced a great deal not only by my genes, but by my values. In a sense, they make me immortal.

Regards,

UndecidedFrog

[Khristeeanos]

Here is an interesting thought.

I live in Atlanta, GA. I live near Interstate 20.

If I claim to not believe in Mack 18-wheeler trucks and stand in the middle of I-20, does my belief alter the fact that an 18-wheeler is bearing down upon me doing about 80 MPH?

No, I will be hit and killed by this truck that I don't believe exists.

The same is with Atheism.

It doesn't matter one iota what any of us believes.

It only matters what the truth is.

+ + + + + + + + + + +

If God truly does exist, and my opinion is that He does, then atheism is nothing more than russian roulette with an automatic pistol.

[UndecidedFrog]

Dear Dime Ministries,

This is just my opinion. You don't have to accept it if you dislike it. DISCLAIMER: I am not a christian.

The truth is that you will get hit by the truck no matter what you believe. Whether you believe in a god, your god, or no god, if you stand in the middle of a highway, chances are that you will get hit. Your attempt at denigrating my non-belief my implying that atheists would get hit by a truck is violent but perhaps typical christian sentiment. Nonetheless, your statement is a non-sequitor.

Atheists and rational people do not stand in the middle of highways waiting to get hit by cars and trucks.

If god truly doesn't exist, and I do not have any beliefs that he does, then christianity (as well as other theisms) is nothing more than a waste of time with precious little time left in life.

Regards,

UndecidedFrog

[Bread_of_Life]

Dime Ministries is right on a general philosophical point though. Our beliefs probably do not affect reality. I can disbelieve in a truck, but it'll still hit me, because my disbelief does not actually negate the existence of the truck in reality, nor decrease its velocity, nor does it lessen it's impact on my fragile body.

Similary, my disbelief in God does not negate God's existence, nor does it mean that I won't be judged and condemned to hell.

On the other hand, Dime Ministries' belief in God does not negate God's non existence, nor does it mean he's not wasting his only chance at precious life on a silly set of religious superstitions.

Also, our combined disbelief in hinduism doesn't negate the possibility that we will both be reincarnated as frogs.

[Botz]

I still find it very hard to understand how anybody can claim to be an Atheist and say there is no G-d...it makes no sense whatsoever...in fact from my understanding the very word Atheist cannot be designated rationally to any living being.

I can understand someone being of a different religion and believing the various doctrines and Holy books that accompany such beliefs...even though I might totally disagree...but Atheism purports to embrace those who assert there is no G-d...and this goes beyond the realm of human capabilities IMHO.