What makes an atheist so scary

[ted]

Wow! Awesome work with the references, AskAnAthiest!

-bows-

Hold that position.......you may just see Jesus when you look up!

t.

[cjrose]

Hold that position.......you may just see Jesus when you look up!

t.

Well, I'm sure that I would, but my back just got stuck in that position. The doctors say that I'll never be able to straighten up again.

YOU are so stubborn Sam!!

[ted]

Hold that position.......you may just see Jesus when you look up!

t.

Well, I'm sure that I would, but my back just got stuck in that position. The doctors say that I'll never be able to straighten up again.

Well, them ol' doctors said the same stuff to a few blind and lame folks I've read about somewhere along the line. Jesus seemed to be able to heal them when the doctors failed them back then, so I reckon He'll do the same for you.....or anyone who asks, for that matter.

You'll be ok.

Either way, He'd still take you in a wheel chair!

t.

[ted]

Now, back to why some people may think atheists, or the idea of atheism, is scary, I was thinking just now that it could be (partly) attributed to an old fashioned mix of preconceived notion, bigotry, and/ or other factors which plague a Christian's heart much the same way it does anyone else.

Case in point~

Each morning, I drive through a section of my city on my way to work which is known for prostitution, drugs, and criminal activity. I can see people every morning (usually around 5:00am, unless I'm running late... ) who are so caught up in sin, hard times, drug addiction, alcoholism, or whatever the case may be. There are days when I wish Jesus would come and touch them each morning to help them out of whatever hole they are in. Sometimes, I wish I had the courage to simply stop and offer them a ride or a meal. Usually, however, I'm more inclined to make sure my doors are locked and that the .357 is within arm's reach, just in case....

What is evident within my own thinking is that I have some notions about some of these people without even having met them before. It doesn't take a PhD to know that some of them may be dangerous or engaging in criminal activity, but it also could be that I have formed an opinion about most of them that could be very far off the mark in some, or many, cases.

Now, if we carry that onto how some may feel about atheists, we could see where it could come into play. Personally, I don't fear atheists any more than I would fear anyone else. For one, it wasn't all that long ago that I was an atheist- or at least agnostic. So, knowing that being an atheist, in and of itself, doesn't equate to being dangerous, I can lay that fear aside easily.

But, others may have known Jesus as their Savior from a very young age and may not know a whole lot about people who do not accept Christ as their Savior, depending on how they were raised and other such factors. If they have had little contact with a certain group, all they can go by is what they were taught, however extensive that education may have been.

So, some of this fear may be attributed to simple ignorance- but not so much in the bad sense of the word. Simply not knowing any atheists or having little contact with them throughout their lives may be a factor, much like it would be with any other group they may not have had much contact with.

These fears could be stumbling blocks, too. I would hate to think that I could have let simple fear get between me and someone that God may have placed in my life for the purpose of me sharing the Gospel with them. To let such a thing happen would be a tragedy. Although I think that God would send someone else in my place if I messed it up, it would still weigh heavily on me, just knowing that I let a little thing like fear stop me from doing what I could.

Anyway, I just thought I would bring that up. Sometimes, there is a misconception about Christians. The premise is that we are now saved, and therefore can make only minor mistakes that are few and far between. I'm living proof that one can be saved and can still mess up pretty much everything I come in contact with on a daily basis. Fear of atheism and/or atheists, could very well be based, in part, by the simple concepts of unintended ignorance and limited contact, as well as misinformation, much like how they apply to other groups.

Knowing our limitations, we can proceed with knowledge.

t.

[ethical.atheist]

Now, if we carry that onto how some may feel about atheists, we could see where it could come into play. Personally, I don't fear atheists any more than I would fear anyone else. For one, it wasn't all that long ago that I was an atheist- or at least agnostic. So, knowing that being an atheist, in and of itself, doesn't equate to being dangerous, I can lay that fear aside easily.

But, others may have known Jesus as their Savior from a very young age and may not know a whole lot about people who do not accept Christ as their Savior, depending on how they were raised and other such factors. If they have had little contact with a certain group, all they can go by is what they were taught, however extensive that education may have been.

Wow. I'm really impressed by all that. You seem to have a good head about things at least. I'm very glad to hear that you don't attribute evil to not believing in God.

I'm curious how far this extends though. Would you let your daughter or son date an atheist? If you don't have any reservations against this, why would you think another Christian might? ...for the same reason above? (lack of contact/expose to atheists)

[ted]

Wow. I'm really impressed by all that. You seem to have a good head about things at least. I'm very glad to hear that you don't attribute evil to not believing in God.

Again, it hasn't been all that long since I was a non-believer (about 5 years). Not believing in God could be an indication of several things, and cannot simply be written off as "evil". Not believing in God does not automatically make a person evil. It does mean that they will suffer eternity separated from God, according to the Bible, but it doesn't really equate to someone's level of "evility", if you will. Many, if not most, atheists are simply not evil people. They go about their lives like anyone else who has the same dreams of safety, security, a decent job, seeing their kids do well, blah, blah......

Most people are simply just people, no matter their beliefs. What we see on the news from both sides are the ones who stand out in either position, for whatever the reason. One of the only differences between those who believe in God and those who don't lies within what happens after we die, although there are marked differences in other regards to note, as well. Most non-believers won't make much of an impact concerning matters related to church functions, for example.

Other than that, well, those Saved are still not perfect, nor perfected. I'm just as inclined to whine and moan if my team doesn't make the World Series as anyone else, I reckon, and I'm just as inclined to yell out when I hit my thumb with a hammer.

I'm curious how far this extends though. Would you let your daughter or son date an atheist? If you don't have any reservations against this, why would you think another Christian might? ...for the same reason above? (lack of contact/expose to atheists)

LOL, a fitting situation!

In fact, my daughters are free to do what they want in life, and very much do! Hey, it's their life. I tried to do what I could to steer them in the right direction, but ultimately, their choices belong to them, and not me. They are 20 and 21 now, so I really don't have much of a say in the matter. I do, however, retain the right to let who I feel I want to into my house.....

If you take their ages into consideration, you can do the math and see that I was a non-believer for most of their formative years. I never really campaigned against Christianity before I was saved. In fact, I never really gave it much of a thought at all, to tell you the truth. So, it's not a situation where I have little satanists running around and now it's up to me to fix it. They are sensible, fairly smart, and half-way sensible, so they should do ok. If anyone they bring to my house wants to hear more about matters concerning salvation, then I'm here for them. If they don't, then so be it.

I think that following Christian values in a marriage (*shudders*) can help in the long run, because the Bible is rich in advice for a healthy marriage, but like I said, it's their choice in the end. They can be as smart or dumb as they want to be.

As for why I would think that another Christian might have some reservations in this matter, all I can say is that it would make an interest topic for a separate thread. I simply cannot speak for other Christians. I could guess and say that some may not like the situation, but who knows? Perhaps they feel that there is a better chance for the marriage to last if both were Christians, but the sad fact is that most studies show that Christian marriage dissolve at pretty much the same rate as others- somewhere around 50% or so.

I do think that some people fail to realize that they still have to work their way through the same life on earth when they make the decision for Jesus. Somehow, some may think that life here on earth changes or no longer is important after making the decision for Jesus. To me, it becomes even more important! We have no time to sit around and wait for Jesus' return. There's still bills to pay, children to raise, schools to attend, work to do, etc. Not much changes in that regard. We do, however, have even more to accomplish, though.

Sitting around and crying about how bad the world is doesn't help a thing. It's up to each of us to make a difference in our lives, and it takes work.

So, the reason why Christians may or may not agree with my positions are as varied as the Christians themselves. It's a wide open topic, and anything I may contribute to the conversation would simply be my opinion.

In other words, we'd simply have to ask them.

Any takers?

t.

[billie]

Ted, I think you should start that thread.

[sweetycakes]

Wow. I'm really impressed by all that. You seem to have a good head about things at least. I'm very glad to hear that you don't attribute evil to not believing in God.

Again, it hasn't been all that long since I was a non-believer (about 5 years). Not believing in God could be an indication of several things, and cannot simply be written off as "evil". Not believing in God does not automatically make a person evil. It does mean that they will suffer eternity separated from God, according to the Bible, but it doesn't really equate to someone's level of "evility", if you will. Many, if not most, atheists are simply not evil people. They go about their lives like anyone else who has the same dreams of safety, security, a decent job, seeing their kids do well, blah, blah......

Most people are simply just people, no matter their beliefs. What we see on the news from both sides are the ones who stand out in either position, for whatever the reason. One of the only differences between those who believe in God and those who don't lies within what happens after we die, although there are marked differences in other regards to note, as well. Most non-believers won't make much of an impact concerning matters related to church functions, for example.

Other than that, well, those Saved are still not perfect, nor perfected. I'm just as inclined to whine and moan if my team doesn't make the World Series as anyone else, I reckon, and I'm just as inclined to yell out when I hit my thumb with a hammer.

I'm curious how far this extends though. Would you let your daughter or son date an atheist? If you don't have any reservations against this, why would you think another Christian might? ...for the same reason above? (lack of contact/expose to atheists)

LOL, a fitting situation!

In fact, my daughters are free to do what they want in life, and very much do! Hey, it's their life. I tried to do what I could to steer them in the right direction, but ultimately, their choices belong to them, and not me. They are 20 and 21 now, so I really don't have much of a say in the matter. I do, however, retain the right to let who I feel I want to into my house.....

If you take their ages into consideration, you can do the math and see that I was a non-believer for most of their formative years. I never really campaigned against Christianity before I was saved. In fact, I never really gave it much of a thought at all, to tell you the truth. So, it's not a situation where I have little satanists running around and now it's up to me to fix it. They are sensible, fairly smart, and half-way sensible, so they should do ok. If anyone they bring to my house wants to hear more about matters concerning salvation, then I'm here for them. If they don't, then so be it.

I think that following Christian values in a marriage (*shudders*) can help in the long run, because the Bible is rich in advice for a healthy marriage, but like I said, it's their choice in the end. They can be as smart or dumb as they want to be.

As for why I would think that another Christian might have some reservations in this matter, all I can say is that it would make an interest topic for a separate thread. I simply cannot speak for other Christians. I could guess and say that some may not like the situation, but who knows? Perhaps they feel that there is a better chance for the marriage to last if both were Christians, but the sad fact is that most studies show that Christian marriage dissolve at pretty much the same rate as others- somewhere around 50% or so.

I do think that some people fail to realize that they still have to work their way through the same life on earth when they make the decision for Jesus. Somehow, some may think that life here on earth changes or no longer is important after making the decision for Jesus. To me, it becomes even more important! We have no time to sit around and wait for Jesus' return. There's still bills to pay, children to raise, schools to attend, work to do, etc. Not much changes in that regard. We do, however, have even more to accomplish, though.

Sitting around and crying about how bad the world is doesn't help a thing. It's up to each of us to make a difference in our lives, and it takes work.

So, the reason why Christians may or may not agree with my positions are as varied as the Christians themselves. It's a wide open topic, and anything I may contribute to the conversation would simply be my opinion.

In other words, we'd simply have to ask them.

Any takers?

t.

Once again, I find that Ted makes a lot of sense

I have a daughter, 25. She has been a Christian since about age 12. She always said she wouldn't want to marry a non-Christian, and now has a boyfriend who is 'studying' to be a Christian. He seems very sincere and is attending courses at church. He's a good lad.

I don't think though, Ted, that Christian marriages break down at the same rate as 'worldly' marriages. Maybe the fact is that most unbelievers are not actually married, but simply living together in a relationship, which they see as not binding, anyway, so they tend to not stay the course after the initial novelty has worn off.

Now, as for why atheists are so scary.........for myself, I find the concept of atheism very scary indeed.

The reason being........that I am scared for the atheist........scared that he'll die in his sins, without knowing Christ.

I know this is a simplistic answer. But it's the way I feel.

[ted]

Ted, I think you should start that thread.

Depends.......how much money you got?

Actualy, I think it would be up to e.a, since he asked the question. It would only be polite.

If he doesn't want to start one, I might later on in the week.

t.

[ethical.atheist]

Ted, I think you should start that thread.

You know that this IS the original topic of my thread...right?

The reason being........that I am scared for the atheist........scared that he'll die in his sins, without knowing Christ.

Awww... Thanks! ...but don't worry about me. I am really living a happy life.

...but if you see Jesus and he wants to come hang out at my apartment, tell him I work 12-15 hour days so he is going to have to call first so I can plan to come home. (I'm not even joking. If Jesus walked up to me and wanted me to get to know him, I'd make time. I think that would be a pretty good time.)

Edited December 6, 2006 by ethical.atheist