Poll for atheists if you don't mind

[Grungekid]

Second Eve:

I find it odd that when you were younger, you attended church regularly yet never bought into any of it, then as you go older embraced wiccan hook line and sinker. Just find it odd is all. Can you explain why you were ready to embrace one religion at an older age, while the first one you learned you never embraced at all.

Sorry, there seems to be a confusion here: I never attended church as a kid. When I say we had weekly religion classes, I mean a young reverend came into our classroom and told us Bible stories, not that we had a sermon or anything. The only times I went to church between the ages of 0 and 14 was one, to be baptised when I was a few weeks old, and two, when I was six or so, and my Catholic best friend took me to church/Sunday school with her, which I found baffling.

As for falling for Wicca 'hook, line and sinker,' I wouldn't quite say I did. I never prayed to any god or goddess, or bought any books on the subject, and to all intents and purposes (bar an interest in trying to make 'magic,' which, as stated, never worked) remained an atheist. My worldview didn't change. And, as has been mentioned, given that absolutely nothing happened on the few occasions we tried to make balls of energy shoot out our hands or somesuch, we pretty much all just stopped.

So quite honestly, I've never embraced a religion in the sense of believing in a higher power. I tried on the idea of magic for a short while (which is perhaps how I should have phrased it originally), but it wasn't real, so I stopped. Simple.

Some parapsychologists or Satanists would answer that the lack of belief, which you obviously exhibited, would have nullified anything you tried. It sounds like you really haven't encountered a religion, ever, not so much that you didn't buy into one.

[Secularist]

Just wondering if you can answer some questions for me.

Do you debate on the boards of other religions like Hinduism, Islam or Buddhism?

I like to debate Christianity since it is the status quo. I do not know Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Buddhism has been argued that it is an atheist religion. I am not sure if I completely agree, but their gods are not personal and do not intervene in their lives like a Christian God. I appreciate deism since it has roots in empiricism and reason. Modern deism also incorporates scientific knowledge.

I do not care if you believe in God, but I ask that you keep inerrant and literal interpretations out of politics and science. Is this too much to ask?

Thank you for your participation.

You are welcomed.

[kari21]

I do not care if you don't believe in God, but I ask that you keep inerrant and agnostic interpretations out of Christianity. Is this too much to ask?

[Secularist]

I do not care if you don't believe in God, but I ask that you keep inerrant and agnostic interpretations out of Christianity. Is this too much to ask?

I ask that you keep inerrant and literal interpretations out of politics and science. Do you agree with me or not?

I hold you accountable for your definitions of the Bible. Is that too much to ask? Is the Bible to be taken literal or is it a metaphysical guide open to interpretion because it is entrenched in symbolism, metaphors, and allegories.

How do you interpret the Bible? Are there any parts that you cherry pick and do not take literal?

[Grungekid]

I do not care if you don't believe in God, but I ask that you keep inerrant and agnostic interpretations out of Christianity. Is this too much to ask?

I ask that you keep inerrant and literal interpretations out of politics and science. Do you agree with me or not?

I hold you accountable for your definitions of the Bible. Is that too much to ask? Is the Bible to be taken literal or is it a metaphysical guide open to interpretion because it is entrenched in symbolism, metaphors, and allegories.

How do you interpret the Bible? Are there any parts that you cherry pick and do not take literal?

Certain parts of revelation are metaphorical and use imagery that may not describe the exact events, but I trust the base numbers and prophecies. Other than that, no.

[kari21]

I hold you accountable for your definitions of the Bible

Just who are YOU to hole ME accountable for anything? The only person I'm accountable to is God.

Let me ask you a question. Do you think God NEEDS you? I'll go ahead and give you the answer, He doesn't. God also doesn't owe YOU a bloody thing. He did all He needed to do for you to be saved. He doesn't desire that you be lost, but that's YOUR choice.

You think Christians are here to jump through your hoops? From your posts, it's easy to see that you really aren't here for real answers...you are here for a little sport. Your arrogance and pride won't allow for any serious dialog.

Jesus said that if one is told the Gospel and refuse it, to "shake the dust from your feet" (Matthew 10:14), and to move on. We are not to waste valuable time that could be spent with a serious seeker on one who has no true interest in the Gospel.

[artsylady]

The Bible speaks a lot about 'pride' and it aint pretty.

Read my quotes below from some of the biggest proponents of atheism, all very proud men. All of their lives, they denied a god. Their last words should be something you might want to consider - for your own good.

Watch out that pride is not your biggest downfall. Any fair or truly open minded person will admit that there is certainly a possibility that a god may exist. Or are you really so proud you would denouce that? That you are so intelligent that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God exists? Think about this... In order for you to know that God doesn't exist, you would have to BE God.

You owe it to yourself to give it some serious consideration. Consider the fact that Eternity may depend on it.

At least consider it.

[thesorgo]

I hold you accountable for your definitions of the Bible

Just who are YOU to hole ME accountable for anything? The only person I'm accountable to is God.

Let me ask you a question. Do you think God NEEDS you? I'll go ahead and give you the answer, He doesn't. God also doesn't owe YOU a bloody thing. He did all He needed to do for you to be saved. He doesn't desire that you be lost, but that's YOUR choice.

You think Christians are here to jump through your hoops? From your posts, it's easy to see that you really aren't here for real answers...you are here for a little sport. Your arrogance and pride won't allow for any serious dialog.

Jesus said that if one is told the Gospel and refuse it, to "shake the dust from your feet" (Matthew 10:14), and to move on. We are not to waste valuable time that could be spent with a serious seeker on one who has no true interest in the Gospel.

I think you need to calm down. I completely understand where he is coming from. You can't tell us that you take everything the bible says by it's word and than tell us that the whole kill the homosexual, kill the adultress, kill the unbeliever part doesn't apply to you.

[thesorgo]

The Bible speaks a lot about 'pride' and it aint pretty.

Read my quotes below from some of the biggest proponents of atheism, all very proud men. All of their lives, they denied a god. Their last words should be something you might want to consider - for your own good.

Watch out that pride is not your biggest downfall. Any fair or truly open minded person will admit that there is certainly a possibility that a god may exist. Or are you really so proud you would denouce that? That you are so intelligent that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God exists? Think about this... In order for you to know that God doesn't exist, you would have to BE God.

You owe it to yourself to give it some serious consideration. Consider the fact that Eternity may depend on it.

At least consider it.

It is very possible that a god exists but the odds that your god exists is slim to none. I don't think your god or islam's, hindu's, or budist's are the correct one. So let me ask you, Are you really so proud that you would not consider the existance of other gods?

[kari21]

I hold you accountable for your definitions of the Bible

Just who are YOU to hole ME accountable for anything? The only person I'm accountable to is God.

Let me ask you a question. Do you think God NEEDS you? I'll go ahead and give you the answer, He doesn't. God also doesn't owe YOU a bloody thing. He did all He needed to do for you to be saved. He doesn't desire that you be lost, but that's YOUR choice.

You think Christians are here to jump through your hoops? From your posts, it's easy to see that you really aren't here for real answers...you are here for a little sport. Your arrogance and pride won't allow for any serious dialog.

Jesus said that if one is told the Gospel and refuse it, to "shake the dust from your feet" (Matthew 10:14), and to move on. We are not to waste valuable time that could be spent with a serious seeker on one who has no true interest in the Gospel.

I think you need to calm down. I completely understand where he is coming from. You can't tell us that you take everything the bible says by it's word and than tell us that the whole kill the homosexual, kill the adultress, kill the unbeliever part doesn't apply to you.

I was calm. And, have you actually READ the Bible? Or just snippits? Jesus said "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it." (Luke 16:16)

Those OT laws do not apply because of the new covenant through Christ.

To reinforce this, Jesus healed (worked) on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-16) which, according to the church leaders of the day, was a direct violation of the Fourth Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8)

To clarify:

"The key to understanding this issue is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel, not to Christians. Some of the laws were to make the Israelites know how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments for example), some of them were to show them how to worship God (the sacrificial system), some of them were to simply make the Israelites different from other nations (the food and clothing rules). None of the Old Testament law applies to us today. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15).

In place of the Old Testament law, we are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) which is to,