From now on, I'm an atheist

[ParanoidAndroid]

Yep - I'm atheist, and I'll tell you why.

Whenever I've been in discussion over exactly what a "Christian" is, quite often the answer has nothing to do with Christ. People will often say they are Christian but never know what it means or even follow God. Some won't even believe Jesus existed. Some don't even believe in God. Yet when i challenge them as to why they are "Christian" then, people say I'm being discriminatory and that if they want to call themselves Christian who am I to question them.

It has been my experience that the term "Christian" has become the most abused word in the English language. Any man and their dog can claim to be Christian, while not even believing in God.

So, from now on, I'm going to claim I am an atheist. And when people ask me why I don't believe in God, I will tell them promptly that I do believe in God. I will tell them that I believe Jesus is Lord and Saviour. And then they will look at me like I've just been braindamaged somehow, and tell me that I'm not an atheist because I believe in God. Then I will tell them that if I want to call myself "atheist" who are they to discriminate against my choice.

I'm not really becoming atheist - don't let the topic title fool you. But why is it that the secular world has come to accept the name "Christian" to apply to anyone who calls themselves Christian, regardless of what they believe, yet on the other hand, if I claimed to be an Atheist but believed in God, people would tell me I am wrong, or if I was Buddhist but didn't believe in Buddhist teachings they'd tell me I'm not Buddhist.

The label that we give ourselves should have some meaning. If "Christian" has become so watered down as to mean absolutely anything, then perhaps its time that I call myself something else, because quite frankly, I don't want to be associated with a word that can simply mean anything at all, even including not believing in God or Jesus at all.

Just some food for thought.

Edited September 29, 2007 by ParanoidAndroid

[Zadok Rox]

Very clever, ParanoidAndroid. It's sad but true that virtually anybody can call themself a Christian under the false belief that all one has to do to be a Christian is simply believe in God or go to church.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Very clever, ParanoidAndroid. It's sad but true that virtually anybody can call themself a Christian under the false belief that all one has to do to be a Christian is simply believe in God or go to church.

heck, I've met Christians (well, people who call themselves that, at least) who don't even believe in God at all. Someone I met on another message board believes that a Christian is someone who has mastered the "Science of Compassion" - in other words, they can be nice to other people. If someone does that, then they are Christian in his eyes. No Bible is required. The Bible to him is just one of the many guides given to us to help us achieve that mastery of compassion. If someone wants to pursue that in another way, then that is up to them.

It's sickening, really.

~ Regards, PA

P.S - I've edited my original post to add just a little more information

Edited September 29, 2007 by ParanoidAndroid

[Trusting Jesus]

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: I Peter 3:15

Whew....you scared me! But, if I'm following your thought correctly, I agree. A person needs to know what they believe. For years my husband thought that he was a Christian because he lived in America. About 12 years ago he truly gave his life to Christ. Now he knows, as do I, that it is the Living God he believes in.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

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Nathele

[damo1]

from damo1

how sad for one to get to a state were they seem to think christians are just robots and admit blunlty that i am atheist i can say the same things about atheists and what you stand for

i have come across your posts you are with in your rigths to state what you believe in but do not mock those that believe in god and make such a statement by saying that we are all robots

i wish you al the best on your new path

but one thing i ask is this do not try to get me to come around to your way of thinking or try to make me see why you feel that all christians are robots

as i have atheist friends and i know what most of them do when they come on a christian forum

i will not pull back and look at what i hold so close to my heart i am proud to be a christian and i have no shame in saying this at all and i am not a robot i am a simple man who has had it hard in the past who has been kicked in the guts constantly and at one stage lived on the streets and in a run down old building i am not judging you and i am not preaching to you i am also making a simple state ment i believe in what i read and i have no shame in saying Jesus is lord over my life

i wish you all the best

from damo1

[ted]

I think I'll just retain the title of Christian and do what I can to live up to it.

t.

[damo1]

from damo1

To Thoughtful

its cool i understand were you and paranoidandroid are coming from and what you have jotted down as you both are also with in your rights to say what is close to your heart

yet this will also be confusing to a new christian and i am constanly making sure that a new believer has the right to grow with out a stumbling block being put in there path as people are human

i was like you both a long time ago i ran into a lot of fake christians my self i was still living on the streets and when i would walk into a church not one person would reach out or say are you ok can i help do you need food this is what nearly turned me of from believing in god

i am not preaching hear i just want to point out what nearly turned me off from following with my heart

in james it says this

james 2 be aware of personal favoritism

2 for if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings in fine apparel and there should also come a man in 2 filthy clothes

3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him you sit here in a good place and say to the poor man you stand there or sit here or at my footstool

4 have you not shown partiality among your selves and become judges with evil thoughts

5 listen my beloved breathren has god not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him

6 But you have dishonerd the poor man Do not the rich oppres you and drag you into the courts ?

let me say i am so sorry for what you both have experienced and i hear you very well on the sinners prayer as i use to also hate hearing this when not many dared to put into practice to what they preached

i walked into several churches in sydney and i could not stand the looks i got i was hungry i had nothing to eat for 4 days i lived in a run down old building and had not showered for a month and not one person put the hand out and said brother are you ok only one decent person showed me what a real christian was as i came out of jail at the age of 18 and this couple took me into their home fed me allowed me to have a shower and the husband bought me new clothes they spent over 500 on me and there home was my home they taught me how to understand gods word in simple terms and they put their faith into practise and thes people did something not many would do and i am now doing the same to what they did for me when i see a person in need or some one struggling

i pull christians up when i see some one mocking a poor person or home less person i stand up for those that can not stand up for them selves and i do from time to time take people into my own home even though i got taken advantage of sevral times i help out some one in need when ever i can i stand up and speak up for those that cant speak up for them selves and i try to bring a little bit of gods love into a persons life were i can and show that person respect and dignity

and i see no wrong in me doing this

i hear both of you and i understand very well and i hope you can also see that their are caring decent christians out their and not all are robots and i hope you can hear what i am saying hear as a person

as christian i respect for what you have stated hear in this post and mean you both no disrespect

people are people and some times humans blow it big time this does not mean all christians are bad and i am so sorry for what you both have had to experiance as human beings

i was not preaching hear yet i felt i needed to share hear that is all i wil say on this

from damo1

[ParanoidAndroid]

from damo1

To Thoughtful

its cool i understand were you and paranoidandroid are coming from and what you have jotted down as you both are also with in your rights to say what is close to your heart

yet this will also be confusing to a new christian and i am constanly making sure that a new believer has the right to grow with out a stumbling block being put in there path as people are human

i was like you both a long time ago *SNIP - for brevity*

Hi damo,

Just to clarify what you understand by my thread here, I'm still a follower of Christ, and I fully believe in the promises God made in the Bible about our salvation and Faith in his Son. I was just bringing up a topic for discussion about the meaning of the term "Christian" and how modern society has cheapened that name to almost worthlessness. I am still proud to call Christ my personal Saviour, and though I am not perfect and do stumble and fall from time to time, I do attempt to follow him in everything I do and treat others with respect, care and love.

I don't literally think of myself as an "atheist" now. I was making a point - to distinguish that if I call myself an atheist then there are certain characteristics of atheism to which I should also hold, and if I don't hold that core characteristic, then it is not right that I call myself atheist then, right. And so it is with the term Christian. There are certain characteristics which set Christians apart from other people. And if you call yourself Christian but do not adhere to those characteristics, then how can they say they are Chrisitan, unless the term itself has become meaningless.

[ColleenLovesMischief]

Wow Mr Android.......(Data shall we say???). That was like...deep.

No seriously...one heck of a point there! I had never really sat and thought about it like that. Thank you.

[MeCajunboy]

Very clever, ParanoidAndroid. It's sad but true that virtually anybody can call themself a Christian under the false belief that all one has to do to be a Christian is simply believe in God or go to church.

heck, I've met Christians (well, people who call themselves that, at least) who don't even believe in God at all. Someone I met on another message board believes that a Christian is someone who has mastered the "Science of Compassion" - in other words, they can be nice to other people. If someone does that, then they are Christian in his eyes. No Bible is required. The Bible to him is just one of the many guides given to us to help us achieve that mastery of compassion. If someone wants to pursue that in another way, then that is up to them.

It's sickening, really.

~ Regards, PA

P.S - I've edited my original post to add just a little more information

Sorry PA, but again I have to disagree with your thought process. And actually, I've never met a "Christian" who claimed to not know or hate God. And that would be an "oxymoron" at best for someone to claim so. I'm not sure what your efforts to call yourself "atheist" will get you except wasted attention. I do agree that many more people should make much more efforts to back up what they claim. But that's not very different than you and "thought" sounding as though you've both "given up " on the world. Finally, I don't think I've ever met one "Christian" or want to be "Christian" who has never sinned. As for that, my friend, I'm afraid we're all in the same boat. If you are merely disgusted with the way the world is turning out and those who seem not to care are merely bailing out on it, you're not alone. But, by all means PA , give them some constructive suggestions and/or criticism at best, and refrain from sounding like you're joining in on thier "pity party."