It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
windword
reply to post by spartacus699
I am a Christian atheist. I was raised in a Pentecostal home and church environment and know my Bible and understand the beliefs. There was never such a sensation of relief, release of burden and freedom as when I realized that it was all lies and left the church and it's philosophy behind.
I don't believe in the Biblical god, nor do I believe that Jesus, if he existed, was God. I reject the virgin birth, the miracles, the sacrificial death of a blood offering of atonement for sin, the resurrection and the idea of heaven and hell. I reject the concept of the "rapture", the second coming and the entirety of the prophecy of the book of Revelations.
The Bible is NOT the word of God, but the words of men, many of whom were the most corrupt to ever walk the planet. Although I can admire many of the writings and the stories, I know that they are nothing but mythical interpretations of the mystery of nature and life. I can embrace some of the teachings of Jesus and reject others.
I'm not an atheist though, because I do believe in a spiritual hierarchy, mysticism, angels and/or spiritual guides and in reincarnation.
WarminIndy
do you find yourself applying psychology to people that you question their faith?
Do you follow Jung or Freud?
perhaps you could show us the writings about how important faith is within the psychologies of believers?
Do you find yourself thinking some Christians are narcissistic, megalomaniacs or other such labels? Are we egoists?
As you have defined some people as "nutters"
You claim to be a Christian, why?
you can accept some things that make sense only to you, then everyone else is "nutters" for believing more?
FlyersFan
reply to post by sk0rpi0n
So you refuse to admit that you were wrong about the correlation between education and religious beliefs. And you refuse to admit that the reason there aren't atheists coming out in islamic lands is because those lands don't allow the information debunking Islam into the country and because Islamic lands try to kill those who leave Islam. And you refuse to admit that you lied about what I said.
Okay .. got it .. you refuse to admit the facts and that you were wrong multiple times on this thread.
We'll all keep that in mind when you post in the future.
So again - in response to the post replyed to - The reason that atheism isn't discussed in Islamic countries - they don't have access to the facts that debunk their religion and they don't have access to a safe place in which they can state their true beliefs without a death threat hanging over them.
my atheism would go from not believing in a god to not including one in my life.
Aphorism
reply to post by adjensen
For good or for ill, religion is being diluted and diminished in western societies by the powers that be, because it is in there best interests, not because "people are educated". The vast majority of irreligious people in America are just regular people, not theologians or Christ mythicists.
Which powers that be are you referring to?
Glass goes on to say many groups in America feel the media covers them poorly, but Christians seem to get it “especially bad.” He says while making This American Life, he noticed many television shows and movies would depict Christians “as these hot-head, crazy people.” This depiction didn’t match his own experience with Christians he knew personally.
“The Christians in my life were all incredibly wonderful and thoughtful and had very ambiguous, complicated feelings in their beliefs. And seemed to be totally generous-hearted and totally open to a lot of different kinds of people in their lives,” he says. (Source)
I am under the impression that there is a sort of religious revival underway, although in a less traditional sense.
Even Windword has an honest approach.
But if you grew up in a church that the pastor told you that God will give you gold dust teeth and a Mercedes Benz, then I can see how you left it. Windword's issues seem to arise from the church itself, not spirituality.
Would it be reasonable to say if one talks about God, argues it, discusses it ad nauseum, that he is in fact including God in his life? This is the only way a Christian can have God in his life, isn't it?
sk0rpi0n
coming back to op, atheism is largely expressed in North America and Europe. For the sole reason that christianity has UTTERLY lost its footing in those regions. Which is why those particular regions have laws in place to mock God and His prophets, under the guise of free speech..... They also have laws empowering sexual degeneracy and then they wonder why conservative religious minorities refuse to ''integrate'' with them. ---------------------Faith AND family is required to sustain any society. When white christian north America and Europe trashed these values... They signed their own death warrant..................... Go ahead, celebrate gays getting married and celebrate your self gratifying short-term relationships. Go ahead and think it makes you ''progressive'' and ''advanced''. Just don't complain later on whe you discover that your societies are on the verge of collapse. Don't point fingers at Muslims and conservative asian communities for preserving their own kinds through the family unit,
WarminIndy
[they do have access to many things, they know about Judaism, Christianity and all other kinds of religions. They probably get more education than most Christians do.
WarminIndy
The "requirements" are much more than that.
In your definition, what is true Christianity? Then we can go from there. But we are talking about two people who self-identify as Christian, so therefore our core fundamental must be the same. If it is not, then one of us or neither of us are really Christian.
But since you know about it, what is true Christianity? Maybe you can explain it for the ignuhnt....
At least Wildtimes is justified in calling us "nutters" because Wildtimes doesn't pretend to be one thing for one group and another thing for another group.
If you can't stand up against Islam, even if you disagree with it, because you are afraid of offending them, then perhaps you aren't the humanist you make yourself out to be.