Organization promoting religious freedom plans to deploy atheist billboards. AGAIN!!!

reply to post by Biigs


Atheists often claim that their belief is not a religion. This allows them to propagate their beliefs in settings where other religions are banned, even though atheism shares the same characteristics as religion. P.S nearly all the of atheist's I've met have been rude, I wonder why?

reply to post by ChesterJohn

you will notice as you read the preserved Bible that God is just, as well as righteous, loving and mercy are his ways but he is a God of judgement as well

I have read the Bible from cover to cover several times and I've never found the God of the bible to be loving, merciful or righteous.

So the place that was originally made for the devil will also hold the souls of unsaved men as well.

How convenient for God! Since your God is all knowing, he must have known ahead of time to be sure to make room for those who he created that would not believe in Bible stories.

reply to post by RevelationGeneration

Atheists often claim that their belief is not a religion.

Religion is defined as the belief in a god of a group of gods. Atheists don't believe in a god or gods. There is no one atheist credo. All atheists don't believe the same things, except that they all agree that they don't believe in gods.

nearly all the of atheist's I've met have been rude, I wonder why?

Gee, I can't imagine why, you're always such a delightful ray of sunshine!

adjensen

If it was, abortion on demand would not be legal.

While the US is can be dangerously close to a theocracy at times, thankfully it's not there yet.

Two hundred years ago? 1813? We'd already had our first openly non-Christian POTUS by then.

That's debatable, but the 40+ since then? Everyone of them a Christian.

Prezbo369
That's debatable

Debatable? How is Jefferson being a Deist debatable? It's almost certain that the Establishment clause owes no small debt to the fact that Jefferson wouldn't be able to vote or hold office if there was a state church.

but the 40+ since then? Everyone of them a Christian.

James Monroe was irreligious, and there have been four Presidents who were Unitarian, which is not a Christian faith. And if President Obama is a Christian in anything but name, he has a strange way of showing it.

reply to post by adjensen

You might want to share that with these guys: Atheist 'mega-churches' take root across US, world. With Sunday assemblies, complete with a defined liturgy, recommended songs and things to read, they sure seem like they have religious tendencies.

What are religious tendencies? I guess it all boils down to how you define religious. If you define it as like people getting together to share and provoke thoughtful discussion and meditation, music and social interaction, then I guess there are many outlets that also qualify as a religious; sporting events, concerts, lectures, bridge clubs, theater......from your link:

Hundreds of atheists and atheist-curious packed into a Hollywood auditorium for a boisterous service filled with live music, moments of reflection, an "inspirational talk" about forgotten — but important — inventors and scientists and some stand-up comedy.

The introduction of the "Atheist Mega Church" is only a threat to the religious because they can't use church to alienate people any more. Atheists can now congregate, organize and benefit from the same community interactions that church folks enjoy, including charity events and youth camps and fundraisers for worthy causes.

"There was so much about it that I loved, but it's a shame because at the heart of it, it's something I don't believe in," Jones said. "If you think about church, there's very little that's bad. It's singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with wonderful relationships. What part of that is not to like?"

These Humanist/Atheist Mega Churches allow people to be honest without being alienated and on the receiver end of a disapproving and pitiful speech about Hell.

"In the U.S., there's a little bit of a feeling that if you're not religious, you're not patriotic. I think a lot of secular people say, 'Hey, wait a minute. We are charitable, we are good people, we're good parents and we are just as good citizens as you and we're going to start a church to prove it," said Zuckerman. "It's still a minority, but there's enough of them now."

Now days, it's okay to be an atheist! It's been a long time coming, but they're celebrating and out of the closet!

reply to post by windword

The introduction of the "Atheist Mega Church" is only a threat to the religious because they can't use church to alienate people any more.

You apparently didn't listen to last week's Reality Remix (airing tonight live in 2 1/2 hours!), where we discussed Klassified's thread on the "Atheist Mega Church" -- I think it's a great thing (though "Mega Church" is a ridiculous overstatement,) and I'm glad to see them getting together in community fellowship -- that's how good things get done.

But Sunday Assemblies have all the trappings of a typical liberal church service, and if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck... well, you know the drill.

Biigs

RevelationGeneration
Atheism is one of the fastest growing religions in America.

Dont define atheism as a religion, its a distinct lack and separation from religion.

Comparing it for any reason with any religion is quite rude.

IN what way?

Atheist do have a belief system.

Atheist have a creed they follow.

Atheist have guidelines in which they follow.

sound like a religion to me.

Prezbo369

ChesterJohn
I hope we can get back on track the OP is about the So Called Atheist group supporting separation of church and state but only targeting the Christian religion during Christmas.

This same group will not put up signs denying the prophet Mohamed or Allah.

Nor have they spoken out in separation of the state and Islam in America.

Really? you don't think the US isn't completely saturated and dominated by Christianity?

What world do you live in?

This Christian victim card gets played every xmas, and every xmas Christians forget what happened to people that were not in their gang 200 years ago.

You don't get to subjugate everyone to your chosen superstitions, not anymore...

edit on 27-11-2013 by Prezbo369 because: (no reason given)

sorry but america is not dominated by Christianity per se. Roman Catholicism is not pure Christianity it is an admixture of some Bible where they choose to use some, Hindu and Buddhist prayer beads and mantras, Pagan monk of druid origin, Ashtroth worship disguised as Mary worship, and man made doctrines.

America for the last 65 years has been by and large secular humanist. which when a group that claims to be Atheist promote humanism it is nothing more than the worship of man as the highest form of deity.

windword
reply to post by ChesterJohn

 

you will notice as you read the preserved Bible that God is just, as well as righteous, loving and mercy are his ways but he is a God of judgement as well

I have read the Bible from cover to cover several times and I've never found the God of the bible to be loving, merciful or righteous.

So the place that was originally made for the devil will also hold the souls of unsaved men as well.

How convenient for God! Since your God is all knowing, he must have known ahead of time to be sure to make room for those who he created that would not believe in Bible stories.

reply to post by RevelationGeneration

 

Atheists often claim that their belief is not a religion.

Religion is defined as the belief in a god of a group of gods. Atheists don't believe in a god or gods. There is no one atheist credo. All atheists don't believe the same things, except that they all agree that they don't believe in gods.

nearly all the of atheist's I've met have been rude, I wonder why?

Gee, I can't imagine why, you're always such a delightful ray of sunshine!

1) Why were you reading the Bible?

2) What were you expecting to get from reading it?

3) Who was the person that impressed you most when you read it?

4) Where did you find God not to be a merciful? and if he was not why was he not?

5) When you read the Bible several times (which does not make you an expert as I have read it over 30 times in 20 years) did you have a preconceived reason for reading it?

6) How would you have known what Bible was preserved and which was a piece of junk re-translated by scholars but not preserved by God?

7) Which Bible version did you read several times? If more than one list all.

8) Through your readings did you keep notes?

9) How many types of literature did you find in the Bible?

10) Were you able to learn the difference between an allegorical statement and a literal one?

Apparently you did not read your Bible with understanding or you would have seen why God does what he does and how he acts to guide and lead man to salvation. He has done all he can to lead you away from hell but you never saw it in your reading. So you need to read with comprehension, so may I suggest you reread the Bible slowly, taking more time to do so, that you may comprehend what you are reading and do so without any preconceived ideas or reasons.

Atheist believe man is the highest provable living being and each Atheist sees himself as his own god who passes judgement they so loath of the god of the Bible on others who don't see things as they do.

Can you tell me do you openly berated Muslims, Hindus and Buddhist as you have done I? If so would you link me to them so I can see them and record them for my own study?

reply to post by adjensen

You apparently didn't listen to last week's Reality Remix (airing tonight live in 2 1/2 hours!), where we discussed Klassified's thread on the "Atheist Mega Church" -- I think it's a great thing

Yeah, I missed that.

But Sunday Assemblies have all the trappings of a typical liberal church service, and if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck... well, you know the drill.

Yeah, it emulates modern churches that appeal to young people. But, really, who's copying who? I remember when guitar playing and the "young sound" started being employed to attract young people into the churches. Singers would take popular love songs and insert "Jesus" in the lyrics instead of "lover". Remember Whoopie Goldberg in Sister Act, and the religious rendition of "My Guy"

I also remember open mike night at the corner bookstore being just as stimulating, if not more so, as the corner church youth meetings. Pep rallies, protests and Greatful Dead concerts felt like a religious meetings. It's just that the churches used to have a cornered the community and social markets for so long, but God worship really has nothing to do with why people feel the need to congregate, and feel like they belong, God is just an excuse. (in my opinion)

windword
reply to post by adjensen

 

You apparently didn't listen to last week's Reality Remix (airing tonight live in 2 1/2 hours!), where we discussed Klassified's thread on the "Atheist Mega Church" -- I think it's a great thing

Yeah, I missed that.

But Sunday Assemblies have all the trappings of a typical liberal church service, and if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck... well, you know the drill.

Yeah, it emulates modern churches that appeal to young people. But, really, who's copying who? I remember when guitar playing and the "young sound" started being employed to attract young people into the churches. Singers would take popular love songs and insert "Jesus" in the lyrics instead of "lover". Remember Whoopie Goldberg in Sister Act, and the religious rendition of "My Guy"

I also remember open mike night at the corner bookstore being just as stimulating, if not more so, as the corner church youth meetings. Pep rallies, protests and Greatful Dead concerts felt like a religious meetings. It's just that the churches used to have a cornered the community and social markets for so long, but God worship really has nothing to do with why people feel the need to congregate, and feel like they belong, God is just an excuse. (in my opinion)

I quoted this one post to reply to both.

Very interestingly I read the article.

One of my very own dislikes of modern church is its impersonal gatherings, the promotion of entertainment over the word of God, and the fact that most if not all mega churches are done for the money.

So when I see Atheist trying to do a similar thing it is more of a mockery of the mega church movement and rightly so God himself would more than likely mock them as well.

My Christianity is far different than that of the modern church movement. You see the church is not an organization or a building where people gather, it is the true believers. And there are fewer and fewer these days.

The OP is not about Christianity and that is how far off track this thread has gotten. It is about Atheist who claim to be for freedom from religion but only choose one religion to be free from and that is Christianity.

Not one atheist has given me any reason why they are not openly attacking Islam during Ramadan, or Hinduism during the Vhedic festivals, or Buddhism or Animism during their holidays. It is even more confusing when we all see Christmas as a mass commercial venture rather than a religious event that is solely Christian. Rather it is Catholic more than true Christianity.

reply to post by ChesterJohn

1) Why were you reading the Bible?

Where I grew up, you knew your Bible! We attended church no less than 5 times a week. I attended Christian (Assembly of God) summer camp every year, from when I was old enough to when I old enough to walk away. I spoke in tongues, prayed for the gifts of discernment, visions and prophecy.

I went door to door, witnessing to people. (In the 6th grade I got sent to principal's office for preaching, and then again for making a church structure for a class project. )

Nobody was more faithful (brainwashed) than I was.

2) What were you expecting to get from reading it?

To know the word of God.

3) Who was the person that impressed you most when you read it?

Exekiel

4) Where did you find God not to be a merciful?

From cover to cover, but I thought God was really schitzo with Moses!

and if he was not why was he not?

The atrocities are too numerous to list.

5) When you read the Bible several times (which does not make you an expert as I have read it over 30 times in 20 years) did you have a preconceived reason for reading it?

I wanted to learn about and understand God, be one with his will, learn how to lead people to Jesus, and go to heaven.

6) How would you have known what Bible was preserved and which was a piece of junk re-translated by scholars but not preserved by God?

Because I had faith that God would preserve his word.

7) Which Bible version did you read several times? If more than one list all.

King James Version

I realized that everything I thought about God, Jesus, the Bible and Christianity was wrong when I was older, but I left the church because of the awful, judgmental and controlling people. I'm still shaking off the abusive effects my religious upbringing had on me.

Atheist believe man is the highest provable living being and each Atheist sees himself as his own god.

That is patently untrue. Every atheist is different, with their own unique views of the world. They have no creed, no doctrine, no leader and no "holy book".

reply to post by windword

That is patently untrue. Every atheist is different, with their own unique views of the world. They have no creed, no doctrine, no leader and no "holy book".

That's my point with the "Atheist Mega Church" thing -- some atheists are, in fact, developing those very things, due, in part, to atheism not being very interesting ("So, you believe in God yet? No? Me neither. See you next week.") so some atheists are wedging in other stuff. Look at Atheism+ -- to belong, you have to be an atheist, and you also have to take a far left view on most social issues. So Atheism+ has leaders, doctrine, books (holy or not, lol) and it is not a "simple lack of belief in deities" any longer.

reply to post by windword

windword
Religion is defined as the belief in a god of a group of gods. Atheists don't believe in a god or gods. There is no one atheist credo. All atheists don't believe the same things, except that they all agree that they don't believe in gods.

Actually there are various definitions, but even so Atheism requires “faith” that the laws of chemistry, physics and biology were once violated and life arose from non-life via chemical evolution. Atheism as a worldview fits all the characteristics of religion.

reply to post by RevelationGeneration


Not all theists think that hard, are that smart, or knowledgeable of biology and physics.

reply to post by adjensen


I don't think the "atheist" phenomena is any more "religious" than Republican cliques or Democrat cliques, PETA, Green Peace, etc. There are all kinds of fanatics, but not all fanatics are religious.

Oh boy. Atheists complaining about the month of December being taken over by holidays, especially Christmas, and whining about it being taken over by religion.

Yet, at the same time, we see Christians all over complaining about how Christ has been taken out of Christmas and whining about people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas".

Frankly, I'm inclined to agree with the Christians. Christmas as it is celebrated by the majority of America a holiday that started as religious and has become about Santa and consumerism more than anything else. It's not really a religious holiday anymore except to people who go out of their way to deliberately make it one.

windword
reply to post by ChesterJohn

 

1) Why were you reading the Bible?

Where I grew up, you knew your Bible! We attended church no less than 5 times a week. I attended Christian (Assembly of God) summer camp every year, from when I was old enough to when I old enough to walk away. I spoke in tongues, prayed for the gifts of discernment, visions and prophecy.

I went door to door, witnessing to people. (In the 6th grade I got sent to principal's office for preaching, and then again for making a church structure for a class project. )

Nobody was more faithful (brainwashed) than I was.

2) What were you expecting to get from reading it?

To know the word of God.

3) Who was the person that impressed you most when you read it?

Exekiel

4) Where did you find God not to be a merciful?

From cover to cover, but I thought God was really schitzo with Moses!

and if he was not why was he not?

The atrocities are too numerous to list.

5) When you read the Bible several times (which does not make you an expert as I have read it over 30 times in 20 years) did you have a preconceived reason for reading it?

I wanted to learn about and understand God, be one with his will, learn how to lead people to Jesus, and go to heaven.

6) How would you have known what Bible was preserved and which was a piece of junk re-translated by scholars but not preserved by God?

Because I had faith that God would preserve his word.

7) Which Bible version did you read several times? If more than one list all.

King James Version

I realized that everything I thought about God, Jesus, the Bible and Christianity was wrong when I was older, but I left the church because of the awful, judgmental and controlling people. I'm still shaking off the abusive effects my religious upbringing had on me.

Atheist believe man is the highest provable living being and each Atheist sees himself as his own god.

That is patently untrue. Every atheist is different, with their own unique views of the world. They have no creed, no doctrine, no leader and no "holy book".

I feel for you. I too would, could and should have been disillusioned by churchianity and hypocrites. But I took my eyes off people and put them on Christ alone.

you have many good answers but the group you were with AOG and the so called gifts you wee displaying are not for today except for discernment. Not sure you had that because you were unable to discern the errors and false teachings of that group. I would venture or assume that your so called gift of discernment was limited to that of being able to know people's so called motives or attitudes, which would actually be perception and not discernment, and perception is limited to feelings which should not be trusted.

Times in church do saved. Being in a family of Christians does not save. There are some verses John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

You never once said you ever believed you were saved or gave a testimony of being saved. Which would lead me to believe you were self deceived into thinking your were saved when you were not. Proof of salvation is not tongues or what AOG calls "baptized of the Spirit".

If you were not saved then I am glad you are no longer in the church doing the things your were, it hurt more people than it helped.

I read the Bible because I want to know truth. I believe God is the God of all truth whether my Bible has all truth or not. And though I have read it 30 plus times in 20 years and other sections of it many more than that I still do not know all of it or what it all pertains. The term "bottles of heaven" still leaves me wondering what god was speaking of. That just to name one of many.

God proved to me the AV was the preserved word of God by truth and by two supernatural built in things the Bible contains. No man convinced me of that and that took place 12 years after my being born of the Spirit.
I have read 30 different versions of the Bible and I no longer can even stand to read them or hear them quoted. It is as if fingernails on a chalkboard pierce my ears.

The person that impressed me the most in the Bible was Job. A close second is Daniel even more than Jesus Christ.

While I have read of God being what would be interpreted by humanist as him being unmerciful I also see his justice, righteousness and holiness in it as well. But those times are few. I never once have seen god as Psychotic or Schizophrenic but of course I am not one for Psychology anyway.

You say you have found God to unmerciful from cover to cover but where in the book of Ruth or Psalms or Proverbs do you find that?

were you an pastors kid?

Well thanks for your answers they were enlightening.

AnIntellectualRedneck
Oh boy. Atheists complaining about the month of December being taken over by holidays, especially Christmas, and whining about it being taken over by religion.

Yet, at the same time, we see Christians all over complaining about how Christ has been taken out of Christmas and whining about people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas".

Frankly, I'm inclined to agree with the Christians. Christmas as it is celebrated by the majority of America a holiday that started as religious and has become about Santa and consumerism more than anything else. It's not really a religious holiday anymore except to people who go out of their way to deliberately make it one.

I agree

windword
reply to post by adjensen

 

I don't think the "atheist" phenomena is any more "religious" than Republican cliques or Democrat cliques, PETA, Green Peace, etc. There are all kinds of fanatics, but not all fanatics are religious.

but all these groups could easily fit this description: Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

I am glad you see Atheist as fanatics of a sort.