Discussion about Christianity by Christians and those who are curious.
Rule #1. Anti-Christian and anti-Bible statements will not be tolerated. Constructive criticism of Christianity is OK, however.
Rule #1.1. The measure for what is considered Christian, as has been the case in the faith since the earliest days, will be the faith proclaimed in the Nicene Creed.
As Christians, we have assurance, certainty and comfort in that Jesus is coming back to judge the world, destroy all the wicked and bring us to eternal life. Atheists don’t have that.
Okay?
So?
It's up to us to make this world better for us. No-one is going to save us or pat us on the shoulder for trying if we don't.
Even worse, some even prefer to insult this God.
What do you mean? Just being rude about your belief system?
I don’t know how theists do it. How do you live in this world - filled with wars and chaos - believing that an omnipotent being is not only overseeing it all, but permitting it to happen? And the same being is your only hope for redemption and getting things better! As atheists, we don’t need to believe in a god that is a juxtaposition of the creator of everything in this world including that which is wrong, and also our only hope.
Your assurance, certainty, and comfort is that the same god that created the wickedness will bring you to eternal life. Don’t want to spend eternity with such a being?
I can't tell if this is supposed to be a shitpost, rage bait, or just indoctrinated virtue signaling. I'd make some popcorn, but it would outlast this post.
Just out of curiosity, you mentioned “this world - filled with wars and chaos” and also your hope that things get better: do you do something to work towards things getting better or will this be handled by God?
We should work to make things better- Jesus commanded us. However, this work we do is just a painkiller. It won't fix things. It won't fix human nature or sin. Everyday I try and do my part to make life better for those around me. But I know it's temporary. And that's okay. We all need temporary joys to cling to until He comes again.
"...assurance, certainty and comfort..."
Sorry, this is delusion.
And who said there's no hope?
I recall reading about the phenomena of people believing in the "shadowy cabal secretly in control of everything" like the Illuminati because deep down, the idea that something in control, even if evil, was preferable to the knowledge that there was nothing in control - things just happen, almost at random.
I do see a bit of this leaking through what you've said here in the uses of "chaos," "certainty," and "comfort" in your statements. To be clear, I don't really care if your faith is what you use to shield yourself from the uncertainty of existence - everyone has their own coping mechanisms - but I figured I'd make note of it.
Now, I do take issue with your other claim - who said there is no hope of things getting better? If it is just down to us to dictate things, we have been presented a problem, and I'm not inclined to believe humanity has run into a whole lot of problems we couldn't solve. We've persisted for thousands of years - I wouldn't count us out just yet.
Of course, if it is NOT up to us, and it is all dictated by God, then why should we simply give up and assume things will never get better? Is there somewhere God has dictated that it cannot be so? What actual evidence do we have, both theologically and scientifically, that things have no hope of getting better (particularly as much of our advancement flies in the face of such an assertion)?
If God put us here with no plan, then it is up to us to make the world better, and if God put us here with a plan, then it is a question of free will, (and I'm inclined to operate under the idea that we possess such a thing) then it is up to us to find out the path to things getting better. As the saying goes: "God helps those who help themselves."
In short, I can live in this world because I believe it can be made better, without the need for divine intervention, and because I cannot believe that a world filled with so many wonderful things is not worth trying to improve/save.
looks around at the horrors of gods creation
find comfort in the fact that he'll be responsible for your death too
Absolutely normal, not psychotic behavior
Hey! So, I should be asleep right now, so I might not respond right away, but I'm an atheist and would be more than happy to have a real conversation about this, either here openly or in DMs. Feel free, anyone, to reply to this post or DM me if you'd like to talk.
yay for science and observation. i hope this goes better for you than the last conversation i had about it did for me.
Thank you for the encouragement. :)
What makes you do sure that, if there is a god, he's your Christian one? If you had been born in a different country or time, you might be a Buddhist, a Muslim or even a follower of Odin.
In addition, the thought of living forever - for all eternity, billions and billions of years - is my personal definition of hell.