A Question for all you Christians.

[Abstract Debauchery]

Now, I know it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone that I'm Atheist. Now, I'm not that asshole kind that tends to shove his opinion down ones throat. (Only if provoked, or one is doing it to me) In fact, I have a few Christian friends, and we get along pretty well.

However, I've met a few people who will sit down and talk to me for a bit, but once they find out that I'm Atheist, they flip. They will literally just walk off and look at me in contempt and disgust.

So, the question that I have for you is, how do you, as a Christian, act and behave around an Atheist? Do you not care? Do you look down at them? How would you feel if a close friend of yours turned out Atheist? Also, how would you feel about working side by side with one?

Though this could spark up some interesting conversation. Enjoy.

 

[blakstang98]

I don't normally involve myself in religious discussion because I'm not big on religion in general, but here it goes.

The one reason I don't discuss religion much is because I don't see it as being a big deal, or a real factor in how I run my life. It's nice to have something to believe in, but the rules for it aren't something I'm crazy about. It's all optional, and I choose not to have it effect my life.

That said, I was raised as a Catholic. I made my Communion when I was in 3rd grade or something like that. I never did go back for 8 or something years for my Confirmation. I don't do anything that a good Christian is supposed to do. I celebrate Christmas, that's about it, and I just look at it as a gift giving holiday more so than a religious one.

Being Atheist is something that doesn't bother me. In our country, religion is a choice and we are free to choose what we want. I don't care either way. I date a gal that's Muslim, and some religious people may see that as a mismatch. I don't care, I care about her for who she is, not her religious practice. She feels the same about me. When religion gets involved with decisions in life, that's when it goes too far, in my opinion. Besides, if I'm a great Catholic and I pray before I go to bed every night, does that mean I'll be able to live forever and my loved ones will be safe? I have better things to do with my time.

 

[Shu]

Christians are automatically told to not associate themselves with non Christians. Though, my thinking is this, if you are a Christian and I'm an atheist, most likely we will not talk about religion together. It's a moot point, you have your beliefs and I have mine.

I am not an atheist though, so I have no idea what to think about that. Mine is I believe in a origin, so I believe in something that created it all. So I'm a Gnostic Deist. I've taken quite a bit of Jainism Buddhism and mixed it in with who I am as well. The seeking of knowledge is always within me, I choose not to remain numb and dumb. To me the Christian God, is a great concept but just not feasible in my reality. Just one big ole Marytr to me, who embellished a bit in order to give a firmer foundation in a religion. I believe he was alive, and I also believe he was a kind person, though I don't believe in most of the stuff from the New Testament. It seems a bit odd that the books were found quite a bit after, and auto assumed they were real. Yet, thinking about the transcriptions, has anyone seen the originals? Meh, the new testament to me has always seemed sort of Harry Potterish to me. The old testament, aside from Genesis, half of Moses's obstacles, Jonah and the whale, and a few other small trivial things, was in fact a great few books. (Bible segmented in many books).Psalms and Proverbs you can take a lot of good things from.

Atheism like Anarchy I've never been able to understand. They both flow well together, but Anarchists are scary as hell, where as Atheism is more of a trendy thing. I'm not saying there aren't Atheists out there. What I'm saying is, when you are completely alone and you have been through such a tremendous tragedy, and you still claim you are an Atheist, then I'll believe you. People tend to only realize there is a god, when they have nothing left to lose or at the rock bottom.

So yea, Christians and Atheists will never mix in the same room. Nor will Atheists or any other religion or philosophy where a greater power exists.

 

[Dean Winchester]

You are quite the kind of person I would find interesting to have a conversation with.

So, the question that I have for you is, how do you, as a Christian, act and behave around an Atheist?

Problem is I am not in an specific religion now although I do consider myself Christian even though I haven't been baptized (OHMYGOD I'll burn in HELL 10101011!) or am going to any religious group in particular. Not because I don't like it, it is mostly because of the amount of bullshit I see being told and not done (like forgiveness and mercy). Yeah, I see a lots of hypocrites who go to church, pray and whatnot and then outside are complete strangers.

I believe there is something out there who might or might not be watching over us (hell, this is one big universe....why focus on a tiny marble in the middle of all points nowhere?)

Perhaps, my favorite version of Heaven, Hell, and God happens to be the one shown in the "Supernatural" series.

Do you not care?
Actually, I love to see different and even more opposing beliefs. I would rather have that any day than having mindless drones praying and spreading "love" they preach yet they never do. Atheist and their way of viewing the world is quite interesting, and what's better, not all atheist think the same so you never stop learning from their opinions.

Besides I am the kind of religious who tends to use science to prove most things so....I am kinda walking close to the atheist somehow.

Do you look down at them?
Why would I?


How would you feel if a close friend of yours turned out Atheist?/Also, how would you feel about working side by side with one?

Well that wouldn't change much, it is not as if they turned out to be a complete different person. I respect people and their opinions as much as I want my beliefs and opinions to be respected. If I end a friendship for something like that, then I am no different from a fanatic and I am not a fanatic.

As for working with them....well work is one thing and friendship is another. There's no need to mix them. Besides, I won't go judging anyone simply because they don't believe in a "God". They are human beings like me, who are hard working and want to achieve their goals.

So no, I would not have a problem with an atheist. In fact, I would most likely have problems with a fanatic who happened to talk about religion 24/7.... now that's a real pain in the ass.

 

[Demon]

It wouldn't bother me. I like the atheists who don't act religious about atheism, they're generally prone to making good points. The problem with accepting a set of beliefs, theist or at times atheist, is that it generally makes you accept a certain amount of blindness. I'd say I won't judge someone for taking a level-headed approach to what they accept.

 

[Sum1sgruj]

Christians are automatically told to not associate themselves with non Christians.

There's so much irony in that. I'm glad you brought this up because, in the Bible, more specifically Corinthians among other books in the New Testament, specifically state not turn a non-Christian away. Even if it's you're wife. Especially if it's you're wife.

Jews and Muslims are very family oriented when it comes to religion, and that's because they have no affiliation with the New Testament.
Christians should practice what their savior preached

It's funny, the New Testament is the Christian's cornerstone, yet they act so ignorant to it_
I know these things, and I'm only agnostic

 

[Dionysos]

I’m not quite a Christian, but I was raised with Christianity and went to church, so I’ll still answer this.

I believe that everyone has the right to find themselves at their own pace. I do see religion as a way to find yourself, and yourself only, and it is mentally therapeutic when handled properly. I believe that it is better to walk the path of your own choosing, and find your destination on your own. Having other religious / atheistic people throwing litter on your path is only going to impede your journey, and your destination may end up not being right for you.

I was raised a Christian, but was never christened. The reason for not being christened was because my parents wanted me to find myself and my faith alone, and they did not want me to be stuck with something which I did not feel was right for me. They took me to church every week, my family had Christian morals and values, and I had some form of Christian lessons at Sunday school, but that was all. I can’t really remember the details, to be honest. I was a silly kid who didn’t really seem to learn at the same pace as everyone else. I was more likely to focus on the images of the fish that swallowed Jonah, and imagine said fish swallowing everyone in the church. I guess, when I look back on it, I was taught to be wary of people without faith, and that they were lost and could be trouble. This wasn’t seriously hammered into me though, but perhaps I was just saved by being a daydreamer.

I used to consider myself Christian when I was a child, but not really anymore. It may seem silly, but I got sad and confused when I learnt that Santa and the Tooth-Fairy were not real (this happened quite late as well… I was about 11 I think), and I guess I then straight away questioned the existence of God, as everything I had believed in appeared to have been fiction. I’m not really an anything right now, and I take this as me still trying to find my true path.

Personally I have a high respect for all religions. If I was to enter a temple or holy place (or even come across objects of religious significance) of another religion then I would treat it with respect, and I’d perhaps even feel a presence. I don’t mean that in a way which will be regarded as silly, but I mean a sacred presence in all holy places where people have / have had a strong belief. I believe that all religions are real if the faith is real. We each try to make sense of the universe, and we each need our own explanation to avoid insanity (yes, I know that too much can also cause insanity, but heck… I’ll ignore that for now). Currently I guess I have a belief in something, but I do not believe that any of Earth’s religions have depicted its face accurately, but have only tried to represent it in various forms. Nothingness is something which I cannot fathom, and if I ever did I’d probably go insane (my current state of mental irrationality is beyond the point - I mean here insanity which is beyond hope).

As for atheists, and the general purpose of this thread, I have no issue with them. I totally understand their views and the way that they think. Personally if their path leads them to believe that there is nothing out there, and they are content with that, then that is fine for them. I dislike it if they try to tell followers of a religion that their views are stupid though, or try to take the higher ground themselves purely for being atheists who regard religion as ridiculous and out of date. Atheists can be just as bad as religious fanatics when they act like that. Anyone (religious fanatic, or extreme and angry atheist) who shuns another person for their beliefs is taking it too far, but I can’t be the one to tell them that either, for I haven’t quite had the radical upbringing which they may have had themselves.

I personally think that if religions want to make a better name for themselves, instead of being hated and treated with disrespect by people, then they need to return the favour and accept that not everyone has walked down the same path as them, and not everyone hears the calling (or feels the presence) of their deity. We all think and feel differently, and we've all lived different lives, so ultimately we are not all going to have the same beliefs.

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

Ironically, I was raised as a Baptist, and I've been Baptized twice, and was even told that Atheists are sinners and will go straight to Hell. However, deep down I never once felt the "inner warmth of Christ" that everyone was talking about. Then finally after years of questioning, reading, and searching, I became Atheist. However, I can safely say that when I was Christian, I was told dozens of times not to speak, talk, or interact with an Atheist in any shape, form, or fashion.

So far, I can say that everyone that's posted in this thread so far, are people I can easily see myself having great conversations with.

However, Shu, you said something that kind of made me wonder...

I'm not saying there aren't Atheists out there. What I'm saying is, when you are completely alone and you have been through such a tremendous tragedy, and you still claim you are an Atheist, then I'll believe you. People tend to only realize there is a god, when they have nothing left to lose or at the rock bottom.

I've been homeless before, and I can safely say that after hitting rock bottom, and finding that I'm digging through a trashcan for food, I didn't magically believe in a God. I still felt as if he didn't exist. So please believe me when I say that I'm one of those "real Atheists". I know exactly what you mean though. I had a friend that claimed to be Atheist, and then finds that their Aunt needs a brain tumor removed, and then suddenly they "saw the light" and told me to grow up and quit pretending not to believe.

He even went on to state that I was only Atheist because "it was cool". I never talked to him again. Not because he was religious, because that was one hell of an insult.

 

[Valvalis]

Well, a lot of people have already made most of the points I was going to XD, so I'll just be brief about it--I may not be an Atheist myself, but I don't blame or criticize someone for being one if that's how they truly feel. The reason being that I can't really explain why I have the beliefs that I do--when I try to sit down and examine it, it really is just a feeling that something is out there. So to criticize someone for not having that feeling, when I can't even explain where it came from, would be wrong of me I think. Really the only times I ever have problems with Atheists (or really anyone from any belief system) are if they criticize other religions just because a few jackasses from those religions have committed crimes in the religion's name, and they completely ignore all the good people in those religions. Like sometimes, I'll be in a group of friends and someone will say something offensive towards Christians without acknowledging that there are exceptions, and then everyone will start laughing like it's true, and that does piss me off a little. I mean, there are ways to be a Christian without stoning gay people to death and going on crusades to kill everyone who's not Christian; from my understanding the only basic principles you need (or in Protestantism anyway, I'm not really familiar with Catholicism ) are to believe that God created the world and that Jesus died to save everyone, and that you should be nice to everyone around you and not judge them; that's all I believe and that works for me. And as long as I don't sit there trying to make other people believe that, then I don't see how I can be hurting anyone by believing in it. So as long as people don't become Atheists because they believe they're being "morally better" than religious people then I have no problem with it, IMO you can be a good person in any religion or without one.

 

[Davey Gaga]

I'm an Atheist myself and I have a story about how religion looks at me.

My boss was a Muslim, a very devout one at that, and we tended to have lots of chats on saturdays (it was just me and him, really quiet). He talked about how he found the Qu'ran at a young age and, long story short, found it to be a darn good read. After singing its praise, he moved on to bash Atheism, and followed it up with "I think that they're the worst kinds of people; the ones without a way of life to live by, or anyone to worship, or morals to stand by."

Naturally I had a few things to say back but held my tongue since he was my boss.

I know it's not Christianity but it did give me the impression that it was something he regurgitated rather than thought of. It makes me think that he's not the only one who has this belief.

 

[Rydia]

Ok I was raised Catholic, but I consider myself a christian in that I follow Christ's teaching and example. I could careless if he was the son of God, divine, or not. If he is, then that is fucking sweet. I also follow teachings of buddah.

How do you, as a Christian, act and behave around an Atheist? Do you not care?

I act like I do around anyone else. I have never had a problem with anyone else's beliefs and I am quite fascinated with them. Same goes for athiests. And no I do not have a problem with someone that is an athiest. Jesus, who is supposed to be an example for christians, himself hung around sinners so why should I not hang around athiests? (And I did not mean that athiests are sinners, some religious people just consider them to be so.)

Also there are three different beliefs that christians have as far as other religions go.

Singularists: Following Christ is the only way to heaven

Inclusivists: Christ works through everyone's religion (including athiesm), so following christ directly is not necessary because he is already working through every belief system.

Pluralist: Christ is not necessary for salvation.

If there is a God and a heaven, I'd follow the Inclusivist or pluralist belief in regards to other religions.

Do you look down at them?

Not at all, it's wrong to look down on anyone, espeically if you have not walked a mile in their shoes.

How would you feel if a close friend of yours turned out Atheist?

Perfectly fine. It is their choice what they want to believe. If they are good people, it should not matter what their religion is.

Also, how would you feel about working side by side with one?

If they can do the job and are pleasant to be around, then I am perfectly fine. If they are lazy, suck at the job, and are mean spirited, then fire them! but that goes for anyone of any faith.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

If you take out the prospect of preying and worshipping an anthropomorphic god then religion is just a bunch of rules to live by, if you are not a christain or any other denomination and you live a the life of a decent person with the preying crap what fucking right do they have to look down on you.

I would most certainly look down on a person for worshipping in such a primitive fashion, and not necessarily unprovoked, I may just not like you because you believe in a god, the difference being I just wouldnt care...........your salvation is not my business.

I challenge god to duel every 2 months...........and I get no reply, no thunder bolts or anything............But if it were Zues he would zapp my ass...........or Osiris would Crook and Flail me, I much prefer the old gods to the newer Almighty One.

I work with older religious people at my part time job and they have no problem with my not following there religion nor do I have a problem with them. Granted they dont talk to me about it but if they did I dont know if would be the same afterwards?

I will say it again: What kind of Religious Person does not take there Religion seriously?

 

[Harlequin]

Being Atheist is something that doesn't bother me. In our country, religion is a choice and we are free to choose what we want.

Religion is always a choice, you can't force someone to believe what they don't. It's the lifestyle which is imposed.

Christians are automatically told to not associate themselves with non Christians.

By whom?

There are numerous passages in the Bible encouraging Christians to associate themselves with non Christians.

Yet, thinking about the transcriptions, has anyone seen the originals? Meh, the new testament to me has always seemed sort of Harry Potterish to me.

I don't understand what you mean by Harry Potterish.

I consider myself a christian in that I follow Christ's teaching and example. I could careless if he was the son of God, divine, or not. If he is, then that is fucking sweet. I also follow teachings of buddah.

I believe what defines a Christian is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. He is quoted in the Bible as declaring himself as such so surely following his teachings would be to believe in what he says of himself?

If you take out the prospect of preying and worshipping an anthropomorphic god then religion is just a bunch of rules to live by,

As if praying isn't a rule.

Of course there are rules, but the fundamental theme of religion is belief. If you don't have that you aren't a part of the religion, regardless of whether you adhere to the 'rules'.

if you are not a christain or any other denomination and you live a the life of a decent person with the preying crap what fucking right do they have to look down on you.

What basis do you have to gauge whether or not someone is a decent person?

I challenge god to duel every 2 months...........and I get no reply, no thunder bolts or anything............But if it were Zues he would zapp my ass...........or Osiris would Crook and Flail me, I much prefer the old gods to the newer Almighty One.

You clearly haven't had many religious or philosophical discussions.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

Philosophical yes............religious not really, it tends not to go well with name calling and eventually linching of me by them whom l offended. Of course I have had religious debates, how do you think I became so open minded? by listening to whelps.

I can gauge a persons worth simply based on there actions and what they write........wink wink DH.......I mock your god simply because because he is weakly interacting, 1 billion+ people cant be wrong can they?...........sure they can!

If they are lead by morons, too antagonistic? pray for some guidance son.

 

[Harlequin]

Of course I have had religious debates, how do you think I became so open minded? by listening to whelps.

I hadn't suggested you were close minded, nor am I suggesting you are open minded, but the manner in which you and the vast majority or members who post in these threads construct their arguments leave much to be desired. Nothing is ever qualified.

I can gauge a persons worth simply based on there actions and what they write........wink wink DH.......

I hadn't asked about worth but clearly you feel the two are synonymous. I was talking about decency, about your perceptions on morality and where they came from.

For example, mathematics has had a profound effect on how we live our lives. Everything quantifiable is quantified using numbers, whether we're constructing buildings or managing an economy.

Similarly, philosophy has shaped how we as humans have lived since the dawn of time. Everything that isn't quantifiable has been managed philosophically. It's only recently that we've attempted applying exact Sciences to concepts such as morality and the afterlife that we're become closed minded and arrogant. The attitude spawns a 'if I can't see it, it isn't there' attitude in - I'd say, about 99% of the western population.

Which is why I would say your idea of a decent person has been directly influenced by religion, because there has been no other influence which hasn't been influenced by religion when it comes to morality.

I mock your god simply because because he is weakly interacting, 1 billion+ people cant be wrong can they?...........sure they can!

Of course they can. Doesn't mean they are and in any case, everyone is different, you're throwing that number out as if 1 billion people are all the same.

If they are lead by morons, too antagonistic? pray for some guidance son.

From whom? Again, I've stated in various other threads that my beliefs are based on a source of reference, something you've neglected to mention.

Who will guide me? Mankind? Mankind who has no scope of the beyond? Mankind who lacks the capacity to discern truth?

I actually enjoy pitched debates but I'm afraid it's becoming more and more apparent who needs guidance.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

Dude your in love with an imaginary guy!?

Apparently he is in love with you as well, My arguments need no structure because your kind are too narrow minded in your beliefs to change your beliefs on any point about th fundamental aspect of my point.

God does not exist..........its really very simple and you cant really argue made up stuff,
christianity is a failing enterprise based on belief of a central deity who preaches certain ways to live and is no longer revered by the masses as it once was.

Falling and Weak............and its listless people like you who cling to archaic beliefs and want exist in a universe in a bottle, yeah thats right l said listless.

Morality maybe based upon religious fabrications but it still just a way to live and treat others most off the other stuff is useless but morality is personal aspect, Laws are what govern society and we interpret those laws how we see fit.

You will notice the decline of society as we move away from the precepts laid out
by religion, but this is just a natural part of societal growth........its been measured by scientist and not just made up, so it must be true?

You can keep your guidance........I have no need for it.

Recognise this little fella? Exanimo Deus et Ego Gladio Homonid lol!

Harly you may not like me and to be fair I have been an asshole in these posts mocking and what not..........IRL we would not get along any better either way.

 

[The Witch]

As a Christian with an Athiest father, I handle them as so;

If they start to bash my religion, I ask why. They then tell me why they hate it, I inform them of what Christianity really is. I never let it ruin relationships.

In a matter of fact, I prefer to talk to Athiests than the religious. The Bible tells me to reach as many souls as possible. And maybe me telling them the Gospel little by little they'll see Jesus as their savior and come to God.

It doesn't do me nor Jesus any good to argue with athiests that will base their judgement on Christianity from how I am acting.

I use to talk all the time with a dear dear friend of mine, he wasn't Christian but we'd listen to each other about religion. And by a lucky chance, he was one of those few athiests that would listen with an unbiased set of mind. Maybe that's because we liked eachother romantically secretly, but all I know is religion never came between us... at all. For a whole three years I knew him.

My father as I said, is the strongest athiest there can be. He makes fun of all religions and says their false, etc. He even says something when I'm speaking of Jesus and God to my mother, but I try to not let it get to me. All I can do is pray on my knees that my father comes to God and sees Jesus as his savior.

The moment I go about religion negatively, as in arguing rudely, that's when I've done wrong and put just another brick in the wall preventing athiests from converting to Christianity. And I hope I've never done that to anyone. If I did, I'd apologize as quickly as possible.


Also, GalaxyFlare, mind explaining this if God isn't real?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...ark-found-in-turkey-science-religion-culture/

http://www.squidoo.com/noahsarkfound

Not sure if those sites are mocking Christianity or not but nonetheless, pictures and video is provided.

There's no evidence that God doesn't exist, the moment someone tries to claim they do have evidence against God existing is when they'll be wrong.

After all, how can oneself have evidence against something that doesn't exist?

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

As a Christian with an Athiest father, I handle them as so;

If they start to bash my religion, I ask why. They then tell me why they hate it, I inform them of what Christianity really is. I never let it ruin relationships.

I agree with this 100%. I really don't care who it is, or what they practice, but shoving your opinion down someone's throat, or just bashing what someone believes when unprovoked it just plain rude. It is possible for people of different religions to get along. It's usually only when one party tries to force it on someone else when it starts to get ugly.

It doesn't do me nor Jesus any good to argue with athiests that will base their judgement on Christianity from how I am acting.

I think of it like this: Let's say I'm wrong. One day I die and I go up to some afterlife and some God is all, "Boy, you dun goofed", I would like to think that this all seeing, all knowing, individual would judge me based on my actions, rather then whether I believed in him or not.

I use to talk all the time with a dear dear friend of mine, he wasn't Christian but we'd listen to each other about religion. And by a lucky chance, he was one of those few athiests that would listen with an unbiased set of mind. Maybe that's because we liked eachother romantically secretly, but all I know is religion never came between us... at all. For a whole three years I knew him.

I really, REALLY, hate the Atheists that are all, "religion, ha" and then look down on people. So it's good that people can see that not all Atheists are condescending pricks.

Also, Galaxydude, this thread wasn't supposed to be a religion bashing fest. You see, I'm not the type of Atheist that's going to burst out of some corner and yell out, "YOUR GOD IS A LIE" to people. It's just not cool, and it makes me look like a pretentious asswipe, and I prefer to look like that using other means than that.

It's not my business to convert people to Atheism. People have the right to practice whatever religion they want. If it makes them happy, why the hell should they be denied that right?

Some may find this strange, but I became a much happier person when I stopped believing. And once I explained this to a few friends, they stopped questioning it. Just as I never questioned them, because their beliefs felt right to them, just as mine feel right to me. While I definitely don't believe in a God, as stated before, I would like to think that if I were wrong, I would be judged on my actions. As Cali said, there really is no way to prove that there is no God, and no way to prove that there is.

 

[Stoic Hero]

^Raistlin Majere- According to the Bible, God will judge you by your actions. That's the reason we all deserve hell, because none of us have a leg to stand on when our lives are put under the microscope. The whole point of Christ is to give us a way to salvation apart from the law. You'll never make it on your own unless you're 100% good, 100% of the time. If you are, great. Christ came to save sinners, not righteous men. If you're perfect, then you really have nothing to worry about. If you aren't, you might want to take another look at his offer.

^Rydia- Christ cannot simply be a good person for Christianity to be true. He HAS to be divine. He has to be the Son of God. Otherwise, Christianity is a lie.

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

^Raistlin Majere- According to the Bible, God will judge you by your actions. That's the reason we all deserve hell, because none of us have a leg to stand on when our lives are put under the microscope. The whole point of Christ is to give us a way to salvation apart from the law. You'll never make it on your own unless you're 100% good, 100% of the time. If you are, great. Christ came to save sinners, not righteous men. If you're perfect, then you really have nothing to worry about. If you aren't, you might want to take another look at his offer.

If that's the way religion is being pitched now days, no offense, but as a Christian I would be fraking depressed.