What do Christians think of Atheists?

[just a believing guy]

...and end up in some way resenting or being angry with their god. While this may be the closest your average christian ever gets to being an atheist....Any thoughts?

I promiss you, no Christian who finds God to be transcendental, i.e. pure and simple Love could ever remain permanently angry with our Lord. (I'm not taking sides, and will say that being angry with God is the Roman Catholic religious ''allowance'').

 

[timewerx]

C'mon...you don't really think atheists exist through some failing of religious people do you? It's ok if you do...that just sounds like a very diplomatic answer.

I strongly believe in my answer.

You simply haven't seen how much difference we can make even if just half of us actually made God #1 in our lives.

Many atheists don't believe simply because they haven't seen. To see is to believe right?? I mean this figuratively of course. But I think you know what I mean. If someone actually believes very strongly about something, and apparently it works so well even if it's unseen, people will take notice, people will believe.

But you don't know what I'm talking about because we haven't done enough.

There's actually more at work behind the scenes most people, not even many Christians have any idea.

 

[just a believing guy]

Ahhh...ok...Satan again.

Satan indeed. Many psychologists would tell you that the belief in existence of Satan is good for you.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Satan indeed. Many psychologists would tell you that the belief in existence of Satan is good for you.

Many? Cite three...that shouldn't be difficult if you didn't just make that up.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I promiss you, no Christian who finds God to be transcendental, i.e. pure and simple Love could ever remain permanently angry with our Lord. (I'm not taking sides, and will say that being angry with God is the Roman Catholic religious ''allowance'').

I agree...but that doesn't mean people who believe don't ever get angry at their god.

 

[Ana the Ist]

How does one know anything? I believe that is exactly problem with atheism.

What is?

 

[just a believing guy]

Many? Cite three...that shouldn't be difficult if you didn't just make that up.

It's a recent study I found in the Internet...google a bit.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I strongly believe in my answer.

You simply haven't seen how much difference we can make even if just half of us actually made God #1 in our lives.

That's true...I haven't.

Many atheists don't believe simply because they haven't seen. To see is to believe right?? I mean this figuratively of course. But I think you know what I mean. If someone actually believes very strongly about something, and apparently it works so well even if it's unseen, people will take notice, people will believe.

I would ask if you think that's an accurate way to understand reality.

But you don't know what I'm talking about because we haven't done enough.

There's actually more at work behind the scenes most people, not even many Christians have any idea.

Well it's nice of you to put it all on yourself.

 

[Ana the Ist]

It's a recent study I found in the Internet...google a bit.

Provide a link.

 

[just a believing guy]

I agree...but that doesn't mean people who believe don't ever get angry at their god.

No, they don't get angry with God at all. Even if they did, one should not be stressing ''angry'' as if it were a permanent state of mind, as it's not.

 

[Ana the Ist]

No, they don't get angry with God at all. Even if they did, one should not be stressing ''angry'' as if it were a permanent state of mind, as it's not.

I've seen christians on this site talk about times they were angry with god...and no emotion is a "permanent state".

 

[just a believing guy]

Provide a link.

The Psychological Power of Satan

Read the last paragraph.

 

[Ana the Ist]

The Psychological Power of Satan

Read the last paragraph.

It basically says the exact opposite of what you said...

"The longer we cling to strong beliefs about the existence of pure evil, the more aggressive and antisocial we become."

In other words, belief in Satan is a bad thing psychologically. Did you actually read the article/blog?

 

[just a believing guy]

It basically says the exact opposite of what you said...

"The longer we cling to strong beliefs about the existence of pure evil, the more aggressive and antisocial we become."

In other words, belief in Satan is a bad thing psychologically. Did you actually read the article/blog?

Did you read the very last sentence? And, nowhere in the article does it explicitly says that Satan doesn't exist.

 

[just a believing guy]

dp

 

[Soyeong]

What a strange thing to say...surely you realize people hold all kinds of false beliefs without any real evidence, right?

Evidence is defined in the dictionary as an indication, so while it is true that people hold all kinds of false beliefs, they would not hold all kinds of false beliefs if nothing indicated to them that those beliefs were true. To suggest that someone can form a belief without evidence is to suggest that their belief formed uncaused.

I mean...under that assumption, any beliefs anyone holds has supporting evidence...including conflicting beliefs.

You are an atheist only because something indicated to you that that position is true and I am a theist only because something indicated to me that this position is true, so while only one of us is correct, it is not the case that only of us has evidence to support our position. So the issue is not who has the evidence, but who has the correct interpretation of the evidence.

I would say that people don't generally hold beliefs without having a reason...but those reasons don't necessarily amount to "evidence".

I do not think that it is humanly possible to hold a belief without having a reason, and to suggest that is possible is against to suggest that the belief was formed uncaused. Evidence is an indication and a reason for a belief is an indication that it is true, so reasons inherently qualify as evidence.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Did you read the very last sentence? And, nowhere in the article does it explicitly says that Satan doesn't exist.

I read the whole thing...and you made two claims.

1. That belief in Satan is a good thing.
2. Many psychologists agree that belief in Satan is a good thing.

Not only does the article you linked not support your claims, it provides evidence that the exact opposite is true...belief in Satan is not a good thing.

 

[just a believing guy]

I read the whole thing...and you made two claims.

1. That belief in Satan is a good thing.
2. Many psychologists agree that belief in Satan is a good thing.

Not only does the article you linked not support your claims, it provides evidence that the exact opposite is true...belief in Satan is not a good thing.

You aren't that much of a pen fan, are you? The last sentence acts as the leaven to the whole article.

 

[just a believing guy]

I've seen christians on this site talk about times they were angry with god...and no emotion is a "permanent state".

Belief is beyond emotions.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Evidence is defined in the dictionary as an indication, so while it is true that people hold all kinds of false beliefs, they would not hold all kinds of false beliefs if nothing indicated to them that those beliefs were true. To suggest that someone can form a belief without evidence is to suggest that their belief formed uncaused.

No...rather, I'm suggesting that some beliefs are held simply because of the way they make people feel. For example...

You're certainly aware that belief in the afterlife is a very old belief with many forms. Yet being able to resuscitate someone or bring them back to life after death is a relatively new phenomenon of modern medicine. So even if you believe that NDEs are "evidence" of an afterlife...most people throughout history who have held that belief had no evidence at all. So why did they hold that belief? Simple...they find it more comforting than the belief that this life is all we get.

You are an atheist only because something indicated to you that that position is true and I am a theist only because something indicated to me that this position is true, so while only one of us is correct, it is not the case that only of us has evidence to support our position. So the issue is not who has the evidence, but who has the correct interpretation of the evidence.

I can see why you think that.

I do not think that it is humanly possible to hold a belief without having a reason, and to suggest that is possible is against to suggest that the belief was formed uncaused. Evidence is an indication and a reason for a belief is an indication that it is true, so reasons inherently qualify as evidence.

I'm not saying people don't have reasons...but purely emotional reasons aren't evidence. Something isn't true simply because you want it to be.