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Atheist,Should we pray for them,Why.

fm107

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We should most definitely pray for them. We should pray for anyone who is on the pathway leading to Hell. I.e. anyone who has not put their faith in Jesus.

Two scriptures come to mind in which we are told to do so:

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Matthew 5:44
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

As you see above we are told to pray for these people. These people are those who mistreat you because of your belief in God. They therefore cannot be Christians but we are still told to pray for them. But your wasting your time if you are not genuine in what your asking for. We should pray for them because they are on the road to Hell. We should pray for them because we care about them.

Even Jesus prayed for the evil men who put him on the cross!

Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
 
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oi_antz

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Is there some of us who don't think these "atheists" are fellow humans who have constantly declined God's message of truth? I don't think the sharpest words can convince someone, it has to be the right time for them to convert. Remembering my own conversion it would be an easy choice to make if you know the right facts. I think we should pray for anyone we know who requires ministry from angels of light.
 
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Peripatetic

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You never know. C. S. Lewis was an atheist, who called himself "a prodigal who is brought kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape" when describing his conversion to Christianity. Yet he turned out to be one of the more well-read and influential Christian apologists of the 20th century.
 
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sbbqb7n16

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Matthew 5:44
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
This is the passage I thought of, and the verses around it also make it clear that - yes, of course we are to pray for atheists.

43. "You have heard that it was said, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'44. "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45. so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.46. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?47. "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?48. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48


Another thing to remember is that the work of Jesus Christ was to come, seek and save that which was lost (Matt 18:11). So what possible good could come by ignoring those who are lost??


10. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.11. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?"
12. But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.13. "But go and learn what this means: `I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Matthew 9:10-13 (emphasis added)
 
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Phaedron777

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I have witnessed one of the mysterious ways in which God moves. It is through the mysterious hardening and opening of a person's heart. We see evidence of this in many many scriptures.

God hardened Pharoahs heart. God put it into the hearts of the ten kings to accomplish his purposes.

In my life, God put it into the heart of a certain judge to spare me. I am certain I would not have been spared otherwise.

Often times when someone preaches the Gospel God will put it into the hearts of those whom he has lead to be converted and healed.

As it is written, no one can come to God except God draws him. We are therefore praying that God might call them.

But it does no good to pray "for all the atheists in the world as it were" that kind of prayer is not going to work, but if you happen to know an Atheist you would like to save then by all means pray for them.
 
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