I Have An Honest Question For Christians

I am a 4th year psychology student(yeah, I'm also an atheist but that has nothing to do with my paper), and I'm currently writing a paper on religious belief.

I just have a few questions that I hope some of you would be kind enough to answer.

Okay, lets say that for whatever reason, you begin to have doubts about your faith. Does the idea that there is no God frighten you?

Why does it frighten you?

OR

Why does it NOT frighten you?


Edit: To be clear, this is like a yes or no question plus a short justification.
What I am asking you to do is to PRETEND that it's possible that god does not exist and then tell me how you would feel about god not existing.

Thanks.




I would really appreciate you helping me out.



Have yourselves a nice day.

Wow, that alone scares me...LOL Sounds like a loaded question before I even opened the thread.

First let me say who I am. I am a "born-again" or "born-from-above" Christian, as Billy Graham likes to state it. I believe in God, the Trinity, the virgin birth, the Bible and what it says, even the parts I still don't understand and much much more. I could be called an evangelical, conservative Christian. Note: I do no associate myself with a denomination, I would rather be called a "follower of the book(Bible, not TV guide)". I have been a believer in Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior for over 50 years. I believe I have a RELATIONSHIP with God and Jesus, not RELIGION with its associated system of works and earning merit. My salvation is a free gift from God which I received by faith, not based on efforts on my part.

OK, now to your question:

Does the idea of NO GOD scare me.

NO, since if there is no God, then I guess I would be in the same BOAT as everyone one else. What happens to you after death I guess would happen to me also. I do not fear death, I do fear a long suffering illness and slow death, but not dying itself. There was a time when I was badly injured and thought I was about to depart this world. My belief in God and meeting Jesus face to face gave me great peace and I was ready to go. Perhaps a bit disappointed when doctor said, "you'll live".

Besides, If there's NO GOD, how would I know that after death?

Now let me answer the question you didn't ask. Surprise not the question you thought was coming...lol.

Have I ever doubted my faith?

Yes, there are times when I doubt that I really am a child of God. These times always occur when I am walking furtherest from him(OK, when I know I am sinning). I believe that God then speaks to me to remind me that my salvation was a free gift from him. I couldn't do enough good works to merit it before I received it and I do can not do enough good works to maintain it after I received it. I went from a "lost sinner" condition to a "saved sinner" condition. I still sin, but all my sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, even the ones I have not committed yet. Then am I free to sin as much as I like? NO!!!..."for whom God loves He chastens". Lose my salvation, never, lose my rewards, certainly can, be spanked for continual disobedient living, YES. I believe I was way back then, I referred to this above. I believe God at that point said, "child of mine, either live for me down there, or I'll bring you up here."

I have questions for you? Why are you an atheist? Does dying scare you? What if your wrong?

Does the idea of God frighten you?

That answer would be dependant on what your view of a god you hold.

Many people create a god to suit themselves, which the bible calls idoltary, and the reason there are so many different religions. However, does the God of the bible scare you, if in fact He is real?


Dan~~~>asking a reasonable question

Thanks for your reply.

So to clarify, you are not afraid of the idea that there is no god, and you wouldn't feel differently if there was no god?

There's no trick behind it, it's just a question about a healthy mental state and god. I'm trying to draw a link between doubt in god and unpleasant feelings.

" I have questions for you? Why are you an atheist? Does dying scare you? What if your wrong?"

I am an atheist because I see no reason to believe in a deity. I have never seen any definitive proof for a god that does NOT stem from a 'holy text' or personal experience.

Of course dying scares me, everyone who is mentally sound wants to live.

As for your 'what if I'm wrong' question, well, this is a logical fallacy that is called Pascal's Wager. Pascal's Wager states that you should believe because if you're wrong nothing bad happens, but if you're right you get to go to heaven.
Here's the thing, first of all, I cannot FORCE myself to believe in something. To an atheist, god is about as plausible as an invisible fire breathing dragon that orbits the moon and may grant wishes if ask him super nicely. To me, the idea of a god is an illogical one, and I don't see any point in 'pretending' to believe in something.

Secondly, what if YOU'RE wrong? When you accept Jesus as Lord, you are denouncing thousands of other gods that have been worshiped over the course of human existence. What if you're wrong about Allah, or Thor or Odin or Zeus? Followers of these other gods profess their believe just as strongly and as surely as you do. How can you be 100% sure that you're right and they're not? You never could be. So by accepting only Jesus you're taking a HUGE chance that the 'real' god may be one of the other 1000's you've rejected.

MaragonEvolved said:

I am a 4th year psychology student(yeah, I'm also an atheist but that has nothing to do with my paper), and I'm currently writing a paper on religious belief.

I just have a few questions that I hope some of you would be kind enough to answer.

Okay, lets say that for whatever reason, you begin to have doubts about your faith. Does the idea that there is no God frighten you?

Why does it frighten you?

OR

Why does it NOT frighten you?




I would really appreciate you helping me out.



Have yourselves a nice day.

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If there is no god...there is cause to be afraid because there is no one looking out for you, us, and the whole creation. If there is no God, you will attempt to fill that God shaped Hole in your life with anything else, but it won't live up to God because that filler does not live up to God.

The idea that there is no God does not frighten me for two reasons.

1. I am absolutly certain that there is in fact a God.

2. If there isn't then all I've done is just wasted a few hours a week in church. Oh and made occasional sacrifices in my daily life that I wouldn't have otherwise had to make.

Someone said to me (And I don't use this as some kind of lame excuse for faith) "I'd rather be acting like there is a God and find out there isn't, then to act like there is no God and find out there is."

Wow, am I the only one who didn't know the term Pascal's Wager or Gambit. Your the second person to name my argument.

No. I think I wouldn't feel differently, but then I can't say how I would feel about something I can't actually feel. I can't say what it's like to be a woman either. I can only express what I think I might feel. I wonder if there's a term for that?

There has never been a day I have not belived there was a God. So I guess I was not a good responder because I have never doubted the existence of a God, I have had doubts about my own personal salvation at times in the past. There have been times I doubted my parents loved me, but I never doubted they were my parents.

I didn't ask you to "pretend" to believe, but perhaps Pascal forgot to mention "hell" as an alternative, also.

I want to live as much as you, but I know I will die someday. I can't avoid it and it's getting closer everyday.

You are absolutely correct, when I accepted Jesus as my God I am disgarding all other gods and other religions, since there are "no other gods". In that sense the Christian faith is very intolerant when we say, "there is only ONE GOD and ONE WAY". But Jesus said it first. So yes I am "GAMBLING" on Jesus in a sense..but no more then you are "GAMBLING" on your beliefs. So does those who believe in ALLAH, or Zeus, or any other. Yes they are just a fervant in their beliefs as I. I can respect that.

But Christians don't just believe by faith alone without facts, but we believe there is historical evidence that support our belief system. Without going into detail, if you want to examine the objective truths we believe, may I suggest a couple of books by Josh McDowell, call "Evidence that demands a verdict" and "More evidence that demands a verdict."

Those who say there are many ways, I can't accept that.

All three monotheistic faiths say OUR WAY ONLY.

How can I be 100% sure, by faith and experiences in my life. In all of human history only one said. I was there at the beginning, I'll be there at the end, I experienced death but came back from the dead, I paid the debt you owe, I offer a free gift you don't have to work for and I will be the final judge. I AM THE ONLY WAY, THE REAL TRUTH AND THE ETERNAL LIFE.

No other belief system offers me better, so, thank you, I'll take my chances with that one.

MrDave said:

Wow, am I the only one who didn't know the term Pascal's Wager or Gambit. Your the second person to name my argument.

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Hi again Dave.
Well, there was a time I didn't know what Pascal's Wager was either, it's only through having to de-bunk the argument hundreds of times that I have an intimate knowledge of it. If you're interested in the whole wager(I merely paraphrased) then please read this. It not only discusses the wager in detail, but also gives examples of why it is severely flawed.

No. I think I wouldn't feel differently, but then I can't say how I would feel about something I can't actually feel. I can't say what it's like to be a woman either. I can only express what I think I might feel. I wonder if there's a term for that?

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Imagining?
I don't think it's that hard. I can IMAGINE what I might feel like if I found out somehow that there was a god.

There has never been a day I have not belived there was a God. So I guess I was not a good responder because I have never doubted the existence of a God, I have had doubts about my own personal salvation at times in the past. There have been times I doubted my parents loved me, but I never doubted they were my parents.

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I think perhaps the wording of my question is flawed. What I'm trying to get at is the idea that to a theist, NOT believing in god would be painful.

I didn't ask you to "pretend" to believe, but perhaps Pascal forgot to mention "hell" as an alternative, also.

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Pascal mentioned it, I was too lazy to type out the whole wager, apologies.

I want to live as much as you, but I know I will die someday. I can't avoid it and it's getting closer everyday.

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Can't argue there.

You are absolutely correct, when I accepted Jesus as my God I am disgarding all other gods and other religions, since there are "no other gods". In that sense the Christian faith is very intolerant when we say, "there is only ONE GOD and ONE WAY". But Jesus said it first. So yes I am "GAMBLING" on Jesus in a sense..but no more then you are "GAMBLING" on your beliefs. So does those who believe in ALLAH, or Zeus, or any other. Yes they are just a fervant in their beliefs as I. I can respect that.

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But that's the thing, Jesus didn't say it first. There are many gods and religious beliefs that came before Jesus, in a historical sense. The one God idea did NOT begin with Jesus, it's been around for thousands of years. I mean really, if you were to believe in the first monotheistic religion, you'd be a Jew. God in the Old Testament said he was the one true God before Jesus did.

But Christians don't just believe by faith alone without facts, but we believe there is historical evidence that support our belief system. Without going into detail, if you want to examine the objective truths we believe, may I suggest a couple of books by Josh McDowell, call "Evidence that demands a verdict" and "More evidence that demands a verdict."

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There may very well be 'historical evidence' to support a belief system, but it still cannot dismiss the other belief systems, nor can it provide a positive proof for the existence of a deity.
Thank you for the recommended reading.

Those who say there are many ways, I can't accept that.
All three monotheistic faiths say OUR WAY ONLY.

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Yes, they do. And they ALL believe that theirs is the one true faith with all of their hearts and will cite just as many sources and historical documents, etc to prove it.
Don't you see something contradictory there? Think about it this way. Are you American? Either way, were you born into a country where the majority of the believers are Christian? Then that's why you're Christian. If you were born elsewhere in the world, you would be brought up in and believe in that areas religion.
You could JUST as easily be a Muslim or a Jew or whatever else.

No other belief system offers me better, so, thank you, I'll take my chances with that one.

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Did you do some belief system shopping?

Mailman Dan said:

Does the idea of God frighten you?

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Not in the slightest.

That answer would be dependant on what your view of a god you hold.

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I hold the view that it is highly unlikely that a deity exists.

Many people create a god to suit themselves, which the bible calls idoltary, and the reason there are so many different religions.

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All of the other religions call christians idolaters. How can you say with 100% certainty that you are correct and they are not? It's a logical fallacy, because you couldn't.

However, does the God of the bible scare you, if in fact He is real?
Dan~~~>asking a reasonable question

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If the god of your bible somehow managed to convince me that he was real and was the One and Only god, then no, I wouldn't fear him, and I wouldn't be an atheist.

Secondly, what if YOU'RE wrong? When you accept Jesus as Lord, you are denouncing thousands of other gods that have been worshiped over the course of human existence. What if you're wrong about Allah, or Thor or Odin or Zeus? Followers of these other gods profess their believe just as strongly and as surely as you do. How can you be 100% sure that you're right and they're not? You never could be. So by accepting only Jesus you're taking a HUGE chance that the 'real' god may be one of the other 1000's you've rejected.

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You are of course basing that argument on the assumption that you can never really know to a reasonable degree of certainty if you have made the right decision or not.

Don't you see something contradictory there? Think about it this way. Are you American? Either way, were you born into a country where the majority of the believers are Christian? Then that's why you're Christian. If you were born elsewhere in the world, you would be brought up in and believe in that areas religion.
You could JUST as easily be a Muslim or a Jew or whatever else.

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Tell that to all the Christians in China, or Pakistan, or Iraq, etc...

I don't take the idea seriously enough to let it frighten me. If there really is no God, then what of the spiritual encounters I've had personally. That's what it would all go back to, really. It it were true, I suppose those encounters would make me insane. Yet I am a functional human being. And if I'm going to be labeled insane, what about Sir Issac Newton who was a renowned scientist AND a mystic? Would people really want to take beloved science from a man that they would also have to label insane? What of Bacon, Mendel, Pascal? All Christians.

twistedsketch said:

I don't take the idea seriously enough to let it frighten me. If there really is no God, then what of the spiritual encounters I've had personally. That's what it would all go back to, really. It it were true, I suppose those encounters would make me insane. Yet I am a functional human being. And if I'm going to be labeled insane, what about Sir Issac Newton who was a renowned scientist AND a mystic? Would people really want to take beloved science from a man that they would also have to label insane? What of Bacon, Mendel, Pascal? All Christians.

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I think you're misunderstanding.

I'm not LABELING anyone as anything.

I am asking you to ponder the IDEA that PERHAPS god is not real and then tell me how that makes you feel.

That's it, that's all.

By the way, arguing to authority about some scientists who were christians doesn't actually do anything for christianity's case. But that's another thread.

Zunalter said:

Tell that to all the Christians in China, or Pakistan, or Iraq, etc...

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You mean the minority of christians that may live in other countries that have been converted by missionaries?
What does that have to do with anything?
I'm saying that not being born into a society that is majorly christian LOWERS your chance of being christian.

MaragonEvolved said:

I am a 4th year psychology student(yeah, I'm also an atheist but that has nothing to do with my paper), and I'm currently writing a paper on religious belief.

I just have a few questions that I hope some of you would be kind enough to answer.

Okay, lets say that for whatever reason, you begin to have doubts about your faith. Does the idea that there is no God frighten you?

Why does it frighten you?

OR

Why does it NOT frighten you?

Edit: To be clear, this is like a yes or no question plus a short justification.
What I am asking you to do is to PRETEND that it's possible that god does not exist and then tell me how you would feel about god not existing.

Thanks.
I would really appreciate you helping me out.
Have yourselves a nice day.

Click to expand...

Doesn't bother me one bit, in either direction really.

If one day, I just felt that there was no God, then so be it, if I felt that there was, then so be it.

If I true to myself then that is what matters. It should not be an issue of fear, or what have you, it should be a focus on what you can live, or more to the matter what you can die with.

I would not feel fear, or panic, nor would I feel joy, or much in any way, in the end of things. I would only feel what I have always felt, that this is the right thing, and this is what I can be honest with myself about.

I face it with no remorse, just as I faced becoming a Christian with no remorse. It is about being honest with yourself, and about finding peace in what you believe.

I hope I have answered this Question for you.

God Bless

Key

MaragonEvolved said:

I am a 4th year psychology student(yeah, I'm also an atheist but that has nothing to do with my paper), and I'm currently writing a paper on religious belief.

I just have a few questions that I hope some of you would be kind enough to answer.

Okay, lets say that for whatever reason, you begin to have doubts about your faith. Does the idea that there is no God frighten you?

Why does it frighten you?

OR

Why does it NOT frighten you?


Edit: To be clear, this is like a yes or no question plus a short justification.
What I am asking you to do is to PRETEND that it's possible that god does not exist and then tell me how you would feel about god not existing.

Thanks.




I would really appreciate you helping me out.



Have yourselves a nice day.

Click to expand...

No-one seems interested in trying to answer your question, so I'll give it a shot.

Firstly, it's not that easy to answer a question that begins "Pretend that (something you know to be true and vitally important) is false". It's rather like being asked "Pretend that the sun doesn't exist - would that scare you". You know that the sun does exist, and that without it the world would not be as it is.

But trying to give it a shot anyway: I would be very concerned for the state of creation. The world is a mess. It's quite clear that we are largely to blame. If there is no God in the process of putting it right then there is no hope for creation, for the millions who are suffering, etc.

So, not so much afraid as saddened, I think.

I think I echo ebia's comments on this. I wouldn't be so much frightened, as in I need God to help me with my comfort factor, I would be immensely saddened at the prospect, that this is all there is. By this I mean everything, the sun, stars, the great unknown. That may sound amazing, but when you look at how amazingly badly we have messed up our own planet, I cannot find any happiness in knowing that our future prospects are to seed the universe with the same misery and disaster. I find it saddening to see how much effort we invest in such trivial things, whilst there are people suffering, who we can easily turn a blind eye to, as long as I'm ok. It's a horrible realisation to come to, and I think without God I would be even more wretched than I currently am.

I think I would feel a very real hole in my life, which is what I felt prior to being a Christian, and only God has been able to fill that hole for me and empower me to act on certain things. It wasn't a 180 turnabout, but it's gradual, and I like the changes so far. No God, equals no changes, and that would leave me back where I started.

Digit

MaragonEvolved said:

I am a 4th year psychology student(yeah, I'm also an atheist but that has nothing to do with my paper), and I'm currently writing a paper on religious belief.

I just have a few questions that I hope some of you would be kind enough to answer.

Okay, lets say that for whatever reason, you begin to have doubts about your faith. Does the idea that there is no God frighten you?

Why does it frighten you?

OR

Why does it NOT frighten you?


.

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I have had doubts. And yes, in a way it was frightening. The world without God looks like rather a sad place! But something always drew me back.
You ask why Christianity, rather than another religion.
The answer is Jesus!
Jesus is the only one who offers redemption!
I know that I can never live a "good" life, by any moral standards, on my own. I am intrinsically selfish.
And Christ is the only one who not only tells us how to live, but has actually taken our sins on Himself, and removed them, by His death.
So even though I am naturally fairly unpleasant, He has made me righteous.
So yes, life without Him would be frightening.
But it is not something that actually frightens me, as I know Him.
I have more reason to doubt your existance than His!

There's no trick behind it, it's just a question about a healthy mental state and god. I'm trying to draw a link between doubt in god and unpleasant feelings.

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Thank you for the courtesy of explanation -- very thoughtful.

The question has so many possible angles to it, the complexity can't fairly be applied to a yes/no question.

When I'm more devoted to my faith and to God, my mental state improves. I am more content, grounded, have goals and hope for accomplishing them, and find solutions to problems more easily... feel more supported without depending on people's wavering approval.

So if I was mistaken, I will not have lost. I will have gained something that supported me in living how I would have wanted to live. Generosity and caring for others had the extra push I needed, to be able to look back on my life and not feel too terribly selfish.

I would have unpleasant feelings though!!!
God, to most Christians, is as real as a parent. To say that God, who has communicated with you for years, does not exist, has little logic to it.

If believers are not in fact hearing from God and seeing miracles from God, then a new source has to be established, because these interventions do in fact happen daily. If Jehovah is taken away, then a different intelligent, interactive, and considerate being must fill that spot -- the communication and power must have a source.

Of course dying scares me, everyone who is mentally sound wants to live.

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People who are content with living a good life, but see a future of declining health or old age commonly "let go" of life, with solid mental health.

I mean really, if you were to believe in the first monotheistic religion, you'd be a Jew. God in the Old Testament said he was the one true God before Jesus did.

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Christians are "grafted into the vine" -- in essence, we see ourselves as extensions of the Jewish congregation. (See Romans 11.)

"But that's the thing, Jesus didn't say it first. There are many gods and religious beliefs that came before Jesus, in a historical sense. The one God idea did NOT begin with Jesus, it's been around for thousands of years. I mean really, if you were to believe in the first monotheistic religion, you'd be a Jew. God in the Old Testament said he was the one true God before Jesus did."

Forgive my lack of knowledge in how to post.

I don't believe in any religious system, I believe in a person, Jesus.

You obviously don't understand who the Jesus I believe in, really was. He was God the Son and He was God the Creator as stated in Colossians. He has always existed, so HE WAS BEFORE ALL OTHER RELIGIONS AND RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS. The One God Idea came from the ONE GOD. There was a time that that the Jewish faith was the right way, but a Jew brought that to an end. But within the Jewish own writings is indication that, there God was more then just God the Father, that there God would someday "provide himself as THE SACRIFICE", and that the very Jewish system pointed to a cpming system that would replace theirs. Many Jews are still missing that today.

You can ignore the existence of God and ignore that He has done all He can to keep you from judgment, but unless you figure out a way to escape dying, you will stand before the God you don't believe in someday and be judged and you will be "without excuse".