The Trend Toward Atheism

[Saint Steven]

I just saw this headline in the New York Times and wondered...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.
The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

 

[Clare73]

I just saw this headline in the New York Times and wondered...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.
The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

Were the Jews who murdered (Acts 7:52) their own Messiah to blame,
or was Jesus to blame because he was not attractive to them?

Liberal guilt?

 

[Derf]

I just saw this headline in the New York Times and wondered...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.
The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

Maybe not so much less attractive, but more convicting to those who want to hold on to their sin.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

I saw an old 1979 vintage You-tube video that was interviewing the cast of Monty Python on a TV talk show talking about their new movie of the time, Life of Brian with other pundits of the time, including a Church of England bishop etc. It was clear that some like Cleese had some atheist leanings etc. and exposure to Christianity via parochial school played a big role. As a person, who likewise had bad experiences from parochial school that negatively affected my faith I could sympathize with that sort of thing.

Besides that I can relate to some things where my faith in the early days was not much of a comfort to me etc. I always had similar kinds of struggles etc. where prayer didn't seem to do any good etc. Became a kind of agnostic seeker person in college. And really looked to Eastern Philosophy etc. like Taoism etc. and I could kind of envision why people like George Harrison could have become a Hindu etc. because for a while I got more mileage from the wisdom of Taoism when it came to self help etc. and a lot of my past Christian experience didn't seem very Christian. Like Christians can talk a lot about Agape, but without actually practicing it etc. and there was other nice stuff like a person can get a lot of hands on benefit from the martial arts as far as an attitude towards life. Kind of like how many of the Roman soldiers etc. did really well under Stoicism etc.

 

[Jesus is my Superhero]

Yes they are to blame. The latter part of Romans chapter 1 describes exactly the ideology that needs to be promoted. Inclusiveness, acceptance, toleration, diversity and many other catch words of humanism bent on a hedonist worship of leisure and happiness, or self fulfillment.

Religiosity doesn't necessarily have to mean searching for holiness. Does Islam in all of its religiosity seek peace with their neighbor, or submission of their neighbor?

Christians are viewed as haters, intolerant and divisive. The powers that be desire to make Christianity over into something more palatable, similar to how these same "sophisticated" and "accomplished" leaders are hoping to have a subdued populace by replacing a percentage of the population with grateful climate refugees from the southern hemisphere. Christianity still isn't watered down enough to their liking.

 

[Saint Steven]

Maybe not so much less attractive, but more convicting to this who want to hold on to their sin.

That's what I mean by blaming them.
Why would they want to hold onto their sin if we had shown them a better way?
The truth is... we haven't.

 

[The Liturgist]

I just saw this headline in the New York Times and wondered...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.
The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

So this actually shouldn’t surprise anyone, because Harvard in the late 18th century was at the center of the Unitarian schism from my denomination (the Congregationalists), and the Unitarian Universalist Church is known for having atheist members and atheist ministers.

 

[CatsRule2020]

2 minutes in a public debate with William Lane Craig should be enough to embarrass Harvard enough to get back to the fundamentals of logic on this.

 

[Saint Steven]

So this actually shouldn’t surprise anyone, because Harvard in the late 18th century was at the center of the Unitarian schism from my denomination (the Congregationalists), and the Unitarian Universalist Church is known for having atheist members and atheist ministers.

Wow. What's the point of an atheist becoming a member, or minister, of a Unitarian Universalist Church? Why would there be a universal way somewhere if there is no God? Or maybe atheism has more to do with not believing in the God of the Bible than any god(s) at all.

 

[martymonster]

I just saw this headline in the New York Times and wondered...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.
The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

Well just remember, all they know of God, is what the church shows them. Most of the time, when I watch a atheist talking about how Christianity is false, it's usually church doctrines they are attacking.

Just remember... God is love... sinners will burn in Hell!

 

[Saint Steven]

Just remember... God is love... sinners will burn in Hell!

Jesus died to save us from God.

 

[Saint Steven]

2 minutes in a public debate with William Lane Craig should be enough to embarrass Harvard enough to get back to the fundamentals of logic on this.

Is that happening?

 

[martymonster]

Jesus died to save us from God.

Yep, a perfect example.

 

[Clare73]

Jesus died to save us from God.

Indeed he did! . . .to save us from God's just wrath on our sin (Romans 5:9).

You don't believe Paul, who received his revelation from Jesus personally, in the third heaven, where he heard things man is not permittted to tell (2 Corinthians 12:1-8)?

 

[Jamdoc]

I just saw this headline in the New York Times and wondered...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist.
The elevation of Greg Epstein, author of “Good Without God,” reflects a broader trend of young people who increasingly identify as spiritual but religiously nonaffiliated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is wrong with us?
We are seen as less and less attractive to the world.
I suppose we would blame them. But are they really to blame?

it's prophecy.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Inb4 someone claims apostasia is a reference to rapture rather than apostasy. Sorry Andy Woods, but you don't just cherrypick translations to get your preferred meaning out, not to mention other uses of the term mean departing from a faith or doctrine, not a physical departure from a place.

1 Timothy 4:1

1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

and I conclude with
Luike 18:8

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

 

[Saint Steven]

it's prophecy.

Isn't that blaming them, again?

Will we just shrug our shoulders and say it is supposed to happen, don't look at us.

 

[Jamdoc]

Isn't that blaming them, again?

Will we just shrug our shoulders and say it is supposed to happen, don't look at us.

But it is actually prophecy.
Jesus doesn't return to a world conquered by the gospel, the 7 mountain mandate is unbiblical.
You can resist it and teach your children, and try to get back to what works (the word of God, not pizza parties) but it will inevitably be that the Church will dwindle. God knows the end from the beginning. He knew this, like several other things happening now, would happen, even if not directly causing it, God knew climate change would occur and gave it as part of the signs of His return.
part of the reason I believe we are nearing that second coming, is because of climate change, the science is right, we would ruin the earth if we kept going along the trajectory we're going, but, we're not going to change, only Jesus coming back is going to end up solving the problem.
ALL of our attempts to solve problems on our own, whether in the world, or in the church itself, are going to fail.

 

[d taylor]

-​

What can you expect from a large part of people who at least identify as christian and do not even believe a large part of The Bible.

It is the age of the faithless christian.

 

[Saint Steven]

But it is actually prophecy.
Jesus doesn't return to a world conquered by the gospel, the 7 mountain mandate is unbiblical.
You can resist it and teach your children, and try to get back to what works (the word of God, not pizza parties) but it will inevitably be that the Church will dwindle. God knows the end from the beginning. He knew this, like several other things happening now, would happen, even if not directly causing it, God knew climate change would occur and gave it as part of the signs of His return.
part of the reason I believe we are nearing that second coming, is because of climate change, the science is right, we would ruin the earth if we kept going along the trajectory we're going, but, we're not going to change, only Jesus coming back is going to end up solving the problem.
ALL of our attempts to solve problems on our own, whether in the world, or in the church itself, are going to fail.

So again, the problem is elsewhere, not us?
Do you really think we are relevant?

 

[Saint Steven]

-​

What can you expect from a large part of people who at least identify as christian and do not even believe a large part of The Bible.

It is the age of the faithless christian.

That being the case, why wouldn't they want to join us?