What is God?... Discrimination?

["Misguided Unbeliever"]

Hi im new to these forums, and I would like to state that I am atheist. I have had many Christian people discriminate against me, and I have the overall feeling that christian people believe that they are more "guided" then other people. I find it ironic that in the bible, it speaks of all people being equal, but Christians have this belief (or idea) that they are better people then any one that is not of the Christian religion.

Example: I went to this other christian site where it had a poll, the poll said "Does god have a sense of humor", "A-Yes, B-No, C-mabey, D-I don't believe in God" There were a series of posts after this poll, and one came to my attention. It said "I am so upset about those nine people who voted that they don't believe in deities, god is the one almighty, and these people are lost. I am going to go and pray for their souls, because they are so, so misguided."

My point exactly... Refer to the "These people are lost, these people are misquided."

Just because people don't believe in God, does not make them a less guided, or lost person. I find this very insulting...

To my other point, what exactly is God. Most Christians say that he is here/there, to guide us. Which brings me to my other point, Im sure that most of you have seen this quote before "If God is the most powerfull being, could he create a boulder so heavy, even he himself could not lift?" Either way, it proves God can not be the "almighty" or that he has limitless power.

I hope no one takes this in offense, because it was not made to be an insult. Im just making a point. Feel free to criticize.

 

[transientlife]

Hi im new to these forums, and I would like to state that I am atheist. I have had many Christian people discriminate against me, and I have the overall feeling that christian people believe that they are more "guided" then other people. I find it ironic that in the bible, it speaks of all people being equal, but Christians have this belief (or idea) that they are better people then any one that is not of the Christian religion.
QUOTE]

Hi and, even as a Christian, I completely understand where you are coming from. It is unfortunate that your experience has been such with those 'types' of Christians. But ,please don't think that ALL christians are 'holier than thou' minded. In my experience as well, I have known many Christians who seem to go against the teachings of love, forgiveness, etc, by judging, condemning and excluding those who don't meet their ideals...it is a sad thing and if the Christian church continues on the path of fellowship in judgment as it has, it will only tarnish the church more.

Whether you believe in God, a god, or not, that is your business and I wouldn't necessarily think of you as lost. I would hope you would at least explore Christianity more, even if not to "join", but just for the learning experience of a complex and at times fascinating history. I am intrigued by other religions and philosophies and do not let my Christianity prevent me from studying other religions like Taoism or Buddhism, they all offer a great deal of insight as well. ( I recommend examining them as well, not to mention Islam, Druidism, Native American beliefs, and Hinduism) Hindus have some of the most beautiful and peaceful worships, if you ever get the chance to attend a Hindu worship, with a friend, with a class, or alone, I highly recommend it ( I went to one during my world religions college course).

Good luck and I wish ya the best!

 

[Lifesaver]

Well, either Christians or atheists HAVE got it terribly wrong and are effectively lost (or maybe both?).

If one is a Christian, he'll be truthful to his beliefs in saying the atheist is lost. The same is true for the atheist. I don't see why that is, in itself, so insulting (disregarding the different ways it can be said).

As for the boulder problem, we had a thread about this 2 days ago in General Apologetics.

To make my position shortly, a boulder that God can and can't lift is something completely contradictory, and therefore does not exist (it is the same thing as nothing at all). The same is true for a married bachelor. Can God create a married bachelor? No, there isn't such a thing as that. It is nothing more than words tied together that make absolutely no sense and are meaningless.

Can God create fgr%¬)¨a#|| ?

This "thing", fgr%¬)¨a#||, makes as much sense as the boulder in question, and both are the same thing: absolutely nothing.

 

[Thwingly]

Hello!

First, discrimination is wrong. If you suppose any Christian is doing it, please show them James 2:1-7. I would really appreciate that.

Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit. Mathew 15:14

There was a time when I was blind. Of course I did not think I was blind, because that was normal to me. My vision is perhaps 40 to 50/20, but I did not realize that until someone told me/ a friend of mine who had 20/20 vision could see farther than I. The point is, I did not think I was lost or misguided because I had no idea what it was like to be found and directed by God.

Christians, that is, true followers of Jesus Christ do not claim to be better than anyone else. Neither do they claim that God loves them more or try to put themselves on a higher platform than others. There are many people who claim to be Christians, but fail to back it up by their actions. If you want to find the truth about Christianity, do not bother with them. Or if you want to do me a favor warn them of their hypocrisy (Just tell me if you want some Bible verses to show them).

Believe it or not, Christianity is offensive. The message itself is not evil or bad, but people are offended by it. Please don't take me wrongly here, I nor any follower of Christ is trying to offend you, rather I think the person you met on this other Christian site was concerned about those people.

I take the position that all humanity is on the same plate. We do not deserve God or any of his free gifts, but because of his love for us He gives them to us anyways. A follower of Christ is one who has simply accepted God's gift of eternal life and forsaked his/her old sinful way of life. It is a free gift for everyone, even you. And God will not let anyone by his own righteousness enter God's kingdom. While there is that dividing line, of those in the kingdom of light and those in the kingdom of darkness, we are all sinners and deserve God's punishment.

Well thank you for your post, if you have any questions for me or would like more information, just ask.

Sincerely,
Thwingly.