Why are atheists considered to be so dishonest?

JGG

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I guess that depends on how one defines subjective. I've heard it broken down as a persons perspective on something existing only in the mind, while others say it's thought within the mind that are modified by personal bias.

Subjective as in ethics and morals are not something we can actually measure, and each person's view of what is "right" is influenced by a myriad of factors.

I've never heard anyone equate morality with a government's law before. It becomes a pointless redundancy if it is.

I'm sure you have, it wasn't that long ago that Judge Roy Moore, and his merry band were trying to convince us that U.S. law should reflect Christian morality. But that's not what I'm saying. Law doesn't necessarily promote what's moral in our society. However, in hard to argue that nations like Saudi Arabia legistlate their morality with laws such as those against blasphemy.

Actually, I do. Not that I haven't heard it explained before, but that every explanation has included some view that not everyone holds. And without some unchanging higher power to lay laws down, their views are as accurate as a person who views all the evils of today as good.

Yes, this is what I mean by subjective morality. However, even when unchanging higher powers lay laws down, they tend to be just as subjective. It really wasn't that long ago that the Bible explained why whites were superior to blacks. There was also a period where God explained why His followers must execute homosexuals and disobedient children. Clearly this "morality" doesn't hold today (except in Uganda).

I really dont intend to take this discussion much further. This discussion is all irrelevant, but ethics is my favorite subject and I appreciate your input so I have a hard time backing down :p So, this will probably be my last post. You can pm me or something is you'd like, but my schedule is kind of sporadic.

I don't think it's irrelevant. I'm still waiting for your example of how atheists have significantly different morals (specifically in terms of dishonesty) than theists?
 
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DomainRider

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If we treat people the way we want to be treated then we are obeying God. Of course we do not thow out the law for the law teaches us what is good for us. But God is simple in his application. Love, God's love, is just treating people well. That includes treating sinners well, he does not make a distinction treat good people well and bad people badly, to clarify this to his disciples Jesus said "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. - Luk 6:27-28

I hear the 'whoosh!' then, as my whole argument passed you by... ;)
 
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oi_antz

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Hey guys, just popping back in to share a few thoughts I've been having lately. I really feel this thread has helped to warm-up atheist/Christian/non-Christian relations, and I can see this by the tone of the comments in the last two pages, that we are actually thinking critically together rather than fighting each other, this really brings a tear to my eye :) A couple of things I want to mention:

Morality: Atheists seem to demonstrate an incredibly sharp representation of good moral ethic, so far as love your brother and do unto another. I think once an atheist can break through the feeling of being persecuted and outcast by religion, then they are able to share their thoughts in a much more comfortable manner, and this is extremely productive to achieving coherency in such a diverse society.

Morality according to the Bible: we must remember that the Bible doesn't set dogma by which we ought to live by, what it does is tell us what God approves of and what God disapproves of. When the topic of rape and slavery comes up, it must be taken in context of the social construct of the time that God gave those commands. Obviously the commands do not say that slavery and rape are ok, but rather that these are manifestations of the sin of our world, and in such cases as they exist, these are the ways God would like us to deal with them. Take for an example, when an axe head flies off the handle and kills another man. This is something that just happens sometimes, it's not something that God has caused and it's not something that God condones, but God has told us how we should deal with those situations when they arise.

So I think when we read the Bible we really have to consider how is it relevant to the situation at hand, because one thing I've learned recently is that a lot of the beliefs I once held about the Bible have been turned inside-out and I now understand things quite differently. This is certainly a result of having discussed the topic on this thread and come to a more complete understanding of what it means to be Christ's disciple. What I'm learning is that parts of the Bible are prophetic and when we go trying to guess what they might mean and how they will come about, we are actually making up a lie about the future and this is what so many churches do, they think they can explain everything in the Bible when in actual fact much of the Bible just isn't meant to be understood at all. As time goes by, parts of the Bible that are encrypted become unlocked and we get a better idea of what God has in store for the world.

So I think it's better if we can all concentrate on thinking together for the good of the globe and everyone in it, and that means to put aside our personal agenda's and look to see what we can be doing to help each other out.

Finally I'd like to add one more thing that I have realized recently, that many churches seem to think it is their duty to force people to live Christian lives. I think this is just downright wrong, because obviously many people simply don't want to be Christian and we have no right whatsoever to force them to live that way. This is drawing a lot of contention between Christian and non-Christian parties, where each side is fighting each other to get their own way. After thinking about this, I think as a Christian we have a duty to ourselves and to each other to identify the areas where we need to work on repentance, and listen to what our conscience tells us. For those who aren't Christian, they have obviously been quite sorely hurt by the vocal crowds that want to force them into a mold, that they have huge insecurities on their conscience. From walking around the streets recently I have seen so many people are insecure about their homosexual attractions, which is simply a hormonal response to light bouncing off skin and into the eyes. It is completely unfair that anyone should feel uncomfortable for something that is a purely natural part of life, so while I as a Christian cannot say that God condones homosexuality, I really don't feel as though I need to say it anyway because everyone already knows it. But I think it's more important that people feel comfortable with the way their body works, otherwise such suppression can lead to all sorts of emotional problems, insecurities, and even rage. So I think if we are Christian, it's our duty to love the non-Christians for who they are, remember that we have no place to condemn another person or even look down on them for having not decided to be Christian, because afterall, not everyone wants to be Christian and we aren't doing any favors for anyone by trying to force people to behave as one. How do these thoughts fit in with your recent thoughts JGG?
 
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oi_antz

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Hey guys, you won't believe this - I've had a hit on my life! They forced me from my home and they even had a garbage truck waiting outside my hotel room! You don't know how much this pee's me off because I know full well there is a president of a very powerful nation that owes me protection. Anyhow, to let you know that I really feel no-one cares about me so I'm just going to start woofing (that is "working on organic farms"), hopefully that won't upset too many people. I think you atheists will be ok now that you know God is on your side, it's just us Christians the world seems to hate so much. Jesus even said this Himself:

John 15:18
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

God bless, see you in the next life :)
 
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oi_antz

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Hey guys, just want to add one more comment which is relevant to this thread, that Atheist's and Christians aren't the only ones who can work for God:
Mark 9
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
This shows that demons can be exorcised by even those who aren't Christ's disciples.
 
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oi_antz

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"God is on your side, it's just us Christians the world seems to hate so much."
Do you know what would make me believe in Jesus Christ? Christians losing their persecution complex.
Hi BleedingHeart, God has told me to show you this verse:
Ezekiel 3:19 (New International Version, ©2011)

19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.
This is all I can do now, the matter is totally out of my control. Clearly God is telling you atheists that you need to step up and be responsible stewards of that which He has given us. It seems with the atheists having a keen interest in science, you are the most qualified team to be in charge of environmental and medical industries, as for me I am hoping I can just slink back into an outdoors job where I have very little contact with the outside world. I feel that my mission on earth has been fulfilled, that by showing you atheists that God is not against you, I have done all I can to help you in what you wish to do most dearly: to care for the garden He has given us. I don't know if you'll ever hear from me again, only God knows that.

Bless you all, both great and small :groupray:

Edit: In case you can't hear the message that God is giving in this verse, I'll tell you that He is not saying that you are wicked if you aren't Christian, because as I said earlier I have seen that many atheists are exceptionally moral. What He is telling you here is that if we continue to fight about who God is, that is wicked behaviour especially at such a crucial time in history when we must be working together to ensure that the world is not destroyed by selfish human ambitions.

What it means is that we have to rise above forms of division by identity and greed, and really start to think about how our actions are impacting others. I also accept that me sharing my thoughts here may be impacting people in ways they don't like, which is why I think I should just pull right back from the spotlight because I've already established all that I set out to do and there is nothing more I want than to show everyone that God owns this world and if we aren't careful now the six minutes on the clock of doom could very well pass before 2012 as the Mayans appear to have predicted.

I feel that President Obama is definitely doing the right thing by calling for the disassembly of nuclear weapons, I think the global human ecosystem is far too fragile to have such destructive devices at our fingertips these days, and I know that despite a person's religion, country or industry they are probably not likely to be wishing for a nuclear holocaust.
 
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oi_antz

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Hey guys, I really don't want the last words on this thread to be "nuclear holocaust", so I'm going to let you know what has been happening to me over the last few weeks and then open the floor to continue this discussion, because I think this particular can of worms we have opened really should be explored so we get to find the exact limits of where atheists and Christians can "peacefully co-exist" ;)

So, some of my recent posts have described quite an anxious fear I have had that people were trying to kill me. I have received treatment for paranoia and the doctors have assured me that it was all delusional. I'm happy with that diagnosis and the recovery, but I must say that having been the one who had the first-hand experience, I cannot agree that my experiences were delusional. So I have had to think a lot about who would want to kill me and why, and to my understanding it has a lot to do with my spirituality, whereby I am committed to Jesus Christ and as such there are quite a few people who are natural enemies simply because they hate Jesus and His disciples.

So I have come to understand that this was a demonic attack, and most likely that people didn't really intend to kill me, but rather that was my perception of the world. This was verified by the fact that Jesus has brought to my attention quite a lot of sins in my life that I had not fully repented from, and when we have unrepented sin in our life, Jesus is unable to protect us from the enemy because we are breaking God's law. Furthermore, I noticed that the moment I repented from the sin He brought to my attention, my fear was dispelled by peace and the enemy no longer had any reason to accuse me. I really want to extend my gratitude to absolutely everyone who was involved or affected by my situation, for having been so understanding of the struggle I was going through, and especially to those who supported me as I worked through the issues I had to deal with, here goes:

Thank you world.

So my understanding of this is that it was a demonic attack, and as such it was a spiritual matter rather than a medical matter although the doctors seem to think that a problem with the mind must be some sort of "chemical imbalance".

I have a question for you atheists about this, what do you think would cause the doctors to close their mind to the reality of demonic attacks the way they have done in my case? I'm sure you atheists must have more questions of us Christians too, so I'd certainly like to see the full extent of understanding we can acheive with a continued discussion on this thread :)
 
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DomainRider

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So my understanding of this is that it was a demonic attack, and as such it was a spiritual matter rather than a medical matter although the doctors seem to think that a problem with the mind must be some sort of "chemical imbalance".

I have a question for you atheists about this, what do you think would cause the doctors to close their mind to the reality of demonic attacks the way they have done in my case?
I am truly sorry to hear of your troubles, and glad that they are being resolved. I hope you find peace of mind soon.

As for your question about the doctors, I have no expertise - although I am familiar with bipolar schizophrenia through a friend who suffers from it. I would presume that religious interpretations don't specifically come into doctor's deliberations - from their perspective, if someone feels they are under attack without apparent justification, the balance of their mind is probably disturbed and the treatment will be for that imbalance, whatever the individual believes is the origin of the perceived threat. An individual is likely to interpret the perceived threat in the context of their preoccupations and world view. The reality of the demonic attacks is your reality, not theirs.
 
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ks777

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I haven't read the thread, but about lying: I don't lie. I never lie. Of course I have lied, but that was a long time ago. It's because I try to keep my God's commandments. And in doing so, I've noticed how filthy and evil lying is. It's is purely destructive and never benefits anyone.

Some people say that there are right and wrong times to lie, there are definitely times when you shouldn't tell people things, but you never have to lie. Worst come to worst, just keep your mouth shut. In Islam, Muhammad mentions that lying is bad, you shouldn't do it etc, although there are exceptions. The exceptions are the same as what most people today would say; it's permittable to lie to a spouse, for reconcillation among people, and in war.

In Yahweh, there are no exceptions, telling a lie is evil regardless of the situation. I can't watch movies now because EVERY protagonist in almost every film lies and makes a huge mess of things because he/she lied. I kind of end up hoping the bad guy wins or the other guy gets the girl because it irritates me that much.

To answer your question, if I didn't know God and didn't know His commandments, I would have a completely different view on lying. It's fine, even benefitial to yourself if the person you're lying to doesn't find out right? You wouldn't lie if it wasn't benefitial to you for some reason or another. I've been lied to countless times and it hurts, a lot. That's why I believe God made that law, and I try damn hard to stick by it. And now I honestly couldn't tell a white lie for all the money in the world.

Of course I'm not implying atheists lie more than christians. Secular humanism believes they can be perfectly moral without the involvement of a god, but it's a lot easier to slip up and lie if you're doing it for yourself to be a 'good person'. It's much harder to lie when you don't want to dissapoint your Father.
 
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DomainRider

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Of course I'm not implying atheists lie more than christians. Secular humanism believes they can be perfectly moral without the involvement of a god, but it's a lot easier to slip up and lie if you're doing it for yourself to be a 'good person'. It's much harder to lie when you don't want to dissapoint your Father.
The thread was about dishonesty, not just lying...

I don't think secular humanists would claim 'perfect' morality (whatever that is), but certainly a rational, clear, objective morality. Morality is not just about being a 'good person', it should promote the health, happiness and well-being of the individual and a healthy, cooperative, and prosperous society too. Many people feel they can work towards this without the need to please a father figure.
 
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Ayersy

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I haven't read the thread, but about lying: I don't lie. I never lie. Of course I have lied, but that was a long time ago. It's because I try to keep my God's commandments. And in doing so, I've noticed how filthy and evil lying is. It's is purely destructive and never benefits anyone.

Some people say that there are right and wrong times to lie, there are definitely times when you shouldn't tell people things, but you never have to lie. Worst come to worst, just keep your mouth shut. In Islam, Muhammad mentions that lying is bad, you shouldn't do it etc, although there are exceptions. The exceptions are the same as what most people today would say; it's permittable to lie to a spouse, for reconcillation among people, and in war.

In Yahweh, there are no exceptions, telling a lie is evil regardless of the situation. I can't watch movies now because EVERY protagonist in almost every film lies and makes a huge mess of things because he/she lied. I kind of end up hoping the bad guy wins or the other guy gets the girl because it irritates me that much.

To answer your question, if I didn't know God and didn't know His commandments, I would have a completely different view on lying. It's fine, even benefitial to yourself if the person you're lying to doesn't find out right? You wouldn't lie if it wasn't benefitial to you for some reason or another. I've been lied to countless times and it hurts, a lot. That's why I believe God made that law, and I try damn hard to stick by it. And now I honestly couldn't tell a white lie for all the money in the world.

Of course I'm not implying atheists lie more than christians. Secular humanism believes they can be perfectly moral without the involvement of a god, but it's a lot easier to slip up and lie if you're doing it for yourself to be a 'good person'. It's much harder to lie when you don't want to dissapoint your Father.

What if it's a lie to save somebody's life?

If you were in Europe in WW2, you had Jews hidden in your basement, and Nazi's came knocking on the door, asking if you knew where they were, would you lie to save their lives?

Generally, I'm always honest, I've suffered due to other people's lies and I have no time for it, but to say I NEVER lie would be a lie, in of itself. There are times when it is necessary.
 
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oi_antz

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I am truly sorry to hear of your troubles, and glad that they are being resolved. I hope you find peace of mind soon.

As for your question about the doctors, I have no expertise - although I am familiar with bipolar schizophrenia through a friend who suffers from it. I would presume that religious interpretations don't specifically come into doctor's deliberations - from their perspective, if someone feels they are under attack without apparent justification, the balance of their mind is probably disturbed and the treatment will be for that imbalance, whatever the individual believes is the origin of the perceived threat. An individual is likely to interpret the perceived threat in the context of their preoccupations and world view. The reality of the demonic attacks is your reality, not theirs.
Thank you for your compassion DR, please note though that I had complete peace of mind the moment I repented from the last sin I was hanging on to. Until that point I had been suffering under the hands of the enemy which had me in fear for my life. Please notice what I am saying here that the demons were restrained the very instant I repented, it was not a gradual improvement as you would expect from medication and counselling. Also please notice that I am not saying that every problem of the mind is demonic, but rather that this particular problem I had was demonic and the doctors can't accept that. Yes, it is my reality and not yours because I was being punished for my sins, not you. Read Ezekiel 3:19 in context of me being the sinner and if I didn't listen to what God was telling me then I would die for my sin. I don't want to get specific about my sins because sin is extremely personal, but just be assured that if you belong to Jesus and He wants you to change, you will know it ;)

@ks777 - I think you should read the thread.
 
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Tempura

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These are my experiences.

Someone claiming to be an atheist does not lie more (or less) than someone claiming to be Christian.

About half or more of the people I know are atheists. Couple of them are very honest. I can ask them anything, and they will provide an honest answer. I know these people well, and I have had no reason to doubt their statements. At the same time I know couple of christians, who are also honest people.

I consider myself as a Christian, though not by no means a fundamentalist or "strict" one. I've done my fair share of lying, and probably will continue to do so. Almost always my lies are just white lies, but lies nonetheless. I am not more honest, or not a better person just because I am a Christian. I am well aware of my faults as a person, and there are many. I do wish to better myself, but never in a way that I can tell someone: "I'm better than you".

An atheist is not my enemy because he/she is an atheist. He is my fellow human being, and I should treat him/her as such - and it works both ways. Some people fear atheists to the point that they feel that atheists can weaken their faith or have a bad influence. I do not. It's never the belief or lack of belief of others that can hurt us, It's the people themselves.

I bet many Christians disagree with me, and that's ok. We can agree to disagree.
*waits for tons of Bible verses*
 
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JGG

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These are my experiences.

Someone claiming to be an atheist does not lie more (or less) than someone claiming to be Christian.

About half or more of the people I know are atheists. Couple of them are very honest. I can ask them anything, and they will provide an honest answer. I know these people well, and I have had no reason to doubt their statements. At the same time I know couple of christians, who are also honest people.

I consider myself as a Christian, though not by no means a fundamentalist or "strict" one. I've done my fair share of lying, and probably will continue to do so. Almost always my lies are just white lies, but lies nonetheless. I am not more honest, or not a better person just because I am a Christian. I am well aware of my faults as a person, and there are many. I do wish to better myself, but never in a way that I can tell someone: "I'm better than you".

An atheist is not my enemy because he/she is an atheist. He is my fellow human being, and I should treat him/her as such - and it works both ways. Some people fear atheists to the point that they feel that atheists can weaken their faith or have a bad influence. I do not. It's never the belief or lack of belief of others that can hurt us, It's the people themselves.

I bet many Christians disagree with me, and that's ok. We can agree to disagree.
*waits for tons of Bible verses*

I'd shake your hand if I had the app for it. Sadly, I think you're in the minority in our society.
 
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Tempura

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I'd shake your hand if I had the app for it. Sadly, I think you're in the minority in our society.

Let this be a virtual handshake then. I'm european, so I don't know what society you are talking about - but I don't think I represent a minority in any way. It's just that the louder ones tend to get most attention. Then again, there isn't much fundie-activity in my country so what do I know.
 
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DomainRider

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These are my experiences.

Someone claiming to be an atheist does not lie more (or less) than someone claiming to be Christian.
...
An atheist is not my enemy because he/she is an atheist. He is my fellow human being, and I should treat him/her as such - and it works both ways. Some people fear atheists to the point that they feel that atheists can weaken their faith or have a bad influence. I do not. It's never the belief or lack of belief of others that can hurt us, It's the people themselves.

Well said, and nicely put.
 
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BleedingHeart

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Let this be a virtual handshake then. I'm european, so I don't know what society you are talking about - but I don't think I represent a minority in any way. It's just that the louder ones tend to get most attention. Then again, there isn't much fundie-activity in my country so what do I know.
I think JCG is talking about the U.S. of A. As far as developed countries go, that's were you are going to find 60% to 70% percent of the anti-atheist crap in the world, if not more.
 
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oi_antz

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An atheist is not my enemy because he/she is an atheist. He is my fellow human being, and I should treat him/her as such - and it works both ways. Some people fear atheists to the point that they feel that atheists can weaken their faith or have a bad influence. I do not. It's never the belief or lack of belief of others that can hurt us, It's the people themselves.

I bet many Christians disagree with me, and that's ok. We can agree to disagree.
*waits for tons of Bible verses*
If there is something that has become clearer to me in this topic, it is from post 136, that labels are only a sense of identity and not a reliable measurement of a person's honesty at all. I know from my own experience as a Christian that Christians can be tempted to lie and be dishonest about what God says to them (this is what motivates sin, that when we refuse to listen to what God says when we read The Bible, we are committing sin and it blackens our conscience). Anyhow, I will quote some verses to your request:

Luke 10

The Most Important Commandment

25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”[c]

28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Parable of the Good Samaritan

30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant[d] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,[e] telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
This shows that when Jesus looks at our lives as the judge, He looks past labels such as "Jew, priest, Samaritan, Christian, atheist" and looks to the heart. This is consistent with His speech about what happens when He returns:

Matthew 25

The Final Judgment

31 “But when the Son of Man[d] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations[e] will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[f] you were doing it to me!’

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[g] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

From these two passages we can see that Jesus is less concerned with what we believe, but more concerned with how we treat others. Therefore, even if an atheist is not capable of loving God with all their heart, soul and mind, they are certainly capable of loving their neighbor as they love their self. And part of the duty of lovong your neighbor is not to discourage them from loving God. I think only a small proportion of atheists would actually do this though, and it would probably only be when they are offended by someone's particular faith. It's hard to speak generally about atheists anyway.

So Tempura, I don't think these passages contradict at all what you are saying, but rather they confirm what you are saying that atheist's aren't automatically "bad people" just because they don't believe in God.

@JGG, I think that despite us having achieved a better understanding of each other, we have not yet resolved the thread and I don't know where you want to take it now. I'll leave that to you, because I sense you are up against some pretty big hurdles just accepting that Jesus was born of a virgin, performed miracles and then was resurrected and even to this day lives seated on God's right hand. It's a lot of faith to ask of an atheist, and that's probably just the tip of the iceberg of what you have in mind. Anyhow, best just to lay it before God with a private prayer, commit it to Jesus' hands and keep in mind that by thinking in favor of Jesus, over time you might encounter various information that will stimulate your thoughts and enable it all to fall in place bit by bit. Remember too, that it's OK to be wrong until Jesus tells you to put it right, because we can't be perfect, we can only get closer or further from perfection whenever we make a decision. And please be patient with our Christian brethren, when walking the path of straight and narrow, it is extremely difficult to remain balanced.

Edit: "OK to be wrong until Jesus tells you to put it right" - is better said "while you don't know any better", it is never OK to disobey the conscience because that is what the word "sin" means.
 
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