Scoutman Loc: Orlando, FL

After a Year of Atheism, Former Pastor: 'I Don't Think God Exists'

States in closing, "I want a closer relationship to reality."

Great recent NPR interview. Follow link and choose "After a Year of Atheism..."

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=6&islist=false&id=375102599&m=375102598&live=1

Must be a difficult choice for someone who thought he had committed his life to the church.

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

How does one commit to a belief that has no fact to back it up ???

UXOEOD

For the record, I fully support their rights to beleive or not to beleive as they see fit. In fact, I am glad that we, society in general, have given Atheists and Agnostics an holiday.

A day set aside each year to recongize and celebrate their beleives.

1 April, each year.

And if this offends anyone, please feel free to send a complaint to my Lord. You can deliver your complaint to Any Christian Church. God Bless, and thank the Good Lord for a sense of humor.

Scoutman Loc: Orlando, FL

"For the record," Beleive purposely mis-spelled I believe.

Believers are the ones being fooled, with the promise of an afterlife. Really? Totally unverifiable. Total nonsense. Of course no one wants to die, so perfectly understandable that this fantasy is fabricated and endures among virtually every one of the world's many religions.

By the way, what makes you think you have the right religion? Might it be an accident of birth? Everyone is born an atheist. Then they get converted somehow.

Everything we do in life is based on evidence. Where's the evidence?

magicray Loc: Tampa Bay, Florida

Any Christian Church? How about a temple or a mosque? You all believe in the same 'Lord'.

slocumeddie Loc: Inside your head, again

I got my complaint back marked "recipient unknown-return to sender".....:mrgreen:

Batman Loc: South-Central Texas

Definition: "FAITH"...Belief in something that cannot be proved.

:thumbup:

UXOEOD

Come on, get over it. Religion is quite possibly the greatest source for humor. In this great country you are guaranteed the right to freedom to or of religion.

If you don't beleive in a God, and I have no desire to force you to beleive, what difference does my beleives make to you.

As to my misspelling, no it wasn't intentional, and yes, I do pray that there isn't a spelling test prior to admission in to heaven.

Laugh, it will make you feel better. One of the Good Lords many blessings you can enjoy, regardless of you faith, or lack.

UXOEOD

Sorry, you are incorrect, the Christian God is not the same as a Muslim, or Jewish. Sorry.

Only an Atheist can profess to Not Beleive in a Greater Source of the Universe, and at the same time harbor a great need to tell those who do beleive WHAT they beleive.

If you are such an knowledgeable student of religion as to be successful in that area of knowledge, then I suspect you are misleading yourself. Instead of being a Non-beleiver, you may in fact be a searcher, someone needing and looking for the answer to the great questions. Many have found the answers we searched for in Christ.

I wish you luck in your search.

HEART Loc: God's Country - COLORADO

Thanks, UXOEOD - And for those that are easily offended:

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 1:32 “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
Proverbs 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, but fools display dishonor.
Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of understanding.
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, but the foolishness of fools is deceit.
Proverbs 14:18 The naïve inherit foolishness, but the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly.
Proverbs 26:4-5 ”Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. 5:Answer a fool as his folly deserves, the he not be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:9 Like a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Proverbs 27:22 Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 [ Your Attitude Toward God ] Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.
Ecclesiastes 7:4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Ecclesiastes 7:5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools.
Ecclesiastes 9:17 The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.
Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools.
1 Corinthians 1:18 [ The Wisdom of God ] For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;


Not to worry - God has more, in case you need 'em.

slocumeddie Loc: Inside your head, again

Please explain your statement in bold.........

Thanks

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

The Jewish God and the Christian God is one in the same since Jesus is a Jew. We Christian have been adopted into the family of God. And the Jews are Gods chosen people. Just saying... :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

UXOEOD

I am not a religious scholar, I am not known for being wonderfully articulate, and I have no desire to be yours, or anyone's religious mentor. Having said that, you are polite, and I will attempt to illustrate why Christian God is not the same ultimate being worshipped by the other major faiths, to include Hindu, Buddist, Muslim, and Jews.

The major element of Christianity is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, he is God's only begotten Son, he died for our sins, and was resurrected and walked the face of the earth. I beleive that can all be stated in the image, concept, the confusing identify of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, or the thought of the Trilogy. One is three and three is one.

No other religion recongizes the Holiness of Jesus Christ, or the Trilogy.

I hope I have articulated both myself, and the answer to your question. I also, knowing too well that I am not a religious expert or scholar, pray that my understand is correct. I hope you find Jesus Christ, and ask him into your life, but I have neither the ability, talent, skill, knowledge, or desire to be your personal religious guru. I assure you, while the Bible is readily available to you, very close to you is a multitude of wise men and women more than willing to discuss the Christian faith with you, and Guide you towards Salvation.

May God Bless you, and I will pray you find Jesus, and Salvation. Thank you for you politeness.

UXOEOD

BANGEE, you may be right, I may be wrong, but that is not how I understand it. However, I am neither a religious expert/scholar, or known for my articulate abilities.

May Bod Bless, us both with better understanding.

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

All of this quibble back and forth over the existence of God reminds of the Pharisees and the Sadducees of the New Testament, both Parties being Jewish but the Sadducees, like the atheist, didn't believe in an afterlife either. That there were no rewards or penalty after death. They denied God's involvement in every day life and did not believe in the Spiritual World nor in angels or demon. They were the aristocrats, thinking themselves better then any one else, above the common man.

Pharisees were the opposite. They were the Conservatives of their day but even they had it all wrong. They were the self-righteous look at me do-gooders. They both thought that they had the right religion.

If I being a Christian, having doubt in my mind decided that there is no God, I must ask myself - when did I first doubt and was I ever a Christian? Faith is the assurance that removes all doubt for without faith, I can not believe and therefore, can not be saved. To say that "I don't know" is to have doubt in my heart and in my mind but it is the Spirit that confirms with my spirit giving me a clear conscience of my salvation in Christ. This is my proof that through the Spirit God does truly exist. Therefore, there is no doubt of the existence of God and of his love for me and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.