[arcura]

I can't think of any reason, ever a remote one, to become an atheist.
There is no hope or future in that for any person.
Atheists struggle though this life to go nowhere.
It seems to me that they spend their life spiritually alone.
To me atheism is a hopeless existence.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

[NeedKarma]

I can't think of any reason, ever a remote one, to become an atheist.
There is no hope or future in that for any person.
Atheists struggle though this life to go nowhere.
It seems to me that they spend their life spiritually alone.
To me atheism is a hopeless existence.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

To each his own. :)

[arcura]

NeedKarma,
Yup.
I'll go along with that.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

[Fr_Chuck]

I can't think of any reason, ever a remote one, to become an atheist.
There is no hope or future in that for any person.
Atheists struggle though this life to go nowhere.
It seems to me that they spend their life spiritually alone.
To me atheism is a hopeless existence.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

I will remind everyone this is the Christianity board, and it is the christian teaching that if you are not a Christian you are not saved.
So a Atheist does not have the promise or hope of salvation, and without the hope of a life after this.

This is the basis of the faith, that a Christian tells the unsaved to help lead them to salvation.

All I can say if you don't want to hear a christian teaching, don't come to a christian board and thread.

[arcura]

Fr_Chuck,
That's some good sound advice.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

[NewYork123]

Do you ever feel that when we die, since God is so forgiving and loving, that he could really send someone to Hell? What if an atheist dies and stands before God and realizes they were wrong, is it too late for them or do you think they are going to Hell? (Not saying atheist's are going to Hell, so I hope NeedKarma doesn't take offense, I just mean since most Christians believe this)

[Akoue]

The Catholic Church teaches that it isn't for us to judge who is and who isn't going to hell. Judgment is God's prerogative. It is for us to do the best we can and to hope, to struggle against despair when despair becomes tempting. Some denominations say other things, but this is what the Catholic Church holds. And because God is both infintely merciful and infinitely just, we cannot know how things will play out in the end. We should never say that someone is going to hell; nor should we ever assume that we are going to heaven. We should, however, be hopeful (and not just for ourselves but for everyone).

[arcura]

NewYork123 ,
I agree with Akoue.
I also believe that there is a place of cleansing where many will go to have their sinful nature purged to be ready to enter God's Heavenly Kingdom pure and clean.
Why?
Because nothing impure or unclean can enter heaven.
Even though we are baptized and have confessed our sins and aske for forgiveness we mortals continue to sin during our lives. That is due to our sinful nature which must be purged in Purgatory.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

[NeedKarma]

Do you ever feel that when we die, since God is so forgiving and loving, that he could really send someone to Hell? What if an atheist dies and stands before God and realizes they were wrong, is it too late for them or do you think they are going to Hell? (Not saying atheist's are going to Hell, so I hope NeedKarma doesn't take offense, i just mean since most Christians believe this)

No offence taken at all. Your thought is not a new one, in fact it's very old and called Pascal's Wager. You can read more about it here: Pascal's Wager - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jakester]

Do you ever feel that when we die, since God is so forgiving and loving, that he could really send someone to Hell? What if an atheist dies and stands before God and realizes they were wrong, is it too late for them or do you think they are going to Hell? (Not saying atheist's are going to Hell, so I hope NeedKarma doesn't take offense, i just mean since most Christians believe this)

NewYork -

This is a complex question but certainly one that requires serious contemplation.

It is true that God is forgiving and loving because what is so explicit in Christ's death on the cross is that he willingly subjected himself to die so that others may be forgiven and live—that is what is so significant about his death from our human perspective. Isaiah the prophet put it this way (concerning Christ):

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

What I understand the prophet to be saying here is that Jesus took upon himself the guilt and sin of humanity and in doing so, has made a way for man to have peace with God. If we were to ever look for an example of how God is both forgiving and loving, this is the supreme and ultimately meaningful example to be found in scripture.

To really comprehend the significance of Christ's sacrifice, we really need to understand the other aspect of God's nature and that is his desire for righteousness and justice. To refer back to Christ's crucifixion, what is explicit in his death is that he was satisfying the demands of God's desire for justice against sin and unrighteousness. God's mercy and forgiveness is a double-edged sword because on the one hand God is choosing to be merciful towards someone in spite of his evil but on the other hand there is still the evil deed that I committed which God will not turn a blind eye to. What I mean is that if God was never interested in being just and righteous then we would all do well to applaud evil along with good since in God's eyes, he is really indifferent. But the truth is, he is not indifferent. In fact, he demands justice against sin and when Jesus was killed, he was satisfying this demand. So then, the only way anyone ever receives mercy from God is through Christ, since God is willing to forgive us for our sins because Christ died the death we deserved…justice comes from one of two ways, either I accept Christ’s payment for my sin or I deny his sacrifice for me and opt to withstand the punishment of God for my sin on my own accord.

Now to the idea of an atheist standing before God and realizing he was wrong, I have a couple of thoughts on that. Your statement assumes that the atheist would be truly interested in receiving mercy from God on Judgment Day. The problem with that assumption, I think, is that is fails to recognize something profoundly true about human nature. Human beings are stubbornly hostile towards God naturally. An atheist is not an atheist because there isn’t enough information to go on but because he is hostile towards God and the truth…he does not want to believe in God and does not want to know the truth. We do not want to acknowledge God’s presence in our lives nor his authority over us. Paul says in Romans 1:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Because of this ingrained hostility in us, we will go on in our delusion refusing to bow the knee to God and acknowledge his rightful place of authority in our lives. This is why time and again in the bible we are told to repent and believe the gospel. The issue of the day is that we need to lay down our weapons of hostility against God while there is still time. God’s mercy is limited to a time and that time is during our existence here on earth. When we die, it will be too late. Each of us has to repent now and submit to God and learn his ways or else be destroyed on the Day of Judgment. At least this is how I understand the bible.

[arcura]

jakester,
Well said.
Fred

[NewYork123]

Jakester, thank you for taking to time to answer my question, it was very helpful.

[cozyk]

Do you ever feel that when we die, since God is so forgiving and loving, that he could really send someone to Hell? What if an atheist dies and stands before God and realizes they were wrong, is it too late for them or do you think they are going to Hell? (Not saying atheist's are going to Hell, so I hope NeedKarma doesn't take offense, i just mean since most Christians believe this)

I don't believe God sends ANYONE to hell. Like you said, he is forgiving and loving. Think about the descriptions of hell you have been taught. NO WAY, would God permit such a thing.

There is A LOT of area between doubting what you have been taught (notice I didn't say what you believe) and atheism. I congratulate you for your growth. Only a closed mind doesn't question. Prior to this you were told what you were to believe. Now, you have come out of that "zone or haze" of compliance and begun to think for yourself. That is healthy in my book. No sheep here.

If you are like me, it's will be a journey that can go on for years. I am a very logical person and common sense rules. I am constantly in seeking and learning mode . I guess it all boils down to a connection I feel with an "energy" that I call "God." I'm sure my idea of God is just one of the many millions of ideas about who or what is God. This energy encompasses everything that is good, and light, and secure, and protective, and doles out unconditional love . It's where I came from before I was born and it's where I believe I will return when I die. But you know what? Who REALLY knows.

Anyhoo, this energy that I feel in my heart, is with me 24/7 and has my back. No matter what cruelties this life dishes out, I feel that I will be okay in the end. But hey, that's just me. I wish you well in your journey.

BTW, all the "particulars" about the creation of our planet, who had incestuous relations, with who, basically... doesn't matter. I mean who came up with these people anyway. And who named them Adam and Eve. And who knows how many other children they had. And this planet covers millions of square miles. Who's to say that there wasn't other people in other parts of this world that have not been written about. Doesn't add up at all when you think logically. And if incest is a sin, why would God put them in a position to have to do this. Think about it.:)

[jakester]

I don't believe God sends ANYONE to hell. Like you said, he is forgiving and loving. Think about the descriptions of hell you have been taught. NO WAY, would God permit such a thing.

There is A LOT of area between doubting what you have been taught (notice I didn't say what you believe) and atheism. I congratulate you for your growth. Only a closed mind doesn't question. Prior to this you were told what you were to believe. Now, you have come out of that "zone or haze" of compliance and begun to think for yourself. That is healthy in my book. No sheep here.

If you are like me, it's will be a journey that can go on for years. I am a very logical person and common sense rules. I am constantly in seeking and learning mode . I guess it all boils down to a connection I feel with an "energy" that I call "God." I'm sure my idea of God is just one of the many millions of ideas about who or what is God. This energy encompasses everything that is good, and light, and secure, and protective, and doles out unconditional love . It's where I came from before I was born and it's where I believe I will return when I die. But you know what? Who REALLY knows.

Anyhoo, this energy that I feel in my heart, is with me 24/7 and has my back. No matter what cruelties this life dishes out, I feel that I will be okay in the end. But hey, that's just me. I wish you well in your journey.

BTW, all the "particulars" about the creation of our planet, who had incestuous relations, with who, basically ...doesn't matter. I mean who came up with these people anyway. and who named them Adam and Eve. And who knows how many other children they had. And this planet covers millions of square miles. Who's to say that there wasn't other people in other parts of this world that have not been written about. Doesn't add up at all when you think logically. And if incest is a sin, why would God put them in a position to have to do this.? Think about it.:)

I have mixed feelings about your comments. Part of me understands perfectly why you think the way that you do because I once held beliefs similar to yours. But on the other hand your comments strike me as being somewhat pretentious—that you think your ideas carry a lot of authority to them. I argue my beliefs and assumptions from the bible because I believe it to carry authority. I provide reasons and arguments based upon the text of the bible and if you read the bible yourself, the things I am saying are not things that I have made up... they are taken from the words of Christ and the teachings of the apostles. Now, I'm not saying that you need to believe what I am saying but, cozyk, if you are to be taken seriously, it would be better for you to argue from the same text why you think I am mistaken—about how God will not condemn anyone to hell and how Adam and Eve were made up names, and how God is merely an energy.

The explicit absence of any reasoning on your part from the same text I used to support my arguments is proof that not only do you think the bible is a fable (which is what you have been implying all along) but you think that your own ideas carry much more authority than the bible. All of your assumptions and arguments that you cited came from your own mind. I just wanted to be clear and just get that out into the open that you think you are God!

[arcura]

cozyk,
So bcause some Christian disagrees with you that person is not being a good Christian.
Interesting that is.
But you ar not alone. It is a tactic used by many.
That sad part is that it is a hollow tactic a very judgmental.
You said about the bible "It's hearsay. That can't be considered truth."
I've go news for you. Many millions of people to believe it is truth, so you see it not only can be considered truth it already is an has been so for many centuries.
True there are many that do not consider it to be truth, BUT there ARE people who do regardless of what you say.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

,

[asking]

New York, I cannot explain how humanity could descend from two men. I agree that makes no sense.

But I can tell you that it's quite possible to understand evolution and still feel faith and value your relationship to God. Many people find ways to handle this problem. And I can tell you that whatever you learned in this class, life did not come about because of a "bang." That's cosmology, about the origin of the universe and not really related to the theory of biological evolution. Evolution is just a process that generates genetic change in response to the environment.

Although people who are not atheists often say that being an atheist is sad and empty and meaningless, I can tell you from personal experience that it has never felt that way to me. I am not advocating atheism, least of all here. But I want you to know that people who say atheism is horrible do not actually know because they are not atheists and can't know what it's like to be one.

Don't be afraid of knowledge and don't be afraid of God. The world is a wonderful place--and also scary at times. You will sort this out. You do not have to choose between knowledge and faith. It is totally normal to have doubts, as most Christians will tell you. You also do not need to figure this out all at once. My sympathies, though, for your obvious pain. I hope you feel better soon.

It bothers me that a biology course should have caused you pain and I wonder what your teacher said to make you feel this way.

[Alder]

If you check the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you will find it advocates a contextualist understanding of the Bible, Genesis in particular, rather than a literalist approach to "Adam and Eve." This is, in the Catholic term, "salvation history," not school history or biology.