A question for the hardest of hardcore atheists.

[jan]

Originally posted by Gastric ReFlux
God's got that taken care of! (http://www.raptureready.com/faq/faq384.html)

From that source:

God's Word foretells that the Lord will wipe away all tears and sorrow for Believers --that all the things of the past, sinful world will be removed in some way. We infer from this that all memories that are painful --such as knowledge that we have family and friends who are suffering eternal damnation because of their rejection of Salvation through God's son, JesusChrist, will be totally erased in the Heavenly dimension.

There are few things I can imagine being more horrible than my loved ones being in hell and me knowing this; perhaps only one: my loved ones being in hell and me being brainwashed so I forgot their existence. That's one of the most disgusting ideas I have ever encountered.

A less disgusting, but still very sad version of this problem is shown in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's The Blessed Damozel (http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/Rossetti_D/Blessed.htm).

[Hazelip]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
If you knew you had exactly 1 minute to live, would you repent to the Lord so you could enter Heaven? Nope.

[crocodile deathroll]

Don't be stupid.
No way would I waste my time with that!
I would only have one minute to sought my will out.

CDR

[jan]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
?????????????????????????????????????????????????

Let me rephrase this.............

If you had 1 minute left to live would you repent to the Lord just incase He is real and Hell does exist.

Perhaps we can refine those assumptions. I may assume, for the sake of argument, that

(i) I have 1 minute left to live, and know perfectly certain that I have just one minute left to live, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

(ii) I know with absolute certainty that the god officially approved by, say, the Southern Baptist Convention, exists, and only that god.

(iii) I also know with absolute certainty that this god sends atheists to hell.

(iv) I know that it is at least very likely that this god will send me to heaven if I repent.

(v) And I know with absolute certainty that hell is an awful place, despite the fact that it is inhabited with a much more attractive population than heaven.

All those assumptions granted, would I repent? Perhaps not, since I don't know how to do this, since I would fail to see what I have been doing wrong: I saw no evidence for (ii)-(v), and so I didn't believed it. Nothing morally wrong done, as far as I can see. In fact, (iii) casts doubt on gods benevolence. Maybe I would regret that I didn't knew (ii)-(v) earlier.

Of course, if I assume (ii), I would no longer be an atheist.

Now I assume

(i) I have 1 minute left to live, and know perfectly certain that I have just one minute left to live, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

(ii) Besides that, I don't have any additional knowledge to what I have now.

What would I do? Kiss my wife and my kids, if they are present, I assume. Roll my eyes and say "oh well" otherwise, perhaps.

[thaiboxerken]

Originally posted by MLynn
Statistics: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

Yea, it's pretty sad that most of the people in the world believe in some sort of supernatural nonsense. When will we ever reach the age of intelligence?

[Flaherty]

Originally posted by thaiboxerken
Yea, it's pretty sad that most of the people in the world believe in some sort of supernatural nonsense. When will we ever reach the age of intelligence?

Came and went, actually. The Age of Intelligence was March 28, 1789 from 3pm to 5pm.

[evildave]

Originally posted by MLynn
Statistics: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html
:)

[Abdul Alhazred]

foo

[Kopji]

If you knew you had exactly 1 minute to live, would you repent to the Lord so you could enter Heaven?

It is reassuring to know that no matter what kind of life I've lived, all it would take is less than a minute of my time to get right with God.

Is there really belief in a kind of God where such a 'holy moment' matters more than an entire lifetime well lived or not? This god seems so small and irrelevant.

The answer of any thinking person,
even a Christian - should be "no".

[Vim Razz]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
Why not repent to Him, what do you have to lose? My integrity.

and No.

[Vim Razz]

Originally posted by Kopji
Is there really belief in a kind of God where such a 'holy moment' matters more than an entire lifetime well lived or not? This god seems so small and irrelevant. -Kopji Well put. I'm hijacking this for my sig. :p

[Beerina]

Originally posted by The Cats Venm
No

No, because God does not exist.
No, because everything I've heard tells me it wouldn't work anyway.
No, because I can't imagine an eternal afterlife that would appeal.
No, because the very idea of judgement is rediculous.
No, because I'm sick of being asked such a dumb question.

And most importantly, no, because even if such a god did exist, allowing children to be raped and tortured and murdered indicates such a god is a hideous, disgusting creature, and I have balls and will not kneel to such an evil thing, regardless of the consequences.

[crocodile deathroll]

Originally posted by Beerina
And most importantly, no, because even if such a god did exist, allowing children to be raped and tortured and murdered indicates such a god is a hideous, disgusting creature, and I have balls and will not kneel to such an evil thing, regardless of the consequences.
And even more importantly, why would such an "omnibenevolent" God hold a gun to our heads and insist we must convert within the next minute or be blown away to Hell?

CDR

[Gastric ReFlux]

Originally posted by crocodile deathroll
And even more importantly, why would such an "omnibenevolent" God hold a gun to our heads and insist we must convert within the next minute or be blown away to Hell?

CDR

Why? Here's why, you unrepentant heathen!

Unrepentant heathens will be lit on fire for all eternity!!! They will have resurrected bodies that can never die. However, they will be on fire and burn in intense unimanginable pain and suffering!!! Screaming from the tops of their lungs for trillions and trillions of googles!!! Never, ever, not even for one (1) minute having rest from being on fire!!!... There are not long enough graphs to put the equation of eternal Suffering and pain on.

Think of being in your garage and accidently having the gas can fall on you and spill all over you and your clothes. Then your nieghbor throws his cigarette over the fence and fffrrrooommmmm!!! You've just been lit on fire! You start screaming and yelling for help! Your eyes are burning with fire so you can't see, therefore you run into the outside wall of your house and fall down and just keep burning and screaming in pain!!! Well that would be a vacation to those who will burn in the lake of fire!!!

What's my point? Even if the homoSEXuals, liars, ABORTIONists, and all haters of GOD, succede in their political whoredom, who do they really wind up burning in the end???????

From here (http://forums.christianity.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=617699;page=1;sb =post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;guest=10913080#617 699)

[Beerina]

Originally posted by crocodile deathroll

And most importantly, no, because even if such a god did exist, allowing children to be raped and tortured and murdered indicates such a god is a hideous, disgusting creature, and I have balls and will not kneel to such an evil thing, regardless of the consequences.

And even more importantly, why would such an "omnibenevolent" God hold a gun to our heads and insist we must convert within the next minute or be blown away to Hell?

CDR

And what's the point of it all, anyway? You are filtered out as being "good" because you helped the poor and sick and people who need help, and your reward for doing that is...living somewhere where there are no more poor and sick and people who need help?!?!? WTF is that?!?!?

You filter out a subset of people, then don't put their (apparently desirable) talents to use? Wahuhuh?

[Anders]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
If you knew you had exactly 1 minute to live, would you repent to the Lord so you could enter Heaven?
Even if I DID repent, I wouldn't go to any heaven. Simply because there isn't anything that in any way shows there is a heaven. And I would use the razor here, Occam's that is.

[Diamond]

I've read the first and last pages of this thread (because I'm too lazy to read all the way through) and one image sticks in my mind:

It is of a children's cartoon snail rising up to kick God in the nuts. :D

It does prove that a) R&P is still the place for a good troll b) R&P is still the place for a good laugh and c) religious misconceptions about non-theists are pretty much the same across the world.

To be honest, when I was a fundy, wondering how atheists could cope with life never really entered my thoughts. Mostly it was about how to paper over the chasms between my religious beliefs and reality. The wallpaper consisted of equal parts prayer, bible study and trying to lurve my fellow x-ian believer.

PS Reality won.:p

[1inChrist]

It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.

[Jesus]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use. Ian, is that you?

Pot and kettle, love at first sight.

[Upchurch]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use. Sorry, maybe I missed something. What is "A"?

edited to add: I must have missed the circular logic argument, too. A little help?

[Maledict]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.

http://users.rcn.com/rostmd/winace/pics/vader_irony.jpg

[Rocky]

When confronted by Christians to "Repent" I ask if Rabbi Alexander D. Goode made it into heaven? If not, then I don't want to go. If he did, then hopefully I have nothing to worry about - not that I would be as worthy of heaven as him. That is why I can't believe in a "Christian" god.

If that doesn't work, I ask about children & how old do they have to be before they are "put to the test".

[Rocky]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.



"I'll believe after you show me proof."

"No, you believe then you'll see the proof."

"I'll believe after you show me proof."

"No, you believe then you'll see the proof."

"I'll believe after you show me proof."

"No, you believe then you'll see the proof."

ETC.....

I assume this is what you mean.

[Ratman_tf]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.

Aw! You're cool. Let's be friends.

[c4ts]

You know what's funny?

"Hardest of hardcore."

Coming from someone who calls himself a good Christian, no less.

[Ipecac]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.

What a maroon.

[Kimpatsu]

Originally posted by Ipecac
What a maroon.
Actually, I get the impression he's scarlet with apoplexy. He certainly misrepresents the atheist position, which implies that either he doesn't understand it, or he's deliberately attacking a strawman.

[Lord Emsworth]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.



If by "A" you mean "God" then I would say that it does not contradict Naturalism at all. It only places "A" or "God" in peoples heads.



Oh and btw:

It's useless. You theists are lost in a world of circular logic.

Naturalism cannot be true because it condradicts supernaturalism! That's the logic you supernaturalists use.

[Eleatic Stranger]

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.

Actually, this is a common misconception about naturalism.

In fact, A is perfectly compatible with naturalism. All Hail the Great and Terrible A!

[DangerousBeliefs]

I'm way way way too late for this thread.

1inChrist, if you're still out there.

I have a question for your question.

A child is born.

The child lives but 1 minutes and dies.

Does the child go to heaven or hell?

Does it make a difference if the child's parents are both unwed pagans/witches? Or wed Chistians?

[Beanbag]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
Why not repent to Him, what do you have to lose?

Only my self-respect.

Regards;
Beanbag

[triadboy]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
Invisible pink unicorn? How can something be pink and invisible? Sorry I have never heard of invisble pink unicorn that sends people to Hell.

[I didn't read all the pages of this thread - but this caught my eye]

You don't buy into the 'pick unicorn' thing, but you do buy into talking snakes and asses. Strange.

[Beanbag]

Originally posted by Cleopatra
The opening post while was phrased in a silly manner posed a question. Is fear an enough reason for an atheist to resort to deity? I guess that only atheists who have faced danger and fear can give an accurate answer.

There have been a few times and circumstances where I've shut my eyes and didn't expect them to open again. Each time, it was with a sense of relief that maybe this time it would truly be over. Each time, however, I've awakened and dealt with the aftermath. Never has there been even the slightest temptation for a deathbed conversion.

In truth, I'm held here because my life is intertwined with so many others, and I have to consider their needs and wants. It's a responsibility I've willingly taken on, and I do my best to see that it is handled correctly. It's what I think any decent, caring person would choose to do. I don't need a diety to tell me what's wrong and what's right -- my empathy and intelligence allows me to make that judgement.

I've attended a few athiest functions locally (a brave thing of sorts to do in the Bible Belt) and have gotten some peculiar looks because I've stated that even though I'm an athiest, it hasn't stopped me looking for God(s). Haven't found any evidence yet, nor do I really expect to, either, but that doesn't stop me from considering the possibility. I rate it up there with invisible pink unicorns on the scale of likelihood.

Regards;
Beanbag

[c4ts]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
Why not repent to Him, what do you have to lose?

Money, freedom of thought, and hours of my life that could be spent living.

[Polux]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
Why not repent to Him, what do you have to lose?

Sanity.

[BillHoyt]

Originally posted by triadboy
[I didn't read all the pages of this thread - but this caught my eye]

You don't buy into the 'pick unicorn' thing, but you do buy into talking snakes and asses. Strange.
triadboy,

*sigh* While I agree it is strange, it is not rare. In fact, the credophile objection to the "invisible pink unicorn" thing is heard far too frequently. When asked about it, they declare it to be a "fallacy." Why? Becuase everybody knows there is no such thing!

Just add salt to this logic and you've got really good pretzels.

[CWL]

Originally posted by 1inChrist
It's useless. You atheists are lost in a world of circular logic.

Actually one encounters far more circular argumentation from believers. A classic would be:

A: "The Bible is the word of God."

B: "How do you know that?"

A: "It says so in the Bible."

A cannot be true because it condradicts naturalism! That's the logic you materialists use.

Better than saying "A is true because I say so".