Im an Atheist and had a chat with a priest today?

Question

I told him why i dont believe in god, why gave him quite a few good reasons. I then asked him that hypotheticaly speaking, would i go to heaven, and he told me that even after death, when we are being judged, we still , even then have the change to accept god in our hearts. So im figuring, I lead a very good life, Im a good person generaly, and if i see god, I have no reason not to accept him in my heart.

Do you support, or are you against what the priest said.

Must you accept god during your lifetime, or is there time after you are dead and being judged. (Dont try and convert me, I am not going to be changed by comments of the likes of "Accept the lord, you will see clearer", "Faith is all you need", etc.) Please try and stay on topic.

And it's exactly what bothers me when people say "just to be on the safe side... ill believe"... I mean common.. it bothers me that a huge percentage of people only believe because of the "what if" factor and fear... There are like "Well, believing wont hurt me... but not believing might, so to be on the safe side, might as well believe"...

And one more thing... When you say like "Not believe has consequences"... Well how about you take some of your own medicine "believeing has consequences", because what if the God you worship and love is not the real one, and for arguments sake, lets say "Chuck Norris" was god, and once u die, you are in his hell because you did not worship him. There are just too many religions, and believers from each one would give you a fair argument to why believe in their one... so please done come with the "believe or burn in hell argument" because how am I supposed to believe when there are too many to chose from.

OH, and in my oppinion, I would not chose any one that does not have solid facts behind it. I might chose a lifestyle, but to worship in a great being that is not proven to exist in my oppinion is a waste of possitive energy.

QUOTE "Well just because you die doesnt mean you are a diffrent person, if you arent going to accept God now, you wont accept him when you die."
WHAT are you talking about... Have you read anything? Obviously if i see god, or proof of him with my own eyes, I will accept him for what he has given me, because I will know the trueth. Dont write wastefull comments please.

Back on topic

Oh, and it's not that im "in denial" "or that i dont want to accept god", but it's more that i wont believe in something that cannot be proven to me. I mean WHY? why would i believe in something because people tell me that he exists, but cant prove it themselves. Its like not something you just do. Just because massive people want to believe in something does not make it true... Im not trying to be mean, just expressing my true opinion.

Personally, I think every time you do a good deed, you are accepting God -- even if you don't believe in Him

Beautifull quote... I must say, ill remember this one.

Anyway, as to those asking me why im asking this, im not in doubt or anything, just intelectual curiosity, that's all.

Please continue, this has been quite interesting.

Answer 1

I support what the priest said. I believe it is still the teaching of the Catholic Church that people who live good lives and always try to do the right thing will be able to go to Heaven. I think it's in the writings of St. Thomas Acquinas. He proposed that you could be baptized not only by water in a church but also by "desire" and those who desire to lead righteous lives - even if they didn't believe - would not be turned away by God.

The introduction to the Tibetan Book of the Dead describes 5 lights the soul will see and that you have a chance to choose eternal happiness when you die by going into one of those lights. Good souls will choose to "go into the light" or God; evil souls won't.

Personally, I think every time you do a good deed, you are accepting God -- even if you don't believe in Him.

Answer 2

I don't agree with him (Sorry, Father!). As an Atheist, you wouldn't get there because you don't believe there is a 'there' to get to - you'd get what you believe in, which is nothing.

There's no 'Oops, Sorry - I was wrong! Could you let me in the Pearly Gates now?' I don't think you'd even get that far.

Sorry. You can be the best person in the world, but it doesn't make you one of the faithful believers. I've asked my priest this also, and he'd disagree with the priest you asked. The bible does go into this type of situation in a number of passages.

Once you're dead, my understanding is your fate is sealed.

The only exception would be those who lived a life and were never told about God and lived good lives - they are ignorant of the knowledge and opportunity to believe in God in His entirety. However, with that being said, you have been told about him, you have continued to deny him, and thus, you have sealed your own fate of not reaching eternal life, which shouldn't bother you because you're an Atheist and don't believe in God, Heaven, or everlasting life in the first place.

Please understand I'm not trying to be mean, it just is what it is.

Good question, God bless you!

Answer 3

I don't think there's specific Scripture to support or refute what the priest told you. I think he was giving an opinion borne out of tradition rather than actual Biblical reference.

That being said, I would say that your attitude is a little off here. You shouldn't think of believing in God as some sort of safety net you can go to when you die and God is right there in front of you. God wants a relationship with you. He gave you life in order to have that relationship much in the same way most people have children.

If you choose not to believe in God, that's your perogative and I can respect that. However, you should be willing to fully embrace the consequences of that choice. Don't look for ways to hedge your bets. Choose a path and follow it. Don't fool yourself into thinking that your choices won't have consequences down the line.

If the idea that God *might* exist and you *might* not go to Heaven really bothers you, than you're not the atheist you claim to be. It means that you haven't fully resolved this issue in your mind. I would encourage you to continue searching and thinking about it.

Answer 4

Hmmmm thats kinda tough because priests can be very convincing....and PUSHY.

This is my opinion and how i see and understand life and death.

I believe that we are here to learn lessons.....lessons like....forgiveness, value, love, foolishness of anger and resentment etc. Its all continous learning. Your body is like a vehicle that carries the soul. When the vehicle grows old or is damaged in a severe or even accidental way and no longer works the soul leaves it. We choose when we come back. It all depends if you have learned the lessons or not. If you have not learned the lessons then you return....if you have then you might return to help others with their learning. We know when the time is up and you will be able to accept your death. When you have time, when you have had the time to rest and re-energize your soul, you are allowed to choose your re-entry back back into physical state. The soul never dies.....only our bodies do. The soul is immortal and lives on forever. If you are still interested...there is an excellent book that explains alot better than i do. It really makes you think. Its called....MANY LIVES MANY MASTERS by BRIAN L. WEISS, M.D.

p.s. its not a hard core catholic/christian etc. book or anything like that ok? Dont think i am trying to change your thoughts or opinions on things...i am NOT sweetie...i am just giving you MY perspective.

Answer 5

I cannot tell you what God will do as He judges you. But how will God judge you? He will most likely judge your life based on your thoughts, actions, motives, and issues in your life that affected your thoughts and actions but were beyond your control.

I have just typed and erased many sentences in the past few minutes; nothing is coming out how I want it to, and the reason is because I just don't have the answer, even though I wish I did.

Do you have any hope at all that you will be given another chance to acknowledge God if you meet Him? If you do, then perhaps you believe but don't acknowledge your belief. I'm sorry if this answer wasn't what you were looking for; I've tried!! If anything enlightening comes to mind, I will add it.

Answer 6

No I do not agree with the Priest, I to believe that you must be a good person to go to heaven, but you must also live your life for God and heed his commandments. Once judgment comes it's not like we are going to be standing in a long line for hours and hours watching others be judged and still have the chance to go to God in prayer..no that's not it at all earth is where we will be given the chance to live right. Also why do you care about judgment and God if you don't believ in either. By asing this question you are justifying yourself and others to live whatever life you want and before oyu are judged be able to "accept" God, it's not how it works. You want to go to heaven, then accept God now, not what oyu think you can do later.

Answer 7

Catholic Priest, right? Many of them believe in Purgatory, a place of holding where one sheds his life's sins (this is paraphrased horribly) and can accept God while there. Though I don't believe in that type of thing, I also don't believe anyone has to believe in a God. How I view it is, actions speak louder than words... and it seems that real crimes against other people usually happen by those who claim to have Faith. So, your lack of belief really doesn't mean anything... it's how you live your life.

And that whole "What IF" scenario... is it really belief if you're just doing it to get your butt outta the hot seat, so to speak? That's like doing the dishes so your parents don't get mad, but that doesn't mean you Wanted to do the dishes or enjoyed it while you did em. You just did it so you wouldn't get punished.

I don't have anything to convert you to... I have a belief in a higher power, but how I see it, it doesn't need your faith, your worship or anything like that from you. Can't claim something is perfect and then say it NEEDS something.

Answer 8

I'm 17 and I went through the RCIA process when I was around 15. I questioned the Catholic faith early and often.

I believe that God is a loving God who would not send someone elsewhere. There are people in Africa who have no notion of God; I highly doubt that God would be cruel enough to send them away from heaven, especially after they might have suffered so much (not saying that all Africans are poor.)

I believe that God forgives forever, even if you are no longer in this world, so I agree with the priest.

Answer 9

Your "question" is long and compound; it will take a little effort to answer.

1) The priest is not correct, at least not according to the Bible. My answer will be in accord with the Bible.

A person is only judged while they live, that is, they have to know what they are doing and the right and wrong of it -- "For the dead know not any thing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

Each person will only have one chance at judgement. However, each person's chance is not at the same time or circumstances as another's -- "Each in his own order...", Judgement begins on the house of God" (I Corinthians 15:23, I Peter 4:17).

After death, there is one of two resurrections: the resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of everyone else (Acts 24:15, Revelation 20:4-6). The just ("the house of God") are judged now, in this life; and their resurrection is to eternal life. Everyone else will be judged after they have been raised from the dead. They will be given a short extension on physical life (not eternal life), until their time of judgement is fulfilled -- "when the books will be opened" (Revelation 20:12). Most of humanity will fall into this latter category; God starts small. The judgement, of course, is for whether to receive eternal life.

It takes a lot more than just mouthing a few candy coated words to express one's true conversion -- "Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 7:21). God wants to see actions that prove the depth of conversion -- (Genesis 22:1-19, James 2:17).

Works are evidence of obedience to God, not just being a nice person (being a nice person is only part of it) -- "If you [all of humanity], who are evil, know how to give good gifts...", "Have we not done good works in your name?" (Matthew 7:11, 22). God doesn't want any more rebels in his Kingdom (Satan did enough damage).

You are right; your attitude in this life will carry over with you after death. The attitude we develop in this life is what we will have for all eternity. Just seeing God, and accepting that as proof of his existence, is not enough -- "demons believe, and tremble" (James 2:19 -- demons, or fallen angels, have seen God from the moment of their creation).

2) Again, you are right. The world is full of religious beliefs and variants thereof. It is humanly impossible to find the true one in many lifetimes -- especially if it is only a small group (Luke 12:32). It requires the help of God, personally, in a person's life -- "No one comes to me [Jesus/Christianity] except the Father [God] draws him" (John 6:44 and I Corinthians 2:10).

3) No one can prove to you the existence of God; you have to prove it to your self (I Thessalonians 5:21, II Timothy 2:15, Acts 17:11).

Starting from the work of others is a good idea. There are several well known, formal proofs of the existence of God. Thomas Aquinas is famous for a couple (not that I advocate Aquinas' religious beliefs -- I definitely do not). I, personally, felt they were deficient. The one proof I like is from entropy or order (see my 'Best Answer' at: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgueNBFSHKVzId9XxeD9V7nsy6IX?qid=1006022204304 )

Answer 10

Well technically what the preist said is "true" because it says in the bible that on judgement day that "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that jesus christ is lord" but even then according to the bible, you will still go to hell (apparently god wanted to be glorified at least once by all human kind lol)... BUT with you being an athiest (and myself also), I do not see why you are even considering believing this unless of course you are having doubts (which is perfectly normal). Whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck ;)

Answer 11

The question is problematic because it deals with the same ego concepts that people have of 'God'. I know that you don't believe in these concepts but the question itself is based on it.

The answer is that these ego projections are false. There is no such thing as a deity that will judge you after death. What happens is that an experience of 'God' can be had while we are alive: this experience is called 'enlightenment'. Read '3 Pillars of Zen' for more info.