Question for Atheists and Agnostics?

Question

Please see the below question I posed to Christians,

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Atltv_xbLJZcp8nSKZnseR_sy6IX?qid=20060810085324AAYYIqw

It might be jumping the gun but after 15 minutes only one Christian person answered that this pleased him. Why in 15 minutes do you think there wasn't 100s of Christians applauding Atheists and Agnostics for loving without having Jesus in their lives?

I get much more traffic on my questions and dozens of responses usually right away.

What is your reaction to this, that after 15 minutes so few, only one as far as I can tell, bothered to applaud us for following the words of their Jesus, love!

Does it beg the question, why - what are they really about? Are they really about love?

I don't mean this to be antagonistic, I would think loving one another would be of the highest virture?

Answer 1

A lot of my christian friends state that they cannot truly love without belief in god and jesus. I ask why and bible quotes start flying. I ask them to answer without the bible quotes and they struggle. It seems intertwined with them.

Answer 2

Speaking as a Christian here...

In all fairness, you opened up the question with the fact that you're an athiest/agnostic. And what are Christians commanded to do by Jesus? Make disciples of everyone. So, the natural instinct is to "convert" you (although some tactics are somewhat questionable, huh? smile).

I answered your previous question, but now I see what your true reason for asking the question is. So here's my true answer...

I'm glad you love us, and I love you too. Not because you don't believe in God or Jesus, but because you're another human being. I know what it feels like to be loved, despite my many faults, so in turn I should love others. I'm no better than anyone else. Christians should probably practice a lot more humility.

Answer 3

Hi, it's me again. Is it breaking the rules to answer a question to a's and a's when I'm a Christian?
Yes, you do bring up a good point, and perhaps you did hit a nerve of conviction in some. you're trying to uncover something here, taking our temperature, if you will, and that's ok, we need it. Why such a low response? Hmm, I guess several reasons. One could be that some people are saying they are Christian but really aren't. Now, I'm not judging, I'm not supposed to do that. I cannot, as a Christian judge anyone's heart, but I can judge actions. Jesus said, "The world will know you belong to me by your love one for the other." And i'm not seeing a lot of love "one for another" in some Christian answers. Could be they are pretending to be Christian, giving out crappy answers to make us all look bad. Just an opinion.
another reason is motive and gifts. I'm sure there are some Christians that have decided to be on here to "win some people for Jesus" but they are not called to be evangelists, so it comes across as all wrong. We all have gifts talents and abilities given to us by God, but if you try to do something you are not gifted to do, you will not succeed. I see a lot of that on here. I do not have that particular gift. I am a teacher, so I try to stay in that arena. Another problem is even Christians can be ruled by their emotions. They want to fight (some want to fight! I meant SOME want to, not all! LOL) and don't want to hear the people they fight with saying, "hey, I like you."
So bottom line, low response from Christians? many reasons.
As a Christian, it is very frustrating when you see non believing people acting in a more loving way than Christians. Not because I think "they can't be that way because they don't know Jesus." But more like "why can't Christians be more Christ like?"
I've said it on here before, without love you are nothing., and no one is going to really listen to you. I won't listen to bashers, so why would I expect anyone to listen to me while I'm bashing them?
PS: And you are right. "Faith, Hope, and Love, these three remain. But the greatest of these is Love." We are supposed to practice what we preach or we are hypocritical. Some people don't get that you can love someone and not agree with them. it's ok, you can do it!

Answer 4

"I would think loving one another would be of the highest virture?"

I would think that as well. The reason your questions usually get more traffic/responses is because they are usually a bit controversial. The Chrisitans on Yahoo! Answers most likely see that you have a good point and no argument for it. They see that it is true that not all atheists and agnostics are vile or evil, bt they will never admit it ('God forbid!').

I always see that when there is a good point made that is perfect logic and cannot be argued, they don't bother since their arguments are usually so weak as it is.

Answer 5

What they are really about is popularity and group rule. The more of them there are, the more power of the system they gain. The more of them there are, the more likely they are to get along with each other and go "Hey you're a Christian? I'm a Christian, let's be friends!"

I think they worry far too much about themselves and not enough about their fellow man (most anyways). So, do they care if you can love them without God or Jesus in your life? No, they only care if you say you're one of them.

Answer 6

First of all...I do apologize profusely for the length of this :) and for any sore eyes or lack of interest that may be caused.

I was of the Christian faith for over 40 years and yes, Christians are about love...they are about faith, belief, etc., etc. However, of all the Christians that I have known and associated with...sadly, I can only say that there are a handful I would truly consider as deep down Christians.

Of all the Athiests/Agnostics I currently know or have known, well, I'd have to say that the biggest majority of them are people I am proud to know and am thankful to be a part of their lives. And yes, it's more than a handful :)

I think that Christian's live in a world of fear first and foremost. Fear that they will not reach the Heavenly state and fear that their life in purgatory could be pending. Fear that there is a divine being who watches every one of them, ...noting and remembering every sin made, every doubt cast and every person passed over whom they could have witnessed to and gathered to their flock.

Of all belief or non belief segments tho, there are always the not so good people who falter, sway, or make the Word of their God into a form of truth that suits their position or purpose. There are also those of these segments who endure hardships and trials and each uses the tools they have, to attempt to get through and once successful, either come out stronger within their beliefs or come out changed to non beliefs or other beleifs not considered Christian.

After all of my experiences up to my 40 years or so, I came out stronger and changed. The last trials from '01-'03 that followed many others prior,where the ones that brought me to where I am today...I no longer believe in a God, nor do I believe that there is a Heaven or a Hell...because of my change, I have lived the past several years without strife, trials, losses or tribulations. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember a time as a Christian when I had such incredulas things take place in my life and the lives of those in my family who are of the same thinking as I am today.

I think that Christians, at least some, need the guidance, direction and even fear that God and Jesus bring into their lives. This is their method of living and it is one that they strongly believe is the right way to walk on this Earth. However, it is also relgion of any faith that can and does cause situations as we have today because everyone's religion is to them the true and only religion and thus, each feels they must defend their beliefs in order to please their God.

In the end, each of us has our own belief and our own way of living our lives. Some of us are more head strong and choose to believe in ourselves and our ability to direct our own lives...some well, others not. Personally, I accept people as they are and who they are...it is my choice whether or not I wish to continue a relationship with anyone and it is also my choice how/when I choose to end that relationship if it is not working either for myself, the other, or both of us.

That is not to say I do not believe in working at the relationship and after 40 years I believe that the relationship I had with God and the fight I extended to become what I was told in the Bible that I should strive for...was one that was not working and the proof of that was the way in which my life was going despite all of my efforts to conform.

Now, my life is going as I believe it should and honestly, I would not change my life back to Christianity because today I have more love, joy, peace, contentment, tolerance and gifts than I could ever have imagined were possible. My house is a house of serenity despite there are 7 of us living in it (4 of which are teens) and our way of life draws people to us without our having to feel the need to worry about whether or not they are of our way of thinking or even like it. People entering our home continually comment about how comfortable and serene they feel here. I don't worry that I must discuss my faith with anyone in order to obtain something divine and my Christian friends of whom I still have a number, seem to have an unspoken understanding. Thus far our ways of thinking have never clashed nor eroded our friendships.

I actually think that Christians cannot understand how people could have any quality of life without God or Jesus as the guiding force...because that is how I and many of the Christians surrounding me used to/do see the world. It's perfectly fine by me for each to think their way, I do not condemn nor feel I have to convert anyone and I would hope they would return the consideration. It is unfortunate that lack of consideration and tolerance of each others faith/non faith is what seems to be the driving force that is devestating, eroding and ultimately destroying our world.

Answer 7

Don't think they believed you - not a Christian myself and don't like how many of them here respond to questions but a lot of the athiests and agnostics here are pretty rude to the christians as well

Answer 8

Because to them, the highest virtue isn't love.. it's believing what they believe. You can't really blame them... comformity to their mindset it the central theme of the bible, and Christians' lives are nearly completely dictated by what they find in that book.

I'm just satisfied if they actually keep it to themselves... since I know that few are likely to give it all up. (Though I was one of those few, I became an agnostic after decades of Christian indoctrination).

Answer 9

its more about getting people into the religion than love.

they say that jesus loves us and all that because they want christianity to look appealing so that we'll join.
which i don't really understand, why does it matter so much that strangers you don't know believe in jesus? i think it should be enough that the person does and that's it.

Answer 10

Perhaps you touched a nerve, Jim. Maybe you made them feel guilty about their actions, or their lack of self-control sometimes?
Possibly you insulted the feeling of superiority some get from feeling they act 'better' because of their beliefs?
Or could it be, that people like to criticise more than they like to praise?