What does everyone think of this quote?

Question

I asked myself what I believed. I had never prayed a lot. I hoped hard, I wished hard, but I didn't pray. I had developed a certain distrust of organized religion growing up, but I felt I had the capacity to be a spiritual person, and to hold some fervent beliefs. Quite simply, I believed I had a responsiblity to be a good person, and that meant fair, honest, hardworking, and honorable. If I did that, if I was good to my family, true to my friends, if I gave back to my community or to some cause, if I wasn't a liar, a cheat, or a thief, then I believed that should be enough. At the end of the day, if there was indeed some Body or presence standing there to judge me, I hoped I would be judged on whether I had lived a true life, not on whther I believed in a certain book, or whether I'd been baptized. If there was indeed a God at the end of my days, I hoped he didn't say, "But you were never a Christian, so you're going the other way from heaven." If so, I was going to reply, "You know what? You're right. Fine."

My boy and fellow Atheist Lance Armstrong said it.

Answer 1

True, True! You go Sir! i like this explanation.... its better then fighting over which religion is the best

Answer 2

Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? If there is, how do you get into heaven and stay out of hell? You need answers to these questions before you die. After you die, it might be too late. How do you get answers to these questions? Don't me you just reasoned it out in your mind. You used your intellect, reason and logic. Logic and reason are dependent on facts. If I want to reason about whether the Lakers will win the NBA championship next year, there are a lot of facts out there. I can watch them play. I can look at the scouting reports of the players they have. There are magazines written by NBA experts who prognosticize about their chances next year. I can go to the summer leagues and watch some of their new players play. There are an infinite number of ways to collect facts. Then I just use the laws of logic to interpret those facts and if I have enough facts and I'm using logic properly I can come to some very good conclusions. But what facts are there about God and the afterlife. Not very many. Everywhere you look in the universe there's design so it's logical to conclude that there is a designer, which I would call God. He created the universe so he must be very powerful. What other facts? I don't see a whole lot. You don't need reason to tell you about God. What you need is revelation. It's reasonable to believe that God did give this revelation. Man does seem to have an inherent desire to know about God. If God created man, it doesn't make sense that he would give him this desire and never give him any revelation of himself. I believe that revelation is the bible(for reasons that go beyond this discussion). You may say that God didn't create man or the universe. They just evolved.....VIOLA....MAGIC. If you want to take that view, that's fine with me. I would defend your right to have that view. But you'll just have to live your life not knowing what comes after death and hoping the bible isn't true. You just can't investigate God Sherlock Holmes style. God is up there and we're down here. If we're going to know anything about God it's because He chooses to reveal it to us and not the other way around. Lance Armstrong may be a great cyclist but he doesn't know anything more about God than you or me, just by reasoning it out in his mind.

Answer 3

Honestly, I think that's probably Lance Armstrong's biggest mistake of his life.


Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. NO man comes unto the Father (and heaven) but through him. NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD.


You can't work your way to heaven. Jesus is the only way.

Not to say, it won't hurt if you're a good person too. ;)

Answer 4

well then if he's your "boy" and he said all this crap about lying cheating stealing and all that, then guess what? If either of you think that you are going to get in based on that type of junk, ain't you gonna be plenty hot and fooled? Self justification is nothing, lets see either of you boys reach down and pick yourselves up by the boot strings...if you can do that, then maybe you can justify yourselves into heaven....but guess what ? It ain't happenin...but don't worry, YOU'LL LIVE....an eternity in hellfire....at least I will get rest and peace upon my last breath...your torment will just be begining if you don't get right with GOD and accept JESUS CHRIST as LORD of your life.

Answer 5

Sooo, you let a bicycle racer determine your theology? good choice....not! Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6)
So do we believe the words of a perfect man who stated it wasn't by works that get you to Heaven, or the words of a sinner who is making up a theology that believes good works gets you in.
Wow, tough choice, hmmmm I think I will stick with Jesus on this one, I think He kinda knows more about it than a bike racer.

Answer 6

In all honesty, that's what I believe. As long as you lead a true life, you should be set.

Churches however believe you to go to Purgatory (aka limbo) if such thing happens though. There you would be one of the possible people to go up to heaven, but you wouldn't necessarily go there right away.

Answer 7

I would encourage Lance Armstrong and everyone else to read "a certain book" because it's obvious he hasn't.

Answer 8

068.035
Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin?

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What is the matter with you? How judge ye?

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Or have ye a book through which ye learn-

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That ye shall have, through it whatever ye choose?

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Or have ye Covenants with Us to oath, reaching to the Day of Judgment, (providing) that ye shall have whatever ye shall demand?

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Ask thou of them, which of them will stand surety for that!

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Or have they some "Partners" (in Allahhead)? Then let them produce their "partners", if they are truthful!

Answer 9

well that quote kinda goes against everything you just said about how you dont need to believe in a book. if i were to be "judged" and they said that to me i wouldnt just agree. unless im confusing this question then just ignore my answer

Answer 10

who cares. Lance Armstrong is a cheater, a doper, and a tool.