Atheist: We agree it is “faith”, it is our entire argument, get it?

Question

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God has made it this way. If I could prove every prophecy, account, and statement in the Bible to you then faith would not be the issue. In Gods infinite wisdom, He chose faith to be the “mechanism” to enter into a relationship with Him. Not faith in the sense that most people use the word, but faith directed in Gods provision. Faith is useless if it does not have an object, and the object must be sufficient to meet need of the one who believes. Faith is not peculiar, everyone has faith, and we all use it in some variety everyday. Christians chose to use their faith to believe in a God they cannot see, but based on what we consider to have been revealed to us by God we choose to believe in Him and His Son and Spirit. You may argue that believing in any god is pointless, foolish, or ignorant. For you it is, God made it that way. [Continued]

It is pointless to debate the existence of God if you have already made up your mind that He does not exist. Is that having an open mind? I will agree with you that much of what you see on TV or may have experienced of Christianity is a travesty, but these are the faults of men. All religions and all men are capable of contemptible acts, but do not allow those people to ruin your chance at experiencing what God has in store for you if you will but only ask for the desire to have faith in Him.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6

Answer 1

The problem with most people who use faith to guide them through life is that they automatically assume, very arrogantly, that just because they have faith the evidence will automatically pop up. As if they are so special that their faith automatically constitutes proof and whatever they believe should be believed by everyone else. The concept of "changing their minds" only exists if it can be applied to others. Religion teaches this from a very young age and this is the breeding ground for those people who will eventually get into a cockpit and push their faith, burning jet fuel and tons of metal onto people who do not want to have their minds changed.

Answer 2

It isn't so much what I see on TV that makes Christianity seem like a travesty. It's what I so often see here on Yahoo Answers; fundamentalist Christians telling pious, moral Buddhists that their religion is worthless, that God ignores their prayers, that they are going to hell if they don't become Jesus freaks.

Or fundamentalist Christians telling my deeply religious and prayerful Jewish neighbor that God ignores his prayers and that he and his entire family are going to suffer in hell forever just because they are Jewish.

Or fundamentalist Christians at least implying that both the devout Mormon and the unrepentant serial killer both suffer the very same eternity in hell. Talk about travesty! Does this make any sense to you at all? . . . . That a devout and profoundly moral Mormon would suffer the very same eternity in hell as an unrepentant child killer?

If you people would just be content to live your lives in accordance with your understanding of the words of Jesus and stop telling others that they're going to hell, a lot fewer people would challenge you here. But you don't even realize how deeply insulting this is to others. And then you wonder why people challenge here on Yahoo Answers.

Answer 3

I am not an atheist or a religious fanatic. Just a person in search of truth. I see that you're trying to explain to/convince people in beleiving what you believe in: existence of God. The most important question is skipped, though: What is God to you? I can share what it is to me, and maybe from this angle people (who don't consider themselves God believers) will look at "faith" differently.
I do have faith. Faith that there are things out there beyond our understanding or latest scientific discoveries. And these things (ie mechanisms and laws by which Universe and everything in it was created) can often be found in religious writings. I turn to religion in purely scientific way (no, I don't belong to scientologist church). If the religion is interpreted correctly, it is science. The concept of God has been distorted and butchered by shallow worshippers, very often calling themselves Christians (and other religions do the same). Jesus would be horrified by all the things that his "followers" did in his name, such as judging, hating, resenting, torturing, killing...etc. Hence is the existence of atheists, I guess.
Now I believe that first and foremost the right idea of God should be formed. God is not a grandpa with a white beard ordering things around, caring for some and not giving crap about others. God is a Universal Law, just like a law of Nature. You cannot hate or love a law; you can only learn it, accept it, and apply it, hopefully. You can draw parallels with any science. If by accident a drop of sulfuric acid gets on your skin, it will burn and leave a mark. Can you blame God for it? Can you praise God for it? Hopefully, you'll answer "No" to both questions. It is just the way things work. You may not know about some laws (such as laws of chemistry) and by accident hurt yourself. So, it would make sense to assume that there are other laws and mechanisms out there that are not as visible and palpable or measurable by the science (at least not yet), but still very much real and working. Besides, what was not known to science yesterday (including invisible things, such as radio waves and magnetic field) is known and utilized by it today.
So there are certain mechanisms and laws out there that exist and apply to us, regardless of our beliefs, awareness, or ability to measure them, see them, feel them, etc. There is a greater design by which the Universe and everything in it was created. And this is what you should have faith in. That there are things out there that we cannot see or feel or comprehend. They are part of Universal Intelligence or what is often referred to as God. It does not matter whether you're an atheist or Christian, or Buddhist; the Laws of Nature apply to all of us equally. Have Faith in that. Look into religious writings (not just Christian; though personally I have a great respect for Jesus Christ's teachings), listen to your intuition, and if that's not enough and you're a hardcore sceptic who only looks to science for answers, read what one of the greatest scientific minds ever (Einstein) was saying about science and religion.

Answer 4

I much prefer those god-believers who admit up front that their religion is based upon faith without evidence to those who pretend that there is abundant evidence to support their faith but then never get around to producing that evidence.

I personally do not believe that it is a virtue to have blind faith in anything--like one who never checks his tires or fluids, believing that God will ensure that his car continues to run smoothly--but, as I believe very strongly in religious freedom, I acknowledge the right of others to feel differently.

Answer 5

This seems more like a lecture than a question.

As for me, what I fail to understand about "faith" is how you can have "faith" in a greater being who has -- as you've just admitted -- deliberately tricked about two-thirds of the world into believing he does not exist? That sounds like something your Satan would do.

Answer 6

You wrote, "It is pointless to debate the existence of God if you have already made up your mind that He does not exist. Is that having an open mind?" It is also pointless to debate the existence of God if you have already made up your mind that He does exist. Is that having an open mind? Why is it not having an open mind when someone doesn't believe in god, but when someone does, that person DOES have an open mind?
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Answer 7

having an open mind is only possible if you disregard your all form of feelings or senses and use judgement according to natural circumstances of life instead of just your hypothesis.
Faith is judgement to choose to believe through feelings-FALSE
There should be no more argument if both of you already know the truth. GET IT?
ignorant + true = argument
ignorant + ignorant = argument
true + true = peace

Answer 8

If you are convinced of the existence of God, is that not more closed minded than someone who is could be convinced with sufficient evidence?

Isn't declaring that "In Gods infinite wisdom, He chose faith to be the “mechanism” to enter into a relationship with Him" the same thing as saying "If you can delude yourself, you can believe anything"?

Answer 9

Are you open minded that God might not be real and you are wrong? It is pointless to debate the non-existence of a deity. ;-)

Maybe those people who killed themselves to ride the spacecraft after Comet Hale-Bopp were right because they had faith that it was real!

Answer 10

infinite documented miracles? or tricks? issues are purely miracles till we comprehend them extra effective! Stem cellular scientific care is making blind human beings see, this might improve, is this a miracle or no longer? If we had no verbal replace and nevertheless lived in small villages that hardly spoke to a minimum of one yet another, this could be seen a miracle and the be conscious might unfold relating to the miracle guy. spoke back prayers... properly if I win the lottery, it rather is luck, i do no longer pray, yet once I merely got here about to assert the day in the previous, "please god make me win", does that advise he spoke back my prayer?