"no atheist in foxholes" part 2....?

Question

a couple of months ago, i posted a question re: my dad, who is an atheist, diagnosed with cancer of the prostate, then decided to do some "soul searching" and said "yes" to Jesus....well, the short version is, tomorrow is his last treatment and everything looks like it is going to be ok, according to the docs (YAY!). ANYWAY, it seems that now since he knows he is going to be ok, that he has totally denounced God, and said he is going to live his life the way he wants to....which is all well and good, that is his right! My question is, why would you turn to God when you think you may die, then found out you'll be ok and throw God down? even the atheists i don't know well on here (R & S) are consistent...

p.s. before i get attacked, i have not asked or said anything to him about this, i have been too busy helping him with his legal affairs, my info is from my mother (his wife of 43 years).

good morning, Dekester!!!

Mountainman: I am very sorry to hear about your health, i won't say i'll pray for you (even though i will), but i will say i wish you wellness and luck.

Answer 1

That reminds me of the story of the guy that slips and falls over the edge of a cliff. He catches hold of a root and while he is dangling there, he desperately prays, "God, please help me!" A few seconds later a rope is thrown down and as the man grasps the rope, he says another quick prayer, "Nevermind God, I've got it all under control!"

:-)

Answer 2

People manage anxiety in a variety of different ways. Many turn to superstition or magical thinking. (Witness the booming business of shamans and herbal remedies.) Your father has been through a tough time during which I imagine he questioned many things about his life, which could have ended.

Give him a break. If he is unsure about the existence of God, it may be that he found it comforting to pick up faith for a time. However, it was an emotional (i.e., non-rational) decision. Now that he is less emotionally distraught, he may find it easier to evaluate things from a more reasoned perspective.

Answer 3

I don't really know why your father(specific person)would do that.As an atheist(general group) I am facing my mortality right now,they really don't know what the heck is wrong with me,and nothing they are trying is helping,but I don't imagine I have much longer to live,I have outlived their expectations already. I have done a lot of reflecting,and the fact of the matter is,I'm cool with my life,what I've done,and the memories I will have left.I am not afraid to die.I have no urge to "make a deal" with god about my health. So,your statement applies to your father,but it doesn't apply to all atheists,as I am one

Answer 4

you probably did your homework properly. nonetheless the words of The Christ are as real now as ever. Human nature by no skill transformations. Christianity became hijacked top from the get circulate and maintains directly to the present day day. often times with the suitable of intentions. the line to hell is paved with solid intentions nevertheless isn't it? Like many human beings, i will it appears that evidently see the intelligence of God everywhere from atomic shape to the form of the universe and all issues in between. yet for all people to appreciate the innovations of God is like attempting to %. up the Pacific ocean in a teacup. Can any e book comprise it and coach it? There are merely absolute to be miscommunications. there have been maximum of. Interpretation is as much as each and each human beings. The worst difficulty any human beings can do is to end finding for the fact. by no skill end.

Answer 5

I'm agnostic, and if I was face to face with my own mortality, I'd probably develop a deeper rapport with myself about the existence of God.

I'd like to think I'd stick to my guns and still consider him to be undeterminate, and not lean one way or the other, but who knows?

When backed into a corner, people will do anything to get out. Sometimes God is a last resort.

Answer 6

first, congrats (on the recovery).

second, people (and all life) on this planet are hardwired to survive, to live, to grasp any chance at life. If they didn't have this quality, we would have gone extinct long ago.

Thus, when in mortal danger or when dying, many people often grab at straws. Any straw. It doesn't mean they truly believe. In the past, the church has also clued on to this neat feature in humans and thus were born the 'deathbed conversions'; priests would visit a dying man, offer eternal (after)life, and bam! another believer.

Answer 7

first off (and im not attacking you im just stating) it's not ok to live the life you want instead of what god wants, because god made man to glorify him and to serve him (by bringing others to him)! anyways, people do that because god nags at their heart and it's frightening when you think your gonna die because from that point on you really start wondering where your gonna go when you die, if you believed in christ you wouldn't have to wrry about where you went cause he gives you a sense of peace that tells you your going to heaven!

Answer 8

When people are stuck underwater and have run out of oxygen there is an automatic response to breathe.

Logic would tell you that it doesn't make sense to breathe underwater but at that point desperation makes it seem like a good idea.

Answer 9

Let me tell you hun, I've been damn close to death a few times in the past few years. God never entered my mind. What did was survival.

Answer 10

Everyone has a breaking point. He could be what is considered a "weak" atheist, or even an agnostic.

Mornin', sunshine.