This is somewhat similiar to the first question I asked on R and S today. What would you consider to be the greatest power you have? Would it be your faith, love, hope, or wealth? I imagine for most atheists, their power remains in the substantial things in life, like wealth through money, cars, and bogos nonessential things. A Christian's power remains in faith of God, love of God, and hope in God. Am I being too stereotypical of atheists or what? They have love, but it's not the same love religious people possess. Being an Atheist is like:
A king without his crown,
A pitcher without the mound,
The sky without the ground,
Or music without the sound.
All opinions welcome.
2007-10-12 05:38:39 · 30 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Smirk Ressurected, you obviously have no love whatsoever.
2007-10-12 05:45:12 · update #1
Thank you all for your opinions, even the one's I didn't care for. I as a Christian never try to force atheists to become Christians, more so, and I hope they never try to force me to become an atheist.
2007-10-12 05:50:11 · update #2
Love.
A long time ago I thought that love was something that you reserved for some special set of people that you had judged worthy of it.
After a while I got to thinking about what Jesus had said about turning the other cheek and loving our neighbor I put the two together and realized that he had made no exceptions in these statements. It became obvious to me that he intended that we exclude no one from the love that we are supposed to be giving. I started thinking about my idea of love and suddenly realized that I had not been loving anyone at all. I had simply been judging everyone and every thing.
Judging someone worthy of love is not love, it is only judgment. I actually started to cry when I realized this. I saw just how much of my life I had wasted being judgmental, thinking of myself as a Christian, when I was actually doing just the opposite of what Jesus had asked us to do.
I thought about the verse judge not lest ye be judged, and I understood it for the first time.
I realized that I have a lot of catching up to do. So many opportunities were wasted. I now try to apply the love that I have for the world in a universal way like Jesus asks us to do.
If I start to feel afraid and think that I see someone that I should not love because of something I have thought or heard I try to catch my mistake as soon as possible. I tell myself that I have forgot the truth and have fallen for the same old trick that had cost me so many opportunities to be loving in the past. The horror of this realization is often all that is necessary to bring me back to my senses and make me drop the judgmental nonsense I was thinking.
I still have a lot to learn about love, but at least I’m making progress.
Love and blessings
Your brother
don
2007-10-12 05:43:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't say you're stereotyping but you are being presumptuous and a bit insulting. Also your question is very vague to begin with. Although that seems extremely common here on YA.
What do you mean by power? A thing is what it is and not something else. Faith is faith and not something else. A 'bogo' is I can only logically assume a 'bogo' and not something else since I have no idea what that is.
You might rephrase the question and if you truly mean 'power' define what you mean by it. If this is what you think being an atheist is I can say you truly do not know.
Clear away for one moment all of the baggage you've allowed other people to attach to the word. It defines itself. The prefix 'a' meaning not or without. The word simply means 'not theist' and 'without theism'.
Atheists by definition are not anti-theist. They are religiously neutral.
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In response to the Additional Details:
"I as a Christian never try to force atheists to become Christians, more so, and I hope they never try to force me to become an atheist."
As far as atheism is concerned there no atheist belief to force onto anyone so you're pretty safe. And though you may not believe it that is all that atheists ask is to not try to force them to follow your religion.
2007-10-12 05:44:19 · answer #2 · answered by Demetri w 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My crown is I walk on the footpath and not wallow in the gutter.
My goals are kicked straight and don't bend in the wind.
My sky is always crystal blue and my ground is a sun-burnt shade.
My music is the slamming of the waves washing around this continent so large.
My spirit sings from golden harps sprinkling silver dust into the night sky as my golden moon shines in the darkness of the night.
All I need is Mosses law held within thy 10 commandments given by God.
And if my neighbour doesn't love me, who really cares. I'll ring God on the phone to tell the Pope in Rome I am a Heathen Blasphemous and an Atheist with only one God and don't worship the pharisees at all.
2007-10-12 06:02:09 · answer #3 · answered by Drop short and duck 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess hope is greatest power I have beside talking to God knowing he is listening and there for me .I hope things in the world get better but maybe it was or is the way the lord is letting us play it out . He gave us so much and we as a whole do not give anything back.
2007-10-12 05:48:31 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Power? What power do human beings have? Nothing man nothing. The whole thing is planned by some greater power. You call it god, destiny, whatever you like.
A richman gets sickness that cannot be healed by money power. A president gets shot.
Who has got power? Christians power? BULLSHIT
2007-10-12 06:01:38 · answer #5 · answered by mamakumar 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our greatest power is conscious awareness. Personal connections with the sacred are found through awareness as are stillness, peace, compassion, love, reason, humility and strength. The more aware we become the more wondrous is our journey through life.
2007-10-12 06:01:48 · answer #6 · answered by Tamara S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, you're being stereotypical. My greatest power is my ability to adapt to whatever life throws at me. This is, in no way, a materialistic thing.
Time to grow up and realize not everyone is like you, nor should they be.
2007-10-12 05:43:49 · answer #7 · answered by 006 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The power to repent of sin and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God Almighty.
The power over self.
2007-10-12 05:42:26 · answer #8 · answered by hisgloryisgreat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To Love, To Have Free Will, and to Know God and His Divine Providence in our lives (Faith).
2007-10-12 07:30:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the greatest power we have as Chritians is love b/c God told us that there are many things He commands us but the greatest commandment is love.
2007-10-12 05:42:48 · answer #10 · answered by country_chick_09 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋