why do people say that if you dont believe in god, that youre with the devil?

Question

to begin with, it takes about as much faith to believe in the devil as it does to believe in god.

and second this isnt either or. that is a fallacy that if you happened to go to college and take a speech class or english 1c class, that you would know about.

so why do people use this fallacy? its not either or. we arent anti-christs for not believing. If we hated christ and did everything to oppose him then we would be anti. But it doesnt mean that if we dont accept him that we are against him. Seriously, get an education and quit saying we non-believers are evil or that we are on satin's side.

this doesnt go to all christians, just the ones who think its one or the other.

For the answerer with the name "JesusIsTheAnswer"

If Jesus really said "If you are not for me then you are against me"

then I guess he was using a fallacy himself huh? and I guess thats a good reason to either

a)not accept him as our so called savior

or that

b)christ or god isnt as perfect as he's said to be because he is using a fallacy himself then huh?

and Paulo. how is it possible to by definition "accept the devil" if Im not sure I believe in him either? When you find something you feel neutral about and somebody says that either youre for it or against it then youll know what I mean.

Answer 1

If God is real, then that means that the Devil is too then right? You don't necessarily worship the devil just because you believe in him; believing is different from worshiping. Both God and the Devil are there, so if you don't commit yourself to one, then you condemn yourself to the other. It's up to you to chose where you want to spend eternity in the after-life.

Answer 2

It is only a fallacy if the dichotomy doesn't exist...but there are many natural dichotomies that do exist and when talking about those relationships, an either or that argument is valid.

For example, it is not a fallacy to say that either you are pregnant or you are not pregnant...either you have a disease or you do not have a disease...either you voted for George Bush or you did not vote for George Bush. The "either/or" fallacy is only a fallacy when both of the options are false.

In the case of God, either you believe in him or you don't. If you don't, then it makes sense that you would view the statement that people who don't believe are following satan as an either/or fallacy. You're right, it does take just a much faith to believe in the devil as it does to believe in God.

HOWEVER, if you do believe in him, it is NOT a fallacy to say that non-believers are following the devil because the bible, the very foundation of that belief, specifies that there are only two possible choices...with him or against him. If God does exist , then the either for him or against him argument is not a fallacy, it is a natural dichotomy...good versus evil. If he doesn't exist, then both sides of the equation are false and thus it is a logical fallacy.

As for the suggestion that people should get an education, I'd suggest that freshman English or speech classes are hardly a basis for making that kind of assertion. Yes, they do tell you to avoid making either/or arguments because so few people do the research to make sure that they have actually identified a true dichotomy. However, if you take a few graduate level classes, you'll learn that either/or arguments can be valid in many higher level arguments!

Answer 3

Matthew 12:30

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."

ie, He is basically saying that there are only two type of people in the world - Christians and people who are not Christians, and are opposed to them (which is pretty evident just looking at the posts here)

But yes you are right, anti-Christ is reserved for a select few or a single person who is completely, for lack of another word, well, anti-Christ - in every aspect possible. It's actually pretty hard to achieve this status even if one tried.

Matthew 12:31-32:

"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

I don't believe I've ever heard of a person who has blasphemed the Holy Spirit. So you are kind of right, and this is a pretty sketchy subject. Alot of Christians even debate about this, because noone truly understands Revelation and can tell us about the endtimes. Some Christians say that there will be a single anti-Christ, perhaps even the devil incarnate, if not a demon possessed man, and that he will lead the world into a single global religion and into a single large community. But alot of the stuff in the "left behind" series is just plain fiction, even to Christians. It's mostly a human attempt to try to visualize just how the end times COULD be like, not how they will be like.

Answer 4

Unfortunately I see a lot of hatred on this board towards Christ and Christians in general. With comments saying we are "ignorant" or "stupid" . One of my favorites we should ride the little bus to school.
Also the secular society today spends lots of time and money trying to pass laws that go against Christ's teachings. They spend time and money doing everything they can to keep Christianity out of peoples lives. Yet when we stand up for our moral beliefs we are labeled as zealots.
This world is controlled by the father of all lies and the great deceiver. So yes even if you think you do not believe in Satan he is the one in control of your life. Even you last comment was hateful " Seriously get and education"
I in no way hate those who do not believe. More so it saddens my heart to think that they are lost. I only hope that with kindness and understand they can be shown the light.

Answer 5

The devil is on the subject of God in a trend being that stupid tale of a e book Christians study we've not got self belief in God or any of his acquaintances or friends in that made up tale stated as the bible stop going after us atheists have self belief despite you like an bypass away us to our very own ideals

Answer 6

Even though I am a firm believer, I understand what you are saying, mostly because it took me a while to accept Him. In our society, it is very hard to believe spiritual happenings such as Christ resurrecting when society tells us that none of that is possible. It does take a lot of faith. I'm not gonna say you're evil. Not at all! If you tell me that you're not Satan I'll believe you. I don't judge people just because they are not religious as I am or because they don't have the same religion as me.

<3

Answer 7

Why do you even care what Christians say or believe, if you choose not to. Aren't we entitled to our beliefs as well?

Jesus said," I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me."

You're going to listen to someone, and there are only two choices. The Lord Jesus who is God or the enemy of God who is Satan.

Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't change the facts.

Answer 8

Because basically they can't accept the concept that true atheism means having no supernatural beliefs at all, including both gods and demons. They see everything in absolute terms, and to them, disbelief in gods can ONLY mean belief in demons. It's pretty silly, but it's something you learn to live with, and you do your best to educate when you can. The problem is, they usually don't want to hear it, because it upsets their view of reality.

Answer 9

Because religions aren't always above politics. I have my own thoughts about God that I consider valid, but I'd rather have honesty from others. I wouldn't think it was a good thing to have others pretend to believe something they do not, even if it supported my beliefs.

Answer 10

They use this fallacy because it is a fallacy and they're obviously trying to use every fallacy in the book. Which argument for the existence of god does not contain a fallacy?