Which is closer to his teachings? An atheist who is kind, generous and loving or a believer who is spiteful, bigotted and aggressive?
2007-11-18 10:19:37 · 37 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
adri, ghostwol, jenx, whatever gave you the impression that I was worried? P)
tks for your concerns though! love ya 2
2007-11-18 22:13:08 · update #1
David : "what are you waiting for?"
loved the image!
I'm waiting for Godot P)
2007-11-18 22:15:22 · update #2
Am Sweeney T., could you add some layers to my hairstyle? Maybe go retro with a few glam waves...
2007-11-18 22:25:52 · update #3
Tammar, Maahes, Bob T, Joe S, Craig R, tks for the notion on humans inherent need to be saved. P) (learnt smtg)
Postalman: that is one heroic resolve!
To all those who answered along the same lines as Tommy C, Paula r., Traceeg & Ed : tks a lot for ur openness!
2007-11-18 22:42:33 · update #4
There is some truth in what you suggest - Jesus said almost the exact same thing in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
2007-11-18 10:27:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Both are in error. The spiteful, bigotted, aggressive believer needs to read 1 Corinthians 13. The loving athiest has rejected God.
2007-11-18 10:52:48 · answer #2 · answered by sdb deacon 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
So what you're asking is this: Who will God favor? One who denies God's very existence, yet now when he's about to face God's wrath (which God said all along was coming, but this person refused to listen or do anything about), asks for mercy on the basis of all the nice things he's allegedly done for other people (never for God)? Or one who believes in God, obeys God's commands and has trusted him all along to keep the promises he has made to him, but who other people consider to be hard to get along with?
I think the answer is obvious that the errant believer is in much better standing with God than the really nice atheist.
Besides, the Bible calls the human heart "desperately wicked" and asks "who can trust it"? So there's no such thing as a "pure-hearted" person -- atheist or not.
2007-11-18 10:30:41 · answer #3 · answered by Craig R 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Why should it matter to you? You don't believe that He even exists. So how can a God, you think doesn't exist, reject you? What difference does it make, if you are kind and generous, or spiteful and bigoted. If He really does not exist, you don't have to worry. And not all believers are spitefull and bigoted. That is a judgmental opinion on your part.
2007-11-18 10:35:46 · answer #4 · answered by jenx 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Many answers here presume that God's salvation offer to man is based on man's good works. That is not the message of the Gospel. We are all sinners, so that eliminates the concept of the "pure-hearted atheist."
Christians are still sinners. We do not fully live the Christian life as we should, but God forgives us anyway and will bring Christians to heaven because of faith that comes from His grace, not from what we have "earned."
2007-11-18 10:43:47 · answer #5 · answered by Bob T 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Neither one... everyone is unacceptable to God on his own terms. Only those that believe in God and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be saved... and part of that is reflecting the Love that God has shown us. Christians are definitely not perfect and I konw taht I hvae aawys to go but we are saved by belief in Jesus alone and doing God's will!
Don't be grumpy about it! Just be glad that God loved us enough to alteast give us a narrow path to salvation and not a dead end!
2007-11-18 10:29:38 · answer #6 · answered by Fishing for Truth 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
What exactly do you mean by pure-hearted, since it's not how much you sinned that makes you a sinner and no one is perfect. Once someone sins, they all need to believe in order to be forgiven. Salvation is by grace not by self-righteous acts. For instance if an atheist is "nice" in general, but they hate someone who they felt offended them, then they can't be considered pure-hearted anymore.
2007-11-18 10:35:31 · answer #7 · answered by Joe S 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The first answer tells you all you need to know about Christian love.
I always liked this, from Marcus Aurelius:
"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones."
EDIT:
Three down-thumbs ... I wonder who it was who found what so objectionable.
EDIT 2:
Five down-thumbs now ... I should love to hear the reasons for this.
Reading the majority if answers here, it is disturbing the number of people who seem to hate themselves: no wonder some Christians have such difficulty in dealing with the real world if what they see every time they look in the mirror is a vile, hateful, corrupted thing. And it is no wonder that some Christians spend so much time hating other people. What an appallingly twisted view of humanity some of you people have. That is so sad.
.
2007-11-18 10:25:00 · answer #8 · answered by ABB 6 · 4⤊ 5⤋
God does not want to reject anybody. He has made the way through Jesus for us to come to Him, but He leaves it up to us to make the choice to receive or reject Him. An athiest has clearly rejected Him. Jesus said in Matt 10:32-33 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." As for the pure heart bit, the Bible says our good works are like filthy rags compared to God's purity. We are all sinners and need the blood of Jesus to make us pure. Without Christ none of us has any chance!
2007-11-18 10:44:56 · answer #9 · answered by Tammar 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Gwen, God rejects everyone that doesn't accept the free gift of his mercy, nobody has a heart pure enough to pass God's requirement.
2007-11-18 10:44:43 · answer #10 · answered by Steel Rain 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋