Dear Christians, how would you respond to the following statement?

Question

"An Atheist loves himself and his fellow man instead of a god. An Atheist knows that heaven is something for which we should work now - here on earth - for all men together to enjoy. An Atheist thinks that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue, and enjoy it. An Atheist thinks that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment. Therefore, he seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An Atheist knows that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An Atheist knows that a deed must be done instead of a prayer said. An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man. He wants an ethical way of life. He knows that we cannot rely on a god..........

Answer 1

First off it rings true of Atheists, we respect all people. It’s too bad most of the religions that preach tolerance and acceptance don’t demonstrate it, and judging from a lot of the answers here I’d say Christians are right at the top of that list.

Examples A & B:
“An atheist is wrong, navie, and foolish”
“I think its stupid." -(Strats!!)
"Being an Atheist means you believe in no God. That's fine and dandy. But most of the atheist I know are really deppressing and unfriendly people. Mainly because they have a general lack of care of what goes on around. them -shrug“- (Neolte)
---Yeah I guess a central part of Christianity is putting down others and stereotyping them, and of course not knowing how to spell correctly. You are both committing sin by your god’s standards.

Example C:
“God is the only one we can rely on. Man will let you down. God is always there for us. Jesus paid a heavy price for us. It is a free gift. Some folks are too egocentric to see the Truth.”-(Faye)
---What is the proof for this? BLIND FAITH DOES NOT = TRUTH

Example D:
“grossly dellusionaly...at best.
you notion is that you have the answers within you and your fellow man to operate within an enviroment of harmony. Problem being, no one is exactly like you, so the concept of your harmony is dependant on everyone either surpressing some of their desires, feelings and notions to co-exits peacfully, or all of them to exist you your standard of perfection.”, AND,
"This reminds me of an X-Files episode......", - (Kiker)
---1st off "This reminds me of an X-Files episode......", WHATTTT? Is the X-files a program a true, God fearing Christian would be watching, you know with all the aliens and mythical monsters and stuff? BLAMSPHEMY & HYPOCRISY! Well anyways this whole coversation reminds me of an episode of What's Happening where Rerun uses a tape recorder to secretly record a Doobie Bros. concert so some gang of thugs can sell it on the street as their own.
---By the way Are you saying all Christians are the same? I’ve met many and anyone with half a brain that has met more than a handful can tell you Christians may pray in similar places but they all aren’t “exactly like you”. On a recent Discovery Channel program about Christianity there were a bunch of Christians pulling out snakes and passing them around the church, I guess you all do that huh? By your argument are you saying I should start believing all your leaders like fondling young boys?

Example E:
“Pure drivel.
Empty words.
Tell it to the millions who starved to death and were imprisoned in Stalin's godless state.
Who do you think started building hospitals in the first place?
It was the religious organizations.
The names of the Hospitals in my city are:
St Luke's Hospital,
St Michael's Hospital,
St Joseph's Hospital,
Lutheran Memorial Hospital.
Your world is a world of words without substance,
like the cardboard props on a Hollywood set.”- (wefmeister)
---Apart from your BS, do you know how many have been slaughtered in the name of Christianity? I answered a Q from a memeber (kl) in which she tried defending The crusades by saying,
“Am I missing something? If I am, could you please link me to a source (or tell me where I can find one) that backs up a claim like this? By the way, Wikipedia says that approximately only 1000 people died in the Inquisition.”
---Typical Christian thinking. Well according to your beliefs that’s 1000 deaths too many. Hey could someone give me an unbiased link to something which proves god is real, or that jesus really was the son of God? I didn’t think so.
---Also are you seriously trying to tell us that Christianity invented hospitals? I love the laughs I get here from the uneducated fanatics. There are a couple hospitals in my city one named Sparrow and one named Ingham, what Saints were they named after? I'd bet the first hospitals were actually built by Cavemen mothers.

Example F:
“I lost interest. Could be cuz I have a short attention span, but it also cold be because I've heard this before. Get some new material, then maybe I'll liste, eh?”- (Professor CuddlesIII)
---How long have the rest of us had to listen to your same unproven “fantasies” over and over again? Once again the Bible is not proof of anything. I can find a book which talks about aliens ruling the earth, the difference is I’m not gullible enough to believe it, Kiker might believe it though.

These examples are all comments that you “Christians” posted to this very question, all proof of your uneducated fanaticism, and and your unwillingness to live amongst others. Also it shows that most of you need a lot of grammar tutoring.
If you're going to rant about you beliefs at least learn how to spell. All the stuff I "quoted" is word for word, I didn't correct others' errors, hey jsus dont mined.

Answer 2

I'd say you don't represent most of the atheists with whom I have come into contact. I have no quibble at all with your idea of human worth, the value of relationships, the importance of ethics, the seeking of knowledge and understanding, your idea that we should be working right now for Heaven on earth, that we have to be the agents of action.

The only place we differ is on whether all of this exclusive with, hurt by, or enhanced by faith. I believe humans are more than rational and that the experience of the numinous, the spiritual, of love beyond all our words and beyond rational understanding is the fuel on which man best runs. To the extent building churches, praying, and believing turn us toward that love and lead us to be these ethical people you value, I think we are on the right track.

And to the extent you value the fact that the billions of humans that came before the Enlightenment felt so as well I think evolution likes it that way too - that random atheism, a strain which runs counter to our psychological hardwiring according to Jung and that causes angst and pain according to the existentialists, is actually a dangerous development since religion has been a core element in human communities and ethics, features which have ensured our survival to this point.

Faith IS the natural context for a human being, the idea that we are smarter than the universe and all those humans before us and can simply act as if man didn't need the long-term social cohesion that mythological systems provide is just highly suspect in my eyes.

Which is sort of ancillary, I am far more interested in all that we have in common than where we differ. But, you aksed and there it is.

Answer 3

Okay, here is the thing! Is mankind not inherently sinful? If so, then why bother with Gay marriage (except in the name of politics, as if that was what Jesus preached and told us to do), when there are other marriages where God is not honored without them being Gay marriages? Buddhist? Muslim? Atheist? Why not go after them? Because the politician who uttered those words against such things would die politically. So that is what I am saying. The source for anti-Gay marriage is the world of politics, not Jesus Christ. And we shall know them by their fruit. What is the fruit from those brethren who rail against Gay marriage? Dissension against Christianity for a cause not forwarded by the Gospel Jesus told us to preach. Politics is being used as Satan's tool if you ask me. Matthew 5 13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." EDIT: But God did not call us to serve Conservative Republicans, whether they are Christian or not. EDIT (again) : Also, the world is not full of people who are either Christian or Pre-Christian. God chooses from the world. In John 17 Jesus was clear, he was not praying for the world, but for those who He chose from the world. We have to keep this stuff straight.

Answer 4

Powerful, and a really educated way to state the stance Atheists takes without all the stereotypes.

A Christian would reply that our life here on Earth is not to serve our fellow man, but to serve god. They would say that our life on Earth is not our own, that we shouldn't be attached to the things that share this planet with us.

This makes sense if there is a soul, and a supernatural purpose for mankind, but being as that isn't proven...it only makes sense to go with what we know. Which is to live and act as you stated.

However, there are those people who'll swear they know for a fact that there is a god, and that there is a heaven and a hell. These people need to review the meaning of the word "fact"

Edit: LC..."often lead to personal gain and self service"? Do you not know the history of the churches? The wars fought for land and money in the name of god? Perhaps you should look in the mirror, because you are not talking about atheism, you are talking about religion and churches.

Answer 5

I want peace on earth just as much as the next person. I want to fight and strive for this earth to be a better place for my children to grow up in. I have to fight and struggle through life too. Jesus is my strength while I do all of this. He helps me get through my days and nights. Just because I believe in God and believe their is life after death does not mean that I as a person do not want disease conquered or poverty vanquished as well. We all have to live life on earth together regardless of religion. The difference is I will do it with the lord in my heart and raising my children in church so they will know the lord jesus christ. I have a friend that does not believe in god but that does not mean that we cannot be friends and have play dates with our children. You cannot escape this life on earth you can only make the best of it and live for the lord while doing it.

Answer 6

Tally HO! Well Down on the shire we all know there are Hobbits, Elves, even Wizards! No religion is true without the inclusion of Flying Dragons, I mean everyone knows we still have some flying over Hogwarts, and they're 5,000 years old! Surely if you just asked nicely they'd tell you what really happened.

Answer 7

well for a Christians we also want the way of life for all to improve its just that we think that god is the source in which this happens..It is sorta offensive because it does not sound like who ever wrote this statement knew about the other religions. But you just have to keep in mind that this is an opinion

Answer 8

grossly dellusionaly...at best.
you notion is that you have the answers within you and your fellow man to operate within an enviroment of harmony. Problem being, no one is exactly like you, so the concept of your harmony is dependant on everyone either surpressing some of their desires, feelings and notions to co-exits peacfully, or all of them to exist you your standard of perfection. You concept isn't new, in fact, its actually very, very old and has been coined the term Humanism to appropriate all of the philosophies and religions throughout the ages that have espoused this belief system...the most comon actually being Communism.
Reminds me of an X-files episode where Mulder asked a Genie for world peace...at which point there was no one left in the world but him. Its the only means through which humankind can mantain the peace you seek, as it means that all must be subject to a principle of thought that all do not share, and therefore cannot equally co-exist.

Answer 9

Read the paper, watch the news and you'll know your fellow man and what he is capable of doing to you and your family. Utopia for everyone, go to Disneyland.

Answer 10

Atheists are true humanists and spiritualists as true knowledge is the knowledge of self.So,no use of running after heaven or hell.