Atheists: Do you feel that Christians do a poor job of warning you about these things?

Question

In the spirit of Luke 14:26-33, I feel confession of the unfairness and lack of duty by Christians is in order. Now, I am not the Pope, so perhaps you will not accept this on behalf of Catholic Christians...and nor am I a leader of a Protestant denomination. But I hope you will accept this confession on behalf of my fellow Christians (perhaps Christians that agree with me can star this question to join me in this confession together):

My confession is twofold:
1) We have failed to fully explain the “unfairness” of the situation at hand regarding the word of God.
2) We have failed to warn you that you are in very grave danger of becoming Christians, and this comes at a very great cost. (And Jesus says that we should count the cost of become His disciple, Luke 14:26-33).

Regarding confession 1: we plant “seeds” here in R&S. Seeds are the word of God. When you read my posts and the posts of other Christians, you are exposed to the word of God.

Continued...

And God brings the growth. You claim to have no faith in God. But it is written: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) And this is the word of faith which we preach: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:8-9). And there, it has happened again. You just read my post...which contained the word of God. And God’s word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11). So, this hardly seems fair for you guys.

Regarding confession 2: in light of confession 1, you are in very grave danger of becoming Christians. If your goal is not to become a Christians, then do NOT read the Bible or any Bible verse, and do not read questions and answers in R&S that contain the word of God. As for the second part of confession 2, to become a Christian comes at great cost. Jesus only preached for 3 years before being crucified.

Continued...

All but 1 of his Apostles met with a quick and untimely gruesome death. In Afghanistan, your own family may burn you to death for becoming a Christian. In America, you will lose many friends and cause a LOT of disturbance in your family. People will think you are deluded, brainwashed, stupid, foolish, “un-evolved”, uneducated, and mentally ill. I use to be an atheist and testify to these truths.

So, again...in light of these warnings, do you feel that Christians do a poor job of warning you about these things?

(And again, perhaps Christians that agree with me can star this question to join me in this confession together)

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inhisgrace:
A good verse and a good response...but there is a cost. Consider the parables of Matthew 13:44 and Matthew 13:45-46. Considering the reward of heaven vs. the penalty of hell...which are both infinite, the "cost" in this lifetime is so insignificant as to be negligible - even if you were to be tortured and killed because you became a Christian (and on the very day you became a Christian). But the cost in this lifetime is this: to gain eternal life...is to lose and forsake all that this life has to offer.

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Answer 1

learn to boil down your questions.

and the answer is yes.

Answer 2

In my humble opinion, I think the following verse says much:

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

To become a Christian why is there such a GREAT COST? When we accept Christ as Lord and believe in his reserrection we are saved. Yes, saved by faith in Christ. God's word is not unfair, life is.

I say READ the Bible and let one make up his/her own mind for God, by his grace, gave us free will. When we choose Him, we choose life everlasting. When we don't choose him we will either experience death of the soul or be thrown in the lake of fire where there will be gnawing and gnashing of teeth. .....Is this perhaps the great cost you mean?

Blessings.

Answer 3

Yeah, they should at least put the words christian rant, or tediously long list of bible quotes, or we are going to preach at you now atheists. It is sorta like what you just did next time warn me that you are going to go off on a rant and I want bother even if it has the word Atheist in it.

PS

Thank you for the long rant I will not be reading it all as that I would like to stay awake.

Answer 4

No! I would prefer they do it even less.

==
"So, again...in light of these warnings, do you feel that Christians do a poor job of warning you about these things?"

Honestly you're just being arrogant. You presume that atheists are walking about unaware of the existence of christianity when the fact is that in the US it's so pervasive that visitors from others countries are startled by it.

I have no doubt that there are a great many atheists who know more about your religion than you do. Trust me I was born into raised in and thrown out of a home where the religion was the main subject of every conversation. I get it ok. I can even quote you many of the Latin translations. I've heard it all I just don't want it. Why is it you can't fathom that?

Personally it sounds much more like it's you who isn't getting the message. You're pissing people off more than anything else.

Answer 5

No, this atheist hears you loud and clear on your Pascal's Wager logic.

Christians sometimes proffer Pascal’s Wager (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager ) suggesting to non-believers that they should accept Jesus (per John 3:16) as some sort of insurance policy against hell, just in case it turns out god really exists. The fallacy with this line of reasoning is that faith in god for some reward or to avoid punishment is not faith at all. It is a selfish act to receive something in return for a belief. The point of religious belief so that one can beome a better person, not to receive a reward or please a spiritual being.

So why do you believe in god? If it is to enter heaven, that is very selfish. If god, heaven, and hell do not exist, would you still perform mitzvahs and follow the Golden Rule or would you say what is the point? Mitzvahs are not meant to please god.

Many Christians also claim that only those who believe can live a moral life and those who do not believe in god have no moral compass. That implies that one lives a moral life, not because it is the right thing to do, but because god expects us to be moral. Again, the fallacy with this reasoning is that mitzvahs and morals should be followed for personal philosophical reasons, not because some god or holy book dictates rules to us.

In summary, I have no stake in god's existence. I do not see existence of heaven or hell as a reward and punishment system. If the whole purpose of the Golden Rule preached by Jesus was to treat others and I would like to be treated, I can follow his philosophy without believing in god. What type of god would want me to pledge my fealty to him or her simply for the sake of believing or proving my allegiance? I would expect god is beyond pride and the need for some following.

For all those thumbs down votes, I ask you to examine your personal motivation for believing in god.

Why is the concept of selfless mitzvahs so difficult for many Christians to comprehend?

Answer 6

Oh, okay. I'll consider myself warned. Thanks.

It's funny, but when I read the Bible I never felt less in danger of becoming a Christian. In my experience, the "word of God" has driven me further away from Christianity.

Answer 7

See you have it backwards. I think Atheists do a poor job of educating you are you familiar with these verses?
Does this not say that parents should kill their own children if they disobey?
The Old Testament

He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. -- Exodus 21:15

He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. -- Exodus 21:17

For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. -- Leviticus 20:9

From Deuteronomy

21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them

21:19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard

Answer 8

Um? I get your point, but it is in a rather round-about and lengthy way.

It is hard to follow your post with all of the sardonicism and it comes across as arrogant - NOT the Christian way.

Just get strait to the point. ....Just a suggestion.


Edit^ to the above poster. To be "put to death" means, their sin will get them sent to hell - eternal death.

Answer 9

No. In fact I think Christians love to threaten people with their imaginary "hell".


LOL! Warn me all you want, sir.

I KNOW the buy-bull is only man made nonsense. I do not worship a murdering deity.

If you tried to think for yourself you might find you have the common sense to see past this fear of an imaginary place.

Answer 10

Pretty funny, least you've got a sense of humor. If this was serious, I'm sorry.