Atheists view Christians with contempt and derision

[edthecynic]

It would be a different world if people did as Christ instructed.

Luke 14:26 Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

 

[edthecynic]

Eternal life deserves to be mocked. It is a childish idea. An artifact of our egos and our imaginations.

The eternal life of eternal death, if only you didn't have to die for eternal life.

 

[edthecynic]

Kindness is not the term that comes to mind when reading the screeds of bitter, hateful, angry atheists. It stands to reason that meanness produces illness and frustration, mental and physical.

Nor it it what comes to mind when YOU call people fools.

What is a foolish man?

"The fool hath said in his heart there is no God. - The Holy Bible

"My religion is kindness . . . ."
- Fourteenth Dali Lama of Tibet

 

[edthecynic]

The official motto of the United States is "In God We Trust."
Look on any coin or bill of currency.

Yeah, the God Almighty Dollar is the only God Christians worship.

 

[sear]

Fort Fun Indiana said:
Eternal life deserves to be mocked. It is a childish idea. An artifact of our egos and our imaginations." #162

"Mock"? To ridicule? Treat with contempt? The American Heritage Dictionary entry: mock

No. Not my style.
I prefer to satirize, or analyze.
I perceive the former as mainly destructive, the latter a potential method of constructive.

The notion of eternal life suggests to me a product of an undisciplined, untrained mind. I understand the mythopoeic appeal.
It is science that places limits on the theological concept of eternity. Remove science, remove the limit on eternity, and the notion of eternal life becomes the most unimaginable, unsurpassible horror.

Why?

The first little bit might seem OK. But our cosmos seems to be less than 14 billion years old. After 100 years humans show their failings. After 10,000,000,000 years? A nightmare. But everlasting life means infinite time. So after trillions of trillions of eons, one wouldn't have even endured 1% of it, or even a tiny fraction of 1%. That is a nightmare on a scale that tests even a scientist's imagination.

I sense (deduce?) I have not fully addressed your reservation / concern / challenge. If you will be more specific, I shall try to be as well.

Enjoy the Perseid meteor shower, peak Aug. 11 - 13, up to 75 meteors / hr., viewing toward Cassiopeia, best after midnight.

 

[Meriweather]

"Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple." So they began by killing the seventy leaders. "Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded. "Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!" So they went throughout the city and did as they were told." (Ezekiel 9:5-7 NLT)

What was the behavior that brought these consequences upon the Jews? (Yes, infighting over power and wealth; injustice to the poor and the oppressed.)

 

[Meriweather]

Luke 14:26 Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

As the first Commandment states, Place God first. In Biblical times, this was not the hate of modern English, but a command to not love anyone, anything above God. 'Forego' might be the best understanding of what Jesus was saying regarding family and even life itself.

 

[edthecynic]

What was the behavior that brought these consequences upon the Jews? (Yes, infighting over power and wealth; injustice to the poor and the oppressed.)

Any excuse to kill little children, you sicko!

 

[edthecynic]

As the first Commandment states, Place God first. In Biblical times, this was not the hate of modern English, but a command to not love anyone, anything above God. 'Forego' might be the best understanding of what Jesus was saying regarding family and even life itself.

I'm sure they had the word "forego" when the King James was written, yet they chose the word "HATE" over forego!!!

 

[Meriweather]

Any excuse to kill little children, you sicko!

Or, we can look at it from the perspective that the Jews with wealth and power gave no thought or care to the children of the poor who were dying from want. They had been fighting among themselves which resulted in a division between the North and the South, weakening the nation, of which outside powers took advantage. Where did they strike first in Jerusalem? At the wealthy and the powerful, and now it was their children who were being struck down.

Take a look at how the Jews had weakened themselves: Not only did they provide care for the weak so that they might grow strong, the wealthy and the powerful quarreled among themselves, causing a great division which weakened the nation. God and His ways/laws which makes strong nations were being/had been forsaken. The wealthy Jews practically wrote an engraved invitation to invaders. Invaders are not apt to start with looting the poor, but the rich. They are not apt to overthrow the weak, but the powerful. And they did just that.

Ezekiel tried to warn the country, but they would not listen.

Humans were responsible for what happened. Remember Adam who did not wish to accept his own responsibility for what took place in Eden? 'Adam' means mankind. It appears mankind still objects to accepting responsibility when some can so conveniently label it as God's fault. Some even declare God should never have put the tree of knowledge in the garden to begin with. Do you see it that way?

 

[Meriweather]

I'm sure they had the word "forego" when the King James was written, yet they chose the word "HATE" over forego!!!

The Old English word for 'hate' comes from the Germanic which does indicate malice and hostility. However, Jesus spoke Aramaic and most likely used 'sna' which has several meanings, which include to detest or despise. However, it also is used for 'threshing floor' and to take a stand or set one's side.

Remember how often Jesus called for everyone to love one another, even their enemies. Therefore, it seems unlikely he would call on children to hate their parents, but when it comes to being his disciple choose the wheat, let go of the chaff (threshing room floor) or side with God before parents.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I'm agnostic, and out of the two groups Atheists and Religious, the Atheists are the arseholes, hands down.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Any excuse to kill little children, you sicko!

The Left do that before they're born.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

No, I'm not even a practicing Christian and I have had plenty of liberals attack me for being "Christian".

Your side is rife with bigotry.

You don't have to be Christian to be attacked. Just be basically decent. That's enough.

 

[Correll]

You don't have to be Christian to be attacked. Just be basically decent. That's enough.

Agreed. And thank you.

 

[Meriweather]

I'm agnostic, and out of the two groups Atheists and Religious, the Atheists are the arseholes, hands down.

In some respects it seems that atheists who post in religion forums are here to pick fights, mostly with God. Some give the impression that someone has required them to hand over excuses for their non-belief.

Agnostics are usually mellower. They are more open to taking a peek at how people of faith see the Old Testament, rather than insist that believers should see God and the Old Testament exactly as they do.

I'll also add that those who believe can (and do at times) get just as snarky and annoyed as any other human being. Perhaps the fact that we love our faith carries over and applies some rein on us.

 

[Stann]

The eternal life of eternal death, if only you didn't have to die for eternal life.

You don't, death does not exist, the death of the physical form you're currently inhabiting is the only way for your spirit to return to the real world.

 

[Stann]

I'll also add that those who believe can (and do at times) get just as snarky and annoyed as any other human being. Perhaps the fact that we love our faith carries over and applies some rein on us.

I hadn't noticed in most cases. All human beings are essentially the same. Exceptions are rare and generally keep to themselves, avoid any and all confrontation with others.

 

[Stann]

The Left do that before they're born. The right does that after they're born.

 

[Stann]

The right does that after they're born. You're welcome, Stan.