Zone1 One significant reason why many do not believe in religion, it is just too damn hard

[The Sage of Main Street]

I can only know what is knowable. I do not pretend to know whether or not God exists.

The most humble and honest approach is a carefully measured agnosticism as far as I'm concerned.

God Is Santa Claus for Adults

Can you be agnostic about the existence of Santa Claus? Every objection can be answered the same way as objections to Theism.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

More than empathy it is a desire to walk a mile in another man’s shoes

A capability conservatives lack

Not If the Other Man Stole Your Shoes

 

[ding]

God Is Santa Claus for Adults

Maybe you are doing it wrong

Can you be agnostic about the existence of Santa Claus? Every objection can be answered the same way as objections to Theism.

Can you be agnostic about existence? Because that's a better analogy than your logical fallacy strawman.

 

[Meriweather]

Hope I get into heaven
I better do good things to improve my chances

Atheists do good things because it feels good

You seem to be defining hope as a personal desire, an optimistic wish. In the Christian sense, hope is the trusting relationship between God and the individual. Hope grows from affliction, and I am guessing (if you were a former Christian) you dismissed Christianity due to its afflictions of how you perceived it interfering with your own personal beliefs, wants, and desires. When it came to religion, you stepped away--did not endure. To remain a Christian one must struggle, and these struggles and hardships produce character. It is necessary to go through these hardships to enter into Christ's kingdom--the kingdom of heaven--in this life. This brings about the trusting relationship one is building with God. It has nothing to do with "improving chances" and everything to do with building character within oneself into the person we wish to become--through the graces and blessings bestowed upon us by God.

Let's start with your statement that atheists to things because it feels good.

Christians do things with no thought as to whether it feels good. We do it because it needs to be done and the difficulty it may present we shoulder because it produces endurance rather providing a comforting pat to a fragile need to "feel good". Endurance builds character, which lead us to trust in God and His ways of kingdom living and its afflictions that build greater endurance, stronger character, and builds the relationship of hope between God and oneself.

 

[ding]

Not If the Other Man Stole Your Shoes

Does that depend on why he stole them?

 

[Catman51]

Atoms were created by God. They did not just show up on their own.

Proof?

 

[markef]

Pathetic People Have a Desperate Need to Identify as the Favorites of an Imaginary Higher Power

Limited theorists omit the possibility that there was no creation at all. Everything has always existed but in different forms, based on interaction with other things and forces.

If recognizing that matter did not create itself is a sign of human dependency on error, then what is believing that matter created itself a sign of?

 

[JoeB131]

So much to unpack here. Jesus taught that if you love God, you won't need rules. Loving God isn't about the afterlife, it's about living this life. Jesus taught that not all behaviors lead to equal outcomes. If you want to believe that makes Jesus a communist, go right ahead but it's literally the opposite of communism.

he also told people to give up all their material wealth and said it would be harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

 

[JoeB131]

Belief in God equates to being a strong person. Atheists are fragile.

Belief in God equates to being gullible. Atheists are pragmatic.

 

[JoeB131]

Socialism can only survive in a "closed" system, where everyone joins voluntarily. This what the Disciples did after JC left. It doesn't work as a form of government. Remember Margaret Thatcher's axiom on Socialism: Eventually you run out of other peoples' money.

Yeah, she said lots of stupid stuff..

 

[rightwinger]

To remain a Christian one must struggle, and these struggles and hardships produce character. It is necessary to go through these hardships to enter into Christ's kingdom--the kingdom of heaven--in this life.

I did struggle.
I struggled to believe the wild stories that I was being told.
Then they taught me about faith

I had faith that none of that religious stuff was real

 

[rightwinger]

If recognizing that matter did not create itself is a sign of human dependency on error, then what is believing that matter created itself a sign of?

But then you accept that a magical creature created matter

 

[Meriweather]

Belief in God equates to being gullible. Atheists are pragmatic.

Etymology is fun. The root of gullible came from 'gull', to cheat or impose upon (1600s). In that same time period, 'pragmatic' was used to describe a meddlesome, impertinent person, too involved in business affairs.

God does not cheat or impose Himself on anyone. Atheists are pragmatic? Meaning they are meddlesome and impertinent when involving themselves in matters of religion?

 

[Meriweather]

I did struggle.
I struggled to believe the wild stories that I was being told.
Then they taught me about faith

I had faith that none of that religious stuff was real

Did you ever struggle to study and understand the stories and the literary genre used to state the theme/lesson the authors wished to present to the people of their own time?

Reaching a decision that "religious stuff" was not real, is the easy way out., which is why atheists are considered fragile, unable to endure.

 

[ding]

he also told people to give up all their material wealth and said it would be harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

Sure did. Why do you suppose there was only one guy he said that to?

 

[rightwinger]

Reaching a decision that "religious stuff" was not real, is the easy way out., which is why atheists are considered fragile, unable to endure.

Deciding what is real and what is made up is what adults do.
Children openly accept what they are told by authority figures. That is how religions survive

 

[ding]

Deciding what is real and what is made up is what adults do.

What if nothing is real?

Children openly accept what they are told by authority figures. That is how religions survive

Darwin would disagree.

 

[ding]

But then you accept that a magical creature created matter

Magical? Is existence magical?

 

[ding]

I had faith that none of that religious stuff was real

Seems like a waste of faith.