Of course I've done things I regretted. Everyone makes mistakes. However, any injustice I, or anyone else, commits against another in this material world has material consequences. It's far easier to believe in a loving father figure who will reward us (or p u n i s h us) based upon our understanding of a bunch of ancient rules written in the desert somewhere. It's not pleasant to think there's no "ultimate justice" out there. A dead Hitler is pretty much beyond suffering for his cruelties. But it's the truth. And we need the truth to function properly, to explore, and learn.So, you never did anything that you were truly sorry for --- you never "sinned"? You have never experienced an event that you couldn't explain where you might have been seriously inured if not killed and yet the seeming "miraculous" occurred? You never noticed a difference between someone you knew who apparently was/is a Christian and those who ridicule that belief? You've never noticed how regularly a chain of events seem to follow a peculiar pattern where logically there should be none in a random world? So, you have a matter of fact explanation for everything? My----my!I paint the reality of what will happen to lost and indifferent people when they expire. You must repent of your transgressions and come to a realization that JESUS paid your entire sin debt. There is a choice. Either one seeks forgiveness from GOD or one rejects GOD. GOD doesn't force anyone; however, the truth is that there will be consequences for the choice we select.You paint a picture of a bleak and hopeless existence.You call it nonsense. You who believes the entire UNIVERSE came into being by itself, that man came about by pure accident, that life spontaneously erupted on its own, that the meaning of life is just in one's imagination...So basically FAITH isn't enough. Doubling down on FAITH isn't enough either. No. To get through them Pearly Gates you're going to have to keep swallowing nonsense until you're fairly bursting your entire life while tonguing things like "HE in fact honestly has presented to us in HIS word what HE feels we can handle and hasn't lied to us".. then.. only then will you be judged worthy to get through..
Nah, I'll pass. In fact, I wish He would just punch me straight down to Hell this instant!.. Nope, nothin' again, darn it!..
I believe that you must accept that JESUS is the MESSIAH and died for your sins. That through faith in HIM alone you are saved. However, all that is found in the Bible. Yes, there are facts that one can examine. Other ancient documents, places on a map, artifacts that archaeologists have found; however, even with all that, if you will not accept CHRIST/MESSIAH you are lost and nothing else will make for a hill of beans.
"if you will not accept CHRIST/MESSIAH you are lost and nothing else will make for a hill of beans.''
Really? I'm lost and nothing I do or accomplish will make for a hill of beans unless I submit to Christianity? Beside being coercive, it is unreasonable. It suggests that doing unselfish acts for others means nothing. It suggests that living with honor and integrity means nothing, Such a worldview requires you to abdicate reason in the face of fear. Any gods who reward fear and submission over reason is not worthy of worship.
Ok, your testimony is that not accepting your gods means that our lives will not amount to a hill of beans. lets examine that philosophy and understand where it comes from. There is a single fatal problem with the NT. That is, that Jesus does not explain why his doctrines are good for mankind, he commands obedience for them and levies a system of rewards or punishments based on adherence and conformity. Jesus doesn't say, "Be good to one another because you are each precious," Jesus states, "Believe and obey and you will see heaven-- doubt and disobey and you will earn eternal damnation". The worth of Jesus' philosophy is emptied of meaning because he ultimately attempts to scare people into accepting his word. The character of Jesus was drawn very cleverly, which is actually why I find the Bible to be an interesting book. Despite the occasional overt threat, Jesus' character focuses on the implied threat: A) There is a heaven. B) There is a hell. C) Do as I command and you'll go to heaven. Then Jesus stops speaking. But we all know exactly what D would be: D) Don't do as I command and you'll go to hell.
The idea that "we die and all rot in the ground" somehow translates into "we shouldn't strive for excellence and happiness in life" is somewhat puzzling to me. I don't see the need to postulate an eternal afterlife or any gods in order to give life meaning. Life, in and of itself, **is** meaning. What if Atheism is a life-view that requires one to accept reality as it is, for what it is, and take responsibility for enjoying life and helping to make life better.
Why not? Because if we live in a world that we purposely make miserable, we each share in that misery. If we have children, and we love them, we want a better world so maybe they have less of a burden of pain to experience, and more pleasure and happiness.
I think we need to understand that your reality has no basis in fact. I would also point out that when the result of not adhering to the proscription of the ideology is eternal damnation, that puts me in a position where I cannot logically resolve vengeful, vicious gods. “Their” message comes with an underlying threat that is repulsive: conform or suffer eternal damnation. That is not the message of benevolent gods, that is the message of humans who have formulated an ideology intended to coerce behavior.
The precept of gods who are "infinitely merciful" is stripped of credibility when those gods are infinitely vindictive and cruel. “Infinite love and mercy” should be what the words mean. Eternal damnation is a contradiction to those attributes, and there is no way to reconcile gods who establish amorality as morality.
I have no reason to accept that there are really angry gods who would actually behave as you describe. If such a thing is the reality (and of course there's no evidence for such) then I'll have to "account for my actions". But my worst "crime" in this realm is being imperfect and not believing that which I find is not supported. I can do nothing about such gods who would condemn me for such a trivial issue. I do see the fear and hopelessness that terrifies and haunts so many religious people. If such gods exist, there is no sense in morality, no true justice, and basically we are nothing but minions created to worship an infinite Ego or be consigned to everlasting torment. I think living in such fear is a prescription for a maladjusted personality.
I've never experienced a ''miracle'', but I read a story of one. Years ago during a winter storm a sight seeing bus ran off the road and was involved in a terrible crash. Many were killed but one woman who lived described her survival as a miracle. Yeah, screw those other losers who died, she won gods' lottery. Truly a miracle.
Tell us about the miracle of the gods' blueprint for the cancer cell. A miracle of design. Even Christians get cancer. I wonder why that is? Won't prayer and 'belief' provide a cure?