Zone1 Where does atheist morality come from?

[Meriweather]

Sorry but faith is for suckers as is prayer.

I think not. My best example is the Beatitudes. I had enough faith in Christ and his teachings in the Beatitudes to apply them to specific circumstances in my own life--and then watch them at work. The Commandments work in the same way, also the parables. I never had enough faith to parachute out of a plane, and oddly enough I have never pursued parachuting out of a plane. My daughter even has faith in that, and has jumped quite often. Faith is amazing, the beginning of all things. Prayer in God's will and in his name bring that amazement as well.

When my husband was a little boy, and his dad suffered a heart attack and died, my husband faithfully prayed for God to bring his dad back to life. When this didn't happen, he gave up God and gave up prayer.

 

[Paradoxical#1]

What is there to fear? The Church teaches that hell is eternal separation from God. And, the Church teaches how to remain close to God. Each person has a choice and freely makes a choice. We were taught God sends no one to hell--people choose hell (complete separation from God). You appear to have chosen complete separation from God many years ago. You say you are happy with this choice, and you appear to want people to join you in your choice.

You are as usual 100% wrong:

The Catholic Church teaches that hell is eternal separation from God, rather than a place of torture for non-belief alone. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, those who die in a state of mortal sin—which includes rejecting God—experience eternal punishment, described as "eternal fire

Part One Section Two I. The Creeds Chapter Three I Believe In The Holy Spirit Article 12 I Believe In Life Everlasting IV. Hell

www.vatican.va

1034 Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost.<a name="-1C3" href="Part One Section Two I. The Creeds Chapter Three I Believe In The Holy Spirit Article 12 I Believe In Life Everlasting IV. Hell">612</a> Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,"<a name="-1C4" href="Part One Section Two I. The Creeds Chapter Three I Believe In The Holy Spirit Article 12 I Believe In Life Everlasting IV. Hell">613</a> and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!"<a name="-1C5" href="Part One Section Two I. The Creeds Chapter Three I Believe In The Holy Spirit Article 12 I Believe In Life Everlasting IV. Hell">614</a>

1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire."<a name="-1C6" href="Part One Section Two I. The Creeds Chapter Three I Believe In The Holy Spirit Article 12 I Believe In Life Everlasting IV. Hell">615</a> The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.

Now, tell me...just who is that doesn't know their Catechism???

 

[Paradoxical#1]

Already solved. God is not a genii granting wishes, but works according to his will. We pray, Your will be done, not My will be done. Abraham Lincoln said it well when he answered the question, "Do you believe God is on your side (when it came to the Union). President Lincoln replied, "It is better that I am on God's side."

Before entering into prayer, my best prayer experiences come when I am first centered on Your will be done. It is also useful to have in mind, that we are not to use the Lord's name in vain. Praying My will be done is a really great example of using the Lord's name in vain. He is God, not my genii. Remove the genii from prayer life, and the change is great.

I told you before I had a thread on another site where this was debated and Christians like you were flailing and failing. You cannot know this thing you call "God's will" (a dumb concept) so if it is NOT God's "will" all the praying in the world will do nothing. If it IS God's will why do you need to pray for it?

 

[Meriweather]

Now, tell me...just who is that doesn't know their Catechism???

So you think that knowing how to copy and paste a section of the Catechism equates to knowing the entire Catechism? First, when Jesus referenced 'Gehenna' what was that reference point? Second, there is something that occurs when one dies, whether in the state of mortal sin or not. What occurs? Third, for a sin to be mortal, what must one's state of mind be?

If you can answer these without looking for something to copy and paste (or even if you do), you will note my answer is in complete agreement with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Where do you think the disagreement is?

 

[Meriweather]

I told you before I had a thread on another site where this was debated and Christians like you were flailing and failing. You cannot know this thing you call "God's will" (a dumb concept) so if it is NOT God's "will" all the praying in the world will do nothing. If it IS God's will why do you need to pray for it?

I am not failing. Nor am I the one flailing. If you don't like the word 'will' perhaps God's 'complete plan' will shed a better light for you? As you don't pray, you can't know and experience what can come about through joining with God through prayer. You would simply be a happy hooter that you could claim my prayer was not answered and you would remain blinded by the rest.

Why pray? Why follow Jesus, his Beatitudes, Parables, Commandments?

Contemplate: When someone recommends you see the Caribbean Sea, glaciers in Alaska, meet someone, take a class, taste a wonderful new recipe, are you doing that to benefit the Caribbean, the glaciers, the class you are taking, for the benefit of the new acquaintance or new recipe? No. You do all of that for your own benefit, and some of what I listed may not have any benefit at all to them. God wants my prayers, not to benefit him, so that they may benefit me. And they do.