Nate

Seriously, even if we take LaVeyan Satanism, why in the world would you name your doctrine after the entity of evil in the largest religion in the world if you didn't want to be associated with it? Even if they believe in worldliness, it seems like a cry for attention. It seems like the Satanist loves being identified with the Christian devil, and they also love "correcting" people to tell them they don't believe in what is commonly thought about satanism (no doubt someone will 'correct' me and tell me that it has "nothing to do" with Christianity). Agree or disagree and why?

It seems to me that atheists are here to simply reinforce their current positions, not to ask or answer questions in general. If any atheists were serious, they would read books or do research on the subject instead of loitering around here telling everyone God doesn't exist. And if they actually had done that, they would have a healthy respect for believers and would not act like fools.

Assuming non-existence 'exists,' are you afraid of it or do you dislike the idea of it? If not, why not? If you enjoy life, how could you be indifferent to death? If you enjoy existence, why would you welcome its negation? Would you step out of the way of a bullet coming straight for your head?

I'm pretty sure 90% of the questions and answers are just senseless bashing of other people's beliefs without any logical backing. There is no attempt to understand the other person or their set of beliefs. This place just gives me a headache. And it seems that all of the bashers on both sides are pretty ignorant and misled generally. Of course I will point out that 10% of it is great and helpful, but what is the main reason people are here in your opinion?

A question for those who believe that salvation is achieved through Jesus/God and ONLY through Jesus/God.

Jesus was the breaker of borders, and God is ever present. How is God not present in other religions (such as Buddhism-Nirvana, or Taoism or Hinduism or Islam or Judaism or Confucianism) when they are all clearly referring to the same mysterious force? How can the specific criteria of believing in a historical person (Jesus Christ) be required for salvation? Is God NOT present in other cultures and religions? Are you not reconstructing the separating walls that Jesus tried to tear down? Will Gandhi enter 'heaven'?

All i see here are ridiculous questions about things that are vastly misunderstood, and the questions are usually unimportant and irrelevant to the truly religious person.

Socrates and Plato investigated these things FAR more thoroughly than anyone here comes close to, and that was 2400 years ago. Augustine, Aquinas, and recent popes have refined and meshed religion with logic and philosophy, talking about things that people here may never even consider. My point: the yahoo R&S seems to be able to be placed in about 2000 b.c. based on how long ago much more intricate discussions were fleshed out. The fact that no one reads these old writings through arrogance and the like makes me think that we may actually be moving backwards.

Of course to compare Plato to the average internet browser of today may be a fault, but I think the general population is much more willing to be logical today than they were in the past (it isn't such a big request that people read what they are obviously interested in--since they are asking questions about it).

Are we moving backwards?

Why do the theistic people here keep quoting scripture passages to atheists, consoling them with a 'second coming,' telling them that they must convert if they wish to live?

St. Thomas Aquinas, while possibly believing these things, did not use them to try to convince those who were attracted to 'natural reason.' Clearly he was right, it makes no sense to do this, even if you do believe in revelation. Use logic and reasoning to show them the possibility of a God, not revelation arguments that are circular and mean nothing to an atheist.

Theists who use revelation to convince come off to me as:

1. Arrogant, not willing to meet someone in their own area of comfort

2. Instigating, since the argument is bound to go nowhere and to become even more dumbed-down and base

3. Unwilling to help, since their response will surely not help anyone

4. Ignorant both of reason and science to fuel their arguments in ways other than faith in revelation

What do you think? Why do you do this?

If dreams are just relative subconscious movies.

If anyone claiming to have the truth is crazy.

And if one is already biased away from reality in favor of cynicism.

Then is there anything that COULD make an atheist believe? Is there anything they would accept as proof? -Honest question (I've asked myself this often)

I understand the need for conversion in people seeking answers or truth, people that are open to the idea and wish to hear your story, but this is much different than the average YA 'atheist.' Oftentimes the "conversion" attempt is directed at someone who has no want of such information/ideas. It seems to be one thing to defend ideas to a point, but quite another (which actually comes off as arrogance and pride) to push ideas upon others who are unwilling to hear them. I don't see this as having anything to do with the humility of religion. What do you guys think about conversion in general?

If we are on our own, then selfishness is the only motivator (even objectivism is selfishness as compared to Christianity). Philosophical study of morality is a run-around, and anything that seems right inevitably leads to God or at least Christian logic.

How does atheist morality work, and is it inevitably based on selfishness? Clearly it is causal, therefore in my mind it tends toward selfishness.

And if you think that Christianity is a selfish merit system, then read a book before you answer.

Is Christianity important for the world?

Consider Christianity as a source for selfless acts, for giving and loving people. Immanuel Kant and many great thinkers have come to the conclusion that when Christianity dies (or the Christian teaching), so does the world.

A world without God can only be a selfish world, and even the higher manifestations of selfishness (like Ayn Rand's objectivism) are incredibly susceptible to struggle, hate, and war. Even with good intentions (Marxism, Capitalism), it seems that when humans are left to themselves, war ensues.

What do you think? Serious answer please.

I want to know the Jewish argument as to why Jesus Christ is not the person you are looking for? This is an honest question.

Before becoming pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had a dialogue with interviewer Peter Seewald published in the book "Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium." At this time he was prefect to Pope John Paul II, and the go-to guy on church doctrine. What did he say when asked how many ways to God there were?

I hear many of you asking why God created humans that were capable of sin, since he was so good why does he allow us to sin, to be "bad"?

What I can't understand is how bad or good could even exist without free will (which God gave). Good only exists because another possibility also exists (evil). Good and bad are obviously relative terms, and if we had no choice, or were forced to act in a certain way, then there would be no good, bad, or morality at all.

To those who say that we have no proof of God, what DO you have proof of in life? Have you ever run a DNA test to see if your parents are your parents, or do you just take this on faith? Memory isn't perfectly reliable, yet we place complete faith that what we remember was real and reliable, even though the only thing that remains is a vague remembrance of it (which is usually at least partially incorrect). Do you realize that about 98% of what we "know" is simply taken on faith from friends, the news, history books, etc. We make logical inferences all of the time in order to justify an assumption in our mind, and theology has some very strong logical inferences. That being said, if you think God is a man sitting in the clouds watching our every move and interceding as necessary, then I don't think you have a very good grasp of God.

Why do you think there are more atheists here than religious people. (I am referring to the non-religious atheists who are not here to propose a non-theistic God)