Conversation with An Atheist

[Mancunian]

If God had given a scientific explanation of how he created the universe 2,000 to 4,000 years ago no one would understand. They wouldn’t even comprehend a round earth

Exactly!
With all that has been discovered since then, we would have not only concrete proof of a creator, but exactly who the creator was.
Isn't what your God wants?
He supposedly loves us and doesn't want us to perish, so why the cloak and daggers?

Seems to me that he doesn't mind some collateral damage.

 

[Mancunian]

Instead of useful information, the Bible basically gives us a set of rules to live by and vague instructions on how to avoid a finite life.
It's full of fantastic stories, miracles and supernatural occurrences that are not reality based.
The books of the Bible read to me like this particular God was made in man's image and not the other way around.

 

[Wrangler]

we would have not only concrete proof of a creator, but exactly who the creator was.
Isn't what your God wants?

No. God wants us to walk by faith not sight.

How do you feel being a nihilist? It must feel empty and self-defeating in various ways.

 

[Mancunian]

No. God wants us to walk by faith not sight.

How do you feel being a nihilist? It must feel empty and self-defeating in various ways.

I'm not looking forward to dying, but as I've explained before I wouldn't want to sign up to the unknown anyway.
Eternity is a long time. Even if your first 10,000 years are interesting and rewarding I fear that when you get to the 100,000s, the novelty would definitely be wearing off.

 

[Mancunian]

I always think that the run up to death would be scary, but death itself wouldn't be.
If it's just lights out and blackness, with no thoughts or memory I don't fear that.

 

[RLT63]

I'm not looking forward to dying, but as I've explained before I wouldn't want to sign up to the unknown anyway.
Eternity is a long time. Even if your first 10,000 years are interesting and rewarding I fear that when you get to the 100,000s, the novelty would definitely be wearing off.

You’re already signed up for the unknown

 

[Mancunian]

You’re already signed up for the unknown

Not in the Christian sense.
I know that I will be cremated, I know that my ashes won't think or feel.
I don't subscribe to the concept of a soul, so once I'm gone I'm confident I'm gone.

 

[pwg_jonathan]

Fair enough, Mancunian, I get why lights out doesn't scare you. For me the thing that changes it is that Jesus doesn't just say there's life after death, he claims to be the thing itself. At Lazarus' tomb he says, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). You don't have to buy it today, but that's the actual claim I'd want you to weigh.

 

[RandyDawson]

I always think that the run up to death would be scary, but death itself wouldn't be.
If it's just lights out and blackness, with no thoughts or memory I don't fear that.

You are certainly going to be shocked when you die!

 

[Wrangler]

 

[Wrangler]

I'm not looking forward to dying, but as I've explained before I wouldn't want to sign up to the unknown anyway.

The unknown is part of the grand adventure of life. What do you mean, you wouldn’t want to sign up for it? There is no choice.

Eternity is a long time. Even if your first 10,000 years are interesting and rewarding I fear that when you get to the 100,000s, the novelty would definitely be wearing off.

Is eternity a long time? What is time? What if your motivation were not novelty and intellectual stimulation?

 

[Mancunian]

Fair enough, Mancunian, I get why lights out doesn't scare you. For me the thing that changes it is that Jesus doesn't just say there's life after death, he claims to be the thing itself. At Lazarus' tomb he says, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). You don't have to buy it today, but that's the actual claim I'd want you to weigh.

Yes I've read it. I'm weighing it.
If I have a choice in the matter, I would choose eternal sleep over eternal God knows what.
I think that an eternal life would be pointless.... Like the earthly life we have but without end. I think that we live for ourselves and our families, beyond that we are pretty much pointless.
Unless you're into family trees and ancestory.com none of us know who our great great grandfathers were. What they did for a living and so on.
We don't know what type of lives they lived. That will be us one day.
Nobody will give a second thought to what I'm typing now, and the same goes for you.
God isn't watching, or recording....

 

[Mancunian]

You are certainly going to be shocked when you die!

How do you know that?
Are you an authority on neuroscience? Where did you study? Give me an example of someone who was shocked after death.

 

[Mancunian]

The unknown is part of the grand adventure of life. What do you mean, you wouldn’t want to sign up for it? There is no choice.



Is eternity a long time? What is time? What if your motivation were not novelty and intellectual stimulation?

What if this grand adventure isn't what you're expecting? What if you want out? Like you've said, there's no choice.

 

[Mancunian]

The unknown is part of the grand adventure of life. What do you mean, you wouldn’t want to sign up for it? There is no choice.



Is eternity a long time? What is time? What if your motivation were not novelty and intellectual stimulation?

If your motivation isn't intellectual stimulation, what is it?
I've been asking this question tirelessly on this forum.
I'm interested in what Christians think that their eternal lives will entail. I've had an answer from Mathias.... He thinks that he will be a part of some sort of government?
I've asked him what he thinks that his job will be in that government.... He deflects.
Someone said that they'd be travelling the universe making it into paradise, although that person quickly backtracked.
Other than that I haven't had a response.
It's not a difficult question...
After all, Christianity is based upon an eternal life... A free gift.
Just tell me what the free gift is... Or what you think the free gift is.

 

[GRACE ambassador]

what you think the free gift is.

The Free Gift Of God Is Everlasting Life With Him, doing Whatever He Assigns me to do in order to
"Bring All Glory and Honor To Him".

The alternative is this: Three Books At Judgment

 

[Mancunian]

I keep forgetting about the time difference. You're active when I'm not, so I'm sorry about the delay in my responses.
An extra hour in bed for me :) The clocks go back tonight.

 

[Mancunian]

The Free Gift Of God Is Everlasting Life With Him, doing Whatever He Assigns me to do in order to
"Bring All Glory and Honor To Him".

The alternative is this: Three Books At Judgment

So what do you think that bringing honour to him entails?
Do you have any idea what that means?
Can you keep that up for 100,000 years?
Wouldn't it amount to mindless worship? Would you end up zombiefied?
Sounds like a living hell to me.

 

[Mancunian]

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.

 

[Mancunian]

The above makes you think....
Does this apply to modern day Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Mormons, Taoists, Atheists?