Not Such a Bright Idea: Atheists Try a New Name

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/ ^ | September 29, 2003 | Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

[mattdono]

Well, first of all, this is a conservative forum and, for the large part, conservatives are God-fearing and believing people. You should expect to encounter an arguement and, in some cases, a vocal opposition to your opinion.

Now, I think it is fair that we would scorn those who scorn us. Maybe two wrongs don't make a right, but (to use another cliche), you have to fight fire with fire.

I respect your personal belief, even if I diagree with it. The thing is that you respect my belief system, as you noted, these leftists don't. If I have found and believe in God and you haven't, in my opinion, that's your loss. However, it is also my duty to bring the word of the Lord to you and others.

Read the Bible and you are likely to find the foundations for which your "faith" (however, you have chosen to define it) is based. It is likely that you have a personal faith which propels you through life and while you think that it is based on some the aspects of your personality or your intelligence (and, indeed, some of it may), it is based on one of the universal movers of faith: love. Love from your parents, perhaps? Maybe your spouse, your friends, etc? Someone around you is helping you be the person that you are and, typically, it is done from love. It is done from an inner feeling that there is something that is greater than you.

You know (maybe, feel is a better word) this love at different points in your life. Perhaps when you look at nature? Perhaps when you gazed into your spouse's eyes for the first time? Perhaps when you looked at your newborn?

Perhaps the easiest way to feel and know this is to go to church. There is nothing (NOTHING) like hearing the silence of personal confession. There is nothing like hearing common voices sing hymns. The simple (Aaronic) benediction ("May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance [smile] on you and give you peace.") is one of the greatest "moral pit stops" ever known or written. Every time I hear those words and gaze at a stained-glass of the Lord, every hair on my body stands on end. To know that you are loved, even if you don't know it, is the greatest gift ever given to man. In my belief, that love was given by the Father in the form of his Son and his Son's sacrifice.

The good "stuff" has been written in the Bible for thousands of years in hundreds of languages. If you believe in the ideas, but don't know that it is in the Bible, is that the Bible's (or Christianity's) fault?

Needless to say, we all have a purpose. If you are still searching for purpose and understanding, I applaud the search. I hope that you find the same grace that I have found.

[malakhi]

An atheist has not God, therefore, no moral compass, therefore, no value of truth (some don't even believe in truth), and thus, feel no obligation to tell the truth or be honest. They are liars, obfuscators, revisionists, anti-Christian bigots, and they are the ENEMY of freedom. Atheism fosters dictatorships. Atheism is un-American. They are moral relativists, accountable to no one but their own twisted machiavellian consciences.

What a repulsive rant. You certainly don't speak for this theist.

[steve-b]

It would be more of a challenge to find any of your statements that is true.

[L,TOWM]

Though true believers may feel sadness for an atheist (and even try to "convert" him), they will never get angry.

We try to convert you because we want you to go where we are going, and not have a destiny worse than death.

Anger can be a part of the equation for some one with a "solid" faith, though. It usually is borne out of frustration (which is sinful) or an anger at watching one person trying to persuade another person to get on the wrong side of Almighty God. The last kind of anger was the type that Christ showed in driving the moneychangers out of the Temple, or with his blistering verbal jabs at the Pharisees and Lawyers.

To most of us (me especially), anger is a real "handle with care" item. A christian indulging in anger is akin to a monkey with a loaded gun...

[malakhi]

If I said something that was untrue, then refute it.

Do you really want me to take apart your entire post, and expose it for the emotion-driven, hateful spew that it is?

I don't think this is necessary. The character of you and your posts are self-evident.

[The Man Upstairs]

Please... stop embarassing me.

[AVNative]

Uh. . . I don't look down on you, friend!

I can't control the way others treat others here on FR, but I do welcome you and those like you here. I'm glad you are here, and though we may not agree on certain issues, that doesn't mean there can't be mutual respect and civil conversation about this or any other issue here anywhere on FR. If you see me post something that you believe to be offensive and not respectful, please bring it to my attention and I will make it right. That goes to all of the FR members, of course. And I would hope that others would hold to this view. . . but again, I don't have control here.

Uniting in the issues and situations that we mutually affirm is of benefit, IMHO. Respectful disagreement done in a civil way in discourses is appropriate when called for. So I hope you stick around. Most of all, I hope you enjoy the exchanges you have had and will have down the road!

[exmarine]

May the non-specific deity of your choice bless you, and lift this horrible weight of bitterness from your heart.

hahaha. Bitterness? In the atheist world, bitterness is nothing more than a mindless, random, chemical reaction in the brain, and has nothing to do with the heart...if you are going to argue from the atheist side, at least stick to the materialist philosophy.

[gdani]

Otherwise, go away you intellectual midget

Fantastic. You must have certainly thought "what would Jesus do?" before you typed that response.

[exmarine]

Do you really want me to take apart your entire post, and expose it for the emotion-driven, hateful spew that it is?

Yes, take it apart, if you can. I can prove that atheism spews lies and revisionism and dictatorships, and is morally relativistic. Anytime you are ready...

[exmarine]

Fantastic. You must have certainly thought "what would Jesus do?" before you typed that response.

Your attempts at guilting me won't work. I am not interested in what god-haters think about what Jesus would do. If you have a counter-point to my post, then post it.

[OWK]

I sincerely hope that you find something that gives you peace in your life.

Clearly you are an angry and bitter man.

[NutCrackerBoy]

I am an atheist, and that describes exactly my views regarding deities and other supernatural entities. The prefix a- means "without." A theist is someone who believes in the existence of one or more deities.

I am without deities, so I am an atheist. It's very simple.

The missing distinction is in the "-ist" which denotes advocacy or commitment. In a discourse about beliefs, atheist could mean what you say. But in a general context, I think one would no more define himself as an "atheist" than as an a-child-ist - a person without children.

[exmarine]

I don't think this is necessary. The character of you and your posts are self-evident.

Typical...

[monkeyshine]

The fires of Hell shine bright?

[OWK]

Go ye forth, and spit in the eye of the unbeliever.
Mock them, Scorn them, and drive them away from the word of God.
Make it clear to them that only you, exmarine, my special servant, are worthy of my love.
Ignore the specific instructions of love, compassion, grace, peace, and caring witness that I gave unto you.

(From the secret teachings of Jesus, revealed only unto exmarine)

[wku man]

Me, too. Though I could see calling them "blights".

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[L,TOWM]

Actually, Paul referred to those that were without Christ, but still obeyed the Law, even pagans that had the Law "written in their hearts", in fairly positive terms in the introductory paragraphs of his Letter to the Roman church.

Many "atheists" are "god-haters" as described in Chapter 1 of the Biblical book, but many others also act better than many other others that claim Him. This was also mentioned by Christ directly "...begone from me you workers of iniquity."

A phrase I certainly do NOT want directed to me on the Last Day. Or anyone else, for that matter...

[OWK]

The missing distinction is in the "-ist" which denotes advocacy or commitment.

Which the prefix "a-" negates.