Posted on 12/27/2017 8:22:26 AM PST by truthfinder9
Recently a man burst into a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and shot and killed 26 parishioners (including an unborn child). The killer’s former high school classmates described him as a militant atheist.
“He was always talking about how people who believe in God we’re stupid and trying to preach his atheism,” wrote former classmate Nina Rose Nava in a Facebook post, according to the Daily Mail. “I legit just deleted him off my fb cause I couldn’t stand his post.”
Which raises this question: To what extent was the killer’s rampage inspired by his atheist beliefs? Obviously, I am not making the case that atheists as a group condone his act, or would ever consider doing anything like it. All decent, normal people, atheist and theist alike, are horrified by this atrocity. Yet the question posed is still reasonable. If the tables had been turned — if, God forbid many times over, the victims had been atheists at a skeptics’ convention and the killer had been an evangelical Christian — the public square would be filled with speculation about the role that ideology played in his crimes. And properly so. We can’t get inside the Texas killer’s head (fortunately), but ideas do have consequences.
(Excerpt) Read more at evolutionnews.org ...
Liberalism is a religion. You can’t be an atheist and a liberal. Most liberal claim to be atheist because they don’t understand that they are the ones that truly cling to a set of beliefs that are not grounded in facts. They have faith in the collective (which is bad, bad, bad).
Most liberals hate the fact that Christians are guided by their faith. That leaves them with an inability to control them.
Takes a very huge leap of faith. Because who has explored the entire universe to prove that God exists nowhere? On the other hand, we can look around the universe and have a pretty-high level of confidence that He does exist.
This is why I distrust the leadership and have tremendous skepticism. I have seen too many instances of said leaders using their power for personal gain or sexual perversions.
I like to think that it is the message and not the messenger that is important. The message is pure and true, the messenger is corrupt and prone to evil (or sin).
Agreed. Spot on. Thank you!
It seemed to me that it was less about religion and more about getting even with his ex-wife.
“Militant Atheism”...Sounds more like a general lack of respect for others, comparable to the Westboro Baptist Church and their “in your face”, out-in-the-open brand of disrespect.
Here is the story (I think) or maybe one of many....
It has been so many years but I think that it might be a different person. Anyway, the story is the same — divorced atheist father, mother is Christian....
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Atheist-dad-ready-for-date-at-top-court-2804688.php
The guy has a vendetta, IMO. The question: did his atheism come before the divorce or after. And did he become militant after?
Agreed. There are “militant” Christians too. I know some and they always ruined Christmas. I have attended my share of churches.
It is the message that is important, not the messenger.
Here is an example of a famous case. There are others....
I think that his motivation is more to get even with his Christian wife and less about being an atheist. I have seen interviews with him and he was “driven” and “angry about something.”
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Atheist-dad-ready-for-date-at-top-court-2804688.php
BINGO!!!!
Militant atheism is the ideology of people too foolish to realize one can’t prove a negative.
“Hey religion can be a tool. People murder each other in the name of their faiths. A religious leader has absolute control over his/her followers.”
Sounds more like these are issues with cults rather than religions (and yes, Islam is a cult, not a religion).
My wife is a bible scholar and she is on it. She has been in discussions with other Christians and pastors and one pastor didn't know the bible and yet he was a leader of the church.
Church leaders must be incorruptible which may be an impossibility, unfortunately.
Plus, leadership try to embellish on the Word. Apparently to them, simplicity isn't important or secondary. Also, one common thread in Catholicism is praying to idols — people pray to the Saints??? There is only one God, not a menagerie of leaders who have passed on and have been deemed God-like by who else but a human being or group of human beings. This is very bad in my opinion — it is one of the Ten Commandments.
Examples are Catholic Churches in Mexico with golden statues(actual gold) when the people are dirt poor. Apparently the glitz is necessary to convince folks to believe?
Then there is Joel Olsteen....
I have been fascinated with cults. In particular, the Unification Church. Both my wife and I have watched the show on Scientology and have found it fascinating.
There are so many “cults” and millions of vulnerable people who fall victim to the lies. No wonder, people stop believing and even become atheists.
One is the assumption that praying = adoration, therefore praying to a saint (one in heaven, that is) amounts to polytheism or idolatry of some sort.
This is not the case, because an absolutely essential distinction must be made between Dulia, Hyperdulia,and Latria: between secondary, derivative and dependent forms of honor, and that supreme honor which is due to God alone.
Please do not take offense but this is what we believe.
Here are two key points (both from my wife, the “Biblical Scholar”):
1. As instructed by Jesus... we should pray this way...
“The Lord's Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.”
Notice that this prayer is directly to God. Mary, or any of the deified Saints, etc. are not mentioned.
2. This is all that you need to know.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
All of the ritual and the church hierarchy are embellishments.
Also, there are people, groups, churches that attempt to set certain members above the rest. This is wrong. And the two key points are a foundation of the Christian faith. Nothing more. :)
Good: all that is a facet of Biblical truth. Here is another Biblical facet: the absolute interdependence of all the members of the Body of Christ on each other.
While there is some overlap, I believe a distinction can be made.
Question: Does at least one deity exist?
Agnostic: (shrugging) Maybe....
Weak atheist: I see no reason to think so, although I can't definitively rule it out.
Quoting my wife: “Correct. However, salvation is not dependent upon it.”
Here is another deviation from Catholic Doctrine (my understanding of it, that is):
> Baptism is not necessary for salvation.
> Communion is not necessary for salvation.
My concern is that only certain people can administer the above “rituals” and if not done correctly, salvation is not assured. This inserts a person in between God and man.
******
Question: Does at least one deity exist?
Agnostic: (shrugging) Maybe, .......maybe not.
*******
My addition is the phrase “maybe not.”
I am probably splitting hairs but this is the typical response from an agnostic. They are noncommittal because they claim that they cannot know.
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