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How to talk to an atheist (and you must)
Townhall.com ^ | January 24, 2005 | Mike S. Adams

Posted on 01/26/2005 9:46:21 AM PST by 7thson

When I pulled into the parking lot this morning, I saw a car covered with sacrilegious bumper stickers. It seemed obvious to me that the owner was craving attention. I’m sure he was also seeking to elicit anger from people of faith. The anger helps the atheist to justify his atheism. And, all too often, the atheist gets exactly what he is looking for.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Philosophy; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: atheist; christian; christianity; convertordie; cslewis; god; jesuschrist; mikesadams; religion; wrongforum
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To: BibChr
Does it matter whether a man marries a woman for love, or whether he marries her because it makes him more politically viable? Is marriage the same in either case?

Not hardly the same. One is a marriage, one is resume padding. But, not sure what this has to do with atheism. I think the man marrying for his career is an amoral ass whether he belives in God or not. Likewise, the marriage for love, is a marriage whether or not the couple has a belief in god.

221 posted on 01/26/2005 11:49:11 AM PST by TheOtherOne
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To: malakhi

What about vanity plates? States have denied Choose Life vanities.


222 posted on 01/26/2005 11:49:40 AM PST by mlc9852
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To: MineralMan
What to celebrate? [...] My monuments are society's monuments.

By all means, if you have nothing to celebrate, don't. Like I said, a monument to atheism is absence of a monument. If, on the other hand you wish to share your celebrations with the theists, do come in.

223 posted on 01/26/2005 11:49:59 AM PST by annalex
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To: annalex
You got it! Thanks

You didn't! You're welcome.

224 posted on 01/26/2005 11:50:07 AM PST by ASA Vet (Those who know, don't talk. Those who talk, don't know.)
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To: DannyTN

The young man who spoke to Jesus was convinced he was "good". His adherence to the commandments was the definition of "good" in human eyes. Jesus is saying "No one this side of Heaven is good".


225 posted on 01/26/2005 11:50:08 AM PST by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: DannyTN; AppyPappy

...and, if He was denying His own goodness, He was contradicting what He said as quoted in John 8:46.

(In other words, "Right on.")

Dan


226 posted on 01/26/2005 11:50:13 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: annalex
Direct non-argumentative blasphemy would not be tolerated.

I take it, then, that you are in favor of blasphemy laws?

227 posted on 01/26/2005 11:51:05 AM PST by malakhi
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To: ArGee

> I had no idea that people worshipped Darwin.

And they don't.

Do you worship a fish?


228 posted on 01/26/2005 11:51:10 AM PST by orionblamblam
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To: MineralMan
Both of my parents are, and were, atheists. They are two of the most moral people I have ever encountered. My morality came directly through them, and reflects the traditional morality of this society.

The word moral cannot be applied to what you do or don't do, at least by you. For you, whether you have been brainwashed by your parents or not, it's only a matter of actions and consequences.

God defines morality, not people, not societies, not traditions. You delude yourself in the one thing that you value above all else, your disbelief.

Don't misconstrue my attitude. I do not condemn you, I have no power to do that. And I don't dislike you or your beliefs.

It's not your fault. A man cannot force himself to believe what he does not believe.

229 posted on 01/26/2005 11:51:17 AM PST by Protagoras (No one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave. GWB 1-20-05)
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To: ASA Vet

Ah, you were serious. It would be a funny monument though.


230 posted on 01/26/2005 11:52:26 AM PST by annalex
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To: TheOtherOne

Then you're changing your argument. Before, you were trying to argue that an act is intrinsically moral, irrespective of motivation. But here, you're arguing that the same act can be moral or immoral, depending on motivation.

The Christian has no such tension. Motivation matters. And as I've developed at some length, the greatest and all-overriding moral imperative is love for God. It trumps everything else, or taints it by its absence.

Dan


231 posted on 01/26/2005 11:52:37 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: malakhi

Of course.


232 posted on 01/26/2005 11:52:50 AM PST by annalex
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To: MineralMan
But why should an atheist NOT say the Pledge of Allegiance? I say it, whenever the opportunity comes up. I say it the way I learned it in 1950, omitting the "under God" part because that part would make my pledge a lie.

Precisely. An athiest who doesn't want to say the words UNDER GOD can either avoid saying those words or not say the Pledge at all. The point is (again) NOBODY is REQUIRING anyone to PLEDGE allegience to anything (God, country, etc.)

Newdow is an idiot.

Upon that we can agree. He's also a trouble maker who wants to make the 90%+ people who WANT to say the Pledge AS IS suffer so he doesn't have to hear the words "UNDER GOD".

233 posted on 01/26/2005 11:53:02 AM PST by GLDNGUN
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To: mlc9852

"Do you think some people are unable to believe in God? Like they are just born that way?

"

Of course I think that. I've said plainly that I'm unable to believe in any sort of deity. Was I born that way? Not at all.


234 posted on 01/26/2005 11:53:46 AM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: 7thson
Atheism leads to anarchy because they believe no Law rules the universe. They can make up their own "universal" law. They believe there's no prevailing universal right and wrong.

It's a bad philosophy; that's why Communists are godless. They try to create their own universal law. Can't be done.

235 posted on 01/26/2005 11:53:50 AM PST by what's up
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To: MineralMan
It's my opinion that every person's beliefs with regard to religion are that person's beliefs and that they ought to be left alone about them.

Spoken like someone who thinks religious beliefs are flights of fancy.

How would you react if you thought your beliefs about G-d were true, as true as your beliefs about gravity?

Shalom.

236 posted on 01/26/2005 11:54:03 AM PST by ArGee (After 517, the abolition of man is complete)
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To: GLDNGUN
Any Christian on this thread believe that salvation is through works?

Both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox believe that works are part of the requirement for salvation.

237 posted on 01/26/2005 11:54:06 AM PST by Modernman (What is moral is what you feel good after. - Ernest Hemingway)
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To: The Bard

But that still wasn't "good". "Good" is a worldy measurement which means nothing in Heaven. The "good" people will burn in Hell just as the "bad" people will walk the streets of gold. The rich young ruler was "good" in the eyes of the world. If we saw the ruler today, we would call him a "good Godly man".

Peter is a classic example. Peter was a screwup but Jesus looked past that. Peter needed Jesus because he was "bad". The ruler was "good" therefore he didn't need Jesus.

There is no good and bad in Christianity. There is obedience and disobedience.


238 posted on 01/26/2005 11:55:48 AM PST by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: mlc9852
What about vanity plates? States have denied Choose Life vanities.

IMO, if a state is going to allow 'vanity' plates, then they need to have an objective, unbiased process for identifying which varieties will be made available. Perhaps after X number of requests, or by petition or something. I can understand a state not wanting to have a thousand different varieties of plates. But there should be equal access to all viewpoints.

239 posted on 01/26/2005 11:56:12 AM PST by malakhi
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To: BibChr

Joh 8:46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me?

I don't get the correlation.


240 posted on 01/26/2005 11:57:23 AM PST by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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