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Ok, I'm just curious to hear your thoughts on this.
As it is written in the Bible "If you are not for Me, you are against me".
Do you think there is a difference among non-believers, between them having NO belief versus them having or not having any belief but being totally AGAINST God...therefore blasphemy and rebelling against him intentionally?
There are the non-believers (Atheists) that just simply don't believe in any god, however, they are not "against" Him or say anything "bad" about Him. But then you have some that may believe and some that may not believe, that tend to completely HATE God and Christians and everything He stands for.
If you don't believe in Him, is that the same as rejecting Him as opposed to flat out hating God?
"If you don't believe in Him, is that the same as rejecting Him as opposed to flat out hating God?"
If you don't believe in Him it may be because your not yet called by Him. Only God knows the inner thoughts of individuals and I'm sure He will use righteous judgement when the time comes.
If you don't believe in Him, is that the same as rejecting Him as opposed to flat out hating God?
No, of course not. (At least not in this nonbeliever's mind.)
I do believe that there was a person named Jesus. I do not, however, believe in him as "god." That does not mean, however, that I would flat-out "reject" everything he said, just as I would not "reject" or discredit what the Buddha said. There was an excellent book I read back in high school by (okay, I'm gunna mispell his name here and feel like an idiot!) Albert Schweitzer entitled: "The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith." --The author made clear distinctions. I certainly feel that people like myself can acknowledge the humanity of Jesus without accepting him as the son of god.
The difficulty I have with the biblical passage that you quoted above is the fact that it reduces one's thinking to "either/or" --While I certainly understand that for Christians who accept Jesus as god and savior it is, for them, a matter of "either/or," at the same time, for those of us who do not adhere to that belief, it tends to come across as far too black and white. I can't help but wonder whether or not, in it's meaning, it somehow becomes translated or enacted in real life as "you are either with us, or against us." --Which leaves someone like myself in a somewhat uncomfortable, perplexed position...Personally, I think there are many valuable things that Jesus taught and said, however, I fall short when it comes to believing that he was god. Or believing in god, period.
That does not mean, however, that I "hate" god...I don't have any personal relationship with him in order TO "hate" him. Just as I don't hate Buddha, Brahman, or any of the other gods that "exist."
Ok, I'm just curious to hear your thoughts on this.
As it is written in the Bible "If you are not for Me, you are against me".
Do you think there is a difference among non-believers, between them having NO belief versus them having or not having any belief but being totally AGAINST God...therefore blasphemy and rebelling against him intentionally?
There are the non-believers (Atheists) that just simply don't believe in any god, however, they are not "against" Him or say anything "bad" about Him. But then you have some that may believe and some that may not believe, that tend to completely HATE God and Christians and everything He stands for.
If you don't believe in Him, is that the same as rejecting Him as opposed to flat out hating God?
Any thoughts?
I think that before you can be FOR or AGAINST God, that you have to know about God first. I think this may be what Jesus meant. You can't blaspheme or rebel against Him unless you know Him. The athiests cannot hate God or be against God, because they don't know God. The only way to know God is to accept Him. It is the people who know God who are in big trouble if they say they are against Him or hate Him. IMO, in order to reject God, you have to know Him in order to reject Him..
No, of course not. (At least not in this nonbeliever's mind.)
I do believe that there was a person named Jesus. I do not, however, believe in him as "god." That does not mean, however, that I would flat-out "reject" everything he said, just as I would not "reject" or discredit what the Buddha said. There was an excellent book I read back in high school by (okay, I'm gunna mispell his name here and feel like an idiot!) Albert Schweitzer entitled: "The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith." --The author made clear distinctions. I certainly feel that people like myself can acknowledge the humanity of Jesus without accepting him as the son of god.
The difficulty I have with the biblical passage that you quoted above is the fact that it reduces one's thinking to "either/or" --While I certainly understand that for Christians who accept Jesus as god and savior it is, for them, a matter of "either/or," at the same time, for those of us who do not adhere to that belief, it tends to come across as far too black and white. I can't help but wonder whether or not, in it's meaning, it somehow becomes translated or enacted in real life as "you are either with us, or against us." --Which leaves someone like myself in a somewhat uncomfortable, perplexed position...Personally, I think there are many valuable things that Jesus taught and said, however, I fall short when it comes to believing that he was god. Or believing in god, period.
That does not mean, however, that I "hate" god...I don't have any personal relationship with him in order TO "hate" him. Just as I don't hate Buddha, Brahman, or any of the other gods that "exist."
--But that's just me.
Thanks for the response! This is pretty much what I am talking about. How can you hate someone/something you don't believe in?
Luke 11:23 "Anyone who isn't helping me opposed Me, and anyone who isn't working with Me is actually working against Me".
This was Jesus talking. There is a conflict between God and satan, in this battle if a person is not on God's side they are on satan's side. There is no neutral ground.
I think that before you can be FOR or AGAINST God, that you have to know about God first. I think this may be what Jesus meant. You can't blaspheme or rebel against Him unless you know Him. The athiests cannot hate God or be against God, because they don't know God. The only way to know God is to accept Him. It is the people who know God who are in big trouble if they say they are against Him or hate Him. IMO, in order to reject God, you have to know Him in order to reject Him..
These are my thoughts as well Blue. But have you noticed that there are SOME out there, that call themselves "atheists" however, they seem to actually HATE God? Not that they don't believe in Him...but just outright hate Him?
There are the other atheists that seem to just try to debunk the belief in their being a God, because they do not believe. But they don't say mean and hateful things ABOUT God...
I see some of the posts and I find confusion and/or hypocrisies in the fact of
How can one so adamately despise and be so vengeful to a God they don't believe exists?
Luke 11:23 "Anyone who isn't helping me opposed Me, and anyone who isn't working with Me is actually working against Me".
This was Jesus talking. There is a conflict between God and satan, in this battle if a person is not on God's side they are on satan's side. There is no neutral ground.
I used to think this. But I am not so sure anymore . Only because, doesn't it seem more apprehensible and a worse sin to despise and blaspheme God, than it would be to not have enough proof to believe in Him?
Of course, there are the ones that try to sway believers into NOT believing, and I think that anyone that succeeds in turning someone away from Christ will probably pay pretty heavily...but for a typical non-believer that just doesn't have enough proof...I just have to wonder1
I used to think this. But I am not so sure anymore . Only because, doesn't it seem more apprehensible and a worse sin to despise and blaspheme God, than it would be to not have enough proof to believe in Him?
Of course, there are the ones that try to sway believers into NOT believing, and I think that anyone that succeeds in turning someone away from Christ will probably pay pretty heavily...but for a typical non-believer that just doesn't have enough proof...I just have to wonder1
But the God provides all the proof anyone needs.
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. Only because, doesn't it seem more apprehensible and a worse sin to despise and blaspheme God, than it would be to not have enough proof to believe in Him? 
