Atheism As A REJECTION OF--Not Disbelief In--An Evil God (before, meaning, experience)
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Yes - which is why atheists can relate better to cafeteria Christians than to Fundamentalists. But it is in effect (but they don't see it) tossing OT, NT and indeed Christianity in the trash, because they are judging the deeds of the Biblegod by human values. They are, in fact, judging God and (to reuse an old apologetic) 'treating the Bible like any other book'. They are doing what atheists do: living the life they think is right to live according to humanist values - but crediting all to the religion they feel the need for or were indoctrinated with and can't shake.
I know they won't see it, but tat's the way it so clearly s. And it would be (indeed it often is) fine were it not that the US (1) has this post McCarthy/Redscare hatred of the name of 'atheist' (read 'Commie') that blocks all thinking but how to bash them.
(1) I say again - this is a US -specific social anomaly and it does not happen in the UK, other than a few rightwing Christian fundamentalists who regularly troll and spam the letters pages of the UK news, raving about same sex marriage and abortion.
I realize you believe in a pantheistic concept of god. Do you practice intense meditation? Have you had spiritual experiences during meditation?
A panEntheistic God as described and revealed by Jesus. Yes. My atheism was erased during deep meditation. I encountered an overarching consciousness that was not mine but of which I am a part with a multitude in a Oneness that's unconditionally accepting and loving. Its character matches the Holy Spirit as revealed by Jesus as our Father who IS agape love.
Love cannot be commanded. That is preposterous.
Christians are asked to love the God of Jesus the Christ not the Bible.
Good point.
I wanted to put this here -Panentheism is the belief that the divine pervades
and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time.
(I'm adding: And can be experienced directly as such)
I wanted to put this here -Run interference if you notice a miscommunication between a literal thinker and another person. is the belief that the divine pervades
and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time.
(I'm adding: And can be experienced directly as such)
panentheism matches what we know about the universe. For me, I think it assumes to much when it reaches a universal being. But it clearly matches the descriptions we give the events we see around on the surface of the planet.
It matches so snugly that some of my atheist counter parts have to tell me I am an embarrassment to atheism. But hey, how the universe works does not depend on how comfortable I am with what it is doing.
Yes - which is why atheists can relate better to cafeteria Christians than to Fundamentalists. But it is in effect (but they don't see it) tossing OT, NT and indeed Christianity in the trash, because they are judging the deeds of the Biblegod by human values. They are, in fact, judging God and (to reuse an old apologetic) 'treating the Bible like any other book'. They are doing what atheists do: living the life they think is right to live according to humanist values - but crediting all to the religion they feel the need for or were indoctrinated with and can't shake.
I know they won't see it, but tat's the way it so clearly s. And it would be (indeed it often is) fine were it not that the US (1) has this post McCarthy/Redscare hatred of the name of 'atheist' (read 'Commie') that blocks all thinking but how to bash them.
(1) I say again - this is a US -specific social anomaly and it does not happen in the UK, other than a few rightwing Christian fundamentalists who regularly troll and spam the letters pages of the UK news, raving about same sex marriage and abortion.
absolute hog wash. If you militants from other countries weren't pushing so hard against our freedom of religion values and pushing anti-god for social change our citizens wouldn't get so defensive.
You put your statement of belief about god as the standard we all should be following in the states. Then point to us as the ones that are "embarrassing" to atheism.
You mistake some bullies for representing everybody.
hey, you didn't respond to mystics comment that he tosses out the stupid stuff from the ot and keeps the good parts. thats something that needs to be repeated as often as possible, "cherry picking" is far more rational than "all hating ot" or "all loving ot".
I wanted to put this here -Panentheism is the belief that the divine pervades
and interpenetrates every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time.
(I'm adding: And can be experienced directly as such)
If God is everything, then we're all inside God.
The universe is inside God.
Why does it have to be so big that we can't easily verify your claim, test your claim, and make the claim empirical instead of blind faith?
No one has blind faith, everyone arrives at their belief by observing their own life, some don't realize it but thats what humans do. It can take 80 years to accomplish .
I didn't like ice cream, I changed my mind and now I do.
Its just that simple. If it isn't that simple then something else is at play.
That's not how we use the term 'Blind faith'. If I may use the old (false) apologetics analogy, we have faith our car will start - because we have a knowledge of the reality of cars and some idea of what an engine does. That's the 'observing' in life if you will.
Blind faith is having a belief in what is not seen or known, only imagined and then preached to others who, if yhey get sucked into it, impose these beliefs on their Observations of life.
It is the old favourite 'equivocation'. The apologetics takes two meanings of 'belief' or 'Faith' and pretends they are the same. You do it with 'Observing our life'.
Have a nice week end. Wash your hands. Both of them.
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