Ask your difficult questions of an Atheist.

To be fair one has to take into account the dates of these works.

We (including Christians) continue to improve. We ended slavery. We allowed all citizens to vote - not just white men. We made it unlawful to torture people into giving testimony. Etc., etc. The list is long.

We can't judge Christianity today by what was going on in America in the 1800's, and it's even more ridiculous to extend that to the year 0 or before.

I know that brings up problems, but the ancient prophets didn't outline a perfect society. And if they had tried they would have been laughed at - or worse.

 

Ahhh, I see you missed the point. Jesus wasn't implying that faith would make the tree move by itself. He was implying that if you have faith, the tree will move. How that happens isn't included. It could be that the wind knocks it over, that a lumber man cuts it down for its wood, that the town cuts it down to widen the road, etc. All it requires is that you have faith that the tree will move. A good example of Jesus' faith in action, tax collector came and told Jesus he owed two drachma in taxes. Jesus didn't magically create the money out of thin air, but he did have Peter catch a fish and the first fish Peter caught had a four drachma coin in its mouth, enough to pay for Jesus' and Peter's taxes.

 

Minor quibble here... The Israelites were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years until all those who had worshipped the golden calf had died. Moses' punishment (not entering the promised land) was for striking a rock to bring forth water instead of speaking to it as God had commanded.

 

Ok I got a
Question . Why do atheists either avoid the evidence for ndes and instead focus on refuting the weakest ndes or completely reject ndes without any evidence to support them as brain based hallucinations ?

 

Duplicate post removed.

 

Not as simple as brain based hallucinations. Maybe a reading of https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/imp/jcs/2000/00000007/F0020011/1064
could cast some light into that dark little corner of your mind?

 

That does absolutely nothing to answer my question and it doesn’t even address any NDE researchers at all .

You just proved my point my friend .

Will you try again ??? And this time bring me the NDE studies and the opinion of the researchers themselves ????

Plus I’d like you to deal with the actual ndes tgst bring back objectively verifiable or veridical info like veridical ndes and peak in Darien ndes .

You know like aware or Pamela Reynolds and how she saw her own resuscitation and described and heard everything accurately while all the blood was being drained out of her brain despite her eyes being taped shut and her ears plugged with a device inserted that produced a loud 100 decibel sound

 

Yes, those are the insights I am interested in.

 

You will have to read the Bible(S) and pick some. I recommend taking it in chapter chunks and reviewing/writing down the insights from each as it is long and often distracting from itself.

 

Technically speaking they are based on nothing since there is no evidence for any of the superstitions that religions use as dogma.

If you want to stretch it then I will concede that religions are based upon superstitions rather than nothing but those superstitions are based upon nothing so it amounts to the same thing.

 

We would still have slavery and women probably wouldn’t be able to vote

 

Wow God sure sounds sadistic. Imagine as a teacher if I tell my students if you don’t worship me and listen to my every commandment I will fail you

 

That sounds masochistic instead... it means you're going to have those students again next year.

 

It’s funny that you say that because I had a fifth grade class that I just adored and my principal was starting a brand new middle school and wanted me to come with her. At that time I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in middle school but I said to her I will only come if I can have the same students again. This goes back more than 40 years... and 16 of them met me in New York. They found me on Facebook and honored me with a plaque. Last time I saw them they were 13 and I laughed and told them that they changed and I look exactly the same LOL

 

I have a question:

Why are believers so frightened of atheists?

 

I don't think it's fright so much as dislike and distrust. With around 90% of the population believing in God, and another 8% being agnostic, actually running into an atheist is like meeting an alien.

 

OK, why would they distrust atheists? Is it that old trite crap about how "no atheist can be a moral, good decent person"?

They can't accept the fact that atheists can be good decent and moral without the threat of some imaginary being punishing them?

Atheists aren't that rare...but they rarely admit they're atheists because of the ignorant ideas that believers have about them.

 

I cannot answer that accurately, instead I offer an opinion. Likely theists attack Atheism for the same reasons they attack those who worship other Gods....they all pose a threat to already unstable internal belief and might push heartfelt belief over an edge.

 

Some. Key word. But those few are very vocal about their fear or distrust. The rest of us are happy enough to let well enough alone. The question could also be turned around to why are some atheists so frightened of theists that they go evangelical in their atheism?

 

You just answered that:

Some. Key word. But those few are very vocal about their fear or distrust. The rest of us are happy enough to let well enough alone.

 

What we see in this forum from two or three questionable representatives of Christianity does not represent Christians in my experience. I have never noted this behavior in any setting where they have actual contact with an Atheist. This is probably due to ACTUAL fear of someone kicking their a$$ for being a dlck.

 

@tecoyah
Are you okay with the secular translation or teaching that the
meaning and message behind "faith in Christ Jesus" is the same as believing in the
power of "Restorative Justice" to save lives and relationships from destruction
and bring healing of injustice by way of forgiveness and correction.

Can you relate to this explanation of what Christianity teaches.

 

In my experience the "Teachings" of Christianity are mostly irrelevant to most Christians and forgiveness seldom comes into play. This seems tied indirectly to the decision to ignore the do not judge others doctrine. Restorative Justice seems to me something almost alien to the thinking of many Christians in this light, as Satan and hell have taken care of it for them.

 

I think the problem with this thread is that there are no difficult questions for atheists.

 

Ah, but I corrected the implication of your question that asked why all felt that way. My question included the "some", indicating a limited population.

My reversing the question was intended to expand the question to include both the religious and the atheists who seem to fear the whole of the other. A question to which an answer has not been received. I am assuming that the OP will answer the actual question. That's why he (?) started the thread after all, to answer such questions. I suspect the reasons for both groups will be the same.