Hi Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed the three posts I shared with you last week! If you missed them, you can click on the category The Spotlight, to read them all.
This week’s posts deal with our ability to discern God’s voice, how we can believe in God despite the intellectual arguments against His existence, and why we all need Him. The first was written for Believers by Itunu. I shared one of her posts recently, but couldn’t help myself with this one. It was so on point! The other two were written for doubters and Atheists, with a view to encourage them to find God while He can be found. I think whether Christian or not, all these posts will encourage us all to have stronger faith and KNOW that there is a God and we can have a relationship with Him.
Please read and be blessed, and be kind to share and drop a comment for the authours!
Read more at https://ufuomaee.blog/the-spotlight-on-discernment-doubt-and-atheism
It's kind to share :)
Categories: Editor's Pick, Repost
Grace and Truth 
The problem, from an atheist’s or agnostic’s pov, is that all religions claim to be accurate, so what makes one more valid than the others?
This is nothing to do with the possibility of a creator, which any intellectually honest person should acknowledge, but to be fair all religions claim the exact same things (complete truth, their god is “love”, versions of heaven and hell and various trivial policies like sexual immorality or “sins”).
To an atheist, all religions are the same (because they are in the ways that matter); it is not that we believe a creator is an impossibility, because we do not know for sure the origins of the universe; however, it is that we do not agree with or believe in the policies, ideology, and values of religions, so we choose to stand up for what we believe, instead of follow quietly out of fear of eternal torture.
I think it would be easier for atheists to discuss the possibility and probability of a creator if the religions and their practices were removed from the conversation.
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Hi Amanda, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate them.
Ummm…about discussing a Creator (or God) without reference to a Faith, and coming to an understanding and agreement… I think that understanding and agreement will be exactly the same as what you have been trying to get away from – religion. It will just be ANOTHER perspective. A common one, maybe, but still a perspective, which though it may drop traditionally held views, will still have its own that it will then seek to pass on to others…because you believe it is the right and true one.
We really can’t avoid religion, no matter how hard we try. Even Atheism is religion. Religion is any understanding of God and beliefs, which affect our behaviour. You can say there are bad and good religions, religions that don’t control so much as liberate, but we can’t say there’s or should be no religion.
So, James talks about “Pure Religion” being to help those in need and keep yourself from being defiled by evil.
Also, do you think you can have an honest discussion about a Creator without having or developing an understanding for the coexistence of Good and Evil, and why that may be?
As you discuss God, you will see that there are many issues to address, and religions about because of a diversity of beliefs and perspective. Logically, there must be a TRUTH. Even if all the religions are wrong, we can all still strive to know the TRUTH…hence the endless pursuit of God and practice of religion is a condition of mankind.
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The problem with religions though still stands; there have been thousands of religions and predominantly there are several religions, all different but the same in that they claim their theories are correct and they threaten their followers with eternal torture if they don’t worship the creator.
Where is the justification or reasoning for choosing one religion over any others? And where is the obligation for the individual to have to choose a religion to practice and agree with to begin with?
It seems people want the world to be a black and white place where good things are heavenly and godly and bad things are hellish and of the devil, where life is fair and bad people get punished for eternity (unless they confess their sins and are truly sorry, then they get a one way ticket to eternal paradise no matter what they’ve done).
Unfortunately, life is not always fair, and people sometimes (or even often times) get away with things they shouldn’t, and accepting one religion’s theory or another’s doesn’t change this reality.
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Amanda, this is a deep issue, and I’ve thought one way on it a long time. I still hold my deep convictions about Jesus, because of the message of the Cross which I believe is the greatest wisdom, but frankly, I’ve quit Christianity.
It’s not about the religion. The religion is the vessel. The message is worship God. And they all agree that the way we do that is by loving one another. I’m happy with that, while I sort through the rest.
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So you agree that religions are unnecessary? Since the real issue is creationism?
I’d also like to point out that acknowledging the possibility of a creator is not the same as acknowledging an inherent obligation to worship them;
Atheism is not religion, it is the lack of religion; but atheism is not the inherent belief that a creator is impossible, rather the acknowledgement that it’s possible and the simple fact that we don’t agree with worshipping theories, which is not an ethical issue.
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No, I don’t think the real issue is creationism. I think the real issue is love, and what it really is. Just like God, love is often misunderstood and misrepresented.
My understanding of Atheism is that they don’t believe in a God or gods, and their focus isn’t creation issue. They also believe in and propagate theories like evolution that they believe answers the important question of our origin and purpose, or lack of.
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Actually atheism does not believe in a creator, atheism is the opposite of theism and the lack of belief in creationsim; I just personally entertain the possibility of a creator (but that does not include an inherent goodness or justness of the hypothetical creator);
Atheism has nothing to do with scientific theories such as evolution, though scientific theories are generally more believable to atheists than religious or spiritual theories.
Atheism is different than religion in that it is not an egotistical worldview, we dont think we exist for some special reason or that we’re special at all; we believe that the meaning our lives have is the meaning that we give them.
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Thanks for clarifying the difference between what Atheism is and what you personally believe.
While I can understand your frustration with religion and religious, you have also reminded me of my frustration with atheism and atheists. In your last paragraph you call my belief that my life has a special meaning and purpose egotistical and you demean it as though it is an inferior perspective. It isn’t. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with living as though you have a purpose, and everything good about it too. We also appreciate that while we have a purpose, others do too. In that sense, we do not exalt ourselves as special because everyone has a purpose…but until they discover it, they could live a pointless or confused existence.
Anyway… It’s alright. You don’t have to believe your life or mine or others have any meaning. I can’t live that way.
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The point is that atheists, while we don’t believe in a creator and are therefore exempt from all religions for that reason alone, disagree with the tenants of religions. We view the unhealthy opinions of sexuality and homosexuality (referring to the bible, quran, torah) of religions as harmful and unnecessary, as well as pretty much every other religious doctrine aside from the common sense ones like don’t rob or murder.
Attacking an idea is not the same thing as personally attacking the people who hold the idea; the fact is that the basic concept of religion (worshipping someone in order to attain a positive afterlife) is not only egotistical, it’s dishonest.
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And therein lies the eternal struggle. For people who accuse us of guilt-tripping and condemning people, you come out just as hard with your accusations that our beliefs are dishonest. We feel the same about your stance. Let God be the judge. And for you, that god is whatever legal system you submit to, and are able to manipulate to get your way…and it is just as well that those who are religious will translate your attacks as a fulfilment of prophesy. Call it madness or spirituality. There could be truth in both.
The truth is religion is inherent in man. You say Atheism isn’t a religion, and I disagree. You just do not have a concensus on the existence of God. But those who do have the accompanying revelation that He/It is worthy of worship.
Good night, Amanda.
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We don’t observe or acknowledge a god in the sense of a creator because we dont see the evidence to justify accepting it as true and even if there is a creator, we have no desire to worship.
By definition, atheism is not a religion. The definition of religion is the opposite of what atheism is. Atheism is simply having no religion.
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