About to become an Atheist PLEASE HELP!

[Jehannette]

Thank you.

But rest assured nothing can destroy my happiness

Sarah x

As a former “agnostic atheist,” I could never bring myself to the complete certainty that Hell did not exist; one reason why I remained open to evidence of the divine and supernatural. For I knew that if I died and went to Hell that I would almost certainly be unhappy there.

 

[atheistgirl]

As a former “agnostic atheist,” I could never bring myself to the complete certainty that Hell did not exist; one reason why I remained open to evidence of the divine and supernatural. For I knew that if I died and went to Hell that I would almost certainly be unhappy there.

Well just like you, I remain open to any evidence of a heaven, hell, afterlife or a Deity of any kind.

So far I haven’t come across any.

Sarah x

 

[Lochias]

Thank you.

But rest assured nothing can destroy my happiness

Sarah x

Hope so.

 

[Lochias]

Well just like you, I remain open to any evidence of a heaven, hell, afterlife or a Deity of any kind.

So far I haven’t come across any.

Sarah x

That meets your criteria. God remains stubbornly objective in His nature, however. Another reason to believe in Him, for me.

 

[catholic1seeks]

Well just like you, I remain open to any evidence of a heaven, hell, afterlife or a Deity of any kind.

So far I haven’t come across any.

Sarah x

Have you looked at any of the near death experience studies?

 

[atheistgirl]

Hope so.

I tried to edit that post to add a little more information, but I ran out of time.

I meant to add, the reason I say that, is because within me, I’m a happy person. It’s part of what and who I am. That happiness is not dependent on any one, or any thing.

Of course, my family, friends, work, animals, and all the rest add to my happiness and my life would be the poorer without them.

But they too, now, are part of me and add to my happiness.

Were I to lose them all tomorrow, lose everything except the clothes I’m wearing right now in some horrible disaster, I would of course be utterly devestated.

In fact, even typing that gave me the shivers just thinking about it.

I would be devestated, consumed with grief, poorer, and struggling to stay alive even, but within me, myself, I would be happy. Because I would draw on the strength their love and memory gives me, and I would bounce back even stronger than before, as much to testify to their memory and love as for my own determination to always succeed.

I would still be a happy person, as that’s who I am.

I live this one life I have as best I can, and when I’m dead, that’s it, it’s all over.

The happiness of believers does intrigue me a little because this happiness is based in part on their faith in an afterlife and a positive judgement from Heaven, something they do not know for sure will happen.

Living with such uncertainty would be a source of anxiety and unhappiness for me, not happiness.

Sarah x

 

[atheistgirl]

That meets your criteria.

That’s true

God remains stubbornly objective in His nature, however. Another reason to believe in Him, for me.

Oh man, I sure hope God is not trying to out-stubborn me

He will lose.

Guaranteed

Sarah x

 

[atheistgirl]

Have you looked at any of the near death experience studies?

Thanks for the link.

I’ve looked at many of these.

I think we understand now that death and dying, is a process, rather than an ‘‘event’’.

As such we still have more to learn about the effects of this process on the brain.

But to me, I don’t think any of these experiences are credible in an evidentary way that there is an afterlife.

They just show we have much more to learn about the physical chemical and biological processes that are at work when the body begins the process of dying.

Sarah x

 

[Nita]

Well just like you, I remain open to any evidence of a heaven, hell, afterlife or a Deity of any kind.

So far I haven’t come across any.

Sarah x

What would you consider evidence?

 

[atheistgirl]

What would you consider evidence?

Anything that can be observed, tested, repeated and verified.

Why is it for example, not once, ever, in the long history of mankinds interactions with a Deity who claims to listen to and answer prayers, has an amputated limb ever been restored.

Everything, absolutely everything, to do with claims regarding a Deity, Heaven, Hell and so on is vague, disputable, and in many cases completely dismissable.

Sarah x

 

[Trebor135]

Why is it for example, not once, ever, in the long history of mankinds interactions with a Deity who claims to listen to and answer prayers, has an amputated limb ever been restored.

Not exactly what you were looking for, but this sprung to mind immediately.

 

[LB_in_TX]

Interesting conversation.

However, too many things in my life have happened to not believe. Some were answers to prayers, others have kept me alive when I should not be, as well as the greater my strength the closer I get to God as I fight against the temptations.

I don’t know any other way to say this other than keep praying and do not try to put God to the test.

That’s why it is called Faith.

 

[atheistgirl]

Not exactly what you were looking for, but this sprung to mind immediately.

This is a great example of exactly what I’m talking about.

Your link to the Padre Pio site claims the eye was gone, then reappeared, had so how materialized out of thin air.

This site, another Catholic site, claims the eye was never gone, was very damaged, but the guy claimed he could see out of it.

However, there was no mistake. Giovanni had completely regained the sight in his right eye, although it remained nothing but “a mess” until his death twenty-five years later at the age of sixty. The left eye never recovered.

Now, apart from the obvious question of why not restore the eyesight to both eyes, it’s quite obvious the optic nerve was not damaged enough to completely destroy sight in the right eye.

And once again we hear about well documented examinations, but a search brings nothing up. As I asked with the case of the Eucharistic Miracle of Buenas Aires, why no peer reviewed work? Because this would turn opthalmic science on it’s head, just like a beating heart tissue in a microscope slide would turn patholigy on it’s head - for one thing a good lawyer could argue his client didn’t kill the person concerned because their heart is still beating - in a lab somewhere.

Guglielmo Sanguinetti was already in awe of Padre Pio.

We’re not told what is meant by able to see.

Able to make out shadows and shapes, blurred, or 20/20?

And where are all these medical papers?

Eye medicine was nothing like it is now, back then, so assumptions were easy to make.

So, again, sorry, it’s just not credible to me.

Sarah x

 

[Nita]

Anything that can be observed, tested, repeated and verified.

Why is it for example, not once, ever, in the long history of mankinds interactions with a Deity who claims to listen to and answer prayers, has an amputated limb ever been restored.

Everything, absolutely everything, to do with claims regarding a Deity, Heaven, Hell and so on is vague, disputable, and in many cases completely dismissable.

Sarah x

I presume you have heard of this miracle but for some reason reject it’s authenticity. skeptoid.com/episodes/4247

There have been, and continue to be, so many miraculous healings that are verified (observed, tested). Why don’t they count? Why is it that only a case of amputation would have meaning for you? (I gather this is a typical atheist challenge and I’m wondering why.)

 

[atheistgirl]

I presume you have heard of this miracle but for some reason reject it’s authenticity. skeptoid.com/episodes/4247

Yep, I’d go along with their take on it.

There have been, and continue to be, so many miraculous healings that are verified (observed, tested). Why don’t they count? Why is it that only a case of amputation would have meaning for you? (I gather this is a typical atheist challenge and I’m wondering why.)

All disputable I’m afraid.

A limb, cleanly amputated, in a hospital setting, medically recorded and documented, verified, and witnessed, all of which can be examined for accuracy, which is then observed to be instantly renewed, would indeed cause me to take a step back and review.

But that just never happened, and never happens.



Disease and illness goes into remission and we know this - but a medically recorded amputed limb, witness and documented, that instantly renews, fully functional, there is no arguing with.

And it would need to happen repeatedly and across a large population sample to allow for geneticists to rule out any abhoration in the genes - which would make it a natural biological event.

Never happened.

Won’t happen.

And I know why

Sarah x

 

[Nita]

Yep, I’d go along with their take on it.

??? How scientific is that? You’d “go along with”/accept an admittedly fabricated hypothesis made by someone hundreds of years later as more credible than testimony from those alive at the time. The author has no proof it didn’t happen - so he had to dream up some story.

You say that the only reliable evidence acceptable as proof for the existence of God is “Anything that can be observed, tested, repeated and verified.”
You assert that God does not exist. What kind of proof can you give for the nonexistence of God - proof that can be “observed, tested, repeated and verified”?

 

[atheistgirl]

??? How scientific is that? You’d “go along with”/accept an admittedly fabricated hypothesis made by someone hundreds of years later as more credible than testimony from those alive at the time.

I scanned the article you linked to, I didn’t research the claimed miracle. I picked out the bit in particular where there is no documented evidence that the leg was actually amputated.

Hundreds of years from now, people will find the diaries, the first hand accounts, of those that claimed they were abducted by aliens and had group sex with their leader to help repopulate their planet

And no doubt there will be people saying how can you dismiss such first hand witness accounts

You assert that God does not exist.

Nope.

For the 1,345,869th time, I say I have not seen any evidence to suggest a Deity of any kind exists.

I have never stated such a Deity does not exist.

I couldn’t do that.

But I can and do claim for me, there is no evidence to suggest there is one.

What kind of proof can you give for the nonexistence of God - proof that can be “observed, tested, repeated and verified”?

See above.

Sarah x

 

[Nita]

I have never stated such a Deity does not exist.

Again, ???
If you don’t say/believe God does not exist, why do you call yourself “atheist girl” - and give “atheist” as your religious affiliation?

.

But I can and do claim for me, there is no evidence to suggest there is one.

Is there evidence, for you, that suggests there isn’t One (God)? If so, what?

 

[CEM5]

I have been going through a real tough time spiritually lately. It all started when I started my search for the one true religion over a year and a half ago. I went through all the world religions one by one and marked them out when I knew they couldnt be true. I got stuck between Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, and Neo-Paganism. So I prayed to God to show me the truth and I have been praying for over a year with no answers. There are times when I stay up all night crying and begging for God to show me the truth. I am like Thomas I need to see to believe and Thomas is a saint and in Catholicism there are thousands of reports of God (or someone on his behalf) appearing to people when they didnt ask for it. So why cant God show me the truth if he has to others? I promised him that once I know the truth I would use my life to serve him (Priest, Rabbi, Imam). My only desire in life is to serve God and yet he wont answer me no matter how much I pray and beg. Lately I have been watching alot of Dawkins and Maher and this whole thing isn`t helping. I about ready to give up and become an Atheist which would really depress me because there would be no afterlife or reason for being I will fill even more worthless than I already am. Not to mention that I have to hide this whole thing from my parents at the same time( racist anti any religion other than baptist christian types)
Please I am begging everyone to help me.

Hi Brockman,

God has answered, however, I don’t think you may be listening. God speaks to us in myriad ways and not always the way we “want” or expect.

All religions hold some truth, nonetheless, I emphatically believe that the Catholic Church holds the fullness of truth in matters of Faith and Morals, for Christ is the corner stone and the Apostles are the foundation upon which the Church is built. God came to us in the human form of Jesus, who showed us the way to salvation and therefore heaven. That is why the very first followers (disciples - and we who are Christian are His disciples) were called followers of the Way. (Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14).

As for becoming atheist…well, that takes more “faith” to believe that God doesn’t exist than to believe He does!!

All one has to do is really open their eyes to see the existence of God all around them! It is evidential in the beauty of God’s creation: the joyful flitting about of twittering birds; the beauty of the sky no matter the weather; the crystalling snow reflecting the starry night; The glistening magnificence of the gem like hues of eyes; the miracle of new life found especially in the innocence of babies; the symbiotic relationship that all life on earth has to one another; the intricacies of a spider’s web, especially when kissed by glistening dew drops that sparkle more brilliant than diamonds; every breath you take and every beat of your heart…I could go on and on, but I think this is sufficient.

None of this would exist without God: You would not exist nor would I. God “breathed” life into all things.

It is not necessary for God to appear: He already did that in the human form of Jesus and many did not listen and refused to believe. Thomas “doubted” not the reality of God/Jesus, but “how” He could be “alive” yet bear the mortal wounds.

May God bless you and may you find peace of Christ in your heart.

CEM :heaven:

 

[atheistgirl]

Again, ??? If you don’t say/believe God does not exist, why do you call yourself “atheist girl”? Is there evidence, for you, that there isn’t One (God)? If so, what?/

Oh my Gosh.

Because in the absence of any evidence there is no reason to believe a Deity of any kind exists.

But that is not the same as saying, emphatically, no God exists.

No one can make such a claim.

But I can make an informed decision based on the lack of evidence for one, as to how likely it is that one exists.

Sarah x