Atheist pressure increases

[punisherthunder]

Long.story.short.

I was in Chattanooga this past weekend as I have family there (they were not hurt by the shootings and are safe )

There are several memorials and things of that nature popping up around the city. Naturally Westboro Baptist showed up and actually do did the atheists. I was shocked that so many people, instead of blaming the individual, attacked not only Islam, but religion in general. People shouting amongst the crowds and things. I overheard a woman telling her daughter who was maybe 7 or 8 that hell was a mythological place. The woman had her own daughter telling everyong God didn’t exist.

Just today, I ran into an old co-worker and in catching up with them told me that them and their family were now atheists and dropped out of religion all together. Among the chief reasons cited was that there was “no proof”.

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems that atheists are everywhere. To me, these people are the most misguided of all. Anyone else having similar issues or experiences? How did you handle it ?

 

[triumphguy]

If the only religion people see on the street is the Westboro Baptist “Church” no wonder people were vociferous about being against religion.

I’m against that kind of “religion” too.

 

[MaryT777]

If the only religion people see on the street is the Westboro Baptist “Church” no wonder people were vociferous about being against religion.

I’m against that kind of “religion” too.

Well said and excellent point.

Mary.

 

[Jelrak_TB]

Long.story.short.

I was in Chattanooga this past weekend as I have family there (they were not hurt by the shootings and are safe )

There are several memorials and things of that nature popping up around the city. Naturally Westboro Baptist showed up and actually do did the atheists. I was shocked that so many people, instead of blaming the individual, attacked not only Islam, but religion in general. People shouting amongst the crowds and things. I overheard a woman telling her daughter who was maybe 7 or 8 that hell was a mythological place. The woman had her own daughter telling everyong God didn’t exist.

Just today, I ran into an old co-worker and in catching up with them told me that them and their family were now atheists and dropped out of religion all together. Among the chief reasons cited was that there was “no proof”.

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems that atheists are everywhere. To me, these people are the most misguided of all. Anyone else having similar issues or experiences? How did you handle it ?

The best possible reproof to the atheist position is by your very lifestyle: be sympathetic to others, be upstanding, do not be judgmental, avoid depravity, teach your children respect for others, show love for one another, share generously, be pleasant and kind even to those who oppose you, and above all be joyful.

Actions speak louder than any words…and we atheists are always watching…contrasting your life with ours…pondering the importance of being ‘right’ versus the desire of being happy…you never truly know…some of us may even be hoping that you will remain strong so that we might be proven wrong…

Good luck…

 

[punisherthunder]

The best possible reproof to the atheist position is by your very lifestyle: be sympathetic to others, be upstanding, do not be judgmental, avoid depravity, teach your children respect for others, show love for one another, share generously, be pleasant and kind even to those who oppose you, and above all be joyful.

Actions speak louder than any words…and we atheists are always watching…contrasting your life with ours…pondering the importance of being ‘right’ versus the desire of being happy…you never truly know…some of us may even be hoping that you will remain strong so that we might be proven wrong…

Good luck…

That’s an approach I thought about using. Something I’ve noticed though, is a great deal of atheists seem to “expect” you to quote the Bible automatically and have “prepared” answers to certain passages. What I do is try to circumvent this and defend faith in general without using the Bible. It surprises some.

 

[SuperLuigi]

Long.story.short.

I was in Chattanooga this past weekend as I have family there (they were not hurt by the shootings and are safe )

There are several memorials and things of that nature popping up around the city. Naturally Westboro Baptist showed up and actually do did the atheists. I was shocked that so many people, instead of blaming the individual, attacked not only Islam, but religion in general. People shouting amongst the crowds and things. I overheard a woman telling her daughter who was maybe 7 or 8 that hell was a mythological place. The woman had her own daughter telling everyong God didn’t exist.

Just today, I ran into an old co-worker and in catching up with them told me that them and their family were now atheists and dropped out of religion all together. Among the chief reasons cited was that there was “no proof”.

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems that atheists are everywhere. To me, these people are the most misguided of all. Anyone else having similar issues or experiences? How did you handle it ?

When people attack religion, they almost always exempt Islam.

The Westboro Baptist Church isn’t growing much if at all.

I think atheism won’t last long as a major force because many of its adherents practice the culture of death and even defend minority religions diametrically opposed to it for short-term political gain.

Activists folks of any stripe who act on emotion tend to have a bigger bark than what they really represent. I’m not sayiing irreligion and nastiness like that in the Westboro Church isn’t going to go away, but I am saying that these philosophies of such personal selfishness and self-gratification are what have been destroying philosophies and civilizations for over 10,000 years.

That’s not to say that all atheists are bad—there are some pretty good ones. But the problem is the reason why so many people become atheists is for selfish reasons, not because they are struggling to sleep at night over cosmological arguments.

I think atheists and Christians alike would be wise to realize this so as to avoid scandal.

 

[SuperLuigi]

The best possible reproof to the atheist position is by your very lifestyle: be sympathetic to others, be upstanding, do not be judgmental, avoid depravity, teach your children respect for others, show love for one another, share generously, be pleasant and kind even to those who oppose you, and above all be joyful.

Actions speak louder than any words…and we atheists are always watching…contrasting your life with ours…pondering the importance of being ‘right’ versus the desire of being happy…you never truly know…some of us may even be hoping that you will remain strong so that we might be proven wrong…

Good luck…

This is a very insightful post! I see now why it’s so important for Christians to bear witness by example.

I hope you and your colleagues will keep watching us. We may fall at times, but in the end, we are after the Truth, and it has been revealed to us Catholics.

 

[Jelrak_TB]

That’s an approach I thought about using. Something I’ve noticed though, is a great deal of atheists seem to “expect” you to quote the Bible automatically and have “prepared” answers to certain passages. What I do is try to circumvent this and defend faith in general without using the Bible. It surprises some.

That is wise. Avoid the obvious traps. The atheist is well versed in the loopholes of the Bible, but cannot reasonably refute a good example. That is where the true discomfort sets in…

 

[Jelrak_TB]

This is a very insightful post! I see now why it’s so important for Christians to bear witness by example.

I hope you and your colleagues will keep watching us. We may fall at times, but in the end, we are after the Truth, and it has been revealed to us Catholics.

Thank you…yes, we are always watching…we cannot help but do so.

 

[punisherthunder]

That is wise. Avoid the obvious traps. The atheist is well versed in the loopholes of the Bible, but cannot reasonably refute a good example. That is where the true discomfort sets in…

Yes! It’s like the first thing an atheist asks is if I “believe in a talking snake?”

 

[Bradski]

This is a very insightful post! I see now why it’s so important for Christians to bear witness by example.

I hope you and your colleagues will keep watching us. We may fall at times, but in the end, we are after the Truth, and it has been revealed to us Catholics.

I have certain standards to which I try (and often fail) to abide by. Those would include a lot of what Christians would espouse: Love your neighbour, do not bear false witness etc. I also believe that is is wise to always question, to never to be hypocritical, to always admit when you are wrong, to be true to yourself – the list goes on and the longer it gets the more difficult it is to live by those beliefs.

If I see someone setting a good example then that person should be held as a good example, be they Christian (of whatever denomination), any other religion or atheist.

However…I am a little uncomfortable with someone saying that they are all these things BECAUSE they are Christian (or any other religion or atheist). I would rather trust someone who said that they were all these things AND were Christian.

 

[at9009]

Long.story.short.
Just today, I ran into an old co-worker and in catching up with them told me that them and their family were now atheists and dropped out of religion all together. Among the chief reasons cited was that there was “no proof”.

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems that atheists are everywhere. To me, these people are the most misguided of all. Anyone else having similar issues or experiences? How did you handle it ?

I would say first definitely pray for them that their hearts will be open to hearing about the word of God. I

With regards to proof, you might want to try to use logic to explain why God exists. A really simple one is cause and effect argument. Basically all events are effects from a previous cause. Eventually you get down to what causes the creation of the universe which they would say the Big Bang. Then what causes that? You get to the point where something is the first cause or the basically an uncaused cause. We argue that something is God. I think that’s the argument though I may have oversimplified it too much, but hopefully it would get them thinking.

 

[Frankenfurter]

Perhaps it is just me, but it seems that atheists are everywhere. To me, these people are the most misguided of all. Anyone else having similar issues or experiences? How did you handle it ?

Animals are atheist.

All of us revert to atheism unless we have exposure to God’s grace, or at least something higher.

Please consider that all of mankind is naturally animal, and would become atheist if it were not for that glimmer of hope that we have from Christ, the mass,our church.

Chances are pretty good it seems that we can just revert to being animals, atheists, and perhaps for millions of years exist that way, even happily

But then again, a few of us can reflect on what Christ said, decide to believe him, and in that belief find a deeper meaning to existence, and even partake in what he offered.

Belief in God is rare. Experience of God is rarer. Most just get by with survival and their animal behavior, and die never even wondering if there is more.

Atheists define our base. Now, what more can we do?!?

 

[MarcoPolo]

Among the chief reasons cited was that there was “no proof”.

Aside from the good advice of living a good example, I think part of that example, for some people, can be formulating sound rationale for your belief. This “proof” argument by the atheist completely falls to pieces if that atheist is pressed into admitting that he believes many things without “proof,” such as the absence of a Creator, the testimony of a friend, the existence of love, that his car brakes will work the next time they are used, etc…

Didn’t Chesterton have some quote about this? That skeptics will believe a 1000 different things on faith but suddenly hit a wall and demand all kinds of strange proofs for a Creator?

 

[mlz]

The best possible reproof to the atheist position is by your very lifestyle: be sympathetic to others, be upstanding, do not be judgmental, avoid depravity, teach your children respect for others, show love for one another, share generously, be pleasant and kind even to those who oppose you, and above all be joyful.

Actions speak louder than any words…and we atheists are always watching…contrasting your life with ours…pondering the importance of being ‘right’ versus the desire of being happy…you never truly know…some of us may even be hoping that you will remain strong so that we might be proven wrong…

Good luck…

Your post made me smile. Our witness of His love is the ultimate test of our faith…so true!

mlz

 

[esieffe]

That is wise. Avoid the obvious traps. The atheist is well versed in the loopholes of the Bible, but cannot reasonably refute a good example. That is where the true discomfort sets in…

My approach exactly. I “witness” when I can, but the very best seed you can plant is by living the example. People notice. They notice when you don’t curse, when something flies out of your mouth about someone and you stop yourself. [This has happened to me.] They notice. They notice when you are positive, upbeat and happy. Then they start to investigate WHY you are that way.

I noticed when I was still bouncing out there on the waves, others will too.

 

[Jelrak_TB]

And this works the other way around, too!
Embodying all those qualities can also be “the best possible reproof” to the theist position.

I sure don’t know any Atheists who stick with their beliefs because they are concerned about being “right” … and hope to be proven wrong.

Is that the kind of Atheist you are?

Given that you are a Jedi it might be possible that you might misinterpret such efforts, but I will attempt to be succinct.

Is not the atheist who might deny the existence of God (or gods) largely claiming to do so on the basis of discovering or actively pursuing truth? For what is an atheist if not a Truth Seeker?

Yet what seeker of deep and meaningful truths might yet overlook a community of joy-filled, selfless individuals, who might actively seek to better themselves during daily prayer and reflection and weekly gatherings? What Truth Seeker might ignore the consequences of such communities in his midst? What honest Seeker might not consider and weigh the probabilities and consider whether such communities might serve an essential role in the societal fabric?

Yet if such might seem to you somewhat doubtful, consider only the alternate: that if Christians fail to behave as they espouse what atheist in his right mind might ever allow himself to be moved by their apparently empty rhetoric?

 

[multitude]

Let’s face it. When you get crass celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel claim Catholicism and go to Mass every Sunday, this whole “we’re watching you” thing is a bit of a farce. Just say you don’t like me, I don’t mind that much. I can’t help watching those in secular society fail in whatever morality they choose to subscribe to so it looks like a fair cop.

 

[Jeannie52]

My approach exactly. I “witness” when I can, but the very best seed you can plant is by living the example. People notice. They notice when you don’t curse, when something flies out of your mouth about someone and you stop yourself. [This has happened to me.] They notice. They notice when you are positive, upbeat and happy. Then they start to investigate WHY you are that way.

I noticed when I was still bouncing out there on the waves, others will too.

You bet people notice! This is so well stated and I couldn’t agree more.

 

[punisherthunder]

My approach exactly. I “witness” when I can, but the very best seed you can plant is by living the example. People notice. They notice when you don’t curse, when something flies out of your mouth about someone and you stop yourself. [This has happened to me.] They notice. They notice when you are positive, upbeat and happy. Then they start to investigate WHY you are that way.

I noticed when I was still bouncing out there on the waves, others will too.

My understanding/experience is that the action of “witness” is a Protestant activity? The reason I ask is recently at a theme park of all places, the lines were insufferably long and I sat one ride out. Two young men approached me and one did his best to make small talk with me while the other one was quiet. Gradually the conversation turned to religion and the young man was doing his best to get me “saved”. My wife shows up halfway through this and didn’t say a word as this young man talked to me while his friend remained silent. I rebuffed the young man at all costs and spoke highly of Catholic theology over Protestant. Finally the young man and his friend went away. My wife who is a former Protestant informed me that I was just “witnessed”, which I had no idea what that meant.

She said it was likely the young man was having to find someone to “save” to further gain position in a ministry. It was almost a test for him. I don’t think I helped him any though