Atheists:

[Oreoracle]

TO ALL ATHEISTS HERE:

I now realize that pride is the most effective way to block out God so that one doesn’t see him at all. If you remain an atheist, you would have to believe that all the intricate, detailed, complex information contained in DNA comes out of nowhere and nothing. But you must also see how that idea does not make sense. Do you look at billboards which contain much simpler information than DNA and think that wind and erosion created them? That wouldn’t be rational. You must be very discomforted as an atheist.
Catholics could handle anything you throw at them. Their responses reflect an eminently reasonable worldview that you should keep asking yourself, HOW IS IS THAT CATHOLICS HAVE SO MUCH OF THIS ALL FIGURED OUT?
By being part of the One, Holy, Catholic church, there is a palable connection with other Catholics. Jesus Christ.

My, well aren’t you great at advertising. Did you take classes?

Why can’t you just live and let live? Take a hint from your Bible: if there’s a problem with people, let God do the condemning. It’s supposably your obligation to spread the word, and you have. But it’s not your duty to use degradation to draw others to your faith (however that would work).

 

[Veritas248]

My, well aren’t you great at advertising. Did you take classes?

Why can’t you just live and let live? Take a hint from your Bible: if there’s a problem with people, let God do the condemning. It’s supposably your obligation to spread the word, and you have. But it’s not your duty to use degradation to draw others to your faith (however that would work).

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner.
To live and let live would risk a condemnation of lukewarmness.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Belief in God doesn’t just help me sleep at night, it actually allows me to keep my sanity.
Just studying the beliefs of Atheism has almost driven me insane. They just don’t seem logically coherent. :sad_yes:

Andrea Yates did a terrible thing. She deserved to be punished for her blatant injustice.

Well, that happens to be your style of living. Doesn’t make it the right one-- it’s right for you, that’s for sure, as well as many, many others. But, some people do find comfort in other religions or other beliefs or other lifestyles for several different. It just works for them, including me.

 

[Veritas248]

Well, that happens to be your style of living. Doesn’t make it the right one-- it’s right for you, that’s for sure, as well as many, many others. But, some people do find comfort in other religions or other beliefs or other lifestyles for several different. It just works for them, including me.

Works for them how? Feeding their sense of pride and self worth or pushing them to a higher standard of goodness?

 

[Oreoracle]

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner.
To live and let live would risk a condemnation of lukewarmness.

It’s ironic: a work of mercy is to be merciless to sinners. God, in his power, should be the one dishing out mercy.

 

[Veritas248]

It’s ironic: a work of mercy is to be merciless to sinners. God, in his power, should be the one dishing out mercy.

If by merciless you mean telling people they are sinning and therefore giving them a warning that could save their souls, then you have a point.
Letting people wallow in sin is merciless, because it implies a disrespect for their well being. In a word-hatred.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Works for them how? Feeding their sense of pride and self worth or pushing them to a higher standard of goodness?

I don’t know if I want to answer that. I won’t want to risk another infraction. :ehh: Well, whatever, here goes:

Now, I can’t speak for all Atheists, but here’s the best answer I can give. There are two categories of Atheism (vaguely): there are those Atheists who leave their faiths for really no reason. They just fall off because they didn’t take it seriously, and therefore they just decided to live Life. Those people would probably fall under your claim.

Then, there are the others who leave because they had a certain revelation–whatever it may be; they could’ve left because of a traumatic experience with members of their faith, or they read Bible and felt it sounded horribly like that fairy tale they were told from kindergarten, or (more simply) Atheism just made more sense to them.

Just remember: We’re not the ones claiming there’s a Supreme Being who actually cares about us, so it wouldn’t be fair by calling all Atheists/Agnostics proud or self-centered.

 

[Veritas248]

I don’t know if I want to answer that. I won’t want to risk another infraction. :ehh: Well, whatever, here goes:

Now, I can’t speak for all Atheists, but here’s the best answer I can give. There are two categories of Atheism (vaguely): there are those Atheists who leave their faiths for really no reason. They just fall off because they didn’t take it seriously, and therefore they just decided to live Life. Those people would probably fall under your claim.

Then, there are the others who leave because they had a certain revelation–whatever it may be; they could’ve left because of a traumatic experience with members of their faith, or they read Bible and felt it sounded horribly like that fairy tale they were told from kindergarten, or (more simply) Atheism just made more sense to them.

Just remember: We’re not the ones claiming there’s a Supreme Being who actually cares about us, so it wouldn’t be fair by calling all Atheists/Agnostics proud or self-centered.

It isn’t just atheists and agnostics. People change their faiths all the time. While the reasons vary, I seem to notice that a lot of people do so because they are too proud to submit to anything that makes them unhappy. I call that foolishness, trading Truth for Happiness. What good is happiness if it is based on a lie?

Those who change out of other reasons may have valid and reasonable ones. They too need to be aware that people can and do become blind sighted by arrogance iof they are not careful. I myself am deathly afraid of falling under the disease of pride, so I try to watch myself carefully.

For those who can care less about Truth, then I hope they survive their delusion.

 

[mhpierce]

****Well, that happens to be your style of living. Doesn’t make it the right one-- it’s right for you, that’s for sure, as well as many, many others. But, some people do find comfort in other religions or other beliefs or other lifestyles for several different.(sic) It just works for them, including me. ****
“Say What?”

Dear B and B:

Where do you people get this stuff from?
Quote:
***Doesn’t make it the right one-- it’s right for you, that’s for sure, as well as many, many others.

---

This “idea” or statement, what ever you want to call it, is surperlative nonsense in the first order. Rght and Wrong exist and they are not existential realities! My Bishop just gave a Sermon two weeks ago about this kind of modernistic “thinking…”

Something that is really wrong, illicite, is wrong for all, and is not “right” for somebody else, just because they “think” it is… …or feel it is and cannot be “judged.” Knowing what’s right and what’s wrong is the bedrock of sound moral teaching. This thinking is: HOGWASH! The Catholic Church teaches that there are “Absolute Moral Imperatives…”

** Listen to the sermon here:bishoplouisofm.blogspot.com/ The Third Sunday in Lent**
Or am I taking your words out of context…

—notmuchmoretocome --mhpierce–

 

[Veritas248]

****Well, that happens to be your style of living. Doesn’t make it the right one-- it’s right for you, that’s for sure, as well as many, many others. But, some people do find comfort in other religions or other beliefs or other lifestyles for several different. It just works for them, including me. ****

“Say What?”

Dear B and B:

Where do you people get this stuff from?
Quote:
***Doesn’t make it the right one-- it’s right for you, that’s for sure, as well as many, many others.

---

This “idea” or statement, what ever you want to call it, is surperlative nonsense in the first order. Rght and Wrong exist and they are not existential realities! My Bishop just gave a Sermon two weeks ago about this kind of modernistic “thinking…”

Something that is really wrong, illicite, is wrong for all, and is not “right” for somebody else, just because they “think” it is… …or feel it is and cannot be “judged.” Knowing what’s right and what’s wrong is the bedrock of sound moral teaching. This thinking is: HOGWASH! The Catholic Church teaches that there are “Absolute Moral Imperatives…”

** Listen to the sermon here:bishoplouisofm.blogspot.com/** The Third Sunday in Lent

Or am I taking your words out of context…

—notmuchmoretocome --mhpierce–

Right. One can deny the objective nature of Good and Evil in theory all they want. To deny it in practice is to welcome insanity.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

It isn’t just atheists and agnostics. People change their faiths all the time. While the reasons vary, I seem to notice that a lot of people do so because they are too proud to submit to anything that makes them unhappy. I call that foolishness, trading Truth for Happiness. What good is happiness if it is based on a lie?

Those who change out of other reasons may have valid and reasonable ones. They too need to be aware that people can and do become blind sighted by arrogance iof they are not careful. I myself am deathly afraid of falling under the disease of pride, so I try to watch myself carefully.

For those who can care less about Truth, then I hope they survive their delusion.

For the Atheists who find out their faiths weren’t true, it’s not trading truth for happiness. I was pretty miserable the first month after realizing mine wasn’t the truth. I was having trouble letting go of my beloved imaginary friend, but I did it or else I probably would’ve offed myself. No doubt, there are more people who felt that way, at first.

It’s not really pride (unless you’re the Atheist who wanted to live happily ever after ). It’s just realizing that the fairy tale was just that: a fairy tale reenacted in a self-fulfilling prophecy. I know you don’t see it that way and I respect that, but that’s just how Atheists see it.

Careful with the word “delusion,” by the way. Not the best word to use for an Atheist.

 

[Veritas248]

For the Atheists who find out their faiths weren’t true, it’s not trading truth for happiness. I was pretty miserable the first month after realizing mine wasn’t the truth. I was having trouble letting go of my beloved imaginary friend, but I did it or else I probably would’ve offed myself. No doubt, there are more people who felt that way, at first.

It’s not really pride (unless you’re the Atheist who wanted to live happily ever after ). It’s just realizing that the fairy tale was just that: a fairy tale reenacted in a self-fulfilling prophecy. I know you don’t see it that way and I respect that, but that’s just how Atheists see it.

Careful with the word “delusion,” by the way. Not the best word to use for an Atheist.

Do you accept the possibility that your decision my have been influenced by pride rather than honest thinking? Note this is not an accusation, but an honest question.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Do you accept the possibility that your decision my have been influenced by pride rather than honest thinking? Note this is not an accusation, but an honest question.

No, it was influenced by honest thinking. I’m sure of it. If I have been a proud person, then I’d still be Catholic, and that is simply not my style. I’ve never been the type to be as self-centered as my classmates. :nope:

 

[tomarin]

No, it was influenced by honest thinking. I’m sure of it. If I have been a proud person, then I’d still be Catholic, and that is simply not my style. I’ve never been the type to be as self-centered as my classmates. :nope:

Anyway, according to your profile, you’re an agnostic, not an atheist. So your position must be that everything Catholics believe may be true, but you’re not sure. You’re postponing making a judgement pending further evidence, correct? I take it you make a distinction between those two terms?

 

[Veritas248]

No, it was influenced by honest thinking. I’m sure of it. If I have been a proud person, then I’d still be Catholic, and that is simply not my style. I’ve never been the type to be as self-centered as my classmates. :nope:

I’d still advise care, for it is terribly easy to deny oneself of a particular fault, only to find out that you were only decieving yourself.

Take me for instance. I am so terribly lazy. Physically lazy, not mentally or spiritually lazy. Now I would keep telling myself and others that I wasn’t lazy, that I did a lot of things. Eventually I realized that I was guilty not only of being physically lazy, but proud as well. I thought myself above being lazy, which made me proud. I still think myself a fool for not overcoming it sooner…:sad_yes:

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Anyway, according to your profile, you’re an agnostic, not an atheist. So your position must be that everything Catholics believe may be true, but you’re not sure. You’re postponing making a judgement pending further evidence, correct? I take it you make a distinction between those two terms?

I guess you could say that, but I’ll be fair in saying that although I do *honor *the possibility of some sort of god, I’m an 8.9 on the believers (1) to Atheist scale (10).

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

I’d still advise care, for it is terribly easy to deny oneself of a particular fault, only to find out that you were only decieving yourself.

Take me for instance. I am so terribly lazy. Physically lazy, not mentally or spiritually lazy. Now I would keep telling myself and others that I wasn’t lazy, that I did a lot of things. Eventually I realized that I was guilty not only of being physically lazy, but proud as well. I thought myself above being lazy, which made me proud. I still think myself a fool for not overcoming it sooner…:sad_yes:

Please, I was deceiving myself when I was a Catholic. It was a mess.

 

[mhpierce]

No, it was influenced by honest thinking. I’m sure of it. If I have been a proud person, then I’d still be Catholic, and that is simply not my style. I’ve never been the type to be as self-centered as my classmates. :nope:

Dear Blade and Blood:

What makes You Think you are any different NOW, meaning less proud. I did not know that the Sin of Pride could be qualified or had precentages attached to it! How did you recognize real pride in your classmates if you had not seen it in yoursel?

I know many humble and also proud Cathilcs, but we are not talkin’ 'bout sin, or are we?

Just wondering: I love this popcorn guy…
–mhpierce–

 

[Veritas248]

Please, I deceiving myself when I was a Catholic. It was a mess.

Let me ask this: What do you use in making decisions? Facts first and feelings second, or feelings first and facts second? The answer to that question reveals so much about a person.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Dear Blade and Blood:

What makes You Think you are any different NOW, meaning less proud. I did not know that the Sin of Pride could be qualified or had precentages attached to it! How did you recognize real pride in your classmates if you had not seen it in yoursel?

I know many humble and also proud Cathilcs, but we are not talkin’ 'bout sin, or are we?

Just wondering: I love this popcorn guy…
–mhpierce–

Wait… what?