Tough challenge from an atheist friend

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It doesn’t sound to me that these are any arguments, but I’d ask the person what the appropriate time frame would be and why. God exists outside of time; any answer is not meaningful. The fact that many believe out of fear is no reason either. Many people ( some undetermined number) still believe the earth is flat. That doesn’t make it so.

Struggling is hard alone. Could there be others to seek out for support, maybe at church or a social group? The Rosary is a strong prayer.
 
It is great that you are building your faith again, and that you went to Confession after many years away.
Struggling1 said:
I’m hoping god will meet me half way
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God certainly does meet us halfway, more than halfway really. He has made a path for us, and is always ready to lead us to our home with him.
 
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Over the years, I have tried many answers. I have found the questioner usually isn’t looking for an answer, but asks rhetorically to justify their own position.

Having said that, the only answer I have given that stops them in their tracks is:
“God gave us a command to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. Well, it aint full yet, so He’s still waiting for us to finish the job.”
 
Jesus promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us here:

Matthew 28:

f The eleven* disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
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  • When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
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  • g Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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    h Go, therefore,* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,
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    i teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.* And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
From Hebrews 13:

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Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”d
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Thus we may say with confidence:

“The Lord is my helper,
[and] I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”e

He is with us in the Holy Eucharist. His Holy Spirit lives in us. He hasn’t left us - but we can willingly leave Him.

From 2 Peter 3:

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Know this first of all, that in the last days scoffers* will come [to] scoff, living according to their own desiresb
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and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?* From the time when our ancestors fell asleep, everything has remained as it was from the beginning of creation.”c
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They deliberately ignore the fact that the heavens existed of old and earth was formed out of water and through water* by the word of God;d
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through these the world that then existed was destroyed,e deluged with water.*
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The present heavens and earth have been reserved by the same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and of destruction of the godless.f

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  • But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years* and a thousand years like one day.g
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    The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.h
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    But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,* and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.i
On the issue of religion & the reasons for practicing any religion, I think that for some perhaps fear of the unknown & wanting to live past death may be motivators, but I think there are other reasons, too.

For some a faith may click with them experientially: the truths taught in that faith ring true based on life experience.

For others it answers questions about origin (Where do we come from? How did we get here? How did all of this get started?); purpose; meaning; morality; & future (afterlife).

Still for others it may be a social gathering. Everyone’s different.

Just some thoughts…
 
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There’s a lot of hope in there. This argument led me to despair and that was exactly what I needed to read thank you!
 
the answer is in the bible as the previous poster posted from peter, the early Christians thought Jesus will come soon during pauls and the first apostles time but when they realized more and more from the first generation of Christians dying and no second coming yet that’s when peter 2 the letter had to clear up this misunderstanding.

Its a valid question something I thought/struggled about myself like its been over 2000 years already! But peter 2 tells us God is patient with us and wants everyone to be saved.

As for your other concern not existing, Jesus died and rose again! like paul said our faith is useless if that never happened.
 
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The question makes an erroneous assumption that God has not responded for thousands of years. I can attest that he has responded. So can may others. God is an intimate part of creation and our ongoing world. Just because you are not aware of your encounters with him, in no way makes him nonexistent.

Yes people are afraid of nonexistence after death. That proves nothing.
 
Prayers for you. My son is in your age range (tells you how old I am), not same situation, but found others with similar beliefs there.
 
Considering that scientists believe modern man has existed for over 200,000 years, it is hard to understand why your friend thinks 2,000 years is a long time.

The reason that God is allowing time to pass before Jesus returns for the second time is so that the gospel has time to spread to every man, woman and child around the world in order for them to be saved. God is generous and merciful.
 
Thank you! I forgot that mankind has existed over 100 times longer than 2000 years! And as someone else said since god exists outside the constructs of time it stands to reason that the moment chosen will be the one when it is most needed and humanity has fulfilled our purpose!
 
Struggling1 said:
… it stands to reason that the moment chosen will be the one when it is most needed and humanity has fulfilled our purpose!
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I think you have something here. God loves His creation and he loves mankind. Look what man has accomplished in 2000 years. All the progress is something that is dear to God. Looking at mankind as some kind of animated pawn in God’s mind is an insult to God Himself. I think maybe God pays most attention to the positive things man does, though of course, He is aware of the evil. But maybe God is thrilled with his creation and wants to give mankind more time to build, explore, and enjoy His creation.
Atheists focus on the negative. You rarely hear them extol the virtues and accomplishments of mankind. IMHO they live a life of a hidden, and often not so hidden, fear of the unknown, and simply compensate by claiming that it is all a waste of time, especially belief in God and an afterlife of beauty, joy, and love. That’s not their nature.
A suggestion, spend you time focusing on the good mankind does, the progress, and the beauty of creation. If you spend enough time looking at the good, the prattle of the atheist becomes irrelevant in your life.
My two cents.
 
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I feel sorry for you and your friend. I hope that your own faith is strengthened on this site. About your friend:
  1. Why thousands of years for the second coming. Ask him why you should know. We don’t have knowledge of everything God does. It is a mystery. It is a beautiful mystery though because God is giving us a second chance to know him and love him.
  2. We worship because of death? Tell him Duh! Of course we do. In fact if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead we wouldn’t be Catholics. But he did rise from the dead. 100s witnessed his resurrection. Most of his apostles died because they wouldn’t say otherwise. I want eternal life. Give him a bit more food for thought. Tell him Catholics also believe in a hell. We don’t believe that being average or not killing someone guarantees heaven. We don’t know if sitting around questioning his existence and not living a Christian Life will bring us to heaven. We must strive for heaven. Ask if he is aware of that. Note: We don’t have a list of who goes to hell we are always hopefully but it’s an important to remember that he’ll exists.
Lastly, I hope you gain friends that are Catholic. It sounds like he is a bad struggle in your life. I recommend going on Catholic retreats or meeting other Catholics in groups. If your friend continues to cause a struggle for you, I recommend not keeping him as a friend. Your own faith and path is important. Don’t forget that Catholics may have doubts but so do athiests. Invite him to mass from time to time. Maybe invite him to pray the rosary. I also recommend downloading the app Relevant Radio on your phone and listening to Patrick Madrid and Simon says. I also strongly recommend the app Fulton Sheen. He has a great Sheen Catechism that I believe would be helpful…hope this helps.
 
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As for the thousands of years thing- I assume because God wants as many souls to be created as possible so they have the possibility of salvation. Jesus could have made His second coming before John (the apostle) died, but that would mean that none of us today would exist, so we wouldn’t have the possibility of spending eternity with Him.

Per your second question, your friend needs to provide some proof. Sure, I find atheism’s outlook bleak- does that mean I wouldn’t practice a religion if no religion promised eternal life? That’s up to them to prove.
 
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Dear Struggling,

Welcome to the struggle. Peace be unto you. I came back about 9 years ago after 2 years of searching. I had been away from church for 35-40 years. I feel your pain.
I never had the atheist issue but severe doubt about who God was and why I should care.

To answer your friend’s question about why God has waited so long.

God is an infinite being. Why would a human feel he could understand God’s motives. Some things are beyond us, just as many adult motives are beyond a baby, only infinitely more so.

As for people being afraid of ceasing to exist after death; That is not to be feared. What is to be feared is thinking that is going to happen and finding out you are wrong. That is what he should fear.

Patrick
AMDG
 
I really needed this thank you! I’m returning to the faith and my belief in god is questionable but I’m trying really hard! Praying a lot and tryin to read up on the subject. I know god isn’t going to smack me over the head but it is tricky! Thank you for inspiration.
 
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