I am an Atheist and always have been.

Lara said:
Some churches may be boring and off topic unfortunately. Churches are filled with flawed people just like we are flawed. But in most churches you will find very good well-meaning people. Many are even reaching out to help their communities outside the church.

Typically Church is not about what you can get for yourself, nor is it about entertaining you.
It's about Loving others, helping others, and fellowshipping with others.
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My time at church was in the very early 70s, Tasmania.
St Martin's Anglican Church if my memory serves me.
All I can remember was a lot of reading from the bible and singing.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I wasn't involved in the conversation between you and IrishEyes, but I found post number 202 where the phrase don't come knocking on my door" first appeared, so I let you both know. [I've already explained that.]

I'm done for the day. Have a good night.
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I understood what you said the first time. I wasn't disagreeing or arguing with you, only clarifying that I got what you meant. 😢
 
Bretrick said:
My time at church was in the very early 70s, Tasmania.
St Martin's Anglican Church if my memory serves me.
All I can remember was a lot of reading from the bible and singing.
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Not everyone comes to work in the field early in the morning. Some come when the sun is at its zenith while still others come as the sun is low in the afternoon sky. Yet all are paid the same wages. Do you remember hearing that parable when you were quite young?

If no, you can read it as an adult here - Matthew 20:1-16

I would be interested in your interpretation/insight.
 
JustDave said:
Not a big deal. Just interesting. Really, how many threads here are a big deal anyway? That's not why most of us come here.
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I do like the occasional thread that makes us all think and causes some serious discussion. This is one of those threads. Clearly it resonates since there are already 10 pages. And I didn't post to "announce" that I was an Atheist. I posted to explain why and to clarify that I'm fine with people who aren't.
 
Warrigal said:
Not everyone comes to work in the field early in the morning. Some come when the sun is at its zenith while still others come as the sun is low in the afternoon sky. Yet all are paid the same wages. Do you remember hearing that parable when you were quite young?

If no, you can read it as an adult here - Matthew 20:1-16

I would be interested in your interpretation/insight.
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I only remember the one line I relayed in my original post. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."
Even this might have come from somewhere else at a much later date.
I would have been 10 at the time.
I will not be reading Mathew 20:1 -16
 
officerripley said:
On the contrary, I've heard (and it's true in my case) that an agnostic is not necessarily open to becoming a believer, rather an agnostic's position on it is "I don't know whether god exists or not and don't really care one way or the other."
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I understand that an agnostic is defined NOT as one who doesn't know, but as one who asserts that it, the existence of God, is unknowable.
 
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seadoug said:
I do like the occasional thread that makes us all think and causes some serious discussion. This is one of those threads. Clearly it resonates since there are already 10 pages. And I didn't post to "announce" that I was an Atheist. I posted to explain why and to clarify that I'm fine with people who aren't.
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I read your post and if I remember correctly, I gave it a like. Atheists reach their non belief in different ways, and I'm always interested in how they got there. Your journey made sense to me. Mine was a long struggle. I did not want to be an atheist, so I kept searching. I was 52, when I accepted that I did not believe. It was a tremendous load off my mind just to accept that.
 
This being Easter Sunday, I saw a funny meme. It has been revealed that people that go to church two times a year, get to go to heaven two times a year in the afterlife.

Insuation is that they also go to Christmas Mass.

Personally I don't think the building or the dogma is required to be spiritually aware.
 
gruntlabor said:
I understand that an agnostic is defined NOT as one who doesn't know, but as one who asserts that it, the existence of God, is unknowable.
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Most atheists are agnostic also. A few claim to have proof of God's non-existence, but they are a small minority (from my experience), and their arguments seemed as flawed as any theist's to me. When I was eleven and attending confirmation, I had a one on one conversation with my pastor and told him that I had doubts about God.

His reply was that he did also, but he chose to believe. I was satisfied with that, but now I wish we could have explored the "choice" aspect of that some more. Many Christians say they choose to believe, but that's not the way belief works, at least the way I understand belief. When Christians tell me I could choose to believe, I've asked them to try and not believe, just for a month or two, and they say that could not do that. So much for choice.

Edit, I don't know if that qualifies as agnostic, however. On the surface it would for a theist. But most theists claim the proof is all around them, or something like that.
 
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JustDave said:
I read your post and if I remember correctly, I gave it a like. Atheists reach their non belief in different ways, and I'm always interested in how they got there. Your journey made sense to me. Mine was a long struggle. I did not want to be an atheist, so I kept searching. I was 52, when I accepted that I did not believe. It was a tremendous load off my mind just to accept that.
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I've always been an atheist since I wasn't exposed to religion growing up and never even knew much about my religion until I was in my 40s. I felt like not knowing about it was weird since everybody else knew about their religion. Why didn't I?

After learning a bit about Judaism, I attended synagogue a few times, but since I don't speak Hebrew, I couldn't follow the service and felt like an outsider and a dumbass. I've tried to learn the basics of Hebrew, but it's tough to learn since you have to learn a whole new alphabet along with the new vocabulary. Also, when I attended services, I was probably the only man there who didn't have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony when he turned 13, so there was that. I just felt like an outsider, so eventually, I lost interest.
 
IrishEyes said:
I don't know of anyone perfect in this life. I do agree on coming to your house uninvited. I was out pulling weeds in the front one day
and 2 ladies walked up to me handed me a pamphlet began telling me about their church, I politely said I am not interested. They asked why.
I said because I don't intend to create discord in my home with 2 religious beliefs so different. Then she says:
"Simply don't tell him and come see for yourself our church may fit your needs"
I looked at her questionably and said "Do you honestly think I want to attend a church who just tried to have me basically lie to my
husband, I think you should leave and not come back"
I really don't think her church agreed to this tactic for her to use but still she was representing them. No Thank You! But if I run into
someone of that same faith, I don't blame the well known church or the faith , it was the person.
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The craziest one I met on the street ages ago was someone who tried to tell me the Gospel and I said: I am already christian and then he said angry: Then why aren't you evangelizing here now?? Wut? Lol.
 
AutumnGal said:
And don't come knocking on my door in what should be my private home either.


I'm never giving up meat either. Lol. But I do love veggies as well.

My kids who are now longtime adults, well one in particular went through her phases in high school, where she got such from trends or friends... Oh I'm not eating red meat... Okay... Then it was no meat... Okay... It didn't last but a few weeks... Lol. My adult kids are more adventurous with food today than I even am. I'm pretty good but they eat about every cuisine...
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I have seen quite some people here, when I picked up my kid who played there or bought something from Marketplace, with a sticker on the door with: We don't buy anything and don't come here to convert me.

I was so annoying as a kid with that vegetarianism. My mom's dad was a butcher and my dad was vegetarian. I just copied my dad. All the kids were like: bye I don't care. I keep eating meat. But one already hated the taste of meat and was always forced to eat it, but then she got influenced by me and became vegetarian. Her mother couldn't stand me. Now she couldn't force her anymore.
 
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RambleTamble said:
I've always been an atheist since I wasn't exposed to religion growing up and never even knew much about my religion until I was in my 40s. I felt like not knowing about it was weird since everybody else knew about their religion. Why didn't I?

After learning a bit about Judaism, I attended synagogue a few times, but since I don't speak Hebrew, I couldn't follow the service and felt like an outsider and a dumbass. I've tried to learn the basics of Hebrew, but it's tough to learn since you have to learn a whole new alphabet along with the new vocabulary. Also, when I attended services, I was probably the only man there who didn't have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony when he turned 13, so there was that. I just felt like an outsider, so eventually, I lost interest.
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Well, I'll give you an A for effort... or should that be "E."
 
Warrigal said:
That is a shame. It is a very paradoxical parable. I would like to hear your take on it.
Don't forget that I too was once a confirmed atheist.
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I read it, although I know that was directed a Bretrick. It is paradoxical. I wouldn't do it that way. If I was the employer, paying someone based on time put in or alternatively, services rendered, seems fair enough. It does sound very Biblical and typical of much of the Bible.
 
After my grandmother was finished sentencing me to Hell as a born sinner, I was raised and confirmed Lutheran. That was a bit to ritualistic for my taste so I explored fundamentalism later. I liked the heart felt style of the worship, but that was too far out there to take seriously. A girlfriend took me to her Catholic Church in my late teens on Christmas Eve. I wish she would have given me instructions before hand. I was always way late in standing up, and still standing when everyone else sat down. I never did get the genuflect right using the wrong knee, and making a big production out of getting it right. My girlfriend seemed quite understanding of my clumsy efforts.
 
JustDave said:
After my grandmother was finished sentencing me to Hell as a born sinner, I was raised and confirmed Lutheran. That was a bit to ritualistic for my taste so I explored fundamentalism later. I liked the heart felt style of the worship, but that was too far out there to take seriously. A girlfriend took me to her Catholic Church in my late teens on Christmas Eve. I wish she would have given me instructions before hand. I was always way late in standing up, and still standing when everyone else sat down. I never did get the genuflect right using the wrong knee, and making a big production out of getting it right. My girlfriend seemed quite understanding of my clumsy efforts.
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I went with my brother to a pentecostal church as a teen. First time in my life that I was in a church. There was no system. We tried to copy the other people and kept pushing each other. Stand up! Sit down! Hand up! Hand down! Both hands up! No wait. That one does something else. And then we'd throw a few cents in the bucket. Hahahahahahaha once someone complained. Who throws these cents in the bucket? Don't let your kids do that!
 
JustDave said:
Most atheists are agnostic also. A few claim to have proof of God's non-existence, but they are a small minority (from my experience), and their arguments seemed as flawed as any theist's to me. When I was eleven and attending confirmation, I had a one on one conversation with my pastor and told him that I had doubts about God.

His reply was that he did also, but he chose to believe. I was satisfied with that, but now I wish we could have explored the "choice" aspect of that some more. Many Christians say they choose to believe, but that's not the way belief works, at least the way I understand belief. When Christians tell me I could choose to believe, I've asked them to try and not believe, just for a month or two, and they say that could not do that. So much for choice.

Edit, I don't know if that qualifies as agnostic, however. On the surface it would for a theist. But most theists claim the proof is all around them, or something like that.
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Yes that makes no sense. They only say that when they have always believed and were brought up with it. It's not a choice. You can chose to check it out, but not chose to believe. Even Jesus said that. 'If you guys see no sign and wonders you will by no means believe.' He said that to a nobleman with a sick son who was at the point of death. He healed his son and then he and his whole family believed, when he heard that he got healed in exactly the hour that He said: Go home. Your son lives.

But now that I have been christian for so long I noticed that I can think like that too. Come on. Can't you see that God created this funny animal? It's so obvious. Yes now it is to me, but then it wasn't.
 
Messy said:
But now that I have been christian for so long I noticed that I can think like that too. Come on. Can't you see that God created this funny animal? It's so obvious. Yes now it is to me, but then it wasn't.
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We can all change our beliefs with new experiences. I could believe in God, given credible evidence. Theists can and have become atheists. Agnosticism or atheism are not forms of rebellion or negativity. Both are actually neutral states, except for those who claim to have actual proof of non-existence.
 
JustDave said:
We can all change our beliefs with new experiences. I could believe in God, given credible evidence. Theists can and have become atheists. Agnosticism or atheism are not forms of rebellion or negativity. Both are actually neutral states, except for those who claim to have actual proof of non-existence.
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Belief without evidence is called 'faith.' 💕
 
Messy said:
The craziest one I met on the street ages ago was someone who tried to tell me the Gospel and I said: I am already christian and then he said angry: Then why aren't you evangelizing here now?? Wut? Lol.
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Christ said the following to his apostles:

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. --Mark 16:15
 
IrishEyes said:
I don't know of anyone perfect in this life. I do agree on coming to your house uninvited. I was out pulling weeds in the front one day
and 2 ladies walked up to me handed me a pamphlet began telling me about their church, I politely said I am not interested. They asked why.
I said because I don't intend to create discord in my home with 2 religious beliefs so different. Then she says:
"Simply don't tell him and come see for yourself our church may fit your needs"
I looked at her questionably and said "Do you honestly think I want to attend a church who just tried to have me basically lie to my
husband, I think you should leave and not come back"
I really don't think her church agreed to this tactic for her to use but still she was representing them. No Thank You! But if I run into
someone of that same faith, I don't blame the well known church or the faith , it was the person.
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I hate it when people uninvited knock on one's door or call. I don't think it should be legal. We should have SOME privacy.

One time many years ago a church known for going around and pushing their religion, I'll not name them, came onto my property. It was winter. I never shoveled the path to my home in the front as we never used the front door. At the back I had happened to tie my dog out and she was barking at them to no end. I was washing dishes and they could see me through my kitchen window and they are smiling and kind of waving like let us in, get your dog, etc. LOL. It was all I could do to not bust out laughing.

I could see their pamphlets and knew by their vehicle and they way they were dressed what they were there for. I poured myself a cup of coffee and went and sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV. This was on the side of the home with all the sno* and they couldn't access that side or see in. I had to set my coffee down as I was laughing uncontrollaby. I didn't plan it but they could not get near a door to knock.

Dog got a big treat when they left. GOOD DOG!!!

Yes, I don't push my beliefs on anyone but don't you push yours on me. Discuss them maybe. Push? No. Come onto my property? NO. It's RUDE and I don't like it and would never do it myself to anyone.
 
IrishEyes said:
OK thank you, brain dead here, Thanks Mack. I better not just reply, been a rough few days, again , Sunkist I did not mean
to upset you and sorry I did.
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I knew I didn't say the one thing but did say the others. I understood. And no one should come knocking at my door without an invite too lol.

In fact before I saw this I just did a post where someone did want to come knocking lol. And didn't get near a door.
 
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