I am an Atheist and always have been.

gruntlabor said:
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
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All day every day exactly there when they had an outreach with their church? Thou may not shop?

I had to go door to door in the first church as a teen. Hated it cause I was very shy. To just go irritate people at their own door, but we had to, so I did that. I just gave em a tract, because I had nothing so say. LOL one woman said: What are you from? You're not a Jehova's Witness. You don't wear neat clothes. I just walked around like a slob.

Later at a mall with a group. You're stuck with a bunch of tracts you have to give. Well good luck if you're shy. They didn't even notice me. Once I prayed: Lord please send one person who is interested and wants a tract and a boy came and said: Can I have one?

I also did the 'bother people at the mall' with someone else. My ex always spoke well. I didn't say a dumb word. A woman: Are you from that company that sells records? No. Oh thank God. We're from church. What? AAAAAAAAHH! That's even worse.
Then we stopped doing that.

Once I had to go up the stairs from the mall. No way. This irritating group stands there. You have to pass them to go to the mall. I looked down. Renske! Renske! My MIL. That was our church group lol.
 
JustDave said:
Atheists are not the ones knocking on my door with their literature, or trying to convert me to their church, to save my soul, or found wearing sandwich boards on busy street corners warning us of the rapture, or pointing a finger at someone saying, "The wages of sin is death!" It wasn't atheists that flew planes filled with innocents into the twin towers.
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that may be true but I have seen Atheists that have a fit for anyone mentioning God. I don't have a fit over Atheism being talked of and would only expect the same. I don't mean here, I mean anywhere.

To each their own is quite fine with me. None of us know the answers. We will either die and there will be something else ahead or we will die and never know another thing as that will be it.
 
Wow busy thread. Spent some time reading back on it.

I believe, however, believing does not mean I don't question because I do.

I was blessed with a pretty good brain (which isn't as sharp these days but still pretty good) and at the age of 5 or 6 I asked my Sunday school teacher where God came from and who created Him. She was nonplused. She was not equipped to handle that question. I wasn't trying to be smart, I was learning and my brain wondered, kind of like the chicken and the egg. Everything had to come from somewhere right?

She gave me some answer that didn't satisfy me and I asked further and she just changed the subject flustered..

If I get thinking about it, I can go around and around about this to this day... People who believe in the Big Bang or evolution well what exists had to start somewhere right... Who or what created that? My entire life I've tried to explain this to people but have never run into anyone that truly understands what I mean... It's a very deep hole if anyone does get what I mean... Never met anyone yet that does so I won't go further into it...

With a beginning, something had to be there... Who or what put it there...

Again where did God come from?

Even with all of the above, I choose to believe. I'm not forced to, I choose to. I truly believe I've felt Him. I've not understood at times, that's for sure... Why couldn't you save THIS child???

But the other theories make no sense to me at all either.

It's a subject as none of us know the answer. Imo.
 
I have a "no solicitors" sign on my door. I didn't put the sign there. It was left by the previous owners; I just never remmoved it.

The sign may deter some people, but there are others who pay no attention to it and still ring my doorbell. I always answer the door - as long as it's a reasonable hour of the day. I have a locked glass door I can talk through. If it's someone selling something, I just tell them no. If they try to develop a conversation, I do not engage, and I have a manner of expression that is easily noticed as a person who is disinterested. At that point, they usually excuse themselves and move on, even though some selling solar panels have been rather persistent.

Sometimes, someone wanting to invite me to their church stops by. I tell them I already attend the church of my choice, but I'm not rude to them. They are usually polite. I recognize they have taken time out of their day to pursue a cause they believe in. At most, they've only used 2-3 minutes of my time.
 
AutumnGal said:
People who believe in the Big Bang or evolution well what exists had to start somewhere right
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The answer to what happened before the big bang is... nothing! Before that, time didn't exist, so nothing happened. And what's outside the universe? Nothing! The universe isn't infinite, so it has an end, but beyond that, there's nothing!

Those are the theories, anyway. One day, we'll have the answers to all that, but for now, it's all theoretical.
 
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MACKTEXAS said:
I have a "no solicitors" sign on my door. I didn't put the sign there. It was left by the previous owners; I just never remmoved it.

The sign may deter some people, but there are others who pay no attention to it and still ring my doorbell. I always answer the door - as long as it's a reasonable hour of the day. I have a locked glass door I can talk through. If it's someone selling something, I just tell them no. If they try to develop a conversation, I do not engage, and I have a manner of expression that is easily noticed as a person who is disinterested. At that point, they usually excuse themselves and move on, even though some selling solar panels have been rather persistent.

Sometimes, someone wanting to invite me to their church stops by. I tell them I already attend the church of my choice, but I'm not rude to them. They are usually polite. I recognize they have taken time out of their day to pursue a cause they believe in. At most, they've only used 2-3 minutes of my time.
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I was in a church decades ago and that pastor said that he often had people come knock on his door to evangelize and he just barked at them and told em to go away, but one day 2 people came and one of them was a stunning woman and the only reason he listened to that guy was because of her. So funny. That's why he got saved.
 
RambleTamble said:
The answer to what happened before the big bang is... nothing! Before that, time didn't exist, so nothing happened. And what's outside the universe? Nothing! The universe isn't infinite, so it has an end, but beyond that, there's nothing!
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I beg your pardon. What may or may not exist outside the confines of our puny universe is not known to us.
 
AutumnGal said:
that may be true but I have seen Atheists that have a fit for anyone mentioning God. I don't have a fit over Atheism being talked of and would only expect the same. I don't mean here, I mean anywhere.

To each their own is quite fine with me. None of us know the answers. We will either die and there will be something else ahead or we will die and never know another thing as that will be it.
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Atheists and theists, both come in all levels of tolerance and patience. My closest friends at this time in my life happen to be a fundamentalist couple. Go figure.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I have a "no solicitors" sign on my door. I didn't put the sign there. It was left by the previous owners; I just never remmoved it.

The sign may deter some people, but there are others who pay no attention to it and still ring my doorbell. I always answer the door - as long as it's a reasonable hour of the day. I have a locked glass door I can talk through. If it's someone selling something, I just tell them no. If they try to develop a conversation, I do not engage, and I have a manner of expression that is easily noticed as a person who is disinterested. At that point, they usually excuse themselves and move on, even though some selling solar panels have been rather persistent.

Sometimes, someone wanting to invite me to their church stops by. I tell them I already attend the church of my choice, but I'm not rude to them. They are usually polite. I recognize they have taken time out of their day to pursue a cause they believe in. At most, they've only used 2-3 minutes of my time.
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I find the most I get knocking with a no solicitation notice on the door is around election time. It's like "Oh those signs
don't pertain to me I am not Selling anything". Ummm excuse me? Maybe not for cash but it's still trying to sell me to
vote on one particular person.
 
gruntlabor said:
I beg your pardon. What may or may not exist outside the confines of our puny universe is not known to us.
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I tend to agree with that. Like you, I don't know. The nothingness prior to the big bang is a theoretical concept that is beyond my ability to reason at this time. And I am ignorant about much of the big bang. I can understand that there may have been nothing and that there may be solid evidence for nothing, but that has never been explained to me in a way that I can comprehend.

A well known theoretical physicist, Lawrence Krauss, wrote a book titled A Universe From Nothing. I have it in my library. I read about one chapter and then got completely lost, and the author was just getting started. Maybe I could have understood it better if I would have thought about it harder, but it was more work than I was willing to do.

What was before, even if it was nothing, is an interesting topic for speculation to be sure. But my ignorance in theoretical physics is not all that interesting, so I won't say anymore.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
I have a "no solicitors" sign on my door. I didn't put the sign there. It was left by the previous owners; I just never remmoved it.

The sign may deter some people, but there are others who pay no attention to it and still ring my doorbell. I always answer the door - as long as it's a reasonable hour of the day. I have a locked glass door I can talk through. If it's someone selling something, I just tell them no. If they try to develop a conversation, I do not engage, and I have a manner of expression that is easily noticed as a person who is disinterested. At that point, they usually excuse themselves and move on, even though some selling solar panels have been rather persistent.

Sometimes, someone wanting to invite me to their church stops by. I tell them I already attend the church of my choice, but I'm not rude to them. They are usually polite. I recognize they have taken time out of their day to pursue a cause they believe in. At most, they've only used 2-3 minutes of my time.
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That's very nice of you. Imo they have no right to be there ESPECIALLY if you have have a sign up. If I end up answering the door, I'm never flat out rude but they don't get far with me. These days I don't have to deal with such at all and I appreciate that very much. I answer the door to no one because the only people who should ever be at my door are those I am expecting.

I'm in an apartment at the moment so it's not like when I was rural and someone might need help or a phone, etc. First they have to make it through the entry doors which they can only do with a key or if someone holds the door and lets them in. And so on.

I miss being in my own home but there ARE some benefits to apt living. No one is going to be knocking on my upper floor door due to an accident, out of gas, etc. as does happen when one lives rurally. I buzz no one in unless expected, I just ignore it, and no one knocks on the door who is not expected. If they do, I know it's someone I do not want there.

There are some benefts to apt living as I mentioned. Even something like Schwan's. I used to like and get some of their products BUT I didnt' always like it when they'd come by. Let me order, if I didn't, don't stop. I get it is their job and sales is part of it but I like that they just can't that easily where I am right now.

When I moved here, I forget through what app but I had a major discount for Schwan's and I used it. They then tried to buzz and come in the next time and I simply ignored it, a time or two, and they gave up. That's some time ago now, not even sure they still are around, but if I want something, I have an account, and I know how to order.
 
RambleTamble said:
The answer to what happened before the big bang is... nothing! Before that, time didn't exist, so nothing happened. And what's outside the universe? Nothing! The universe isn't infinite, so it has an end, but beyond that, there's nothing!

Those are the theories, anyway. One day, we'll have the answers to all that, but for now, it's all theoretical.
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But something had to cause the bang. And where did that something come from? If you see what I am saying.

A fire starts... What started the fire? Oh, a cigarette still smoldering dropped into a garbage can? Well the cigarette was created, as was teh garbage can...

Chicken and egg.

If there's nothingness than nothing can happen. If there is something, then it was created or started somewhere.

If it's as simple as elements or a chemical. They came from somewhere. They started somewhere... There IS no beginning...

If one believes in God, which I choose to, where did He come from???
 
gruntlabor said:
Not necessarily. Just because we can't comprehend that some things may not have had a beginning does not make these possibilities impossible, especially outside the universe. It simply makes the concept incomprehensible to us.
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I agree to a point. We think with human brains and human concepts. Beginning, end, time, space, more.

It's mind boggling.

If we never were, and there never was anything, anything is still a concept as is nothing and it can't exist really.

If nothing ever was, and humans never were, we'd never know it or never would have existed.

I don't have the words to explain what I mean except everything had to come from something.

Red and blue make purple. Okay. Well red came from somewhere, so did blue. So did God. Or so did whatever caused the Bang.

No theory explains it.

I do agree we can't comprehend it.
 
JustDave said:
Atheists and theists, both come in all levels of tolerance and patience. My closest friends at this time in my life happen to be a fundamentalist couple. Go figure.
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Very true. I am a to each their own kind of person. Our friends, relatives, no one has to believe as we do. That's okay. It makes for interesting conversations and relationships at best and at least, just accepting that works too.
 
IrishEyes said:
I find the most I get knocking with a no solicitation notice on the door is around election time. It's like "Oh those signs
don't pertain to me I am not Selling anything". Ummm excuse me? Maybe not for cash but it's still trying to sell me to
vote on one particular person.
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I've seen signs that cover it all. It's been awhile ago but that's the one everyone needs.
 
AutumnGal said:
Imo they have no right to be there ESPECIALLY if you have have a sign up. If I end up answering the door, I'm never flat out rude but they don't get far with me.
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Thanks, but I prefer answering my door. I recall once when a person attempted to deliver a pizza and I told him he had the wrong address. He said, "Isn't this [called out my house number]. I told him no, he had the wrong house, and pointed to the house he should be going to. Another time, a man stopped to let me know the City was having a service in the area to trim trees on such-and-such date. I told him I have no trees, and he said they were advising all residents in the event any limbs should fall onto my property from the adjacent property. He left a card and showed me his ID. They did indeed trim trees on that date, and I'm glad I was home.

Once, I locked myself out of my house and didn't have my phone. I rang my neighbor's doorbell and asked her to please call the locksmith. I'm thankful she answered her door, even though she doesn't know me.

I could go on, but this is already longer than necessary and is off topic.

I would like an apartment, maybe one like you have, but based on the cost of rent and the uncertainty of how much more rent may be in the future, I prefer keeping my home.
 
AutumnGal said:
something had to cause the bang. And where did that something come from
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Oh, don't you know? The "theories" (and there are several) are all in the scientific literature.

Some of those theories suggest the universe originated from a quantum vacuum fluctuation, where energy arose from nothingness through random quantum events. Other theories suggest "The Big Bang" may have been a continuation of a previous, collapsing universe or may be part of a larger multiverse where a black hole in a parent universe "birthed" ours. [Is that clear so far?]

In other words, scientists speculate instead of providing answers, making sure they include words like "suggest," "may", and "maybe".
 
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