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Does God Love the Atheist?

1213

Well-Known Member
Even though the atheist has either chosen not to believe or outright reject God.

I believe God loves all, because:

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
Mat. 5:44-45

And love means He cares and doesn’t do anything evil.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Absence of evidence. You got any (apart from what your Iranian preacher wrote)?
There are ghosts: Yes / No. Have you seen any?
God / Allah also is a kind of ghost.
 
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Scott C.

Just one guy

joelr

Well-Known Member
Um, what is it you are finding to be most likely true?
Round earth, gravity, electromagnetism. All religions stories about Gods and supernatural happenings are myth.
Things like gravity are the most demonstrably true however a theory may come along that broadens the scope of the theory and it could become a smaller part of a larger theory.
Newtonian gravity is now a sub-set of GR. GR has issues and needs to be part of something more . So it's true but most likely part of a bigger theory.
Religions are myth - unless - one god decided to actually show up and duplicate the trends and appear to be a syncretic combination of other religions. In the case of Christianity there were all sorts of local cults combining their religion with Hellenestic concepts, then the same happened with the Jewish religion. So it would be weird for an actual God to be like " let me make this look exactly like the way the others are forming and perform the same feats - messiah, resurrection in 3 days, virgin birth, undergo a passion, baptize followers to get them into the afterlife, same miracles, allow no other culture to see and record the god-like powers...". That is very unlikely.
 

joelr

Well-Known Member
Well, you have more certainty than I do. There is IMO a limit to the reducibility of the universe. Which means that anything we accept as knowledge requires some basis of belief. So maybe you haven't chosen but this is more likely due to being unaware of the choices available.


Why is this more likely about choices available?
There is no good evidence of any supernatural happenings from all ESP studies to psychics and religious fiction is not evidence either.

Thomas Thompsons evidence of the mythic nature of Moses and the Patriarchs is now standard reading.
William Denver is an excellent biblical archeologist who confirms the OT is not historical.
Same with Professor Fransesca Stravopolu.
The scholarship on the NT is much more accurate, Carrier, Bart Ehrman, Purvoe on Acts as historical fiction, Elaine Pagels on the Gnostic gospels and that early era, M Goodacre has solidified the idea that Mark is the source gospel (rather than Q).
The recent debate with Bart Ehrman was very educational about how our scripture is likely not the original text.
Carrier and Fransescas work on demonstrating the OT concepts taken from the Persians during the occupation is very clear and obvious. This comes mainly from Mary Boyce who lived in Iran with modern Zoroastrianism followers and corrected much of our modern understanding of what is historical Persian beliefs and when did they start.

These are a few aspects, there are many others. It is mythology no doubt.
The only reason for belief is a personal feeling/faith. But members of all religions claim this and that their version is correct.
You can believe anything on feelings/faith including concepts of race superiority and so on. It isn't a reliable path to truth.

Now is there some God who may have created the universe or the multiverse or all reality? Don't know. Maybe? No evidence however.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
I would hope a parent who received such a child would not consider him or her to be a lump of coal.
I am not talking of the child or the parents, I am talking of the pleasure God / Allah gets by doing things like that. Or floods, tsunamis, typhoons, tornadoes, diseases, volcanoes, earthquakes and wars. Do these things happen without his permission?
 

Ajarn

Member
God is a forgiving God, then you read he is a Jelous God.
God wants you to submit to him, however he created you with free will.
I Would say it depends on what chapter your reading.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
Why is this more likely about choices available?
There is no good evidence of any supernatural happenings from all ESP studies to psychics and religious fiction is not evidence either.

Thomas Thompsons evidence of the mythic nature of Moses and the Patriarchs is now standard reading.
William Denver is an excellent biblical archeologist who confirms the OT is not historical.
Same with Professor Fransesca Stravopolu.
The scholarship on the NT is much more accurate, Carrier, Bart Ehrman, Purvoe on Acts as historical fiction, Elaine Pagels on the Gnostic gospels and that early era, M Goodacre has solidified the idea that Mark is the source gospel (rather than Q).
The recent debate with Bart Ehrman was very educational about how our scripture is likely not the original text.
Carrier and Fransescas work on demonstrating the OT concepts taken from the Persians during the occupation is very clear and obvious. This comes mainly from Mary Boyce who lived in Iran with modern Zoroastrianism followers and corrected much of our modern understanding of what is historical Persian beliefs and when did they start.

These are a few aspects, there are many others. It is mythology no doubt.
The only reason for belief is a personal feeling/faith. But members of all religions claim this and that their version is correct.
You can believe anything on feelings/faith including concepts of race superiority and so on. It isn't a reliable path to truth.

Now is there some God who may have created the universe or the multiverse or all reality? Don't know. Maybe? No evidence however.

If you have never believed in God, talked with God, seen/experienced a supernatural event which supported what other members of your religion told you to expect. If you've never had your prayers answered. If you've never seen the "light" of God, which I constantly see, never had any type of personal "divine" experiences, then good for you.

You don't have to choose between something you've personally experienced and people claiming that none of these personal experiences are reliable evidence.

In the OP I was trying to be inclusive of those that had.
 

Scott C.

Just one guy
I am not talking of the child or the parents, I am talking of the pleasure God / Allah gets by doing things like that. Or floods, tsunamis, typhoons, tornadoes, diseases, volcanoes, earthquakes and wars. Do these things happen without his permission?

The question of why bad things happen if there is a loving and all powerful God has been asked and answered so many thousands and thousands of times over the centuries, that I'm not sure how to respond. I honestly at this point don't understand why people don't know the answers that are given by believers. I can understand why some do not believe the answers, but not why they are not well familiar with this belief system.
 

Bird123

Well-Known Member
Even though the atheist has either chosen not to believe or outright reject God.


God's Love is Unconditional. Atheists are children of God regardless of what anyone thinks. God loves His children.

This physical universe was created for God's children. It's time-based causal nature is perfect for learning. It has never ever been about Believing, Accepting, nor Rejecting.

Be who you must. It's a part of the plan!!
It's all going to be OK!

That's what I see. It's very clear!!
 

joelr

Well-Known Member
If you have never believed in God, talked with God, seen/experienced a supernatural event which supported what other members of your religion told you to expect.

I have had some of those experiences. They are very powerful. I am sure the mind can create intense feelings of a "prescence" actually speaking back to you. I have had visual hallucinations but nothing radical. After long periods of meditation during one phase.
But if people could actually create supernatural visuals there would be video of these events and they would be done in a setting where they can be studied. This is anecdotal. We already know people can hallucinate under certain conditions.


If you've never had your prayers answered.

Oh all the time. I confirmation bias-ed my way to all types of answered prayer. Then as a non-theist I noticed when you move in a direction in life things have a tendency to work out and had I been religious I would have chalked those up to answered prayer as well. When they don't work out you just wait until something else comes along, decide this is actually better and that was the plan all along.
A friend recently used prayer to heal from breast cancer. I said "wow that's great you only used prayer" and she said, "oh no I went through brutal 2-3 times daily treatments, chemo, drugs, injections, and more...The recovery rate for this stage was something like 70% or so. But she is convinced it was prayer.
Mortality rates for terminal illness actually is always consistant. If an illness kills 35% of everyone over 50 then those stats will always play out unless some type of medical advances happen. So as to terminal illness people succumb exactly according to statistics call for. This leaves no room for any deity to be granting special healings.



If you've never seen the "light" of God, which I constantly see, never had any type of personal "divine" experiences, then good for you.

I've had versions and through speaking with people who I have been in relationships with who were Hindu, Sikh, or just spiritualists or into psychadelics I am positive that our minds are programmed to respond in ways that make us feel these things but are not external phenomenon. I was especially surprised at how intense Hindus are when it comes to experiencing the light and love of Lord Krishna.
People have experiences that convince them not only is God real but is their God and has shown them the truth and other religions are completely wrong.


In fact this "light of God" is great. Here is something that will NEVER HAPPEN. You didn't specify exactly what you mean by this light of God.
But let's say you can see it around a Bible. Great. You can set up a room with 100 books covered by
a thin cloth. When you see the light of God over the Bible you can pick it out. How easy!
Let me guess, it's inconsistent? Or cannot be studied in some demonstrable way? Huh.
When you figure that out then you can use hallucinations as proof.
Although since you
"constantly see it" you should be able to provide some demonstration?




You don't have to choose between something you've personally experienced and people claiming that none of these personal experiences are reliable evidence.

In the OP I was trying to be inclusive of those that had.

I find people who are affiliated with no God, just spirituality and mysticism who have all sorts of audio, visual, emotional and spiritual experiences. Many of these states can be reproduced by drugs, lack of sleep and is the puropose of ancient rituals that would run for long periods of time, to put people in altered states.
But then there are so many times people will add "flare" to a story or experience and add some elements that might not be completely true. But for the greater good to attract believers and such. So anecdotal stories are just not of any help here with reasons for belief.
 
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joelr

Well-Known Member
God's Love is Unconditional. Atheists are children of God regardless of what anyone thinks. God loves His children.

This physical universe was created for God's children. It's time-based causal nature is perfect for learning. It has never ever been about Believing, Accepting, nor Rejecting.

Be who you must. It's a part of the plan!!
It's all going to be OK!

That's what I see. It's very clear!!
But Yahweh told the Israelites to kill all children and women in 6 cities because they practiced freedom of religion?
 
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