Former Atheist

[johnny rocket]

I shed my atheistic beliefs for two reasons.

1. I became a futurist.
2. I shared the same utopian ideals as God, i.e., I prefer to live in an environment where love is the only currency.  

http://markplain.com

[Will]

I'm a bit of an armature futurist myself. I believe that it will take about 10 years for my house to be worth what it was about 3 years ago. I suspect that the US will not give up the drug war because there's oil in South America and they're next on the list after the Middle East. I'm virtually certain that the human race won't have permanent settlements on other planets until there is a global catastrophe here on Earth.

The Judeo-Christian God doesn't have Utopian ideals to speak of that I'm aware of. He is allowing us to suffer until his return, and then we live in a place which, when described, sounds shallow and empty. We live in a world of suffering and death because we are bearing the punishment of people that died thousands of years before we were born, and when God does finally come back, we live in a place with treasure, golden streets and other empty trinkets. Frankly, the only thing we seem to know about heaven is that God will be there, other dead people are there (but it's only their spirit), there's gold, mansions, and such, and it lasts forever. On what do you base your Utopian ideals?

Or are you talking about the teachings of Jesus?

[Sophus]

I shed my atheistic beliefs for two reasons.

1. I became a futurist.
2. I shared the same utopian ideals as God, i.e., I prefer to live in an environment where love is the only currency.  

That's one of the biggest mistakes theists make is that psychological connection of love with God. I advise reading The Art of Loving. I believe love is the most important thing in life too. Which is one reason why I left religion. It hindered me and all of its disciple from loving to the full capacity via prejudice thoughts. Thoughts that there's a right and a wrong; it judges actions instead of the heart and knows no alternatives. Plus it was so filled with doing acts out of obligation, rather we do things because we actually want to.

[DennisK]

I agree that love is the way we should progress.  It's unfortunate that most religions have this agenda to convert or persecute others rather than embrace love.  What is a more powerful force in the world than unconditional love?

[curiosityandthecat]

What is a more powerful force in the world than unconditional love?

...gravity?  

[Wechtlein Uns]

hey, I thought being an atheist meant you were never forgiven, even if you returned to god? Y'know, the whole unforgivable sin?
Whatever. If there was a god like Jesus, I would gladly believe in him. But since he doesn't...

[Wraitchel]

The ironic thing is that, if existing documents are correct, Jesus preached a very fine set of lessons on how to love: heal the sick, feed the poor, wash people's feet, exclude no one from your forgiveness and generosity, don't return violence for violence, love those that are hard to love, don't be a bigot, follow the golden rule, when going to a wedding, bring lots of wine...

So where did christians get the notion that his message was all about their pathetic and absolutely unimportant eternal souls? Jesus was a Jew...he didn't believe in heaven.

Like me, he did believe in working for social justice and spreading the love.

[Sophus]

Jesus was a Jew...he didn't believe in heaven.

You might want to read a Bible. And Jesus was a Judean, not a Jew.

[Will]

Actually, he was of the Jewish faith for a time, sort of. One could even argue that he was always of the Jewish faith. Christianity really only surfaced maybe in the 100s, so anyone before then would be simply an off-shoot of Judaism. Assuming Jesus was real and preached what was recorded in the New Testament (which is an alarmingly large assumption), Jesus was the first in a new sect of Judaism that happened to develop into what's now considered a new religion many decades later.

[Sophus]

Jesus was the first in a new sect of Judaism that happened to develop into what's now considered a new religion many decades later.

I agree. But it is for that reason I think he can't be described as a Jew. We need a more specific term for him. Jesus is somewhere in between Judaism and Christianity since he was the crux of the entire transformation. Obviously he didn't agree with the Pharisees on quite a number of things.

[Whitney]

I shed my atheistic beliefs for two reasons.

1. I became a futurist.
2. I shared the same utopian ideals as God, i.e., I prefer to live in an environment where love is the only currency.  

1.  What's a futurist?
2.  Wouldn't that mean it would make more sense to be a hippie?  Make love not war.  I don't think that the biblical God has the idea that love is the only currency.  You can't throw out the OT just because parts of the NT sound good...at least not when God is supposed to be unchanging.

[Will]

I agree.

I never get tired of hearing that!  

But it is for that reason I think he can't be described as a Jew. We need a more specific term for him. Jesus is somewhere in between Judaism and Christianity since he was the crux of the entire transformation. Obviously he didn't agree with the Pharisees on quite a number of things.

I guess the real question is what constituted Judaism around 2000 years ago? Monotheism based on the teachings of Jewish prophets? Check. Following the teachings of the Torah? Check. Following existing Jewish law? Check.

Way back when I was Christian, I had some alarming disagreements with the church, particularly regarding homosexuality, the death penalty, female preachers, and a slew of other issues. I still believed in the divinity of Jesus Christ and such, though. I believed (for whatever reason) that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I was just a fantastically liberal Christian.

[Kyuuketsuki]

1.  What's a futurist?
2.  Wouldn't that mean it would make more sense to be a hippie?  Make love not war.  I don't think that the biblical God has the idea that love is the only currency.  You can't throw out the OT just because parts of the NT sound good...at least not when God is supposed to be unchanging.

Oh brilliant! I was sitting here thinking how do I say these things and not come across as aggressive? Well done

Kyu

[karadan]

Actually, he was of the Jewish faith for a time, sort of. One could even argue that he was always of the Jewish faith. Christianity really only surfaced maybe in the 100s, so anyone before then would be simply an off-shoot of Judaism. Assuming Jesus was real and preached what was recorded in the New Testament (which is an alarmingly large assumption), Jesus was the first in a new sect of Judaism that happened to develop into what's now considered a new religion many decades later.

You're talking about him as though he existed.

[Kyuuketsuki]

I shed my atheistic beliefs for two reasons.

1. I became a futurist.
2. I shared the same utopian ideals as God, i.e., I prefer to live in an environment where love is the only currency.  

http://markplain.com

So you're another spammer? You posted the very same in the Atheistic Forums.

Kyu