Can former atheists explain what atheism is?

Jan Ardena said:
In this discussion arena, I put it forward as an opinion. If you can correct me I will be happy to change my view. But I doubt that you can, given what you have said thus far.
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My baseline for knowing what God is, aside from naturally believing in God, as opposed to not believing in God, is based in philosophy. If God is the creator of this material manifestation, then God must be outside of it. If God is outside of it, God is not under its control. God’s nature is referred to as “Spiritual”. So God is a Spiritual, Transcendental, Being, and from God, everything is made manifest. That is what God is.
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Generally I agree with what your have said here, your basically describing general revelation. Your reasoning is good and it lines up with the Bible. However, I suspect you think other religions teach the same thing, they don’t. The God of the Bible is unique when fully studied. He goes far deeper than general revelation, we can know allot bout Him.

All scriptures teaches that we are part God, insofar as, we have a spiritual component to us.
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Sort of agree. We are not a part of god, but Gods creation. I guess in a way tho we are part of him. Totally agree about the spiritual component. Built into the cake so to speak.


This spiritual component is, in quality, the same as God, because it comes from God.
The Bible says we are created in the image of God, which is the same thing.
It doesn’t mean we resemble God In looks. It means whereas God is infinite, Ansolute, and complete, we are finite. But we are essentially the same.
God is perfect, God is the greatest of all beings. God is the most powerful, the most intelligent, the wealthiest, the most beautiful, and so on. If God is not the Greatest, He is not God.
That’s who God is.
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Again, generally agree. So does the Bible.

Why don’t you tell me who and what God is, according to the bible, and I will show you the same description in any scripture
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Show me one other world religion that teaches the Gospels message and that it’s the ONLY way to Heaven, then you have my ears. Do you know what the Gospel message is as taught in the HB?

As a theist you should be happy to discuss God, and you are discussing God, you should know what and who God is, or at least what God is.
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Oh I am, no worries there. I do know who He is and essentially what He is, but let’s start at the core message. Show me that message somewhere else and I will agree you. ( I will save you some trouble tho, no other religion teaches what the Bible does with regards as to the only way to Salvation. Others teach salvation, but not as the HBible does.

If you aren’t enthusiastic to talk about God, it begs the question. Why not? Jan.
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I am, I just do it differently than some.
 
Jan Ardena said:
But as a kickstart, I will say that the current state of Christ followers are limited to how they can know who and what God is, through being limited to the Bible. Which from a Christian perspective, makes no sense, and appears to be logically incoherent. I see no reason why God would not allow spiritual salvation to any one of His human beings, regardless of what scripture, or religion, or life style they may adopt, if the love God,
That would limit God, and the limitation would only be expressed by our understanding. God is not limited.
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Why couldn’t the Bible contain enough for us? Why evoke more, when it’s all there ? It makes much sense. “Here’s the message, now live.”

Well, it depends on what the true God wants. If the real God says I want/need X and not Q,R,T, then that’s it.

Whatever the one true God says must be truth? It’s not limiting God, it what He told us.
 
But with all that, the worlds relgions are very similar. Some very similar with good reason. That’s a ‘tell’ that they could have had a common ancestor/background. Adam started the race and saw God , so it’s logical that a religious tone would follow mankind. It gets twisted by various cultures and areas, but at the core it’s there.
 
BlueSky said:
Why couldn’t the Bible contain enough for us? Why evoke more, when it’s all there ?
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Because it's not "all there." The Bible is great for what it is; a history of a religious people. It is not a science book, or a math book, or a history book, or an instruction book, or a law book.
Whatever the one true God says must be truth? It’s not limiting God, it what He told us.
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Depending on which He you are referring to.
 
BlueSky said:
But with all that, the worlds relgions are very similar. Some very similar with good reason. That’s a ‘tell’ that they could have had a common ancestor/background. Adam started the race and saw God , so it’s logical that a religious tone would follow mankind. It gets twisted by various cultures and areas, but at the core it’s there.
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That's the tail wagging the dog.
 
Write4U said:
God is the ultimate Alpha figure. Deeply rooted into our hierarchical communal thought and structure.
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He's the ultimate figment of our imagination. A lot of the OT is the Hebrews telling people "My God can whip your God!" People who still buy into that aren't much removed from the folks who sat around camel dung campfires and bought the made-up shit and lies the old guys repeated.
 
BlueSky said:
But with all that, the worlds relgions are very similar. Some very similar with good reason.
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Exactly. Our brains are similar, and they want to believe in similar ways. Thus the very many versions of God we have created that all share similar characteristics.
 
billvon said:
Because it's not "all there." The Bible is great for what it is; a history of a religious people. It is not a science book, or a math book, or a history book, or an instruction book, or a law book.
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Well I consider it all these things and more. Rudimentary agree, say in the science department or math department, but accurate nonetheless. Excellent history book and contains every principle for living. I know many won’t agree tho.

Depending on which He you are referring to.
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Indeed.
 
Jan Ardena said:
BlueSky

I am going to respond to all your posts, but before I do. Can you explain what you think the point, and the purpose of religion is.

Jan.
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Well, firstly, God does not like man-made religion, he’s looking for a relationship of the heart not lip service. But if you want to call all religions, man’s attempts to reach, see, talk, please God then I would say your close.
 
billvon said:
Exactly. Our brains are similar, and they want to believe in similar ways. Thus the very many versions of God we have created that all share similar characteristics.
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Yes, that’s one way to see it, there is another. Our commonalities religions wise, globally and throughout history, show that man yearns for more than the mere natural. The similarities could also show common decent of “knowledge of God”, albeit much is lost and drift occurs over the centuries.
 
BlueSky said:
Unless god himself sustained them. The supernatural cannot be ignored within the paradigm. It’s part and parcel.
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So your statement that, "we would expect to see what we do actually see," is meaningless. The supernatural meddling would make all of our observations useless.
 
Write4U said:
God is the ultimate Alpha figure. Deeply rooted into our hierarchical communal thought and structure.
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Agree, question is why? Based on reality or based purely in the minds of men? This God complex of humanity is quite strong and prevalent from our earliest records, why? I think because he’s actually there calling all men from all times but that me.
 
sideshowbob said:
So your statement that, "we would expect to see what we do actually see," is meaningless. The supernatural meddling would make all of our observations useless.
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Not necessarily. But I hear what your saying. Always keeping an eye for the super in amongst the natural, ( as long as your know it’s possible ) makes for an interesting life.
 
BlueSky said:
Always keeping an eye for the super in amongst the natural, ( as long as your know it’s possible ) makes for an interesting life.
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I think reality is interesting enough. Using "God did it" as an answer for everything is boring.
 
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