I am a teenage atheist, coming in peace: Ask me anything!

[Tintin]

My wife told me that she heard this when she was 20 in college.... "A young Atheist has to guard his faith very carefully."

Think about it a while, and it may soak in. LOL

That quote sounds familiar. Isn't it one of C.S. Lewis'?

 

[NateDaGrimes]

Really? That's good to know. Because he's been doing the same thing for a few years now. I had to look at his age to see if he'd grown up.

You'd like to think I post for attention, smh y'all are just ludicrous.

 

[Depleted]

whatever... i'm just trying to not be so full of myself that i consider i can not be wrong about something. i give everybody some respect and i listen to what they say if it is nonsense, then i dismiss it. if it is coherent, i give it some thought. i think nobody can claim that what we believe in as christian is absolutely coherent and foolproof. there would be only one kind of christians on earth if that was the case. i'm all for inquiry and debate and thining trough what people who don't agree with me have to say. you seem to think that's a waste of time. i think that is fairly close minded.

You failed completely and utterly at "bigoted" and having no clue who Lee Strobel was.

You also fail in your assessment of Christians.

And, apparently, you fail at understanding any side or thinking deeply.

 

[Willie-T]

That quote sounds familiar. Isn't it one of C.S. Lewis'?

I didn't know that, so I looked it up. Yes, Lewis put it this way:

“Really, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side. You must not do, you must not even try to do, the will of the Father unless you are prepared to "know of the doctrine." All my acts, desires, and thoughts were to be brought into harmony with universal Spirit. For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name was legion.”

― C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

 

[Depleted]

I absolutely don't believe I know everything and that I can't be wrong about anything. I too enjoy hearing what others have to say. There's no point if I just surround myself with Yes men or women. As for your assertions about atheism not being a religion, I think that's fairly close-minded.

Yeah, that whole "whatever... i'm just trying to not be so full of myself that i consider i can not be wrong about something" was a way for him to get you to admit you CAN be wrong. He was going for guilt to win an argument, instead of facts. It's a poor debating tactic. Don't fall for it.

Sort of like the abortionists' tactic of asking about rape and incest victims to support the 98% of the women who get abortions despite never being raped, and then pretending they took the high road.

 

[Depleted]

i just think that if we call atheism a religion then the word religion loses all meaning.
it is a bit like saying that bald is a hair color... atheism is not believing in a god: A -THEISM. i don't see how that's religious, frankly

You don't see it because your thinking is intentionally limited to keep your beliefs. Simply put, religion already has definitions to it. You took the one that fits whatever you wanted.

 

[blue_ladybug]

If atheists don't believe in God or Jesus, or heaven and hell, then how can it possibly be a "religion"?

 

[Willie-T]

We have so many brilliant teens and young adults on here, eager to expand their lives, that it saddens me to see one like this who thinks he already knows everything. There is one adult on here who told me he learned everything about God and the Scriptures by the time he was 18... and he says he hasn't changed his mind about a thing since then. How sad, and I see this same stagnant attitude in this young man's future.

 

[Depleted]

fair enough but atheism is not a system of thought nor even an organised movement. it is a default position.
atheism is theism (belief in the existence of a deity) with the negative prefix A in front of it. it is used as and means the concept of not believing in a deity. atheism is an absence of belief, by all definition and ethymology. i don't see why people insist on calling it a religion. it doesn't make any sense and make us christians pass for ignorant fools. let's be rigorous in our use of words.

This could be why. Definition of religion and atheism, as well as etymologically speaking, there is NO way of denying it is not a religion. "Without God." Can it get any plainer than that? It's a stance. Deal with it. But stop pretending like everyone else can't.

 

[Depleted]

Perhaps they feel they are misunderstood by christians just as many christians feel their beliefs are misunderstood by atheists. Could also just want to preach.

Not really. Christians follow Jesus Christ as God and Savior. Atheist are against God. Not that hard to get, particularly since Christians had a life before God, and some were atheists. And a lot of atheists say they used to be Christians.

Kind of like golf. Some are fans, some aren't, and everyone understands that. Who really is into completely and utterly understanding the other side? Seems a waste just trying to convince someone they're wrong, if you are so convinced you're right. Especially if you got nothing to offer.

 

[Depleted]

I assure you that things have changed, but my ideals indeed NEVER changed.

Truly a sad statement given your age. That's the beauty of being a teen -- thinking out ideas and developing.

Do you smoke weed regularly? (Rhetorical question. You don't have to answer.) Because once a person starts that regularly their emotional maturity flatlines. They simply stop developing emotionally. And you seem like the type of guy who started as a preteen. You're going to have a hard time getting a good job.

 

[NateDaGrimes]

Would I be a Christian if I was smoking weed? Probably not. Don't ask such ridiculous questions

 

[tourist]

I've heard of Christians who used to be atheist but never the other way around. You seem awful young to become disillusioned with life already. I will ask one question. What hope do you have that things will one day be better than they are now? Welcome to CC.

 

[Utah]

Actually, it is possible to be perfect, AFTER one has become born again. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect, for I am perfect." I highly doubt he would have told us to do something that was impossible. However, most of us don't manage to follow those instructions very well, so it's pretty safe to say that none of us are perfect here.

Jesus wants us to be our best but He knows full well our shortfalls. Matthew 5:48 and Luke 6:36 pertain to the same discussion from Jesus. In Matthew we see the word perfect but in Luke we see the word merciful. Elsewhere in Scripture we see that Jesus also states He desires mercy, not sacrifice. Just food for thought.

 

[William86]

Not really. Christians follow Jesus Christ as God and Savior. Atheist are against God. Not that hard to get, particularly since Christians had a life before God, and some were atheists. And a lot of atheists say they used to be Christians.

Kind of like golf. Some are fans, some aren't, and everyone understands that. Who really is into completely and utterly understanding the other side? Seems a waste just trying to convince someone they're wrong, if you are so convinced you're right. Especially if you got nothing to offer.

Since atheism is nothing more than a lack of a belief in God, an atheist would not be "against God." They may be against the idea of God but if I don't believe in fairies I'm not necessarily against them. Also, I do not see how what you've said is in any way an argument against what I said. Just reading through this thread I see ample evidence that christians often do have a distorted understanding of what atheists typically believe. It would make perfect sense for an atheist to try to clarify their position.

 

[Utah]

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'm guessing you're asking how I justify my belief in whatever happens after you die.

For reference, like most (but not all) atheists I don't think anything happens after you die. You just die, and that's the end of it.

The main source I look at to arrive at the above conclusion is that we just don't have any hard evidence of anything special happening after death.

And yeah, that's pretty much it.

What about you?

That's why its called faith, my friend. Yet be that as it may, I work in the medical field and have met several people who died and were resuscitated. Those who had faith in Jesus were in the presence of a brilliant light and were enveloped in love and peace; those who had no faith were in darkness. Not my experience, just sharing the words of others. I have my own miracle to share if you're interested. I hope you are because I'd like to share it with you.

 

[Willie-T]

'Perfect' is a very imprecise English translation. Look into the original Aramaic/Koine Greek to see what the original meaning was.

Finally! I was beginning to think no one here knew what "perfect" meant as translated by the old KJV boys. You've redeemed my faith in the intelligence of some people here.

 

[Utah]

It makes sense, there is no imagineable reason for an Atheist to drop by CC other than to preach Atheism. It really is no different from an Atheist takingthe pulpit at your church and transforming the congregation to an atheist press conference.

You've been to those congregations too? Talk about wolves in sheep's clothing. I was astonished at the volume of people in seminary who went on to become ordained ministers who basically wipe their backsides with Scripture. They're in the pulpits preaching liberal politics rather than giving glory to God by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here's a perfect example: Let's talk about great prophets -- Isaiah, Jeremiah . . . Muhammad.

 

[Fenner]

Every time I scroll by the name of this thread I think of this song.

http://youtu.be/FC3y9llDXuM

Not saying that the original poster is a dirt bag, I just thought of this song .

 

[Depleted]

Would I be a Christian if I was smoking weed? Probably not. Don't ask such ridiculous questions

I did.

And, I don't think you're a Christian, so there you go.