Christians and Atheists - What's the Deal?
(Warning: this is a crapload of reading so only read it if you are really interested in the subject matter)
Hey everyone, my names Josh and I am a Christian and a lucid dreamer. It seems that I am in the minority on this forum since most of you don't believe in a God. I have seen a whole lot of attacks against Christians on these forums - about how we're ignorant, we're elitist, we're weak, we're imbeciles etcetera etcetera. A lot of you probably agree with Marx's famous statement, "Religion is the opiate of the masses". I'm sick of all the hating and all that other bullshit. What I want is a meaningful and honest conversation between the two sides (religious and non-religious) about why we believe what we believe. Lets have respect for each other people.
First of all, I want to get rid of some stereotypes here. I am a Christian and believe that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I do not believe that lucid dreaming is "satanic". I do not hate gays and liberals. I care about the environment. I do not think that I'm perfect. I do not "protect myself" from music, movies, books etcetera that aren't necessarily Christian. I even listen to metal. I do not reject science when it seems to go against God. I believe in evolution because it is a whole lot more logical and backed by evidence than the literal seven day creation theory. I just believe that God's hand directed evolution.
In my opinion, science and religion are not mutually exclusive but compliment each other. I see science as discovering what God has hidden for us. Kind of like an easter egg hunt. The more we know about this world the more we know about the creator of this world. I do not have blind faith in God because I have logical reasons believing in a God. First of all, I do not understand how consciousness can come out of the absence of consciousness. How could the human abilities of reasoning, intellect, love, fear, and memory emerge from the void of space? When a conscious, eternal God is put into the picture, something created from nothing makes sense. Secondly, I believe that objective moral values are not products of evolution. Without a God giving us objective moral values, moral values are just a matter of personal taste (example "I don't enjoy torturing innocent children"). Also, immoral actions such as rape and murder are taboo not simply because they "aren't beneficial for the evolution of humans" but because they are WRONG and we all have a feeling deep down that they are wrong. Thirdly, evil in the world and the existence of a God are not contradictory. God has given us free will so that we can choose to love him or not. Forcing us to love Him would be divine rape. God respects us so much that he lets us think for ourselves. God created the best possible world. A world with no war, disease and poverty and yet no free will would be worse than the world we live in. For the things that I don't understand yet I give God the benefit of the doubt and know because thats what faith is. Whenever I encounter something that appears to put God in the wrong, I realize that I'm the one in the wrong since I don't understand it due to my human limitations and that God is in the right.
I have a big problem with people who look at the hypocrisy of the Westborough Baptists and Pat Robertson and conclude that Christianity is bullshit. The way I see it, the Westborough Baptists and Pat Robertson are not Christians but are instead people who are perverting and twisting Christianity. I don't think that all Islams are terrorists because of 9/11 and the Al-Queda. I do not think that all atheists are pretentious douchebags like Christopher Hitchens that call anyone who believes anything besides their own opinion weak and ignorant. I personally know atheists that are kind and considerate. I think that other beliefs are respectable beliefs (excluding scientology) even though I may disagree with them. Please people, stop looking at the those who pollute Christianity but the people who are loving Christ followers and then judge Christianity.
I want to hear all your thoughts on this.
This thread is bound to get heated, but I trust that everyone from both sides (religious and non-religious) will refrain from personal attacks.