Atheist Congregations

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/22/church-without-god-by-design/

I find this amusing. I imagine most of the sermon is going to be religion bashing. The one guy says it won't be. Would be interesting to hear what he would then teach that would not put all to sleep.

'Music is played, announcements are made and scholars wax poetic about the importance of compassion and community'' Atheist scholars are going to teach my family and I the importance of compassion? :ROFLMAO:

If someone truthfully believed they only had this life, they would be selfish to the extreme. It is laughable to hear any atheist mention unselfish acts like helping widows / orphans.

I know an 'ex-Christian' who use to say he was an atheist. He would read all the books and debate on the common sites. God blessed his business and he started helping the needy. He has now dropped atheism and tells me how Hinduism, Islam and Judaism are all better then Christianity and atheism. He has a bad habit to be ugly and personal with Christians. I told him the truth..... he is a Christian who is just upset with God and going through the motions. It is common amongst prodigal sons running from God to distract themselves with other ''truths''. He is not running far though as he is helping the needy. He is thus bordering on schizophrenia, as his heart and mind are not speaking to each other.

Would someone mind explaining to me how unselfish acts / compassion are compatible with atheism?
 
The case with most Atheists is that they often subscribe to the 'New Atheist Movement' which is militantly anti-religion (most Anti-Christian). I'd be willing to bet that that's what's happening here only because the old sort of Atheists were just at a position where they were skeptics but didn't care whether another was religious or not.

It's very strange to me, New Atheism, since most of what they talk about isn't why materialism is right, but rather why religion is wrong. But they also talk about why compassion and love is good--but how can something be good if, according to Atheists, everything is relative.

Even Dawkins and Dennet concluded that nothing is evil, but rather what an era of animals are in demand of. In other words, slavery wasn't evil until people decided that it wasn't flowing with the direction of where mankind was going.
 
Yes I agree.

Just thinking how atheism actually has alot in common with every religion apart from Christianity. The devil grabs you away from the truth / Jesus and disctracts you with doing '''good''.
 
I think even to go further than that, there is one thing I have oddly found comparable between Christianity and NEW Atheism, and that's that both have a means to evangelize to others and help them find the truth.

The difference is Christians do it because not only is there something to be gained if one does find God and follows him, but there is something drastic to be lost if one doesn't.

With Atheists, I don't know what is to be gained at all. If there is nothing now and nothing after death, what would it matter what someone else believes or doesn't believe?
 
I feel bad for them because there is no reason to go to an Atheist mass/service -- nothing to give back because it's giving to no one. It's indicative of how much they long for something spiritual, but they just can't find God.

Pray for them.
 
Well I do not agree that an Atheist cannot be compassionate.

I can say however that the only reason "Atheist" even exsist is because belief in God exsist. If there was no belief in God there would be no reason for anyone to call them self any thing, we would just be people. The whole congregation of Atheist is a dumb idea because the whole fondation of what they believe is based off them disagreeing with what we believe. So there seriously is nothing for them to talk about except arguements with the church because that is the whole idea of being Atheist.

If they want to get together and talk about positive things without the mention of God it would not be "Atheist" it would be a gathering of people to listen to a motivational speaker. The fact they have to put a label on it just goes to show you what it's going to be.
 
Well I do not agree that an Atheist cannot be compassionate.
What motivates a 'true' atheist to be compassionate? :confused:

If they want to get together and talk about positive things without the mention of God it would not be "Atheist" it would be a gathering of people to listen to a motivational speaker. The fact they have to put a label on it just goes to show you what it's going to be.
Good point.
 
It annoys me how they want compassion on 'their' side. Come to our meeting, we will teach you about compassion :rolleyes:. Compassion literally means to suffer together. An atheist will suffer selflessly for me? Their idea / teaching of compassion clashes 100% with us and I am sure meant to insult us. Christianity exists because of the selfless compassion shown to us by God. An atheist can only be driven by selfishness. Is an atheist really capable of true altruism / selflessness?

Well I do not agree that an Atheist cannot be compassionate.
Please be careful not to blur my point. My OP said unselfish act / compassion. My dog can experience a form of compassion.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion#Compassion.27s_Core

“Identifying with another person is an essential process for human beings.”

Thus, in my opinion/observation:
Every human being have compassion.
Compassion arises from “pain”. Every human being feel “pain”.
Identifying with another person is an essential process for human beings.

and as i understand this verse: All creation is groaning for salvation.

Romans 8:22
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
 
I wonder what kind of hymns they sing at atheist churches?...

"I Did It My Way!"

: )
Seriously, I think there only 2 kinds of religion…imo
Do it yourself…. or…. God do it all....
John 15:5
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
 
Well I do not agree that an Atheist cannot be compassionate.

I can say however that the only reason "Atheist" even exsist is because belief in God exsist. If there was no belief in God there would be no reason for anyone to call them self any thing, we would just be people. The whole congregation of Atheist is a dumb idea because the whole fondation of what they believe is based off them disagreeing with what we believe. So there seriously is nothing for them to talk about except arguements with the church because that is the whole idea of being Atheist.

If they want to get together and talk about positive things without the mention of God it would not be "Atheist" it would be a gathering of people to listen to a motivational speaker. The fact they have to put a label on it just goes to show you what it's going to be.


By no means am I saying Atheists are incapable of showing kindness and compassion to others, but the question is where does the compassion come from?

If I were an Atheists, perhaps I would show kindness to others too, but only for the sake of getting that treatment back. I don't think that's wrong--nonetheless, we should be kind people who aren't even kind to us--I would probably never do that as an Atheist. What would be the point?

True compassion for others comes from our creator. Nothing good could come from any other source--it's impossible. If something good HAS come from another source, is it truly good?

You bring up a good point--could Atheism exist without God? In the early 20th century, there were known Atheists like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus who seemed to have a much more serious approach to it. They really tried to get to the bottom of Atheism with no sort of attack on religion. They would often express that all people have a sort of hunger for fulfillment, truth, goodness, justice (IE, God), but because they concluded that God doesn't exist, as Camus would say, "La vie est absurde (life is absurd)."

With NEW Atheism (Dawkins, Harris, Bill Mahar, Dennett, the late Hitchens, etc), there is a very elementary approach to Atheism which stops midway at getting to the bottom of us and approaches a hostility toward religion (mostly Christianity). But even more strange, it continues to fight in support of things like humanity, justice, etc.

Granted, humanity, justice, goodness, etc. are well and good, but this still brings some serious inconsistencies to the Atheist argument. But further more, New Atheism all together shows a lot of inconsistencies (as does the ol' mom-and-pop, meat-and-potatoes Atheism).

I've spoken to a lot of Atheists about religion, life, etc. When I've asked them "Why have you come to accept Atheism?" I don't think I've yet received an answer like "Well, I've explored cosmology, haven't seen enough valid evidence of something non-material, etc. etc." The answers usually surround "Because I'm tired of Christians being so hypocritical" or "Because if God is real, he is evil."

Our behavior as Christians are OUTRAGEOUSLY important, but do our behaviors change objective truths? And even if God were evil, would it mean that now God doesn't exist, or would it mean that we happen to have an evil creator?

I think the subject of Atheism is a very fascinating one, and it always gets my attention. And without trying to smear my Atheists friends, I leave you with this...

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I think the subject of Atheism is a very fascinating one, and it always gets my attention.

I think all things have a reason.
the increasing movement of atheism I think have a reason…. Imo:
An attack with Christianity: will unite its “quarrelling” members... they now have a common “enemy” to “argue” with : )
Or, it can be a reminder for us, that we are before "without God" ….so that:


Ephesians 2
By Grace Through Faith
2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
 
I disagree completely that an Atheist cannot have TRUE compassion without God. I have met tons of people who are not bible believers that live selfless lifes. To say that we as Christians are the only people to know true compassion is exactly why non believers want nothing to do with us.

Just because their compassion is not God given does not mean they cannot be inspired by the secular world to feel those feelings.
 
I disagree completely that an Atheist cannot have TRUE compassion without God. I have met tons of people who are not bible believers that live selfless lifes. To say that we as Christians are the only people to know true compassion is exactly why non believers want nothing to do with us.

Just because their compassion is not God given does not mean they cannot be inspired by the secular world to feel those feelings.

It begs the question, dude. Where does their compassion come from if not God? It's not saying that Atheists can't show compassion to others, but their compassion, if legitimate, doesn't come from an outside source of God. In other words, true, selfless, honest compassion--the kind that demands absolutely nothing in return, but is stemmed purely from love, can't bypass God because God is the only true source of these immaterial treasures.

This statement isn't intended to show elitism to people who aren't Christian--I'd be a total hypocrite if that was the case, but I do believe in an all-loving, all-knowing creator and believe it is a truth than cannot be rearranged. I believe these gifts of love and kindness coming only from God is objective.
 
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i think an Atheist can show true compassion. They might get it from the secular world, but in the end true compassion comes from God, so without their knowledge and understanding they are receiving it from God. I myself considered it myself at first an Atheist, but thinking back now that I am saved, I feel God presence was there. And that is because even when we don't believe in him, God always belive on us :D
 
i think an Atheist can show true compassion. They might get it from the secular world, but in the end true compassion comes from God, so without their knowledge and understanding they are receiving it from God. I myself considered it myself at first an Atheist, but thinking back now that I am saved, I feel God presence was there. And that is because even when we don't believe in him, God always belive on us :D

You make an interesting point, friend.
 
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