quote:

Sadly my limited individual intelligence level is insufficient to reason out what truly lies beyond the limits of this life.

Don't worry. I'm in the same boat.

I am shocked by how many here don't talk to others about religion, politics, and, presumably, sex.

Heavens, what else is there to talk about?

As to the OP's question, maybe it's living in the transient desert southwest where you tend to find less traditional people who often have broken ties with regional expectations elsewhere, but I've known quite a few who espouse it anyways.

Probably the only one I felt really knew what he was convicted about was a retired Air Force and CIA pilot who saw action in Vietnam, including some ground excitement when his air base was hit during Tet. There are many foxhole conversions, but not him.

He was a good man whom I could trust to watch my back. To me, a Bible-believing Christian, it was sad to think what he is missing out on. But, I also believe in Free Will. We could talk deep religious concepts without feeling the need to take each other to task.

It was a model for civil discourse, and I think we appreciated each other the more for it.

quote:

Originally posted by bigmule:

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
My ultra-leftist older daughter is one. Somewhere along the way, she and her husband went nutso. I have an English friend and his wife who are. I probably know more, but no one else comes to mind.

Please clarify your statement. This didn’t seem to be a political thread...but what do I know.

-atheist equals nutso?

Why for?

My older daughter fell light years away from the tree. I wouldn't doubt that if she was in better physical and psychological condition, she would be running with ANTIFA there in Portland, OR where she lives. This information is just extra information offered which explains a little of why I think she is nutso.

It isn't a secret socialist and communist regimes attempt to squash faith in a higher power, so it is possible she turned away or more away from her upbringing when she delved more into her extreme leftism. I don't know because it is almost impossible to talk to her about such things.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:

quote:

Originally posted by bigmule:

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
My ultra-leftist older daughter is one. Somewhere along the way, she and her husband went nutso. I have an English friend and his wife who are. I probably know more, but no one else comes to mind.

Please clarify your statement. This didn’t seem to be a political thread...but what do I know.

-atheist equals nutso?

Why for?

My older daughter fell light years away from the tree. I wouldn't doubt that if she was in better physical and psychological condition, she would be running with ANTIFA there in Portland, OR where she lives. This information is just extra information offered which explains a little of why I think she is nutso.

It isn't a secret socialist and communist regimes attempt to squash faith in a higher power, so it is possible she turned away or more away from her upbringing when she delved more into her extreme leftism. I don't know because it is almost impossible to talk to her about such things.

Don't let that particular atheist color your opinion of the rest. Not all atheists are lefties. Probably not even a majority.

I don't personally know any. (I personally "identify" as a deist.) I just see the jerks that spew hate and/or are "triggered" by inanimate objects like crosses, nativity scenes, displays of the Ten Commandments and such. It's OK to just not believe in any deity, but leave the hate out of it. Too many (probably a minority, and a tiny one at that, but they get all the attention) can't seem to do that. There was an idiot here for a while who almost never posted anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Not all atheists are lefties.

This is one of the points I was trying to make with this thread. A (pagan) friend remarked early in our association that he had “never met a conservative atheist.” Well, yes, he had because I knew he had met political conservatives of my acquaintance whom I knew were atheists, but who didn’t advertise the fact. Some in fact are much more conservative than I am.

Religion surveys consistently reveal that about three percent of Americans are avowed atheists. That’s estimated to be three to six or seven times the number of Americans currently serving in the armed forces, and perhaps close to a quarter of the percentage of male military veterans in the country today. If you know anyone in the military, it’s far more likely that you know at least three times as many atheists, even if you don’t know you know.

Sorry to not quote above replies. Who knows where my daughter lost her faith, but I wouldn’t doubt it had something to do with her leftist world views. That doesn’t translate to all without faith are leftists.

None.
But, I haven 't spent much time in a foxhole with anyone recently.

Our pastor was a devout atheist well into his college years. His story is incredible to listen to. An amazing man and a wonderful pastor.

I knew one a few years ago. Probably the nicest and moralistic person you could, on par with the most devout pastor ever (sans the praying). I heard stories of him dropping what he was doing to help a total stranger to forgiving the grievous of "sins" against him.

Would smoke one cigar a year at deer camp, one beer to celebrate his first deer and one to celebrate New Year's. He didn't like buying a six pack cause they "tasted nasty if it sat for a couple months."

As myself being a devout Christian, we talked one day (my moral dilemma, not his). He felt that when we died, we ended. No heaven, no paradise, nothing. So I posed the following to him:

"If you and I both died this instant and you're right, we'll never know it. We'll both be remembered as great guys with a nod going to you as the better person.

"But, if you and I died this instant and I am right, you'll still be mourned as the better person however, I will be at Christ's side mourning for you because you, my friend, are not with me."

He smiled and we moved on to another subject. About two months after, he was golfing with a mutual friend (a doctor type) and had a massive heart attack on the course. So massive he was probably dead before hitting the ground.

I still don't know if he died an atheist.

As I ascribe to the simulation hypothesis, atheism is exceptionally presumptions to me.

First...no, I don't know any professed atheists.

I apologize if this is considered off topic, but I wanted to get it out there. Personally, I'm an agnostic. I was raised in a Church/Bible Study/Sunday School family and attended Confirmation classes as a teen and was Confirmed.

Once I was away from home and weekly attendance was no longer enforced, I fell away.

Many years later, I went back for around 3 years. I came to the conclusion that I had become what I call a "Cover your ass" Christian. Deep down, I didn't (don't) believe, didn't (don't) have the conviction (or balls...) to flat out deny the existence of God. So I went to church "just in case".

The hypocrisy of that got to be more than I could swallow, so I left again. Haven't been back.

A long way of saying I just don't know.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
The hypocrisy of that got to be more than I could swallow, so I left again. Haven't been back.

Apologizing first for the thread drift:
Paul (and others), if you're interested, I'll send you a link to my church's web site. Last week began a series of talks called "For," emphasizing that the church is for people, rather than against them. Essentially: for far too long, "the church" has offered a somewhat negative force, telling people what they can't do, that there are punishments for doing wrong, and so forth. Our pastor's point in this series is "the church" -- like the Lord -- is here for people, and should be a positive force in our lives and communities rather than a negative one. The weekly talks are live streamed, previous weeks' talks are on the web site for viewing whenever you'd like.

Back on track...

None. I don't believe in atheists.

Quite a few, including myself.

I've been much quieter about it the older i get, mostly because I grow more and more tired of religoius zealots, on both sides.

Anymore today, it seems Atheism is also a religion, at least in the sense that some "followers" seem to be FORCED to preach it.

Personally, i dislike zealots of any shape.

I regret, that in my youth, I was a more " militant" atheist, and was sometimes abrasive to people about it. As I've gotten older, and more mature, I've realized that this was douchebag behavior, the same as the guys who constantly preach to you about their religion as if it was any of their business.

We have one asshat here, some chick, who professes herself as an extreme atheist, and a sex ed teacher (she's an extreme liberal douche).

She goes to city council meetings and stirs up shit if they have any mention of "god" or anything in their meetings, mottos, background, or city charters. She is annoying as hell. She is the extreme definition of the annoying, militant atheist that just needs to get laid to lighten up, but no one could stand to listen to her bullshit long enough to take her home...

Those are the ones that annoy me, same as the idiots that think that quoting a bible verse at me is going to somehow change my mind as if their argument had meaning.

My point, is that despite our differences in beliefs, we can easily coexist... It's simple.

I dont think I have the power to tell anyone else what to believe. They are free to worship whatever deity, multiple deities, demons, flying spaghetti monster, or their own toaster if they so choose.

I'm also free to do the same, or none of that.

I'll shut up and leave them alone and not support any laws that discriminate against them, and I'll expect the same.

another one here

Just an aside comment...

As a Christian, this thread doesn't bother me, upset me, trigger me, or make me go crawling to my safe space in the fetal position in the least little bit. I myself have a wonderful friend that is an atheist and we HIGHLY respect each other down to our political views...he lives in Masshole and is a Liberal from Puerto Rico. But we find a way to respect each other and actually poke fun at each other about it.

Now...put the shoe on the other foot and it would be EXTREMELY interesting what this thread would look like on the "Anti-SigForum" web site in Bizzarro World. If there were a thread titled, "How many God-believing people do you know?", I can't imagine the literal howling, wailing, and gnashing of teeth from the Left-tards WRITING IN ALL CAPS about how they work with someone who...OMG!!!...PRAYED before eating their lunch in the employee break room. OMG...LIKE RUN FOR THE HILLS...LIKE HOW TRIGGERED!!!!

If you and I met on the street, for example nhtagmember or KevinCW, I'd be honored to shake your hand (knowing what you do) and if you said, "Oh...by the way, I'm an atheist", my response would be, "Uhhh...OK. That's cool. Happy for you. Let's go get a cup of coffee". I can't even start to imagine the reaction if I told most Left-tard snowflakes that I was Christian and would they like to pray with me.

Utter
Pandemonium

This message has been edited. Last edited by: erj_pilot,

quote:

As a Christian, this thread doesn't bother me, upset me, trigger me, or make me go crawling to my safe space in the fetal position in the least little bit.

Same here.
I am also a Christian and don't seek to impose my belief on anyone.
In my experience it's leftists and Islamists who seek to impose their beliefs on others.

I have known a few atheists in my lifetime and a lot of agnostics. One current friend is a militant card carrying member of an atheist club. To me, their club is like an atheist church.

I was the son of an ordained fundamentalist protestant minister. I was raised to go to the seminary and become a minister. As a young child, I always had doubts. To quote my mother, "He joined the Navy and went to hell. I didn't raise him like this."

I am an agnostic borderline atheist. I tell people I am an agnostic humorist. I don't know if there is or isn't a supreme being, but see a lot of humor in people trying to persuade me in their absolute beliefs for or against.

I am a Christian and try to live to be the best I can but I know I fail. I am human but try. I have friends I work with that don't share my faith but I love them anyway. Some don't believe anything. I don't have a problem with what you want to believe but it doesn't mean I shouldn't preach to others what I believe. I am not to keep it to myself but I will not force it on anyone if you don't want to hear it, as it is not up to me what happens in the world. It is not because I have to work my way to heaven, as that price has been paid for me and for anyone who wants to believe,but because I want others to have the same chance. Like others have said, it is up to you to believe in what you want but what happens if one of us is wrong? On one hand nothing but on the other...