For God, Who has the Greater Purpose?

Atheist or theist, which role is the most important for a God, if it exists? Can the testing of faith by atheists be called doing God's work? I believe the Bible says somewhere that atheists are a predicted lot. Why bother with that useless detail unless they serve some great purpose? Does God need to know if his followers are sincere by introducing them to atheist reasoning? If so I don't think any believer can point at an atheist and say he/she is inherently evil. Atheists, anyway you look at it, provide a necessary diversion for the flock. For theists, your God has to know the limit of your faith. In an odd way atheists become unwitting soldiers for religion everywhere. One atheist can do more for a god than an entire religion.

Off course none of this means anything if atheists are right.

 

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My God knows my limitations. He knows me more that i do. But God exercises us to increase our abilities to reduce our limitations. Atheist challenges can act as the resistance needed for a shallow faith to grow in knowledge and strength. Atheist kick a lot of fence sitting Christians off their fence either into disbelief or to greater faith and more solid belief.

Of course sold Christians can cause fence sitting atheists to move in one direction or another as well. So it works both ways. A half hearted Christian falls away and a seeking atheist embraces Jesus as Messiah.

So yes Atheists can act as the resistance needed to strengthen a Christians faith. Like a good weight training session. Sometimes painful but their is no gain without pain.

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There is a good parrable i know. i will post it here.

Push Parabol

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled
with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to
do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained
that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this
the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun
down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the
unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned
to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in
vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (satan) decided
to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: "You have
been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved."
Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that
he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. satan said, "Why kill your self over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter
of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord," he said,
"I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to
do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even
budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?
The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve
Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the
rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I
mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you,

with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But,
is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your
back is senewy and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure,
your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much,

and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you
haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push
exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done.
Now I, my friend, will move the rock."


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

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I wonder if more religious folks become atheists then atheists become religious. I don't have a religious bone in my body, never have, I just can't see what your seeing. Is the testing of faith God's work?

Even if an atheist is converted there is still a need for the test of faith to be administered.

 

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I honestly don't think God is bothered wether we are 'good' or 'bad'. We are behaving exactly to his design... If he exists...

I highly doubt I am on Earth to test the faith of Christians, I think I am on Earth to see how stupid Christians are

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From my observation more religious people are becoming athiests. I believe i live in what is called the end times. And the bible predicts that in the end time many will leave/fall away from the truth. But then again i do not believe that most religious people are truly Christian, truly followers of the Messiah Jesus. A faith that faces adversity must be grounded on truth/The Rock. So many are just being moved from false religion into disbelief.

What we face (you call it a test) is designed to strengthen us. But for those who do not believe as they should believe the adversity gets them out of their religion. And for some that is a blessing in disguise because if you are a part of a false religion you really want your faith in that shattered. Sadly for most a shattered religion makes them attack all belief in God true or false. But for some a shattered belief sends them seeking for the truth.

Well if i was an atheist and i had been deceived into joining a false faith i would want that faith to be shattered. There is not point spending your life believing in a lie. But for those who have accepted the true faith then what destroys others will only strengthen them.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

In order to have faith I'd need something to have faith in. Atheists didn't write the Bible, didn't invent a religion that people swear by. As far as I'm concerned, go ahead and have faith in what you believe because it means absolutely nothing to me. I won't condemn religion but I do see faith in it as a weakness. If there is a god I don't fear him/her. Human's seem to fashion their gods to their liking and that's fine, I just don't care. It seems utterly ridiculous and a total waste of time to devote myself to a god. I know its easy to say the devil is making me this way but I don't believe in the devil either. I just don't care. There is a word for a guy like me.....apatheist.

 

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I like that!

 

You just don't care? Are you sure your being honest with yourself here? I could be wrong but it seems to me that you have been thinking about this a bit to much for that level of interest.

You know it takes a bit of courage to stand up for what you believe in. People are being killed because they believe in God. Weakness, it may seem like that to you but to be prepared to loose everything in this life for ones belief is not weakness to me.



All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

Yes, believe it or not, I really don't care. I never have. Religion for me is totally uninteresting. I'm tired of seeing wars fought, friendships lost, the fear, the false hope, the arguments, the loss of rational thought, the loss of ability to think on your own, the befuddling doubletalk of the bible and church leaders who command obedience to outrageous edicts and rules, just to name a few.

Why can't we just be human? I'd love to see everyone give that a try. If religion is about love thy neighbor than it has been a colossal failure. They're more interested in growing the flocks and alienating themselves to the point of violence. Take a minute and try to see it the way I do and you can't help but see the absurdity of the most intelligent creatures on the planet living their lives according to something that can never be proven. Faith is a psycho, a madman lost in a forest of confusion and bewilderment.

Oh, I am very comfortable with myself. I don't want religion nor do I need it. If there is a god then I would hope he would stay out of my business to the point where I don't think he could exist. So far so good. God should not be a selfish ogre that needs constant praise and adulation. Does a goldfish worship its owner? Does the owner demand it? The most powerful entity in the universe needs a cuddle? Live life as if He isn't there, my motto.

 

Your post gives you away PsychoticEpisode you do have strong opinions on God. Very negative opinions given in a blunt manner, but all the same strong opinions.

I could go through your post point by point but you have already read my replies on this forum to them, you just don't believe them.

It is sad that you cannot see the message of Jesus directly from Jesus. But like most in here you cannot separate the corrupt false churchianity of man from the true message. Maybe you don't really want to see the true message? Maybe for most in here churchianity is the justification they desperately want to push God away?

What ever the truth of the matter, if someone does not really want something then no amount of offering will succeed.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

I am glad you answered that way because it shows the futility of religious debate. You want a god and I don't. That should be enough. Peace brother.

 

Yes we have free will and you have made use of it. What you do not want you shall not receive.

One thing, you are not my brother. Don't take that as a statement of anger it is a statement of fact.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

I don't and it is. But I sense a subtle dislike there, as if no brother of yours could ever be associated with my way of thinking. In essence you have missed the point, a call for peace and brotherhood, because they were written by me, seem offensive in nature. Have you prejudged me? If I was you I would want to know why those two words upset me. I didn't know free men with opposite views had to follow a certain protocol if peace is desired, for that I apologize.

 

Adstar,

What message? Be kind to others? We can figure that out for ourselves and most do. We don’t need a religion for that.

Beyond the basic message, that we can figure for ourselves, everything else is the church, oh and threats and punishments, and false promises of eternal life. But then that latter part is common to every religion and the real reason they all exist.

 

Did i object to the desire for peace? No. Did i reject your word of peace? No.

Then why read something into my post that was never put there?

I said we where not brothers, neither in flesh nor in spirit. Of course i wish you peace. Maybe you don't understand what brotherhood is to a Christian?


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

One thing, you are not my brother. Don't take that as a statement of anger it is a statement of fact. Maybe you don't understand what brotherhood is to a Christian?

You've made that sparkling crystal clear. It means alienate those who do not believe in the same thing as you.

By shedding your beliefs, we all become brothers and sisters of one planet.

By staying a Christian, you despise those who will not join you.

Divide and conquer = Christianity.

Thanks for making that clear.

 

Let the false accusers accuse.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

Substitute the word Bible for the word post in the above quote and you will see exactly what atheists have to deal with from our religious counterparts everytime totally rational anti-God mutterings are displayed in this forum.

Substitute the word fairytale for the word post and the world thinks you're an idiot.

Heheheh

 

Adstar,
God knows you more than you know yourself because you are a robot!

 

Qorl

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God has the ultimate total situational awareness. But that does not make us robots.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days