Announcement

Collapse

General Theistics 101 Guidelines

This area is open for nontheists and theists to interact on issues of theism and faith in a civilized manner. We ask that nontheist participation respect the theistic views of others and not seek to undermine theism in general, or advocate for nontheism. Such posts are more suited for and allowable in Apologetics 301 with very little restriction.

The moderators of this area are given great discretion to determine if a particular thread or comment would more appropriately belong in another forum area.

Forum Rules: Here
See more
See less

Atheist Mega Churches

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    I remember how in the weeks leading up to me becoming a christian I became obsessed with trying to prove it wrong. Oh boy. Old and new testament history sure showed me.
    sigpic

    Comment


    • #17
      Originally posted by mossrose View Post
      I think they are mocking Christians.
      I think it's all about the almighty dollar -- they can't defeat (so far) the tax exempt status of the Church, so they're going after "us too".
      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

      Comment


      • #18
        I think they are just afraid and rather than accepting a helping hand they want to sulk miserably while desperatly disparingly hoping to find someone who can show them answers.
        They fear God because hus existance makes them feel vulnerable. They try to hide this vulnerability by using "logic" or "cosmology" or as Uncle screwtape would put it "Jargon dear boy. Jargon is our ally".
        sigpic

        Comment


        • #19
          I think they are in pain. Something about God hurt them. They lash back and they tangle themselves in existential barb wire.
          sigpic

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by TheWall View Post
            I think they are in pain. Something about God hurt them. They lash back and they tangle themselves in existential barb wire.
            I got slapped on the hand once by a Lutheran sunday school worker in Lutheran Vacation Bible School. I was 6 or 7 years old. I hated Lutherans!

            (Then, probably because God has a sense of humor, I met the girl of my dreams and married her -- and, yeah, she was a Lutheran )
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
              I got slapped on the hand once by a Lutheran sunday school worker in Lutheran Vacation Bible School. I was 6 or 7 years old. I hated Lutherans!

              (Then, probably because God has a sense of humor, I met the girl of my dreams and married her -- and, yeah, she was a Lutheran )
              The entire mysterious ways thingie

              I'm always still in trouble again

              "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
              "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
              "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

              Comment


              • #22
                Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                The entire mysterious ways thingie
                Yeah, and the Lutheran Pastor with whose congregation we share our Church building married a Baptist girl! So, the Cosmos is back in balance.
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Originally posted by TheWall View Post
                  I remember how in the weeks leading up to me becoming a christian I became obsessed with trying to prove it wrong. Oh boy. Old and new testament history sure showed me.
                  I had a similar experience as a new Christian trying to prove that the Trinity was not to be found in the Bible. The Bible showed me.
                  Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                    When you think about it, a lot of atheists are just as centered around God as Christians are. They spend their entire lives obsessed with religion, while denying God. They lecture about religion, write books, hang out on theology forums like this, and now even start churches. They are desperate for God yet can't admit it. So they hang around the outside of the camp, trying to imitate religion, while having sour grapes about the whole thing.

                    When I dont believe in something I just ignore it. I dont hang around UFO or Bigfoot forums, or write books about them, or start clubs that deny UFOs or Bigfoot.


                    how many anti-unicornists do you see?

                    Hey! Are you implying unicorns AREN'T real?!?!?
                    "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                    "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                    My Personal Blog

                    My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                    Quill Sword

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Actually I see nothing wrong with the idea although church is probably not a good term to define the gathering place since church implies worship of a deity, and we know how upset christians get if their terms of definition, like marriage, are used in a different context from their own. Thats not what they do, obviously, they don't worship a deity. Its just about a community gathering of like minded people, humanist, who don't attribute their morality and the like to the supernatural.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
                        Hey! Are you implying unicorns AREN'T real?!?!?
                        They got thrown off the ark 'cause they snored.

                        "Fire is catching. If we burn, you burn with us!"
                        "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay here and cause all kinds of trouble."
                        Katniss Everdeen


                        Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Originally posted by JimL View Post
                          Actually I see nothing wrong with the idea although church is probably not a good term to define the gathering place since church implies worship of a deity,
                          Probably not, but they'll call it what they'll call it.

                          and we know how upset christians get if their terms of definition, like marriage, are used in a different context from their own.
                          Well, actually, it wasn't just a "Christian" definition - it was a societal and legal one, as well.

                          Thats not what they do, obviously, they don't worship a deity. Its just about a community gathering of like minded people, humanist, who don't attribute their morality and the like to the supernatural.
                          Yeah, a bunch of lost people playing church.
                          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Cowpoke you a roastmaster dude.
                            sigpic

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Originally posted by thewriteranon View Post
                              They got thrown off the ark 'cause they snored.
                              They were turned away cuz the horse quota was already full.

                              I'm always still in trouble again

                              "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                              "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                              "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                I've attended Sunday Assemblies irregularly over the past couple of years. I'd say that most people attending grew up Christian, have since become non-believers, and miss the social aspects of church services.

                                The services loosely mimic church services, by default, in terms of there being a main speaker (who gives a TED-like talk, usually very intellectual on a topic of charity, science, philosophy, or politics) with various songs (pop songs), minor speakers, or readings (inspirational passages or poetry), followed by coffee+biscuits+chat afterward. The services have no religious orientation, and a believing Christian who attended them probably wouldn't feel out of place or under attack. The motto is "live better, help often, wonder more" and the talks focus on how people can improve their lives and the lives of those around them, how they can get involved in helping with charities, and challenge people to think more deeply about philosophical and scientific issues.

                                I think church services fulfill quite an important social role in the community, and it wasn't until I hadn't been going to church for several years, that I began to realize the importance of social events that are sort of "community for the sake of it" and how church services fulfilled that role. That's sort of the idea of the Sunday Assemblies. In my experience, the singing tends to be a bit cringeworthy, and their choice of random pop songs could be improved I think by at least finding some inspirational songs.

                                There's no overt religious element to the services of any kind (God doesn't get mentioned)... this has caused problems a couple of times in the US because various attendees wanted the services to be explicitly atheistic and they split off to have their own services. It's not an attempt to "mock" Christianity, and they're not "out to get" you, and it's not "inspired by Satan". It's just people who enjoy intelligent discussion, community, charity, and conversation.
                                "I hate him passionately", he's "a demonic force" - Tucker Carlson, in private, on Donald Trump
                                "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism" - George Orwell
                                "[Capitalism] as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of evils. I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy" - Albert Einstein

                                Comment

                                widgetinstance 221 (Related Threads) skipped due to lack of content & hide_module_if_empty option.
                                Working...
                                X