Sunday, May 22, 2016

Atheist insists our website "only works on the weak-minded"....

READER QUESTION:

To whom it concern;

Hello, my name is Brandon. I am 42 years old. I have an amazing wife, three beautiful and well-behaved children, and an oversized St. Bernard canine. I graduated with honors from the University of Illinois and have put my Master's to full use. I have a retirement fund, am zero dollars in debt, and trust funds in full progress for the boys. I donate around 3% of my earnings to random charities and my family helps one day a week at one of the local shelters/pantries.

Our yard is as beautiful as everyone rises in the neighborhood. My wife contributes her time to the well being of others. She is a saint. I love my family more than anything else in the world and would do anything for them. But I'm puzzled. Am I not supposed to be an evil, drug-abusing, homo-loving, devil worshipper??

Point is, I've been an atheist all my life and I'm one of the better people I know. Your website only works on the weak-minded, sir(s). Further e-mail on the subject is recommended. I would love to hear from you why I and my family are doing amazing without religion.

OUR RESPONSE:

The short answer to your question about why you and your family are "doing amazing without religion" is that (1) God is not about "religion" - which is a man-made concept.  It's all about the created beings (us) having a RELATIONSHIP with Him who created everything and who expects people to adhere to HIS perfect rules for living.  And (2)  the fact is, in order to have and lead a life on this planet, one doesn't need "God."  It seems we are all born, live for a while and then we die.  What we do in between is strictly up to us!

Some of us are rich, some are poor, some are in between.  Some are smart, some are stupid, some are educated while others are not.  Some work with their brains while others work with their hands.  Some choose to do well in life, no matter their personal circumstances, while others squander their time sitting around feeling sorry for themselves and blaming everyone else for their plight.  Some do nothing but "exist."  Others constantly search for a meaning to their existence via drugs and alcohol and even "religion"….

You have apparently done very well for yourself and, in your mind, you didn't need any "God."  God wasn't in charge; you were.  And this is true to some extent - except perhaps you really need to begin to ask yourself where you came from, how you got here, and WHY you are even here.  I mean, really THINK about it because, at the end of your life, you will simply die (hopefully later than sooner!) and end up as worm fodder.  Since you have "three beautiful and well-behaved children," your "legacy" will live on … or not, depending on how your kids and grandkids (and on down the line) handle things and live their lives.  What you've slaved for all your life MAY end up being completely wiped out!  You don't know for sure….

You need to begin to ask yourself (or NOT, it's all up to you, whether or not you're truly interested in my response) some serious questions about how the universe and our planet got here, and why.  How is it that our brains are little computers with endless possibilities to plan, reason, figure things out, imagine…on and on.  You have to ask yourself why molecules behave the way they do and why water expands when it freezes (when most liquids become more dense) and why atoms stay together.  Why is our environment to scale (or we to ITS scale)?  Did all these things "just happen" or "evolve" from "space junk."  If so, HOW? 

What is the probability that our world/environment - EVERYTHING - would be "just right" for human life to exist?  And why is it that we humans whom God gave an intellect to, are - because of our refusal to live according to HIS rules - ruining our planet in various ways, poisoning our atmosphere to the point where it's actually changing the weather and causing horrific weather patterns that are literally killing thousands around the world via fires, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic activity, etc.  Why are we "brilliant humans" killing off the precious, oxygen-giving rain forests, hunting animals to extinction, and causing sea-life to "beach themselves" because we continue to disturb their environment with our machines?  Have you ever researched the history of venereal diseases to find out WHY we now have diseases that are resistant to anti-biotics and, like HIV, will KILL us?  It's because we went against God's desire for man to be monogamous.  Man went ahead and did the very thing God prohibited….And you may chuckle all you like, but truth is truth and facts are facts!

Also, you might be wise if you were to begin asking yourself WHY more than 300 Bible prophecies  have come true (what are the probabilities of that!) and how on earth the Books of Daniel and Revelation have been dead-on accurate in their prophecies about the "end times" - which we are IN right now!  (See End Times Questions

You have to ask yourself how the prophet Isaiah was able to know some 700 years "before Christ" that Israel (which God scattered into the nations for their constant disobedience…which is a historical fact) would one day "become a nation again" and that it "would happen in one day" (which it did in 1948 when God used what Hitler did to make these two end times prophecies come true).  You also need to ask yourself how it can be that the Bible is not a science book, yet it is scientifically accurate….

Astute humans who are tuned in to the world should also ask themselves why God gave His people (which includes ALL who believe in Him) seven Feasts/Appointed Times to celebrate throughout each year (which each having a specific historical AND prophetic meaning); and how it is that Yeshua (whom Christians call Jesus) has so far "fulfilled" FOUR of the 7…with only three more to go.  The last three  will happen very close together, culminating in the event that Christians refer to as "the rapture"), which will kick off the Millennium where Yeshua returns to rule and reign the earth for a thousand years and ALL who were lucky enough to make it through those last seven years BEFORE the "rapture" WILL be "believers" because they will KNOW beyond the proverbial "shadow of a doubt" that EVERYTHING prophesied in Scripture has come to pass, with the "big event" to come at the end of the Millennium when ALL living and all who have ever died will stand before YHWH (God) Himself on what's known as Judgment Day….

Scripture tells us that some will go into "eternal life" with YHWH, while most will simply "be dead" - gone, vanished into nothingness, as if they never existed.  The thing is, before that happens, they WILL know what a huge mistake they've made, and they will suffer greatly because of it via "hell fire"… which is not forever, because they will simply be burned up…but it will seem like an eternity.  (Scripture tells us in the Kingdom of YHWH "time" as we know it is irrelevant (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8).)  Fact is, the answers to the questions you seek can ALL be found in the Bible!

So, yes - you DON'T "need God."  Your earthly life is proof of that fact.  But life itself, along with our "perfect" environment that sustains our life, along with the perfect "mechanism" that runs the entire universe…IS ALSO proof that GOD exists and that there is something greater than us puny human beings who made these things and who keeps the "engine" running smoothly.  The thing is, you have the choice to believe what I've written, or to believe that I'm totally crazy - or not; just like God gave us all the choice to accept HIM and live life according to HIS good will for us - or not!  For more, please check out our discussion with an agnostic who asked similar pertinent questions.

If you are interested, here are some other articles you can read from our website that might help you to view life on earth a little differently:  Science and the Bible and Examining Christianity  containing dozens of articles about how humans have twisted YHWH's Word into what they THINK it meant….beginning with the Israelites who thought they were only to adhere to Torah (God's Divine Instructions in Righteousness/the first five Books of the Bible), and ending up with Christianity which decided Torah was worthless because "Jesus" came to bring "grace and mercy" which supposedly means we can do our own thing, sin at will, etc.,  and still be "forgiven" by God. 

The articles also explain why we have other religions including the demonic Islam which is - just as the Bible predicted - attempting to take over the whole world!  (Whoever would have thought that an entire COUNTRY would empty out its people who are fleeing into Europe by the thousands to escape the tyranny?)  But don't take my word for it - read the Bible once, from cover to cover so you can see for yourself that we're even told HOW Islam started (BECAUSE of our forefather Abraham and his wife Sarah who tried to take matters into their own hands when it came to offspring)....

As to your values of which you are so proud (congratulations!), where did they come from?  No, being an atheist does not make you an evil, drug-abusing, homo-loving, devil worshipper. You've obviously had good influences in your life which molded you into a decent man, again, congratulations.  Nevertheless, your values speak to more than you let on.  I suspect you had some very good, God-fearing people in your life who influenced you greatly.  You internalized the "good" and "wise", actually living much of scripture, yet you reject the idea of a higher power.   Perhaps some day you will come to the next level of wisdom.

Yes, you are certainly free to view us and our readers as "weak-minded"…But are you willing to stake your eternal life on the fact that YOU are "right" while we are "weak-minded" morons who take the Word of God VERY seriously?  It's your choice.  We pray that you will make the one GOD wants you to make!

10 comments:

  1. Psalm 14:1 - Fools say in their hearts,
    “There is no God.”

    I'm with you in prayer for this man that Abba YHWH will open his heart to see the truth.

    Shalom.

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  2. "...ruining our planet in various ways, poisoning our atmosphere to the point where it's actually changing the weather and causing horrific weather patterns that are literally killing thousands around the world via fires, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic activity, etc."

    Please explain this comment. That is, can you prove humans are directly to blame for climate change? While it is true that all humans are sinners, and Yahweh may chose to punish sinful humanity in any way He so Wills, might it not also be true that climate change is His Way of disciplining His sinful children? Who caused the entire earth to be flooded and the Red Sea to part? Do humans have such Divine power? I think not.

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    1. The statement was not meant to "prove climate change". The statement describes some of the consequences of unwise human activity. Of course humans don't have "divine power", but, as the article states, Yahweh gave humans intellect. Humans have the choice to use that intellect wisely or not. On the whole, people have done a pretty miserable job properly using their intellect in taking care of the earth.

      Would climate change be Yahweh's way of disciplining His sinful children? I don't think so. Yahweh is not going to exercise His wrath upon ALL peoples, including those who are His.

      At the risk of oversimplifying a complex subject, the true, faithful believer will not be the recipient of Yahweh's wrath. The believer will of course be "caught up" in Yahweh's wrath (and caught up in the evil doings of others) but the wrath will not be directed on him/her. See, for example, John 3:36: "He who believes in the Son has life that is eternal, and he who does not obey the Son will not see life, rather the wrath of Elohim will rise up against him" and 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 which states: "For Elohim has not appointed us to wrath, but to the acquisition of life by our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach who died for us that, whether we wake or sleep, we might live together with him."

      Note that in the two examples you gave, the flood (Noah's time) and the parting of the Red Sea (Moshe/Exodus), Yahweh's wrath was upon the unbeliever, the unrighteous, not the righteous believer. In the case of Noah, only Noah and his family were found to be righteous and spared Yahweh's wrath. At the Red Sea, Moshe, the Hebrews, and the mixed-multitude were spared.

      Today, I think the unrighteous are "paying their dues", and while the righteous will have to endure the problems caused by the unrighteous, the true believer need not fear - for their gift remains eternal life in the Kingdom.

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    2. Are unwise human activities causing horrific weather patterns? That is, are these weather patterns the "consequence" of said human activity? No matter how much mankind has muddied the waters, so to speak, to think humans can actually control the climate is the height of insanity and arrogance, in my humble opinion. Only Yahweh has that power. Truly, aside from a nuclear war which would indeed have the potential to wipe all humans and animals off the face of the planet, I think your concern is misguided.

      No one is fully righteous, Liam. Only Yahweh's Son can claim that. Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" as did Miriam, the mother of Yeshua Mashiyach, but were they righteous? Moshe slew an Egyptian; was he righteous? I think not, but Yahweh chose him to lead His Chosen people out of bondage. Job was perfect and upright, but was he righteous? Yahweh forbid Satan to kill Job, but He allowed Satan to inflict all manner of suffering and loss upon him.

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    3. Anonymous, I'm wondering why you're fighting us on this? It seems that you don't agree with our article or any of Liam's responses. So be it. You have your ideas; we have ours!

      No one here has said humans have divine power. But it IS true that humans have indeed caused LOTS of problems on this planet - and that certainly DOES NOT require us to "be divine"....WE caused the "greenhouse" problems because of the exhaust from our automobiles, etc. WE caused the extinction of many animals "for sport"; and consequently the eco-system was seriously affected. WE are in the process of causing severe atmospheric problems due to our deforestation of the jungles which provide much of our oxygen. Google those things!

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    4. Anonymous,

      With all due respect, the article is not about "climate control" and the article does not CLAIM that humans are "controlling the climate"! As to our concern being misguided or not, consider that fracking has been shown to cause earthquakes (fracking is caused by man); 200 years of hydrocarbon releases has increased the average temperature of the earth (the overwhelming majority of hydrocarbon release in that time was caused by man); the deforestation of the rain forest has seriously upset the ecosystem (and this deforestation was caused by man). There are many other examples. Since the article did not say it, and no one here is claiming that man is controlling the climate, I will not take offense to your statement that it "is the height of insanity and arrogance". But I will acknowledge that that it is your opinion. On the other hand, I would state that it is the height of insanity and arrogance to think that man is NOT affecting the climate!

      Sir or Ma'am, aside from Y'shua, of course there is no one righteous, not even one! (Romans 3:10, referring to Ecclesiastes 7:20). But I would add that Yahweh shows favor to whomever He wishes and displays mercy to whomever He wishes! (Deuteronomy 33:19b). But let me ask you something. What do EITHER of the two topics you've brought up (climate control and individual righteousness) have to do with the topic of the article which was about our response to an atheist who was asking why his life seemed so good even though he denies God? Could you help Brandon, the lost fellow who asked the question in the first place?

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  3. Brandon is the one who is weak-minded, in my small opinion. Atheists cannot prove the non-existence of God, as much as they might desire to. Certainly Brandon's prosperity without belief in the existence of God does not begin to prove God does not exist! Further, and here is the clincher: NO ONE CAN DENY THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WITHOUT HAVING AN IDEA OF GOD. Even Einstein concluded that unless God exists, we are confronted with an unavoidable aberration in human reason. LIFE COMES FROM LIFE. DEAD MATTER CANNOT BE THE CAUSE/SOURCE OF LIFE. God is self-existent, the first Cause of all things.

    2 Esdras 9: 10-13 "All who in their lifetime failed to acknowledge me in spite of all the good things I had given them, all who disdained my law while freedom still was theirs, who scornfully dismissed the thought of penitence while the way was still open--all these will have to learn the truth through torments after death. Do not be curious anymore, Ezra, to know how the godless will be tormented, but only how and when the just will be saved; the world is theirs and it exists for their sake."

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  4. Brandon needs to consider the following logical premise, in my small opinion: NO ONE CAN DENY THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WITHOUT FIRST HAVING AN IDEA OF GOD. What is Brandon's idea of God? If he does not have an idea of God, does that in itself prove that God does not exist? Unless God exists, we are confronted with an unavoidable aberration in human reason (cause/effect). Even Einstein realized this. There must be a First Cause for everything. Check out Hall's Theological Studies for more discussion of this Truth.

    I would also present Brandon with this warning from God, given in 2 Esdras, chapter 9, verses 10-13: "All who in their lifetime failed to acknowledge me in spite of all the good things I had given them, all who disdained my law while freedom was still theirs, who scornfully dismissed the thought of penitence while the way was still open--all these will have to learn the truth through torments after death. Do not be curious anymore, Ezra, to know how the godless will be tormented, but only how and when the just will be saved; the world is theirs and it exists for their sake."

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    Replies
    1. EXCELLENT comments, Susan! RIGHT ON! Thank you so much for taking the time to add to this discussion.

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