People are not atheists because thats what makes the most sense for them. They are atheists because they love their sin and insist on remaining in rebellion to God. So they get rid of God.
Rom_1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
This is so far from the truth and just wrong. Atheists understand that propensity of people to believe in faith based religions in general is a matter of genetics. I'll tell you personally that one doesn't need god to understand not to be a jerk let alone not to kill etc. The 10 commandments are there for those that don't inherently understand being a good person and need something to follow. They also believe fully and completely in self-accountability. There is no "satan made me do it" or "ask god for forgiveness" - everything lies on one's own shoulders. We atheists find wonder and amazement in nature - including the pareidolia of a galaxy looking like a human iris. Back to genetics - if a population would benefit from more faith based followers, the genes make this happen over many many years.
And how, do you suppose, random chance gave Man that understanding? We seem to have a built-in standard of good and evil. In Romans 7, the apostle Paul says that there is something in him that agrees with the law of God, that it is good. But he shows we have a glitch in our system, because we tend to not do the good that we know, and do the evil that we know not to do. And when one violates that standard, there is no way out. It is always there condemning you."Out Damn spot" we cry, but there is no washing it out.
Is it "the law of God" or is it merely the best chance of survival for our genes? I'm not saying there is no such thing as good and evil, but I do not believe these exist outside of one's self. I have studied the bible very in-depth and have been deep inside an organized religion in my youth and into my early 20s. Got really into translating the original Hebrew and Greek and taking original meanings of scripture... when done this way what can be seen is much more self-accountability. For just one example, there is no supernatural Satan in the old testament and every single use of it comes from a Hebrew word meaning "adversary" - and taken in that context it greatly changes much in the bible in general. I'm not discounting some life lessons one can learn from the bible, but its divine nature I do not agree with. As an atheist I fully believe someone has it in them to do good and to do fairly to others just as much as they have the ability to do evil and to harm others. I think living one's life as true to yourself as possible can be achieved sans-scripture.
Having studied the original languages you know there are 3 words that are translated "life." There are bios (biological life), psuche (psychological life), and zoe (God's eternal uncreated life). God is life (zoe), Christ came to remove the barrier so that God as life (zoe) can come into us as life (zoe). Otherwise, you live your life (bios & psuche), whether good or evil, and then you die.
People are not atheists because thats what makes the most sense for them. They are atheists because they love their sin and insist on remaining in rebellion to God. So they get rid of God.
Rom_1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Now name those inconvenient things...God isnt messing around.
Anything that is not heterosexual!
This is so far from the truth and just wrong. Atheists understand that propensity of people to believe in faith based religions in general is a matter of genetics. I'll tell you personally that one doesn't need god to understand not to be a jerk let alone not to kill etc. The 10 commandments are there for those that don't inherently understand being a good person and need something to follow. They also believe fully and completely in self-accountability. There is no "satan made me do it" or "ask god for forgiveness" - everything lies on one's own shoulders. We atheists find wonder and amazement in nature - including the pareidolia of a galaxy looking like a human iris. Back to genetics - if a population would benefit from more faith based followers, the genes make this happen over many many years.
And how, do you suppose, random chance gave Man that understanding? We seem to have a built-in standard of good and evil. In Romans 7, the apostle Paul says that there is something in him that agrees with the law of God, that it is good. But he shows we have a glitch in our system, because we tend to not do the good that we know, and do the evil that we know not to do. And when one violates that standard, there is no way out. It is always there condemning you."Out Damn spot" we cry, but there is no washing it out.
Is it "the law of God" or is it merely the best chance of survival for our genes? I'm not saying there is no such thing as good and evil, but I do not believe these exist outside of one's self. I have studied the bible very in-depth and have been deep inside an organized religion in my youth and into my early 20s. Got really into translating the original Hebrew and Greek and taking original meanings of scripture... when done this way what can be seen is much more self-accountability. For just one example, there is no supernatural Satan in the old testament and every single use of it comes from a Hebrew word meaning "adversary" - and taken in that context it greatly changes much in the bible in general. I'm not discounting some life lessons one can learn from the bible, but its divine nature I do not agree with. As an atheist I fully believe someone has it in them to do good and to do fairly to others just as much as they have the ability to do evil and to harm others. I think living one's life as true to yourself as possible can be achieved sans-scripture.
Having studied the original languages you know there are 3 words that are translated "life." There are bios (biological life), psuche (psychological life), and zoe (God's eternal uncreated life). God is life (zoe), Christ came to remove the barrier so that God as life (zoe) can come into us as life (zoe). Otherwise, you live your life (bios & psuche), whether good or evil, and then you die.
I understand.