Comments on: Atheist Wars

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:19:55 +0000

Thanks Lee

It sounds like there may not be much I can say to persuade you at the moment. So let me just offer these two remarks by Jesus Christ, which are indeed very important for every one of us:

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“Blessed are those who see their spiritual need.” (Matthew 5:3)

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

By: Lee Picton

Lee Picton — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:06:55 +0000

Your offensive, vomitous dribble is still offensive. There is no reason to believe in any god and your god is one of the most disgusting ever invented. You claim to know that I need god. You are an arrogant, condescending, patronizing twit. It is exactly people like you who have encourage me to fight for what remains of my life against the poison you spew.
Lee Picton

By: Chris Farace

Chris Farace — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:35:19 +0000

Lee, what is your definition of sin?
To believe that you are NOT a sinner, implies that you believe that there is such a thing as sin; and that you are not taking part in it.

I am telling you, we are all sinners and until you acknowledge that you are, you are unable to acknowledge your need for God to SAVE you from this sin; which He already has through Jesus, if you accept it.

Please let me encourage you, don’t shut your mind to the fact that there is a God, and that you do need Him.

Chris Farace

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:17:40 +0000

Thanks Lee

You have evidently shut your mind on this one, so no arguments of mine will be of much use. But to those who have an open mind, the claims of Christ are still worth investigating. The Bible tells us that the cross of Christ is offensive to those who refuse to believe. Jesus loved you and I enough to die for us. That is good news indeed. I will keep you in my prayers.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

By: Lee Picton

Lee Picton — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:15:05 +0000

I am still an atheist and still not a sinner, and your smarmy proselytizing is highly offensive to me. I do not need to hear YOUR gospel. It is not mine, nor do I want it. THere is NO afterlife (and don’t pull the old stupid Pascal out of your shabby theological hat). I will die. So will you. That is THE END.
Lee Picton

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:18:32 +0000

Thanks Lee

“I am not now, nor have I ever been, a sinner”. There are all sorts of sins. Pride is one of the more prevalent and subtle. The sin of pride is in evidence when we claim that we are just fine, doing nothing wrong, in need of no help, fully in control of everything. It comes in the form of thinking that we are the centre of the universe, and that we, not God, have all wisdom and knowledge.

Interestingly, there was a story last night on TV about a guy who went from rags to riches. He set up a mobile phone business and became a multi-millionaire. The story showed how he was now living the good life in his mansion, and so on. Less than 12 hours later, the morning news announced that he had died of a heart attack, age 42. He is now standing before his maker. “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

The truth is, we never know when our last breath will be. But Jesus took the sting out of death and the fear out of the future. If we acknowledge our sin and selfishness, and turn from it, and receive the forgiveness freely offered by Christ, we can know where we will spend eternity, and death need not be an issue for us.

That is the simple gospel message that you, I and every person on earth needs to hear.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

By: Lee Picton

Lee Picton — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:47:17 +0000

I am an atheist, largely because there is no good reason to believe in the existence of god(s). Or fairies at the bottom of my garden. There is no such thing as heaven, or hell, or the supernatural. No leprechauns, no Santa Claus, and no Jesus either. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a sinner, as sin is an invention designed to keep the credulous controlled. I am quite a cheerful person, and not the slightest afraid of death, though I am not crazy about the process of dying itself, preferring a sudden demise, if that is possible. I have nothing against theists, until they tell me what I MUST believe, in which case, I now vigorously resist, something I never did until a few years ago. I have joined the Freedon From Religion Foundation, among others, and am planning on leaving them a sizeable bequest upon my demise (though it will be much sooner if I can). I thank the efforts of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, George Bush, the Catholic Church, and every smarmy god pusher out there who has finally pushed me over the edge into activism. I have finally found my life’s work, and am content.
Lee Picton

By: Bill Muehlenberg

Bill Muehlenberg — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:16:29 +0000

Thanks Ashley

I am glad you are not angry. And you have a real grab bag of beliefs here. I am not sure if you are an atheist though. Many of your colleagues would argue that materialism is a concomitant belief to atheism. And if you reject creation, presumably you accept macro-evolution. Most proponents of evolution also assume a philosophical naturalism, or materialism.

Consistency is something we might discuss here. You say you believe the Bible, yet you say you deny creation. Without a creator God none of the rest of the Bible makes any sense. And where does the soul come from if there is no creator, and we are all just the product of blind, material forces?

And you say you support tolerance. But of course tolerance presupposes disagreement. You do not tolerate someone you agree with. Lack of disagreement may make for a peaceful life, but a dictatorship has a lack of disagreement. That is not the kind of peace I want.

But the real issue here is that of truth. If the truth claims of biblical Christianity are correct, then of course other conflicting truth claims cannot be. You seem to have an eclectic, cafeteria type system of beliefs. This is fine for eating at certain all-you-can eat places, but not as good when determining what is true.

And it is not a question of criticising other beliefs, but of determining what is true and what is false. I hope you continue to think through your beliefs. Not all beliefs are true, and some have very negative consequences indeed. Thanks for writing.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

By: Ashley Lynn

Ashley Lynn — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 03:45:35 +0000

I am an atheist. I have read this and I am not angry. I think it is unfair that every atheist or agnostic is often stereotyped into a radical. I do not agree with Richard Dawkins or Dan Brown when they say that religion is bad for our society. I was raised Lutheran, baptized and confirmed. I have seen, and in fact participated in, the good that comes out of religion. Yet I do not believe in God. I do, however, believe we have souls. I believe there is more to life than what is on this Earth. I don’t deny the Bible. I deny the story of Creation. I do not believe I will be judged upon my death. I believe in tolerance. I do not think that religion is the only cause of war. It is merely one, as is atheism. Maybe before you continue to criticize others beliefs, you could look at the whole instead of just a fraction. A tolerant life is a peaceful life.
Ashley Lynn

By: Jonathan Sarfati

Jonathan Sarfati — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:13:18 +0000

Steve Angelino :

The fact that atheism is increasing in the West suggests that many atheists must have had a Christian upbringing but have overcome that cultural influence.

Or else, they are in a culture where the educratic and media establishments are saturated with misotheism.

Conversely, as Michael Watts pointed out, Christianity is increasing in China, despite official persecution on top of state-funded antitheistic indoctrination.

Jonathan Sarfati, Brisbane