QUOTE(lord_muad_dib @ Aug 4 2007, 06:14 AM)

it's worse when peoples do flames for those matters....
I'm not flaming anyone for their personal beliefs. I'm saying how foolish it is to profess atheism, and then in the same sentence to say that if it turned out that there was indeed a God of the universe, and it became universally known, that someone would do nothing about it.
That is what is so ignorant.
I'm trying to think of a metaphor for how stupid this is. The only thing that came to mind is it's almost as if you won the lottery and instantly had 150 million dollars in your bank account, and then did nothing. Sure, you
could do nothing. I'm not saying you
couldn't. But it is seriously just retarded.
Sure, you could use the argument "I enjoy my life as it is, I don't need the money." And, "I am fulfilled with everything as it is, anyway." And that even can all be
TRUE. But you would still have a million uses for each MILLION dollars that could change EVERY FACET about your life, and the lives of others. It wouldn't even have to be all about you, you could donate the funds to Africa. You could donate the funds even to the poor in America, for goodness sakes.
If I came on here and said I wont the lottery a couple years back, and had 150 million in my account, and didn't do anything about it, people would be in an uproar. I'd get messages up and down, left and right, telling me how stupid and self-centered it is,
even if I don't personally need or want the money. You could do
something.
I don't know if it's necessarily the best metaphor, but it's the only thing that comes to mind. To make a statement like the previous poster is grossly uneducated. And
I think I reflect the sentiments of every intellectual on this forum, atheist or Christian, when I say that our common goal is to make people educated, and stop walking around in ignorance.If it became officially known that there was indeed a God, then everyone is forced with the fact that he's real. And just for conversation's sake, lets assume that the God in question is the God described in the Torah and Bible (and similarly in the Quran, although Hebrews and Jesus-followers would contend with the Quran in its entirety). That would mean that there is a heaven and a hell, an eternal afterlife, and our decisions in life have incredibly deep and long-lasting implications.
If all of this is true, and one takes the stand, "Meh, I'll go on with life as normal," then they are incredibly foolish. I'm not saying that it's not an option. Your life may already be filled with happiness, and you may already be fulfilled in your pursuits. But if a God is real and he insists on following him as a requirement for eternal life, then who cares how happy your life is, you're screwed in the end.
And finally, you could take the rebellious attitude of "There's this great big God and he forces me to worship him to get into heaven, well that's bullcrap. I'm going to just do the opposite and say screw him." Well, you could do that, but congratulations, your just going to a crappy eternity in a crappy place. Was it worth it? (Presupposing that God is real).
There are two important things that come to the surface when considering this question. The first is how mature you are in your intellect. The second is how self-centered you are. Not in a traditional "selfish" way, but rather how much you are able to think outside of your own little bubble.
Okay, so there's this big God. If you're not mature and you're still at the center of your own universe, this cramps your style. You don't want to change your life, and it sucks. But if you're an intelligent person, and you can realize that the universe is a lot bigger than you, then you can understand that there is a grander picture at stake here. The world doesn't revolve around me and what I want. And apparently there's this big God all of a sudden. At the
very least, I want to understand more about this God and what the story is. When you take the time to understand what the story is, with genuine curiosity that this God is real (or in our real-life case,
potentially real), then the story becomes this amazing poetic narrative about the God of the universe reaching out to humanity, which is constantly in a state of this same self-centeredness. It's amazing that a God so big and with so many bigger and better things to do would step out and try and establish communication with humanity, not even to mention have a deep and intimate relationship with individual people. God is just as potentially real as he is potentially not real-
literally. So whether or not it cramps your style, it is worth your time
to take the time to find out.
Many "atheists" have never taken the time to sincerely ponder the question. I am sad for the genuine atheists who have to put up with the pseudo-intellectuals surrounding them that claim to be atheists. These people are just as stupid as the Christians who are Bible-thumpers and never use their brains. These "atheists" parade around a flag of intellectualism, when they are themselves guilty of never actually doing the homework and research. I know for a fact that all of the atheists I know in my life have never read the Bible, only heard the occasional verse or snippet. People just know Christians who are hypocrites, or mistakenly think that science and faith are in contention with one another, so they eliminate the Bible as an option. (Both atheists and Christians mistakenly believe this about Christianity, that faith and science are in conflict. To clarify: In atheism, faith is in conflict with science. In Christianity, science is not in conflict with faith. People simply mistakenly believe this.)
If you are sincere in your pursuit to find truth, and you are of maturity and intelligence in the manner in which you approach life and this topic, you need to take the time to figure these things out. It's not enough to just shoot from the hip off of assumptions, and the way you think life is.
Take the time. Respect your brain (and potentially your eternal soul) enough entertain the question. Because as any genuine, true atheist will tell you- God is just as potentially real as he is potentially not real. Make an educated decision.
It may help to stop referring to it as "Christian" or "Christianity." I shy away from the terminology in these social circles, because of the connotations: The Crusades, the Religious Right, Fundamentalism, you name it. If I say the word "Christian," these are the subconscious (or very conscious) connotations that come to mind (in this social sphere). It may help to think of it more as a study and following of Jesus.
Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter. To make the statement "I would do nothing" is certainly a possibility, but it is entirely stupid in every way that you can possibly look at it.
-3nigma