Comments on: Atheists

By: George

George — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:55:26 +0000

Maybe we should define “VOID”. I just don’t see a void for not believing in religious stories.

By: rick

rick — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:12:02 +0000

“A person can be a nominal Christian and have just as great a void as an atheist.”

I believe that it’s equally possible to be a devout Christian and have as great a void as an atheist, or as small.

By: George

George — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:30:31 +0000

I think you are wrong about a person having a void in their life when they leave the belief system of the LDS church or even a belief in Christ. Any void they feel would be from losing the associations with their freinds and family.

I read this week where Billy Graham was asked how he knew the NT was true and the answer was because the people 2,000 years ago did not object to the writings about Chirst. The first thought that I had was the NT was written after they people who knew Christ would have been died and the Catholic Church did not allow anyone to read it who was not a Priest for hundreds of years. I thought “What a crock answer he gave”.

I am interested in hearing how humans have a void in their lives that needs filling and only a belief in a story can fill it.

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:43:01 +0000

Kim, I think those who leave Christianity may or may not be creating a new void in their lives. It’s obviously possible to have a Christian identity or association, but not really have a true relationship with Christ or with the Holy Ghost. A person can be a nominal Christian and have just as great a void as an atheist.

Of course, there are also those who depart from Christian practice without ever departing from their belief in Christ. This, as Elder Bednar pointed out, happens for a wide variety of reasons.

By: George

George — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 20:34:38 +0000

I can ony give my thoughts, I believe there could be a God or Gods that manage creation. To me, the LDS religion was made up and continues to be made up as they go along. The Christian religions were also made up. All religions look made up by man to me. They have their good points and their bad ones but a made up story is still a story and nothing more.

Accepting the story about Christ is a cultral thing. The void I see an atheists would feel is being left out of the group.

The interesting thing for my family is that since we stopped attending church, we are a lot happier and love not being ruled over by some HP. We do miss the fellowship and have thought about attending some kind of church for fellowship but have not done so yet.

The belief in a magical authority has left and yet the belief in a God or Gods is still there.

I am waiting to hear how sinful I am for not subjecting my family to more of the LDS faith or story.

American style Football is still a sport and soccer is something children play.

By: rick

rick — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:44:17 +0000

“gaping void” “counterfeit”
Wow. When someone uses loaded words like this it’s just begging for a response.

…

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:05:31 +0000

Interesting thoughts, ltbugaf. I am not disagreeing with you or saying you’re wrong, but it made me wonder about something else. If atheists who choose Christianity do so to fill avoid, why do some Christians leave Christianity? Wouldn’t they be creating that void in their lives? If so, why would anyone choose to create a void in his/her life?

By: ltbugaf

ltbugaf — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:17:48 +0000

I think many atheists begin to see the gaping void in their lives and feel the need to fill it. They seek after the only thing that can fill it properly—the only thing that isn’t a counterfeit.

By: rick

rick — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I think most atheists leave atheism because they get offended...or they can't live up to the standards of atheism.

...or maybe they are just lonely.

But seriously, many things I've read have associated a change in one's beliefs with a crisis or other life-changing incident. I'd say that regardless of the event, be it the sight of an angel, a miracle, or the death of a loved one, you can be assured that people tend to reevaluate their lives during times of stress.