Can Christians respect atheists?

[post-it]

Originally posted by radiochemist:
I have lost much of the respect that I had for Baptists and particularly Baptist ministers, who seem to make up the majority of the moderators here.
They are all for free discussion and debate, as long as it does not cause them any discomfort. When it does, they stop it. Not even ole Joe Stalin could do better.

Your respect for Baptist ministers and Moderators has nothing to do with the truth of your posts or their posts. Your comparison of the them to Joe Stalin was a very poor analogy, which may help you understand why most of your atheist beliefs may suffer from the same poor thought process and reasoning.

If you get a board up, will you let me run it the way I want to?

 

[ChristianCynic]

< Not even ole Joe Stalin could do better. >

Are you disappointed because you think your hero is being challenged? And why should Christians not see atheists as enemies because of him and those like him who think a state can rid itself of the influence of those who acknowledge a Supreme Being?

 

[Kachana]

And why should Christians not see atheists as enemies because of him [Stalin] and those like him who think a state can rid itself of the influence of those who acknowledge a Supreme Being?

So you should see me as an enemy because I share a belief (atheism) with Stalin, and Stalin wanted a state rid of religion!

By that rationale, I should see you as an enemy as you believe the sky is blue, just as Jeffrey Dahmer did.

 

[tulpje]

Funny! In Russia, they actually TAUGHT Atheism but people KNEW there was a god. Do you know why? Because people are born with a knowlege of God. That is why Atheists are without excuse. Even the gras and the sky and the ocean and the sunset testifies to God! And furthermore, God has writeen his law in our hearts so that we know right from wrong... our consciences testify to God also. When the Iron Curtain fell in Russia yiou had a bunch of people who had never heard of God but KNEW already and were eager and happy to learn. One of our churches greatest missions is in Russia we have built quite a few churches there! Glory be!

 

[Joseph_Botwinick]

Hello everyone,

Let's please get back on topic or else I will shut this thread down. Please ignore radiochemist as it seems he was only here to cause dissention among everyone.

Thank You,

Joseph Botwinick
Moderator

 

[post-it]

Ok, back to the topic.

I have enormous respect for atheists because 1, we all started out that way (from birth) and 2, the atheist has enough logic to figure out at some point that God does exists and everything the Bible says is true. It is just a matter of helping them see through "their" rose colored logic glasses. The only way to remove those glasses is by communication. Since atheist aren't usually found in the Church, we meet them here.

I have a real problem with Christians who call them our enemy or belittle them. They are worthy of our respect and patience. If God hasn't given up on them, why should we. If you think they come here just to turn us away from our faith, you are missing the point that they "care". Anyone who can care about these issues means God is working in their lives right before our eyes. It's those that don't care that can no longer be reached. They won't even talk about it.

If you are a skeptic, have you asked yourself why you are fighting so hard against this part of your life? Why is it so important to you, that you will spend hours debating it in an attempt to prove you are right? What is it inside you that is telling you that this issue within you is NOT SETTLED?

It isn't logical to be doing what you are doing about this subject.

 

[tulpje]

Someone was talking about Stalin. It's true.

 

[Joy]

kachana, I haven't been here in a couple of days, but I honestly understand where you are coming from with your question. We (Christians), do preach that without Christ, you will spend an eternity in hell, and that you are even deserving of it because of your sin!

Allow me to show you where I am coming from, and where the Bible is coming from. You see, the Bible teaches that all men have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) That would include every man that has ever lived! The Bible also teaches us that the punishment for sin is eternal death and separation from a Holy God. (Romans 6:23)

The Bible doesn't stop there, though. God provided a way to redeem man from his sin, by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place, and to rise again, thus finishing the transaction- paying it in full. All he asks of man is that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of our sins before God.

I did this as a child, and every where I go, and the people I meet, I want to tell them of this! My motive for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to offer them the salvation that I received freely of Christ. It is not my desire that anyone, any atheist die in their sins and pay eternally for them, when Christ did it for them if they would only believe!

I was once a sinner and on my way to hell as well. That is why I converse in earnest with those who will listen to the Gospel. I would like nothing better than to bring someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Think of it as someone yelling, "Stop! Don't go that way, you will die! Now, here is the way to life!"

 

[tulpje]

That was really wonderful and beautiful Joy! I wish that I could be more like you. However I have only one little itsy bitsy complaint. and I am not sure if for the first time I have seen the denominationtional differencences between us or not....but you said, "I was once a sinner." Aren't you still a sinner in need of a Savior? I mean don't you still sin? I know that I sin every moment of every day. That is why we have confession and absolution in my church. We are confession are sins and being forgiven. Aren't you still a sinner in need of a Savior? I'm not picking on you. It could have been a mistake on your behalf infact

I still love you.

Mary

[ March 25, 2002, 05:12 AM: Message edited by: tulpje ]

 

[tulpje]

oops wrong button...hehe

 

[Joy]

Mary, I should have said, "I was once a lost sinner and on my way to hell. Now I am a sinner, saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Do I still sin? You bet I do! But Christ has paid the penalty for all of my sins once and for all! This is not a license for me to sin. (read Romans 6!) I do however, have the assurance that because I have trusted the Savior for the redemption of my sins, that the blood of Jesus Christ has covered them for all eternity.

 

[Joy]

Mary, so we don't further hijack this thread, here is a link to more Scriptures on the assurance of our salvation.

http://www.baptistboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=38;t=000015

Please be careful on how you reply there, since it is in the Seeker's Forum, which is strictly moderated.

Joy

 

[tulpje]

I'm not sure that I understand what you are trying to say in that thread and I cannot post there because I am Lutheran and not baptist.

 

[Joy]

I just gave Scriptural proof for my eternal security in Christ, and then used a poem, written by a friend of mine, to summarize those Scriptures. It was just to show what I believe the Bible teaches about salvation.

The Seekers forum is for questions folks have for Baptists on salvation. It is not to be used as a debating area, but if you do have a question, you may ask it there. Just be advised that any debate is usually deleted, do the nature of that forum.

I led a Lutheran lady to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ when I was a teacher in the early '90's! Her name was Kristen. Lutherans, Catholics, Agnostics, Baptists ! We are all sinners and in need of a Savior who died in our place. God is not willing that any should perish!

 

[tulpje]

kristen sounds Swedish. She was probably in ELCA. They don't believe that the bible is the inerrant word of God-other than thatm I would have to say that Lutherans certainly understand that we are saved by grace alone by faith alone by scripture alone by Christ alone.

 

[tulpje]

I mean... I just don't understand what exactly you saved the Lutheran lady from? Joy, you are in Wisconsin right? Did you know there is a WELS church on every Street corner in Wisconsin I understand? I bet you know a lot of WELS and there are a lot of WELS schools around you. I would do ANYTHING(well almost-haha) to live out in Wisconsin! you don't know how lucky you are

[ March 25, 2002, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: tulpje ]

 

[Joy]

One little correction- I didn't save her from anything, but Christ saved her from her sins! She now attends an E-Free church in the area.

Yes, there is Lutheran church in every town here- sometimes 2 or 3 of them. I'm not sure if I would consider that lucky. (Being a Baptist of course! )

We have a few Swedes here, but mostly Norwegian! I'm a Frenchy from Connecticut, so I'm a little out of place here!

 

[radiochemist]

To return to the theme of this thread, everyone is an atheist with respect to most Gods that have been accepted in the past. Even Baptists are atheists with respect to Zeus, Baal, etc.

Are people bad who don't believe in Zeus? When one puts atheism in that context, it seems different somehow. Some christians claim that atheism is the root of many problems in this country, but I don't think so. It seems to me that there are very few atheists and they don't do much to cause problems.

 

[radiochemist]

>>>>I led a Lutheran lady to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ <<<<

Would she have been "lost" without your help?

 

[tulpje]

hahaha I'm a frenchy from Connecticut who wishes she were in Wisconsin. Don't ask me how I got mixed up with those Germans!

By the way, most of those probably aren't just "Lutheran" Churches those are "WELS" Churches. "Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod" churches. There's a lot of them out there, but very few out here in CT. I have to drive 35 mins to church. There are only two churches in the state! one in South Windsor and one way down in New York in Trumbull

What is so funny about that is that The WELS Church is actually very small and only about 4% of Lutherans are WELS Most of them are just in Wisconsin!

[ March 25, 2002, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: tulpje ]