Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? - Religion - Nairaland
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| Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by goodguy(m): 10:29pm On Oct 28, 2006 |
I started this same topic on another forum. So far I haven't got any replies. So I'll put it forward to you guys here. Someone on that forum made this statement: "God won't punish you and send you to hell if all you are always trying to do is the right thing" This got me thinking. As we all know, atheism is simply a lack of belief in a deity. And being an atheist does not make the person evil either. Therefore, if there is an atheist who is always trying to do good (there are so many atheists like that), and he practically succeeds in doing good throughout his life time, even better than those who believe in God; is he still going to be sent to hell? Thanks for your anticipated responses. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by Nobody: 11:37pm On Oct 28, 2006 |
The atheist without salvation is no more than a qualified card carrying member of Hell! 1 Like |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by Damest09(f): 11:43pm On Oct 28, 2006 |
It is simple, without salvation that is confessing and accepting Jesus Christ as your personal lord and Saviour, you will burn in hell and not even rot. Simple as A B C. Salvation is the requirement and Holiness is the visa to HEAVEN. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 12:05am On Oct 29, 2006 |
goodguy, It is heartwarming to see that you show this level of kindness to atheists, not all your religious brethern show the same courtesy. However, the question in itself is really meaningless for an atheist like myself. We die, we rot (in the ground, not in hell, that is  ) |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by dominobaby(f): 1:24am On Oct 29, 2006 |
The truth be told, i've pondered on it too, but the bible has the final say- Jesus says 'i am the way, the truth and the life' there's just one way to heaven- that's through Jesus, accepting Him as your Lord! |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by naijacutee(f): 9:15am On Oct 29, 2006 |
But atheism, no matter how 'good' your intentions are - is a blatant rejection of God. Therefore, how can you be saved by Someone you choose not to believe exists? 1 Like |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by layi(m): 12:57pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
The question is self contradictory. It might sound good but ideal is not always reality. How can you reject the existence of GOD and still hope to make heaven? Who's heaven? Urs or GOD's? Remember that "our righteousness is as filthy rags" so our[i] good [/i] wont take us to heaven. Only obedience will, |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by dominobaby(f): 1:39pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
I guess the atheists themselves aint bothered bout any heaven when its existence isn't even believed in. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by goodguy(m): 2:35pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
So even if they do the will of God throughout their life time (unconsciously though); I mean, he never stole, he never killed, he never fornicated, he had a very high moral standard, he was very benevolent to others, was never a drinker nor a smoker, he practically lived what I can best describe as a "holy" life; are you guys telling me God will still send them to hell (a place of eternal torment) simply because they did not acknowledge Him? Not even that He has another place reserved for them apart from heaven and hell? You mean they'll rot forever in hell just like that?  |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by dominobaby(f): 3:25pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
Obedience is better than sacrifice. Jesus remains the way. There's no way a human being, born of flesh can be so so 'good' as to be equated to 'righteousness', it takes the grace of God. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by naijacutee(f): 4:06pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
goodguy:Again, why would you blatantly reject the existence of God but all of a sudden hope to be saved by God? If an atheist expects for God to acknowledge them on the last day, then they should acknowledge God now. Jesus said (paraphrase) If you are ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of you before my Father. Simple. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 8:10pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
naijacutee:Belief is not something you choose. You either do or don't. Belief can be faith based or evidence based. I cannot be swayed by the profoundly irrational preposition of faith and the evicence for the existence of God is very meagre indeed. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by kimba(m): 8:42pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
@goodguy As we all know, atheism is simply a lack of belief in a deity. And being an atheist does not make the person evil either. Therefore, if there is an atheist who is always trying to do good (there are so many atheists like that), and he practically succeeds in doing good throughout his life time, even better than those who believe in God; is he still going to be sent to hell? I think enough has been said on the issue of JESUS AS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. goodguy: I never stole, fought, killed, fornicated or whatever is not the whole essence of sin. Those are the sins that others can see. How about the hardness of heart against God? how about rejecting God? Yes, you can give alms to the poor 365 days of the year 24/7, but if your heart is hardened against God, what do you say about that. You dont have to become a monk to abstain from fornication. Even as a monk, once you allow lust against a(one) woman to take over your heart, even in the monastry while doing 'service' you are a sinner already. I never stole, fought or whatever is all morality. One can grow up to be moral, naturally good. Like me, when I was a kid, I was a good kid, coz my dad was no nonsense-no bullshit. You cant even try half-of-a-bullshit in my house. So me boy was a GOOD BOY!, I mean G+O+O+D. But did that make me a Christian. nah, i was awaiting the day of freedom when I would go to boarding school. Now, I really wonder why Atheists - (who claim they dont believe in God, or rather they dont acknowledge him) still fear where they may end up. Atheists should know where they are going, abi, If you dont believe in God, then don't fear hell, and don't wish for heaven, just wait and see, You can always give us the report!!! |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by goodguy(m): 9:19pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
naijacutee:I doubt if they really hope to be saved by God since they do not even believe He exists. I asked this question in respect to what God himself would decide personally. Remember His ways are not our ways. naijacutee:How can one be ashamed of what he does not believe in? kimba:How can their heart be hardened against someone they believe doesn't even exist? Is it possible to reject that which you do not believe exists at all? kimba:I doubt this statement. Atheists who do not believe in the existence of God definitely cannot believe in the existence of heaven and hell. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by goodguy(m): 9:42pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
Okay guys. Someone replied me on the other forum with the following verse: "In flaming fire taking vengance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ". - 2 Thessalonians 1:8 |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nosa101(f): 11:33pm On Oct 29, 2006 |
There is no exemption for Seun if that is why you are asking |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by Bobbyaf(m): 6:04am On Oct 30, 2006 |
@ Goodguy The reality is Jesus is Saviour of mankind. That is either true or not. You can't have it both ways my friend. Its possible that an athiest may live the moral life, or trod the moral road, but that is not enough, and can never be, to warrant such a person life eternal. Fortunately, there have been countless athiests who have come to see Christ as Lord and Saviour. The only good a person is capable of is when he or she allows God through His Son to live inside us. It is Christ who works within to empower us to do good. Listen to what Jesus said: John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Also Jesus realized that as humans we are weak and proned to doing wrong, and lack the strength, and that is why He suggested the following: Matthew 11:28-30 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by kimba(m): 7:34am On Oct 30, 2006 |
@goodguy How can one be ashamed of what he does not believe in? How can their heart be hardened against someone they believe doesn't even exist? Is it possible to reject that which you do not believe exists at all? Yes it is possible. It is because you don't want to believe in the ultimate fact that 'JESUS IS'. - (past, & present continuous T) I believe you understand ENGLISH. so, tell me: is there any other mediating word/factors between the following words: - BELIEVING IN SOMETHING and DISBELIEVING IN SOMETHING - ACCEPTANCE and REJECTION The thought running through your mind, "they are opposites", right. Fine, so if you dont believe in Jesus, its same as disbelieving HIM. If you don't accept him, you are merely rejecting him. You can definitely put the rest together. Abi!!! |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 9:36am On Oct 30, 2006 |
kimba:Incorrect, you cannot reject something that has no meaning to you. Rejection implies acceptance of existence. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by olabowale(m): 3:35pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
Part of what Layi wrote yesterday is as follows; It might sound good, but ideal is not always reality. Same day, Dominobaby wrote; There is no way a human being, born of flesh can be so 'good', as to be equated to 'righteousness'. it takes the grace of God. My concern is that if you fuse the two above together, you will actually find a rather more complete truth. If you apply the litmus test of the Uniqueness of God to it, it will completely go against the position that Christianity, using the thesis of Paul, for the most part as elevated Jesus. The Ideal, even though it sound good, is it plausible and therefore true? Is it not that Jesus was born of flesh, through his mother? Is this type of vessel, the fatherless and nonconjugal conception/birth of Jesus, so unique to the animal kingdom or today's many ways of conceptions? In the animal kingdom, the soldiers and the workers of this colony is from unfertilized eggs. Worms and other simple animals, like amoeba reproduce by asexual means. Even now, there is test tube baby birth and other form of artificial inseminations. In general, God has a unique nature; He has no beginning, no end, does not have any resemblance to mankind. He is unique in all respect. He is indivisible. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 3:43pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
olabowale:In other words, God is inscrutible and thus above, below, beyond and totally separated from rational discourse. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by olabowale(m): 5:12pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
@nferyn: Is it then your opinion, based on religious inductrination, that God is similar to any of His creations? |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 7:19pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
olabowale:No, only that the God concept is epistemologically empty and thus of no value. The God of the Bible is a very self-contradictory figure with a lot of attributes that make him extremely unlikely. When looking at the standard theological explanations of God, one can only conclude that their God is not the God from the Bible, but by doing so they effectively explain him out of existence. 1. I do not believe in the vengeful, malicious God of the Bible (especially the character from the old testament) 2. The theologian's God is nothing but ratonalisation and weak philosophy ergo God is meaningless and (most likely) does not exist To put it differently, when considering the fact that the introduction of God in any explanation of the universe explains nothing and only adds extra baggage, it is a violation of Ockham's razor. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by olabowale(m): 11:07pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
@nferyn: Could you then tell me how the universe and all that it contains are such in perfect order, consistently, for this long. I mean from the time of the Big Bang (Command; BE). Let use the earth as a very good example. How is it that it has remain to traverse its orbital ring, without going out of that charted path. How is it that it has not bursted and pulverized into dust, knowing fully well that there is a continous and active forces in its core, eg volcanic activities, platonic activities, below the earth surface,etc, etc. Is there any mutation in the nature, that when it is examined, it will be separate and different from that one things its mutated from? Why is it that human physiology has remain distinct and has not mutated. So that you know, I am not a christian and therefore, I do not subscribe to the Bible. But i do believe in God the Almighty. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 11:36pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
olabowale:All depends on what you mean by in perfect order. Many physicist would not really describe the universe as such. If you mean the question why the cosmological constants are so well tuned to make existence possible, many possible explanations exist, e.g. the multiverse hypothesis (multiple universes exist in parallell) or the possibility that these constants are just expressions of more fundamental forces that we do not understand yet. Even though the probability of having a universe such as ours is very low, that really is question begging, as, we are in the universe and it does exist. A good analogy would be the probability of winning the lottery: even though anyone's change of winning is extremely small, nobody is going to say that it is not possible to win the lottery. As a matter of fact, the multiverse hypothesis even undermines the argument from improbability. olabowale:It is highly improbable for the universe with billions of galaxies which most containining billions of stars not to have planets on which the conditions that allow life to form. We happen to be on one of them. olabowale:I don't get your point. There were times in which the earth was geologically far more active than now and still life existed. As for it not to burst or pulverise into dust: why would that be? olabowale:Meaning? olabowale:Oh, it definitely has: current homo sapiens is very different from archaic homo sapiens, which is very different from earlier hominids, which is very different from the comon ancestor of all great apes, which , , , , , You get my point  olabowale:Good for you, but why? |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by Seun(m): 11:54pm On Oct 30, 2006 |
Good for you, but why?What you learn when you are very young remains with you for life. It's extremely painful to have to admit that your life is built on a lie. So even when people have doubts about a religion, they hold on desperately to it. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by goodguy(m): 9:17am On Oct 31, 2006 |
kimba:I'm not quite sure. But. . . kimba:Rejection, I believe, is a conscious decision to refuse to accept something you believe and know exists. I guess you should be able to put the rest together abi? |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by Drusilla(f): 9:36am On Oct 31, 2006 |
Someone please explain what an athiest is? Or answer this: Do I fight against my sister in law, when she in her insanity tells me that Janet Jackson stole her car outside? Do I tell my sister, 1. you don't own a car. 2. Janet is not outside. 3. your just insane. Of course not. My sister is insane, and I just get her the medicine and help ensure she takes it. I do not argue with her delusions. I certainly do not name myself and categorize myself based on her delusions. I am not sane, only because she is insane. I would be sane, if she was sane also. Would athiests still be athiests if religions in other people did not exist? I question calling people who actively argue against God, athiest. What are we calling athiests, here? |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by efgr100(m): 9:42am On Oct 31, 2006 |
Atheists is notthing but a mere principle created out of a man's philosophy ideal. The man you may not know but you may partake in his retribution.atheists can be morally good but what is good in poison ?atheism is one of satan stronghold. it is all about establish the fact that there is no GOD.then will GOD hold him who is disproving his existence guitless? pls let everyone flee for his dear life. REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 10:17am On Oct 31, 2006 |
Seun:I understand that, Seun, but we should all face the music. People cannot on the one hand say that they have evidence for God and that their beliefs are rational, when at the same time they always retreat into faith the moment their assumptions are exposed as irrational.Good for you, but why?What you learn when you are very young remains with you for life. People can have all sorts of reasons to believe, but anyone claiming that his or her faith is a conscious, rational choice is either ignorant (most people) or intellectually dishonest (e.g. theologians). |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 10:28am On Oct 31, 2006 |
Drusilla:Someone who holds no belief in god/gods. Drusilla:If you're trying to say that your beliefs are not contingent on the existence of other beliefs, you're right. If you're trying to say something else, I have no clue what you're trying to say Drusilla:How do you arrive at that conclusion? Drusilla:Of course the would. Atheism is not dependent on other people's beliefs, either in a positive or in a negative light. Drusilla:Why? God-belief is irrational and irrationality can bring much harm. It's up to the theists to show that their belief is rational - something no theist has been able to do. Lots of rationalisation, no rationality. Drusilla:I don't know what you're calling atheists. Many people have misconceptions about atheism, especially when they try to juxtapose it against agnosticism. |
| Re: Will God Send Good Atheists To Hell? by nferyn(m): 10:42am On Oct 31, 2006 |
efgr100:Principle of what? What is man's philosophy ideal? I'm affraid you are clueless efgr100:What man? Retribution for what? efgr100:Flaky analogy. Did you take your pills today? efgr100:Who is this satan character? Never met him. efgr100:What is all about establish the fact that there is no GOD? You cannot prove a negative, you can only disprove a positive. Define your God and he can be falsified. Keep your definitions unintelligable and nothing can be said about God, either positive or negative. efgr100:Again you presuppose God's existence without a shred of evidence. You don't make sense. efgr100:And you reach that conclusion based on what exactly? 3 Likes |
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