Reasons for disbelief in the Christian God

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Succinctly, please explain what free will has to do with a child dying of a terminal illness?

Free will resulted in the fall of man which brought about the curse, which results in death and disease. Thanks to Jesus, death has no sting.

Assuming the child gets to spend an eternity of bliss in Heaven, death doesn’t sound so bad now does it?

If atheism is true it’s a hopeless case.

@sonhouse

How about the really dumb story about Noah and the flood. So this alleged god gets so ticked off with one nasty tribe of humans, it prefers to kill all the land animals except for the few on the Ark. Sure. It could happen.

It is very interesting how people can be so flippant and nonchalant about evil doing. That is until evil doing happens to THEM. That is until the victim is them. Then they cry out for justice.

You should take the story of Noah to be God's warning - "Yes, actually things COULD get THAT BAD."

Now I respect that some of these things take time. But consider soberly. When you look out on trends, tendencies, fads, and developing behaviors of people, do you ever wonder what is keeping things from going completely berserk ?

Seriously now. Do you ever get the feeling that something is restraining society from suddenly slipping down into an abyss of violence ?

A couple of stories in the Bible is God warning us not to underestimate how LOW a godless culture could sink.

"And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5)

"And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth." (v.11,12)

Don't be too quick to think - "But it can't happen here." Even Frank Zappa knew that.

@dj2becker said
Free will resulted in the fall of man which brought about the curse, which results in death and disease. Thanks to Jesus, death has no sting.

Assuming the child gets to spend an eternity of bliss in Heaven, death doesn’t sound so bad now does it?

If atheism is true it’s a hopeless case.

Everyone dies and nothing really matters in the long run if Atheism is true. When and why we die would be a crap shoot, nothing that could occur in time holds no more importance than anything else.

@kellyjay said
You are making a value judgment are you not? God cannot be real “if”, and you choose children dying of cancer. You accept one and not the other as one is okay an not an insult to the idea of a good God.

Is it okay as long as those affected are not complaining? That would be convenient and really dispel your selective moral framework suggesting it is only because you disli ...[text shortened]... not be real but are okay with the larger killer of life because it is acceptable by you and society!

Have we ever discussed my views on abortion?!

I am asking here why 'God' allows an innocent to suffer when He apparently has the power and heart to prevent it? (An innocent who hasn't been brought to their suffering by choice).

@dj2becker said
Free will resulted in the fall of man which brought about the curse, which results in death and disease. Thanks to Jesus, death has no sting.

Assuming the child gets to spend an eternity of bliss in Heaven, death doesn’t sound so bad now does it?

If atheism is true it’s a hopeless case.

Life isn't hopeless, even without your inactive God.

And there was no 'fall of man.' Get with the program already.

@kellyjay said
Everyone dies and nothing really matters in the long run if Atheism is true. When and why we die would be a crap shoot, nothing that could occur in time holds no more importance than anything else.

This sentence merely confirms you have zero understanding of what it means to be an atheist. Zero.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
This sentence merely confirms you have zero understanding of what it means to be an atheist. Zero.

I beg to differ it may certainly matter what happens to you and others here now. As time goes by you and everyone and everything will matter less and less to the point everything about you vanishes into a void of nothing as if you never were, if this is all there is.

@kellyjay said
I beg to differ it may certainly matter what happens to you and others here now. As time goes by you and everyone and everything will matter less and less to the point everything about you vanishes into a void of nothing as if you never were, if this is all there is.

The fleetingness of existence makes life more precious, not less.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Have we ever discussed my views on abortion?!

I am asking here why 'God' allows an innocent to suffer when He apparently has the power and heart to prevent it? (An innocent who hasn't been brought to their suffering by choice).

You are making a value judgment on the whole of reality, based on the death of children with cancer. You could have said abortion, wars, murder, rape, anything you don’t like. As if you can link them to is God real! I believe your choice was a good one, for saying this is bad. Others may not care about those deaths so why is it a proof or evidence either way? Your condemning God by your standard of right and wrong?

@kellyjay said
You are making a value judgment on the whole of reality, based on the death of children with cancer. You could have said abortion, wars, murder, rape, anything you don’t like. As if you can link them to is God real! I believe your choice was a good one, for saying this is bad. Others may not care about those deaths so why is it a proof or evidence either way? Your condemning God by your standard of right and wrong?

No. I am condemning God by His own standards, as clearly laid out in the Bible. (You have already stated elsewhere that God can not contradict himself).

@ghost-of-a-duke said
No. I am condemning God by His own standards, as clearly laid out in the Bible. (You have already stated elsewhere that God can not contradict himself).

No, you are condemning God not as the world is, but as you want it to be. In God there is no contradictions!

@kellyjay said
No, you are condemning God not as the world is, but as you want it to be. In God there is no contradictions!

God has provided a clear message regarding the innocence of children and the value of life. It is a profound contradiction if, in spite of this, He allows the suffering of an innocent (especially while claiming to be all-powerful and perfectly loving).

@ghost-of-a-duke said
The fleetingness of existence makes life more precious, not less.

Like grass here today gone tomorrow

@ghost-of-a-duke said
God has provided a clear message regarding the innocence of children and the value of life. It is a profound contradiction if, in spite of this, He allows the suffering of an innocent (especially while claiming to be all-powerful and perfectly loving).

Well show me the contradictions outside of your personal taste. Scriptures are clear why all of this is going on. Where are you getting your scales to justify how you are accusing God? Outside of its not how you would run the universe!

@kellyjay said
Like grass here today gone tomorrow

Sorry to hear you equate life with grass. I have already stated life is precious, despite being transitory.