No, it's not "end of story". It's human nature to want to find definition.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

There may or may not be eternal ramifications for your beliefs.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

K I may be an idiot..but i have NO clue what you just meant..

by Anonymous 13 years ago

ramifications = consequences for actions, but not necessarily bad consequences. I just meant that believing in one or the other may or may not get you into heaven/hell if there is an afterlife at all.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Eh, well I see it this way; The religious have not and probably never will, prove to [others] that God exists The Atheists have not and never will, prove to [others] that God doesn't. It's a 50/50 (from an outsider's point of view) chance of either being right.. I'm an Atheist.... Not because I believe it to be positively true(I'll never know)..I just have a hard time with religion. It's annoying when others assume I'm against religion. I'm all for religion; it has brought people together. It's just not for everyone, one of them being me. But yea, even though I am an Atheist I know that religion has just an equal chance of being right. Because..really, has Science proven everything? Nope. however I do believe in it, Like I said; it's all theories.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

So why go with the side that has no potential eternal benefits if both sides have equal chances of being right?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

The same reason why many are Religious. Maybe not you, but a lot of Christians were grown up in the church. They look at stuff like Evolution and say "phooey" I live in an area where society doesn't really have to do anything with religion. What I'm saying is: I'm an Atheist because I don't BELIEVE in God. But I still ACKNOWLEDGE that there is a chance that he exists.. There's two sides and even though I agree that both sides have a chance with being right, I'm still going to choose a side. As for the "eternal benefits".. Eh If I'm going to hell, then I'm going to hell. The ONLY way to be a true Christian(and receive the benefits) is to follow the bible wholeheartedly. Which is a lot more than just believing in a God. I could be lazy..But I just can't imagine myself reading the whole bible and following it to heart. I'm messed like that. I can however, acknowledge that it could be right.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I'm sometimes surprised at how much more atheists understand about religion than many people who claim to believe in God. So you would consciously choose to go to hell because you're too lazy to read a book and try to apply what it says (if in fact the religion is the correct side)? That either makes you the king of lazy or means you have a serious problem with something about religion. If it would make it easier, I could sum it up in 1000 characters (one of these little blue talk bubbles) or less. You could still choose to be an atheist after reading it, but at least you'd know what the other side believes.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

When did I ever say I understood religion? All i said was that both sides have a chance. Sure I'm lazy. I'm not the only one. And so what if I go to hell? 5/6 of the world population would go. Along with the innocent Indonesian girl who have not even heard about Christianity to accept or reject it. If they're going. Then so am I. And yes I could still be an Atheist if i chose to read it. But I would still be going to hell.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Woops. Might have misread your first "paragraph" wrong. Thought you were stating how Atheists assume they know more about religion when they don't. My bad. ;s

by Anonymous 13 years ago

K, no problem. Hell is "damnation without relief;" just because other people will be there doesn't mean that it will be nice in any way. Missionaries are doing all that they can, day in and day out, to make sure that no little indonesian children (or people of any age, any race, anywhere) will have to live their lives without having had a chance to be saved. Some areas are still officially 'unreached,' but that's only because there are more languages than missionaries. We're trying the best we can, but sadly that's not enough. K, if you've decided to believe in nothing and do the noble thing of suffering with the rest of the world, then go ahead. But consider this: wouldn't it be nobler to tell that little indonesian girl about God and heaven yourself and save her instead of merely suffering with her?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Of course I would tell her..or maybe just lead her to you. xd I know other people being in hell won't help it. That's the point of hell, to be the worst thing you've ever felt, Nothing to relieve the pain. But think about it; it's MUCH more than just believing in God. You would have to follow all of it's teachings(for me, change of lifestyle). Know the bible by heart..Might seem simple for you to do..but for someone like me it's a lot... It's not that I want to go to hell..but it's like asking you to attend and sit through a bunch of 'scientific meetings about evolution' And if I'm going to go to hell for not doing the above mentioned..Then so be it. It's not that I don't want to, like I said, religion is great. But it's just not for everyone. I just CAN'T(might not work for you). No offense, but even sitting at a temple for an hour alone is agonizing enough for me. But hey, if I ever in my life managed to become a true Christian then great..but until then..

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Very few people know the Bible by heart, and I'm not one of them. That doesn't mean I'm not a Christian though; I try to spend time reading the Bible every day (often forget) and try to live out what I've understood of what I've read so far. People mess up. I mess up probably more than the average person, but luckily, being perfect isn't part of the requirement for believing in God. And, luckily for you, Church is one of the most optional parts of Christianity (in my opinion). It's just a place for people to go when they want to know more about God or a place for believers to gather regularly to be encouraged in their faith. I'd say it's optional as long as you don't mind pursuing God alone, and can stay accountable to yourself. And going by what's in the Bible, the church is every Christian—not some building. What's now commonly known as the Church is just a meeting place for the Real Church (the hands&feet of Christ; carrying the good news to the world etc.)

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Just wondering.. Do you belong to a denomination? because for ONCE I have met a DEVOUT Christian,over the internet, who is not arrogant, and tries to shove something down people's throats.. I've met a lot of Christians who assume that what they believe in is 100% FACT and that my views don't matter. But you actually acknowledge the chance of God's non existence, You say "I believe" instead of "I know for a fact" etc.. Wow....never thought I would see something like this. BTW. I am open to becoming a Christian.. Of all the religions it's the one that pops up most in my life. I've had people explain to me the 'basics of Christianity" it's just hard for me to "understand"..especially in the world I mainly live in.. I'm just a hard rock to turn...

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I don't believe in denominations as they're not Biblical, but I've been in presbyterian, methodist, and nondenominational churches over the past few years if that matters. Just a note: I do believe what I say as 100% true, but if I'm talking to you about Christianity then isn't what YOU think about it the most important thing? I mean, my views don't help you if you don't agree. May I ask what parts you don't understand?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

It's not just parts, it's the whole of it. Like I said, I was raised in a city that is definitely on the 'evolution" part. My province's curriculum(I just graduated) in Science included things like Plate tectonics which they tie in with fossil dating, and of course the "evidence" are things like animals that migrated across the continents, that can be explained by a supercontinent called Pangaea etc.. It's hard to accept something when you've been taught things that contradict it.. Especially when you start hearing about in Grade 4. I guess what I'm trying to say is, that it's not that I don't "understand" it like, literally. I just have a hard time grasping it. And yes, I know that what you believe in is 100% true to you. It's just when you are talking to me, a non believer,,, You respect my beliefs(not sure how to phrase it)..compared to other people..

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Ok. Well, I sincerely hope that someday you grasp Christianity, but it seems that I cannot do more to nudge you in that direction. so unless you have anything else to ask me, I will take my leave.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

You say you're trying to help save others, but it seems like you just want everyone to believe what you believe.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Like I said at the beginning of all this; there may or may not be eternal consequences for whatever you believe; if there isn't then it doesn't matter but if there is then your beliefs would be the only thing that matter because life is temporary but eternity isn't. Believing something is important.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Half the people that believe in God haven't read the whole Bible, and the half that HAVE read it don't follow EVERYTHING that it says So the aethiest who doesn't want to read the whole thing aren't very different than that half of the "Christians" who claim to believe.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

There's sin in the world. No one's perfect; following the Law part of the Bible (all of the rules) is impossible, but then there's the mercy part of the Bible (forgiveness). No one out there is perfect, but the goal isn't to be perfect. The goal is to learn to Love God and people in the best way possible. The difference between atheists and Christians is what they DO believe about what they've heard from the Bible. Reading the whole Bible is helpful and useful, but there's a basic message which the rest just expands upon.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

There's one fact you guys missed about the bible, Apollo and Anon, if a person has never heard about the word of God, they won't go to hell. So this Indonesian girl you guys keep discussing who never heard the word of God would most likely have been sent to Heaven according to the Bible. Paul discusses this in the Roman chapters. You're judged by the knowledge you do have of God, so that implies if you've never heard the word of God you would get a free pass to heaven. And also Anon, you're sounding more like an agnostic than an atheist (based on what you're saying) If you're atheist you are not going to acknowledge there is a chance God exists, that would be an agnostic belief.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

(Not same anonymous) "If you're atheist you are not going to acknowledge there is a chance God exists, that would be an agnostic belief." Not really.. Agnostics don't KNOW which to follow. Although, the other anon may seem like an agnostic, but for other reasons.. You can still be an Atheist and know there is a chance of God. In fact, they seem less arrogant to me, because even though they believe there is no God, they ACCEPT the fact that they have no evidence. And what do you when you have no evidence? You accept the fact there might be a God. or at least..that's to REASONABLE thing to do. It's like the political debates b/w Democrats and Republicans. Most Americans are on either side, believing that their side is the more "correct" one. Yet neither side has the guts to say that "we positively are sure that we are the better one" when they have no evidence. Anyways, to me, they seem more a of "soft-core"' Atheist..

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I've been waiting for someone to post this! I've never been able to word it like you did

by Anonymous 13 years ago

If only it was end of story D:

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Thank you!!!!!!!!! As much as we all love to debate our sides, maybe people will see you're post and realize they need to stop.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I"ve read the comments thus far, and to the religion advocates, how does a person with no current sides pick a religion? If I'm not mistaken, believers of other religions go to hell in the eyes of another religious group. If that's the case, then if Muslims are correct, the wouldn't well-meaning Hindus be screwed? If anyone's curious, what I personally do is try to live my life honorably and honestly, though agnostically, and assume that any deity will judge me based on that, rather than what book I believe.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Ummm did everyone forget that evolution is fact NOT theory, google it.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Evolution doesn't disprove God. Google it.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

No one can prove evolution...therefore it's theory.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

it has been proven. Therefore, it's a fact. It has been made very clear that it is a fact.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

And yet there are tens to hundreds of questions they can't answer, and challenges they can't explain. Btw, Follow your own advice. Search "The Law Of Evolution" and then "The Theory Of Evolution". It's theory.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

it has been proven. Therefore, it's a fact. It has been made very clear that it is a fact.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

It's more like the people one side have all of the proof, while the other side sits in church and puts their fingers in their ears and sing hums really loudly so they can't hear the corous of overwhelming evidence against them.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Someone said that someone from a different religion would go to hell. I don't know how it works in religions besides Christianity, but I have learned that everyone gets accepted into Heaven. That's not an excuse to go around doing bad things, but God loves everyone, as I was taught. I can see either side of the story (evolution/religion) but I choose to believe in God because it's an anchor that keeps me sane. He helps me through tough times, and no I haven't read the Bible. So just let other people have an opinion. That's how life works.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

i believe in god but i dont believe you have to follow everythin to get to heaven, i think you just have to be a good person and try to do your bit, i dont think you have to go on religious missions and give to every charity to get to heaven but hey i could be wrong. if i am wrong then about i in a million would get to heaven and the rest of us would go to hell or purgatory

by Anonymous 13 years ago

i have a way to solve this....come judgement day, who is going to heaven

by Anonymous 13 years ago

i find it in no way the end of the story, people for all of the excistance of humanity have tried to explain the universe, whether god shows himself to the world or scientists find the 'god" equation is only a matter of time. i, as an atheist, personally am willing to spend my life to find the truth of the universe. whether its seeing god in my own eyes or doing countless hours of research. I am divoted to figuring out what happened

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Learning to spell may help.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence" Christopher Hitchens. It is up to the believers to prove it exists, it is not up to others to prove it doesn't.

by Anonymous 12 years ago