I grew up atheist for 16 years. I had always kept an open mind towards religion, but never really felt a need to believe in it. My sister started going to a Wednesday night children's program at a church. Eventually, I was dragged into a Christmas Eve service. Scoffing, I reluctantly went, assuming that this was going to be a load of crap, but when I went, I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling. Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples. he wanted me to follow him. Now, my life is being lived for Christ. He died on the cross for my sins, and the sins of everyone who believes in him. He was beaten, brutalized, struck with a whip 39 times, made to carry a cross up to the stage of his death. This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done. I still have my struggles with Christianity, but I've found this bit of information most useful. Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith. Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart. I invite my fellow Brothers and sisters of the LORD to talk about how Jesus has helped you in your life. No atheists and no insults please
The law, cultural expectations, the need to rely on others for survival (buying at supermarkets, building houses). I wouldn't say it's a BAD lack of free will, in most cases, but there are points where it's rediculous.
Ah I see. The way you see it we arn't allowed to do a lot of things so we don't have free will. But the way I see it you can do whatever you want. You're not forced to do much at all. Because you can still kill someone, but you'll be given the death penalty. It's your chioce to do it or not.
The way you see it we arn't allowed to do a lot of things so we don't have free will.
Kind of. I wouldn't say it's a lack of free will, and for the most part the things we're not allowed to do are for good reason.
But the way I see it you can do whatever you want.
Which in turn generally means you have to do something else on top of that.
You're not forced to do much at all.
Indeed.
Because you can still kill someone, but you'll be given the death penalty. It's your chioce to do it or not.
Yeah, but wouldn't free will be the ability to do something and not actually need to face responsibility for it? Your will to actually do something with consequence would be influenced.
Yeah, but wouldn't free will be the ability to do something and not actually need to face responsibility for it? Your will to actually do something with consequence would be influenced.
Oh! no I get what you guys mean. Well you could say that, but for every human it's different. someone might want to face a consequence if they like pain and know that the consequence involves pain. I feel like even at gunpoint I still have a choice. Do whatever the guy saids or die. Or try to take away his gun ect... Anyways say I wanted to die. I would refuse to do want he says and get shot. Say I wanted to live. I would do what he said and not get shot. But I still have free will. I can choose to live or die.
What if it was something potentially dangerous to someone you know / love? Some people might do it in that case to survive.
Yeah it really depends on the situation, it can change your decision drasticly.
But the conditions you're put in is not part of free will - you didn't choose to be in that situation. You lose control, in that sense.
You lose control in one way, and gain it in another. Now you have new options.
That's still an influence on free will ^^ If it's what you want, and the person seeked pain ,it's more or less a win win, but still a consequence
Yeah there will always be things that influence you. But you can still choose to do things. Free will doesn't have to be perfect. A least not to me. I guess it depends on the person's view of things.
Yeah it really depends on the situation, it can change your decision drasticly.
Thus my point ^^
You lose control in one way, and gain it in another. Now you have new options.
Dying was always an option though, was it not? The only difference is it'll be via criminal act.
But you can still choose to do things.
It's more or less how you react with what happens that determines free will.
I guess it depends on the person's view of things.
Life essentially dictates that one man can't live alone - nothing is in your complete control and as such the perception of free will isn't whole but is certainly sufficient.
There are already National Registrys for convicted sex offenders , ex-convicts , terrorist cells , hate groups like the KKK , skinheads , radical Islamists , etc..
False comparisons ftw.
Frankly , I donât see why anyone would oppose this idea â" including the atheists themselves ( unless of course , theyâre actually ashamed of their atheist religion , and would prefer to stay in the âcloset.â ) .
In which case we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism
1) Atheism isn't a religion. 2) Why in hell would anyone want a list so a bunch of fundamentalists could come try and "save" you by coming to your door daily.
What do the Christians on here think of this? The Christian National Registry of Atheists
*facepalm* That is embarrasing. How can they even compare all atheist to sex offenders. This is rediculious. On top of that he called atheism a religon. I hope this doesn't actually go through. We're supposed to have a seperation of church and state. We can't just dump atheist in with registered sex offenders and say people have a right to know about them. You might as well keep a file on everybody else too.
What do the Christians on here think of this? The Christian National Registry of Atheists
'
Disgusting. As it has already been compared to sex offenders: I find the whole idea of registering someone based on their lack of belief horrible. It's singling out a group of people and making the very reason their atheist more understandable >.>
