What if I told you no one is going to hell?

Let me ask you another question that I like to ask people of faith who are thoughtful. What should be the genesis (no pun intended) of faith? Clearly, there must be a reason why you have faith in the first place. I could claim that I am a god and that I can't prove it, you must simply have faith and you would (very correctly) decline to have such faith. What causes you to have the faith in the first place in god and Christianity?

Once you have the faith, I can understand all your viewpoints...but those viewpoints, naturally, don't work for someone who doesn't already have faith. What originally convinced you that this was true and that you should have faith in it? Where do you think someone who doesn't have faith should find sufficient reason to start having faith?

"From whence does faith spring?" is a question that has always interested me.

 

Wonderful response! Repped!

 

I can give my personal testimony. I was once atheist and hated God. The testimony of my brother turning from drugs and becoming "ON FIRE" for the Lord planted the seed. It still took years for faith to creep in, but it eventually did. I attended church and somehow the message just pierced my with deep conviction. I felt a warm embodiment of love, guilt and pressure to go up to the alter. When I arrived, the pastor asked why I went forward. I honestly didn't know and just responded "I'm sorry". Then I was lead to the Lord.

Anyway, out of my personal experience, it seemed the kindness I received in the messages from my pastor "Who I believe was from God using him as a vessel".

It could be different for other people, but I'm sure we could gather much data from millions of converts.

 

Here is a testimony from a previous "atheist blog writing" convert

http://www.testimonyshare.com/testimony-of-an-atheist/

A bit of who he was before he got saved

 

Do you ever break down in tears of joy when you see other's get saved? It happens to me all the time.

 

I should have been more specific. I hated the concept of God.

 

I mean, cool and frightening, right?

 

Thanks for the thought. I especially like and agree that we do not need to know everything.
I don't expect a man ever will.

 

Thanks for the responses about faith, PtldPlatypus and magnifier.

It interests me in a somewhat epistemological sense: if we start from no knowledge and no biases (no being born into families that raise children in a religion, making it the default setting for them), what are the things that should lead us to believing in a god (or gods) that pursue a policy of not demonstrating their power obviously and instead require faith. Should there be logical precepts that lead us there, should it be that we feel an emotional resonance with the belief structure or is it just that we should wait to have a personal experience of being touched by god that removes all doubt for us?

Knowing when to believe in something that (purposely) leaves no evidence behind and when not to is an interesting question, I think.

 

You are most welcome.

As for your second point, I have a few answers.

1.) Christian outreach to those that may not know him.

2.) Humanity are a very curious creature. I think it is in our nature to seek truth. Quite possibly one may just stumble into Christianity by their own curiosity? I would mention the other religions, but we are directing all these questions towards Christianity.

3.) I think your idea of evidence isn't all evidence. I believe God living through people is a form of evidence. But we had that debate in the other thread.

In the end, I wish you nothing but the best in pursuit of truth. It was a pleasure debating you... I had a great feeling that you actually read what I wrote and actually tried to make sense of it.

 

I always enjoy discussing things with people who are civil and put thought into their responses.

 

How can you be an atheist and hate God? An atheist doesn't believe in God.

 

Did you not read my re-write to barfo?

 

Ha! I did.

You know I asked myself one day, why do men need God? Then I asked, why do men need religion?

Not knowing the answer or even the possible answers to either question, I set out to study, read, read everything I could find on the subject that I could read. ( I didn't learn Hebrew or Greek)
After about six years I satisfied myself that there were multiple reasons for both question. Then I read the Declaration of Independence and understood it for the first time.

 

See you in Heaven brother

[video=youtube;urlTBBKTO68]https://www.youtube.com/embed/9_HYbUJV_Xs?autoplay=1[/video]

Atheist meeting God. And btw atheists, you will enjoy it

 

It would be the same type of purely emotional experience for most, although most would be converting to the religion of their particular culture or heritage.