Christian Forums

The name's Dex, sorta lurked this place for a while and I was encouraged to actually register by a member already on here. Not likely to post too much of my own views, (I'm an atheist and, y'know, the terms and conditions) so I'll probably lurk here. Hi anyways.

Hi AA
I am interested in why you want to be here if you are athiest? Of course you are welcome to look, but just wondered why.

Hi Dex.

I also am curious why you have been lurking here ...

Well my mom, Leanne, has an account on here and that's how I found out about this place (internet history can be a fickle thing) and I sometimes have a snoop, mostly amusing myself on your political and theology boards. Well Mom espied me on this site ( right now I have a deal with her where I abstain from all drugs and sex for as long as I can -which the latter is way harder than I thought- because she was really stressed and if I didn't want to ad to that. I also said I'd give her any opportunity to convince me back ) so she suggested I actually make an account if I were to ever to actually talk to you guys should that "help me find my way back to the flock" or something.

Glad to know that we amuse you,   but hope that you do come to know how amazing Jesus is for yourself one day.

Don't take it personally, you're not a perfect collective so why should I judge all as such? ;)

Hi Dex, and welcome to Grace Centered.

Whether or not to believe in God, is one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make; anything in this life cannot compare with the possibility of eternity.  I urge you to investigate it thoroughly, and truly understand the unwarranted speculation necessary to see a world without intelligent design.  This may shift your worldview from atheist to at least agnostic, and that is a start.

Take the time to read through the Gospels, about the teachings of Christ, even if those not inclined to believe in His divinity seldom deny his wisdom.  And even if it might feel silly to you, talk to God before you begin, ask for understanding and faith.

I am pleased to hear you are taking a step back from drugs and unmarried sex, both fill a void inherent in many men; that void is very real but the drugs and sex are a weak substitute for the truth of what fills that need.

I have faith that if you take those first steps to seeking the truth you will find it, and be amazed at where that path takes you.

God bless you.

Cheers,
Carey.

Hi,

Yeah, I find science really interesting actually and I would have to say that not much has convinced me of any sort of inherent design as of yet. I am agnostic, I'm an atheist as well (that is, I claim any knowledge of a god and so there's nothing to support belief in such a phenomenon).

Funnilly enough, reading the bible was what deconverted me 6 years ago. I'm not good with faith, I have a really hard time accepting things which aren't supported, I'm a bit of a cynic that way.

Yeah, there's a void, but I mostly did it for mum and I don't think I can keep it up.

Thanks for the Welcome Carey.

Your welcome,

On the differentiation between agnostic and atheist, although they may not be mutually exclusive, I have always felt of the agnostic as being a bit more open minded on the possibility of God, hence my distinction. 

As for cynicism, apply it equally to not only religion, but to science as well.  Much science sounds very convincing, but when one looks at the supposition from which some theories arise, he/she may come to realize faith is involved also. 

Anyway, glad to have y'all with us, hopefully we can change your mind about a few things.

Peace,
Carey.

Oh, I'm open minded to the idea, as I am for other ideas which there is no evidence supporting of such.

Seeing science is applied skepticism, then that comes naturally. Faith, that is I'm guessing unconditional trust, is a little antithetical to that seeing science is more of a method than an entity.

Yeah, happy to be here, you've at least got a nice community spirit.

Interesting to see a young one with an open mind.  Most "atheists" I have encountered are very closed minded and take "no god" as an indisputable article of faith. (as contradictory as that sounds)

And of course you know how difficult it is to prove a negative. That is why it becomes an article of faith.

I applaud your stance.

Quoteright now I have a deal with her where I abstain from all drugs and sex for as long as I can....

Did you not have a thread started asking "How" does one do that? 

I have been debating on an answer to you but the thread seems to have vanished.

Look past the Bible to the underlying story. It is consistent, self-deprecating, and lines up quite well with psycholgy as far as wellness is concerned.

Welcome, but understand that we sometimes become defensive, and then too we think we know each other and make assumptions about each others' motives and views. When we do that, we act like well, people.

And then there are those who disagree with my theology. They're entertaining from time to time, but they're wrong of course. ;)

Quote from: DaveW on Mon Nov 04, 2013 - 10:18:00

Quoteright now I have a deal with her where I abstain from all drugs and sex for as long as I can....

Did you not have a thread started asking "How" does one do that? 

I have been debating on an answer to you but the thread seems to have vanished.

Yea, I just checked now and it isn't there. It might have been considered "encouraging premarital sex" by virtue of me giving context and saying I don't see the harm, the reasons I gave for it were just for concern for another not really being the mos solid motive. I'll ask a mod about it later or tomorrow perhaps.

Quote from: Adeptus Astartes on Mon Nov 04, 2013 - 17:53:12
Yea, I just checked now and it isn't there. It might have been considered "encouraging premarital sex" by virtue of me giving context and saying I don't see the harm, the reasons I gave for it were just for concern for another not really being the mos solid motive. I'll ask a mod about it later or tomorrow perhaps.

http://kshainline1.hubpages.com/hub/Why-Teens-Should-Not-Have-Sex

Why Teens Should Not Have Sex

Teenagers are faced by a common misconception that they are not cool unless they have sex. This causes a lot of drama in schools, as well as a lot of issues that sex creates. Sex is for people who are mature. Sex has a lot of consequences.

High School already has too much drama. Teens who have sex only add to that drama. In this society we think of sex as acceptable and some actually encourage sex to those who are not in a committed relationship. Also we have a completely sexist view of sex. We think of Men who have sex all the time as awesome and cool, but we think of women who have sex all the time as easy or whores. I do not know where any of these concepts came from, but they are all wrong.

Sex is meant for those who are mature. There are a lot of emotions that result through sex. These emotions come out because of the strong bond that takes place during sex. Many times young kids start having sex and the relationship ends. This devastates at least one of the partners because they are not mature enough to handle sex.

=I am in no way endorsing the behavior, I'm just answering what my motives are in response to a post directed at me on an exclusively personal level, mods may edit if they deem appropriate=

Although most youth are pretty progressive, the majority here in Texas is not so using promiscuity as a means of climbing social ladders is unproductive if that was my motivation. The reason why I did it is because a on my 14th birthday a friend of mine, a year and a half older than me, thought she would give me a present. It felt good, I liked it and, with a lot of things like knowledge or spicy food or that feeling I get for helping out a charity, I have a seemingly unquenchable thirst for more. I don't do it to be cool, I would be pretending to be straight and Christian if I wanted acceptance (which would fail, I'm a notoriously bad liar). Like somebody who hasn't eaten food, I have a hunger for experience and what I do fills the gap for a while.

Yes, I hate that double standard and am glad that it is on the way out. The idea that a girl should restrict herself anymore than a guy is abhorrent. Like I said, There are enough progressive teens around who have a very casual idea towards sex, seeing that demand from youth for condoms, contraceptive pills and STI screenings are like a thing. With that I generally end up with like minded people and I haven't once been in a situation where anyone was mistaken it to be anything more than a casual experience. See most partners that I see regularly, we see each other no more than friends. I've never had a girlfriend or anything like that for this reason. My best friend Mitchell find the idea that I'm anything more than a his best friend as laughable, he couldn't take me seriously in that context. I understand why that would be something to looks out for others but for me and those I've encountered it doesn't really appear to be a thing.

There's a good quote that sums it up I reckon;
"Don't mistake pleasure for happiness. They are a different breed of dogs."
~Josh Billings