Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Are Atheists more honest than Christians?

What the hell did I walk into here? A religion thread during a full moon. Next time I'll know better....likely not.
The original OP's question...my answer is a person decides to be honest I think because he respects those he is being honest to, regardless of religion or no religion. But that kinda sets me up poorly, because it seems to me women are less likely to be honest with others, than men. Women, when angry, envious, intimidated, tend to be sarcastic, which is passive aggressive anger, rather than be up front. Which is really crazy, because, IMO I'd think folks would treat others the way they want to be treated; so if they want honesty from others, they would be honest. So then does that mean us women really don't want others to be honest with us?

Oh heck, its a full moon, I don't know.

Sorry about that.

But its quite possible your stuck in the same judgmental mode that you attribute to the Christians you sought to apply the "dishonest" label to.

I don't think they are all like Mother Teresa, or even close.

If it has to do with me inferring your post was a trolling work, I think it was.

But I guess if you were trolling for serious answers, you got a lot of stuff to wade through.


It can be easy, but often times its not.


Cut me some slack if I come across a little rough.








Pray to God while not under duress.

most so called christians need that crutch to lean on. i do not.they actually think they can hold that over your head and be better then you.and yes,they think they are better then you.its a power struggle just like everything else in life.

just don't push it on me.

I'd rather leave the question of the true existence of a deity open,neither proved nor disproved. I am not interested in absolute answers. Some matters are best left to faith.

On the issue of "honesty", you are as likely to be screwed over by an atheist as a Christian,and more likely by members of certain sects whose religion considers it an obligation to lie to infidels.

Honesty is probably a Christian value of human conduct,along with others that we hold as self evident in our society,and TRY to practice but no one, regardless of belief or religion,can follow scrupulously.Because we are humans. But this does not mean that we can't have "standards" of conduct.And religion and faith have provided those "standards",whether you are an atheist or true believer.We see them everywhere in our legal system.

I do know one thing.....in the political context,you better believe in something. Because if you don't,you open the door to questions such as where your rights come from;whether you are born with them, or whether they are granted by men through government.And if so, they can be taken away by those men or governments.

This is the underpinning of our Constitutional system. Attack religion,abandon it altogether,and the rest crumbles. Watch out what you do.

I will scratch you off my list of people to tell about Jesus.

Hopefully, it's this type of post that drives folks AWAY from atheism.

Driving others away? Just....WOW????

Really?

I choose not to express myself in what you think is positive light.

Half the questions you ask me are along the whole "Are you still beating your wife?" line of thought.



So you are saying that a person only has faith if they were brainwashed, looking for a "feel good", taking the words of another person without thinking about it, or hinging it on the Bible without thinking. And those are your words, paraphrased, but that's what you meant.

I am not compelled to play your game, and my payment for this is you saying I have not thought about my position or am not casting myself in a positive light.

You toss it around like you got a logic filled superior upper hand, and there is no way I am going to convince you otherwise.

I know this.

For the record, none of those 4 apply to me. The only one that could come close is the "feel good", but to be honest, I'd feel a lot better, even aside from the whole forgiveness issue, if I knew things would just be dead when they are dead. I've been an instrument of evil far too many times, but that's the way it is.

And for all intensive purposes to folks who don't believe, life sucks, by any definition man uses to gauge happiness. Frankly, I think it sucks quite often, but I'm uplifted enough from different things to know what I know to be Truth is right.

It's not my world, and it certainly isn't the "Jesus Lite" world of flowers and butterflies that all the atheist cite that the lack thereof is proof it isn't true to begin with.

As far as the Bible goes, I have to reconcile that with my faith. See, I didn't really read it before I got on board the train. And I didn't have a pastor, or anyone aside from a few experiences when I was a kid to even address it.

In fact, most of my exposure to Christianity was hanging around with all the other atheists for most of my life.. And I was the prime proponent of the "suffering disproves God" argument.

You could reference my conversion to my wife, of course, but then again, I never attended church with her for the first 6+ years we were married, choosing to stay home and watch TV and such.

She had little to do with my change, but was happy to see it, I bet.

And you guys can cite my general snarky disposition as an indicator of my "bad Christian example" but you certainly have read the Bible, probably more analytical than me, tell me Jesus wasn't sarcastic.

I'm not saying I'm as good as that, but I'm trying.

I will not be the one to convince you folks one way or the other, and if I do, it will be an accident (deus ex machina), so don't feel like you will gain much by arguing with me, unless you need to convince yourselves more.

In the grand scheme of things spreading the Gospel means telling folks about Jesus. You, AS, and probably Mojo already have that info, so technically, there's not much need to discuss it further on my end.

Especially if the premise is to deduce if Christians are less honest than Athiests, or whether or not they still beat their wives...





BTW, can I get the "wonky" statement on a T-shirt? Round these parts, most folks use the term to describe oral hygiene. I think its good to see it used proper-like.

Mojo, how have I "driven others away?" That is contrary to my life's intention and I don't see that I've done it here. I haven't read all of this thread carefully but I think you are perceiving something that's not there.

It seems to me that in an agitated way you are not seeking answers here but rather put up the OP for the controversy that it would instigate.

However, if I am wrong please explain that to me, here or in a PM. Or [/b] ask [b] a question.

Edit: and can you elucidate on "Just....WOW?"

"Can you think of an evil action that can only be committed by a religious person?"

Being man-made, "religion" in and of itself,is no defining line between humans as far as moral behavior.

Atheism is just as valid a "religion" as modern Christianity.[have you ever noticed that the spellcheck function capitalizes both words?]

Belief in a Supernatural Force commonly referred to as "God" is a function of man's Spirit, so "spirituality" is the proper dividing line between humans.

So... to answer your question.... Doing evil to a fellow human in the name of some "god" can only be done by one who professes a belief in that god.

Of course.. if a man uses "Science" to justify his non-belief, then for practical purposes he has made "Science" his God, because it quells his natural spiritual yearning.

He can then slaughter babies in the name of HIS god.

So, I reckon the answer to your question is..."NO".

Sweet Jesus, you are obtuse.
You started with what animals know Dr. Dolittle. No bait taken, I'll wait to prove about some magical guy living in the clouds knowing everything you do and realizing that you might be the only one more stupid than Eyeball.

Ironic and logical fallacy.



Projectionism.

Which is only a difference of opinion.

Kent

O K..... with regard to your clarified question:

I claim that a man who keeps his mind open to a "self revealing supernatural power" is more intellectually honest than a man who closes his mind to the possibility of such a supernatural power.

"God in the Dock" by C.S. Lewis is the best essay on this subject that I've found.

Just as a man who keeps his mind open to "No supernatural power existing' is more intellectually honest than a man who closes his mind to the possibility that God doesn't exist?

You make people who are going to hell have nightmares about going to hell.

Thanks for your story. I grew up hearing such tales told with the same conviction, so when I've been the recipient of such "visions" as yours, I was not quick to try and explain them away.

Those "Riff-Raff Pointers", as I knew them, were crosses between English Pointers and English Setters.

When you mate two dogs that each point birds, you are almost certain to get pups that will point birds.

But a couple of human Believers are apt to beget a child that declares from the outset that there ain't a damned thing in the Universe superior to his own intellect.

Thanks for probably the best post ive ever read, however some here would ask why you didnt get a picture of your young grandad and others can explain your experience away due to stress, fear or fever. You know, if it didnt happen to them ....

You evidently skipped over the "self revealing..... " aspect of my description of a supernatural power.

Look at it this way..... At one point in time I was ignorant of the existence of a guy named Scott.

Then, I became pretty sure a guy named Scott existed because I read his posts on this forum.

Then he showed up to go hunting, and I became CONVINCED of his existence.

I can stay open to Scott revealing more about himself, good and bad, but to remain open minded on the question of Scott's existence would be beyond stupidity.

BTW.... God's revelation to me was even more convincing than yours.