How can an atheist become a Christian?

[BlackLight]

Nine times out of ten, when a Christian claims they used to be an atheist, what they really mean is that they lived their life without really considering the question of God's existence (which is very easy to do), and behaved as though God didn't exist (to a certain extent). These Christians will tell tales of their former lives of drinking, drugging, partying, and carousing, and claim they were "atheists." In truth, they were just living their lives a certain way, and God's existence (or lack thereof) was never on the table.

ShockOfGod is definitely an example of this.

 

[Charlie Dodd]

If anybody likes Jesus, they automatically become a christian, it's as simple as that..
He said he wants PALS, not robots.
The bottom line is he was a thoroughly nice guy, so what the heck is there NOT to like about him anyway?

JC to the snooty priests-
"Youre full of shit"

(PS- I can provide the relevant chapter and verse numbers if anybody wants me to)

 

[Prolescum]

If anybody likes Jesus, they automatically become a christian, it's as simple as that..

Nothing is ever "as simple as that". I like Marx, but I am not automatically a Marxist.

He said he wants PALS, not robots.

I will leave you to ponder the irony of that.

The bottom line is he was a thoroughly nice guy, so what the heck is there NOT to like about him anyway?

It is the cults and religions that use his name, i.e. Christians that are generally at issue, not Jesus' character. For what it's worth, you must believe in the Adam and Eve fable (the genesis of original sin) to buy any of the reasons Jesus is famous in the first place, which is, well, risible.

Also, welcome to the forum

 

[australopithecus]

I like the concept of Jesus, a hippy with socialist values preaching peace, love and long walks on the beach at sunset. Still don't make me no Christian.

 

[Charlie Dodd]

I like the concept of Jesus, a hippy with socialist values preaching peace, love and long walks on the beach at sunset. Still don't make me no Christian.

You like Jesus so surely that makes you a Christian?
How would you define "Christian"?

 

[Charlie Dodd]

I like the concept of Jesus, a hippy with socialist values preaching peace, love and long walks on the beach at sunset. Still don't make me no Christian.

You like Jesus so surely that makes you a Christian?
How would you define "Christian"?
PS- you mention the word 'hippy', so as a matter of interest Jesus's cousin John was a bit of a hippy, a world-rejecter living rough in the middle of nowhere, dressed in near rags and eating wild food, sometimes going in town to yell insults at the snooty priests and corrupt rulers.
Jesus's verdict on him?- "John is the greatest man ever to be born" (Matt 11:11)

John v Herod and his floozy Salome-

 

[australopithecus]

I like the concept of Jesus, a hippy with socialist values preaching peace, love and long walks on the beach at sunset. Still don't make me no Christian.

You like Jesus so surely that makes you a Christian?
How would you define "Christian"?

Someone who believes in the divinity of Jesus as the human incarnation of the Hebrew god, and all the mumbo jumbo that entails.

Also, I said I liked the concept of Jesus. Never said I liked Jesus.

 

[Prolescum]

I like the concept of Jesus, a hippy with socialist values preaching peace, love and long walks on the beach at sunset. Still don't make me no Christian.

You like Jesus so surely that makes you a Christian?

What if he's a liar? Is he still a Christian then, despite "liking Jesus"?

 

[Laurens]

I like the concept of Jesus, a hippy with socialist values preaching peace, love and long walks on the beach at sunset. Still don't make me no Christian.

You like Jesus so surely that makes you a Christian?
How would you define "Christian"?

I don't see how that necessarily follows.

I like some of the Buddha's teachings, but this doesn't make me a Buddhist because there are a lot of his teachings that I reject (rebirth for example).

 

[Nemesiah]

Technically speaking all christians are converted atheists as no child is born with a certain religion hardwired, it's only that at an early stage the brainwashing is so much easier and tends to stick better.

 

[Visaki]

Technically speaking all christians are converted atheists as no child is born with a certain religion hardwired, it's only that at an early stage the brainwashing is so much easier and tends to stick better.

Great, now they'll claim every christian as an ex-atheist that's converted to the "true beliefs". Though that does explain how people like Strobel and Cameron can claim that they were atheists before without too much dishonestly.

 

[nemesiss]

Technically speaking all christians are converted atheists as no child is born with a certain religion hardwired, it's only that at an early stage the brainwashing is so much easier and tends to stick better.

Great, now they'll claim every christian as an ex-atheist that's converted to the "true beliefs". Though that does explain how people like Strobel and Cameron can claim that they were atheists before without too much dishonestly.

children are born non-religous.
though this sounds like atheistic, it's not the same.

there is a visual gag i'd like to make to approach this notion that children are born with a religion, though im not that artistic (yet) to do so.

a jewish man goes with his pregnant christian wife to a hosptial where they are greeted by a hindu doctor.
After the wife has gone into labor the jewish husand asks the doctor how it went. The doctor: replies, Your wife has given birth to two healthy muslim children, a boy and a girl.

the reason why its has more impact as visual gag, is that the jewish husband, the christian wife the hindu doctor are drawn with their stereotypes in mind. the children would be shown in the hands of the wife, the girl covered in a burka, the boy with a black bar over his face with the term "censored" written over it and children holding together a qu'ran.

 

[Nemesiah]

children are born non-religous.
though this sounds like atheistic, it's not the same.

there is a visual gag i'd like to make to approach this notion that children are born with a religion, though im not that artistic (yet) to do so.

a jewish man goes with his pregnant christian wife to a hosptial where they are greeted by a hindu doctor.
After the wife has gone into labor the jewish husand asks the doctor how it went. The doctor: replies, Your wife has given birth to two healthy muslim children, a boy and a girl.

the reason why its has more impact as visual gag, is that the jewish husband, the christian wife the hindu doctor are drawn with their stereotypes in mind. the children would be shown in the hands of the wife, the girl covered in a burka, the boy with a black bar over his face with the term "censored" written over it and children holding together a qu'ran.

children are born non-religous.
though this sounds like atheistic, it's not the same.

Not to derail the topic but, what do you feel is the difference between one and another?

 

[nemesiss]

children are born non-religous.
though this sounds like atheistic, it's not the same.

Not to derail the topic but, what do you feel is the difference between one and another?

not sure if there is a standard definition between them, but to me;
non-religious is when someone hasn't taken any position on any religion, where religous and atheistic have.

 

[CosmicJoghurt]

Not to derail the topic but, what do you feel is the difference between one and another?

not sure if there is a standard definition between them, but to me;
non-religious is when someone hasn't taken any position on any religion, where religous and atheistic have.

If a baby lacks belief in God, it's an atheist.

 

[nemesiss]

Not to derail the topic but, what do you feel is the difference between one and another?

not sure if there is a standard definition between them, but to me;
non-religious is when someone hasn't taken any position on any religion, where religous and atheistic have.

If a baby lacks belief in God, it's an atheist.

but did the baby make that decision, that the claims are not good enough to be believable?

 

[CosmicJoghurt]

but did the baby make that decision, that the claims are not good enough to be believable?

Unless it's a genius, no. But that's completely irrelevant methinks.