Yes, God basically loves all Humans. God forms the Human soul in the mother’s womb, and that soul is made immortal, joined with a mortal body. He wants us to be saved out of the clutches of evil’s designs on seeing souls die and be cast into hell forever. Evil in its war against Good would want the truth criminalized if possible. Evil in its war against Humanity would want people to choose evil and corruption instead of Goodness and virtue. But at ground level it’s hard to see it so black and white.
What is an agnostic? It describes somebody who isn’t sure if God is real, or if there is a God, however they are open to the possibility, just not committed, nor religious oriented.
An atheist is someone who has made their mind up that they don’t believe in God.
Atheists tend to believe they are intellectually enlightened, and that Christians are just not smart, they’re unintellectual, or they’re primitive-minded. Or, maybe somehow they have come to believe that religion is incorrect, or that God or Christianity is unprovable. Maybe they had an atheist biology teacher that led them into error. Maybe they have some perceived emotional injury from a Christian at some point that put them on the wrong track. IntellectuallyHonest.com has from the beginning explained the secrets of reality of our existence here on this planet. If you’re new here, reference the Welcome post and click Start From the Beginning. Many posts have links to YouTube videos or scripture so that you can further enlighten yourself.
On Earth we pretty much get to believe what we want to believe, even when confronted with the truth. However the season of doubt is over, thanks to Data Point One. Near death experiences where someone died and somehow came back to life, provide testimonial proof that Heaven and hell are real, and the God of the Bible is real, and that Jesus truly is the Son of God. Thousands of people across all cultures and religions have had near death experiences, and they report having met Jesus before coming back to life. This has exciting implications for every living soul on the planet.
Subjectively, an agnostic or an atheist may say that they’re a good person, and who they are and what they are doing is enough. The thing is, sitting on the fence isn’t an option with Good versus evil. By our human nature here on Earth, a place of both good and evil, we have an inclination to sin and be selfish. Although we have a conscience informed by knowledge of good, we have a large deficiency of virtue. Sin and vices separate a person from God. Sometimes a person has to hit rock bottom before they open their mind to religion. Jesus is quoted as having told someone,
The mustang is a beautiful animal. However it has to be broken to be useful.
I realize that’s a lot to take in.
Does Data Point One mean that you will see God and/or Jesus when you die in a state of mortal sin? Many just die and go falling in blackness and wind up going straight to hell. It’s so crucially important to choose Christianity in this life when you’re living!
It’s wise to say “Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the Good”. Don’t completely discard something because you perceive flaws. Don’t shirk your better judgment for lack of perfect clarity on various aspects of the religion of Christianity. Also don’t make excuses in judging the Old Testament era through the lens of today. The Old Testament is the truth, and it has truthful references to, in ancient times, marrying cousins and polygamy, and ownership of slaves. Those are not Christian values, although it is the story of the Middle East, and of the Human race as a historical document. You do run across some warring, death, and icky stuff in the Bible.
God holds every truth, and he knows every motive. God is permissive with free will and in our thinking what we will, especially as we, a sinful people, mull things over. He knows the number of hairs on your head. And if you don’t have any hairs, at least look forward to youthfulness and a full head of hair in Heaven, in the full presence of God and the full effect of His love.
Here on Earth natural law affects us – some refer to it in shorthand with the word karma. We reap what we sow for the most part. Justice finds us. Everyone’s got different stories — different luck. Understand that however old you are, you’ve been kept alive up to now. If you’re down and unlucky now, maybe there are grudges you need to give up, or sins you need to repent of, or a lifestyle you need to correct course on. Those who are not oriented to God have a new trajectory awaiting them, a plan of salvation, if they would just commit to seeking to change themselves and turn to God.
Some see the idea of a judging God as a threat to their interests – a moral check to their vices, compulsions, and addictions. They see an out, a self-affirmation, in disbelief. Some grew up with religious parents and fell away – a common story. Some in recent generations have grown up with irreligious parents and found the truth in spite of it. Humanity is messy, and human psychology has a tangle to unravel. Some people get so mixed up that they believe that Christians are the bad guys. Some get it stuck in their head that all Christians are hypocrites, and their aversion to religion somehow gets cemented. Some in their lifestyles have, in resistance to Christianity, positioned moral people as their enemy. What they in their vanity and resistance to shame fail to see however, is that this is just like how the criminal sees the policeman as their enemy.
It can take time for the truth to sink in. Absorb this, contemplate it, and adjust course.
And don’t just be like “meh”, and think you can take a couple of years to process things. The sooner you wrap your head around repenting of your sins and reforming your character, the sooner you will get on out of the aforementioned state of mortal sin. The sooner you are reformed, the sooner you put the habits and activities and beliefs that condemned you behind – and the sooner you can look back on the faults of your past with the clarity of regret and look toward the future with true hope. And anyway, all Christians are a work in progress.
Icebreaker: Do you know anyone who goes to church?
Tell them about IntellectuallyHonest.com.
Bonus link: First hand testimony makes it real. Here’s a short video on YouTube: Former atheist Howard Storm tells of his conversion after dying from a medical emergency.