Hello Pavlov:
— …so we can say that Athiests believe there is not a God.
O- Fair enough, but as such as as suceptible to a rational critique as most theists. The only advantage that I can see is that there is no liturgy to keep up with, but that is also it’s downfall. There is something to be said about the popularity of theism and it is not just because of the belief in God. Like psychotheraphy, it’s effects may have little to do with “unlocking” stashed away memories that affect conscious life, blah, blah, blah, and more to do with the biological need to be heard and understood without conditions.
—…have faith that there is not a God…
O- Two things:
1- Why do they believe this?
2- What would be the basis for a Church? Let me explain. If I believe that there is a glass cup before me then I may take further leaps of faith to achieve an end. It all starts with the belief that there “is”. But if I believe that before me there is nothing, then what subsequent steps could be inspired? There is nothing and so there is nothing for me. So I lose interest. A Church would seem to require something in which one believes, that is affected by the existence of a Church. If you believe there is no God then what would be the use of a Church?
—…Consider this, many people that were of other Religions may wake up one day and question their own faith in whatever God or Gods they have.
O- If they question thir faith then they cannot be atheist, for atheism requires faith, as you stated previously. It is not faith that is question and often not even God, but the correctness of our faith. What is question is not our faith but the concepts in which we believe. And I do not believe that doubt just comes with the morning. You do not go to bed a theist and wake up an atheist.
— Athiests did not cause them to do this.
O- No. Life did.
— However, for someone to convert to Christianity, one must read, hear, see or touch Christ in some way to know of Christ even conceptually, this empirical data is not required to not believe in a God.
O- It is. You do not believe in…what? You must know, read or in some way know of at least the concept of “God”, otherwise atheism is non-sensical in all levels and thus a meanigless pursuit that should not receive any serious protection from the powers that be.
— The question has often been asked, if they are a Religion or Church, why do they not gather? The simple answer is, yes, Religious Persecution.
O- For a time the Church of Satan was en vogue…I have read about burning crosses in black people’s lawn, but not in the gardens of white atheists for some odd reason. Again…it is not about God.
— …but have you ever had the opportunity to sit down with someone and talk to them, as a friend, about the complete absence of a God?
O- Let’s imagine this conversation happening with a skeptic:
"God? Son what in the world is that? Why are you wasting my time to talk to me about some unknown that is absolutely absent?