| DuncanMcNeil said: 1. People suffer because they are seperated from God, because of the first sin. The whole point of life now is to get back to God.
This is a part of Sam Harris's book, "Letter to a Christian Nation," this passage adds a nice poetic touch to christian beliefs (a lot of books are in English similar to your version of the bible, as is this one. I just point that out because many are reluctant to read anything but the bible. ) "Somewhere in the world a man has abducted a little girl. Soon he will rape, torture, and kill her. If an atrocity of this kind is not occurring at precisely this moment, it will happen in a few hours, or days at most. Such is the confidence we can draw from the statistical laws that govern the lives of six billion human beings. The same statistics also suggest this girl's parents believe - as you believe - that an all-powerful and all-loving God is watching over them and their family. Are they right to believe this? Is it good that they believe this? "I for one never told you you were going to hell. The fact that 70+% of people in prison are religious means nothing. Based on your example it just fits the overall % of the population the US. Same number of people are bad regardless of their beliefs. BTW, athiest are no where near 30% of the US population. If that were true then how the hell did GWBush get re-elected." http://www.holysmoke.org/icr-pri.htm Atheists make up around 10% of the population in the US - but make up .2% of prison populations. It does mean something - it means that religious people have less morals than non religious people, and at the very least, it disproves a common belief that atheists are without morality. There are many statistics as these - religious people in countries vs literacy rate.. etc, they don't prove points, but disprove baseless claims that religious people make against heathens. I have read claims that atheists are also uneducated - and over 90% of the National Academy of Sciences are atheists. I am only disproving claims despite the potential of these statistics to prove things. I never said anything like "30%." But as you have pointed out - this means the government isn't controlled by immoral heathens - you'd be surprised at the number of the people who think that. And the reason that GWBush was re-elected is precisely because of people who believe in god. Here is something I've written about it. Iraqi Civilians- 60000 Deaths
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DUNCAN, Are you sure that you are looking at the data correctly? How do you know that the Atheist did not commit a crime, get thrown into prison, and then in his hardship seek God?
No knock on Prisoners though, as the Bible says that we should care for the imprisoned be they guilty or innocent. God is good and loving and all men will answer for what they have done (even me), so even though it seems like people get away with murder- they do not. (No I am not a prisoner or a murderer).
You can't graft you beliefs into Christianity and then say that it is wrong because it does not add up to your ideas of true Atheism. What I mean is don't set-up a model of Christianity that is flawed-keep the facts correct and don't change models mid-point.
Example, Look at Christ he was killed and he was innocent and GOD... so is it so strange that bad things happen to good people if they happened to the best. In Atheism justice must come in this world and Christianity it may come now or in the next. It is better that justice comes now so that the offender has time to repent and accept Christ.
The Bible never said good things happen to good people, Christ told the Disciples that they would be killed because of him and you know what they were. Does this mean that God does not exist, no. If Christ had said you will not die, yes. But he told them that they would die and suffer.
Atheist seek joy and meaning in life, we seek it in God- who is in this life and the after life.







