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bounty44 -> RE: Freedom From Atheism! (2/6/2016 2:55:42 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ifmaz
quote:
ORIGINAL: bounty44
the "truth of their personal experience" here is the result of their relationship with god. the quote I shared points to that---the "water" to the thirsty person.
your question's not really relevant to that explanation, nor does it negate why Christians feel desirous of sharing the gospel.
you want to suggest that atheists have some universally shared proverbial water to give to thirsty Christians, who on the whole have left atheism or agnosticism for something they have deemed not only better, but right and good as well?
There are cases of atheists who "went back" to faith just as there are cases of the religious abandoning their faith for atheism. Your use of the word "better" is subjective; not all people view religion as something "better than" atheism. Many atheists find reward in the sciences, notably Carl Sagan. A belief in a god does not grant a monopoly on positive life experiences.
Furthermore, if you believe Christians are "desirous of sharing the gospel" then surely some atheists (indeed any belief) would be equally desirous to share their own 'gospel'.
there are millions of Christians in the world. none of them are born Christian, at some point in their life they make a volitional choice. some are raised in Christian families and have the benefit of being exposed to god in that regard. others, come from non-believing families, or become believers as adults. the amount of people who "convert" to atheism from Christianity, as opposed to the reverse, is so miniscule as to not seriously invite comparison.
and no, it does not follow that if Christians are desirous of sharing the gospel, that other religions or even atheists would desire to do the same. for one, Christians are heavily admonished by scripture to do it. second, no other faith carries with it the same imagery and narrow positioning (see mt 7:13-14 for instance) that make sharing the Christian worldview more vital.
but so what if it does---im not complaining about atheists promulgating their beliefs. again, I was just sharing a phrase to help people understand why Christians share theirs.
of course its subjective and that in no way makes it any lesser. however, there's been plenty of work done from an "outsiders" (or objective/measurable) perspective showing Christians have a better life in many regards compared to non-believers.
lastly, no one's claiming Christians have a monopoly on positive life experiences but in keeping with my statement above, Christian/church going kids abuse alcohol and drugs less, get better grades in school and are more socially connected. on the whole, Christians are generally happier, have more peace, less mental illness, live longer and are more giving than their non-believing counterparts. however, that said, those are not necessarily fundamental reasons as to why Christian's share; it is rather because they understand that before god in their lives, they were lost, and they want others to seek and be saved.
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