Gregory Boyd on "The Myth of a Christian Nation" Part 1/3

after starting looking at some issues in religion, and debating my belief in Christianity I would say I am atheist and while communism and atheism do have some historical connections, culture can be far more restricting than a government policy in many cases. I've decided no matter what your beliefs there are problems with your logic and you will find some way to justify evil acts if you want to commit them. No matter who you are I think you can agree power does corrupt a person.

I think you have to admit atheism is pretty convenient if you seek to be free from a sense of moral obligation. There are certainly wolves among true Christians though.

Christians are subject to the same temptations (i.e., pride, deception/faulty reasoning, presumption, etc) as everyone else, but we have a God who is the Source of all truth and righteousness, and who is able to instruct those who depend on him. Absolute truth exists independently of human failure.

Atheism doesn't free you from moral obligation. It emphasizes the fact that we have moral obligations that are higher than what bronze-age folk tales or cultist priests dictate to us. Atheists identify absolute truth and morality's independence from god and the importance of adhering to virtue for its own value, not under threat of divine retribution

Religion is a convenient source of morality for those who cannot and will not see or do what is right without the penalty of eternal damnation

Isn't it strange that the average "man on the street" tends to adopt a "do what thou wilt" attitude when assured there is no god and no absolute moral standards? Your "sermon" is virtually ineffective in the real world. Ultimately, all that moral atheists can do is rely on police power. Might makes right. Survival of the fittest. Hmm, where have I heard that before?

manonmount, your rhetoric, like everything else I see from atheists, is filled with accusations against Christians. For one thing, most Christians do not follow Christ merely to avoid eternal damnation. Sure, that works from maybe age 7 to age 18 at the latest, but then a decision must be made as to whether it really makes sense and whether God is real. Atheists, unable to comprehend the decision to follow Christ, just say we are scared of Hell.

Also, "bronze age cultists"?? And "atheists... adhere to virtue for its own value"?? Haha!
Get real, dude!! Atheists are no more moral than anyone else, and I've heard of some studies which show they tend to be less moral. A large number of them have psychological issues related to their fathers, if they even had one.

Thanks for your comment on my profile. I believe stereotyping and failure to communicate are probably the biggest problems in the world today. It is a form of dehumanizing others and, on a national level, leads to war.

I want to add one thing regarding property rights since that is a problem I see with socialism. Jesus recognized them in his parables (landowners, lords, etc) and Peter emphasized A&S's property rights while condemning their actions. It was voluntary sharing of property.

Jesus believed in paying taxes (involuntary surrender of property), but he made a sharp delineation between Roman (worldly) authority and divine authority. While this leaves questions about what the government has a right to take, the emphasis in Scripture seems to be on private property and charitable giving by individuals vs. state control.

Many things could be corrected in the U.S. to get our mostly capitalistic system back on course. It's a shame what the Fed & Wall St. bankers have done.

Hey np M, I put it on your profile because I was being fastidious about not going off topic.

You obviously dont mind the discussion of economics under this thread.

As an Atheist I necessarily have a critically different exegesis than that of a Christian.

(Here I stumbled over the conclusions of, and relating to, belief in God being the ultimate author) I really should just worry about my theory of Exegesis of the Bible.

Forms of government and how to establish a just one is way beyond my expertise. However, getting the monetary system straight is of key importance.

A & S were certainly greedy. It's difficult to prove they were power hungry, but they did want respect that they hadn't earned. Simon the Magician also loved to be the center of attention.

Jesus said that whatever we do to the least of these, we also do to him. So, in a sense, they did lie to God.