MY CONVERSATION WITH AN #ATHEIST (VERY LONG READ)

This is definitely unlike a Life Signatures  post. You realize that most of the things I write here do not have a direct connotation of 'religion'. I have intended to be as all-encompassing as possible. However, over the past several days, I have been wondering about Atheism.

If you want an instant rebuttal on twitter, I challenge you to write anything negative about an #Atheist. Make

Pascal

sure you hash-tag it. That is what I did and I realized that there are multitudes of those who do not believe in the Divine.

• Some #Atheists replied with such un-imagined hatred. I did not expect it.
• Most of them pointed on the wrongs and disasters on earth to declare there is no God
• A good number of them used high sounding words that I needed a dictionary to understand them (maybe they were telling me that #Atheism and theories and lots of knowlege go hand in hand).
• Such a good number told me that there were 3000 'god's to choose from (So what if you choose a wrong one?). I told one of them that God chose me, I did not choose him. I am sure his eyes rolled at 360 mph in the socket!.
• Nearly all off them needed evidence that there is a God before they could believe
• A good number suggested that I was indoctrinated at childhood (well, who wasn't anyway...and that includes Atheists). Yet if anything, I was 'indoctrinated' as an adult.
• Some of course were gracious enough for a 'civilized' conversation

My first post about Atheism went something like this:

"Dear #Atheist. If in the end there is no God, believing Christians have nothing to lose. If  in the end there was a God, you on the other hand have everything to lose".

Almost instantly, more than five #Atheists replied by saying: "Pascal's Wager". That was my very first time to hear that. So I googled it and found an interesting answer here.

Needless to say, I had 'healthy discussions' with some of them till I logged off.

For some reason, I just had this nudging in my mind to send another tweet on the same subject. So as I was thinking about it, I tweeted the following:

"Dear #Atheist. Between #convictions from the Spirit and #Condemnation from man, which one do you experience the most? Be honest".

Well, that tweet is like three days old by the time I write this, but has not received any replies. I should tweet it again.

However, the one that really elicited lots of discussion was this one:

"The No. 1 reason why someone would be an#Atheist is the existence of God. Think about that. Without Him, you have no object of unbelief!"

It is from that tweet that I would like to share the following discussion. First of all, you need to note that there was such a long delay in getting replies from any Atheists. After another day, I thought maybe my tweet was not seen, so I sent it again. 

Again, after some delays, I sure did get some responses as shown:

Me: "The No. 1 reason why someone would be an#Atheist is the existence of God. Think about that. Without Him, you have no object of unbelief!"

Atheist 1: would that make you an aunicornist? @Permission4G @Namale or do you believe in them too? your belief doesn't make your god real cc #atheist (Really did not understand the guy, so I did not reply)

Atheist 1: the reason why i became #atheist@Permission4G @Namale is i woke up one day and realized i couldn't prove my god to myself. neither can you.

Me: @Permission4G And so you keep mentioning 'god'...y would you name something/Someone that does not exist?

At this point, Atheist 2 makes a grand entry into the conversation and takes it away till the end (I must have stopped tweeting)

Atheist 2: @Namale my reason is the lack of evidence for his existence. You believe what you like don't make it true

Me: When you refer to 'him'....you already mentioned his existence...that's my point...otherwise...why say 'he' is not there?

Atheist 2: so when an insane person talks about there imaginary friends that makes them real

Me:  Imaginary 'friend'...if a 'friend' never existed in the first place...would he talk about them? I guess not!!

Atheist 2: yes children have imaginary friends and they don't exist. Saying he doesn't mean they exist.

Me: My point exactly.Where did they get the act of imagining 'friends' if they never knew what a 'friend' is in the 1rst place? 

Atheist 2: by your logic all gods ever invented exist

Me: 'invented' you say? Would something be invented and at the same time not exist?

Atheist 2: they have a friend them they imagined one that doesn't mean that the imaginary one exists

Me:  I still repeat. They are using an 'existing' 'friend' to imagine another one. Can you imagine of 'nothing?' Can you?

Atheist 2: yes invented in peoples head

Me: So they 'exist' in people's heads as you put it. So your job (as an Atheist) is to make sure that they do not exist in your head, right?

Atheist 2:  i'm wondering how people think there imaginary friend it's real with no proof

Me: Can they 'imagine' something that never existed? and if so, how did that non existing entity get a name? Think about that!

Atheist 2: I can imagine a friend don't make them real

Me: Ok...name for me something that exists not...something that you and I know has never existed. Please?

Atheist 2: imagination I can think of anything and name it doesn't mean it is real

Atheist 2:  i'm thinking of a green bob with 6 eyes and calls it's shurpalot. Can you find that because I don't think it exists

Me: Wrong. Let's break it down. You mentioned 'eyes', Check, 'green' check, 'bob', check. It constitutes of what exists.Get it?

Atheist 2: but you said name something I described that one thing not many things that do exist

Me: Your 'naming' was not purely based on what never existed. It is a composition of what you and I know exists already!

Atheist 2: yes that what I named had characteristics that have been given names but as a whole entity does it exist

Me: those are not characteristics. Those are parts of what's existing! Without them, what you just 'created' would not exist!

Atheist 2:  so how does this mean God exists

Me: See, you are now attributing your 'unbelief' to Him. He exists, and He is mean. I think that is your main issue here.

Atheist 2: wow that mean nothing. You think language means God exists

Me: Not really.How did u figure out that the God I am talking about is 'Mean', if u never believed he exists in the 1rst place?

Atheist 2: because I descried something that never existed and you think it does exist but it doesn't i've used language to explain it

Me:  you never described 'nothing'. What you described is made up of what exists, not what has never existed!

Atheist 2: yes I did bit we have language to describe characteristics then you picked it apart to say it exists way I described doesn't

Me: True. Language explains what exists. For example 'internet' never existed, so there was no such name before it. Get it?

Atheist 2: yes but does shurpalot exist? It's got a name

Me:  It's got a name and a description. As of now, its a concept in your mind. Put yourself to work and viola! There it is.

Atheist 2:  so it's a concept not a real thing just like people have with imaginary friends and other have with God

At this point, my mind must have been tired with this draining conversation, so I must have logged off.

So anyway, one of the ways you can have a Life Signature is by having values. Values come from a Higher Power. I do not know where else they would come from. 

That is why my #Faith is in the Almighty God.

I believe He tasked us with the responsibility of nurturing the planet.

I believe He does not intervene in the affairs of our lives save by believing prayer

I believe He loves everybody unconditionally.

I believe His proof of love is to give us choices. Two choices. Accept Him, or reject Him. Love is never forced.

I believe He sent His Son to redeem (buy back) broken and lost humanity.

I believe He is coming back again to take His very own.

To be honest, I have no idea where I would be without Him. I have gone through so much and I have experience so much that you can never dissuade me with any high sounding argument of God not existing.

I talk to Him daily, and He talks back.

My Life Signatures are wholly and strongly held up by his grace.

I am a believer.

How about you?