Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 22:44:28 -0700
To: CDC
From: Darwin Bedford <Darwin@atheists.net>
Subject: Re: God Bless You Darwin!!!!!


Dear CDC,

I can assure you that you have no worries upon death.  Your eternal destiny is non-existence.   It could be said that when you die you are at eternal peace because there is no life after death.  So relax, there is no possibility of unrest after you die.  If you believe that the Bible is the word of God then, yes, you have checked your brains at the door.  Because there is no God then everything said in the context of God being real is mere nonsense.  You have written an remarkable example of such nonsense.  I especially had to laugh when you said "If there is no God or devil then why is the world in such a mess?".  I can only conclude, since you belive in the Bible and that God made the devil, that you are saying that the world being such a mess is God's doing -- and if there was no God then the world would not be in a mess.  It just goes to prove that if you need Jesus as bad as you do then any amount of spin will go unnoticed in order to protect your belief system.

Darwin Bedford
www.atheists.net



At 03:33 PM 7/25/02 -0700, you wrote:

I was quite impressed that you would set up a web site to prorogate your believes and share them with the world. Now I would like to take a moment and share my believes with you.
 
I share in the faith of Christianity. I believe that Christianity in not religion, but a deep relationship(via faith) to Jesus. 
 
The bible teaches that when we accept him as our savior(I.e. asking forgiveness of our sins) and trusting him to save us from God's Wrath due to our sinfulness he will dwell in our hearts by his spirit and transform our lives as we submit to him. This is called the second birth and happens when we make that genuine commitment.
If this commitment is not heart felt then we are Christian in name only.
 
Christianity is not a rain coat, that a person just put on when there life heads into a storm.
 
People are under a misconception if they think Christ is just for a rainy day or a fire insurance policy against hell!!! No, Christ wants a personal, heart felt commitment, nothing less will be accepted by him.
 
Christianity is not a church, no one denomination is God's exclusive church.
 
Unfortunely, over many generations the mainstream church has become corrupted by heresy, worldliness, humanistic philosophy, politics, and the sinful nature. God's inspired word has been twisted and used to justify some of the most debastful, hateful, murderous, and genocidal acts in human history.
God looks at your heart not your denomination. Denomination is an invention of men that causes division.
 
Christianity is not a philosophy, but a powerful act act of God's grace.
 
While the Bible teaches an abundance of ideas, it clearly stated that a relationship with God is what required not just ideas.
 
Christianity is not the pope, but Jesus Christ glorified.
 
The church is run by a leadership. If this leadership is not in right relationship with God, it makes mistakes. We can see the result of these mistakes all through history.
As Albert Einstein said, "Keep the main thing, the main thing".
 
 
Unfortunately, we live in a society that is post-Christian and hates God. When I say God, I am referring to the most high God of the Old and New Testament. Not, a god of other religions of some pragmatic, self-constructed concept to justify our ends or a celestial Santa Claus. The world hates God because he is a threat to their way of life. People do not want to be told they are doing wrong or admit it. The Bible holds a mirror to each of us and asks us to look at ourselves and we do not like what is reflected back. They want a God who will tolerate all their sins and will not mess with their lifestyle. It is unacceptable that God should tell them what to do or they should submit to his teaching. Then people whine to God about the result of their decisions and blame him. God will honor your power to make a choice. If not we would be robots.
 
If there is no God or devil then why is the world in such a mess? I believe we have a conscious which makes us free moral agents. We choose right or wrong. The world is littered with the result of peoples decision making. The powers of light and darkness payouts in peoples lives every day and clash with one another resulting in both good and bad in the world.
 
If there is no God and this is fiction then why are people so resistant and afraid of it? If this is a grand fairy tale and Christian are self-deluded then what's the problem? Why does it bother you so much. Why do you feel you have the right way and need to come and correct use?
 
 
I myself have a university education in the liberal arts. One of the most skeptical and resistant to God. I have been trained in the way of logical/critical thought. I am not a Christian who checks his brains in at the door. I have given many hours of thought to my faith. In the end I realized that something's can not be explained but have to be taken in faith. Science can not prove the existence of God but nor can it disprove it either.
Atheism is also a religion because it is built on a belief system that there is not God. This is something that can not be proven using scientific standards, therefore a faith as much as mine.
 
On a personal leave Jesus is my rock. The world is hostile and unsure. Jesus gives my hope, purpose and meaning in my life other then the trivialness of each day. When people turn to money, sex, drugs, porn, capitalism, and the like, I turn to Jesus. He is the only one that will give true meaning and fulfillment to life.
 
If I am wrong and upon my death, I rot in the ground then it can be said I tried to live a righteous life. I tried to follow the Bible and make my influence in the world positive. Who can argue with that?
If I am right then my eternal destiny is secure and I have no worries upon death.
 
Sincerely;
 
CDC