I truly do. I love atheists! And I know a few. I should say, "I know a few that I know of." Sometimes they're hard to spot, a lot of them are not the stereotypical evangelical atheists. But of the ones I know, I swear, some of them are the bestest people! I love them, love hanging with them. Friendship. Discussage.
I'm not trying to convert them, or anything! Naw. Nor they me, most of the time. They know where I stand, I know where they stand. But sometimes, - and I stress, some of these atheists are real good people! They just have not seen any convincing reason to believe in God. And considering God did such a swell job on the world to where the whole thing runs SWEET! - sweet and serene on its own physics, with no obvious daily divine corrections or interventions necessary, well, I can't hold that against them! How could I? I haven't seen any evidence either! Evidence is kind of beside the point.
But anyway, God exists, so, sometimes I may be talking to one of these atheists - beautiful, sweet people you know (by and large, certainly the ones I know are) - and I'll just start grinning. Because, I mean okay, I'm not God. And I don't decide these things. But I think I know God a bit better than the sectarian damnation specialists do, you know? To me, I'd expect God to sit there with a pretty high regard for those who come to a sense of justice and compassion and love of right and virtue, all without any use or brandishing of the hell-stick. I mean, sure, God loves and has mercy for those who are sweet and obedient lovers of God from cradle born to deathbed. Sure! God loves the docile little lambs (like me!). But we all know God's got a thing for them black sheep, too. Always has.
I think everybody gets a chance. I don't think everybody is forced to go to heaven. I think God will not save a person against their will. And I believe there are those who truly do hate God, who would right to the very end and beyond make a radical choice against God. Sure there are. You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.
But most of your atheists are not that kind. If they really hated God, they would not be very rational atheists, would they? No, most atheists have got nothing against God. They don't even think there is such a thing! They take it as an article of faith that there is no God, and so their beef is with the concept of God, a concept that to them is unfounded, a concept that makes people throw their lives away for (as far as the atheist is concerned) no reason. A concept that some people use as justification to throw the lives of others away.
I can't blame the atheist for that stance. I agree with their conclusions, considered in terms of their premises. And most of these folks - at least, the ones I know - are real sharp, real sweet, real good people.
So I stress that I don't judge. For good or for bad! I don't say "these people to heaven, these people to hell." Not my call - explicitly so! And equally explicitly, for everyone else on earth: not your call. For we are not the judge of souls - whether for good or evil, it is not ours to point out and choose who God can and cannot save. We don't know God's mind at that detailed level.
But like any devout person, sometimes I can't help but have a hunch! A little hunch on the inside, to be happy about and grin over. So sometimes with the faith I have in the perfect justice and mercy of God, I'll just be talking to one of these godless atheists while he or she (oh, okay) is deeply embroiled in making her passionate point about human justice, and I'll just break out in a wide grin. And she'll be like, "what?"
And I'll say, "no, I'm sorry! Continue. It's nothing."
But really I'm thinking: you're in for a surpriiiiiiiise!
I swear, I'm going to give some of my atheist friends so much shit in the afterlife. Wherever we end up together.
I'm not trying to convert them, or anything! Naw. Nor they me, most of the time. They know where I stand, I know where they stand. But sometimes, - and I stress, some of these atheists are real good people! They just have not seen any convincing reason to believe in God. And considering God did such a swell job on the world to where the whole thing runs SWEET! - sweet and serene on its own physics, with no obvious daily divine corrections or interventions necessary, well, I can't hold that against them! How could I? I haven't seen any evidence either! Evidence is kind of beside the point.
But anyway, God exists, so, sometimes I may be talking to one of these atheists - beautiful, sweet people you know (by and large, certainly the ones I know are) - and I'll just start grinning. Because, I mean okay, I'm not God. And I don't decide these things. But I think I know God a bit better than the sectarian damnation specialists do, you know? To me, I'd expect God to sit there with a pretty high regard for those who come to a sense of justice and compassion and love of right and virtue, all without any use or brandishing of the hell-stick. I mean, sure, God loves and has mercy for those who are sweet and obedient lovers of God from cradle born to deathbed. Sure! God loves the docile little lambs (like me!). But we all know God's got a thing for them black sheep, too. Always has.
I think everybody gets a chance. I don't think everybody is forced to go to heaven. I think God will not save a person against their will. And I believe there are those who truly do hate God, who would right to the very end and beyond make a radical choice against God. Sure there are. You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.
But most of your atheists are not that kind. If they really hated God, they would not be very rational atheists, would they? No, most atheists have got nothing against God. They don't even think there is such a thing! They take it as an article of faith that there is no God, and so their beef is with the concept of God, a concept that to them is unfounded, a concept that makes people throw their lives away for (as far as the atheist is concerned) no reason. A concept that some people use as justification to throw the lives of others away.
I can't blame the atheist for that stance. I agree with their conclusions, considered in terms of their premises. And most of these folks - at least, the ones I know - are real sharp, real sweet, real good people.
So I stress that I don't judge. For good or for bad! I don't say "these people to heaven, these people to hell." Not my call - explicitly so! And equally explicitly, for everyone else on earth: not your call. For we are not the judge of souls - whether for good or evil, it is not ours to point out and choose who God can and cannot save. We don't know God's mind at that detailed level.
But like any devout person, sometimes I can't help but have a hunch! A little hunch on the inside, to be happy about and grin over. So sometimes with the faith I have in the perfect justice and mercy of God, I'll just be talking to one of these godless atheists while he or she (oh, okay) is deeply embroiled in making her passionate point about human justice, and I'll just break out in a wide grin. And she'll be like, "what?"
And I'll say, "no, I'm sorry! Continue. It's nothing."
But really I'm thinking: you're in for a surpriiiiiiiise!
I swear, I'm going to give some of my atheist friends so much shit in the afterlife. Wherever we end up together.
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