I Know That God Does Not Exist

In order to claim that you must have died and seen what on the other side, then come back to tell us what you discovered. How did you do that? And how did you do that without some help from God?Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.

Oh, the irony! Atheists are quick to condemn God for all the terrible things in life, but "look the other way" and never think to thank God for all the wonderful things in life. A curious imbalance, I must say.

Er, yes, you do. You can theorise until the cows come home, but until you die, you don't know that God doesn't exist.

506. Well, as far as humans are concerned, pain and suffering are a result of the Fall. As for the pain and suffering of non-human creatures, there is reason to believe their creation is a process of moving from imperfect to perfect:"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."
ISAIAH 11:6-9How do you explain that the same God that allows pain and suffering also promises this? ...“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1Cor 2:9)."Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."
(Revelation 21:1-7).

You're referring to symbolic language that describes a literal event in history. Where did you get "forever" from? You don't seem to know much about what the Bible says re redemption, the end of suffering and death and the future of creation.

God's promises will arrive in the fullness of time. Meanwhile, you can believe that this life is as good as it gets - if that's what makes you happy. (Personally, if I believed this life is all there is, I would be miserable.)

God is increasing easy to find in nature - namely, science. When I'm on my death-bed, I will be very much looking forward to dying an waking up in heaven. When your average atheist is on his death-bed, he will be overwhelmed by fear and sadness, as all he has to look forward to is eternal oblivion after living a meaningless life. Spiritually without God or an after-life? How does that work?Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.

Forgetting about organised religion for a sec, would it make you happy to know that there exists a God who loves you and promises to grant those who love him in return eternal life in a heavenly paradise?Or are you happier believing that there is no such God and that this life is all there is?

I have no idea what you're talking about or why you're asking me this.

Oh good; that's a start, at least. Some atheists don't want God to exist. 1. God doesn't "demand" that we love Him. That would be pointless - God can do lots of things but He can't make us love Him.2. Of course there are conditions for getting into Heaven! Do you think Ted Bundy and Adolf Hitler deserve to be in Heaven? Ya coulda fooled me - if I didn't believe in God I wouldn't even want to be alive - hardly "irrelevant". As far as I'm concerned, this life is really as ultimately meaningless as a dream that will be completely forgotten as soon as I die (although the consequences of this life are eternal). After that, my real life begins. Can't wait!Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.

Exhibit A - abiogenesis. Well, you're very easily pleased, I must say! As for me, a few years of meaningless activity is not nearly enough. For life to have meaning, it must first of all be eternal, or at least lead to eternity.
. You hope ...

I would have assumed that, in the context of the OP, "spirituality" would at the very least include the concept of some kind of life after death.

Never the option? Of course it's an option - you simply believe in a "nice" God of your own making and imagination. Organised religion doesn't have a monopoly on theism, you know. This life does have meaning for me - but only in the sense that I must endure it to get to the eternity of heaven.On the other hand, the atheist perspective means life has no purpose or meaning - you get born, spend a few years indulging in meaningless activities, then you die and and become eternal dust. A pointless, futile existence that amounts to nothing.Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.Edited by Dredge, : No reason given.

Well said, Faith.As far as I know, the Judeo-Christian faith is the only religion in which God tells humans that He loves them.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (1Corinthians 1:18-19)"The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Cor 2:14)