Stand on a corner in this city and you might get a case of theological whiplash.
A public bus rolls by with an atheist message on its side: “Millions of people are good without God.” Seconds later, a van follows bearing a riposte: “I still love you. — God,” with another line that says, “2.1 billion Christians are good with God.”
A clash of beliefs has rattled this city ever since atheists bought ad space on four city buses to reach out to nonbelievers who might feel isolated during the Christmas season. After all, Fort Worth is a place where residents commonly ask people they have just met where they worship and many encounters end with, “Have a blessed day.”...
Seasoned wrote: This was news to you that people think like that?
Well, no...but it still shocks you when you hear a man straight-faced say something as idiotic as this. "No...I am getting smarter now...instead of only knowing .001% of all there is to know in the universe, I now know .002%. See who needs God anyway?"
Dan wrote: When people read that they will be thinking about God regardless.
But which God? Without more clarification, in the reader's mind (perhaps influenced by pop tabloid theology) he could be the kind old man with the grey beard or their personal cosmic bellhop, not the omnipotent, sovereign Creator & Judge described in Scripture, who does not suffer sinful human garbage to stand in his presence w/o the imputed righteousness of Christ.
This is why I said below that such matters cannot be usefully discussed with eye-catching slogans.
In Matthew 19:17, Jesus wasn't saying he wasn't good, he was asking the man what is good,
One also should be reminded,
Galatians 3 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"-- 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.---NASB
unworthy wrote: Jesus said. Matthew 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Amen!
What I want to know is, if you're an atheist, how can you even determine what is "good"? On what basis is goodness decided?
Paul wrote: I just heard a man on the radio this morning say, "The more educated we become, the more we realize we don't need to believe in some God in the sky." Yikes...
Jesus said. Matthew 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Here in Northern California one can see numerous billboards inviting the reader to "Explore Islam" and "apply for a Free Koran". We have a number of Indian temples as well.
One of the few upsides of the ongoing replacement of dominant Christian culture with that of religious diversity is that Atheism is actually "demoted" from being the main alternative to "the American religion" (formerly "christianity") to just one of many other religious choices available to modern Americans--even though it claims to not be a religion itself.
What's worse here? The stupid atheist assertions (what is meant by "good" isn't explained), or the childish reasoning & bad theology of the "Christian" reply?
Worthwhile debate on theology & philosophy does not fit on billboards.
"Other clergy members are pressing the Fort Worth Transportation Authority to ban all religious advertising on public buses."
Clergy encouraging the ban of religious advertising?
I don't like the atheist message but is their message so frightening we need to ban it? Ought we not be favorable to them speaking their mind and then Christians counter their message with their own speech? The policy is that their is no ban on religious speech. Sounds like a great opening for Christians to buy some advertising of their own and lifting up the word of God by putting some scripture on a bus or two.
Dr. Bill Jones | 6/18/2008
COMMENTS | 
christopher000 from rhode island: "thanks for helping me to make some sense of..."
