Very true! I know some atheists who seem like better people than some Christians I know.
But I think there's a simpler explanation too. God doesn't love us because of what we do or what virtues we cultivate, but rather because we are His children. What do you think of that?
I think that's a definite possibility. Having worked in estates and trusts law the past few years, I can tell you there are definitely people who DON'T love their children. So, god sets an example for all of us.
Never met him because he died before I was born but apparently my grandfather was an atheist. He was raised in a fairly observant Jewish household. He went into World War II, almost died in battle (just narrowly dodged a grenade), spent 9 months in a military hospital recovering, and concluded that God didn't exist after what had occurred in World War II. He spent his life (as socialist voting successful real estate developers are prone to do) doing good acts for other people and society writ large. But he never believed again. Tried attending a few synagogue Passovers over the years but eventually quit them.
Apparently, my dad's uncle (my grandfather's brother in law) had a similar experience. He went into combat in World War II. I think he was the only one to survive in his immediate unit (which was in the Pacific). After witnessing all the deaths, he concluded that God couldn't possibly exist. Though he kept that secret. He only came out as an atheist though after his wife died in 2011. He was more traditionally conservative but he did good stuff for others and he was an honest businessman in his life (he had a factory in South LA that stayed open during the 1965 Watts Riots and saw no damages because it employed so many local residents......he didn't need the Civil Rights Act and the Unruh Act to get him to hire in a non-racially discriminatory basis). But his own World War II experience led him to never believe in God.
Why wouldn’t god love atheists? Some of the most moral, decent, good hearted people I know are atheists.
Very true! I know some atheists who seem like better people than some Christians I know.
But I think there's a simpler explanation too. God doesn't love us because of what we do or what virtues we cultivate, but rather because we are His children. What do you think of that?
I think that's a definite possibility. Having worked in estates and trusts law the past few years, I can tell you there are definitely people who DON'T love their children. So, god sets an example for all of us.
Never met him because he died before I was born but apparently my grandfather was an atheist. He was raised in a fairly observant Jewish household. He went into World War II, almost died in battle (just narrowly dodged a grenade), spent 9 months in a military hospital recovering, and concluded that God didn't exist after what had occurred in World War II. He spent his life (as socialist voting successful real estate developers are prone to do) doing good acts for other people and society writ large. But he never believed again. Tried attending a few synagogue Passovers over the years but eventually quit them.
Apparently, my dad's uncle (my grandfather's brother in law) had a similar experience. He went into combat in World War II. I think he was the only one to survive in his immediate unit (which was in the Pacific). After witnessing all the deaths, he concluded that God couldn't possibly exist. Though he kept that secret. He only came out as an atheist though after his wife died in 2011. He was more traditionally conservative but he did good stuff for others and he was an honest businessman in his life (he had a factory in South LA that stayed open during the 1965 Watts Riots and saw no damages because it employed so many local residents......he didn't need the Civil Rights Act and the Unruh Act to get him to hire in a non-racially discriminatory basis). But his own World War II experience led him to never believe in God.
I hope God loves them both.
I think God definitely loves them both.
WWII and the Holocaust broke a lot of peoples' faith and I can't say I blame them.