Christian Discipleship: Christianity for the Non-Religious

An important issue for many students is how to fill their “gap year” during the time between college and university, or sometimes the year after graduation (which many students take now as their “gap year”). Although travelling is the common option, there are other choices to consider, like voluntary work, or to plunge yourself into a Christian Discipleship for amost a full year with DNA (dna-uk.org). This article looks in greater detail this particular option.

DNA are providing an almost year long experience of total immersion into Christian Discipleship, ranging from October to August. This is seen as a practical experience, requiring the participant to live in a Christian surrounding - either in your own church if you presently belong to one, or a specified church if you’re not presently a member of a church. Your typical day will require helping out with the day to day activities of the church, and to be schooled by its fellow members in bible studies. The course assures faith in action, so those who join can anticipate a very pragmatic experience of Christian faith, and not only the theoretical study.

More plus points of the studies include:-

• assisting 18 year olds upward, as there’s no age limit
• relational, non-religious Christianity; it’s fun!

There are three sorts of course available : Track 1 is the most common access point to DNA - it is the richest DNA expereince. The vast bulk of people select this as the best choice for them. Track 2 is more acceptable to you if taking a complete “year-out” is not practically achievable. This could be for reasons such as job or family commitments. Track 2 thus proffers some flexibility. Track 3 proffers people the opportunity of joining us for as many particular training sessions or days as they want.

Understanding Atheism

Atheism is perhaps the most misunderstood category in the range of beliefs on the market. It can be a difficult to define, incorporating, under its umbrella, a host of attitudes about the non-existence of god. Atheism is the absence of a belief in deities but this definition includes those that make no claim either way. Since theism is the belief in the existence of god(s) and atheism is the antithesis of that, the latter group should more accurately be classified as agnostics or non-theists. Agnosticism is the belief that we cannot know whether god(s) exist or not, while Non-theism, is the absence of any claim towards the existence or non-existence of god(s).

The plot is further complicated by the split of atheism into two subcategories; Strong and Weak. Weak atheism is simply a non-belief in a deity of any type, while Strong atheism takes this disbelief a step further and proclaim that god does not exist. In my opinion, atheism is passive. A person simply does not believe in the existence of god or gods. Not only that, I believe that Strong Atheism is misunderstood in the sense that people in this group are not railing against an actual entity (which would be ridiculous seeing as we hold no belief that one exists) but the concept of such an entity. They are not saying, “There is no god” but rather, “The ideology of god is bogus”.

Furthermore, because of the demonization of atheists in the United States and other countries, non-believers have felt the need to launch an active defense of their non-beliefs which also account for the aggressive nature of Strong Atheism.

What Atheism is not.

In my research, I’ve come across some interesting ideas people have about atheists and atheism. It is not anti-religion. Anti-theism is the active opposition towards religion. While some atheists do hold anti-religious views, it is not a club exclusively patronized by atheists. Agnostics, Ignostics and even some theists participate in this party. Anti-theists fall into two camps. Those that believe god-worship to be harmful to society and those that merely have little tolerance for theistic beliefs.

Atheism is not anti-god, atheists are not god haters nor do we hate theists. We are not rabid protestors against those who choose to practice religion. Though these types of people exist and some of them are atheists, we generally do not care what a person believe so long as they do not use it to infringe on our personal rights and freedoms. Going from door to door to preach the goodness of your god will incite only minor irritation whereas seeking to get a law passed mandating that everyone go to church will cause an uproar and not just from atheists.

Atheists are not an immoral bunch of degenerates nor do they become atheists in order to feel free to participate in illegal and unethical behavior. Opponents of atheism claim that it is not possible to live a moral life without “god” as the motivator for doing so. The fact of the matter is that atheists abide by the same social and government laws as those who believe in god. Many atheists belonged to a religion at one point in their lives and the loss of a belief in god did not result in a change in moral beliefs.

Atheists believe in the golden rule just like theists. However, we believe that such behavior should be self-motivated and not out of fear of punishment after death. We believe that human beings are responsible for themselves and their behavior and that people are fully capable of thinking critically and determining a constructive personal code of conduct without the help of religious texts and teachings.

Who are atheists?

Atheists make up about 5% of the population in the United States. As with all affiliations we have both constructive and destructive members. There are atheists who murder, rape and steal. There are even fundamental and militant atheists running around demanding that people stop believing in god. But this is a small portion of our numbers and are not representative of the whole group. We are normal everyday people. Parents, teachers, government officials, business professionals, doctors, civil engineers, writers and artists. We go to work everyday, pay our taxes and give to charities. We protest war as well as fight in them. We believe in equal rights and equal treatment. Most importantly, we are human.

Atheists you know: Douglas Adams, Woody Allen, Isaac Asimov, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Ayn Rand, Friedrich Nietzsche, Gene Roddenberry, Helen Keller, James Madison (U.S. President), John Adams (Founding Father of the US), Napoleon Bonaparte and many others…

Why people choose atheism

The reasons for choosing atheism are varied and numerous. For the most part, however, many started out as followers of a religion but through life experience, observation and study abandoned the religion in favor of non-belief. Some reasons given for being an atheist included but are not limited to: having no need for religion or belief, could find no reason for being involved with religion and/or god worship, put off by the many contradictions within and between the world religions, lack of proof, the hypocrisy of a religion’s members and life experiences that caused one to change their mind as to the true nature of the god of their religion.

There is usually a transitional stage through agnosticism, unsure one way or the other, then into atheism as time progresses. Another good portion of atheists grow up in a household of non-belief and other just never felt a need to take part in a religion. Very few just woke up one day and decided to be an atheist for the fun of it.

My personal journey started as a Christian. I dabbled in a few other religions along the way, including Wicca and Judaism, before my studies into human behavior led me to the belief that everything in existence today has a human cause including the concept of god.

Spirituality and the atheist

Atheism is not a religion, though some religions, such as Buddhism and Taoism, are atheistic; lacking a belief in god(s). We are not united under a single doctrine nor do we have temples, churches, tenets, a holy book, holidays, rituals or any other trappings normally associated with theism. At the most, atheism would be classified as a philosophy.

Despite a non-belief in an omnipotent, omniscient being, atheism does not preclude a belief in spiritual matters. Some atheists do follow various philosophies, such as the eightfold path, that theists consider to be part of the realm of religion. As long as the practice does not include any type of god worship or require a belief in a god(s), the atheist can participate and still be considered so by his or her peers.

I hope through this short overview that you have gained a better understanding of atheism and those of us who decide to go left when others go right. Education is the key that unlocks the door to peace. Let’s turn the handle together.

Indigo Black is a freelance writer with an innumerable number of interests that include: writing, blogging, erotica, mythology, philosophy, web and graphic design. Currently, she is the administrator of SmutWriter, a resource site for erotica authors and Blogilepsy, a resource site for avid bloggers.

Sinister plot to immortalize Arafat’s teachings and leadership, or sentimental goodbye among those w

“People on this night are going to be on several different
levels. No doubt we are on the lowest level, so we are hoping in
this night to attain the honor and illumination granted in it.
When we reach a higher level and as it is a holy night in the
heavens as well, we will begin to sense something [of the great
power being manifested] on this night. Whoever is at the highest
spiritual level must be present for this night in the Divine
Presence of the Lord.”
http://www.crescentlife.com/spirituality/laylat_al_qadr.htm

“Sources in the defense establishment believe tomorrow will be
the day on which the Palestinians will ask to disconnect Arafat
from life support and announce his death. Tomorrow night marks
Lailat al-Kader, the night Muslims believe God revealed the
Koran to the prophet Mohammed. The death of the Palestinian
leader on that day will, therefore, be symbolic.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498629.html

“The bill specifically forbids Arafat from being buried anywhere
in Israel. “Because of his disease,” the bill reads, “the State
of Israel allowed Arafat to leave for the sake of medical
treatment. This bill requests a ban on his return to Israel or
to the Palestinian Authority areas, whether to stay or to pass
through. The bill also wishes to prevent his burial in these
areas, lest the site turn into a pilgrimage attraction, a
symbol, and a source of inspiration for the war against Israel’s
existence.”" Arutz-7 news: Tuesday Nov 9, 2004

“”We chose Ramallah because it is close to Jerusalem, where we
are hoping to bury him in the near future,” said Hassan
Khraisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council
and member of a special committee entrusted with overlooking the
funeral arrangements. Palestinians said that after Arafat would
be buried there, a mosque and monument would be built inside the
compound.”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/P
rinter&cid=1099973628375&p=1078113566627

“Sha’ath said there is no talk of removing Arafat from life
support. “We are not really believers in euthanasia. The man is
not suffering; he is in a coma … It’s out of the question that
anybody is thinking of taking any such decisions,” he said.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/09/arafat/index.html

Waiting till the Night of Power to pull the plug on Arafat’s
life support would have effectively placed him on the “highest
spiritual level” quoted above, and therefore, “in the divine
presence of” allah. However, as the PA officals didn’t remove
his life support, even his burial in Ramallah, complete with a
mosque and monument to boot, will do one of two things in the
minds and hearts of Muslims worldwide who revered Arafat in this
life.

1) Arafat will be elevated to prophet status, and his teachings,
sayings, decrees, etc, spread throughout the Islamic world, and
be followed even more devoutly than in his lifetime. Thus
ensuring PA leadership, that their goals to wipe out the Jews
and Christians wherever they may be found, will be carried out
in even greater numbers, dedication, and determination than in
the past.

In this situation, pulling the plug on Lailat al-Kader would
have been a ploy to ensure that policies, goals, ideology, and
commitment to Arafat’s cause is further entrenched and carried
out. Such a ploy would have taken advantage of Muslim thought
and desire on this day, and basically forcing what many call
“the new Islam” down everyone’s throat, as refusal to honor a
prophet brings harsh discipline.

Burial complete with mosque and monument will very likely do the
same thing in the minds of the moslem people, as not only will
they come to mourn, but also come to worship.

2) Arafat will receive the burial fitting for a prophet, and
many will come merely to mourn his passing, but no elevation to
prophet status will occur.

This is less likely to happen, as in order to have his death be
symbolic on the night of Lailat al-Kader, moslems would have to
admit that Arafat was spoken to by allah himself, and that his
death is a sign that his words are to be whole-heartedly honored
and obeyed.

It’s bad enough that the IDF is bracing for riots and increased
violence in PA-controlled areas following the news of Arafat’s
death. But to have millions of moslems suddenly claim Arafat as
a prophet will make matters worse for Jews, and Christians
around the world. It’s already bad enough that a BBC reporter
cried over his release to a Paris hospital. The added sympathy,
honor, mourning, and allegiance to his teachings will only
congeal supporters world-wide as well.

I see therefore, a potential polarization of East versus West,
of People of the Book versus Islam in the coming days. Saudi
Arabia is already treating the war in Iraq as a holy war.
PA-bred terrorists are already in Iraq killing Americans and
other national groups the same way they’ve been killing Jews in
Israel for years.

Arafat is not another Louie
Riel(http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Pa
rams=J1ARTJ0006837), to be decried, then enshrined, then
decried, then a statue built, repeatedly going from hero to
villain and back again. Arafat, plain and simple, is a villain
on a massive scale. He will be a hero to the strain of Islam he
revived and its sympathizers, and a villain to those who don’t
adhere or sympathize with his ways and teachings.

I say be watchful in coming days. Whether intended by the PA
leadership or not, Islam may have just turned a corner. Jews and
Christians beware.