Now that was a provocative line of thought...not new, mind you...but still interesting....and always will be.

Even if prayer was 'all in your head' that wouldn't change whether its effective or not.  You seem to be thinking of prayer as some sort of vending machine.  Two prayers in, results out.

Anyway, Harry, I agree.  With some caveats, but I agree.

'caveats.'

Meaning, I would need to make some modifications to what you said before I could really accept it.

HA!  Hit and run post!

classical

Welcome fellow Atheist to Sntjohnny.com! Glad to have ya.

To answer your query, it is because, as stated above, they really have no belief in any underlying reality of what they claim to believe.

Check the date of that original post. Have you noticed that not a one has came forward and attempted to refute what what posted? Nope, not a one.

This is because they do actually realize their professed belief is superficial at best and they, at some level, believe all the different religious believers don't really believe anymore than they do.

What you described as what you would do, if you suddenly were absolutely positively sure of the underlying reality of any religious belief, is not just something you would do, it is something you would have to do.

Can't even honestly do a hit and run post without it being misinterpreted.  :(

Caveat time.

It does not follow that quitting one's job etc is the obvious way to go if you are a believer.

Its DEFINATELY the case that true belief in God should have a number of outward expressions.  Some of these certainly will be 'selling all' or what not.  At least for some.

However, Christian theism in particular is plenty open to what we might call a more 'laid back' approach.  Since Christian theism has the scriptures as their primary source of authoritative comments about how God wants us to behave, we cannot dismiss what these documents say.  And if we find that Christians are sincerely obeying these texts in the belief that they are acting as God would want, your blanket insinuations don't have the same merit that you wish they did.

For example, 1 Cor. 7:17 says, "Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.  This is the rule in all the churches... Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.....Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to."

This rationale is further elaborated and discussed in this text.

The Christian Scriptures also emphatically describe the church as Christ's body, with different members.  Each member has its own gifts, its own abilities, its own talents, its own passions, etc, etc.  Christianity embraces individuality, while at the same time putting individuality in a healthy context.

A person who decides to be a big time business executive is not necessarily in defiance of his faith.  He may in fact be very devoted to God, as we'd expect the rest of his life to show, including his conduct as a businessman.  Especially if he was not originally a Christian, but became one after becoming a big time exec, if he really trusts the Scriptures he WON'T do what you think he should do.  Rather, he'll be responsible and stay in his position.

On the other side of it, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people that have actually done what you make sound like no one does (except Islamic extremists).  I have two friends that are currently missionaries in civil-war infested regions in Africa.  Many of my friends are making peanuts as Christian teachers or pastors.  I was only until last January among them.   That's just my circle in my one little denomination.  Perhaps you need to hang out in my circle, some.

All that said, I bitterly despise the overall apathy in the Christian churches.  I cannot deny that many people are just going through the motions.  I cannot deny my bitterness that some people in the Christian churches think that Christian workers SHOULD work for peanuts.  This is an obvious reality that cannot be denied, but it doesn't follow that there aren't many many exceptions who have really given their all, whether on the mission field or in their local place of employment.

Yea, I can't speak for them.  As I have opportunity, I confront them.

I crashed christian prayer meeting at my public  high school.  Because of me some people no longer believe god exist.  Bad thing though is i made a christian friend of mine think.  I think he is having his period again.

If you didn't want to get into a huge argument, you've come to the wrong place.  

Good slant, Tony.

If I were an atheist, I'd rape and pillage.