Similarly, would my encounters with space aliens, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster be any less true than your breskfast of cocoa puffs?
You do realize that in addition to books, we have eye witness accounts of peope who have had encounters with space aliens, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. Therefore, they must be true.
You're encounters with aliens, bigfoot and the Loch Ness are unaccounted for. You haven't provided the details of any experience. But that still doesn't explain what ima's standard for proof is.
You guys have a habit of saying there is no proof of anything and ignoring evidence. You might not be convinced of the evidence to support God, that doesn't mean there isnt any evidence, just that you don't find it credible.
That's the thing with eye witnesses. You have to weigh the credibility. That's what I find so breathtakingly amazing about the Gospel. I have had an experience with the Lord, but you are under no obligation to take my word for it. You have the opportunity and the duty to go to the Lord and find out for yourself whether what I have said about Him is true. He isn't shy.
I don't have a problem with aliens existing. I dont have a problem with bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster existing. I am not arrogant enough to assume that because I haven't seen or experienced something, it can't happen. I haven't been persuaded by the evidence that has been presented for bigfoot. I have little doubt there is life on other planets. And I havent at all looked at the evidence for the Loch Ness monster.
Of course, none of those things has seriously implications for my life. Which is probably why I havent spent my time investigating the matter. The existence of God, however, does have serious implications for not only my life, but the lives of those I care about. If I have been created by the Lord for a purpose, understanding that purpose is important to determine how I should live my life. If I have been created by God, it has implications to both my individuals rights and my responsibilities to myself, my family, and to my community. If I wasn't created by the Lord, my rights don't come from Him, but from the government, and that has a significant influence on my political viewpoints.
If God exists and created the Universe around me and the Laws of Nature & morality, it impacts what I need to know about the world around me and how I should live my life. The very existence of laws governing the universe tells me that if I want success in life, i need to understand live according to those laws the best I can. If God doesn't exist, and we cease to exist at death, then my actions in this life would and should be very different.
In short, I realized long ago that I needed to find out if there was a God because my life could be very different depending on the answer. After having studied the scriptures and listened to what many with various opinions had to say, I realized the only way I could know the truth for myself is to go the source and ask the Lord. It's the only way anyone can. And if the scripture were true, then I could ask the Lord. Because I knew I needed wisdom that I did not have otherwise.
There are many things I could be doing if there wasn't a God. For example, I wouldn't be wasting my time discussing the matter here if I didn't know there was a God. I have alot of things that are good in my life I could be working on. But when i was seeking the Lord, I made a promise that if He did reveal Himself to me, that I would do my best to follow Him. The Lord kept His promise, and Im going to do my best to follow through on my end.
One of those promises is to stand as a witness of Christ in all times and all places. I know Christ lives because the Spirit revealed it to me. That's the only way I could know. That's the only way you can know. That's the only way anyone could know. Even if Christ appeared in front of us, it is the Spirit that would reveal Him. I am to stand and give my witness. It's the Lord that will pierce your heart by the power of the Spirit. It is the Spirit that will tell you that my witness is true.
You can either create a personal standard of proof that is designed to always excuse you from ever needing to work and find the truth. Or you could have some courage, Take a chance and seek the answers for yourself. The choice is up to you.
You learn the truth when you work for it. If you are just going to sit around waiting for someone else to do the work for you, you will never know for yourself.