Do you believe God exists? Is there any proof of his existence?

[nicoleivy5]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

 

[cnm]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence

Weak.

 

[phoenyx]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

I think it all depends on how you define the word "God". I'm a Pantheist. Here's how Wikipedia defines Pantheism:
**...pantheism is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing, immanent God.[8] All forms of reality may then be considered either modes of that Being, or identical with it.[9] Some hold that pantheism is a non-religious philosophical position. To them, pantheism is the view that the Universe (in the sense of the totality of all existence) and God are identical**

Source: Pantheism - Wikipedia

It's hard to argue that everything doesn't exist. The main issue is the details.

Stephen Colbert is fond of saying things like "This audience is a gift from God, or, if you're an atheist, they're a gift from an indifferent universe". Now -there- is a point that can be debated. It's certainly beyond a shadow of a doubt that -some- parts of this universe are by no means indifferent (many if not all of the intelligent beings in it), but how connected are these intelligent beings to everything else in the universe? That, to me, is the type of question that I think people may not reach consensus on for a long time.

Along those lines, there's a quote from the 2007 Zeitgeist film that I really like:
“Now, in our culture we’ve been trained for individual differences to stand out. So, you look at each person and immediately it is brighter, dumber, older, younger, richer, poorer… and we make all these dimensional distinctions, we put them in categories and treat them that way. And we get so that we only see others as separate from ourselves in the ways in which they’re separate. And one of the dramatic characteristics of experience is being with another person and suddenly seeing the ways in which they’re like you, and not different from you, and experiencing the fact that which is essence in you, which is essence in me is the one, the understanding there is no other. It is all one.”

Source:

 

[Meriweather]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

What/Who is God? It has been said that the entire universe is like a grain of sand in the hand of God.

As early as the eleventh century, this type of non-theological argument was posed:

We see that on this planet nothing can move unless something else causes it to move. Inanimate objects don't reproduce. Nor can they think. They have no life. It is that gives life, and life is defined a physical object having a living spirit.

Did matter and motion always exist? Or, was there a creator of matter, a spirit that put the universe in motion? Did some inanimate matter somehow build their own spirit, or did a greater spirit breathe life in that which was inanimate?

Everyone has to answer for him/herself whether their belief is in the idea that matter and motion have always existed, or whether it was the work of a living Being, and this Being caused that first motion.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

The general concept of existence is proof enough. There is a beginning point for all things. What was it?

 

[onefour1]

There might be more proof if there wasn't a deliberate effort to undermine it.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Prove to me that God does not exist.

 

[nicoleivy5]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

What/Who is God? It has been said that the entire universe is like a grain of sand in the hand of God.

As early as the eleventh century, this type of non-theological argument was posed:

We see that on this planet nothing can move unless something else causes it to move. Inanimate objects don't reproduce. Nor can they think. They have no life. It is that gives life, and life is defined a physical object having a living spirit.

Did matter and motion always exist? Or, was there a creator of matter, a spirit that put the universe in motion? Did some inanimate matter somehow build their own spirit, or did a greater spirit breathe life in that which was inanimate?

Everyone has to answer for him/herself whether their belief is in the idea that matter and motion have always existed, or whether it was the work of a living Being, and this Being caused that first motion.

good post man

 

[Xathor]

1. Yes, I believe God exists.

2. Yes, there is evidence that God exists.

 

[RWNJ]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

The fact that the universe exists is proof of a Creator. The universe cannot be explained without Him. If there is no Creator, then everything just simply happened on it's own. Something real science tells us is impossible.

 

[Blackrook]

God proved his existence adequately to me when he sent his only Son, who performed many miracles, including raising the dead, and then he himself died, rose from the dead on the third day, walked the Earth in front of witnesses, and ascended into heaven. I'm not sure what other kind of proof you want if this doesn't convince you.

 

[Meriweather]

God proved his existence adequately to me when he sent his only Son, who performed many miracles, including raising the dead, and then he himself died, rose from the dead on the third day, walked the Earth in front of witnesses, and ascended into heaven. I'm not sure what other kind of proof you want if this doesn't convince you.

How/why is that relevant to non-believers today?

 

[RWNJ]

God proved his existence adequately to me when he sent his only Son, who performed many miracles, including raising the dead, and then he himself died, rose from the dead on the third day, walked the Earth in front of witnesses, and ascended into heaven. I'm not sure what other kind of proof you want if this doesn't convince you.

How/why is that relevant to non-believers today?

I COULD BE MISTAKEN, BUT IT MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE SOMETHING TO DO WITH NOT BURNING IN HELL.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

"Do you believe God exists? Is there any proof of his existence?"

There is no 'god' as perceived by theists.

 

[phoenyx]

God proved his existence adequately to me when he sent his only Son, who performed many miracles, including raising the dead, and then he himself died, rose from the dead on the third day, walked the Earth in front of witnesses, and ascended into heaven. I'm not sure what other kind of proof you want if this doesn't convince you.

Some people, such as the creator of the Zeitgeist series of films, are skeptical that Jesus even existed. I've read books from different authors looking for the historical Jesus and I -do- believe that Jesus existed, but I believe that while there is strong evidence that he was descended from jewish royalty, and may well have been a very remarkable man, especially for his time, I've seen no evidence that he was "God's only son" (on that point, I prefer Zeitgeist's explanation to that title being given to him). Also seen no strong evidence that he performed any miracles. Many contest the notion that he actually raised anyone from the dead. The story most have heard is the story of raising Lazarus from the dead, so I did a bit of googling and found a rather interesting article. It mentions all 3 of the people who Jesus allegedly resurrected, but I'd like to focus on Lazarus, since his story is the one most people who know something about the Bible's contents know about...

**
Outwitting the Grim Reaper – John's tale

The Raising of Lazarus

"The name Lazarus, in the same abbreviated form La'zar (for El'azar, Eleazar) which we find in the Gospels, is quite common on the ossuaries."

– W. F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, p244.


The most famous of JC's "raisings" is the one reported by John. It is the most detailed and dramatic – which makes it all the more curious that it goes unrecorded in any of the synoptic gospels. But then, in a sense, it does appear, not as a miracle but as parable. A complex web is woven in which the threads are a place (Bethany), two sisters (Mary and Martha), a Simon, a jar of expensive ointment, Jesus' feet, a corpse and a return to life.

Early in Luke, after the incident at Nain and an exchange of messages with John the Baptist, Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner. As he eats, an unnamed prostitute "stood at his feet behind him" (!) and in some curious contortion manages to wash his feet with her tears, wipe them with her hair, and anoint them with ointment from an alabaster box. JC uses the occasion to pontificate on degrees of sin and love. (Luke 7.36,40).

A little later in Luke, JC finds himself in "a certain village" with "a certain woman" named Martha and a sister called Mary. To Martha's chagrin, Mary, rather than help with the dishes, "sat at Jesus' feet" to hear his words. The great man tells Martha to chill out, or words to that effect, declaring that Mary's action is "the good part". (Luke 10.38,42).

Luke's final contribution comes in chapter 16. JC has wended his way "through the cities and villages towards Jerusalem", telling a multitude of parables. One of the last he relates is the story of "a certain rich man" and a sick beggar called Lazarus, who has fed on crumbs from the rich man's table. Both die, the beggar taken up to heaven, the rich man down to hell. The pleas from the rich man for Lazarus to cool his thirst are in vain. It's payback time. The crunch line is delivered by JC:

"If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

– Luke 16.19,31.


In these words Jesus mouths a rebuttal to any suggestion that a reanimated corpse might be a good way to convince unbelievers of his mighty power. Belief must come from scripture, not physical evidence. This rather nicely gets the priests out of a hole. Luke's parable is the only reference to a Lazarus in any of the synoptic gospels and there is no suggestion that the two sisters might have a brother of that name.

Matthew (and Mark) conflate Luke's first two stories into one. The village is now named as Bethany and the house is that of Simon the Leper. As Jesus eats, an unnamed woman anoints his head by pouring "very precious ointment" from an alabaster box. The disciples protest at the waste (not to mention the mess) but JC declares that the woman has "wrought a good work". (Matthew 26.3,13; Mark 14.1,9).

John's gospel now completes the wondrous yarn by weaving all three of Luke's tales into one. Lazarus is no longer the hero of a parable but is the flesh-and-blood brother of Martha and Mary. The opening verses of chapter 11 make clear that the unnamed prostitute with such versatile hair that featured in Luke 7 in fact is Mary of Bethany.

"Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick."

– John 11.1,2.


The sisters have not hitherto been mentioned in John so clearly the writer is working from the other gospels. Apparently, Jesus loves the whole family (note the emphasis – but doesn't he love everybody?) – Lazarus "he whom thou lovest", Martha and her sister "Jesus loved". The sisters "sent unto him" (does everybody have a servant?) but Jesus dallies. It seems he already knows Lazarus is sick but is unconcerned, events will all reflect "to his glory":

"When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."

– John 11.4.


Where exactly is Jesus at this point? He has "escaped" out of Jerusalem and is beyond the Jordan "where John first baptized." John says in 1.28 that this is "Bethabara" but no such place is known to history. Many Bibles "correct" this (confusingly) to read Bethany to flow with the following verses (well, it is all a fiction, after all!). After an affected delay Jesus deigns to visit his now dead friend, in his grave four days and "stinking". The motif of "four days" is chosen in deference to the Jewish notion that the soul hovers at the grave for three days. Lazarus is really dead.

Martha goes out to meet the approaching holy man and affirms her faith in both resurrection "at the last day" and Jesus as the Son of God. Inexplicitly Jesus again dallies, this time allowing Martha to "secretly" tell her sister Mary that "the Master" has called for her. Mary rushes out to fall at JC's feet (love those feet!) and Jesus, who knows everything, asks where Lazarus is buried. The crowd of Jews who have gathered in sympathy question whether Jesus could have saved the life of his "loved friend" (the one that we have never heard of before). Jesus groans and weeps.

At the cave where Lazarus is buried Jesus orders the removal of the stone door and very publicly prays, explaining his motive for this to God himself (who surely knows everything?).

"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me."

– John 11.41,42.


Finally, Jesus shouts "Lazarus, come out!" and the dead man emerges, grave clothes and all.

At this point, "Lazarus", loved friend and restored dead man, is all but entirely dropped from the story (what? no tales from the grave?). Instead, John's focus is back on JC and a repeat of the "costly ointment/hair wiping feet" scene from the synoptic gospels referred to briefly at verse 11.2. History is about to repeat itself.

But there is no possibility this could be a a second, similar instance. John picks up the precise value of the ointment ("spikenard") used at Mark 14.4 ("three hundred pence"). John reiterates identical Jesus dialogue to justify his indulgence of costly ointment "because the poor are always with you". And John has Jesus issue the same instruction to his disciples to "Let her alone!" The only difference is that John has shifted the indignation of the disciples (Matthew 26.8, Mark 14.4) to one disciplealone. Judas Iscariot, son of Simon (the Pharisee or is that the Leper?!) has been fingered as the bad guy.

"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this."

– John 12.3,7.


What are we to make of a "historical" event that both begins and ends at the same moment in "history", a pastiche of borrowed elements and recycled names? The answer is NO HISTORY AT ALL. The "raising of Lazarus" is as bogus as the flying pigs of Gadara and the birthing of a god from a Jewish virgin. The rehashed story does not even have its origins with fiction from the synoptic gospels but rather with a rabbinic tale of Bar Majan the tax collector, itself copied from Egyptian funeral texts of El-Azar, an ancient prototype for the Lazarus parable of judgement in the afterlife.

But then, why waste a good yarn?

**

Source: Waking the Dead? - Signs and wonders to impress the brethren

 

[Meriweather]

[I COULD BE MISTAKEN, BUT IT MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE SOMETHING TO DO WITH NOT BURNING IN HELL.

Do you believe the only relevance Jesus has is about our after life? He has no relevance in our present life?

 

[Blackrook]

There are plenty of reasons not to believe that Jesus Christ came into this world as a man, lived among us, performed miracles, died to save us from our sins, and then rose from the dead. I think the main reason people have is that if they did believe, and I'm talking about the kind of belief that leaves no room for doubt, then they would have to change the way they live. There are certain things they do that they would have to stop doing, and there are certain things they don't do that they would have to do. Faith in Jesus Christ requires a personal transformation that can be very painful to the person who doesn't want to do it. Even those of us who do want to believe in Jesus Christ find the burdens he imposes on us onerous. To believe in Christ, and act on that belief, is to walk this world carrying a cross, a cross that can be painful to bear, and heavy, and very inconvenient if we'd rather be doing things we know we shouldn't do. Yes, there is joy in it too, but the joy and the tears are both part of it. It is something difficult to describe to a person who has not experienced it for himself. And yes, there is a point when you no longer feel the weight of that cross, and the going gets easier because now you realize that it is actually Jesus, not you, who is carrying the cross. But that comes later, first there is the pain, the doubt, the fear, and the dread. There are no shortcuts.

 

[Meriweather]

There are plenty of reasons not to believe that Jesus Christ came into this world as a man, lived among us, performed miracles, died to save us from our sins, and then rose from the dead. I think the main reason people have is that if they did believe, and I'm talking about the kind of belief that leaves no room for doubt, then they would have to change the way they live. There are certain things they do that they would have to stop doing, and there are certain things they don't do that they would have to do. Faith in Jesus Christ requires a personal transformation that can be very painful to the person who doesn't want to do it. Even those of us who do want to believe in Jesus Christ find the burdens he imposes on us onerous. To believe in Christ, and act on that belief, is to walk this world carrying a cross, a cross that can be painful to bear, and heavy, and very inconvenient if we'd rather be doing things we know we shouldn't do. Yes, there is joy in it too, but the joy and the tears are both part of it. It is something difficult to describe to a person who has not experienced it for himself. And yes, there is a point when you no longer feel the weight of that cross, and the going gets easier because now you realize that it is actually Jesus, not you, who is carrying the cross. But that comes later, first there is the pain, the doubt, the fear, and the dread. There are no shortcuts.

People who argue Jesus may not have existed often use it as a way to skip over the real issue. Jesus (and the early Apostles) taught that the way of obedience was light burden and an easy yoke; that obedience frees whereas sin enslaves. This point can be taught and demonstrated without any mention of Jesus.

This philosophy of obedience over disobedience also requires a personal transformation that can be difficult and onerous--yet provides joy as well.

I understand that from its earliest beginnings Christianity has stood fast in preaching Christ crucified. In one of his letters, Paul noted nothing else works as well. What I observe today is that is becoming more and more popular to challenge people to "prove" the existence of God, let alone Christ. When this happens we are so involved in trying to satisfy/mollify this demand for proof that what Christ taught about obedience over disobedience is lost entirely.

 

[Blackrook]

There are plenty of reasons not to believe that Jesus Christ came into this world as a man, lived among us, performed miracles, died to save us from our sins, and then rose from the dead. I think the main reason people have is that if they did believe, and I'm talking about the kind of belief that leaves no room for doubt, then they would have to change the way they live. There are certain things they do that they would have to stop doing, and there are certain things they don't do that they would have to do. Faith in Jesus Christ requires a personal transformation that can be very painful to the person who doesn't want to do it. Even those of us who do want to believe in Jesus Christ find the burdens he imposes on us onerous. To believe in Christ, and act on that belief, is to walk this world carrying a cross, a cross that can be painful to bear, and heavy, and very inconvenient if we'd rather be doing things we know we shouldn't do. Yes, there is joy in it too, but the joy and the tears are both part of it. It is something difficult to describe to a person who has not experienced it for himself. And yes, there is a point when you no longer feel the weight of that cross, and the going gets easier because now you realize that it is actually Jesus, not you, who is carrying the cross. But that comes later, first there is the pain, the doubt, the fear, and the dread. There are no shortcuts.

People who argue Jesus may not have existed often use it as a way to skip over the real issue. Jesus (and the early Apostles) taught that the way of obedience was light burden and an easy yoke; that obedience frees whereas sin enslaves. This point can be taught and demonstrated without any mention of Jesus.

This philosophy of obedience over disobedience also requires a personal transformation that can be difficult and onerous--yet provides joy as well.

I understand that from its earliest beginnings Christianity has stood fast in preaching Christ crucified. In one of his letters, Paul noted nothing else works as well. What I observe today is that is becoming more and more popular to challenge people to "prove" the existence of God, let alone Christ. When this happens we are so involved in trying to satisfy/mollify this demand for proof that what Christ taught about obedience over disobedience is lost entirely.

The Bible is all the proof we will ever have that Jesus Christ lived, and that the events told in the Bible happened. You either accept it, or you don't. Looking for secondary sources won't get you anywhere. There are synoptic Gospels, but they are confused, contradictory, and were rejected by the early Church as any sort of authority. I believe there is a Roman author named Josephus who mentions Jesus, but only in passing. Given that only a small number of people in those days knew how to read and write, and the printing press had not been invented, the Gospels are really a lot more than one would normally expect to be written about a person. The stories are well written, fairly comprehensive, and contain a philosophy that strikes me as coming from a non-human source, since human wisdom seems overturned and reversed by many things Jesus is quoted as saying. Certainly Jesus' teaching that the rich will have a harder time getting into heaven goes in total contradiction to everything taught in the Old Testament,and is contrary to what many Christian churches teach today. It is the wisdom of humans that wealth is a sign of God's blesssings, and that a good man will be rewarded by God with worldly treasure in this life. Jesus said no, that's not at all the way it is, and practically no one else is saying that.

 

[nicoleivy5]

Does God exist and what proof do we have of his existence
"Does God exist? And if so, can we prove it? Is there any evidence for God? Check out over twenty arguments and proofs for God's existence."

Do you believe in God? What makes you believe in God?

some good points