Nobody Knows

[RadiomanATL]

If the belief in God comes from only faith, then no, my faith isn't even close to being strong.

We were talking about faith in the tooth fairy.

Your faith with God is between you and Him. Or not Him, considering the context.

Mom is the tooth fairy.

Don't tell Dougar

 

[RadiomanATL]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJAxdGeZ4E

Excellent cover. But IMO Cohen's original is still the best. His voice just lends a darker shade to it.

 

[Immanuel]

I just had a "wisdumb"toof pulled.
It's been under my pillow for 3 daze.It's still there.

Your faith isn't strong enough.

If the belief in God comes from only faith, then no, my faith isn't even close to being strong.

You really do not need a whole lot of faith.

Matthew 17:19-21 (New International Version)

19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Ask those questions you have in your heart. If you truly seek an answer, you will find it.

Immie

 

[Jack Fate]

Nobody knows whether or not there is a "God". People have yet to come back from the dead to report findings either. It's all philosophy.

According to Christians, Jesus came back from the dead. There were many witnesses. Either it's a grand conspiracy or the truth.

 

[Immanuel]

I've always thought people of faith (Christians, for example) felt the Bible was physical "proof" (for lack of better words) of the existence of God. Not the book itself, but the scriptures in it which were written by people during Christ's life (I could be way off here w/my timelines, if so, pardon me).

The scriptures are more like evidence than proof. It sometimes takes many pieces of evidence to prove a truth.

For instance, proof is a police officer actually seeing a killer stab a knife into the heart of the victim. As far as the police officer is concerned, his actually seeing the crime take place is proof in his mind that the suspect is guilty of the crime. However, for the jury, it would take more to convince them of the suspect's guilt. Things such as the testimony of the police officer and other witnesses, bloody shoe prints or finger prints... a glove that actually fits... etc. etc. etc.

The Scriptures are evidence of the belief in God. Sometimes proof requires more evidence.

Immie

 

[Avatar4321]

Prayer isn't about asking God for what you want and recieving it. It's about building a relationship with God. Getting to know Him. Bringing your will and His will together.

You question whether there is a God. You admit you don't know, which is natural. There was a time I didn't know as well. All of us have that point. Because they only way to know God is to have experiences with Him. So how can you have experiences with Him if you avoid talking with Him? If you avoid trying out the things He teaches?

God will reveal himself after the trial of your faith. After you seek to find the truth. After you seek Him out. Until you try things you aren't sure about but are willing to try to find out if they are true.

Start small. Pray. Study scriptures. Try to change some of the things in your life towards God's standards. Do so with confidence that if there is a God, He will show you at some point.

Experiment on the Word.

 

[Avatar4321]

Concept of God is so huge that it makes me feel nutty if I think about it for too long. Just like thinking about deep space and the concept of eternity. Makes me crazy to think about it.

Yet you do to some degree. Or you wouldn't be here. There is curiosity on your part correct? Do you want to know if God is there or not? Would you be willing to follow Him if you did?

 

[Avatar4321]

If anyone could prove the existence of God, there would be no need for faith.

Why do we need faith? Do we need faith because there is nothing else? Why isn't there anything to base it on except just faith?

Because faith is a principle of action. And God wants us to learn how to act and not just go through life being acted upon.

God wants us to grow. he wants us to work and to seek knowledge. Faith is key to this. As is Hope and Charity.

 

[SmarterThanHick]

If you really believed that God doesn't exist... why would you waste your time trying to prove a negative?

People do this all the time. In fact, the only point of every psychiatric institution in the world is to help people move away from delusions and misconceptions.

God is there. I know that from personal experience. He loves you too.

It's amazing how God has made it clear that He will reveal Himself to those who have faith and He does, yet there are so many people who never test it. They just declare him unknowable.

Yeah the problem with that is that people from EVERY religion say the EXACT same thing. You think religious Muslims don't "know that from personal experience" too? Jews? Taoism? Wiccans? The silly thing isn't that you believe in God. The silly thing is believing that your personal experiences on the topic aren't paralleled in EVERY religion throughout time. The fact remains that if you want to believe in something hard enough, your mind will go there, regardless of whether there is some supernatural phenomenon you're "building a relationship" with or not.

Here's a simple way to prove the point: I take it you believe in Jesus. Tell me what he looks like. What color is his skin?

If anyone could prove the existence of God, there would be no need for faith.

You say that as if faith is needed or superior to evidence based reasoning. It's not.

 

[naomibee]

Nobody knows whether or not there is a "God". People have yet to come back from the dead to report findings either. It's all philosophy.

I guess one day when you meet your maker you will see.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Nobody knows whether or not there is a "God". People have yet to come back from the dead to report findings either. It's all philosophy.

Not true. There are a lot of people who know that God exists. The problem here is not that there is no evidence, it is that the evidence is almost always subjective, not objective. The fact that subjective evidence does not meet a standard that allows scientific scrutiny does not mean that it is not factual. An example of this would be placebos. There is no way to scientifically test the placebo effect, yet it is so widespread that any medical study has to take it into account to be accurate. God exists in the placebo effect.

 

[SmarterThanHick]

There is no way to scientifically test the placebo effect

Yes. There is. And it has been tested. We even know what makes the placebo effect larger or smaller in particular instances.

But there's a reason why it's called the placebo effect, instead of people believing SUGAR = CURE. While a subjective belief can produce physiologic changes, it doesn't mean the belief is CORRECT. In other words, all those subjective feelings can be concluded to be the result of people BELIEVING in their particular version of a deity, and nothing more. The same could be said about children and the tooth fairy or santa. It doesn't mean the feeling is false, but it does mean the belief is not factually validated.

 

[marksinvirginia]

Thinking that there is no power or intelligence higher than that of pathetic man is the absurdity of absurdities.

Man looks at himself in the mirror and sees himself for what he really is and tells himself that he is in deep shit. So... rather than asking God to save him from his body of death... he stupidly tells himself there is no God.

"The fool saith in his heart, there is no God."


~Mark

P. S: No project in history has consumed more time, energy and money than man's desperate effort to prove that his own creator and judge does not exist.

If you really believed that God doesn't exist... why would you waste your time trying to prove a negative?

Arrogance keeps us from God. Be humble and invite people to learn the truth instead of telling them they are stupid.

If you esteem someone to be wrong, dont bear them down, lift them up.

********************************************

Psalm 14:1-3 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one.

Avatar.... It's God's Word that says they are fools, not mine. I am just forwarding the message. All who are saved were at one time foolish non-believers. It is God's Holy Spirit that draws each fool to Christ. We can accept Him, and be saved, or reject Him and remain a fool. Every Word of God has the power to save; even the seemingly arrogant Words.


~Mark

 

[marksinvirginia]

Thinking that there is no power or intelligence higher than that of pathetic man is the absurdity of absurdities.

Man looks at himself in the mirror and sees himself for what he really is and tells himself that he is in deep shit. So... rather than asking God to save him from his body of death... he stupidly tells himself there is no God.

"The fool saith in his heart, there is no God."


~Mark

P. S: No project in history has consumed more time, energy and money than man's desperate effort to prove that his own creator and judge does not exist.

If you really believed that God doesn't exist... why would you waste your time trying to prove a negative?

And there is nothing more foolish than the arrogance of declaring , 'because I believe it to be so, those who don't are fools'.

*************************************

God said it, not me. So take your complaint up with Him.

~El Marco

 

[MikeK]

Does nothing come from nothing?

Or

Does nothing come from nothing?

 

[Cecilie1200]

Asking God for specific things by praying seems odd to me. I thought people of faith believe God is all knowing. Certainly he already knows your situation, so why would someone ask Him for help or to help a loved one? Doesn't he already know what's going on?

I've answered this question before.

I have two sons living at home. One is almost 15, and one is almost 2. As an experienced mother - and an intelligent adult - I know perfectly well what my children's basic needs are, have a pretty shrewd idea what their wants are, and the observation capacity to figure out when they need and want those things. In the case of my 2-year-old, I pretty much provide these things automatically, without any input or requests from him. Why? Because he can't talk, at least not effectively enough to make requests. About all he can do is cry, and I usually try to anticipate his needs before he gets to that point.

The teenager, on the other hand, I make ask me for things, whether I know he needs and wants them or not. Why? Because it's good for him. Not only does it build his character and independence (by not allowing him to sit around, spoiled, expecting everything to be anticipated and handed to him), but it also builds the relationship between us. And the time and effort spent in communicating with me and asking me for what he wants forces him to spend time actually thinking about - thinking THROUGH - his needs and wants.

The two-year-old is just starting on the process his older brother has already been through: growing up and learning to communicate his desires, and sometimes, to have his requests turned down, rather than being a helpless, dependent, self-centered baby.

I hope you can see the parallels.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I don't think Man is pathetic. Life is messy and complicated and people do nasty things to varying degrees, at different times in their lives, but people are also full of goodness and love. It's just that the nastiness of Man is so glaring it seems like Man is mostly "bad".

Newspapers and media only put the dirty stuff on the front page and the TV news is so negative, I rarely watch it. Notice we never hear of 90% EMPLOYMENT rate...only 10% UNEMPLOYMENT rate, for example.

The good stuff is muffled and the bad stuff is put on the pedestal.

As a pinnacle of all that exists in the universe, mankind is fairly pathetic. I don't personally want to live in a universe where THIS is as good as it has gotten so far.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I need to question everything. I don't believe anything without compelling reasons to believe it.
I think it's good to question every aspect of religion and God. Questioning is just inquiring and studying. I would think religion would welcome questions and maybe some do, but seems like most get annoyed when questioned.

Maybe it's just that they hear the same questions over and over, and it often seems as though people aren't listening to the answer, but just want to hear the question.

 

[Cecilie1200]

And there is nothing more foolish than the arrogance of declaring , 'because I believe it to be so, those who don't are fools'.

I don't think the billions of people who have faith/belief in God are fools. I simply don't understand why so many completely and thoroughly believe in God based strictly on faith. I am very curious about this. It really does mystify me.

I am very secure and confident enough to stand alone in my thoughts regardless of how outnumbered I am or how adverse it is. My mind questions everything by default. It's how my brain is wired. I can't say I believe in something completely if I'm questioning it.

Truth is, you believe a lot of things every day based on faith. Everyone does. They just don't see it that way.

 

[Adamo]

Truth is, you believe a lot of things every day based on faith. Everyone does. They just don't see it that way.

Like what?