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Do you have Faith in God?
Posted by KFrangeskos • 5/09/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: Faith, God
Do you have faith? If you do, is it strong or not?
User Comments
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no-
ditto -
Sure, Why not. i've trust on god
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Yes.
My faith is strong in that it is my whole foundation for living. It is weak in the fact that I still struggle daily with worry and depression rather than leaving it in God's hands.-
Instead of worrying, I "am concerned" with things...I do not let myself cross over into worrying...Worrying comes from fear and I prefer to trust in God...
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Yes, I have faith in God and i think it is strong but God knows how strong my faith actually is. -
Rebbeca7,
I completely agree with your point of view. -
My faith is my anchor in life. It's what I hang onto that gives me incredible strength. Hey, KFrangeskos - I agree with worry being fear but worry is something I think we learn to let go in time. We're still human. Sarah -
Yes I have faith in God and it grows stronger every day... -
Of course. He is with me everyday. He is always with His church. When He is happy with us, He shows us His happiness. How great He is. How can I have no faith in Him? The more I saw how He listened to our prayer, the stronger is my faith to Him. Thus, the faith is growing stronger and stronger everyday.
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Yes, I have faith in an imaginary being, and my faith in that imaginary being grows stronger every day. That imaginary being is what I live for so that I may go to some imaginary place when I die and can be with that imaginary being.-
And your point?
just kidding
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No, I don't.
I'm the kind of person who wants a concrete proof of the existence of a god.
Calling the unknown as "god's will" or even as "god" is not a concrete proof.
First you need to define WHAT is god. An all mighty and omnipresent being? A being with extraordinary power (physical and/or psychological)? Simply the unknown?
After defining WHAT is god, then it's time to define what are his/her/it's REASONS.
Why not show him/her/itself to us so that the non-believers become believers? It is not interesting to have more followers? Is it better to have followers who don't make questions only follow blindly?
Like I said, the unknown is not god for me.-
Hi shadowmoon87,
Great post and very honest.
I have found the following in the Urantia Book (Ancient name for Earth)
It is the best explanation I have found about what God is. However, It usually holds little for those that are not looking for God.
"God is primal reality in the spirit world; God is the source of truth in the mind spheres; God overshadows all throughout the material realms. To all created intelligences God is a personality, and to the universe of universes he is the First Source and Center of eternal reality. God is neither manlike nor machinelike. The First Father is universal spirit, eternal truth, infinite reality, and father personality.
The eternal God is infinitely more than reality idealized or the universe personalized. God is not simply the supreme desire of man, the mortal quest objectified. Neither is God merely a concept, the power-potential of righteousness. The Universal Father is not a synonym for nature, neither is he natural law personified. God is a transcendent reality, not merely man's traditional concept of supreme values. God is not a psychological focalization of spiritual meanings, neither is he "the noblest work of man." God may be any or all of these concepts in the minds of men, but he is more. He is a saving person and a loving Father to all who enjoy spiritual peace on earth, and who crave to experience personality survival in death.
The actuality of the existence of God is demonstrated in human experience by the indwelling of the divine presence, the spirit Monitor sent from Paradise to live in the mortal mind of man and there to assist in evolving the immortal soul of eternal survival. The presence of this divine Adjuster in the human mind is disclosed by three experiential phenomena:
1. The intellectual capacity for knowing God--God-consciousness.
2. The spiritual urge to find God--God-seeking.
3. The personality craving to be like God--the wholehearted desire to do the Father's will.
The existence of God can never be proved by scientific experiment or by the pure reason of logical deduction. God can be realized only in the realms of human experience; nevertheless, the true concept of the reality of God is reasonable to logic, plausible to philosophy, essential to religion, and indispensable to any hope of personality survival.
Those who know God have experienced the fact of his presence; such God-knowing mortals hold in their personal experience the only positive proof of the existence of the living God which one human being can offer to another. The existence of God is utterly beyond all possibility of demonstration except for the contact between the God-consciousness of the human mind and the God-presence of the Thought Adjuster that indwells the mortal intellect and is bestowed upon man as the free gift of the Universal Father."
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Nope. -
YES -
Yes. But I have to admit that at times I still struggle. But I don't let my worries consume me. Instead I talk to God. I let Him know how worried and scared I am. I tell Him what's in my heart and mind. I trust Him completely with what I think and what I feel. Talking to Him heals me and He talks back to me by giving me strength. I know I can't do it on my own, so I lift everything up to Him. -
I have a God spot in me let say 50-50-
LOOOOOL!!! naughty
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i do believe in god (jesus christ (christ+ian follower was not religion but the jesus christ follower in faith there is eternity after died) my dear any religion wont help anyone but the truly god his name is jesus christ name cos he is truly god who can saved everyone in the world.hope everybody realized that before die and to late...please pray to god in holly spirit, he will answer your pray and your life will change different from used to be. god will guide and fullfill your life destiny as his good will and saved you to eternal life-
yup yup
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awesome!
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I do have faith in God.
That faith did not come easy, I fought belief in God.
I find it very interesting how some who reject God, go out of their way to mock those who believe.
They believe us to be simpletons.
It seems to me that those who do not believe in God and answered the question in just that manner (such as drjay1966) or answered with a solid "no" and an honest insight as to why (such as shadowmoon87) answer honestly.
While the mocking answer only displays some kind of discomfort in your own beliefs and seems to betray that you find some kind of challenge from the possible existence of God and that you have a real fear you may in fact be wrong.
You most certainly have faith, faith in yourself. But it is a very small and weak faith All of your weight upon your little toothpick of self faith, knowing it could snap at any second fills with with fear and anger and so you mock others in attempt, in hope that their faith will become as weak and as precarious as your own faith.
I'm just sayin...-
@rfburnhertz: I am not a believer, and I'm very indifferent to religion, but I agree with you wholeheartedly about the mockery. No one really knows, so why can't we all respect each other's experiences and beliefs. Frankly, I've noticed more goodwill and honest feeling in these discussions from exponents of religion than from all the so-called atheists. -
Either that or people so weak in character need belief in some supernatural being to give them the confidence they lack.
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@nothingprofound, I agree with you about the mockery.
It is not needed and does not serve those who mock or those who they mock. It builds false ego in the mocker and risks (if done enough or in a specific hostile manner) building anger in the person or persons mocked.
Most Atheists do not simply believe that there is no God, they believe that they can and do KNOW there is no God. As a Christian I do not simply believe that there is a God, I believe that I can and do KNOW there is a God.
Both the believer and the non-believer have faith. -
Ummmm ... when it comes to protesting mockery and being scorned and even harassed or persecuted for your beliefs, maybe some of those posting to protest the mockery and scorn may be enlightened by reading the New Testament. My reading of scripture clearly that this is to be expected and in fact, comes with the territory.
Matthew 5:10-12 (NKJV) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The word "persecution"appears three times in this section, which means that Jesus was putting great emphasis on it. The Greek word translated "persecuted" in these verses comes from dioko, which means: "to pursue" or "chase away." Over time it came to mean "to harass" or "treat in an evil manner." In effect Christ was saying, "Blessed are the harassed." In the New Testament, it is used of "inflicting suffering on people who hold beliefs that the establishment frowns on, and it is this kind of persecution of which Jesus speaks here.
The Greek text contains a perfect passive participle. Jesus' words could be translated, "Blessed are they who have been willing and continue to be willing to allow themselves to be persecuted." The perfect tense indicates an ongoing attitude; the passive voice speaks of being willing to accept whatever comes as a result of living out the Beatitudes.
Therefore, it seems to me that those who do have faith are confidently assured of their reward in heaven, and they ought not to be self righteously looking to "the world" and demanding to change what He prophesied. They are under a commandment to love their neighbors, even those who scorn them. -
Others can do what they please. I simply refuse to be among the mockers.
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Satijournal,
You said:
"Either that or people so weak in character need belief in some supernatural being to give them the confidence they lack."
You are actually not that far off. Christians have come to the knowledge that they are indeed weak. The bible says that we are weak because we are sinful. Our sin gives us a death sentence, but because Jesus paid the price for our sin we have the opportunity to have a right relationship with Him, and we will have a mediator in Jesus Christ on judgment day.
Jesus said in Mark 2:17 "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners". Anyone who doesn't recognize their own weakness (sin) will not feel the need for a savior, even though one is needed.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong".
Those who think they have it all together should heed 1 Corinthians 10:12 "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall". -
See, that's where the problem with religion lies. If you believe that people are basically evil and it is beyond our control if we do bad things, then everything you do can be absolved with religion. But if you believe that people are inherently good, that means we can control our actions. I fall into the latter category.
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But if you believe that people are inherently good, that means we can control our actions. I fall into the latter category.
I'm with you on that. -
@tthief,
I don't see mockery as falling in or near harassment or persecution, I see it only as mockery.
My over all point was that some had decided to not answer the question asked and jumped straight to mockery instead.
I find it interesting that rather than seeking clarity of differing thoughts and opinions some would rather agitate where clearly no challenge was offered them and no attempt to be abrasive was made by the person asking the question.
I make no claim of persecution or harassment toward the person who asked the question or toward any other here in this thread I was simply taking notice of something. -
Satijournal,
I'm not saying we have no control control over our actions or that we don't exhibit goodness. But I do think that if we look around at the world around us it is very hard to say that people are basically good, when there is so much evidence to the contrary. -
@ satijournal,
"But if you believe that people are inherently good, that means we can control our actions." I strongly agree with you on that.
@ nothingprofound
"I am the non-believer's complement to this. No preaching, no lecturing, just letting people work things out for themselves." - Well said
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I have tried faith in myself and things. They failed me. I have found peace and strength in a faith of the loving Creator who wants to have a relationship with me.
Most of mankind cannot understand Jesus because He gave His all for us. He does ask us to surrender all so that we can have it all.
For most people becoming a follower of Jesus means becoming boring. I still have a beer now and then, I still have great sex with my wife, I still have lots of fun, I still have adventures to do, I still eat great food, I still have money to spend and can become wealth if I choose, but I now have hope of having even more when He returns.-
Wow, nice to find a person that doesn't think JESUS IS BORING!
He definitely is NOT BORING...He probably is a lot cooler than most people out there...He has great qualities...and wants to help US in everything...
All the Best -
@ Nothing Profound,
I like your philosophy, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.
There are healthy ways to debate...without judging people and putting them down. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs...
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I Have! -
How strong? read this: www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/i-am-a-certified-christian-blogger
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Why ? -
i don't get why it matters
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Two words....heaven and hell
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Shadowmoon87,
I was also the kind of person who demanded concrete proofs for the existence of God and I am very pleased to inform you that after almost 20 years (till year 2000) of living in betwen belief and disbelief I found uncountable concrete proofs to become a believer, and I am very thankful to the Originator of the universe who revealed his books for the guidance of humanity and helped me and helps everyone who struggles to seek the truth with just heart to reach His last Book.
The problem is that although most of us keep ourselves in touch with latest technological updates, but we are often too busy trying to get more and luxuries of life to pay heed to those scientists who have agreed that there is certainly an Originator and Sustainer of the worlds.
In our world we believe in the existence of many things that no one ever was able to see, I have a 2 year basic electrical technology certificate, but not only in this training also never in my life I ever saw a single electron. How me and all of us recognise electricity ?
We do because we have seen its many properties like the heat and light it produces while flowing in conductors etc.
Our Sustainer has informed us through His books of uncountable signs and proofs that truely lead us towards a Just decision of believing in His Existence.
I am sure Shadowmoon87 if you are sincerely looking for concrete proofs you will find them (with the help of Allah) one day.-
GOD (or whatever name we assign to HIM) will reveal HIMSELF to us in many ways if we ask.... If you are unsure or want to know, ask GOD to reveal HIMSELF...I believe HE will...
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Yes I do have faith in God, thanks for asking. (^_^) -
There is god and he is omnipresent. I have faith in god. -
I have very strong faith but I also have a sense of humor and equally deep respect for other people's faith or lack of faith.
I think it's important to keep my faith strong and at the same time be able to laugh and joke and not lecture other's about their personal beliefs.-
Definitely agree...all we have to do is keep our faith...and God will do the rest...(of course, try and be good people)
Have a great day! -
I am the non-believer's complement to this. No preaching, no lecturing, just letting people work things out for themselves.
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@KFrangeskos
I'm a bible school graduate twice over, who was raised in the faith and baptized by full immersion. I have never experienced the Christian god that others claim to have experienced, consequently, I do not have faith in that construct of god.
My personal experience
What I do experience is that when I meditate and all the things associated with my "self" like greed, anger, hate, etc. dissolve is that there is no self; there is no distinct being that is separate from the universal stream of pure consciousness -- quiet joy, peace, love ie. god.
Neither male nor female, neither good nor bad, neither light nor darkness but containing all there is and situate everywhere: the universal stream of consciousness flowing through all is god. Hence, god is found in everyone and in everything; god just keeps on is-ing.
And that's what I experienced on two occasions when I was technically thought to be dead. I experienced unity via the universal stream of pure consciousness with every being and all there is. I also knew that this current life of mine in this body and on this earthly plane was not finished, and that I have lived previous lives and would live many more lives, until I become fully enlightened and one with god (the universal stream of pure consciousness) in all planes of existence.
My choice of spiritual path
The choice of a belief system or the choice not to have one is a personal choice. Yet, ironically, I was one of those christian fundamentalists who was taught from early childhood onward that I was among the elect few chosen by God. I was also taught those following the yoga path, buddhist path, shamanism, paganism or any other spiritual path were either devil worshipers who would burn in hell fires at endtimes. Therefore, for many years, I was reluctant to share my own experience and speak my truth to power.
I came to my senses as a young adult and recognized I would never be able to embrace a guilt based and fear driven belief system. I had learned how to meditate and I had recognized I was a Buddhist. However, I did not reject the New Testament teachings attributed to Jesus then nor do I need to do so now, as the Buddhist path is an inclusive one.
- I'm focused on developing greater compassion, connectedness and equanimity with each step forward in my life, and I’m learning to forgive myself when I backslide. In that I believe I am no different from any other believer on any other spiritual pathway.
These are the qualities that I’m specifically dedicated to developing through meditation and conscious living:
* dana = authentic generosity (charitable giving of the self and sharing of possessions, donation)
* metta = selfless love and good will toward all beings (loving kindness)
* karuna = compassion (respect, acceptance, forgiveness)
* mudita = altruistic joy filled with peace and contentment (appreciative joy at the success and good fortune of others)
* sila = abstaining from physical and vocal actions that cause harm to oneself and others
* uppekka = equanimity (an inclusive state of open mind free of attachment, aversion, bigotry, craving, ignorance and intolerance)
I frequently fail to achieve them but I am committed to picking myself up when I fall down and starting over again. This is because I believe failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something. Rather than viewing criticism or failure as stumbling blocks, I view them as stepping stones that bring me closer to achieving their goals.-
@Timethief,
I think your correct and I feel the same...that religion or following our creator, should not be based on a fear driven or guilt driven culture or system.
That is not what God is about...it does not matter "what name we assign to HIM"...IT or HE is the same...
HE would prefer I believe that we turn toward HIM out of desire, love, and perhaps need....BUT not fear. Fear is not from God, nor should it be used... from any institution representing God.
God is all about LOVE...in every form, through every person and every action we do....
And I also agree that failure in some things we experience can make us stronger and wiser...and help us grow...
I have experienced first hand the knowledge and wisdom that God can give to us, to help us see things more clearly...it is a Gift of inner knowing...but as I continue to grow closer to HIM, HE continues to Bless me with gifts...I use these gifts to help others...
Warm regards to you... -
@KFrangeskos
You have said: I think your correct and I feel the same...that religion or following our creator, should not be based on a fear driven or guilt driven culture or system.
My truth is that I do not ascribe to even a single one of the Christian beliefs - period. I don not believe in a creator god, the triune god, original sin, virgin birth, the resurrection or indeed that Jesus is or was god, heaven, hell, the second coming, inerrancy of the scriptures, salvation, substitutionary atonement, the autheniticity of miracles ascribed to Jesus, etc. And it remains my my position that Christianity is a fear driven and guilt based belief system.
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Like I said before, for me god is just a mystical explanation people give to try to understand the unexplainable.
Is it like the belief in electrons?
Almost like that, almost. Why? Because the electron is not mystified. For some reason or another it's not mystified and I really don't know why, maybe because scientists are behind all the explains we have and not a superior being.
The mystified unexplainable may lose it's magic when someone decides to try to take a "rational" look and try to give a logic reason. It was like that with rain, day and night, healing properties from plants, body's functions.
It's all about the way you see the mystery.
If you give it a mystical aura you'll probably end up seeing a mystical reasoning.
Why it's much easier to say (and believe) that a god created the universe than saying that there's day and night because it's gods will? I believe that it's because the beginning of the universe is all involved with a magical aura that makes it susceptible to a more magical explanation while the existence of day and night is not.
And why did I wrote rational between commas before? Simply because the idea of rational is relative.
Now, another line of thinking that just came by my mind.
Why have faith in a god?
To succeed in life? To live a better life? To go to heaven when we die? To have our souls saved? To be granted the eternal life?
Thinking about it quickly and kind of superficially I came to these conclusions:
- It's interesting for the church that you have faith in their god because so you can be saved when you die because it's much easier to get donations this way. Come on, by donating to us (church) you're saving your soul. Indulgence commerce, basically.
- It's interesting for government that people have faith in a god because there's heaven awaiting after this life because this can be a method of social control. How? Well, make people believe that there's life after death and that you'll only go to heaven if your god approves you by your behavior while on life. This can prevent most people to go rampaging at will.
- It's also interesting to people who end up having a source of courage and maybe a feeling of a duty thus preventing them from living a life with a meaningless sensation.
Until a certain degree it can be healthy to have faith in a superior being, the problem is when you exaggerate and become paranoid because of this faith.-
@ Shadowmoon87,
I think you state a lot of valid points...the unknown is sometimes difficult to comprehend and validate.
And people should not use God to control one's behavior...especially out of fear...I mean, we should all try anyway and be good people, whether there is a God or not, correct?
We should all just try and BE THE BEST PEOPLE WE CAN BE... NICE, RESPECTFUL AND CARING...
If you want........
Ask God to reveal himself to you, if you really wish to seek HIM...and I believe HE will.
Let me know if HE does...
Fondly,
KF -
"True religion is not a system of philosophic belief which can be reasoned out and substantiated by natural proofs, neither is it a fantastic and mystic experience of indescribable feelings of ecstasy which can be enjoyed only by the romantic devotees of mysticism. Religion is not the product of reason, but viewed from within, it is altogether reasonable. Religion is not derived from the logic of human philosophy, but as a mortal experience it is altogether logical. Religion is the experiencing of divinity in the consciousness of a moral being of evolutionary origin; it represents true experience with eternal realities in time, the realization of spiritual satisfactions while yet in the flesh.
While religion is not the product of the rationalistic speculations of a material cosmology, it is, nonetheless, the creation of a wholly rational insight which originates in man's mind-experience. Religion is born neither of mystic meditations nor of isolated contemplations, albeit it is ever more or less mysterious and always indefinable and inexplicable in terms of purely intellectual reason and philosophic logic. The germs of true religion originate in the domain of man's moral consciousness, and they are revealed in the growth of man's spiritual insight, that faculty of human personality which accrues as a consequence of the presence of the God-revealing Thought Adjuster in the God-hungry mortal mind.
Faith unites moral insight with conscientious discriminations of values, and the pre-existent evolutionary sense of duty completes the ancestry of true religion. The experience of religion eventually results in the certain consciousness of God and in the undoubted assurance of the survival of the believing personality.
True religion is an insight into reality, the faith-child of the moral consciousness, and not a mere intellectual assent to any body of dogmatic doctrines. True religion consists in the experience that "the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." Religion consists not in theologic propositions but in spiritual insight and the sublimity of the soul's trust.
True religion is that sublime and profound conviction within the soul which compellingly admonishes man that it would be wrong for him not to believe in those morontial realities which constitute his highest ethical and moral concepts, his highest interpretation of life's greatest values and the universe's deepest realities. And such a religion is simply the experience of yielding intellectual loyalty to the highest dictates of spiritual consciousness."
mercy.urantia.org/papers/paper101.html -
@KFrangeskos
It looks paradoxical to say to someone who does not believe in something to ask this "something" to reveal itself.
If I ask a god in which I don't believe to reveal him/her/itself to me wouldn't mean that I believe in his/her/its existence?
How could I ask god to reveal to me?
How can I ask to something that, in my mind, doesn't exist?
It would make much more sense if a proof occurred in my life "spontaneously".
@workman34
What I understood is that religion is not explainable nor logic.
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Hi shadowmoon87,
Thanks for the response.
I feel that "True religion" is something that is more personal. Something that occurs in a more spiritual way between man and God.
(or woman and God) It cant really be explained but can be experienced.
It's not the same as Institutional Religion.
Institutional Religion is the reason for most of the Wars ever fought on our world. Could those religions be from the loving God everyone talks about? One does not have to be a Christion or be a part of any organized religion to worship God and live by the teachings of Jesus.-
@ Shadowmoon87
I like your idea of having your religious belief evolve "spontaneously"...
That leaves an open mind...and that is OK in my book.
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nopenope.
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I respect and would defend everyone's right to believe whatever they choose, but personally I find questions of God and religion and life's meaning totally irrelevant to my daily existence. They seem more imaginary problems, than real ones.
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Dear Shadowmoon87,
I am sorry for not being able to express (due to my poor language) what I actually wanted to say,
My belief about God is that :
"There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer." (The Holy Quran Ch:42 Verse:11).
I once more want to try to explain the example of Electricity,
we humans are given eyes, ears and heart etc. To see differenciate betwen true and false knowledge.
Before having belief in scientific theories and everything we hear or see we use a method to judge whether a particular belief, theory, news etc. is true or false.
I did not mean God is similar to Electricity or similar unseen things (I don't even think of it.) what i wanted to say is :
we can take help from our eyes, ears and heart etc. To see the uncountable signs, arguments present around us and even in our body there are signs wich can lead us towards belief in the existence of God.
Please believe me by taking part in this discussion i just wanted to share how and why i believe in God. I don't want to hurt hearts, i respect all.
Regards and Thanks.-
"We can take help from our eyes, ears and heart etc. To see the uncountable signs, arguments present around us and even in our body there are signs which can lead us towards belief in the existence of God."
But these signs may not be perceptible to everyone right?
These signs may not be interpreted by everyone in the same manner.
For instance, in the past, getting rich was a sign of predestination to heaven for calvinists but not for catholics.
Or, for some, a dream may be a sign of god saying that you should , I don't know, live your devoting to him, but others may see the same dream and simply say "oh, it's a dream" and forget about it in the next ten minutes (that's the average time we remember a dream in detail). Sure the dream may re-occur but still there's no guarantee that everyone will get the message the same way.
I believe that even if god made an appearance in front of everyone, some would still not believe in his existence because they would simply interpret that happening as something else.
Maybe god can foresee this, foresee how each and everyone will interpret his messages and send one in a way that will make the person in question to interpret just like god wishes but if that's so, why there are so many unbelievers? Because this god we're talking about does not want every human being to believe in him? Or is it because he wants to check which ones are apt to believe and follow him properly? If this god can foresee than there's no need to check right? We get into a contradiction. Is it because we have free will to choose?
Using the premise that this god we're talking about is almighty, benevolent and the creator of everything. I guess that it's safe to say that he, by being benevolent, wouldn't want any bad to happen to his creations right? Ok.
Let's pretend that this god, who created everything, gave humans the privilege of free will so that we choose if we're going to believe in his existence or not. Now, for some reason, we're taught that if we don't believe in him than we're condemned to something bad after death. Than the question comes, why would he create us in a way that we can condemn ourselves? If he's benevolent it would make much more sense if we were created without free will, or at least we were created with the belief in his existence already engendered in our essence right?
Now, using the premise that this god is almighty, not benevolent (maybe neutral) and yet is the creator of everything.
If he's not benevolent than he wouldn't care about his own creations so why would he care to save them? Because he can? If you could save something because you can, you would? Even though you have no special feelings towards them? I don't think this would happen but this is just my vision of the world.
Now using the premise that this god is almighty, creator of everything and malevolent.
Than he wouldn't care about saving his creations and would rather see them suffer or something similar.
In any of these cases I see contradictions in god wanting to save his creation(s) though I may have missed something in the way because I already lost the line of my thinking
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Dear KFrangeskos,
Your words : "Ask God to reveal Himself to you, if you really wish to seek Him .... and I believe He will"
I agree and thankful to you for you have shared with us the easiest method to seek our God. I also believe in it but our request should be sincere.
Regards and Thanks a lot for a nice discussion.-
@ Snawaz,
Thank you for your kind words...I do not proclaim to be an expert in "religion" or GOD...My experience comes from a relationship I have with Jesus...it is simple, yet very real.
I did not always have great faith...I believe Jesus took me under His wing, I sought HIM...and I found HIM. (He allowed me to)
Great Discussion....with Great People! -
Every statement about God is also a statement about human life, because God enters into the definition of the human. And because of this we know God by what God does...
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Yes Ofcourse. . Its as good as asking do you believe there is Air out there. . Although we cannot literally see air we can feel it, likewise we cannot see god be definetly can feel it. God Bless You. . Have Fun. . CHEERS-
Sancafe02 - Air is a physical substance that could be weighted, saved in a jar, it could be separated into Hydrogen, oxygen and some other gases, the wind is a physical reality of moving air. In short, it isn't just by "feeling" that we know there is air.
Now, you might "definitely feel" God, but there are millions of people like me that don't feel God at all and don't believe in any supernatural being or force.
As I was taught in one of the "12 step" programs, feelings are not facts. Feelings are, in the simplest form, reactions of our mind (or inner self, if you will) to facts and events. They depend not only on realities, but also on the whole set of our traits, knowledge, desires, orientations. They may say much more about our inner world than about their triggers.
In 15-16th century the heat was believed to be caused by a special invisible liquid - flogiston. Later it was discovered that heat is a product of molecular movements. Flogiston wasn't needed any more and very few people even know what is was now. God just may follow the same path. -
It's just like I said.
You might feel god but this feeling can be interpreted in anyway.
Maybe a strange feeling you had in your life was actually a god trying to talk to you but you decided to simply ignore it and keep living your life. But others who may have felt the same thing decided to pay attention to it and try to decipher this feeling as a message from god.
And being material or not does not give more or less credibility to it.
Electrons should be something material but we still haven't seen any and we simply believe that they exist as something material.
The same can go for god. We may believe that god is not material but that does not mean that god have to be immaterial.
Man, I'm so sleepy that I'm having difficulties to ratiocinate here.
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i ever experience a just ask who is the real holly god and pray with your spirit and stop being comfused and debated with everyone this make us stupid and god (jesus) is sad for what be say, do and think ....if you want to find true just ask him( the real god)dont forget read the bible. hope oneday He will appread and asnwer you in holly spirit even if not just believe in Him and there nothing to loose ... before its to late (die) cos heaven and hell is real. hope everybody realize that cos god dont want everybody go to hell there forever and no one can escape from that horrible place... just read the bible, pray alot do right things love others as your self and believe in him(jesus) as saviour.that all god ask about and he will blessed your life in heaven and earth as his children of god and follower who inherit the heaven but not hell.
you can watch supernatural from god as i ever experinces
www.sidroth.org -
Nope, I don't believe in make believe deities. -
Hi,
For those interested, I have posted a Letter From Jesus, "I Am Real"
on my blog site. -
I think sometimes God should outsource his job ????
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Jesus is the ONLY way! -
I definetely have faith in God. However, even though i try my hardest it's sometimes difficult to have constant strong faith in him 24/7, 365 days a year. Therefore, i'd probably say that overall i do have faith in God, but it's not as strong as it should be.
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yes, i stongly have faith in GOD (the almighty allah) the only one GOD. and nothing can be happen without his permission.
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sounds repressive
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I have faith in God, but i have a lot of work to do to get stronger. -
Of course I have. Verry strong..! But I have some hesitancy as well, confusing. But I belief in MY GOD. Just a simple question for it, where do we come from..? where do everythings come from..? CREATED BY GOD. -
Like a piece of string, I'm afraid not!
I lost my faith in "God" when I saw a video of the beheading of a British man posted on the Internet by Islamic Extremists. -
Yes, I do have faith in God. -
God is Great. -
There are flaws on arguments from both sides, from the ones who believe and from the ones who don't. On my arguments there are probably many flaws too.
Besides those who simply don't argue, just state their belief and done, probably don't want to argue either.
My point is, you can believe or not but at least have some solid arguments that can protect your point of view and be open minded. I'm open to other points of view and I like to analyze the arguments to see if they make sense. If they do than I may increment my own point of view, if not than I'll probably show what I believe is flawed and see the counter-argument.
This kind of discussion, if between civilized people, can be extremely healthy, interesting and constructive and I believe this is the case of the discussion that is happening on this topic.-
@ Shadowmoon87,
I like the way you express yourself...very fair, respectful of others and their views...you make the discussion more thoughtprovoking....
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I not only have faith in God, but I'm trying to live my life the way he wants me to. Jesus said at John 15:13-14 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends IF you do what I command."
I'm in the camp that it takes more than just believing to make it to the kingdom.
What do you think of my blog, BTW?
peculiarfamily.typepad.com/ -
I have also faith in One GOD (Allah). One God
I think those people who believe in more than one God are Ignorante.
Because the Meaning of God is "that is POwerfull than any thing God can do anything. Also there is no any one to compete with God. If you say that there are two Gods than it Means that one God can do anything that the other God does not want. So here is the contruduction that God Must be one No more than one God can Make The Whole Universe So much Accurate. -
definitely,i believe and have faith in GOD,i dotn go to church or what,i just talk to him,and believe that everything will be up to him. -
Yes, I do, he guides me and gives me strength in times of need.
Here are some very powerful lines which if kept in mind, helps one a lot.
"God is With Me
God is Helping Me
God is Guiding Me"-
To 7th heaven,
You have great faith...and that is beautiful. You never are alone. HE will always be with you and take care of you...
You are very wise at such a young age!
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Dear Shadowmoon87,
I agree with your following words :
"You can believe or not but at least have some solid
arguments that can protect your point of view and be open minded. I'm
open to other points of view and I like to analyze the arguments to
see if they make sense. If they do than I may increment my own point
of view, if not than I'll probably show what I believe is flawed and
see the counter-argument."
I agree because I believe in the Holy Quran in wich Allah (Our God) says :
"or, who originates the creation, then repeat it, and who give you sustenance from heaven and earth.
Is there a God with Allah ?
Say : Bring forth your argument if you are truthful."
To inquire and demand arguments and proofs is a natural method of truth seekers and fact finders. I have also been open to hear others and I also don't hesitate to accept the truth with arguments and that is why I have chosen Islam as my religion.
In the Holy Quran you may find answers with arguments (Scientific and logical arguments too) from Allah provided for every just human being.-
Perhaps Allah should read philosophy and he will the arguments that he doesn't exist. Don't mean to disrespect your beliefs, but you seem to challenge anyone to come up with such an argument, we have many such arguments though.
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I found him when I was four. Since, I was abandoned at that age. He has been my constant companion and I wouldn't change a thing in my life. Since, I went through chemo for Breast Cancer. He was still by my side and I was grateful. -
My Faith continues to grow each day...it is never ending.
I learn more each day...wisdom from God. -
Having faith in an entity not bound by time or the nature of the universe seems pointless. Most Human Religions in general will never allow anyone to go beyond what we perceive as reality - Possibly due to viral nature of human influence and the fact we are bound by Time itself. -
yes little bit -
Faith in god is only required to have faith in other things that I don't believe in, God is there so there could be values and a higher nature in us ourselves. God resembles something we wish we had IN US...we wish we had the divine breath, the soul or the absolute truth, this is why God is needed, and for someone who gets rid of these illusions God is useless.
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I have a faith in a Higher Power. I hope He/She/It has faith in me. Fingers crossed. I say my daily prayer to Love. -
It is hard for us to have faith in something that we cannot see or touch but that is exactly what faith is. When you look around at this marvelous planet we live on or at the mystery of the eye one can only come to the conclusion that something with intelligence put it together. I not only have faith in God, who promised to never leave or forsake me, I have the faith of God to share with others.
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I'll Love To Have Faith In GOD, JUST When I'M GODdamn Sure Of It's Existence! -
lnclark1950, you say: "When you look around at this marvelous planet we live on or at the mystery of the eye one can only come to the conclusion that something with intelligence put it together."
You definitely mean "one" in general sense, but it really means "you". I don't come to this conclusion, even more, I think this kind of a conclusion is illogical and rather naive. Please don't share your faith with me, at least. I don't want to be "saved". -
No, I don't.
I like to be honest with myself and say: "Shit, I don't understand what happened there."
Instead of saying: "Holy dear, I know what happened there! It was the work of god!"
I can seriously not understand how people take themselves seriously by placing 'god' into the vast space of things we don't understand. Is god responsible for heating up your microwave dinner because you don't know how a microwave works? Do you pray in front of your microwave until the timer goes *bing* and your food has mysteriously warmed up? No of course not, you just program the damn thing and let it's do it's job. You don't care how it does it, as long as it works.
So why is it that religious people can apply this logic to every day objects, but not to things like the universe and so called miracles? -
I choose to believe that there is a superior being, for me the strongest evidence of his existence lies in the beauty and perfection of nature. but I'm having trouble with organized religion's explanations. especially when they want us to believe that horrible unexplicable events are gods will. -
yes
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