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Through Jesus, I am defined by being God's child.

I agree with the latter (as it is fact) and have a bit of food for thought on the former; is it arrogant to say that because there is no concrete evidence of the existence of Santa Claus*, that I do not believe in him (even though there is nothing I can do to DISprove his existence)? That's my atheism.

*Sorry to use that term again. I'm aware it's condescending, but the shoe fits in the comparison as I see it.

No offense taken. I'm quite intrigued with atheism partly because I agree. However, I can't completely dismiss that there isn't a God or Gods. Perhaps it's my level of comprehension in that I don't full understand how this complicated system I call my body could come into existence by complete accident. Obviously we started out as a single cell at some point...but I guess it's hard for me to fathom this happening by accident.

If we review our language(s) alone and not look at anything else, I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, we, as a society still do not quite understand how language developed. One thing that comes to my mind is feral children. These children never learn how to talk, behave and function in society and that's after they have undergone several years of speech and behavioral therapy. The most important part of speech development, from what I understand, comes early in the child's life. That suggests to me that perhaps there was some being at some point in human development that set the wheels in motion.

Just my random thoughts on the subject.



GO DWILL/JAZZ
 
So, if I may paraphrase, you are saying that those who receive answers not consistent with the ones you've received are actually being influenced by Satan?

I am not saying that.
I am saying it is possible, there could be many reasons.
I don't know I would be guessing especially with your general question. Each case is different.
I do know God answers me when I ask questions. Is it always how I wanted it, or when I wanted it.... no... but I get my answer.
I do know that God has promised to answer every honest seeker of the truth.
 
Why would that be a problem. That is the whole point of faith, stepping out of your comfort zone and testing something. You may find that you take that step of faith into the darkness, only to find your way is lit for a step or two. I am not so blind that I say if I cannot see it or touch it, it must not be true. I have explained how anyone can test it, it's not like I'm saying just trust me. Try it out for yourselves. You don't even have to tell me about it..... it just requires some desire, honesty, and yes.... a little faith.

It's a problem because that which we don't know or understand cannot be defined. Those who try to force a definition on others are being untruthful.

Beliefs that you've found for yourself are your own. But your claim that God answers consistently is demonstrably false. If I read your previous post correctly, you try to answer this by saying inconsistencies are the work of Satan. But that doesn't fly. Who decides which answers were God's, and which were Satan's?

Also, full disclosure: I have tried it for myself, with all the requirements in place.
 
So where the heck has OneBrow been? He should be chiming in on this. It's one of the rare things he and I agree on.
 
So, if I may paraphrase, you are saying that those who receive answers not consistent with the ones you've received are actually being influenced by Satan?


DING DING DING DING. We have a winner. Tom, show him what he's won!

This is exactly my problem with organize religion. How is it that billions of people all across this world have so many differing opinions on who, how and what God is and will do for those that don't agree? How is it possible that God only told one group of people his will and not the other? How is it possible that God told a different continent that people who don't believe in spaghetti will go straight to hell? How is it that God Told one man that no religion was true and that one man went on to create a new religion because of that statement. I guess, as a Mormon, I don't get it any longer. I can't look past the...well, past and turn a blind eye to events, situations, statements that just aren't true. I can't NOT question. What is there to have faith in when you know the answer? Should I have faith that science...hell, humanity is wrong and continue to believe wildly absurd traditions when I know them to be wrong?
 
I think you're basing your understanding of God off your belief which is completely subjective and personal. If I don't believe in the same God as you do, the how can he NOT change because, after-all, this is simply a belief...right? There is absolutely no way to prove the existence of God(s).

I am basing it on experience. I have asked other questions that have been answered in a very real and tangible way.
I have a collection of experiences that when summed up give me answers to questions. I cannot prove it to you, but I have mentioned in this thread how each individual can find out for themselves. God can prove His existence, to you. God Himself will not change just because someone believes he has a dinosaur head, only your perception of him has changed. I can believe the earth is square all I want, and it won't make the earth actually square.

Basically I cannot prove to you God is real, but God can prove to you he is real.
 
Why must I do this? Why do I have to make a leap of faith, then believe, then get confirmation? What value is there in doing this, and/or in making me do this to prove my worth? Why does this process allow me to be saved? Why will I be very brutally punished for not doing this? In other words, what does God get out of this nonsense? Why not appeal to the greatest tool we have for life, our minds? Why make us reject what we know and accept something that we don't and cannot know?

I can think of only one reason. In order to make people believe in something that is not real.

You are like someone that will not put a seed in the ground to get it to grow. You want the plant first. No work no gain. We are God's children and have been sent to earth to get a body and to prove ourselves worthy of returning back to God and living with him for eternity. After paying for your own sins you will still get into one of the lower kingdoms of Heaven, because God loves you so much. Your Hell will be that you had the chance to inherit all that your Heavenly Father has and to live with him forever and youi chose with your free agency to not try and find your way back.
 
This thing won't let me edit.

Jazzspaz - my last post continued my assumption that you thought God's inconsistent answers were the work of Satan.

You clarify by saying that is only one possibility. I think that's a cop out. If you claim to believe that God answers consistently, then you need a good explanation for why so many people get so many varied answers from God.
 
No offense taken. I'm quite intrigued with atheism partly because I agree. However, I can't completely dismiss that there isn't a God or Gods. Perhaps it's my level of comprehension in that I don't full understand how this complicated system I call my body could come into existence by complete accident. Obviously we started out as a single cell at some point...but I guess it's hard for me to fathom this happening by accident.

If we review our language(s) alone and not look at anything else, I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, we, as a society still do not quite understand how language developed. One thing that comes to my mind is feral children. These children never learn how to talk, behave and function in society and that's after they have undergone several years of speech and behavioral therapy. The most important part of speech development, from what I understand, comes early in the child's life. That suggests to me that perhaps there was some being at some point in human development that set the wheels in motion.

Just my random thoughts on the subject.



GO DWILL/JAZZ

Interesting thoughts. Worth giving pause for. However, I don't think the pre-cursor to human speech has to come from the idea that one day there were homo sapiens and nothing that preceded them. It seems clear to me that if you have a species that develops from another, everything that preceded the new species (or ultimately, 'generation') is subject to being kept and developed or not used and lost depending on if a particular trait helps the species survive and procreate. Getting to the point, I would think there would be a form of communication that would evolve as humans did. Communication is not a patent of human beings (even if we are by far the most articulate), alone.

Working with that idea, you can then ask "well then, where did communication begin in the first place?" I don't know, but I'm sure there's someone that has either an answer or something their working with that consists of more than "because god said so."

I can admit when I don't know something, but that's also kind of exciting for me (even though I LOVE being right). It creates mystery. In a sense it creates a goal. An objective. To not know something is fine if it's not applicable or if there isn't a known answer. To flagrantly disregard substantive facts or theories (not hypotheses, there is a vast difference) because it disagrees with our most primitive system of understanding existence is not fine. It is not something that resonates with me at all.
 
It's a problem because that which we don't know or understand cannot be defined. Those who try to force a definition on others are being untruthful.

Beliefs that you've found for yourself are your own. But your claim that God answers consistently is demonstrably false. If I read your previous post correctly, you try to answer this by saying inconsistencies are the work of Satan. But that doesn't fly. Who decides which answers were God's, and which were Satan's?

Also, full disclosure: I have tried it for myself, with all the requirements in place.

My response is to keep trying until you get an answer. I was seeking an answer to something for 2 years. I continued to ask, and continued to have faith, and the answer was more amazing than I was hoping for. Do not give up, it wouldn't be a test if it was easy.
 
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