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Post by rdlb on Dec 13, 2014 12:56:58 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 13:18:07 GMT -6
I am ignorant about things like molecular biology. At one time years ago a chic saying was God is dead. I am reminded of a bumper sticker I saw around that time, it said If God is dead who is this living in my heart?
God does exist, he's alive and well.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 23:59:40 GMT -6
I fully believe that God exists.
I will however add a disclaimer that I don't believe that mere mortals are expected nor even meant to know all the fine points of God's existence. Being human, we all have a tendency to paint a picture of God as we would have Him be. We may find that we couldn't be further from the truth. There are so many unanswered questions that come to my mind daily. We may also find that science somehow fits into God's plan in ways we never imagined possible.
I used to feel guilty about these questions. I used to believe that questioning God was a sure fire path to hell. I no longer feel that way. I don't question God's existence, but I do question many things that I don't fully understand, and I've come to believe that that's OK too.
I think there are many things, many pieces of the puzzle that we humans will never know the answers to while on this earth. Corinthians 1 13; 12 explains it better than I ever could. I believe that our questions will be answered when we 'come face to face' and not before
1ST Corinthians 13:12
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
" We see through a glass darkly" IOW, we only see things from a human perspective. BUT... when we come face to face with God, all our questions will be answered and we will 'fully see' and understand all the 'whys' 'wheres' and 'whens' .
I also still find it strange, well maybe not strange, but surprising that 'charity' or 'love' trumps 'faith' But God IS love, so I suppose you have to have the capacity to love before you can have faith.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 11:29:32 GMT -6
If good and evil exist than God exists.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 16:29:11 GMT -6
Religion is part of the human make-up. It's also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy. Christopher Hitchens
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 22:43:42 GMT -6
Consider this : A person was born, lived their entire life without any exposure to organized religion. They, however, do believe in a 'higher power'. Is that enough ?
There are so many religions, each thinking they are the only true one, the only religion that counts. Is this a form of religious isolationism ? A Baptist ( or substitute any other religion ) mother to her child " Don't play with those Catholic, or Jewish kids, you may pick up some of their bad habits or beliefs. "
How can all these different religions, each with their own dogma, ever achieve Heaven ? Almost all have glaring differences between each other.
I have always been of the school of thought that organized religion is not all that important in the grand scheme of things. All one needs is belief and acceptance. Do we really need all those different , conflicting and confusing dogmas ? Why not faith alone ? Some people will tell you that you will never acheive Heaven without being Baptised. I don't think that is a requirement more so just a ritual.
The Baptists and the Catholics have closed Communion. IOW, they do not allow people who are not members of their respective churches to participate. Would God really be that exclusive ? At the Last supper in the upper room, Jesus said 'Do this in remembrance of me" I read no exclusion of the masses not present. That is a problem I've had for a long time. So if you are attending a Mass or a Baptist Communion and you happen to be Methodist, you aren't worthy of receiving Holy Communion ? I do not understand that exclusivity. Not at all. In fact, it seems to go against God's receiving all his people into His fold and receiving the sacraments.
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Post by samsara15 on Dec 19, 2014 19:04:45 GMT -6
I think some sort of God may exist. Given the many and various human disagreements about the exact nature of that God, I think it likely no one really knows much about this God, or its nature. All we can do is make our own best educated guess, and live accordingly.
Which means there is no harm in atheism, they being no more right nor wrong than the rest of us. If we're all wrong, what does it matter what flavor of wrong we are?
This God may not even recognize as meaningful what we humans term good and evil...after all, what kind of God would create parasites that eat their hosts from inside out? IMO, a God who's purposes are entirely incomprehensible to us.
Our universe is a mystery that I believe no religion, science, or technology can ever fully explain.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2014 5:10:39 GMT -6
You may be right, I find solace in what I believe. To me it's a place of safety, a hiding place when trouble threatens.
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Post by rdlb on Dec 20, 2014 16:45:37 GMT -6
What many of us have discovered is a internal sense, a group of mysteries and/or "hidden manna" contained within the Biblical narrative of literal, historical and symbolic allegorical events. Many, many questions that man has looked into can and does get explained as to our spirituality and existence in this realm. Spiritually speaking, one can have the desires of one's heart and those desires are of those things we can take with us into eternity. The material things of this realm are only useful to this realm and have no use in the other realm. This is the "order" of the universal laws, their purpose is to express physically the spiritual laws that they have been created from and not the other way around.
Again what many of us have discovered is the unassailable truth of personal experiences of the supernatural in our lives. As I begin my fortieth year of acknowledging and expressing these experiences to others, I am quite excited to discover others and their testimonies of the same. Shared "Gnosis". I have also recognized the fact, that my earlier twenty years of life the inescapable knowledge of the countless times the Spirit has tried to communicate these things to me. Well into my sixties and if I have any regrets it would be that I did not receive them with the whole heart that I do now. I know of Whom gave me my conscience.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2014 17:19:21 GMT -6
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Timothy 1:12
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Post by rdlb on Dec 21, 2014 18:12:37 GMT -6
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Timothy 1:12 AMEN!
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Post by samsara15 on Dec 21, 2014 18:51:51 GMT -6
I am not sure that even the term 'I' is meaningful, or an illusion of our body and our senses, let alone if the term 'I' might properly be applied to what we might designate as 'God'. I certainly wish it did. So you people are fortunate to have that certainty in your beliefs.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2014 11:16:11 GMT -6
I had two uncles that never did believe in God. They didn't call themselves atheist. My Dad ask my one uncle what was going to happen to him when he died, he replied what happens when a limb falls off a tree? Both uncles were good men, hard workers and family people they just didn't believe. The Bible says and I believe if a person seeks he will find. Neither uncle sought God that I know anything about, I wish they had.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2014 12:25:14 GMT -6
Pascal's Wager is an argument in apologetic philosophy[citation needed] devised by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–62). It posits that humans all bet with their lives either that God exists or not. Given the possibility that God actually does exist and assuming an infinite gain or loss associated with belief or unbelief in said God (as represented by an eternity in heaven or hell), a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does not actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.).[1] Pascal formulated the wager within a Christian framework. The wager was set out in section 233 of Pascal's posthumously published Pensées ("Thoughts"). These previously unpublished notes were assembled to form an incomplete treatise on Christian apologetics. Historically, Pascal's Wager was groundbreaking because it charted new territory in probability theory, marked the first formal use of decision theory and anticipated future philosophies such as existentialism, pragmatism and voluntarism.[2]
Many Christians are like this I know some. They are Christians just in case it's true. It's wrong thinking. Pascal's wager is not the answer. Once again the Bible says seek and you will find.
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Post by samsara15 on Dec 22, 2014 15:26:21 GMT -6
What many of us have discovered is a internal sense, a group of mysteries and/or "hidden manna" contained within the Biblical narrative of literal, historical and symbolic allegorical events. Many, many questions that man has looked into can and does get explained as to our spirituality and existence in this realm. Spiritually speaking, one can have the desires of one's heart and those desires are of those things we can take with us into eternity. The material things of this realm are only useful to this realm and have no use in the other realm. This is the "order" of the universal laws, their purpose is to express physically the spiritual laws that they have been created from and not the other way around. Again what many of us have discovered is the unassailable truth of personal experiences of the supernatural in our lives. As I begin my fortieth year of acknowledging and expressing these experiences to others, I am quite excited to discover others and their testimonies of the same. Shared "Gnosis". I have also recognized the fact, that my earlier twenty years of life the inescapable knowledge of the countless times the Spirit has tried to communicate these things to me. Well into my sixties and if I have any regrets it would be that I did not receive them with the whole heart that I do now. I know of Whom gave me my conscience. You might enjoy reading some of the books by Philip K Dick, the sci fi writer.
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