Knowing God

For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?

Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?

I find it very odd that so called athiests want to talk about God so often.I rarely ever hear questions about other beliefs let alone as strongly as christianity.It seems that all through history mankind has been fighting God and his people consistently.Is it because the truth is really in your hearts and your fighting against it.Please give God a chance what could it hurt?

Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?

For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

Impossible to explain in a convincing way.

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?

The atheist will never get the absolute least that it takes.

1 Cor 2:14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
(NKJ)

The problem is that science gives evidence for all to see. Religion gives evidence that only the individual can see.

The atheist can never find a good enough reason to seek God, unless he/she decides not to be an atheist any longer.

The theist sees evidence in his/her life everyday.

Originally posted by The Chess Express
The theist sees evidence in his/her life everyday.

A paranoid schizophrenic will also see evidence of their beliefs every day. Perhaps atheists are merely erring on the side of caution.

Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

By the process of elimination it must be so.

Actually I didn't believe in a God for the majority of my life but always felt drawn towards something outside of myself and larger than myself that was unexplainable. In order to see you must first open your eyes, in order to believe you must first open your heart. I know and believe in Gods existence based purely on personal experience with the feelings and miricles only God could create.
My God was not found within the pages of scripture but was found within and around me as an ever present energy that I have come to trust and rely in. It's not believable untill obtained.
God knows me spiritually and in every other possible way. He knows my heart better than I do. He weeps when I weep, he triumphs when I triumph. There is no greater knowledge than knowing the friensdship of the Lord.

Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?

I quite simply can not find the appropriate way to answer this. How can I summarize the culmination of the events and unique perception which is my life? I simply am so, either a product of a higher power or a product of my enviroment which compells me to believe I am the product of a higher power.

I can only say I believe because I am compelled to. It is what I am. Be the cause design or chance, it is what I am, and I could not be any other way.

Originally posted by mattlock
I find it very odd that so called athiests want to talk about God so often.I rarely ever hear questions about other beliefs let alone as strongly as christianity.It seems that all through history mankind has been fighting God and his people consistently.Is it because the truth is really in your hearts and your fighting against it.Please give God a chance what could it hurt?

I come from a country which declared itself a "Christian Nation". 99% of my friends and family are Christian. As an Agnostic I often find myself discriminated against and looked down upon. At some times this has been to the extent that I have wanted to become Christian just to fit in.
I now live in a much more mixed society with Christians, Muslims and Athiests and feel much less preasure to be anything in particular. I must say that the muslims I have met have never tried in any way to promote thier religion to me whereas Christians often do.
I cant quite make out the meaning of some of your post but I think you are implying that Christianity is somehow more rejected than other religions. I dispute this and so would most Jews!
One major reason why I and others discuss God on this forum is because some Christians have tried to distort science in order to promote thier religion. I believe that a good understanding in science is good for all mankind and therefore would like to promote the correct understanding of it.
I have no problem with people believing that the world was created by God about 6000 years ago. What I have a problem with is when they then say that the Theory of Evolution is fundamentally flawed and that all science that points to an over 4 billion year old earth is wrong.

Please give God a chance what could it hurt?
I have tried very hard in the past to give God a chance but have totally failed to convince my self of his existence and have seen absolutely no evidence for it and seen overwhelming evidence to the contrary.


Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?
For me to believe in a God I would need to see some sort of pattern in life beyond that can not be easily explained by random chance. For example people who pray gettting significantly more of what they want than people who dont.
If God regularly breaks the laws of physics I think it would have shown up in a scientific experiment by now unless he specifically does not want it to be known, therefore using science to find God is impossible.
Most of the teaching in Christianity does not make logical sense to me and although I would love to have life after death, even that doesnt make a whole lot of sense. For me to become a Christian I would need to have some sort of miracle or "leap of faith" which would blind me to my current understanding of life and the universe. I would probably also need one of those "secret decoder rings"

Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

For those of you who don't believe in God, what's the absolute least that would make you do so?

I got brought up in the environment so i guess it was basiclly instilled into me.A lot of this belief was through the interaction of other people in the church being at a higher level than those outside.
Nowadays it's different for myself as i don't go or care to go to church.This 'personal proff' you talk of is something i really don't care much for since playing at this website.If anyone wants a relationship with the Lord then find it on your own...stop wasting other peoples time.
What other ways did you have in mind with knowing God other than spiritually?

Originally posted by twhitehead
I would probably also need one of those "secret decoder rings"[/b]

These are only $19.95.God,Jesus and the Holy Spirit are sure to be a bigger part of your life if you have one of these rings.You should feeeel more loved and freeee to be the person you are meant to be.I think you can buy two rings at a discount rate which will double the quality of your life....for sure.If you disagree with these facts then take a look at those who wear them and the people they interact with as they a proff that God loves all people...with decoder rings!Buy,buy,buy...

Originally posted by windmill
These are only $19.95.God,Jesus and the Holy Spirit are sure to be a bigger part of your life if you have one of these rings.You should feeeel more loved and freeee to be the person you are meant to be.I think you can buy two rings at a discount rate which will double the quality of your life....for sure.If you disagree with these facts then take a look at ...[text shortened]... they interact with as they a proff that God loves all people...with decoder rings!Buy,buy,buy...

Do you think Jesus, God and all that lot bought secret decoder rings so that they could write the secret coded messages, or do you think they can do it anyway?

Originally posted by scottishinnz
Do you think Jesus, God and all that lot bought secret decoder rings so that they could write the secret coded messages, or do you think they can do it anyway?

I was just being stupid....but yeah there is two different worlds.What Jesus wrote wasn't because he was hidding secret things or he had some sick underhanded ways about him.He wrote like he did mainly to explain about our next life which is different so can't be explained the same.

Originally posted by windmill
I was just being stupid....but yeah there is two different worlds.What Jesus wrote wasn't because he was hidding secret things or he had some sick underhanded ways about him.He wrote like he did mainly to explain about our next life which is different so can't be explained the same.

I am not aware of Jesus writing anything unless you are refering to divine inspiration in which case I dont know why he didnt dictate a nice large book with all languages in instead of giving the diciples the gift of understanding and tonges but almost no one else.
And what is written doesnt explain our next life in any detail at all but rather concentrates on how to get to the "right" next life. And even on that subject it is rather contradictory.

Originally posted by twhitehead
And what is written doesnt explain our next life in any detail at all but rather concentrates on how to get to the "right" next life. And even on that subject it is rather contradictory.

And are you absolutely certain that he's talking about the next life rather than an "augmented present"?

Originally posted by Villager
For those of you who believe in God, by what process/occurrence did you come to believe in God? What's your personal 'proof'? Do you know Him spiritually, or in other ways?

Intuition.

Originally posted by twhitehead
I am not aware of Jesus writing anything unless you are refering to divine inspiration in which case I dont know why he didnt dictate a nice large book with all languages in instead of giving the diciples the gift of understanding and tonges but almost no one else.
And what is written doesnt explain our next life in any detail at all but rather concentra ...[text shortened]... s on how to get to the "right" next life. And even on that subject it is rather contradictory.

Getting there would be more important than being somewhere don't you think?Contradictory...yes thats what i said...you prove my point.