Help me believe in god

reply to post by Krazysh0t


There is no God in Buddhism. There is a god realm but they are not creators.

reply to post by mamahuhu


I know, but depending on how you look at it or define God, they can be one and the same. In either case you are splitting hairs about an offhand remark I made.

reply to post by James1982

Think of Biblical "faith" as an act of trust.
It is hard to change your opinion about what is or is not true, but trusting someone is a decision which can be made by conscious choice.
That is why it matters.

"Belief" is your opinion about whether a bridge will carry your weight.
"Faith" is walking out across the bridge anyway.
Take that as the starting point and you will be carried along from there.
That was my experience, as a former atheist.

you are your religion. even though you have access to all the text of religions, the caricature of the cosmos is the paradise in which your soul travels on the route 66 of experience

Krazysh0t
reply to post by spy66

 

I'm not atheist, I'm agnostic so I don't go around trying to do something futile like try to disprove creation. However, my point still stands. Religion is easily disproved by basic science. The world wasn't created 6000 years ago. It isn't the center of the universe. It isn't flat either. All these things can be proven with some simple science.

Except that the vast majority of Christians do not believe that the world was created 6,000 years ago, and I know of no one who believes that the Earth is the centre of the universe, and the whole "flat Earth" thing was an 18th Century hoax intended to criticize Christians as being "at war with science", which is not the case.

Russell traced the story about Columbus and medieval flat-earthers back to the 19th century; it originated in a fictional novel by Washington Irving The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus I (1829). Later it was picked up by two influential books, John Draper’s History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874) and Andrew Dickson White’s book A History of The Warfare Between Science and Theology in Christendom. These books famously used the Columbus story plus many others to defend the thesis that the Church, for centuries, suppressed science and worked to prevent its flourishing; this is known as the conflict thesis. (Contra Mundum: The Flat-Earth Myth)

Claiming that Christians are anti-science is to allow a relatively insignificant minority dictate the beliefs of all, which is obviously irrational. I'm an orthodox Christian, and I believe in evolution, that the universe is billions of years old, and that science is an amazing tool to learn more about the reality that we live in. My journey back to faith, after a couple of decades of irreligiousness, was via the study of physics and cosmology, in part.

reply to post by James1982


These kind of thought exercises can be really interesting, and a lot of fun.

Which is why I asked:

What do you define God to be? And, currently, why do you feel those parameters are not met?

Are you looking to match a specific cultural "God" to your/our current understanding? Or are you trying to find the experience they are speaking about for yourself?

reply to post by James1982


What's your brand? Then call it god.

If you want to beleive in God, go right ahead and beleive. But you also must open your mind and beleif's system to....Santa Claus..Easter Bunny...Tooth Fairey...Mother Goose... Islam, Hindu, Mormon, Etc,etc.etc.

reply to post by trumpet


only if ,,,its a give and take,,,where i give most of the giving,,,like"why God?",,and "God u suck",, and ohh where are u now God?"

untill he finally,,,takes my problem,,away,,


OPPPPS wrong person. sorry.

reply to post by openyourmind1262


not unless u only believe in one GOD.

catfishjoe

BobAthome
reply to post by catfishjoe

 

then why are they not in Boston,,hehehe,,8 one?,, good game.

Yeah..yeah...yeah.....hey, there's always next year.

For the Cubs, there's always next year, haha! Go Sox!

On topic, Speaking as a Christian, no one can help you believe. You need to find God for yourself.
Others can study with you, and discuss their own reasons for believing, share their testimonies, etc., but in my own opinion, you should try talking to God and see if you feel his answers in your heart. Read the Bible, learn what the faith is about, but most importantly, establish a conscious relationship with God; that is best reply I can manage.

reply to post by James1982


one day you will find and feel God inside your heart. it's a path only you can do it.
the truth will reveal itself to you via holy spirit.
a change in your life will be operated... it will be up to you to try to understand and accept the truth.. or ignore and follow your old life.

day will come. I'm certain. It's a promise made to us.

God will visit everyone, even the more miserable one...

until there.. try to be in peace w/ you and respect the others.

Krazysh0t
reply to post by mamahuhu

 

I know, but depending on how you look at it or define God, they can be one and the same. In either case you are splitting hairs about an offhand remark I made.

I never said God doesn't exist, however I can say with relative certainty that if He does, none of the religions on this planet represent Him (maybe Buddhism, but even that I have my doubts on).

How am I splitting hairs? It seems to me that you are making assumptions on religions that you are ignorant to or know very little about.Yet some how you claim with a relative certainty that no religion represents him. I don't know or claim to know about what God is in every religious belief, therefore I refrain from making blanket statements such as yours.

reply to post by voyger2


there are many gods

I honestly could not even read anything after the very first response. This is a person who WANTS to believe in God, and you're going to sit there and tell him 'basic' science will easily disprove God?
I mean, I honestly cannot get over... the ... horrible... antagonizing... person... you must be... I am all about peace and love and happiness and all that other hippy bull#*$& but you're going to sit there and pretend like Christianity (or any other religion for that matter) has been proven wrong with 'basic' science... and of course, conveniently without the burden of having to provide this 'basic' scientific proof.

I'll tell you how to change your beliefs. It isn't hard. Time consuming, check. Mentally laborious, check. But, hell, if you REALLY want to change your beliefs, you can and it's simple.

1) First thing you think when you wake up in the morning? What is it? Take note of it. It'll come in handy when trying to change your beliefs.
2) Awareness. Where is it? take note of it. Also handy when trying to change beliefs.
3) And this is really the most consuming step: After having taken note of your first thought of the day and then continually throughout the day, observe those things which don't fit in with the paradigm that you're trying to change OUT of.
4) Now that the hard part is done: Slowly and continually replace those thoughts that don't fit with your desired paradigm until it becomes second nature.
5) finit. Beliefs changed.

You might think I'm joking... but I'm not. I've changed my beliefs about many things. Religion, I used to be very against. Morals, I've changed those too. You might think it's trivial to 'change your thoughts' but it is a slow process, like I said, it won't come over-night. No amount of humming and hawing is going to make you BELIEVE in God. That is a PERSONAL decision and no arm-chair 'basic' scientist is going to sweep you off your feet and take you into the strictly scientific land where every thing has been figured out by basic science... nor is any spiritual nut or guru going to take you on his magic carpet and take you to a place where it is OBVIOUS God exists. ONLY YOU CAN CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN GOD. THERE IS NOTHING ANYBODY CAN SAY OR DO THAT WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE IF YOU DON'T ALREADY WANT TO.

That is all... I hope all of you, regardless of your religious beliefs or intolerances have a fantastic and beautiful and inspiring day.
/_\.G.R.E.

reply to post by Serdgiam

What do you define God to be? And, currently, why do you feel those parameters are not met?

If he knew the answers to those questions, do you really think he'd be asking us to convince him?

reply to post by James1982


Start with what we do have in regards to God. We have the word "God".

What is "God"? God, as far as we can tell, is a word, which names or labels our conceptions of what the concept of God means to each individual.

To some, "God" means the law of laws.

To some, "God" is the old man in the sky.

To some, "God" is what put the universe in motion.

To some, "God" is chaos.

To some, "God" is everything.

To some, "God" has no use any longer.

Look to language, the father of all metaphysical inquiry. In most cases, especially in the case of God, words are all we have to work with.

In my conception God is "The word", the alpha and the omega (First and last letter of the greek alphabet), the logos. No other animal has concepts of God, because no other animal has language. God is language.

reply to post by 3OGRE3

no arm-chair 'basic' scientist is going to sweep you off your feet and take you into the strictly scientific land where every thing has been figured out by basic science..

Yeah, you're right. We're born into it. Computer? Check. Gasoline? Check. Car? Check. Medicine? Check. Plumbing? Check. Coffee? Check. Asphalt on which you walk and drive? Check. The food your children eat for nutrients? Check. The schools who teach them? Check. The doctor who makes sure you're doing okay? Check.

Man, that science sure has dug its claws deep, hasn't it? A real shame, that. Just imagine what we could have done without it.

/sarcasm

Also, has anyone noticed that the OP just dropped the thread here and hasn't been back since? I'm beginning to think this is a troll thread. Let's not play that game, people.

reply to post by rockoperawriter


only One is our Father.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


Yes, absolutely!

I think those are the very questions asked, in many different ways, before someone chooses atheism. Now, whether or not the OP, specifically, has answers to those questions is why I asked them.

Many atheists should be able to answer those questions, in my mind. They are the very basis behind choosing to have no belief in "X."

That "X' has to have various attributes, even if its only in the human psyche. Whether or not those parameters are met directly determines whether or not something is believed to "exist."

God does exist because (_____________).

God doesnt exist because (___________).

Fill in the blank!

If neither question suits the individual bias, the questions change to the next "node," so to speak. Which were the next questions I asked.