Pss. 40: 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within
my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not
concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
Is God dead?
I’ve been taking a break from writing these past few months,
and a friend of mine made the comment, “You’re abandoning your God given
talent?”
“No, no I’m not,” I offer, “I’m taking a rest.”
We live in a day and age where people need proof that God
exists. They go on and on about having faith, but then they seek out ‘proof’ in
archeological findings to see if He was really real, if Jesus existed, if the
flood was real, if Moses parted the sea. Is that faith?
I can be preachy at times, but that is by my choice not
because someone or some religion expects it from me. I don’t and won’t push my
beliefs on anyone but I will share when my heart is heavy laden and I need to
get things out there.
I read the news daily and also the comments. Whatever you do
in the yahoo comment section, don’t mention God. You’ll get thumbs down out the
wazoo! It seems to many that God is an imaginary creature that man has created
in the wellsprings of the mind and passed on for thousands of years. Is His
legend dying?
By no means. If He can still anger so many people for
existing, then I think he is very much alive. They just need proof.
I know this is a writing blog but among writers this debate
goes on and on too. This weeks question:
Does adherence to rationality lead to atheism ?
George (opposes Christ) wrote:
Paula, I'm glad you are so certain. I know it gives great comfort. I agree that
there is a lot of wisdom in the Bible and the Judeo-Christian religions. There
is also a lot of mythological fantasy obviously written by man and plagiarized
from previous versions of a God.
None of that convinces me that I am doomed to hell for not buying in to the whole nine yards. I go to church with my wife often. At the end of the sermon, the Pastor always says, for those who have not found him yet, ask him into your hearts now. I do that with as much earnestness as I can. The message I get in return is, "You are on the right path, keep trucking, no worries." (Joni’s note: So where does this message you get come from? Your mind?)
It takes no faith to be an Atheist or Agnostic, it takes great faith to be a Christian. Why many keep trying to make a parallel with that is beyond me and shows a weakness in their faith. LOL
Where we agree is that in the working of the laws of nature there sometimes appear (for me) positive, unexpected, synergistic results that I choose to attribute to a "Higher Power." I have observed countless miracles in that manner and I am constantly amazed by them. (Joni’s note: Higher power? Would THAT be God?)
The people in my wifes' church here in Texas pray for everything, world peace, end the drought, win the lottery, cure cancer etc. I don't have faith in that kind of "Prayer on demand" but they do, despite any rationally measured success rate.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it until new evidence appears. Which I am open to.
None of that convinces me that I am doomed to hell for not buying in to the whole nine yards. I go to church with my wife often. At the end of the sermon, the Pastor always says, for those who have not found him yet, ask him into your hearts now. I do that with as much earnestness as I can. The message I get in return is, "You are on the right path, keep trucking, no worries." (Joni’s note: So where does this message you get come from? Your mind?)
It takes no faith to be an Atheist or Agnostic, it takes great faith to be a Christian. Why many keep trying to make a parallel with that is beyond me and shows a weakness in their faith. LOL
Where we agree is that in the working of the laws of nature there sometimes appear (for me) positive, unexpected, synergistic results that I choose to attribute to a "Higher Power." I have observed countless miracles in that manner and I am constantly amazed by them. (Joni’s note: Higher power? Would THAT be God?)
The people in my wifes' church here in Texas pray for everything, world peace, end the drought, win the lottery, cure cancer etc. I don't have faith in that kind of "Prayer on demand" but they do, despite any rationally measured success rate.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it until new evidence appears. Which I am open to.
I get really mad at God sometimes, but this life is going to end for me some day. What evidence do I have that no matter how bad this life gets there is still a sunrise? Don't slam the door on my viewpoint. Go back and reread the biblical accounts and the books written about the evidence. There is real evidence.
Cathy (a believer) wrote: George, I
don't think that Jesus performed "magic" which is usually a form of
trickery where the hand is quicker than the eye. Now how they saw people in
half and separate the box, I have no idea. But Jesus was pure, God's power
which is ever present for all of us flowed through him. It was his intention
rooted in compassionate love that allowed him to use that power to heal the
sick. It's like having a very well wired house but never having established the
service contract. It is capable of making the lights go on and all of the
appliances work but with out meeting the condition of turning on the source,
nothing works. So what is the price for service? That is what the whole gospel
and teachings of Jesus are about. It is the instructions manual about how to get
to the state of a pure and contrite heart that will get the evil and
distractions or our fleshly appetites out of the way and under control so that
the divine power can flow through us. We are designed to be fully divine. Jesus
was the fully functioning 'model unit" so to speak to show the way and
motivate mankind to change and return to God.
*
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Let me tell you, George went on for pages decrying the
falsity of God and Jesus. Every scientific theory he came up with, there was a
believer with a somewhat better argument, in my opinion. But then again, I’m a
believer.
I’ve learned many things in my young life, and as a believer
there are some things you just don’t talk about: money, God and Religion. I
myself don’t have an argument for atheist. They don’t believe and maybe never
will. Believers will speak and write, often falling on deaf ears. But hidden
among all the rubble is TRUTH. That is where people get divided; seeking out
the TRUTH.
In my rational mind allow me to ask you this: How come no
one blames Zeus for striking their house with a lightning bolt burning it and
all material things to the ground? Why doesn’t man blame atlas for the climate
change? Why do they blame a God they don’t believe in? Boggles the mind.
Where does all this fit into the WRITING world? Apparently the writers of the world are
seeking some truth to their writing so that they’re not misleading readers. But
who really has the TRUTH?
I watch as man defecates on man, destroys the very thing
that they believe in and we wonder, “Where is God in all this turmoil?” There’s
a post going around facebook that says something like this: “The teacher is
quietest during the test.” I like that!