"Does God exist?" Only someone, already in God, can know!

[Skavau]

I'm not a salseman, I'll agree to that. But perhaps you could just be open to the possibility that you are experiencing the Infinite by way of your conscious awareness in your daily life.

Should I be equally as open to believing that it could be some exterrestrial lifeforce dedicated to contacting me? Should I suppose that actually the explanation as advanced by Islam is true?

Why should I presume your explanation for my conscious awareness over all other possible explanations, evidence based or not?

Consider carrying a tacit awareness of that everywhere you go. Perhaps you may then find your own understanding of what the Infinite is.

This is white noise to me. What do you even mean by "the Infinite"? Do you just mean "God, as I believe him to be"?

 

[steve_bakr]

Actually, science can look into why people believe in religions.

Evolutionary psychology of religion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do you have anything to show that you have anything more than religion?

That is interesting material. The Catholic Church believes in what I think is called Theistic Evolution. If there is a physical counterpart to our spiritual identity, it makes sense because the human being is the combination of body and soul, as Aquinas maintained. The existence of a physical counterpart of our spiritual identity in no way disproves it. In fact, it supports the notion of Aquinas.

I'm afraid I've been called away, I'll check back later.

 

[Dave Ellis]

This may seem contrary to logic, but sometimes the proof comes after the acceptance of the fact--the constant tacit awareness that one is experiencing, in his conscious awareness, the Infinite. The practice of this tacit awareness will bring out the proof itself.

Please provide an example of anything else you accept as fact, that you have no proof or empirical evidence for

 

[Dave Ellis]

I'm not meaning to challenge your personal meaning. I am saying that--with the acceptance and practice: the tacit awareness that your very consciosness is experiencing God, your meaning would encompaass a much larger scope, and deepen personally.

Seeing as you and I have never met, what justification do you use to make the claim that my life would encompass a larger scope or deepen if I believed in a God? You know almost no details about my life as it currently stands, so I fail to see how you can predict such a change.

And again, you have not provided evidence that such a being or entity exists. Why should I accept that it does?

 

[Gottservant]

What on earth are you talking about?

If God actually exists, it's literally impossible for him to be an Atheist.

No, it's impossible for Him to think of His Son as much as He would have, if He thinks being an atheist makes him closer to that Man who was doubly God.

Maybe think about that for a while. If Jesus is doubly God, am I "doubly an Atheist"?

You will need to be in God twice as much to know the difference.

 

[steve_bakr]

Please provide an example of anything else you accept as fact, that you have no proof or empirical evidence for

I am a Catholic Christian, so I hold to the Catholic faith. I can think of no other beliefs that you might think of as empirically unproveable. I say again, though, that my belief in God is really a knowing rather than a belief.

 

[steve_bakr]

Seeing as you and I have never met, what justification do you use to make the claim that my life would encompass a larger scope or deepen if I believed in a God? You know almost no details about my life as it currently stands, so I fail to see how you can predict such a change.

And again, you have not provided evidence that such a being or entity exists. Why should I accept that it does?

I am not meaning to imply anything about you personally. Let's say that, because of my personal experience, I am convinced that your meaning would be more deeply felt, since it is the case with me.

I would only ask you to consider your conscious awareness in your daily life in the context of being an experience of the Infinite. It is best to carry a tacit awareness that this is so.

If you do this for a significant period of time, and subsequently choose to remain an atheist, then we can say that you tried an experiment.

 

[distraff]

The question "Does God exist?" has provoked many answers. Perhaps the most simple answer is simply that you have to be in God, before you can know. What are the implications of this? Allow me to extrapolate!

You cannot be in God, and deny God. (Because if you knew, it would be because you agreed to be in God.)

You cannot be in God, and not have worked. (Because if you experienced being in God, it could only be because you did something).

You cannot be in God, and not have believed something. (Because if you started work by which to experience and be in God, you would have had to keep your mind fixed)

You cannot be in God, and want to be called God. (Because if you agreed to start work by which to experience and be in God while keeping your mind fixed, you would not want to be distracted)

You cannot be God in God, and want to be called God, for your own sake. (Because if you agreed to start work by which to experience and be in God while keeping your mind fixed, without being distracted, introducing selfishness would have unpredictable results at best)

What is happening here? The question is being asked "Does God exist?" and as evident truths are being expounded, it is becoming clear that even if you were God Himself you would not be completely sure.

Why is that? Discuss.

(You might want to discuss specifically whether you can arrive at the knowledge of God by process of elimination, such as the above)

If that is so, then one should not believe in God because there is no way in showing that God exists.

 

[Gottservant]

Faith in God, deepens everything.

As to the rest of the thread, it is far, far too much argument.

In a thread about being in God, whether or not you actualize the knowledge of God as a result, you cannot be said to have used your brain, unless you at least attempt it.

Someone who has attempted to be in God, knows that He is harder to find, than a mere stab at someone's name who might believe it!

(it is for this reason, Atheists are so quick to invoke the ad hominem clause when defending their Atheistic God, though why they don't imagine God isn't offended by their doing it to Him when he does not call Himself an Atheist is beyond me)

 

[steve_bakr]

If that is so, then one should not believe in God because there is no way in showing that God exists.

Unless you KNOW God exists, because you cannot unknow what you know.

 

[Gottservant]

[paraphrase] In that case, there is no point in believing God, because there is no way of showing that He exists.

Unless you KNOW God exists, because you cannot unknow what you know.

I think you have answered this question from the position of a man, which is quite excellent. Because if a man cannot unknow something, he does not forget it.

I would further add, that there is another qualification to consider, that there is no way of showing He exists, without Christ.

In other words, if there is someone, who is prepared to believe in God, whether or not He exists (as Jesus was) then believing in God reveals something in that Someone.

No one having no Hope, is not attracted to something.

Therefore someone perfectly without Hope, is perfectly attracted.

 

[distraff]

Faith in God, deepens everything.

As to the rest of the thread, it is far, far too much argument.

In a thread about being in God, whether or not you actualize the knowledge of God as a result, you cannot be said to have used your brain, unless you at least attempt it.

Someone who has attempted to be in God, knows that He is harder to find, than a mere stab at someone's name who might believe it!

(it is for this reason, Atheists are so quick to invoke the ad hominem clause when defending their Atheistic God, though why they don't imagine God isn't offended by their doing it to Him when he does not call Himself an Atheist is beyond me)

I don't recall atheists believing any Gods so I am assuming "atheist God" was a joke. So how do you become in God?

 

[Tiberius]

I honestly have no idea what this thread is about anymore...

 

[madaz]

I say again, though, that my belief in God is really a knowing rather than a belief.

Your only deceiving yourself.

You can misuse the word "know" or "knowing" as much as you like if that is what you feel you need to do to justify your belief.


However your belief in god is simply just a belief, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[madaz]

I honestly have no idea what this thread is about anymore...

Nor do I, but its hilarious, current topic is....wait for it..Atheist Gods! hahahaha

 

[distraff]

Unless you KNOW God exists, because you cannot unknow what you know.

How do you come to know God exists?

 

[madaz]

[paraphrase] In that case, there is no point in believing God, because there is no way of showing that He exists.

Precisely! Why dont you get it?

I think you have answered this question from the position of a man, which is quite excellent. Because if a man cannot unknow something, he does not forget it.

But man does forget, so therefore can un-know.

I would further add, that there is another qualification to consider, that there is no way of showing He exists, without Christ.

So therefore god did not exist for the first century of christianity until the jesus character was added to the bible?

In other words, if there is someone, who is prepared to believe in God, whether or not He exists (as Jesus was) then believing in God reveals something in that Someone.

Correct, it reveals a suspension of cognitive faculties in that person.

No one having no Hope, is not attracted to something.

Therefore-Someone having hope is attracted to something???

Therefore someone perfectly without Hope, is perfectly attracted.

Your words are riddled with logical fallacies, beliefs and personal opinions, why cant you be sensible and deal with truth and facts.

 

[WonderBeat]

We know God exists not because we come to understand this so-called fact in any analytical, reasoned way. It is because of the impossible God who is somehow possible, that knowledge of Him is actually gained. It is completely due to the Grace of the Divine and accessing that Grace, that such a thing as seeing God can happen.

 

[Tiberius]

Nor do I, but its hilarious, current topic is....wait for it..Atheist Gods! hahahaha

Well, as I've mentioned just recently in another thread, I worship my toaster after I prayed for it to help me find my sunglasses and I found them. Does that count?

 

[steve_bakr]

Your only deceiving yourself.

You can misuse the word "know" or "knowing" as much as you like if that is what you feel you need to do to justify your belief.

However your belief in god is simply just a belief, nothing more, nothing less.

The only justification I need comes from God. As Brother Lawrence said, there is a point where faith becomes lost in sight so that, instead of believing, we know.