• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

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

Status
Not open for further replies.

Gottservant

God loves your words, may men love them also
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2006
11,383
704
46
✟276,687.00
Faith
Messianic
I don't recall atheists believing any Gods so I am assuming "atheist God" was a joke. So how do you become in God?

Fear God.

Or take laughing at God so seriously that you in some way die (that really scares people).

I don't recommend doing the latter out loud until you are confident, in what you believe.

If you fear God, you will ask yourself "Where is he?" and the answer will return to you that it seems like He is everywhere (when you don't know where the Fear is coming from). If God is everywhere, you can only assume you are in God. From there, Wisdom can begin to speak to you about identifying the nature of God.

Knowing the nature of God, is for example, useful if you want to know if other people are pretending to be God when they are not, whether people plan to actually do something with their lives on the basis of where they think God is most likely to be, or how strong your faith is (for the purpose of good works and belief) compared to others who also "claim" to fear God and thus whether or not there is a future with them, in that Name or another.

These are just a few of the perks I am aware of, to begin with, though (I think) obviously the Fear of God makes anything possible
 
Upvote 0

madaz

dyslexic agnostic insomniac
Mar 14, 2012
1,408
26
Gold Coast Australia
✟24,455.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
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.

But you dont actually know.......you just believe you "know".

There is a big difference!

It appears Brother Lawrence's sight became lost in his faith.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

Gottservant

God loves your words, may men love them also
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2006
11,383
704
46
✟276,687.00
Faith
Messianic
Copied detail added to OP for clarity.

"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 guess at the place of a raindrop in the universe!"
 
Upvote 0

steve_bakr

Christian
Aug 3, 2011
5,918
240
✟30,033.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
But you dont actually know.......you just believe you "know".

There is a big difference!

It appears Brother Lawrence's sight became lost in his faith.

Not only do I know God exists, but I know that I know. My conscious awareness in my daily life becomes not only a relatedness to God, but access to His grace...

"Grace...always surrounds man, even the sinner and the unbeliever, as the inescapable setting of his existence." (Karl Rahner)

So,, you can accept or reject grace, but it is always right there offering itself to you as you experience God in the coscious awareness of your daily life.
 
Upvote 0

Davian

fallible
May 30, 2011
14,100
1,181
West Coast of Canada
✟46,103.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Ignostic
Marital Status
Married
I don't have a burden of proof because I KNOW that God exists. It goes beyond having a "belief" in God.

But I would say about the existence of God that, in view of my experience of the created world, I would maintain that it is impossible that there is not a God.

Copied detail added to OP for clarity.

"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 guess at the place of a raindrop in the universe!"
In the same thread, we have a god that is impossible not to exist, and another that is more elusive than can be coherently described.

It does appear that y'all just making this up as ya go along.
 
Upvote 0

steve_bakr

Christian
Aug 3, 2011
5,918
240
✟30,033.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
When faith turns to knowledge, faith is rendered redundant.

When faith becomes sight, faith is no longer necessary as it once was. Because, instead of believing, one knows.

But faith is available to everyone. It is simply the tacit affirmation that God is in the conscious awareness of our daily life.
 
Upvote 0

steve_bakr

Christian
Aug 3, 2011
5,918
240
✟30,033.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Democrat
In the same thread, we have a god that is impossible not to exist, and another that is more elusive than can be coherently described.

It does appear that y'all just making this up as ya go along.

As we experience God in the conscious awareness of our daily life, we also realize that, in this life, God remains unfathomable.

But the peak of His self-communication to us Jesus Christ.

I can only relate to you my own experience. You have the freedom to reject it, if you so choose. But He is nevertheless still there in the conscious awareness of your daily life.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

Davian

fallible
May 30, 2011
14,100
1,181
West Coast of Canada
✟46,103.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Ignostic
Marital Status
Married
As we experience God in the conscious awareness of our daily life, we also realize that, in this life, God remains unfathomable.
Or, to be more accurate, of no significance.
But the peak of His self-communication to us Jesus Christ.
Do you hear voices?
I can only relate to you my own experience.
That is the problem, right there. You inability to provide anything else to support your religious claims.
You have the freedom to reject it, if you so choose.
Reject it? I am not even sure what you are claiming. You claim to know, but you are not being very clear about it.
But He is nevertheless still there in the conscious awareness of your daily life.
Just not in any way that you can demonstrate.
 
Upvote 0

distraff

Newbie
Oct 29, 2012
19
0
✟22,629.00
Faith
Agnostic
Marital Status
Single
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.

So basically you are saying we can know God exists because of religious experience with him?
 
Upvote 0

Gottservant

God loves your words, may men love them also
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2006
11,383
704
46
✟276,687.00
Faith
Messianic
When faith turns to knowledge, faith is rendered redundant.

Unless honour requires a name.

A name does not come without faith, a work and a perspective.

I do never the less find your statement, to be the most cogent and coherent sumation of belief-less faith (that I have heard, it was quite impressive actually).

It may be that you are never recognized for your Wisdom, ever again in your life.
 
Upvote 0

Gottservant

God loves your words, may men love them also
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2006
11,383
704
46
✟276,687.00
Faith
Messianic
In the same thread, we have a god that is impossible not to exist, and another that is more elusive than can be coherently described.

It does appear that y'all just making this up as ya go along.

Jesus is doubly God.

Of both faith (the former) and belief (the latter).

What you are hoping we will say, is something that proves He was neither.

It cannot be done.
 
Upvote 0

distraff

Newbie
Oct 29, 2012
19
0
✟22,629.00
Faith
Agnostic
Marital Status
Single
Fear God.

Or take laughing at God so seriously that you in some way die (that really scares people).

I don't recommend doing the latter out loud until you are confident, in what you believe.

If you fear God, you will ask yourself "Where is he?" and the answer will return to you that it seems like He is everywhere (when you don't know where the Fear is coming from). If God is everywhere, you can only assume you are in God. From there, Wisdom can begin to speak to you about identifying the nature of God.

Knowing the nature of God, is for example, useful if you want to know if other people are pretending to be God when they are not, whether people plan to actually do something with their lives on the basis of where they think God is most likely to be, or how strong your faith is (for the purpose of good works and belief) compared to others who also "claim" to fear God and thus whether or not there is a future with them, in that Name or another.

These are just a few of the perks I am aware of, to begin with, though (I think) obviously the Fear of God makes anything possible

Why would any benevolent being want me to fear him?
 
Upvote 0

madaz

dyslexic agnostic insomniac
Mar 14, 2012
1,408
26
Gold Coast Australia
✟24,455.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
When faith turns to knowledge, faith is rendered redundant.

Unless honour requires a name.

"Unless honour requires a name" does not follow the redundancy of faith by virtue of knowledge. Please be kind enough to rationally clarify your non sequitur?
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.