How can an atheist have a relationship with God?

[Mountain_Girl406]

Just wanted you to hear the part as to how a person would not likely just move in with strangers, even though they thought their house was beautiful. How about God and His house? Why do the wicked think that someday God will let strangers move in? Why would those strangers want to move in with Someone they do not know?

I've tried to know God for a long time, but I've gotten no response. Why would God hide Himself?

 

[juvenissun]

I don't know if ibhave ever come across something totally unexplainable. Certainly there are things I don't have the ability to explain but this is a different thing.
Generally speaking though the answer is just ..."I don't know" when there is something I don't understand. When I don't know I try not to jump to making positive statements like "god did it" or something similar.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

When you have too many "I don't know", then some new possibility should be considered in order to satisfy a good value of human. As a reasonable man, what we can do in this situation is to ASSUME something is true and to see if problems could be solved or answered by having that assumption.

I started my road of faith this way. 40 years later, I don't have many "I don't know" any more. My assumption makes a lot of sense.

If you have a seed, how would you know if it is alive or not? The only way, yes, the only way, is to plant it (by assuming it is alive). Then you will know.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[juvenissun]

I've tried to know God for a long time, but I've gotten no response. Why would God hide Himself?

He never does. Read His Books. He IS in there.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

In the OT, God would hide His face from a person, city, nation due to their sin. Sin can hinder prayers being answered.

Are you praying to God alone, with Jesus Christ/God in the flesh as your only Mediator? He is the way, the truth, and the life! No man comes to the Father but by Him.
No - graven images...no dead saints....can answer our prayers.
They can't help our prayers to have more faith or get the prayers
to heaven any sooner. God knows our hearts. He is the Lord of all!

I have done that. I have even joined and participated in more evangelical churches, figuring that it might be good to explore outside of the Catholic faith. I have returned to practicing Catholicism because my experience in other Christian faiths didn't aid in stopping my creeping agnosticism so I thought maybe adding back tradition and ritual to individual prayer and study might help.

 

[Athée]

Hey all I am still around in case you were beginning to wonder
Merry Christmas to all, I will reply with more regularity in a few weeks

 

[Oncedeceived]

I have done that. I have even joined and participated in more evangelical churches, figuring that it might be good to explore outside of the Catholic faith. I have returned to practicing Catholicism because my experience in other Christian faiths didn't aid in stopping my creeping agnosticism so I thought maybe adding back tradition and ritual to individual prayer and study might help.

Seems you are looking for the "right" religion rather than God does that sound right? Edited to add: If you are searching after all this time, sounds like God is calling you just haven't allowed Him in perhaps.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

Seems you are looking for the "right" religion rather than God does that sound right? Edited to add: If you are searching after all this time, sounds like God is calling you just haven't allowed Him in perhaps.

If God is calling me, how do I let Him in?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

If God is calling me, how do I let Him in?

Questions like these tell me the Church needs to take a more intensive look at the intricacies of epistemology, especially as it relates to the Christian faith and as to how it may interact with other fields such as psychology, sociology, philosophy of history, hermeneutics, pneumatology, eschatology, etc. (Excellent question, MG!)

I've got a question for you: Up to this point in your life, what has been your understanding as to what "finding Jesus/God" should amount to?

Peace,
2PhiloVoid

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

Questions like these tell me the Church needs to take a more intensive look at the intricacies of epistemology, especially as it relates to the Christian faith and as to how it may interact with other fields such as psychology, sociology, philosophy of history, hermeneutics, pneumatology, eschatology, etc. (Excellent question, MG!)

I've got a question for you: Up to this point in your life, what has been your understanding as to what "finding Jesus/God" should amount to?

Peace,
2PhiloVoid

I lost faith when I was about 8, coinciding with the time I lost faith in things like Santa Claus and for the same reason. ..there was evidence at the surface. ..a guy at the mall in a red suit, presents under the tree with from Santa on the tag, but when I looked deeper I saw there were other, more reasonable explanations than a magical person traveling the globe in one night in a flying sleigh.
So what am I looking for? It's been 40 years and I honestly don't know anymore. I've looked at arguments for the existence of God or gods from logic, and I can at least accept that the universe might have to have a beginning, but can't make the jump to God from there.
I've looked at the fact that a majority of people in my country believe in God, and countless people globally have faith in one religion or another, and wonder if they can be wrong.
I've read and studied the Bible, attended worship services, and am currently an active member in my church.
I've heard stories of people from a variety of faiths who have had spiritual experienced that have confirmed their beliefs.
I've accepted that there are likely people more educated in the subject that believe, and have also been saddened when renowned Biblical scholars become agnostics because of their studies.
I've prayed, spent time in meditation, even run things like ultramarathons....a quite that inspired me was 'If you want to run, run a mile. if you want to race, run a 10k, if you want to talk to God, run a marathon '.
I'm no closer, and maybe that's why I'm here, to seek out other ways and hear from those with faith.

 

[Oncedeceived]

If God is calling me, how do I let Him in?

A better question might be...what is keeping Him out? Are there reasons that you don't believe a God exists? Are there reasons why you believe that a God exists?

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

A better question might be...what is keeping Him out? Are there reasons that you don't believe a God exists? Are there reasons why you believe that a God exists?

I'm not sure what reasons would look like as you're asking the question.
I've heard it asked if there are reasons one might want God to exist, or not want God to exist. That's a question I can answer, but I'm not sure if that's what you are asking.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

Do you believe history, other than the Bible records, show there
was a John the Baptist? Why was he teaching? Look up how many
even pagan beliefs say he was here.

I know Josephus mentions John the Baptist and Herod, as far as I know, that's the only historical source. There's a bit of a conflict with the dates between Josephus and the Bible, though, with Josephus placing the death of John a few years after the death of Jesus.

 

[Oncedeceived]

I'm not sure what reasons would look like as you're asking the question.
I've heard it asked if there are reasons one might want God to exist, or not want God to exist. That's a question I can answer, but I'm not sure if that's what you are asking.

Actually no, I am not asking you why you "want" God to exist but what reasons you think God might exist and what reasons you have for God not existing.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I lost faith when I was about 8, coinciding with the time I lost faith in things like Santa Claus and for the same reason. ..there was evidence at the surface. ..a guy at the mall in a red suit, presents under the tree with from Santa on the tag, but when I looked deeper I saw there were other, more reasonable explanations than a magical person traveling the globe in one night in a flying sleigh.

That's totally understandable, and I can see how a person can lose faith in both concepts at the same time. I remember when my sister came face to face with the realization that good Ol' Saint Nick wasn't really delivering presents, and wouldn't be doing so any time soon. In fact, I remember vividly that not only was she in tears and distress over it, but the very question immediately falling from her 8-9 year old mouth was, “...well, is there a God?!!” As I look back upon that incident, the funny thing for me is emembering that I answered “yes,” despite that I had already decommissioned Santa from my own mental employment, and I only knew a very tiny fragment about Christianity in general at the time—I was 12 years old. I suppose I said “yes” not because I knew the right answer, but because I felt sorry for her. In fact, I was not anywhere near being a Christian at the time; all of that came about 5 years later.

So what am I looking for? It's been 40 years and I honestly don't know anymore. I've looked at arguments for the existence of God or gods from logic, and I can at least accept that the universe might have to have a beginning, but can't make the jump to God from there.

That's ok, MG. Neither can I. None of the usual arguments--cosmological, teleological, or whatnot--have played much, if any, role in my faith, although I do remember restlessly laying in bed after seeing Carl Sagan's “Cosmos” in the early 80's and pondering the vast mystery of “why is there anything here at all” and “what came before the Big Bang.” Needless to say, I can admit that I've experienced many days over the past 30 years where I felt like a chimp in a Kohler Experiment …

I've looked at the fact that a majority of people in my country believe in God, and countless people globally have faith in one religion or another, and wonder if they can be wrong.

Sure. They could be wrong. They could be wrong about a lot of things, however.

I've read and studied the Bible, attended worship services, and am currently an active member in my church.

That's great, and all of that is a plus. I know it may not always be as helpful as we'd like it to be, but it's all still a plus.

I've heard stories of people from a variety of faiths who have had spiritual experienced that have confirmed their beliefs.

That's good. I've heard that too. I've also heard that “confirmation bias” isn't uncommon either. But then again, I also surmise that what we each think constitutes “confirmation” of said phenomena isn't an identical concept residing in each individual human brain.

I've accepted that there are likely people more educated in the subject that believe, and have also been saddened when renowned Biblical scholars become agnostics because of their studies.

Sure. I've seen the same here.

I've prayed, spent time in meditation, even run things like ultramarathons....a quite that inspired me was 'If you want to run, run a mile. if you want to race, run a 10k, if you want to talk to God, run a marathon '.

Well...you've got me at a disadvantage there. I've never run a marathon, although I used to run track back in junior high. I never won a race, but at least I was in shape.

I'm no closer, and maybe that's why I'm here, to seek out other ways and hear from those with faith.

I think it's good that you're making that effort, MG … the only caveat to that is I don't think you're going to find a “missing link” that completes the picture of what faith is supposed to look like. You might want to question the extent to which you think you require closure to have achieve the feeling of "belief" ...