[moved from apologetics] Videos about the existence of God

[wensdee]

No it is not up to people who believe there is a God to prove His existence, unless we claim to be able to prove it. I never claimed any such thing. I have reason to believe in God, but all evidence of this kind is subjective. The reason you have no reason to think there is a God is you refuse to be open to the possibility. God has worked in your life, but you refuse to see it as God working in your life. That is your choice but you have no business telling me I have no reason to believe. You don't know that, just as you don't know if God is or is not. You should care if there is a God, because if there is none, you live an ultimatly meaningless life with a destiny of oblivion. If there is no God, we will all eventually be extinct and it will not matter we ever existed, because there will be no one around for it to matter to.

I have never asked anyone to prove there is a God, I would not ask the impossible of anyone.

What possible reason could you have to believe there is a God? apart from the obvious.

We are animals and we live and die just like all of the other animals, the only difference there is between us is that we can imagine a God and the other animals can't, unfortunately our imagination in fact changes nothing because we still die when we die, it helps some people to imagine Gods who will help them get through this life and even reward them with an afterlife when they die but that's just wishful thinking and the fear of death at work.

What about the people who have never even heard of the Christian God? what's going to happen to them?
What would you believe if your parents had been devout Samoan idol worshipers?

 

[Walter Kovacs]

What about the people who have never even heard of the Christian God? what's going to happen to them?

They are judged like everyone else, on the basis of their response to the revelation they are given.

 

[wensdee]

They are judged like everyone else, on the basis of their response to the revelation they are given.

Well that's something anyway, it would be terrible if they missed out just because they were raised in the wrong country by the wrong people and given the wrong religion.

 

[beforHim]

What about the people who have never even heard of the Christian God? what's going to happen to them?

They are judged like everyone else, on the basis of their response to the revelation they are given.

Debunking funadamentalism at it's finest

 

[Jazer]

No, that's your position by giving a God as the reason why it's all here, why not be like most people and say that you just don't know.

Actually, I listed to the video and the arguement seemed to be that perfection exists and everything in this world seems to point to the fact that there is perfection that we can not see or experance.

 

[hammiesink]

Wensdee,

Try watching my Aquinas videos. They don't prove anything, but you might find them quite a bit different than the popular versions that float around on the Internet.

 

[wensdee]

What about the people who have never even heard of the Christian God? what's going to happen to them?

They are judged like everyone else, on the basis of their response to the revelation they are given.

Debunking funadamentalism at it's finest

All he did was add one mythical happening to another, I could destroy any argument if all I needed was my imagination,
ie. The fairy said it so it must be true.

 

[beforHim]

All he did was add one mythical happening to another, I could destroy any argument if all I needed was my imagination,
ie. The fairy said it so it must be true.

lol I wasn't even arguing.

 

[elman]

Originally Posted by elman
No it is not up to people who believe there is a God to prove His existence, unless we claim to be able to prove it. I never claimed any such thing. I have reason to believe in God, but all evidence of this kind is subjective. The reason you have no reason to think there is a God is you refuse to be open to the possibility. God has worked in your life, but you refuse to see it as God working in your life. That is your choice but you have no business telling me I have no reason to believe. You don't know that, just as you don't know if God is or is not. You should care if there is a God, because if there is none, you live an ultimatly meaningless life with a destiny of oblivion. If there is no God, we will all eventually be extinct and it will not matter we ever existed, because there will be no one around for it to matter to.

I have never asked anyone to prove there is a God, I would not ask the impossible of anyone.

What possible reason could you have to believe there is a God? apart from the obvious.

First you deny asking for proof and then you ask for proof.

We are animals and we live and die just like all of the other animals, the only difference there is between us is that we can imagine a God and the other animals can't, unfortunately our imagination in fact changes nothing because we still die when we die, it helps some people to imagine Gods who will help them get through this life and even reward them with an afterlife when they die but that's just wishful thinking and the fear of death at work.

You state all this as fact. The fact is it is not fact, just your assumptions. What evidence do you have to support your assumptions?

What about the people who have never even heard of the Christian God? what's going to happen to them?

You and I do not get to decide. God does and God is loving and merciful and kind.

What would you believe if your parents had been devout Samoan idol worshipers?

I have no idea. What would you believe if your parents had been devout Samoan idol worshipers?

 

[wensdee]

I have no idea. What would you believe if your parents had been devout Samoan idol worshipers?

I most likely would have been a devout Samoan idol worshiper as would you, I have no illusions about why I have no religion, I am not religious because both my parents were Atheists, had they been religious I see no reason why I would not have been religious as well, because of that I know that we are what we are raised to be, that's why I keep asking why you all feel so strongly about your religion when you must know it was pure chance that made you believe in the religion you do.

The problem all religious people [including theologians] have when they start discussing and philosophizing about their religion is they start from the wrong perspective, they all believe their religion to be true before they start so instead of discussing it with an open mind they usually end up trying to rationalize it.

 

[Walter Kovacs]

they all believe their religion to be true

Duh. Folks generally don't believe something they don't believe to be true.

so instead of discussing it with an open mind they usually end up trying to rationalize it.

Duh. Any belief (except for the ones you don't believe) has to be justified.

 

[elman]

I most likely would have been a devout Samoan idol worshiper as would you, I have no illusions about why I have no religion, I am not religious because both my parents were Atheists, had they been religious I see no reason why I would not have been religious as well, because of that I know that we are what we are raised to be, that's why I keep asking why you all feel so strongly about your religion when you must know it was pure chance that made you believe in the religion you do.

The problem all religious people [including theologians] have when they start discussing and philosophizing about their religion is they start from the wrong perspective, they all believe their religion to be true before they start so instead of discussing it with an open mind they usually end up trying to rationalize it.

The problem with your theory is it does not always work. My father was definitly not religious and the religion of my mother is vastly different than mine. So I was not controlled by how I was born and raised.

 

[wensdee]

So I was not controlled by how I was born and raised.

Have you ever met a Christian [or a person from any religion for that matter] who didn't find their God all by themselves?
because I never have, it's truly amazing.

I have even met people who will tell you that they would be Christians no matter how, where or by whom they were raised and no one would ever admit to having been indoctrinated, it's the nature of the beast.

 

[Frumious]

I became a christian because a guy ripped me off for about 10 grand and skipped town in shady deal. Then I found him 3 years later and he was a pastor... kind of a long story, but my parents are definitely not believers in any sort of religion.

I despised religion, but had a rather special kind of hatred for all things christian. If I was going to chose a religion I definitely would've picked one of the cooler ones.

TL;DR I am not a christian because of my upbringing.

 

[Yekcidmij]

Here's one reason some people become Christian. Some people become Christian because their parents are Christian. They believe their parents are trustworthy and reliable sources of information and so they accept what they have to say as reliable and trustworthy. When their parents say Christianity is true, they believe them and so end up becoming Christian.

That's not my personal reason, nor is it everyone's reason, but it seems a legitimate reason why some people are Christian.

 

[beforHim]

Wait, were exactly did we derail at?

Oh yeah, Aquinas videos are good- I agree.

 

[JCFantasy23]

MOD HAT ON

Staff has reached consensus that this is better suited for "Exploring Christianity," so the thread has been moved. Please continue your discussions here.

MOD HAT OFF
​

 

[elman]

Have you ever met a Christian [or a person from any religion for that matter] who didn't find their God all by themselves?
because I never have, it's truly amazing.

I have even met people who will tell you that they would be Christians no matter how, where or by whom they were raised and no one would ever admit to having been indoctrinated, it's the nature of the beast.

So I am lying when I say my religion is different from my parents?