Questioning Faith

[craterlord]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much. Contradictions in the bible and various reasons for why God doesn't exist include these teachings. I want at least one person here to give me a logical reason as to why a God exists. I am ready to give up my faith unless I can receive at least one reason not to.

 

[LWB]

The Kingdom of Heaven does not make sense from a Worldly perspective. If Christ's example of love is not enough to convict your heart, you do not belong to the Kingdom.

 

[Incariol]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much. Contradictions in the bible and various reasons for why God doesn't exist include these teachings. I want at least one person here to give me a logical reason as to why a God exists. I am ready to give up my faith unless I can receive at least one reason not to.

"God cannot be grasped by the mind. If He could be grasped, He would not be God." --Evagrius of Pontus

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much. Contradictions in the bible and various reasons for why God doesn't exist include these teachings. I want at least one person here to give me a logical reason as to why a God exists. I am ready to give up my faith unless I can receive at least one reason not to.

I will give you one reason (for now) why the ONE and ONLY God exists. Although it may sound like a contradiction at first, I firmly believe that one of the greatest proofs of God (of scripture) is the presence of evil in the world: rape, murder, drug addiction, alcoholism, death and destruction. Pain and suffering is a part of our world, there is no reasonable denying of this fact. The fundamental conclusion based on the REALITY of the universe is that without a doubt: Evil does indeed exist and it permeates society to its very core. Before Christianity can make sense you must recognize this undeniable fact of OUR world.

But if we look again we can also see a Good that exists in the world we live in. We see self-sacrifice, true love, holy matrimony, child birth, there is nothing more telling of a true God than a loving earthly father (or mother) in ones life. God reveals Himself in these moments of goodness and love (but it is but a ray from the TRUE source of Light and goodness, Who is LOVE itself).

Goodness exists in our world as well as evil...when I look at the biblical evidence and recognize the biblical worldview of sin entering the world through the fall and such, I see a world exactly the way the bible presents it and exactly the way I would imagine it if the bible were true. I see a world of evil but also small glances of a prevailing Goodness that trumps and triumphs over evil on many occasions.

I also see a depravity that exists in humanity that is (in my opinion) the root cause of all suffering in the world, I look into my own heart and I am horrified at the evil still present in me (although it used to be MUCH worse before I came to Christ). This world is very much in need of a GREAT Saviour and I have come to look to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one promised in Holy Scripture as this blessed One who came to save me from mire of guilt, shame and self destruction and offer me an eternity free of sin and evil that is sealed in His love and blood shed for me (and you) on the cross.

I look to Jesus as my firm foundation for faith, I also look to this blessed goodness as an innate yearning and ultimate goal of all humanity and further I believe that this goodness is a ray of light from a good and holy God who shines His love and blessings on us and truly desires the salvation of all who inhabit HIS earth.

This is just one of many reasons I choose to believe in the God of the bible and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

I hope I made some sense of what I was trying to say, all I know is that Jesus did not die for nothing. I know that He truly came from God (and that He is and still is fully God). I don't really know how to explain it, but I can say that I cannot even think of forsaking the Lord, for I know what He has done for humanity and for me personally. I also firmly believe that this One who was crucified will come again, and that one day soon humanity will face a Judge that none could fathom before in our fallen mindset.

A God of such holiness and Justice that instant blindness would result from looking upon His covering of Light and Glory. Jesus I know died for sinners and I know He died for me because I am a sinner and I do not want to face this holy God without the covering of Christ when I die. I believe and receive His holy love on faith, not out of ignorance but out of faith in knowing that I am guilty before Him. I see evil in the world and I am appalled by it, but when I look into my own soul, this is what scares me the most, the same should be true of you.

Man is guilty, but God is innocent and more than anything else Jesus proved this on the Cross.

Blessings.

 

[NvxiaLee]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much. Contradictions in the bible and various reasons for why God doesn't exist include these teachings. I want at least one person here to give me a logical reason as to why a God exists. I am ready to give up my faith unless I can receive at least one reason not to.

Do you really want logical? All effects have a cause. So, logically, there is no such thing as randomness, i.e. chance. Therefor "chance" can't create, nor contribute to the creation of, anything. There goes the Atheist's explanation for so many things contrary to God.

The Big Bang is an effect, in need of a cause. The universe can't create itself, so something outside of the universe must be the cause. I.e. God. (Contrary to the desperate thinking of many Atheists, God is not an effect, but an eternal entity without a need to be caused. But, the universe has a beginning.)

If faith makes you happier, then that becomes a logical reason to have faith, if you wish to be happier. Faith generally does make people happier, and I think faith, the belief in a loving God who will produce good out of everything you have suffered, has a lot more potential to make you happy than believing living is a pointless activity that ends dirt.

 

[mark avery]

Jesus spoke of good as, only he in heaven is good.
The good news or also known as God news, is a far cry from what we might understand as good news.

Faith is a mystery, perseverance is an obligation.

 

[heymikey80]

There're plenty.

Do you exist?

Does good exist? How about evil? Can you escape good & evil?

Does anything besides you exist? How can you relate to those things that are besides you?

 

[craterlord]

The Kingdom of Heaven does not make sense from a Worldly perspective. If Christ's example of love is not enough to convict your heart, you do not belong to the Kingdom.

But I thought that God loved all? Are we not all of his children? Why would he throw his children that he loves into a smoldering fire?
-
@heymikey80 / That, very simply, is not answering whether or not there is a God.

@mark avery / Faith is counter-logic. Perseverance is just ignorance to fact.

@NvxiaLee / The Big Bang is only a theory. Nobody has ever said it was fact. And yes, you are right, all effects have a cause. But then you say, God, does not need a cause? Because he is an eternal entity? I can play that game too. The Big Bang theory does not need a cause because I said so. That is very simply what you are saying here. I asked for logical reasons, not reasons that come straight out of your ass.

Now, I have no problem with people believing in a God for some sort of meaning in life if that is really what they need to keep themselves going. What I do have a problem with is people following a religion, stating what is and is not O.K. Gay marriage? It is obviously wrong because the bible said so, which may I add, is full of contradictions that would only be made by a human. Go ahead and search for a list of those. I would provide a link, but I can not.

@SoldierOfSoul / Before people changed it, God was throwing people into hell for not believing in him. God is not innocent, he is more evil than any of us if anything.

@Incarional / That is not a reason telling me why there is a God. That is telling me how all arguments against God involving logic can easily be countered with something that cannot be argued with.
-

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

@SoldierOfSoul / Before people changed it, God was throwing people into hell for not believing in him. God is not innocent, he is more evil than any of us if anything.

Well if you can say that then it seems you have made your choice. I pray one day God will open your eyes to His undeserved mercy and that you will fall on your knees before the Holy God whom you condemn, until that day I have nothing more to say to you. Good bye and may God bless you out of ignorance and into His spiritual truths. He alone can make you believe.

 

[craterlord]

Well if you can say that then it seems you have made your choice. I pray one day God will open your eyes to His undeserved mercy and that you will fall on your knees before the Holy God whom you condemn, until that day I have nothing more to say to you. Good bye and may God bless you out of ignorance and into His spiritual truths. He alone can make you believe.

Ignoring my point. I really am not surprised.

 

[heymikey80]

@heymikey80 / That, very simply, is not answering whether or not there is a God.

Y'don't start somewhere, then you'll remain nowhere.

That's the point. If you don't pursue a consistent position, it's unlikely you'll conclude anything in particular.

Apparently you need more of an explanation, though. So let's take a look at some of the questions in more detail.

Do you exist? No, not your body -- you. That consciousness you are. If you don't exist, then it's pointless to even talk about the existence of God: it doesn't matter to your ... non-existence. If you do exist however, then the question must be posed, where'd you come from, and in what way do you exist? Concluding the existence of Something that bridges more existence than you do isn't a far leap from there.

Do good & evil exist? Not your positive and negative desires: good & evil. They've existed for thousands of years outside the context of any one person's concept of "what I like" and "what I don't like". In fact, historically they're not the aggregate or "majority rule" of those desires, either. Where do they come from?

Does anything besides you exist? Can you communicate with other existences? Why? What's connecting you? Generally we think of ourselves as distinct but dependent entities, who can communicate our existences on different levels: Physical existence, life, animal properties, consciousness, and thought/emotions/desires. Are they really out there? Or are we presuming they're out there due to evidence?

And if we're presuming such a tenuous possibility as the existence of others -- what other existences, like God, could we conclude on the same grounds?

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

Ignoring my point. I really am not surprised.

What point is that? Hell? Well, yes based on certain biblical passages the bible (and Jesus Himself) seem to imply that a place of eternal suffering for those who reject Christ as Saviour does exist. But instead of this being something that leads you away from Christ it should show you the mercy of a God who died so that we do not have to face that fate. This is the Good News that Jesus came to proclaim to humanity. You can either scream at the Judge for injustice (that you cannot fully explain) or you can bow at His feet in recognition that He's waved your case.

 

[joey_downunder]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much.

Remember a lot that is taught to to young children about the Bible is oversimplified and avoids all the more challenging passages of the Bible, e.g. in the Old Testament how severely God punishes Israel for their extreme sinfulness. Don't fall for one of the favourite atheists' strategies "but your God is so loving, that is disproven when you read how mean He really is, therefore God doesn't exist". They take verses out of context and conveniently forget how much God warned the Israelites via prophets before they were finally punished. They also "fail" to mention how much God forgives the Israelites every time after they repent and how He restores them.

Contradictions in the bible and various reasons for why God doesn't exist include these teachings.

Have you ever taken the time to look at these contradictions properly? Are you reading proven factual material from ancient history experts or anti-christian opinion pieces from part-time atheist bloggers with no knowledge of Christian history and theology at all?

I want at least one person here to give me a logical reason as to why a God exists.

That is quite simple - Jesus claims He is God, disprove the Gospels and then you have the right to be an atheist. Warning: many atheists Josh McDowell have tried and failed miserably and are converted as a result.

I am ready to give up my faith unless I can receive at least one reason not to.

That is up to you not us, you are solely responsible for your decision that will affect your eternal destiny. What you have to do is ask yourself sincerely the very important question: "do I want to have an excuse to give up my faith or do I really want to know the truth about God?"

 

[Lee52]

craterlord,
joey downunder is worth reading and contemplating.

I am not going to give you what you asked for here, because nobody here can.

I can tell you about me. I was not raised in a Christian home, not even a christian home. I had an aunt that when I was a teenager took my sister and me to her church occassionally, then frequently. I decided in combat in Vietnam that there could not be a god in charge of anything on this earth. I pursued intellectualism in college and after college became an atheist police officer. I dealt with human garbage on a daily basis over the course of 22 years. I dealt with human garbage offspring that were more vile than their sperm and egg donors. I became a sniper on an SRT team. There was a time in my life that I could kill others without any feelings at all. It was a job and those I killed deserved it. Then, one day, the one I did not squeeze the trigger fully on, caused me some pause. Three times I started the trigger squeeze, each time he stopped his activities that almost ended his life on this earth and I stopped my trigger squeeze. Long story-short, our hostage negotiator got him to surrender. I came out of the building across the street just as the negotiator was handing his little girl to him for one last hug before he went to jail.

From the back, she looked just like one of my daughters to a T. I almost took that cute little girl's daddy away from her,
F O R E V E R.
All of a sudden, forever meant something to me. So, I started a search for the truth about life. I did not find the Truth in intellectualism, nor philosophy, nor science. IT was certainly not in atheism.

Personally, I believe you are walking away from nothing. You do not have faith, and never did. You had religion. There is no faith in religion. So, do you want to honestly seek the Truth of life? OR, do you conveniently want to walk away from religion and say that it is walking away from faith? Your religion is a lie. That is what makes it so easy to walk away. If you had faith, understood faith, you would be walking closer to God, not denying His existence and seeking shallow answers that are easily deflected with mere words.

So, are you honestly seeking? Or are you just fed up with religion? Do you seek the truth? Or do you just like believing in this or that lie until it grows stale and then seek to move to the next lie? Your choices, not anyone's on here, yours. Your choices, your consequences. God's justice for your choices.

Lee52

 

[LWB]

But I thought that God loved all? Are we not all of his children? Why would he throw his children that he loves into a smoldering fire?

God is like a gardener, and we are like branches growing from a vine. If a branch becomes diseased, it is best to cut off that branch lest it infect the whole vine.

God does love all, but for the sake of his grand design, he requires that we love in return. But if a person is unable to love, they've gone wrong like a withered branch. It is actually a mercy to destroy that branch than permit its continued hellish existence.

The love God requires on our part must be voluntary. Otherwise we'd have been nothing more than robots. Therefore he has limited his power so that his pleasure in our love may be complete.

This doesn't mean he is inactive. Just like a plant breeder uses unexpected mutations to create entirely new varieties, so God selects and prunes the branches that will ultimately compose his new garden of paradise.

 

[Harry3142]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much. Contradictions in the bible and various reasons for why God doesn't exist include these teachings. I want at least one person here to give me a logical reason as to why a God exists. I am ready to give up my faith unless I can receive at least one reason not to.

Name another animal that sees some actions as good and other actions as evil. Only mankind as we now know it makes that distinction, saying that to perform certain acts is a display of innate goodness and to perform other acts is a display of innate evil.

We alone have a conscious recognition of good and evil, and we do not limit this consciousness to what is best for ourselves. We choose for ourselves whether we will perform certain acts, be they good or evil, and we recognize even as we are performing evil acts that they are indeed evil. Only homo sapiens has that ability, and it is not natural. According to those who study animal behavior, we should be the epitome of aggression, as that is what correlates to increased intelligence (the wolf is more intelligent than the rabbit; the wolf eats the rabbit). The mercy we show to each other and to other animals is completely out of character if seen through pure science.

As for those who claim that science can explain everything, that is not the purpose of science. Its purpose is to either discover a new happening and then work backwards to see how it originated, or to plan to achieve a certain goal through the proper application of materials in order to successfully reach that preset goal. But to say that science can explain all that has happened from the beginning of time is not science; it's scientism.

 

[1watchman]

You got some good counsel here, Crater, so you better take it to heart and humble yourself before the Creator-God. Instead of challenging God, you might consider His love in offering you eternal life and rescue from condemnation in hell forever. You need to believe, unless you want to risk eternal suffering.

- 1 Watchman

 

[SharonL]

The existance of God - how many times a day do we SEE the existance of God - nature is the best teacher - watch as the little birds build their nest, feed their young, over and over and over - no one to teach them. The little seeds that grow into huge trees, gives us the food to put on our table. Look at our bodies - what miracles - to hear, see, walk - how else could we exist without a higher power to bring it all together. If we could prove there is a God - there would be no need for FAITH.

Instead of trying to prove there is no God - turn your attention to the beauty and miracles of everyday life led by the Holy Spirit. God does not throw his children into hell - it is clearly a matter of choice - if you choose to stick your hand in the fire - you will get burned - if you choose to turn your back on God - you will be lost for eternity. Forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever........

 

[kimmyh51]

I have been raised as a christian since I was a child. But since then, I have learned much..

You dont say whether you have actually made a conscious decision and statement (statement out loud or in prayer) to accept jesus as your savior. Or whether you have asked him into your life?

Being brought up a christian does not make you one (in my opinion anyway) you need to actually consciously ask god in, until you do he wont be rude and barge in.

Anyway can I ask whether you have actually made that conscious decision and committment or not (whether out loud or in your head - just whether you have made it?)

If you have not that will be the reason you have not seen the existence of god. When you ask him in, you will feel and experience him and will know he is real.