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Such numbers arent very helpful when there are more christians than any other belief system in the world. But I say don't believe something because someone told you but find out for yourself.
So how forgiving is god if one is sincere but ultimately finds a [very] non-Christian path while following his heart?
Are you sure you want to use Mother Theresa as a real representative?
That's not very helpful for the people who don't already believe the Bible is an authority, is it?
Only the god of the gaps is self evident.
That's why I pursued the path of the Witch for 20 years. As a "church" of one, every detail is about exploring on my own.
What is this God of the gaps? From what I've understood, it is that people assume that because we don't know/understand everything (the gaps), then we attribute those things to God.
In fact, as we understand more and more, it just makes God even more amazing.
I agree with you there. And theres probably not enough time to get to know every detail of every religion enough to know if its true either. One would have to trust their heart on which one to look up and research further to see if they find it compelling. I guess if I made the jump from being an unbeliever to suddenly thinking God may or does exist I would then do a quick survey of the religions and read the basic tenets of it and go from there. Asking the god that I discovered to lead me to what is correct.
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Yes. When some natural phenomena was not understood, people often immediately pointed to god and said it's proof.
I would say the more we learn about the natural world, the more amazing the natural world becomes.
Well maybe they did and perhaps still do. But I for one, don't look at it that way. And of course, when I look at the natural world and thinking about quarks and chaos theory and whatnot (not things I really at all understand, am not a scientist, but find these things fascinating), as I say, I think how awesome God is to create all this stuff.
That's what I'm talking about. There's something that's really complicated and hard to understand but you don't even have to try if you point to god.
I think a better way to put it would be, you were never saved.Frankly, I find the "they were never Christians to begin with" really insulting. Some people who are Christians who start questioning earnestly search but the more they look the harder they find it is to believe.
No, the misunderstanding of the Bible is the downfall of many Christians who take that as the spark of their doubt.I've heard of a few who were once devout Christians and you know what caused them to start doubting, and me as well? Reading more of the Bible than just what we're told in Mass and Sunday school. Isn't that the place that you would first expect a Christian to search? Don't you understand there are people who honestly search with all their heart but end up falling away from God and sometimes the Bible is the catalyst?
Romans 1 says that you can know God exists, not that you will put your faith in God.Maybe its possible to have some belief in God but without the undeniable experience you can't know God exists. You can believe he does but there will always be doubt like I had before my experiences with God began. Before I could speak in tongues I met a man who said he had no doubt and I didn't know how one could have no doubt till I began to speak in tongues and it changed me and made me see god in a new light in an undeniable way. There is no way I could be convinced otherwise that God doesn't exist from this point on.
I just don't think you can know God exists without some external physical proof. It doesn't have to be tongues and some experiences could prove God to people more than tongues as well. But without some kind of proof theres no way to get to that level of knowing God exists. God however proves himself to us in many ways.
In my opinion, believing in a divine force in the universe is not particularly problematic; the leap starts at assuming that whatever that force is has all of the properties and opinions the gods of a specific religion.
Surely if there is one true God he would want his people to know him.
How could you possibly know that? Sounds very anthropomorphic, as if God had the same psychological makeup as humans.
That's an interesting opinion. Thankfully, you aren't in charge of identities for anyone but yourself. I was a Christian for the first 15 years of my life.I will also say that those who say they are Christians then leave the faith were never Christians to begin with. For it says
1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
Why is it so difficult to believe the one true God has revealed himself in a religion?
Surely if there is one true God he would want his people to know him.
Because a one time revelation, through supposedly some extremely extraordinary means that fly in the face of reality, isn't very convincing to people 2000 years later. Then there's the problem of not revealing himself to the hundreds of millions of people before.
Which is why relying on people and scripture is really bad planning, especially when neither of which can be authenticated.
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