Where is God today?

[Prajna]

Let me first start off by saying that I am not here to disprove God, your religion, or way of life. I'm here simply to hear your opinions

I am a Buddhist so needless to say.. I don't believe in God, but you do and I would just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on God.

I attended a worship (idk if that's what they're called) with my girlfriend a while back, and one of the things the pastor said was that to prove, or disprove God was not Christian, and to basically just go by the word of the bible, which is fine, but I am just curious as to why its bad to try and prove his existence? It's human nature to question the unexplainable, if it wasn't than we would be living like cavemen so why is questioning it bad? I mean people say he works in mysterious ways via miracles but why does his ways have to be "mysterious?" I mean, his actions were blatantly obvious when he resurrected Jesus, and gave him the power to heal and to Moses to split the Red Sea, so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just curious

- Prajna

 

[JasoNnnN]

Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, "I am a teacher in search of the truth." Jesus said, "I am the Truth." Confucius said, "I never claimed to be holy." Jesus said, "Who convicts me of sin?" Mohammed said, "Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope." Jesus said, "Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins."

 

[ebia]

Let me first start off by saying that I am not here to disprove God, your religion, or way of life. I'm here simply to hear your opinions

I am a Buddhist so needless to say.. I don't believe in God, but you do and I would just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on God.

I attended a worship (idk if that's what they're called) with my girlfriend a while back, and one of the things the pastor said was that to prove, or disprove God was not Christian, and to basically just go by the word of the bible,

I wouldn't entirely agree with this pastor. Trying to "prove" God is somewhat futile, but critically thinking is part and parcel of what it means to be Christian.

which is fine, but I am just curious as to why its bad to try and prove his existence? It's human nature to question the unexplainable, if it wasn't than we would be living like cavemen so why is questioning it bad? I mean people say he works in mysterious ways via miracles but why does his ways have to be "mysterious?" I mean, his actions were blatantly obvious when he resurrected Jesus, and gave him the power to heal and to Moses to split the Red Sea, so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just curious

- Prajna

How one interprets the data depends an awful lot on the presumptions and presuppositions one is bringing to the evidence. If God is actively present and at work in everything how does one "prove" that? The Judeo/Christian idea of God is not of a mostly absent god occasionally breaking the rules and intervening, but a God intimately involved in all aspects of his creation.

 

[Prajna]

Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, "I am a teacher in search of the truth." Jesus said, "I am the Truth." Confucius said, "I never claimed to be holy." Jesus said, "Who convicts me of sin?" Mohammed said, "Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope." Jesus said, "Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins."

How is this relevant at all?

 

[wayseer]

Let me first start off by saying that I am not here to disprove God, your religion, or way of life. I'm here simply to hear your opinions

I am a Buddhist so needless to say.. I don't believe in God, but you do and I would just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on God.

I attended a worship (idk if that's what they're called) with my girlfriend a while back, and one of the things the pastor said was that to prove, or disprove God was not Christian, and to basically just go by the word of the bible, which is fine, but I am just curious as to why its bad to try and prove his existence? It's human nature to question the unexplainable, if it wasn't than we would be living like cavemen so why is questioning it bad? I mean people say he works in mysterious ways via miracles but why does his ways have to be "mysterious?" I mean, his actions were blatantly obvious when he resurrected Jesus, and gave him the power to heal and to Moses to split the Red Sea, so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just curious

- Prajna

What makes you think God is 'laying low'?

If you don't believe in God - how would you know what God might be up to?

 

[Polycarp1]

Miracles were scarce even in Bible days -- that's why the Bible records so many of them: they were unusual, noteworthy. If any two-bit prophet could resuscitate the dead or bring forth water from a rock, and did it on a weekly basis, then the Elisha and Moses stories would not have had the impact they did.

But there's a story that is more than a little pertinent to the question. It goes like this:

A man is sitting on his porch as flood waters rise. A woman floats by in a boat, asking if the man needs help. "No, thank you," says the man, "I'm trusting in the Lord." The waters rise higher, sending the man upstairs. A raft full of people floats by his second story window. "Get in," they say, "there's plenty of room." "No thanks," says the man, "I'm trusting in the Lord." The flood waters keep rising, pushing the man up to the roof. A helicopter swoops in, lowering its ladder for the man. "Thanks anyway," shouts the man, "I'm trusting in the Lord." Finally, the man is swept away in the torrent and drowns. At the gates of Heaven, the man asks God, "Why didn't you save me?" "What do you mean?'' replies God, "I sent two boats and a helicopter."

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (I Cor 12:12-27)

Jesus Christ is actively at work in the world today, speaking encouraging words to the disheartened, laying a comforting hand on the troubled, helping the victim of catastrophe rebuild, tending the sick, refreshing the weary, visiting those in prison, smiling at those he passes by on the street. He is doing this through His mystical body the church -- through you who have taken Him as Savior and Lord. Whatever you do, you do as a part of Him.

God is a present, active force in the world. It's just that the world does not perceive the Communion of Saints, the Mystical Body, that makes what each of us does what He does through us. You are one of the Body's members (and remember that originally that meant limb, appendage, not individual as a part of a group) who will someday be required to give accounting of what you have done with your talents (which originally meant a sum of precious-metal money to be invested wisely, not a skill set).

IMO it's both a freeing and a sobering thought.

 

[Hentenza]

Thread moved to Exploring Christianity from CP&E.

 

[childofGod31]

Let me first start off by saying that I am not here to disprove God, your religion, or way of life. I'm here simply to hear your opinions

I am a Buddhist so needless to say.. I don't believe in God, but you do and I would just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on God.

I attended a worship (idk if that's what they're called) with my girlfriend a while back, and one of the things the pastor said was that to prove, or disprove God was not Christian, and to basically just go by the word of the bible, which is fine, but I am just curious as to why its bad to try and prove his existence? It's human nature to question the unexplainable, if it wasn't than we would be living like cavemen so why is questioning it bad? I mean people say he works in mysterious ways via miracles but why does his ways have to be "mysterious?" I mean, his actions were blatantly obvious when he resurrected Jesus, and gave him the power to heal and to Moses to split the Red Sea, so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just curious

- Prajna

God is not laying low. He is involved in all the aspects of people who devoted themselves to pleasing Him. He is very active in my life. I enjoy Him. He helps me and enjoys our relationship as well.

He is only absent to people who are not involved in the relationship with Him. They can't see. You need to have faith to see the spiritual world.

God is not out to prove Himself to the world just yet (although He might be sometime later). Right now He is looking for those who want Him, would love Him, would want to develop a relationship with Him. He reveals Himself to them and they see Him. But mostly it's a matter of faith. You have to have it in order to see Him/know Him.

And if you ask: what about those who happened to not have faith? He knows their hearts. If He sees love in their hearts for Him, He will help them to know Him at some point.

His ultimate plan is to save the entire world. But that is in the future.

 

[andreha]

I wouldn't say God is laying low at all. I suppose it depends where you look. I know of a pastor at a church not too far from where I live, who raised a little girl from the dead, after she was confirmed dead by paramedics. She was dead for about 40 minutes. All the pastor did was utter the words "In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk!" - and she did.

Let me first start off by saying that I am not here to disprove God, your religion, or way of life. I'm here simply to hear your opinions

I am a Buddhist so needless to say.. I don't believe in God, but you do and I would just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on God.

I attended a worship (idk if that's what they're called) with my girlfriend a while back, and one of the things the pastor said was that to prove, or disprove God was not Christian, and to basically just go by the word of the bible, which is fine, but I am just curious as to why its bad to try and prove his existence? It's human nature to question the unexplainable, if it wasn't than we would be living like cavemen so why is questioning it bad? I mean people say he works in mysterious ways via miracles but why does his ways have to be "mysterious?" I mean, his actions were blatantly obvious when he resurrected Jesus, and gave him the power to heal and to Moses to split the Red Sea, so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just curious

- Prajna

 

[hv/2π]

.

 

[drich0150]

so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just because God doesn't reveal Himself in the grandiose manner in which you want to see Him doesn't mean He is laying low. Besides can you name one grandiose action that can't be attributed to science somehow? Just because we can now label how God does something does make it any less of God. God created the natural world in which we live doesn't it make sense that He moves through the natural world rather than around it?

 

[juvenissun]

Let me first start off by saying that I am not here to disprove God, your religion, or way of life. I'm here simply to hear your opinions

I am a Buddhist so needless to say.. I don't believe in God, but you do and I would just like to hear your thoughts and opinions on God.

I attended a worship (idk if that's what they're called) with my girlfriend a while back, and one of the things the pastor said was that to prove, or disprove God was not Christian, and to basically just go by the word of the bible, which is fine, but I am just curious as to why its bad to try and prove his existence? It's human nature to question the unexplainable, if it wasn't than we would be living like cavemen so why is questioning it bad? I mean people say he works in mysterious ways via miracles but why does his ways have to be "mysterious?" I mean, his actions were blatantly obvious when he resurrected Jesus, and gave him the power to heal and to Moses to split the Red Sea, so why isn't his actions obvious today? Why is he "laying low"?

Just curious

- Prajna

First, I need to clear up one thing: Do you think you would still exist after your body deceased? I just want to know what kind of Buddhist you are, so I can answer your question appropriately.

 

[Jpark]

Never mind.