• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Why Does God Exist?

ChristianT

Newbie Orthodox
Nov 4, 2011
2,059
89
Somewhere in God's Creation.
✟32,831.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
You tell me.

We [humankind] exist to bring glory to God and partake in a relationship with our Creator. Our only purpose is to love God and be loved by God. Everything else is secondary and a construct, or, a side-effect of "the fall of mankind." This "Fall" is not some kind of physical slip off a mountain, but rather a spiritual –figurative if you want– disconnection from God through willful disobedience (with the will necessary to properly love God). The fall was in morality, nature, and holiness. Humankind went from intrinsically godly, morally perfect, and spiritually thriving to intrinsically sinful, morally corrupt, and spiritually dead. Anything further would be on-topic (w/ relevance to our existence), but would be my summation of Christian Theology; I'd rather leave that to experienced theologians. :wave:

*pardon my random blunt-ness, by the way ;)*
 
Upvote 0

seeingeyes

Newbie
Nov 29, 2011
8,944
809
Backwoods, Ohio
✟42,860.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
My question is simple - what is the purpose of God's existence. Its not a matter of him/her/it existing but the question of WHY?

God exists because He must exist. He is life. His purpose is to breathe life into the lifeless.
 
Upvote 0

fhansen

Oldbie
Sep 3, 2011
17,242
4,298
✟432,741.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Married
My question is simple - what is the purpose of God's existence. Its not a matter of him/her/it existing but the question of WHY?
This is the same question as why does anything exist?
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

Knee V

It's phonetic.
Sep 17, 2003
8,417
1,741
44
South Bend, IN
✟123,323.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
In terms of a cause, God exists because He exists.

In terms of a function that he serves, he is not part of something for which he needs to play some kind of part.

In terms of God's character, He exists to love and to pour Himself out and to be humble and to deny Himself and to lay down His own life.
 
Upvote 0

ViaCrucis

Confessional Lutheran
Oct 2, 2011
40,489
30,267
Pacific Northwest
✟868,483.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Lutheran
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Others
Because it would make no sense to speak of God not-existing. This is somewhat a tautology; however in Christian thought God's existence is not pure happenstance; it is essential existence.

The philosopher Paul Tillich uses the term "Ground of Being" in his existential philosophy; but I also think it speaks to a deep and profound reality concerning what and how we speak of God. God is "Hayah asher Hayah", usually translated into English as "I AM that I AM", but it can also be rendered, "I will Be what I will Be". That is, God most foundationally and fundamentally IS. He is Absolute Being. God is Existence that gives meaning and foundation to all that exists.

God is because God is; "Hayah asher Hayah", "I AM that I AM".

-CryptoLutheran
 
Upvote 0

bling

Regular Member
Site Supporter
Feb 27, 2008
17,251
1,965
✟1,116,484.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Nothing could have existed, but no one would know about it.
Since something does exist and since something does not ever come from nothing, something has always existed. Is that “something” intelligent or just energy/matter? There are definite signs of intelligence existing today along with matter and energy, so can intelligence come from just matter and energy? It takes a lot of faith to believe intelligence could come from just matter and energy.
 
Upvote 0

Adam Warlock

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2011
1,236
131
✟29,279.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Private
Because it would make no sense to speak of God not-existing. This is somewhat a tautology; however in Christian thought God's existence is not pure happenstance; it is essential existence.

The philosopher Paul Tillich uses the term "Ground of Being" in his existential philosophy; but I also think it speaks to a deep and profound reality concerning what and how we speak of God. God is "Hayah asher Hayah", usually translated into English as "I AM that I AM", but it can also be rendered, "I will Be what I will Be". That is, God most foundationally and fundamentally IS. He is Absolute Being. God is Existence that gives meaning and foundation to all that exists.

God is because God is; "Hayah asher Hayah", "I AM that I AM".

-CryptoLutheran
Well said.
 
Upvote 0

Optimax

Senior Veteran
May 7, 2006
17,659
448
New Mexico
✟56,659.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Word of Faith
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican
And that decision is?

Will you follow God His way or insist on attempting to follow Him your way?

His way is by Jesus. There is no other way to the Father God except by receiving Jesus.

Once you do that then you can learn what God's Plan for your life is.

It will be the greatest life possible and will continue to get better and better forever!

:)
 
Upvote 0

JohnRabbit

just trying to understand
Site Supporter
Feb 12, 2009
4,383
320
i am in alabama
✟122,788.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
what you ask, imho, is too difficult for us to answer in our finite capacity.

i applaud all responses to the thread, however, this verse comes to my mind:


Acts 1:7(NKJV)
7And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

but, that's not to say, that maybe one day, He'll tell us!
 
Upvote 0

seekertruth72

Newbie
Apr 28, 2012
2,529
100
✟33,148.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
In Relationship
Gods existence is the only logical conclusion we can come to. Even if God didn't exist i would still hope in Him because without God there is no order or meaning to our existence, that's a grim reality that is without Hope. We suffer in this world then die? Some die before their time, others have everything and some have nothing, without a Just God to make things right in the next world there is only hopelessness and injustice. The bad guys always win in this world. Hope in God and His mercy, there is nothing else.
 
Upvote 0