There is the following factors that make me want to believe: in God which makes me aware I am subject to "wishful thinking"

1) Want of all life to be in peace and live on forever.
2) Feel delight at the thought of the ultimate being existing.
3) A divine purpose of me being here.
4) A purpose behind all the pain and suffering.
5) Want of Spirituality.

None of this of course is a rational reason to believe in God. This I'm aware of.

Some reasons that emotional draw me against belief in God but are not convincing to me:

1) The problem of evil.
2) The fact not everyone believes in God

Now the bottom line is, when I question myself, do I know God exists, the answer seems to me always to be yes.

What bothers me, is why everyone whom asks themselves this question, doesn't come to the same answer as me?

To say that some humans don't have a way to know God exists, just seems problematic. People in the hypothesis thread stated why don't I just ask Atheists. Well, ff they have no way of knowing, why should I believe myself and other human beings have a way of knowing?

I don't know. Perhaps, this all part of the greater design of the Creator.

How do we act with each other. Atheists and Theists?

Perhaps God doesn't want to be universally known, but part of his design, is to be known by many people, while many people would not know him.

Perhaps part of the design is how we would interact with another.

Would we still respect each other? Or would we go against each other, simply because we have different beliefs?

Perhaps many Atheists don't have a way of knowing God.

Sadly, it seems many Theists think Atheists are worthy of hell, to be tortured for eternity. And shamefully, I was one such Theist in the past.

Perhaps both lives have their own dignified honorable way. How to live life without knowing God exists, and how to live life with knowing God exists, and both of them are worthy of respect if lived honorably.

Or maybe, we are atheists because we have seen no credible evidence for a god existing. But of course, it's because we "cannot know god" that we don't believe in him. What makes theists special so that they can know god?

Hypothesis Fail Two.....(Not completely different)

Lets be hopeful.

(August 27, 2012 at 2:42 pm)Tobie Wrote: Or maybe, we are atheists because we have seen no credible evidence for a god existing. But of course, it's because we "cannot know god" that we don't believe in him. What makes theists special so that they can know god?

Well according to this hypothesis, there is nothing special about Theists or Atheists.

There is an honorable way to live not knowing God exists and there is an honorable way to live knowing God exists.

They are both good experiences and part of the design is on how we interact with one another.

Part of the design is so we chose whether to respect one another or not.

(August 27, 2012 at 2:47 pm)MysticKnight Wrote:

(August 27, 2012 at 2:42 pm)Tobie Wrote: Or maybe, we are atheists because we have seen no credible evidence for a god existing. But of course, it's because we "cannot know god" that we don't believe in him. What makes theists special so that they can know god?

Well according to this hypothesis, there is nothing special about Theists or Atheists.

There is an honorable way to live not knowing God exists and there is an honorable way to live knowing God exists.

They are both good experiences and part of the design is on how we interact with one another.

Part of the design is so we chose whether to respect one another or not.

If you claim to know that a god exists, why don't you tell us why you know?

Anyway, what makes theists be able to know god, or atheists unable?

(August 27, 2012 at 2:52 pm)Tobie Wrote: Anyway, what makes theists be able to know god, or atheists unable?

I don't know...

(August 27, 2012 at 2:59 pm)MysticKnight Wrote:

(August 27, 2012 at 2:52 pm)Tobie Wrote: Anyway, what makes theists be able to know god, or atheists unable?

I don't know...

Really promising this, no possible reasons why things you have hypothesised may occur.

You merely think a god exists, yet claim to know one does but can't back this up.

@Mystic

How exactly do you know that you know?

Knowledge is justified belief. If you cannot justify it, you don't know - no matter how many times you say that you do. As long as you are unable to answer the question of how you know, you cannot know that god exists and it all boils down to wishful thinking.

(August 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: Now the bottom line is, when I question myself, do I know God exists, the answer seems to me always to be yes.

What bothers me, is why everyone whom asks themselves this question, doesn't come to the same answer as me?

Because we have a certain regard for the truth and do not like to sully even our local representation of the truth with (too much) stains of desire.

---

(August 27, 2012 at 2:59 pm)MysticKnight Wrote:

(August 27, 2012 at 2:52 pm)Tobie Wrote: Anyway, what makes theists be able to know god, or atheists unable?

I don't know...

I know your mother is a goat. I know, I don't know how I know, but I know. What bothers me is what makes me know you are the ofspring of a goat, but you are unable to know this yourself?

---

(August 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: There is the following factors that make me want to believe: in God which makes me aware I am subject to "wishful thinking"

1) Want of all life to be in peace and live on forever.
2) Feel delight at the thought of the ultimate being existing.
3) A divine purpose of me being here.
4) A purpose behind all the pain and suffering.
5) Want of Spirituality.

None of this of course is a rational reason to believe in God. This I'm aware of.

Not nearly aware enough. Else you would stop there.


This whole thing sounds like a tantrum. I want! I want! I want!, why you no want, why you no give me? Waaaaaaaa!

Well, what you really know to really be there because your own contentment requires it to be there , is unfortunately ,based on vastly more tried and tested means of finding out than your particular track-recordless intuition, to not really not be there.