Where do you stand on the existence of God?

[Catholic_Lady]

Yes, of course. But I don't think I'm insane

Insane people often don't realize they're insane.

(Not insinuating that you are insane, I'm merely pointing out that awareness of being insane is not a requirement of actually being insane.  There are many people who can be classified as insane who think they're the only rational people on the planet.)

Lol. Well, for what it's worth, there has been no history of any mental problems with me or in my immediate family. I've never had anyone suggest that I might be insane, or tell me that I exhibit signs/behavior of an insane person or a person with any sort of mental illness. It's never been an issue in any way. So do with that what you will I suppose. 

[Silver]

I understand that reality is difficult to face. Believe me, I have been there.

[Catholic_Lady]

How did you determine that your god was the cause of this experience?  To put it another way, how have you ruled out every other possible mundane or naturalistic explanation?

I'd have to actually explain what happened, which I would rather not do. But it was pretty clear.

[Reforged]

Insane people often don't realize they're insane.

(Not insinuating that you are insane, I'm merely pointing out that awareness of being insane is not a requirement of actually being insane.  There are many people who can be classified as insane who think they're the only rational people on the planet.)

Lol. Well, for what it's worth, there has been no history of any mental problems with me or in my immediate family. I've never had anyone suggest that I might be insane, or tell me that I exhibit signs/behavior of an insane person or a person with any sort of mental illness. It's never been an issue in any way. So do with that what you will I suppose. 

You are aware a flaw in logic can infect even the greatest of minds if introduced early enough, right?
You don't have to have something physically wrong with your brain in order for a faulty meme to warp your notions of reality.
"Give me the child and I'll give you the man... with a sore bottom." Direct quote, indisputable.
I'm an ex-catholic. I know these things.

[Excited Penguin]

How did you determine that your god was the cause of this experience?  To put it another way, how have you ruled out every other possible mundane or naturalistic explanation?

I'd have to actually explain what happened, which I would rather not do. But it was pretty clear.

Come on, be a little brave. I figure you already know we'll explain to you what might have actually happened if you do.

[Whateverist]

Insane people often don't realize they're insane.

(Not insinuating that you are insane, I'm merely pointing out that awareness of being insane is not a requirement of actually being insane.  There are many people who can be classified as insane who think they're the only rational people on the planet.)

Lol. Well, for what it's worth, there has been no history of any mental problems with me or in my immediate family. I've never had anyone suggest that I might be insane, or tell me that I exhibit signs/behavior of an insane person or a person with any sort of mental illness. It's never been an issue in any way. So do with that what you will I suppose. 

Do you or they live any where near the Nile?  Just wondering.  

[GrandizerII]

How did you determine that your god was the cause of this experience?  To put it another way, how have you ruled out every other possible mundane or naturalistic explanation?

I'd have to actually explain what happened, which I would rather not do. But it was pretty clear.

Clear to whom? Only you? You shouldn't completely trust what you saw without verification from others first of all.

[Clueless Morgan]

Insane people often don't realize they're insane.

(Not insinuating that you are insane, I'm merely pointing out that awareness of being insane is not a requirement of actually being insane.  There are many people who can be classified as insane who think they're the only rational people on the planet.)

Lol. Well, for what it's worth, there has been no history of any mental problems with me or in my immediate family. I've never had anyone suggest that I might be insane, or tell me that I exhibit signs/behavior of an insane person or a person with any sort of mental illness. It's never been an issue in any way. So do with that what you will I suppose. 

One does not have to be considered insane or have a diagnosed mental illness to have a delusion or hallucination.  For example, I am not insane (to my knowledge) and have no diagnosed mental illnesses but I experienced what could very well have been an extremely vivid hallucination in the bathroom at work a couple months ago.  (That makes it sound more interesting than it was. ) And there's no way for me to verify whether the event was real or took place entirely in my head so all I can say now was "that was weird..."

I've also had experiences with other people where, initially, our stories were really different and then, over time, get more and more similar, as well as the opposite, where our initially memories are really similar but after a while drift further and further apart. Exchanging memories of a shared event with another person affects how everyone remembers the event (you start to create a group narrative that may or may not reflect what actually happened), which is why cops interview witnesses separately: so there's less likely to be cross-contamination of memories. So having had an experience with someone who corroborates your memory of the event doesn't always mean a lot.

How did you determine that your god was the cause of this experience?  To put it another way, how have you ruled out every other possible mundane or naturalistic explanation?

I'd have to actually explain what happened, which I would rather not do. But it was pretty clear.

That's like telling me you had this amazing experience with Big Foot and you totally have evidence he's real... but you can't tell me what it is.

I'd have to actually explain what happened, which I would rather not do. But it was pretty clear.

Clear to whom? Only you? You shouldn't completely trust what you saw without verification from others first of all.

She mentioned that someone else had the exact same experiences so I suppose she uses that as her external validation.

[Chas]

I'm curious about your certainty level then, Cathy.  Where do you stand in terms of how certain you are that your god exists?  (Either by your own scale (flipped to the theistic position) or on the Dawkins Scale)

At this point in my life I feel certain that God is real. But I have had doubts before.

Go with your doubts. 

[Catholic_Lady]

Deleted.