Personal relationships with deities

[robvalue]

Drich: you asked me directly what responsibility I would have after I witnessed it, so I was asking what you meant by that.

So it sounds like no impartial observer could actually verify the three criteria in your case then. Or indeed a single one of them. If the observer is required to be one that is Christian and just takes what you say at face value, that doesn't count. I'm perfectly capable of observing what is right in front of me, and I've never experienced anyone claiming to have a personal relationship without being able to verify this myself if need be. It's only when it becomes a mysterious ghostly second party that this all falls down, every single time. Just telling me stuff is happening and I'm too [whatever] to see it is a dodge. I could make similar claims to you that I'm sure you'd reject as nonsensical.

The success of the religion says nothing at all about its truth, but that would be totally irrelevant if I could actually verify your relationship. People believing all that stuff is true is enough to make it successful, regardless of whether it is true. By this logic, all other religions are also true. Yet they contradict each other.

Remember, I don't care if your religion is true or not. It makes no difference to me. So my heart isn't hard, or whatever. If someone is putting a block on my senses, it would have to be your God. I try my best to be totally open minded. I'm prepared to change my opinion about anything, if I'm presented with credible evidence. I'm an apatheist, I don't care if there is a god or not, or what it is. I also just happen to be atheist, given the current available evidence.