RE: Theists, tell me, an atheist, why your God has neglected to show himself to me?
June 14, 2017 at 3:34 pm
(June 14, 2017 at 3:10 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote:(June 14, 2017 at 1:54 pm)The Gentleman Bastard Wrote: That doesn't explain the utter lack of answer given to those who did seek, did ask and in some cases downright begged for a sign and never got one.
"Even the demons in hell believe and tremble" - (James 2:19) It's not just about intellectual belief it's primarily about from the heart recognition of one's own sin, true repentance, and earnestly seeking deliverance. Besides, doe you seriously believe the OP has or is willing to do any of that. Maybe, he has, but from all outward appearances it's highly unlikely.
Do you believe that everyone that sincerely seeked, asked and begged for a sign, received a sign?
If so, you might want to take that up with the 770 members of The Clergy Project and enormous number of former theists.
How would someone, me for example, go about achieving this 'heart recognition of one's own sin, true repentance, and earnestly seeking deliverance' without first believing that there is a god or gods that can respond to these? Or even believing that I need to repent and be delivered from 'sin'?
You seem to be putting the cart before the horse. First, the case for the existence of a god has to meet its burden of proof. Once I am convinced that some god exists, then you can make your case that is the god with the specific attributes of the god you believe exists.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
