Question to Theists

[pocaracas]

Aye... but feeling good is not exactly guidance and those other things you said you pray for...
Although feeling good does help you to think better about any problem you may have and you are more likely to arrive at a positive outcome.
What bugs me is the attribution of that very internal chain of events to some external cause ... some external cause that doesn't seem to cause anything!

Theists believe that it does.

Indeed they do... but do they have good reason for such belief?
Or is it just "gut feeling" and indoctrination?

Haha, I'm reminded of something that is DEFINETLEY not religious: Futurama. Hilarious show. Ever seen it? In one episode, Bender (robot) meets God who is actually a giant computer/something else that smashed together (I can't remember what it was the computer crashed into...). Anyway, God/The Computer said that if you do things right, it won't look like you did anything at all. This was in response to Bender's own experience "playing god" to a bunch of tiny little aliens that basically colonized his body while he was floating through space. When he helped them, they became too dependent on him and wouldn't do anything themselves. When he didn't help them they destroyed themselves in a tiny (from Bender's perspective) nuclear war.

Of course, that doesn't prove anything. It's a damn cartoon. But it did make me think. It kind of makes sense, in a way. I mean, I question all the time why God doesn't intervene more. But, if he did, wouldn't we become too reliant on Him? According to my own religion's beliefs, we are here in this world to learn and to develop spiritual attributes. How exactly are we going to learn or develop anything if He steps in whenever we're in trouble? We're not. If that's the case, then we're just not going to know it whenever our lives have been interfered with. There probably won't be any immediate changes. But over time, things will happen. Maybe. Lol.

yeah.... why are all claims about any of god's actions always in the past?
Maybe, they're just stories, huh? Like the other one I'm reminded of that starts off with "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"... how can anyone refute that?!

The simple fact of the matter is, according to my religious beliefs God expects people to get the hell out there and DO something. In fact, service to mankind is considered to be a form of worship in the Baha'i Faith.

Baha'i.... now there's a new religion for me!
Wiki gods, please help!!
Oh, look, they helped!

The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. Three core principles establish a basis for Bahá'í teachings and doctrine: the unity of God, that there is only one God who is the source of all creation; the unity of religion, that all major religions have the same spiritual source and come from the same God; and the unity of humanity, that all humans have been created equal, and that diversity of race and culture are seen as worthy of appreciation and acceptance. According to the Bahá'í Faith's teachings, the human purpose is to learn to know and love God through such methods as prayer, reflection and being of service to humanity.

Sounds a lot like present-day catholics... But I guess there are some divergent details.