Quick Poll - Do you believe in God?

[Little Rik]

There is no way that God would reveals to people that believe that he does not exist so you will not perceive him ever.

In that sense, god is like everything else that does not exist-- he will never reveal himself, and I will never perceive him.

However, I would point out that I was a theist for some 30+ years, and god never revealed himself during this time either. Usually when I point this out, someone explains that I need to do more than believe. And if I point out that I did more than just believe, they say that I needed to do something else. And if I tell them I did something else, they keep moving god further and further out of reach.

So we eventually reach the point where it becomes clear that what they are trying to tell me is that I cannot believe in god until I believe in god. Which is a very round-about way to explain the obvious.

The best way to go at your stage is to take it easy and believe that the unbelievable is sometime possible.

We all have things that we believe, and that we do not believe. At least some of them are beliefs that we did not hold at some point, or doubts that we overcame at some point. Everyone is capable of changing beliefs. My lack of belief in god is not due to my unwillingness to change my beliefs: that is how I became an atheist in the first place, after all. My lack of belief is based on a distinct lack of god in any place, physical or otherwise, where I searched.

Interesting how you make me connect to one very short talk that Sarkar had when he was alive.
He said......I came here (in this physical body) to teach spirituality but most of the people only want material and physical things.
When you say that you were a theist for such a long time and you never felt the presence of God this remind me of Sarkar words.
Religious people as well pray all the time in the hope that God can sort out their own physical-material problems but God is not really interested in this sort of desires.
There is the karma law that take care of all this so God in a way get disconnected to these worldly desires.
He is only interested in uplifting people spirituality so you may well be a theist for 30 or even 300 years but until your desires change from worldly to spiritual your chances to perceive God are zero.