god can do anything, but he cannot be tempted nor tempteth he any man

[backslider]

Hi everyone.

I'll start by saying that I was raised in a very religious home. I was home schooled with biblically based academic textbooks. I was taught to reject any ideas or influences that 'weren't of God.' I witnessed my girlfriend's mom casting out demons and interpreting dreams. I've seen some crazy shit. And I thought it was all completely normal.

I lived in a bubble where all of the history and symbolism in the bible fit neatly together. And you could feel the presence of God moving through the church on Sunday when people prayed and cried out in funny languages. They prayed for me but I never received the gift. Maybe I was just scared or didn't have enough faith. But I didn't want to fake it if I didn't really have it.

I quit the church band and various other ministries shortly after graduating school and moving out. I realized for the first time that I had to choose to go. I chose not to. A few years later I began to miss it and wanted to go back. But I decided that first I would seek out God on my own terms.

After two years of honest questioning and searching I consistently arrived at the same conclusion: to find God, I must first have faith without evidence. Only then can God reveal himself to me through his spirit. I called bullshit on the whole thing and called out to God personally. I exist, here I am. If you're real all I ask is that you can show yourself the same as I've done.

It was at that point that I dared to see the world from an atheist perspective for the first time. And it all makes so much more sense now. Each new revelation about how the world works was exciting and life changing. It's been two years and God still has yet to prove his existence.

[pocaracas]

Well... indoctrination sure can go wrong!

Welcome aboard and enjoy the forum!

[backslider]

Don't worry. After all, I don't really have a choice in this anyway.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

[ManMachine]

Hi everyone.

I'll start by saying that I was raised in a very religious home. I was home schooled with biblically based academic textbooks. I was taught to reject any ideas or influences that 'weren't of God.' I witnessed my girlfriend's mom casting out demons and interpreting dreams. I've seen some crazy shit. And I thought it was all completely normal.

I lived in a bubble where all of the history and symbolism in the bible fit neatly together. And you could feel the presence of God moving through the church on Sunday when people prayed and cried out in funny languages. They prayed for me but I never received the gift. Maybe I was just scared or didn't have enough faith. But I didn't want to fake it if I didn't really have it.

I quit the church band and various other ministries shortly after graduating school and moving out. I realized for the first time that I had to choose to go. I chose not to. A few years later I began to miss it and wanted to go back. But I decided that first I would seek out God on my own terms.

After two years of honest questioning and searching I consistently arrived at the same conclusion: to find God, I must first have faith without evidence. Only then can God reveal himself to me through his spirit. I called bullshit on the whole thing and called out to God personally. I exist, here I am. If you're real all I ask is that you can show yourself the same as I've done.

It was at that point that I dared to see the world from an atheist perspective for the first time. And it all makes so much more sense now. Each new revelation about how the world works was exciting and life changing. It's been two years and God still has yet to prove his existence.

On the point of the title of your post, there is a well known philosophical problem called the Omnipotence Paradox, originally identified by a 12th Century Islamic philosopher called Averroës, which is a very simple question, can god deny himself?

It illuminates an interesting paradox in the concept of omnipotence doesn't it.

MM

[Exian]

Hello you dirty Backslider!

[backslider]

On the point of the title of your post, there is a well known philosophical problem called the Omnipotence Paradox, originally identified by a 12th Century Islamic philosopher called Averroës, which is a very simple question, can god deny himself?

It illuminates an interesting paradox in the concept of omnipotence doesn't it.

MM

That's an interesting concept. Simple, but effective. It's like the old 'can God make a rock so big he can't lift it' question. Spoiler alert: an unstoppable force and an immovable object are the same thing.

Hello you dirty Backslider!

Wewt!

[naimless]

Hi everyone.

I'll start by saying that I was raised in a very religious home. I was home schooled with biblically based academic textbooks. I was taught to reject any ideas or influences that 'weren't of God.' I witnessed my girlfriend's mom casting out demons and interpreting dreams. I've seen some crazy shit. And I thought it was all completely normal.

I lived in a bubble where all of the history and symbolism in the bible fit neatly together. And you could feel the presence of God moving through the church on Sunday when people prayed and cried out in funny languages. They prayed for me but I never received the gift. Maybe I was just scared or didn't have enough faith. But I didn't want to fake it if I didn't really have it.

I quit the church band and various other ministries shortly after graduating school and moving out. I realized for the first time that I had to choose to go. I chose not to. A few years later I began to miss it and wanted to go back. But I decided that first I would seek out God on my own terms.

After two years of honest questioning and searching I consistently arrived at the same conclusion: to find God, I must first have faith without evidence. Only then can God reveal himself to me through his spirit. I called bullshit on the whole thing and called out to God personally. I exist, here I am. If you're real all I ask is that you can show yourself the same as I've done.

It was at that point that I dared to see the world from an atheist perspective for the first time. And it all makes so much more sense now. Each new revelation about how the world works was exciting and life changing. It's been two years and God still has yet to prove his existence.

have you ever had a dream where god has directly spoken to you and shown you things?

also would you consider that evidence?

[Tonus]

I lived in a bubble where all of the history and symbolism in the bible fit neatly together.

I know what that's like. If you're the type of person who needs to make sure, you'll eventually wind up where you are now, IMO. Any belief system that demands that you not consider it too critically will fail easily once you step out of that bubble. I expected more from god than that.

Welcome to the forums.

[robvalue]

Hey there welcome

Yes it's ridiculous this idea that you must believe and then god will reveal himself... it's ludicrous.

So you have to become deluded, in order to experience delusions? You have to force yourself to believe something, which is impossible anyway?

You have to disregard all the intelligence that you have been given by whatever "god" and just believe what people around you and some stupid book say?

If god really existed people wouldn't have to come up with such stupid, convoluted arguments.

Welcome aboard, have fun!

[Mudhammam]

It's been two years and God still has yet to prove his existence.

And God's been all like...



Anyway, welcome :-)