'Seeking' God

[Napoléon]

Good input.

It probably gets to the point quicker than what anyone else is bloody posting.

[Ace Otana]

I want to know why the fuck he's hiding in the first place.

Because he isn't real.

[LastPoet]

Well, god likes to be worshipped, but doesn't want to show himself... can't get more contradictory than that

[Heather]

I think it's kinda funny no theists have stopped by to answer your questions, so I think yahoo has successfully answered all of your questions:


Answer rated #1: "By asking this question, you already are searching for your Father - God. He and His Son Jesus Christ most certainly do exist; He created you and everything around you. Accept the Gift that Jesus offers of Salvation and Eternal Life, and you will be filled with joy and a Love that cannot compare :}"

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...141AAu6TBr

LMAO!!! These are great answers to such a deep question! Go YAHOO! You never let us down!

[Lehrling]

The problem with their reasoning is that people throughout history have "searched for god". When they did, they came up with Thor, Zeus, Krishna, Baal, Yaweh, and millions of others.
They condemn applying reason to god "because of our fallibility", but then turn right around and say that OUR "fallible" mind can find truth WITHOUT EVIDENCE. This is falsified because that method grants extremely conflicting results.

No matter how you spin it, no matter how fallible science supposedly is, that sounds like a step down to me.
But they are conditioned to think this way; they are brought up literally to think circularly, to have the presupposition that god exists.

[Wandiowns223]

I saw this in another thread and thought it warranted it's own:

God has said that He will only reveal Himself to those who dilligently seek Him. So I can only point to Him:

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So it to you to verify this claim, and I have told you a simple way you can do that. It is surely worth your time. You say you're "pretty sure" but in actuality you don't know.

This statement is nothing more than an excuse. Anyone who hasn't 'found God' can simply be told they didn't seek him earnestly enough.

Now, since I don't see any evidence for God's existence, why would I spend time seeking it in that way? No, it isn't worth my time, because my life continues just fine without it, as does everything else, as far as I can tell. Also I would contend that it is far from 'simple'. And here's why.

I don't take things on 'faith', and I cannot control my beliefs. It states that I need to believe in him to find him, but this would require serious doublethink on my part, of which I am incapable. A few questions, then, for any theist who believes that bollocks.

1. How can I believe in something that I don't believe in, just in order to find it? And if I already believe in it, what is the point of the search in the first place?
2. How should I search for God?
3. How long will it take?
4. How will I know when I have found him?

Over to you.

To be honest, I cannot argue your points whatsoever. I used to be a "devout" Christian, reading my Bible and praying diligently on a daily basis. I have gone on numerous missions trips throughout the U.S and Central America and yet the deeper I got into my "faith," it became more and more clear that I was chasing some fantasy. If I wanted something good to happen, or for something to be accomplished, I had to do it myself, and no amount of prayer would help (even if it was something of God's will). I soon found many undeniable contradictions within the Bible and that God himself does not even follow his own standards within the Bible that he sets. I came to the point that there was no God but if there was I would not follow Him, because he was a selfish, bigoted being that murdered countless people and that did not even follow his own moral principles. Do not, waste your time searching for this God, because you will come to a point where you either lose your faith (and then get into a dark place because you feel like your life basis has been a lie) or have to put aside all rational thought to continue to believe.

[ElDinero]

A brave admission.

[Lehrling]

I saw this in another thread and thought it warranted it's own:

God has said that He will only reveal Himself to those who dilligently seek Him. So I can only point to Him:

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So it to you to verify this claim, and I have told you a simple way you can do that. It is surely worth your time. You say you're "pretty sure" but in actuality you don't know.

This statement is nothing more than an excuse. Anyone who hasn't 'found God' can simply be told they didn't seek him earnestly enough.

Now, since I don't see any evidence for God's existence, why would I spend time seeking it in that way? No, it isn't worth my time, because my life continues just fine without it, as does everything else, as far as I can tell. Also I would contend that it is far from 'simple'. And here's why.

I don't take things on 'faith', and I cannot control my beliefs. It states that I need to believe in him to find him, but this would require serious doublethink on my part, of which I am incapable. A few questions, then, for any theist who believes that bollocks.

1. How can I believe in something that I don't believe in, just in order to find it? And if I already believe in it, what is the point of the search in the first place?
2. How should I search for God?
3. How long will it take?
4. How will I know when I have found him?

Over to you.

To be honest, I cannot argue your points whatsoever. I used to be a "devout" Christian, reading my Bible and praying diligently on a daily basis. I have gone on numerous missions trips throughout the U.S and Central America and yet the deeper I got into my "faith," it became more and more clear that I was chasing some fantasy. If I wanted something good to happen, or for something to be accomplished, I had to do it myself, and no amount of prayer would help (even if it was something of God's will). I soon found many undeniable contradictions within the Bible and that God himself does not even follow his own standards within the Bible that he sets. I came to the point that there was no God but if there was I would not follow Him, because he was a selfish, bigoted being that murdered countless people and that did not even follow his own moral principles. Do not, waste your time searching for this God, because you will come to a point where you either lose your faith (and then get into a dark place because you feel like your life basis has been a lie) or have to put aside all rational thought to continue to believe.

I feel for you.

This kind of honesty should be more prevalent.

[Mister Agenda]

It's a sweet scam: they want us to convince ourselves that they're telling us the truth. And some people actually fall for it! I sometimes wish I could compromise my integrity enough to tell a Christian (sorry, it always seems to be a Christian behind this tactic), with a straight face:

The reason you believe in God is that you haven't tried hard enough to stop. It's such an important question, you owe it to yourself to explore it seriously. Try not believing in God for a few weeks. Do your best to convince yourself that God is not real. Paul said we all know God in our hearts so we are without excuse. If that's true, no matter how much effort you put into convincing yourself God is not real, you'll know in your heart that he is. So if God is real, you'll know it, and it will reinforce your faith. If God is not real, there will be nothing to stop you from not believing, and you can enjoy your friends and family without worrying that they'll suffer eternal torture if they don't agree with your theology. Either way, you win. Just give it a sincere effort, that's all I'm asking.

Eh, I feel kind of dirty just writing it as a hypothetical. It's so manipulative! I might use it as a reply next time someone tells me I have to try believing before I'll believe.

[thesummerqueen]

"Failing to fetch me at first, keep encouraged
Missing me one place, look another
I stop somewhere waiting for you."
-- Walt Whitman "A Song of Myself"

I like Whitman's poetry too, God, but I don't think he meant it literally. After this much time, I don't think there are a lot of places left to look.

Maybe god is still pissed about 6,000 years ago when he made human beings and then one of them gave into demon curiosity, convincing the other to give in too? I know that if I had created human beings who were naturally curious about things, and then they acted upon those natural instincts, I would be too furious to make my presence known to anyone but a handful of their descendants.

God sounds like my prick father. Pissed that he shtooked a Jew and created a being with independent thoughts and feelings, completely willing to give her the silent treatment for not recognizing his supreme greatness and seeking his wisdom.