Why Believe God? (experience, theist, bible, worship, blessing)

[(Q)]

His spririt told me, that Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world. His spirit told me the Bible is the word of God.

Did it come as a loud booming voice from above? How do you know its gods spirit and not just your own voices in your head? How do you discern between the two?

[Named]

and that's great, it is the duty of each individual to seek the truth and live according to it. that is the test of life. God said He doesn't like people in middle ground He wants them to decide what to believe and not believe, follow your own hearts, don't take any one else's word for it, i say that of my beliefs and those who believe differently from me, do not take mine or any one's word, study and form your own idea, look to God and He will guide you, but the duty is ultimately yours and yours alone. then when we leave this life God will look at the honest intents of our hearts, if we really sought after the truth, and He will look at what we chose to accept or reject

Am I the only one who finds this annoying?
One thing I can't stand is people telling me what their God says and feels.
You don't know!
If a God does exist, I¡Çm guessing he¡Çs mighty sick of people speaking for him.

Will (Q)'s question ever be answered?
How do you know that the 'voice' you 'heard' is God? What if it's another type of God, and because of what you've been told throughout your life, you interpreted it as the Christian God? The real God could be spasming in rage as we speak!
And what of my other questions? What do you say to an Islam who tells you his God spoke to him/her, in the same manner you say your's does to you?
Do you consider him to be crazy or a liar? Can you accept that his experience is as valid as your own?
I'd really like to know.

<sigh>
So frustrating...

So sure of yourselves, yet none of our questions receive a satisfactory response.
If you¡Çre convinced that you are without a doubt correct, should it not be easy?

[Mr Spinkles]

So if you want to know what we have felt, go ask God.

Here goes....God, what have they felt?.................






.......So far, nothing.

[Corban]

Originally Posted by Named

Am I the only one who finds this annoying?
One thing I can't stand is people telling me what their God says and feels.
You don't know!
If a God does exist, I¡Çm guessing he¡Çs mighty sick of people speaking for him.

Will (Q)'s question ever be answered?
How do you know that the 'voice' you 'heard' is God? What if it's another type of God, and because of what you've been told throughout your life, you interpreted it as the Christian God? The real God could be spasming in rage as we speak!
And what of my other questions? What do you say to an Islam who tells you his God spoke to him/her, in the same manner you say your's does to you?
Do you consider him to be crazy or a liar? Can you accept that his experience is as valid as your own?
I'd really like to know.

<sigh>
So frustrating...

So sure of yourselves, yet none of our questions receive a satisfactory response.
If you¡Çre convinced that you are without a doubt correct, should it not be easy?

Coming to know His voice is a process, not an event. I studied some things and felt good about them so i applied them to my life. Through experience i found that they were good because they yielded good things. "If any man will my will he will know of the doctrine" We must use our judgement and decide if something is good, if we are open God can help us through His spirit which is a voice you feel more than you hear. If you feel it is good, take the next step and apply it, and see if good comes of it.

"And what of my other questions? What do you say to an Islam who tells you his God spoke to him/her, in the same manner you say your's does to you?
Do you consider him to be crazy or a liar?"

I say to them as i say to all, it is everyone's individual responsibilty to go through this process themselves. God doesn't like people who are lukewarm and sit on the fence, He wants them to decide. Everyone will need to decide for themselves what they will believe. They don't get to decide what is true, but God can guide them in truth. If two people go different ways, then reason stands that one or both are wrong. God will then judge people by how they sought the truth and how the reacted when they found it, by accepting or rejecting. I believe what i do, and that's my choice and God will judge me by it, a person in Islam has made their choice, God will then judge us both by our choices interpreted in the light that we had available to us.

[(Q)]

I studied some things and felt good about them so i applied them to my life. Through experience i found that they were good because they yielded good things.

Excellent, we have finally established a cause and effect. Now, what exactly were "some things" you studied and what exactly were those experiences? What lead you to think the "good things" were a direct result of the experience? What were those good things?

God doesn't like people who are lukewarm and sit on the fence, He wants them to decide.

Fair enough. But I want to make sure I'm making the right decision, so I am only trying to get all the facts straight.

They don't get to decide what is true, but God can guide them in truth.

This makes no sense, you just told me to decide - how can I decide if the decision is not mine to make.

God will then judge people by how they sought the truth and how the reacted when they found it, by accepting or rejecting.

"My way or the highway -- to hell!"
-- God/ACDC

A reasonable and rational person will accept that which they find overwhelmingly in favor of the evidence provided. They would therefore not reject god if evidence was made available.

[harold e. rice]

Originally Posted by matelk

you don't even understand what your talking about do you, asking if god can lie. god is not a human being or nothing you can imagine so stop thinking of him as one he is not this old guy with a white bread sitting in the sky. you people just dont get it like even thinking that god walks as a man among us. no mortal brain can raelly grasp who he is, because he is infenent and we (humans) are not.

The Bible draws a picture of God being Human.

Ge 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst

the trees of the garden.

Ps 34:15

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Ex 33:11

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man,

departed not out of the tabernacle.

[Corban]

"Excellent, we have finally established a cause and effect. Now, what exactly were "some things" you studied and what exactly were those experiences? What lead you to think the "good things" were a direct result of the experience? What were those good things?" -Q

The things are the teachings of Jesus contained in the Bible and also proclaimed by modern prophets. I have found i am happier when i am following those teachings then when i am not, therefore i have accepted those teachings as true principles.


"Fair enough. But I want to make sure I'm making the right decision, so I am only trying to get all the facts straight." -Q

Good, if that's an honest search you will

"They don't get to decide what is true, but God can guide them in truth"-Corban
"This makes no sense, you just told me to decide - how can I decide if the decision is not mine to make." -Q

God guiding you is not the same as God forcing you. Think of a loving parent trying to teach their child, this is guidance, but the choice still remains with the child


"A reasonable and rational person will accept that which they find overwhelmingly in favor of the evidence provided. They would therefore not reject god if evidence was made available." -Q

Sure they would, it's still hard to follow God even if you know it's the right thing to do. I know it's wrong to lie, yet i have still lied even when i possesed the knowledge it was wrong

[Named]

God doesn't like people who are lukewarm and sit on the fence, He wants them to decide.

Well firstly i'd like to remind you once again that you don't know what your God wants from me.
Anyway- Why would God want me to rush the decision?
"Come on! Be decisive, pick at random! GO, GO, GO!"
I take care in my decisions, I go where evidence and logicality lead me. If that is away from God, then that is where i'll go. If that is in a grey area between your God and Atheism, then i'll sit there 'til I decide.
If I DIE before I see any reason to go either way, then this is hardly my fault and shouldn't be held against me.
If anything, it would be your God's fault for not proving to me, without a doubt, he is the way to go.

The things are the teachings of Jesus contained in the Bible and also proclaimed by modern prophets. I have found i am happier when i am following those teachings then when i am not, therefore i have accepted those teachings as true principles

I used to be a Christian (And no, my family didn't raise me as a Christian.)
I was miserable, it pained me. My 'heart' lead me to agnosticism, that was my revelation.
"And I will be judged accordingly"

God guiding you is not the same as God forcing you. Think of a loving parent trying to teach their child, this is guidance, but the choice still remains with the child

AH HAH! So you admit it. That's not what you told me in the other thread, good sir.
So God being slightly more persuasive with a person like me is hardly forcing me to the decision, but it would give me reason to believe in him and thus save me from Hell.
God sending me an angel as a guide would be much appreciated.
Think of it as my parents sending a rescue worker down a well to save me.
They wouldn't just stand at the edge coaxing me to climb up. That would be neglectful, ne? Obviously I can't get up by myself!

[(Q)]

The things are the teachings of Jesus contained in the Bible and also proclaimed by modern prophets.

Ok, but I think I already assumed that, but thanks for the confirmation. However, you once again did not address the other more important questions: what exactly were those experiences? What lead you to think the "good things" were a direct result of the experience? What were those good things?

Think of a loving parent trying to teach their child, this is guidance, but the choice still remains with the child

Good point. However, fathers don't claim to be omniscience.

Sure they would, it's still hard to follow God even if you know it's the right thing to do.

It's not a matter of choosing what's right or wrong - it's a matter of choosing what's real or not.

I know it's wrong to lie, yet i have still lied even when i possesed the knowledge it was wrong

A more appropriate analogy would be, I continue to extole the virtues of flying pink unicorns even though I possess the knowledge they don't exist.