we cannot prove that God is an invention of man.
Fair enough. But that is no reason to think a god exists nor is it a reason to suspect god was not an invention of man.
I believe that if any of us had lived among the Israelites a few thousand years ago and seen all the miraculous things they did, we would be going, Whoa, whether I want to believe there is a God or not, there is no other explanation for what I am seeing!
First of all, you are making the assumption that men today are as ignorant as those Israelites were a few thousand years ago. Those people knew absolutely nothing about the world around them. And secondly, you are making the assumption that those so-called 'miraculous' events were accurately accounted and were not exaggerated due to their ignorance. Thirdly, you are making the assumption those events actually took place.
Perhaps someone who might time-travel back to that era could easily explain any of those events, that is, if they actually occurred.
If we are determined not to believe, then it won't matter how many proofs He offers us.
It's not a matter of being 'determined not to believe,' it is a matter of wanting to believe.
I have deep conviction in understanding how things work in the universe. If there were evidence of a god, I would one of the first to stand up and argue for his existence.
We would just find a way to explain away every sign or proof He gives us.
Sorry, but a scientist would admit to a gods existence if the evidence indicated such.
From my own personal experience, I can say that I believe He is real, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
And it is statements like that which make my blood boil when those who make them outrightly bash science in the same breath. For some reason, theists make the assumption that since science has not discovered everything, then it must be flawed.
Science NEVER states that something is 'beyond a shadow of a doubt,' for it must explore all possibilites. It is that kind of statement and others like it that shows how theists are not interested in any other possibilities other than what encapsulates their worldviews.
He did not 'appear' to me in any vision, or stand in front of me in human form so that I could say, 'Aha, now I can prove scientifically that God is a real, living being!' But I have had too many experiences that cannot be explained ( and heard of others through other people I trust ), except by the existence of a loving, thinking, living supreme Being bigger and more awesome than anything I am capable of imagining.
I continually hear and read those kind of stories. It is remarkable to say the least that people can come to that kind of conclusion without excluding other possibilites. In other words, if they don't understand it, it must be a god.
Having faith simply requires being willing to let go of our presuppositions of what God should be like, and being willing to say, you know what, perhaps I shouldn't rely totally on everything that I can see, hear, taste, smell, etc., to define 'reality' to me
But that is exactly how one defines reality. There is nothing more to rely upon. So what one has to let go of is their suspension of disbelief. Essentially, anything one can conjure from their imaginations can be considered valid.
maybe there is another whole realm, or dimension, out there, that is just as real as this one, maybe more real, only I have been too blind to see it before, because I was looking for it in all the wrong places.
That may make for good science-fiction but there is nothing to suggest other realms exist, nor is there any reason to believe such things exist aside from what we conjure from our imaginations.
It is the ability to discern fantasy from reality that sets one apart from the common herd.
