I don't know. I sum it up as... is your god
1. An experience (spiritual awakening, clarity, see the light)
2. Creator (what exists must have a cause-causality argument)
3. Love (and other strongly held values that changes people's lives)
4. Inner sense of gratitude, openness, and such
5. A...
They say prayer to material things wrong and praying for spiritual truths is right.
What's the difference between praying for a relative to be well and a car when both involve "worldly" requests while spiritual truths are more abstract?
Praying for a car or a ill loved one are alike in that...
Lastly, before I head out the door, listening involves understanding. We understand. However, most don't know the god you personally believe so if those atheist who have had spiritual experiences you may not consider it as such not because of what they say just because "they're an atheist" or...
This OP, though, wasn't specific to atheism just questioning why or how I personally can say atheist can have discussions about god.
They can have a discussion about god just not deities/beings (experiential wise). Your god is "within." Consciousness. It's inappropriate to say atheist don't...
The problem is,heyo, is CT doesn't believe god as a deity or being. It's a mystic experience. So, unless atheist never had anything that changed their worldview both are talking past each other over a word.
There's too much assumption of what god is. How do you know it's unknowable, for example?
It would be easier to use "proper pronouns" Allah, Zues (people do believe in), Jehovah, Brahman, and so forth or describe it if there's no term than to use one term to describe assumed to be similar experiences. It's a useless term but, hey, blame the Greeks.
Not the god you believe in, though. No one talks about transcendence experiences and spiritual awakening. No mystics. Majority are talking about the christian god as a deity not an experience so using the term "god" doesn't mean people are talking about the one you believe in.
So, people can...
Because the word god isn't a Sufi, Christian, Hindu (etc) term. It's just a placeholder to define experiences or the person or thing that's the cause of those experiences in which to most people who believe in god has changed their lives. So, if you think outside the box and ask people what...
I'm confused too. Which one should I be replying to?
I'm not referring to me personally just (as mentioned) people in general. It's not always about me.
Agnostic? I always thought that word was weird. Never believed deities exist to get an idea of what they are to assume that they "could."
The word god does have a meaning. It's not an abrahamic word just a placeholder for a variety of experiences or causes thereof that believers can't put in...
I didn't know you were referring to nonbelievers in the OP. I usually dont think of atheism in interfaith conversations unless someone else brings it up. People in general, believers and not, may experience God in one way or another. Some believers see other believers as blind or not aware.
It...
I didn't know you were referring to nonbelievers. I know you have a division bias between believers and nonbelievers. In general, though, people who "haven't seen the light" or blind before they could see is assuming they're at a fault (ignorance in this case) for not seeing what believers...
Is there confirmation that these things are answers from god? For example, a very strong synchronicity event may seem like it were from god but how do you confirm it is unless scripture says it verbatim without dependence on one's own interpretations.
I don't believe any god/deity exist regardless the religion. Other definitions of god I understand but to label some experiences god throws things off.