If You Believed...

[idea]

it seems to me that you are drunk on the Holy Spirit. as i have witnessed so many times before. it is similar to falling in love, where the other person becomes amazing without fault.
it will pass

It has now been 10 years, it has not passed. In any event, it is different than just a "feeling". It was not just a feeling, He is an actual literal being, and He can communicate with you.

 

[The Seeker]

If you believed...

You would suddenly notice how negative you were before.
You would suddenly notice how beautiful everything is, even the wildflowers growing through the trash on the side of the road.
You would not allow anything to control you and you would stop being an addict.
You would forgive the person who harmed you and finally take back control of your life and move on.
You would laugh more often.
You would be optimistic.
You would stop being afraid.
You would stop trying to "fit in" and realize that you already do.
You would stop being so angry about "those people" and realize that all people are more alike than different.
And, perhaps most importantly, you would smile more often.

Now that I don't believe in God....

I suddenly notice how negative I was before.
I suddenly notice how beautiful everything is, even the wildflowers growing through the trash on the side of the road.
I don't allow anything to control me and stopped being addicted to religion.
I forgive the person who harmed me and finally took back control of my life and moved on.
I laugh more often.
I am optimistic.
I am not afraid of death and being sent to Hell.
I don't try to fit in with those that are religious and embrace my non-belief.
I stopped being angry about "those people" and now realize that theists and non-theists are more alike than different.
I smile a lot

 

[jonny]

If you believed...

You would suddenly notice how negative you were before.
You would suddenly notice how beautiful everything is, even the wildflowers growing through the trash on the side of the road.
You would not allow anything to control you and you would stop being an addict.
You would forgive the person who harmed you and finally take back control of your life and move on.
You would laugh more often.
You would be optimistic.
You would stop being afraid.
You would stop trying to "fit in" and realize that you already do.
You would stop being so angry about "those people" and realize that all people are more alike than different.
And, perhaps most importantly, you would smile more often.

Is there any belief in particular that you have to have to get all this stuff, or are all beliefs valid?

 

[+Xausted]

It has now been 10 years, it has not passed. In any event, it is different than just a "feeling". It was not just a feeling, He is an actual literal being, and He can communicate with you.

each to their own i respect your thoughts, without agreeing with them.
seen too many claim this and that. the joy and wonder of this world, as from the OP, doesnt have to come through the medium of God. it can be experienced in many forms. if God is the mode of access for you then thats ok. doesnt mean us atheists are missing out on anything though
re communicate with you: yeah, so do aliens according to many....that isnt a logical arguement for me, sorry.

 

[idea]

each to their own i respect your thoughts, without agreeing with them.
seen too many claim this and that. the joy and wonder of this world, as from the OP, doesnt have to come through the medium of God. it can be experienced in many forms. if God is the mode of access for you then thats ok. doesnt mean us atheists are missing out on anything though
re communicate with you: yeah, so do aliens according to many....that isnt a logical arguement for me, sorry.

I do not expect anyone to believe me - I understand you can only know if you experience it for yourself.

link

“Seeing that the Lord has never given the world to understand by anything heretofore revealed that he had ceased forever to speak to his creatures when sought unto in a proper manner, why should it be thought a thing incredible that he should be pleased to speak again in these last days for their salvation?
“Perhaps you may be surprised at this assertion, that I should say for the salvation of his creatures in these last days, since we have already in our possession a vast volume of his word which he has previously given. But you will admit that the word spoken to Noah was not sufficient for Abraham, or it was not required of Abraham to leave the land of his nativity and seek an inheritance in a strange country upon the word spoken to Noah, but for himself he obtained promises at the hand of the Lord and walked in that perfection that he was called the friend of God. Isaac, the promised seed, was not required to rest his hope upon the promises made to his father, Abraham, but was privileged with the assurance of his approbation in the sight of heaven by the direct voice of the Lord to him.
“If one man can live upon the revelations given to another, might not I with propriety ask, why the necessity, then, of the Lord speaking to Isaac as he did, as is recorded in the 26th chapter of Genesis? For the Lord there repeats, or rather promises again, to perform the oath which he had previously sworn unto Abraham. And why this repetition to Isaac? Why was not the first promise as sure for Isaac as it was for Abraham? Was not Isaac Abraham’s son? And could he not place implicit confidence in the word of his father as being a man of God? Perhaps you may say that he was a very peculiar man and different from men in these last days; consequently, the Lord favored him with blessings peculiar and different, as he was different from men in this age. I admit that he was a peculiar man and was not only peculiarly blessed, but greatly blessed. But all the peculiarity that I can discover in the man, or all the difference between him and men in this age, is that he was more holy and more perfect before God and came to him with a purer heart and more faith than men in this day.
“The same might be said on the subject of Jacob’s history. Why was it that the Lord spake to him concerning the same promise after he had made it once to Abraham and renewed it to Isaac? Why could not Jacob rest contented upon the word spoken to his fathers?

“When the time of the promise drew nigh for the deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, why was it necessary that the Lord should begin to speak to them? The promise or word to Abraham was that his seed should serve in bondage and be afflicted four hundred years, and after that they should come out with great substance. Why did they not rely upon this promise and, when they had remained in Egypt in bondage four hundred years, come out without waiting for further revelation, but act entirely upon the promise given to Abraham that they should come out? …

“… I may believe that Enoch walked with God. I may believe that Abraham communed with God and conversed with angels. I may believe that Isaac obtained a renewal of the covenant made to Abraham by the direct voice of the Lord. I may believe that Jacob conversed with holy angels and heard the word of his Maker, that he wrestled with the angel until he prevailed and obtained a blessing. I may believe that Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire with fiery horses. I may believe that the saints saw the Lord and conversed with him face to face after his resurrection. I may believe that the Hebrew church came to Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. I may believe that they looked into eternity and saw the Judge of all, and Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant.

“But will all this purchase an assurance for me, or waft me to the regions of eternal day with my garments spotless, pure, and white? Or, must I not rather obtain for myself, by my own faith and diligence in keeping the commandments of the Lord, an assurance of salvation for myself? And have I not an equal privilege with the ancient saints? And will not the Lord hear my prayers and listen to my cries as soon as he ever did to theirs if I come to him in the manner they did?”5