Posted on 01/18/2009 8:59:21 PM PST by Marechal
Billions of people attend millions of churches around the world to worship God.
Yet the God they worship is completely imaginary. Their belief represents a delusion.
It is easy to prove that God is imaginary. Start at the beginning with Proof #1, or try these five all-time favorites:
Analyse prayer Imagine heaven Notice your church Understand delusion Think about science
Or:
Watch the Videos
Ask questions in the Forum
(Excerpt) Read more at godisimaginary.com ...
excellent argument.
I’ve met Him. He’s real.
Imagine it.
If such a being does exist, then how do these people explain massive suffering and death around this planet? Wouldn’t such an all-caring, all-loving, all-powerful “God” step in and prevent it?
He is stepping in to prevent it.
More importantly, why would an all knowing, all righteous, all just, all present God send those who don't believe in Him to a place of eternal everlasting torment?
The answer is the same.
In his brilliant Plan, He has condemned man before He saved us. He provided everything required for our opportunity to live an eternal life in perfect righteousness and perfect justice, where death no longer reigns and joy is available to all.
Another good question is, why should God in His Perfect Holiness, which is His Perfect Righteousness and His Perfect Justice, endure unrighteousness and injustice in His presence forever?
The answer to that is also in His Plan. He doesn't. Nor does He require those whom He knows and loves to endure such unrighteousness and injustice eternally. In order to properly handle the situation He will Judge all things and will separate that which has no righteousness from that which does by His Perfect standards.
What are His perfect standards and Perfect Plan, one might ask?
That is why we read from His Word, how He communicates with us what He provides for us. Don't take my word for it, take His and study it.
“I’d rather live my life as if there IS a GOD, and find out there isn’t one, than to live as if there is NO GOD, and find that THERE IS!”
Spot-on! I wonder how many atheists, as they draw their last breath, suddenly decide to accept God. Probably more than we think.
Your house run’s on all DC?
Well, that's where atheism becomes a religion and why the militant anti-religious atheists are their equivalent of fundamentalists in words and deeds.
You responded to this post:
What would happen if we get down on our knees and pray to God in this way:
Dear God, almighty, all-powerful, all-loving creator of the universe, we pray to you to cure every case of cancer on this planet tonight. We pray in faith, knowing you will bless us as you describe in Matthew 7:7, Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:21, Mark 11:24, John 14:12-14, Matthew 18:19 and James 5:15-16. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
We pray sincerely, knowing that when God answers this completely heartfelt, unselfish, non-materialistic prayer, it will glorify God and help millions of people in remarkable ways.
Will anything happen? No. Of course not.
***
Very interesting proposition. If the person who formed this query really believes in God, then the question is already answered for him. If he does not believe in God, then he would only be saying words, not praying to God, and should not expect an answer.
Never mind that God’s answer to prayer is often, “No” or “Not yet.”
I guess I could formulate my own such query, and “pray” to God that he allow 99% of humanity to take another breath. If God does so, does that prove his existence to this person??
I am sure that I cannot adequately respond to your statements, but I will try and respond to some of them. In confess that the source of my responses is my faith, and as such, they will be of no value to you. But my responses at least comfort me, and may comfort others. And if there is no God (my faith tells me there is, but I acknowledge that my faith could be wrong. It’s the best this human can do.) then what is the harm?
It strikes me that almost all of the good that there may be in this world requires that there be some bad/evil/pain/(dare I say “sin”?). What are the human qualities we admire? Courage— how could this exist without turmoil and danger? Healing— how could this exist without disease? Compassion— how could this exist without the suffering of others? Love and caring— these exist because the NEED for them exists.
Do we fail? Of course we do. Such failure can lead to redemption and grace, neither of which can exist without our human failings.
Many of us (myself included) view the world and our existence as if we were the center of the universe. In my best moments I recognize that God is at the center, and not me. Whoever said that man was the most important thing in the universe? Even the environmentalists concede that point (although they replace it with Mother Earth or Nature; wrongly, in my view).
I agree with you that many of the worst acting people I have known proclaim religious faith. But, most of the very best, most compassionate and loving people I have ever known also proclaim religious faith.
For me, if God’s existence were provable, where would be the need for faith? And I believe that faith is what God asks of us.
As for any disproof of God’s existence, that will require absolute human knowledge of all things. Any gap in knowledge leaves room for God’s existence.
I am immediately reminded of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's Pro Eligendo homily at the pre-conclave mass.
How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.
FULL TEXT
Marechal is right .. we must be strong in our faith and be ready to defend it at all costs. There was another thread posted yesterday that corroborates this pattern.
Christians are becoming social pariahs in Britain
Tomorrow there will be a shift in power in our country. Now is the time for prayer for the new president and our nation. May God help us!
You are right of course. I also remember trying the “If you really love me” line back in my dating days. It didn’t work on the girls any more than it works with God.
As Jesus once said "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. "
1. One reason for suffering is that people nearly universally disregard God's commandments for how to live a blessed life. Even those who are non-believers can lesson their suffering by physically observing the 10 commandments. This won't lead to salvation, but it will make their lives easier. Deuteronomy 28 outlines the principle that Godly leaving lessens suffering.
2. Suffering isn't always bad if looked at from a long term perspective. For example if we touch something hot, we burn our finger. We suffer. We learn to avoid touching something hot when we suffer for it. Likewise suffering also can teach us what we need to know in this life and more importantly beyond this life. We learn compassion from suffering. So sometimes suffering is there as a teaching tool.
3. But even Christians can't avoid suffering:
2Ti 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Why? Because this isn't the world intended. Right now the kingdoms of the world belong to Satan. Before his death Christ said of Satan:
Joh 14:30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
This will change. The physical kingdoms will become Christ's at his return.
For a more detailed look read Why Does God Allow Suffering
thanks
For more guidelines pertaining to the Religion Forum, click on my profile page.
I appreciate your question.
If a child asks for a loaf of bread, will you give him a rock? No, you give him something to eat.
If a child asks for the latest and greatest blood and gore video game that all his friends are playing, you don't necessarily comply.
The child will probably not understand (nor want to understand) why the video game was denied. Just as we sometimes will not understand (nor want to understand) why a request of God, even a seemingly benign one like healing, was denied.
Does this mean that the child should quit talking to his parent? Sometimes the denied child may feel unloved and hurt...because their own understanding of what is important has not fully matured.
God's ways are not our ways. The wellness of a human body in this world is temporary at best. These bodies will always have some corruption in them until we leave them. They are not part of the treasure of heaven.
Now if I see somebody laying on hands and healing the sick, then praise God, that is one of the signs Jesus told us would follow the saints. However, I'm afraid we may not assume that every request for healing will be granted in this life. I have seen both miraculous healing, and I have seen people who I'm convinced have as much faith as anyone pray for miraculous healing and not receive it. Should I tell them then that their faith is a sham and they should fear for their very souls?
But yes, a child should certainly still talk to his or her parents, even if a heart-felt request was denied them. Trust God, He knows better than we do.
If your goal was being cryptic, you have succeeded.
To take a wild type of stab at it: are you talking about enzymes?
The Big Bang Theory was the brainchild of Monsignor Georges Lemaitre, a Belgian Catholic Priest.
He was one of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century.
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