Posted on 12/29/2017 1:14:14 PM PST by MtnClimber
Sick of tinsel, carols and talk of virgin birth?
In New Zealand, Australia and many other countries, its hard to escape Christmas in December.
But even if you dont believe in Christ or a God, religion can still be a powerful force. Research shows that even nonreligious people may hold unconscious beliefs linked to religion that can affect their psychology.
By many measures, religion in Australia, New Zealand and the USA is declining but Christianity still shapes the culture and politics of these societies, from the holidays celebrated to values officially endorsed.
Its not that surprising that religious symbols and traditions remain in secularised societies. What is surprising is how religious beliefs may remain in and affect the minds of secular people.
Subconscious responses to God A study in Finland explored how religious and non-religious people responded to the idea of God.
The researchers used electrodes to measure how much sweat people produced while reading statements like I dare God to make my parents drown or I dare God to make me die of cancer. Unexpectedly, when nonbelievers read the statements, they produced as much sweat as believers suggesting they were equally anxious about the consequences of their dares.
And thats not simply because nonbelievers didnt want to wish harm on others. A companion study showed that similar dares that did not involve God (such as, I wish my parents would drown) did not produce comparable increases in sweat levels. Together, then, these findings suggest that despite denying that God exists, nonbelievers behaved as though God did exist.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearscience.com ...
God does exist whether they believe it or not.
“Together, then, these findings suggest that despite denying that God exists, nonbelievers behaved as though God did exist.”
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“God does exist whether they believe it or not.”
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I’d say it’s more that they’re realize God is alive and well and they worry about that fact. Guilt works on people that way.
What kind of sick study makes somebody say such things?
When a believer is taught that God hears his cry for help and then finds out that that is not the case, a sense of desperation may set in. A non-believer does not have that problem.
I said to this fellow worker: "Do you honestly think I would let the boss' opinion have more weight than my own in terms of my place in eternity?"
His eyes got wide, but he didn't respond.
When gross overwhelming injustice happens and we are powerless. We all cry to God. Although the picture/image/sense of what we are crying to may vary with one's explicit beliefs. The atheist may, for example, imagine he is calling out to Justice or decency or the universe, but ultimately we all cry to God. As Descartes noted, we have an innate idea of Him--although it can be prejudiced and confused by our experiences.
A believer has hope and the nonbeliever has none?
Or... it is better to have no or little hope than to “foolishly” and “naively” have hope?
Faith = hope.
Not everyone has faith. Faith is a gift from God and not everyone is so fortunate to have it offered to him by God.
Jesus promised His disciples that in this life people would "revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for My sake" and that we would have a "cross to bear," and that we might end up fined, imprisoned, beaten, bankrupted or dead, for our fidelity to Him.
Our hope is not for prosperity, comfort and ease in this life, but for union with Him who loved us, in this life and the next.
Our hope is not for prosperity, comfort and ease in this life, but for union with Him who loved us, in this life and the next.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In order to accept the above statement one has to have faith, and not all in this world are that fortunate. Faith cannot be forced on anyone and cannot be taught. One has it or he doesn’t. Faith is a gift that is not offered to all.
Nice job. :)
Religion is alive and well,every one from the evolutionists to
the man made global warming nuts are bashing every one. Until
it is sickening.
I
It is in government, church and even business. many people
dare not go to church in fear of running on to another of
Satan’s religions.
The question was never whether or not God exists, but whether or not God believes we exist.
Some scientific studies have shown that people have a need to believe in something. We can observe that when they reject organized religion, they turn to all kinds of crazy beliefs.
Atheists are not adamant about atheism and set on crushing any hint of Christianity because they do not believe. They fanatically push atheism precisely because they *do* believe, and are trying desperately to crush and distance themselves from their own suppressed beliefs.
Each soul is a gift from God. Our decisions dictate what becomes of our souls. The soul is the spiritual link to God.
Strangely enough, a complete non-believer I know is a very conservative student of the Constitution. Rock solid on his knowledge including knowing the Federalist papers forward and back.
And it shows that they know it deep down inside.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. Lucius Annaeus Seneca
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