Was This All God's Plan?

American Thinker.com ^ | March 21, 2021 | A. Welderson

[plain talk]

“That’s all I need to read to know that I don’t want to know what he has to say. The EVIDENCE for God’s existence and omnipotence is EVERYWHERE, if only one will SEE. “

I can intellectually understand someone not accepting everything in the Bible or all tenets of a specific faith. But I cannot understand someone not accepting that some entity designed all this.

My father was an agnostic. He had no interest or curiosity about such matters. In that regard he was shallow.

[oldtech]

There is so much evidence in the universe of God’s existence that it is difficult not to believe in God. Look at all the things that man could not possibly have done. How did it come about? The Bible is God’s word to humanity & it explains it.

[Theophilus]

Psalm 14:1
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

[WXRGina]

Yes, a constant attitude of thankfulness to the Lord is essential in this lost and dying world. It’s so easy to slip into thoughts of dread, but when we work to keep that gratefulness in our minds and hearts, it goes so much better for us.

[WXRGina]

Yep! :-)

[rx]

The author: "deciding to believe that God’s there or not, has to be done without the benefit of convincing evidence for or against simply because such evidence won’t be found."

Gina: "EVIDENCE for God's existence and omnipotence is EVERYWHERE, if only one will SEE."

While your comment about the ubiquity of the evidence is correct, the author's and your vision about how one comes to the point of seeing it is the proverbial "fly in the ointment."

In the author's view, this belief-in-God "thing" is about a person's "deciding," while your view seems to center around whether one will but see that evidence which is "everywhere."

The author's limited view presumes that if sufficient, convincing evidence were to pass under his nose, he might yet be convinced. Such a view typically imagines believers are easy marks, destined to become holy rollers if just the right, impassioned preacher were to come along with an intoxicating elixir or guilt injecting sermon. Such a person would no wish to be considered intellectually wayward by his nosed-turned-up associates.

But you, Gina, are as as so many others insufficiently read or taught, unaware of how we came to be where we are. For faith is not a product of our own efforts, but a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Talents and salvation are purely gifts from God. One cannot will them oneself or others. Often quite apart from the 3-D world is communication with God. Almost everyone is able to speak to God through prayer. Almost everyone is able to hear what God has to say though His written Word.

Does one wish to have sufficient talent to see? Does one wish to hear and believe that which is true?

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

[rx]

The author: "deciding to believe that God’s there or not, has to be done without the benefit of convincing evidence for or against simply because such evidence won’t be found."

Gina: "EVIDENCE for God's existence and omnipotence is EVERYWHERE, if only one will SEE."

While your comment about the ubiquity of the evidence is correct, the author's and your vision about how one comes to the point of seeing it is the proverbial "fly in the ointment."

In the author's view, this belief-in-God "thing" is about a person's "deciding," while your view seems to center around whether one will but see that evidence which is "everywhere."

The author's limited view presumes that if sufficient, convincing evidence were to pass under his nose, he might yet be convinced. Such a view typically imagines believers are easy marks, destined to become holy rollers if just the right, impassioned preacher were to come along with an intoxicating elixir or guilt injecting sermon. Such a person would no wish to be considered intellectually wayward by his nosed-turned-up associates.

But you, Gina, are as as so many others insufficiently read or taught, unaware of how we came to be where we are. For faith is not a product of our own efforts, but a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Talents and salvation are purely gifts from God. One cannot will them oneself or others. Often quite apart from the 3-D world is communication with God. Almost everyone is able to speak to God through prayer. Almost everyone is able to hear what God has to say though His written Word.

Does one wish to have sufficient talent to see? Does one wish to hear and believe that which is true?

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

[slas7713]

At one time in my life I felt the same. Then I hit a low and did much praying and talking to our savior. I promised to listen in my heart for his guidance and let him lead me to where I needed to be. He did. Mine is just one story similar to the millions out there that have lived the same......he’s real.

[WXRGina]

But you, Gina, are as as so many others insufficiently read or taught, unaware of how we came to be where we are. For faith is not a product of our own efforts, but a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

That's VERY presumptuous of you, RX. You know nothing about what I know or don't know about the Word of God, and your assumption there is dead wrong. I KNOW that only the Lord makes us see, and only the Lord draws us to Him, opens our understanding and gives us discernment, knowledge, faith and every other thing we have. Without Him, we can do NOTHING.

You--and a couple of others on this thread--misunderstood my simple point. I didn't care to read past the writer's claims that I cited in my first comment. In other words, I just wasn't interested in his column, and I decided to note it. That's all it was.

[Jumper]

Canceled!

[mdmathis6]

You can argue away most prophecies of the Bible save for the one that pronounced that Israel would be re-established as it’s own nation with a people that worshipped God and later will acknowledge(at least the 1/3 of them that will be left) Christ. Because Israel is now a nation, then one has to acknowledge that the other prophecies and doctrines the pertain to Christ must also be acknowledged as accurate.

The existence of Israel is a continuing proof of the ongoing continuance of the covenant God made with Abraham that a nation born from his descendants will last forever and that the gentiles would also be claimed by his progeny. The Bible says that all of creation and heaven would collapse should God fail to uphold his promises to Israel. Given that all that is created was created with Jesus Christ being the very lynch pin upon which matter was built, him being the “WORD THAT IS GOD” made flesh, Israel’s existence is very important indeed. Jesus Christ as “GOD IN FLESH” emerged through Abraham through the lineage of David.

Israel exists and that existence proves the reliability of all the prophecies and doctrines of the Bible!

[mdmathis6]

PS...wasn’t disagreeing with you at all but with the author of the article...I was posting to you what I would have said to the author if i could.

[KJC1]

I believe it is a mistake to assume that the Creator should do as we would do if we were Him. He doesn’t see, think, believe, see or feel as we do. Our brief, myopic existence does not provide us with the experience or capacity to see or comprehend the same.

Good comment, thank you.