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You are always game for a laugh Gmc :wah:

How can Allah be so Meriful to Muslims in Palestine who murder men,women & children. And how could other Muslims use children to be suicide bombers? And you want us to believe in a God?

Capt :-6

I don't think anywhere does God promise life will be free of evil. I would say that pain and suffering etc. are part of life. They are part of the life process from the very beginning. Job tried to answer the question of evil but failed miserably.

My own personal experience has been that as Jesus promised "I will be with you until the end of time" has shown itself to be true. When diffiulties strike I have always found that God was there to see me through. My prayers are generally of the nature that God will be with me and give me the strenght and courage to face whatever comes. So far in 61 years I have never been let down.

It is also amazing how my life has "evolved". I ask for God's guidance and He has never yet let me down.

You might find that Book "Quantum Theology" by D. O'Murchu has several comments on the role of pain and suffering that seem to make sense in the overall scheme of things.

I cannot prove to you the Reality of God. I am satisfied by my experiences of this reality. It is part of the path we walk I believe.

Shalom

Ted :-6 :-6

capt_buzzard wrote: How can Allah be so Meriful to Muslims in Palestine who murder men,women & children. And how could other Muslims use children to be suicide bombers? And you want us to believe in a God?


Maybe God is testing your tolerance. :sneaky:

pixiechic2000 wrote: Captain Buzzard..

Before you blame God and question God's existance, maybe you should do some soul searching and talk to a minister.

~ Peace ~


Although this may be good advice to some I think it is terribly annoying advice to give to our good Captain. And, practically, the least likely thing for him to do (outside of suddenly deciding to don leotards and become a tightrope walker).

koan wrote: Although this may be good advice to some I think it is terribly annoying advice to give to our good Captain. And, practically, the least likely thing for him to do (outside of suddenly deciding to don leotards and become a tightrope walker). There seems that there are two God's at work on this earth. :driving:

This is what the great mathematician Blaise Pascal said about beliving in God.

"Either God is or not we can say. But to which side shall we incline? Reason cannot help us.....what will you wager...? There is no reason for backing either the one possibility or the other. You cannot argue reasonably in favour of either. The only solution is to bet on God. If he exists you win all and if he does not, you lose nothing".

I hereby believe in God and his son Jesus Christ. Peace!

Marsue :-6

An excellent post. Beautifully put.

Shalom

Ted :-6

Here are some opinions about God's existence.

You don’t need to appeal to God to set the initial conditions for the universe, but that doesn’t prove there’s no God, only that he acts through the laws of physics

-Stephen Hawkin

“If a watch proves the existence of a watchmaker, but the universe does not prove the existence of a great Architect, then I consent to be a fool”.

- Voltaire

“The choice is simple: one chooses either a self-existent God or a self-existent universe-and the Universe is not behaving as if it is self existent”.

- A.J. Hoover

“The statements of people who do not believe do not outweigh the circumstantial evidence that suggests the universe was the intelligent design of a creator.

Russell De Long

God is subtle but he is not malicious

-Albert Einstein

The nature of God is a circle whose centre is everywhere but the circumference is nowhere

-Anonymous

well where can a start how can anyone believe in something they nor any1 else has every seen??????? god there isnt 1 not in my opinion anyways.... i'll stick with the formula we al came from apes!!!!!!

The Cosmic God is an IT. Male or female. :guitarist

Sometimes I think that the way to encounter God is get on about his business: caring for the needy and the downtrodden, the widows and the orphans not because we think it is the right thing to do but simply becaue the need is there. The results, personally, can be amazing.

Shalom

Ted :-6

This is the thread that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, somebody started writing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue writing it forever just because it is the thread that never ends.... :guitarist

Rather like the concept of God, god, gods....it is the thing that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends, something created humans not knowing what it was, and they'll continue living forever just because.... :guitarist

LUKE wrote: The God of the Universe is SPIRIT!!!!
The perfect answer...”God is Spirit”. He is indeed. he is not bound by physical constraints. OOPS, if I say God is a he I might offend someone and if I say God is a she that too will offend someone. If I say God is without gender I'm safe. I'm tired to the bone of people (including myself) who persist in finding safe answers.

My God is the God of the Bible and He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Spirit may be gender neutral but Father and Son are male. I like it that way. I’m male and I like being a man. I’m not trying to get in touch with any part of me that someone claims might be feminine because I don’t want to. I can’t imagine that God is thinking of changing his gender because part of his creation is unable to deal with the thought that they aren’t the same gender as God. I may sound a little subjective but what is it when people want to rewrite the Bible to make them feel better?

ashgrove02 wrote: well where can a start how can anyone believe in something they nor any1 else has every seen??????? god there isnt 1 not in my opinion anyways.... i'll stick with the formula we al came from apes!!!!!!


Where do apes come from?

I don't care what anybody else thinks about whether there is a God or not. As far as I am concerning I have been moved by His Spirit too often to believe that there is no existence of God.

Trying to describe God can only be a waste of time because God is more than we have time on this earth to even begin to get the words out that could explain God.

I don't believe either & no stone throwing at me. if we are to be called human we have the right to an opinion, where is god, and how do we really know there was one? early records people believed in anything supernatural, thats all they had to think about? i say NO.

Quantum theory is leaning towards the idea that man has been searching and worshiping the divine since man began. It is also pointing to the idea that belief in God is innate or if you will part of the ontology of the human being.

Shalom

Ted :-6

PsychoticDaisy wrote: No, I don't believe in God. I can't force myself to believe in something I can't see.

To me the story of Jesus is like the ultimate fairy tale...just like Santa Clause & The Tooth Fairy. The Bible is full of contridictions, and their just isn't any scientific evidence to support it. I have had just as many wonderful things happen in my life, just as many wishes come true, as a christian...without praying to an invisible man in the sky. I believe we evolved through time as science proves.


While living in the realm of science and evolution perhaps you could answer this question. Where did the material for the big bang come from?

Scientifically speaking we come from the components of the Big Bang. Are we the first Big Bang or have there been others that we don't know about because there have been Big Crunches. It has to have had to come from somewhere? How long has time been around? Where did time come from? Yadda-yadda-yadda etc..

i think the big bang was between adam & eve and its been going on ever since?

Paula wrote: i think the big bang was between adam & eve and its been going on ever since?


No. No. That was the fig(leaf) bang

Paula :-6

Actually Adam and Eve are some of the great myths from the past that have much to teach us about ourselves.

Shalom

Ted :-6

Ted wrote: Paula :-6

Actually Adam and Eve are some of the great myths from the past that have much to teach us about ourselves.

Shalom

Ted :-6


A Myth? What do you mean it's not true. You'll be damned forever for spreading lies about Adam and Eve. Next thing you know they'll say that Eve took the rap for Adam because she was a good life partner. O woe be me!

Ted wrote: Paula :-6

Actually Adam and Eve are some of the great myths from the past that have much to teach us about ourselves.

Shalom

Ted :-6


oh really, there are postions not known yet? eating fruit, what am i missing...tell me.

Paula wrote: oh really, there are postions not known yet? eating fruit, what am i missing...tell me.


Check behind the couch.

SHUT UP NOW....crippled husband gave up on me!

Show him something behind the couch. He'll take you back.

I belong to the camp that believes in a supreme God who is the grand architect of the universe and all the things in it. To my surprise those on the other camp keep using the word "nature" which in my opinion is another name for God. God is nature and nature is God. If you believe that nature is, then you're in a way saying that God equally is.

Kensloft asked "Scientifically speaking we come from the components of the Big Bang. Are we the first Big Bang or have there been others that we don't know about because there have been Big Crunches. It has to have had to come from somewhere? How long has time been around? Where did time come from?

The answer simply lies with He (God) that created all things.

Paula wrote: oh really, there are postions not known yet? eating fruit, what am i missing...tell me.It had nothing to do with eating fruit. A&E sinned the way we all sin- God told them that a certain type of behavior would mess them up, Satan told them it would make them better and happy- They chose to believe Satan and distrust God.

Sin isn't breaking rules (although it may involve not playing by the rules). It's about not trusting God.

Paula :-6

Perhaps you fail to understand the significance in theological and biblical studies of the words "myth" and "Midrash".

Shalom

Ted :-6

lilafran wrote: I absolutely believe in God.

I believe he is the spark inside each of us, and if we rid ourselves of the world's roar for a time we can hear his still voice.

I believe he designed each of us with a purpose in mind and that we are all so very speical by that merit.

I believe that the turmoil in our lives lies in trying to control what we have absolutely no control over. I try to get up each day, do the legwork, and

leave the results to God. Anxiety, fear, and discontentment come from not

being able to accept what is right in front of us at any moment.

I believe that the way of peace and to God is faith, pure and simple, and that intellectualizing about God is useless.

:-6


Wow! You're right about intellectualizing. It could go on and on. Ho-hum.

lilafran wrote: I believe that the way of peace and to God is faith, pure and simple, and that intellectualizing about God is useless.



:-6
intellectualizing is a human activity, at least for some. it is no more or less useful than intellectualizing about grief, or intellectualizing about String Theory, or intellectualizing about the secret lives of ostensibly inanimate objects.



the intellect is a gift from mr. or ms. God. i will employ it as much as i can, as much as i desire, and if i feel i've come to a closer understanding, or a closer relationship to God in doing so, then that is my path to God. yours may be different.



as someone who loves aphorisms, i thought up one that has been rolling around in my noggin for nigh-on a decade now. it's imperfect, but then so is existence:

There are many objectively Wrong ways to live one's life; however, there is no objectively Right way to live one's life.

lilafran wrote: intellectualizing about God is useless. :-6


I guess I'm not clear on whether you should just stop thinking about it or saying that you can do it so, why bother?

lilafran wrote: Intellectualizing about the existence of God is a subject of personal debate, indeed.... "Useless" was a poor word choice, on my part.... I have faith in the existence of God...I intellectualize and debate in other realms.. :-6

Lila


If you don't debate it then it becomes blind faith. Debate is not to pick a winner and loser it is to refine and expand ourselves.

koan wrote: If you don't debate it then it becomes blind faith. Debate is not to pick a winner and loser it is to refine and expand ourselves.


And she reads cards too.