Can we see the Face of God without Evidence

[James_Tyler]

The human race can not tell the difference between and innocent man and a psychopath in a lot of cases. Look at Jesus. He was executed as a criminal. They could not recognize him. Remember that he asked that his Father forgive those that did not know what they were doing.

I think that perhaps things continue the way they do is because we, as a race, need to be able to see the difference. As a human race, I think we have to know the difference between the face of Satan and the face of God. Else we will always be susceptible to being deceived the way Adam and Eve were.

Maybe a part of the problem. What do you think?

 

[pianistclare]

Listening to the Word of God would be a good start.
Adhering to the Gospel message as well.
Christ came to show us the path, and yet we fight it.
Demanding “proofs” is not a holy thing. That’s what the prince of lies asks…he demanded God come down from the mountain, jump off, etc.

peace

 

[fhansen]

The human race can not tell the difference between and innocent man and a psychopath in a lot of cases. Look at Jesus. He was executed as a criminal. They could not recognize him. Remember that he asked that his Father forgive those that did not know what they were doing.

I think that perhaps things continue the way they do is because we, as a race, need to be able to see the difference. As a human race, I think we have to know the difference between the face of Satan and the face of God. Else we will always be susceptible to being deceived the way Adam and Eve were.

Maybe a part of the problem. What do you think?

Yes! We’re here to come to learn what is truly valuable and what is not, what is good versus evil, whose voice to listen to: satan’s or God’s. We’re here to learn what Adam & Eve didn’t quite get-that God is worthy of our love and obedience, an obedience which follows naturally from that love.

 

[Blue_Horizon]

The human race can not tell the difference between and innocent man and a psychopath in a lot of cases. Look at Jesus. He was executed as a criminal. They could not recognize him. Remember that he asked that his Father forgive those that did not know what they were doing.

I think that perhaps things continue the way they do is because we, as a race, need to be able to see the difference. As a human race, I think we have to know the difference between the face of Satan and the face of God. Else we will always be susceptible to being deceived the way Adam and Eve were.

Maybe a part of the problem. What do you think?

To love the good and the true is enough to recognise God when he chooses to non forcably reveal himself whether that be in this life or at death.

 

[rymichael]

The human race can not tell the difference between and innocent man and a psychopath in a lot of cases. Look at Jesus. He was executed as a criminal. They could not recognize him. Remember that he asked that his Father forgive those that did not know what they were doing.

I think that perhaps things continue the way they do is because we, as a race, need to be able to see the difference. As a human race, I think we have to know the difference between the face of Satan and the face of God. Else we will always be susceptible to being deceived the way Adam and Eve were.

Maybe a part of the problem. What do you think?

Look at yourself in the mirror and others around you and you will see God. We were created in his image and likeness. We tend to overcomplicate God and lack the faith that is necessary because we want miracles in order to believe. What would we do if we did see a miraculous miracle, would we begin to believe then or would we start to talk ourselves out of it? You must admire his creation of us and of the world around us and you will see him. Just because someone is a criminal doesn’t mean you can’t see Christ in them. “…In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

 

[codesmith]

What would we do if we did see a miraculous miracle, would we begin to believe then or would we start to talk ourselves out of it?

Would it depend on the “magnitude” of the miracle? If a skeptic personally witnessed any of these, would he believe?

“Joseph of Cupertino frequently would be raised from his feet and remain suspended in the air.”
newadvent.org/cathen/08520b.htm

“Thomas Aquinas went into an ecstasy, and levitated. He was above the ground so long that many of his associates were able to witness the levitation.”
bobandpennylord.com/miracles-of-the-eucharist.htm

“Padre Pio was also known to have the gift of bilocation - the ability to be in more than one place simultaneously.”
infallible-catholic.blogspot.com/2012/04/padre-pio-on-bilocation.html

What is a person to make of all this? Are these real? Pious exaggeration? Wishful thinking? Gullibility? Fraud?

If these were real, why are miracles allowed for some but not others?

 

[rymichael]

Would it depend on the “magnitude” of the miracle? If a skeptic personally witnessed any of these, would he believe?

“Joseph of Cupertino frequently would be raised from his feet and remain suspended in the air.”
newadvent.org/cathen/08520b.htm

“Thomas Aquinas went into an ecstasy, and levitated. He was above the ground so long that many of his associates were able to witness the levitation.”
bobandpennylord.com/miracles-of-the-eucharist.htm

“Padre Pio was also known to have the gift of bilocation - the ability to be in more than one place simultaneously.”
infallible-catholic.blogspot.com/2012/04/padre-pio-on-bilocation.html

What is a person to make of all this? Are these real? Pious exaggeration? Wishful thinking? Gullibility? Fraud?

If these were real, why are miracles allowed for some but not others?

They are only allowed for some because it is all in God’s plan. They are Saints of the Church and I am sure those miracles are most certainly real. What would happen if you started levitating? Would you tell others about it, make a skeptical out of it? Would you believe it’s from God? These were very holy men and very humble, which I am sure when these things happened they saw it as a great gift from God and were humbled, not thinking they were special. Maybe God doesn’t give gifts to some because they think they will make a mockery out of it and still not believe. It is like asking, why did God give me the ability to play the violin and not my neighbor? God wants us to all be unique, of course playing the violin is not like levitating or bilocating. But I hope you see my point. Being Holy also doesn’t mean being perfect, all of these men were far from perfect, but they believed and committed to Christ and his Church, and by their way of constant conversion a great example for us all.

God does not ask us to be perfect, he asks us to be faithful and love him with our whole heart and soul.

 

[codesmith]

They are only allowed for some because it is all in God’s plan.

Thanks. I guess I understand. In this thread and in others people here have been patient with my miracle skepticism…

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=1022604

I am not saying miracles don’t or cannot occur (if there is a God). But I so want to know that most (or at least some) were not due to the other possibilities the skeptic might offer, and which we should assume initially. For example, all Lourdes cures are supposedly verified and other possibilities ruled our, right? Of course I can never really “know” if I say my own personal witness/experience is the only guide to truth.

This quote from Pope Benedict XVI’s book “Jesus of Nazareth” has helped me lately…

“The arrogance that would make God an object and impose our laboratory conditions upon him is incapable of finding him. For it already implies that we deny God as God by placing ourselves above him, by discarding the whole dimension of love, of interior listening; by no longer acknowledging as real anything but what we can experimentally test and grasp. To think like that is to make oneself God. And to do that is to abase not only God, but the world and oneself, too.”