Do christians acknowledge the possibility that their god does not exist?

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Beliefs aside, do you acknowledge that religion, when it comes down to it, is faith? I’m not saying faith is a bad thing - in fact, I encourage it, because I do feel that the right dose of religion can instill good morals and many believers are indeed very good people. I’d like to believe there’s a god, but to me it seems silly to not acknowledge that there’s no true way for ANYONE to know. Otherwise, why would people debate day in and day out on this issue?

So, do you?
 
Wildgraywolf said:
Nope. It would make being Christian kinda pointless.
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So are you saying that in order to be a christian, you have to accept every idea that has been presented to you by the christian faith?

If your answer is no, I don’t understand how it would make being a christian pointless.

If your answer is yes, I would question whether or not you are a mindless drone. I know it’s a touchy subject and I don’t want to be offensive, but I guess I don’t know how else to make my point.

So you can honestly say you don’t have the slightest doubt that your god doesn’t exist? I just don’t understand how that is even possible.
 
A fair question, to be sure; but no, I don’t. 🙂 My religion is certainly based on faith, and that faith is a gift from God. It’s not only a belief or a mindset; it is not wishful thinking. The Holy Spirit reveals God to whom he will, by whatever means he chooses. On my own, I would neither seek him nor know him. But I can look back in my life and see him calling me to himself; I see his hand at work even before I knew him. I see these things because he has revealed it to me through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. I don’t base anything on feelings or moods; such things are fleeting. I know he is real, for he has given me the gift of faith and has revealed himself to me through his means of grace.
 
blazerdave said:
A fair question, to be sure; but no, I don’t. 🙂 My religion is certainly based on faith, and that faith is a gift from God. It’s not only a belief or a mindset; it is not wishful thinking. The Holy Spirit reveals God to whom he will, by whatever means he chooses. On my own, I would neither seek him nor know him. But I can look back in my life and see him calling me to himself; I see his hand at work even before I knew him. I see these things because he has revealed it to me through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. I don’t base anything on feelings or moods; such things are fleeting. I know he is real, for he has given me the gift of faith and has revealed himself to me through his means of grace.
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How do you know it was “him” who gave you the gift of faith? Don’t you have any confidence in yourself?

Forgive me, but I am very curious and no one I’ve ever spoken to has ever been able to give me a real answer…just passed on words they’ve heard from others. Does religion mean you can’t think for yourself?

I just want to add because I know my questions might offend some and I don’t want to just seem like some troll. I see definite benefits to religion. My only problem with religion is when people take it too far and force it onto others…it’s the reason for a large portion of wars. I have the stance that everyone is permitted to his own beliefs. I feel like you should make those beliefs on your own, but that’s up to you.
 
xoise said:
How do you know it was “him” who gave you the gift of faith? Don’t you have any confidence in yourself?

Forgive me, but I am very curious and no one I’ve ever spoken to has ever been able to give me a real answer…just passed on words they’ve heard from others. Does religion mean you can’t think for yourself?

I just want to add because I know my questions might offend some and I don’t want to just seem like some troll. I see definite benefits to religion. My only problem with religion is when people take it too far and force it onto others…it’s the reason for a large portion of wars. I have the stance that everyone is permitted to his own beliefs. I feel like you should make those beliefs on your own, but that’s up to you.
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Oh no…I’m not offended in the least. I really don’t have any confidence in myself. In my natural state, I’m utterly corrupted by sin. That corruption prevents me from knowing God; in fact, it makes me want to NOT know him despite any evidence to the contrary. I know that my Catholic brothers and sisters may have a slightly different viewpoint about what I’m about to say, but I don’t desire to stir up a debate over a frequently-fought issue. 🙂 I’m just speaking for myself here. When Jesus says that no one comes to him unless the Father draws him, I take him at his word. I know what I was and what I would be apart from God’s cleansing work in me. And I try to steer clear of the tired buzz-words and all that stuff, so I’ll say it like this: without God’s direct intervention, I (and I believe all of us) look to the self. There is only love of self apart from God. Even the “good works” that we do are not purely motivated, for we are not selfless in performing them. But the ability to turn from the self and to God (and the good) is a gift; our sin enslaves us until God frees us from its bondage. Then, and only then, can we know He is even really there. And it’s a constant struggle against the sin nature and the “old ways” - for the rest of your life. That is why His presence is so crucial…the more we know of him, the more we hate our sin. But we continue to sin, so we cry out to him and he aids us…so in a sense, he’s always revealing himself and reminding us that he’s there. Whenever I overcome temptation, I know it’s because God has freed me from something that I could NEVER beat no matter how hard I was trying. I know he’s there. Whenever I am moved to love God and neighbor instead of self - and for no material reward or fame - I know he’s the sole reason why I can and why I want to. I know this may not be satisfactory as an answer; it’s been a long day haha…so I’m happy to talk further or clarify anything. 😃
 
God is not simply a matter of faith for me. He is a part of my experience, so it would be foolish of me to doubt His existence. It would rather be like doubting that my husband or children exist.
 
I have. I’ve more than once, when struggleing, stopped and wondered, what if it isn’t even true. What if there really is no God, or what if there is a God, but it is not the Christian God. I’ve had my agnostic moments. What pushed me back to religion, in fact, was not love of God but fear of hell. But if I have so much fear of Hell, then I can’t exactly think there’s no God. So yes, I’ve had doubts, but at the end of the day, I still believe.
 
shondrea said:
I have. I’ve more than once, when struggleing, stopped and wondered, what if it isn’t even true. What if there really is no God, or what if there is a God, but it is not the Christian God. I’ve had my agnostic moments. What pushed me back to religion, in fact, was not love of God but fear of hell. But if I have so much fear of Hell, then I can’t exactly think there’s no God. So yes, I’ve had doubts, but at the end of the day, I still believe.
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You know, maybe I’m stepping out on a limb here, but I almost wonder if that kind of doubt is in fact a proof of faith. The doubts of a non-Christian are typically centered around verifying that there’s Anybody out there when it doesn’t seem like it to them. For the Christian, love of God - and need of God’s continual sanctifying work - cause us to question if we love and worship him rightly. They can make us worry that we “aren’t really saved” when we repeat sin. But when the desire to love God is present, I really believe that we can understand that desire as the beginnings of faith. Maybe not a faith that can move mountains, but the fact that we even care at all about right living and belief shows God is at work. And if he gave us a gift and the desire to nurture it, he won’t leave us stranded…even though he often feels distant…
 
kristie_m said:
God is not simply a matter of faith for me. He is a part of my experience, so it would be foolish of me to doubt His existence. It would rather be like doubting that my husband or children exist.
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You can touch, feel, and interact with your husband or children - in a completely physical sense. That’s nothing like your relationship with god.
 
shondrea said:
I have. I’ve more than once, when struggleing, stopped and wondered, what if it isn’t even true. What if there really is no God, or what if there is a God, but it is not the Christian God. I’ve had my agnostic moments. What pushed me back to religion, in fact, was not love of God but fear of hell. But if I have so much fear of Hell, then I can’t exactly think there’s no God. So yes, I’ve had doubts, but at the end of the day, I still believe.
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See and that seems truly human to me. I guess it obviously just makes sense because it’s more of the way I feel.

I don’t consider myself entirely agnostic and I wouldn’t doubt if one day I consider myself more of a christian than an agnostic. Either way, I don’t feel like a god, if there is one, would punish me for doing so.
 
xoise said:
Beliefs aside, do you acknowledge that religion, when it comes down to it, is faith? I’m not saying faith is a bad thing - in fact, I encourage it, because I do feel that the right dose of religion can instill good morals and many believers are indeed very good people. I’d like to believe there’s a god, but to me it seems silly to not acknowledge that there’s no true way for ANYONE to know. Otherwise, why would people debate day in and day out on this issue?

So, do you?
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Make a pilgrimage to Lourdes & see if you can make this post again afterwards .
[SIGN]Pax et Bonum[/SIGN]
 
I don’t understand the question. God either exists, or He doesn’t. They are mutually exclusive possibilities. By believing in God (on the basis of faith) I am necessarily excluding the possibility that He doesn’t exist.
 
xoise said:
You can touch, feel, and interact with your husband or children - in a completely physical sense. That’s nothing like your relationship with god.
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Why does an experience have to be tangible in order to be real? I DO interact with God, just not in the same way, necessarily, that I would my husband or kids.
 
blazerdave said:
Oh no…I’m not offended in the least. I really don’t have any confidence in myself. In my natural state, I’m utterly corrupted by sin. That corruption prevents me from knowing God; in fact, it makes me want to NOT know him despite any evidence to the contrary. I know that my Catholic brothers and sisters may have a slightly different viewpoint about what I’m about to say, but I don’t desire to stir up a debate over a frequently-fought issue. 🙂 I’m just speaking for myself here. When Jesus says that no one comes to him unless the Father draws him, I take him at his word. I know what I was and what I would be apart from God’s cleansing work in me. And I try to steer clear of the tired buzz-words and all that stuff, so I’ll say it like this: without God’s direct intervention, I (and I believe all of us) look to the self. There is only love of self apart from God. Even the “good works” that we do are not purely motivated, for we are not selfless in performing them. But the ability to turn from the self and to God (and the good) is a gift; our sin enslaves us until God frees us from its bondage. Then, and only then, can we know He is even really there. And it’s a constant struggle against the sin nature and the “old ways” - for the rest of your life. That is why His presence is so crucial…the more we know of him, the more we hate our sin. But we continue to sin, so we cry out to him and he aids us…so in a sense, he’s always revealing himself and reminding us that he’s there. Whenever I overcome temptation, I know it’s because God has freed me from something that I could NEVER beat no matter how hard I was trying. I know he’s there. Whenever I am moved to love God and neighbor instead of self - and for no material reward or fame - I know he’s the sole reason why I can and why I want to. I know this may not be satisfactory as an answer; it’s been a long day haha…so I’m happy to talk further or clarify anything. 😃
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Thanks for your understanding and thoughts. I find your way of thinking very interesting. To be honest, I had to read the first few sentences over 3 or 4 times before I realized you weren’t being sarcastic. It’s really interesting. I guess I’ve always been a very independent person - I feel like I can do just about anything if I put my mind to it and have a lot of confidence in my decisions. It’s hard for me to imagine being so dependent on someone, or something else.
 
xoise said:
See and that seems truly human to me. I guess it obviously just makes sense because it’s more of the way I feel.

I don’t consider myself entirely agnostic and I wouldn’t doubt if one day I consider myself more of a christian than an agnostic. Either way, I don’t feel like a god, if there is one, would punish me for doing so.
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it does to me as well. Some of us are blessed withh faith enough to honestly not have doubts. There is a God, end of story. But for others, it’s harder to feel God. Look at Mother Theresa. I have no doubt she believe in God with every last cell of her body, but for many years she did not feel him.

any times people equate faith with feelings. It’s not always so. I have faith there is a God. But my feelings pry at my doubts. I’m new to being devoutly Catholic, and I’m still learning, and trying to make my faith of trust one of heart as well.
 
Student09 said:
I don’t understand the question. God either exists, or He doesn’t. They are mutually exclusive possibilities. By believing in God (on the basis of faith) I am necessarily excluding the possibility that He doesn’t exist.
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Life isn’t in binary. There’s more than just on or off.
 
kristie_m said:
Why does an experience have to be tangible in order to be real? I DO interact with God, just not in the same way, necessarily, that I would my husband or kids.
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How could it be intangible? You’ve never seen, heard, or physically touched god, have you? When you get down to it, you are basically hoping that all of your hard work and dedication to your religion pays off in the end, aren’t you? You really cannot be sure until the end (although who knows for sure that we’ll know then either?).

I don’t know, it’s very difficult for us to understand each other because we can’t see the world through each other’s eyes. But if you’re living in the same world as me…it’s hard not to see where I’m coming from.
 
Does it come down to faith? Absolutely. And anyone who tells you otherwise is not being honest with themselves IMHO. As we must begin with faith. Whether faith in a Creator. Faith in Something larger than ourselves. Faith in a Holy Book. Faith in the stories told to us in Scripture. Perhaps faith in other writings. Faith in an interpretation.

Many a Christian I am certain has questioned at some point in their lives, if even very briefly. I have in the past. Why a loving God would permit SO MUCH suffering, SUCH tragedy in people’s lives is something that has at least briefly entered my mind before in weaker personal moments.

But do I acknowledge now that God does not exist? No. Because for me, even in those brief moments when I’ve questioned, I always came quickly back to this:

For me it begins with me looking around and I see a Creator. Something larger than me. Something more than a big bang theory. And I have faith in the message of Christ and in His sacrifice for us all and Resurrecton. .A life ahead far better than any on this earth. Knowing this is not heaven but earth.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight”

May peace be with you always.
 
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