Science can't destroy Religion

  • Thread starter Thread starter CopticChristian
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Sometimes I think the problem with directing atheists to prayer (from my perspective as a theist and a Christian) is that some people are simply less attuned to the spiritual than the others.

Since I am a Catholic I don’t doubt (at least out of hand) people who pray and get responses in the form of spiritual signs or inward peace. But, I have never gotten any obvious response to my prayers at all (the key word here is OBVIOUS).

Sometimes people do receive responses from prayer in terms of spiritual receptiveness. I never have. Prayer simply never has given me any assurance of God’s existence. I almost became an atheist partially because of this.

I fully believe atheists when they say they pray sincerely and get no response. I get no obvious response either. I believe in God due to rational argument, and I think that’s the only way a lot of atheists would be convinced too.

So atheists, know that I, at least, believe you when you say you’ve prayed sincerely and got no obvious response. 👍
 
atheistgirl said:
I understand that. I’ve read quite a bit on prayer. I was being a bit, you know, well … 🙂

What prayer would you recommend I pray?

I will pray it, in all sincerity, and I will report back, honestly, what, if any, difference, it makes, internally or externally, with me.

Sound fair?

Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
I care less that it sounds fair, and more that you simply do it. 🙂 I would say, if you’re unsure, simply open a conversation with God. Be respectful, as He is our Father, but be honest in how you feel. The goal is both to communicate, and to be open to response. If you sincerely want to believe but can’t, ask God to work with whatever you are able to give Him. If you sincerely don’t want to believe, I don’t know how much you’ll out of it, if anything, but offer your prayers to Him in a spirit of willingness to help, a spirit of love for someone who could use your prayer.

The Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be once each might be nice after your intentions; if you’re REALLY an over-achiever, try saying the Rosary. Besides being a meditation on the life and death of Christ (and some on the Blessed Mother) as well as a conversation with God, the act of saying the prayers themselves is soothing.

You don’t have to report anything you don’t want to, but I’m glad you’re willing to pray. 🙂

I will be praying for ya as well.
 
Marc_Anthony said:
Sometimes I think the problem with directing atheists to prayer (from my perspective as a theist and a Christian) is that some people are simply less attuned to the spiritual than the others.

Since I am a Catholic I don’t doubt (at least out of hand) people who pray and get responses in the form of spiritual signs or inward peace. But, I have never gotten any obvious response to my prayers at all (the key word here is OBVIOUS).

Sometimes people do receive responses from prayer in terms of spiritual receptiveness. I never have. Prayer simply never has given me any assurance of God’s existence. I almost became an atheist partially because of this.

I fully believe atheists when they say they pray sincerely and get no response. I get no obvious response either. I believe in God due to rational argument, and I think that’s the only way a lot of atheists would be convinced too.

So atheists, know that I, at least, believe you when you say you’ve prayed sincerely and got no obvious response. 👍
Click to expand...
To this, as a believer, I say that good things are happening when we pray regardless of what we feel, and that it is thus always worthwhile to pray. That is the beauty of our Faith; no matter how we feel, no matter who we are, our prayers have merit. Our going to Mass has merit. Our suffering has merit.
 
Lochias said:
To this, as a believer, I say that good things are happening when we pray regardless of what we feel, and that it is thus always worthwhile to pray. That is the beauty of our Faith; no matter how we feel, no matter who we are, our prayers have merit. Our going to Mass has merit. Our suffering has merit.
Click to expand...
I agree. I’m just saying that I understand why atheists wouldn’t be convinced of Christianity merely by prayer.
 
atheistgirl said:
I really appreciate the invite 🙂

Prove to me your God exists, and I’ll be over there in a heartbeat.

Trouble is, you can’t. No one can. No more than I can prove He doesn’t exist.

But the evidence suggests my position is sound.

Meanwhile, the weather is glorious here, and the waters clear, clean and cold, and well, life is good 😃

Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
Hey Sarah. You make a good point. In both cases, faith is required. You have faith that God does not exist and I have faith that God does exist.

If you don’t mind me asking, are you a Darwinian? Darwin’s theory presupposes that nonliving chemicals, if given the right circumstances and the right amount of time, could have developed** by themselves** into living matter. If you embrace that belief then could you provide some scientific proof to support that claim? I cannot find any. In other words can science demonstrate how life could emerge purely through natural, chemical processes?🙂
 
joe370 said:
Hey Sarah. You make a good point. In both cases, faith is required. You have faith that God does not exist and I have faith that God does exist.

If you don’t mind me asking, are you a Darwinian? Darwin’s theory presupposes that nonliving chemicals, if given the right circumstances and the right amount of time, could have developed** by themselves** into living matter. If you embrace that belief then could you provide some scientific proof to support that claim? I cannot find any. In other words can science demonstrate how life could emerge purely through natural, chemical processes?🙂
Click to expand...
I’m actually going to have to point out that Darwin believed in God.
 
atheistgirl;9651039]I’m a Sarahinian 😃
Click to expand...
So you are a Sarahinian and not a Darwinian…LOL…😃

What are your thoughts, as a committed Sarahinian, :Dabout the following: Darwin’s theory presupposes that nonliving chemicals, if given the right circumstances and the right amount of time, could have developed by themselves into living matter. Do you agree?
Oh the field of abiogenesis is fascinating.
Click to expand...
Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
I will definitely check out the Youtube…:)👍
 
CopticChristian said:
Every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday night Scientists gather at the Church of Science…they can be seen at airports handing out leaflets seeking converts to the Gathering of Science to destroy Religion…the television airways are filled with stations dedicated to Scientists preaching that you must listen to the words of Science and confess your allegiance…thousands daily are donated to Scientists that promise that money donated as seed money will gain you everlasting wealth…

Physicists claim primacy of fact, while Chemists are hopelessly divided amongst themselves…inorganic, organic and Biochemistry…leadership of the Geologist meet weekly to celebrate rock day and Naaaahhhh…

Science is not organized like religion, Science isn’t intended to do anything except look into what it is they choose to study…When the history of Science is examined what you see is Christian, Jew and others that actually had a concern for God…

• Louis Pasteur
• Alexander Fleming
• Galileo
• Nicholas Copernicus
• Rene Descartes
• Marie Curie
• Gregor Mendel
• Sir Francis Bacon
• Johannes Kepler
• Blaise Pascal
• Isaac Newton
• Robert Boyle
• Michael Faraday
• Willliam Thomson Kelvin
• Max Planck
• Albert Einstein

Science can’t destroy religion and therefore must not be thought of as anything based in reality…

and you think?
Click to expand...
I think we would still be primates without Religion.
 
CopticChristian said:
Every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday night Scientists gather at the Church of Science…they can be seen at airports handing out leaflets seeking converts to the Gathering of Science to destroy Religion…the television airways are filled with stations dedicated to Scientists preaching that you must listen to the words of Science and confess your allegiance…thousands daily are donated to Scientists that promise that money donated as seed money will gain you everlasting wealth…

Physicists claim primacy of fact, while Chemists are hopelessly divided amongst themselves…inorganic, organic and Biochemistry…leadership of the Geologist meet weekly to celebrate rock day and Naaaahhhh…

Science is not organized like religion, Science isn’t intended to do anything except look into what it is they choose to study…When the history of Science is examined what you see is Christian, Jew and others that actually had a concern for God…

• Louis Pasteur
• Alexander Fleming
• Galileo
• Nicholas Copernicus
• Rene Descartes
• Marie Curie
• Gregor Mendel
• Sir Francis Bacon
• Johannes Kepler
• Blaise Pascal
• Isaac Newton
• Robert Boyle
• Michael Faraday
• Willliam Thomson Kelvin
• Max Planck
• Albert Einstein

Science can’t destroy religion and therefore must not be thought of as anything based in reality…

and you think?
Click to expand...
Also wasnt Einstein an agnostic or atheist?
 
Marc_Anthony said:
Nope. Einstein was a theist, but I don’t believe he defined himself as a part of any official religion.
Click to expand...
Ok, Funny story, Richard Dawkins (Part of a group called The New Atheists if you havent heard of him) reffered to Einstein as an atheist a few years ago, but he sounded unsure of what he was saying in his tone of voice. Not to start an arguement with an atheist btw. Also Im not sure if this is of topic or not, but is it possible that miracles are a placebo effect? Im just asking bc I was thinking about this earlier & it really shook my faith.
 
Marc_Anthony said:
Nope. Einstein was a theist, but I don’t believe he defined himself as a part of any official religion.
Click to expand...
Nope, Einstein was definitely not a theist:

*The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. - Gutkind Letter (3 January 1954)

I believe in Spinoza’s God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind. - Einstein : Science and Religion, Arnold V. Lesikar*

Both quotes from Wikiquotes
 
buffalo said:
They either were saved by Divine Intervention or not.

Out of the close to ground zero survivors 8 of 10 were known to be Christians in a city that was 1% Christian?
Click to expand...
Whoa, are you saying that when your country bombed Hiroshima, your God miraculously saved proportionally more of your religion? Because that would seem to mean that God loves everyone equally, but Christians are more equal than others.
 
atheistgirl said:
I really appreciate the invite 🙂

Prove to me your God exists, and I’ll be over there in a heartbeat.

Trouble is, you can’t. No one can. No more than I can prove He doesn’t exist.

But the evidence suggests my position is sound.

Meanwhile, the weather is glorious here, and the waters clear, clean and cold, and well, life is good 😃

Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
No can do.

Faith is a gift from God. You have to be open to it. Humility is the first step. I submit arrogance is requesting God to show Himself to you when so many more know Him already. Those that know Him try to show you the way but you have to be open.

Praying as a test, I don’t think will work. But God has His ways and perhaps He will show Himself to you.

God does not submit Himself to our empirical lab tests. Would you?

Do you have any ideas on how or why God should?
 
atheistgirl said:
The other is that God simply isn’t necessary. We can explain everything by means of nature and reason 👍

Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
No one has explained the first cause.

In addition, science by its own definition is has a limited say about the universe. It is limited to our 5 senses, 3 dimensions and time.

Is your claim there are no more dimensions? Time cannot exist? Are you content with being painted into a corner and standing pat with the claim that nothing exists outside this frame of reference?
 
atheistgirl said:
I understand that. I’ve read quite a bit on prayer. I was being a bit, you know, well … 🙂

What prayer would you recommend I pray?

I will pray it, in all sincerity, and I will report back, honestly, what, if any, difference, it makes, internally or externally, with me.

Sound fair?

Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
As in any relationship two must face each other with open arms. God always is there with open arms. You have to decide to turn towards Him and run into His arms.

Pray - “Jesus, I trust in you”.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top