Touching, Seeing, Existing, and Ideas

[nicragland]

Hello friends,

Forgive me if there is a thread already like this, I looked for a while and could not find my answer.

Today I was talking to someone who claimed not to believe in God because he cannot touch or see God. I replied, “Then you must not believe in intellectual property, ideas, or reason.”

1. What other “60 seconds or less” responses are there to this kind of claim?
2. If he had said, “Then God is just an idea,” what would your response be?

Thanks and God bless,

 

[Tonitz]

Good questions, Nicragland.

\

1. What other “60 seconds or less” responses are there to this kind of claim?

Similarly to “render therefore unto Ceaser,” the dynamics of the sense world depend on the invisible, even as we know from physics. But even that is within the container of the awareness of the observer, as the same physicists now claim. But where, who or what is the observer, and where did that come from? I believe that all of Nature and myself included stem fro a Source beyond our limited powers of observation, so seeing or touching in those terms is irrelevant. I know that there is something infinitely larger than what I could think myself to be, and I believe it is befitting what is to me the Wonder of existence to give a form to my gratitude as that infinitude came from somewhere. But that is a conclusion we each have to come to by observation. And how do you even know you think you don’t believe?

1. If he had said, “Then God is just an idea,” what would your response be?

Of course we have ideas about God. The brain works in symbols. It works with thoughts that come from ideas. but before that, we are aware and use that awareness to manipulate those symbols whoever and wherever we are. We all have that in common, even you and I in our disagreement. That awareness is indifferent to content. It’s abstraction is Consciousness, and no one has ever found the root of that in matter. My belief is that that comes from God, as Consciousness and awareness are before the contents of ideas and thoughts about them. In many traditions that beforeness is called “soul.” If you do the work to perceive your soul, something that can be done, you might approach as well the source of the idea of God. But that is a matter of individual maturity and many choose not to go that way. But then neither can they say there isn’t a God.

 

[Skeptic92]

Hello friends,

Forgive me if there is a thread already like this, I looked for a while and could not find my answer.

Today I was talking to someone who claimed not to believe in God because he cannot touch or see God. I replied, “Then you must not believe in intellectual property, ideas, or reason.”

1. What other “60 seconds or less” responses are there to this kind of claim?
2. If he had said, “Then God is just an idea,” what would your response be?

Thanks and God bless,

1. I can’t see gravity/love, but i definitely believe it exists
2. So’s evolution, but i find less if not the same amount of faith is needed to believe in God, then to believe in Evolution.

 

[In_Spiration]

Hello friends,

Forgive me if there is a thread already like this, I looked for a while and could not find my answer.

Today I was talking to someone who claimed not to believe in God because he cannot touch or see God. I replied, “Then you must not believe in intellectual property, ideas, or reason.”

1. What other “60 seconds or less” responses are there to this kind of claim?

“That’s not why you don’t believe in God, and it’s not even a logically decent excuse. Tell me the real reason, so I can address that.”

1. If he had said, “Then God is just an idea,” what would your response be?

Thanks and God bless,

“It doesn’t follow that God must necessarily be an idea from the mere fact that you believe in ideas without sensible proof. I was obviously attacking your assumption that only the sensible can be known or is worthy of belief. Other than theism, I, for one, suggest you also develop more faith in Reason. I say ‘good day’ to you, sir!”

 

[nicragland]

Thank you for the kind responses

 

[tonyrey]

If he had said, “Then God is just an idea,” what would your response be?

“Your idea that God is an idea is just an idea!”