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TheGarg
Guest
God does not Will anyone to take thier last breath…we take out last breath because we are fallen and when our Parents fell from Grace, Death entered the world.
it is a product of our own free will, which God gave us.
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it is a product of our own free will, which God gave us.
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4tomorrow
Guest
all I have to do is take one look at my daughter. a miracle must have created her!
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Rebecca_New
Guest
I was raining slightly, enough to make the roads very slippery and dangerous. My ex-husband had been drinking and I was not aware of just how much before he got behind the wheel. My children were in the van with us and we were pulling our boat on a trailer. He was going too slow down a very steep hill and our van was being pushed by the trailer-we were going to go over the edge of a steep cliff and I cried out “Dear God in Heavan, please help us!” Somehow the van was lowered to the ground and the trailer stopped pushing us. It was the Hand of God. My love and gratitude has been growing ever since. I have no doubt that it was God who saved us. Thank you Father, through Your Son, Jesus Christ.
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TheGarg
Guest
What a wonderful story of Actual Grace!!!
Peace be to you!!
M
mpeterdc
Guest
Thank you very much for your enthusiastic response. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. Although I cannot say that I’ve been converted to theism, I have been touched by some of your responses and you’ve all given me a few ideas to ponder. I’m sure I will get something positive from it.
Once again, I appreciate it.
All the best.
Pete
Once again, I appreciate it.
All the best.
Pete
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ribozyme
Guest
Well, do not abandon your skepticism or instantly give in to your emotional desires. Always apply critical thinking and reasoning in this intellectual journey. If you do this, I will have little reason to look at your choice with contempt (whether you choice to believe in God or not), but rather respect.
I wish you the best of luck
I wish you the best of luck
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mark_a
Guest
The historical Jesus.
The historical Church.
The big bang.
The unsolvable mystery of the Trinity.
Basic human good will, the search for truth, and the longing to know God.
The desire to live forever and spend eternity with my family (I think).
C
contemplative
Guest
mpeterdc,
Have you read C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity? I suggest you do.
“Lord,” answered Simon Peter, "who else should we go to?
Have you read C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity? I suggest you do.
John 6:68 sums it up for me.
“Lord,” answered Simon Peter, "who else should we go to?
M
mpeterdc
Guest
ribozyme, thank you for wishing me luck. Please do not mistake my positive predisposition for giving into my emotional desires or some other form of irrationality. I am a human being and I enjoy interacting with others, regardless of conviction. Although “atheist” is the label that best describes me, I only accept it reluctantly, as I find myself diametrically opposed to many other atheists in my convictions and philosophies, in which I share more common ground with Christians, so neither my positive predisposition nor my seeking to understand them should come as a surprise. I am intrigued as to how I reach similar conclusions to Christians, whose mindset is foreign to me, and through a glimpse into the Christian way of thinking, I hope I can discover the premises and assumptions we share, and see to what extent the rationality behind various Christian convictions is compatible with mine. I do not have the intention to change my beliefs, but I am open to learning new things, and I wish to see the merits of the arguments (both rational and experiential) for the existence of God and evaluate them individually in the hope of learning something worthwhile. Philosophical arguments for or against can be googled with ease, but I also want to know other people’s personal experiences and individual reasoning, and I am most pleased by the varied responses I received
contemplative, I haven’t read Mere Christianity yet, although it has been recommended before, and I did intend on reading it. Thanks for the reminder.
Pete
contemplative, I haven’t read Mere Christianity yet, although it has been recommended before, and I did intend on reading it. Thanks for the reminder.
Pete
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Gilbert_Keith
Guest
*If you were a polytheist or pantheist, what made you believe that there was one personal God?
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*HOPE!
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*HOPE!
*
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jmcrae
Guest
Yesterday when I was at Mass, while I was just sitting and waiting for the Mass to begin, I was feeling a little bit lonely and depressed for some reason, and all of a sudden a Chinese lady came over, put her arm around me, and started praying for me - she said exactly the prayer that I needed at that moment.
Then she went back and sat down where she was before. without saying anything else. Later after the Mass was over, I asked her what prompted that, and she said, “God told me you needed that.” Simple as that.
Yes, there is definitely a God.
Then she went back and sat down where she was before. without saying anything else. Later after the Mass was over, I asked her what prompted that, and she said, “God told me you needed that.” Simple as that.
Yes, there is definitely a God.
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ribozyme
Guest
Well, presumably you attend Mass daily, right, as yesterday was a Tuesday?Yesterday when I was at Mass, while I was just sitting and waiting for the Mass to begin, I was feeling a little bit lonely and depressed for some reason, and all of a sudden a Chinese lady came over, put her arm around me, and started praying for me - she said exactly the prayer that I needed at that moment.
Then she went back and sat down where she was before. without saying anything else. Later after the Mass was over, I asked her what prompted that, and she said, “God told me you needed that.” Simple as that.
Yes, there is definitely a God.
J
jmcrae
Guest
Yes, I do.
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ribozyme
Guest
Well, I do believe that one should not rely on subjective experiences for evidence. For example, does anyone here believe that people were abducted by UFOs? Some people claim that they were. You should always remain skeptical, much like Thomas. Just do not give up that quality during your question for knowledge.
Best wishes.
J
jmcrae
Guest
That’s a good point. History, corroborating stories, and verifiable experiences are also really important.
I have no way of knowing whether this has actually happened to anyone, or not, since I have absolutely no reliable information about UFOs, either to say that they exist, or not, and if they exist, how they would be likely to behave.
Of course, as soon as Thomas received the information he needed, he fell to his knees and said, “My Lord and my God.”
One should seek information with the intent of finding it - not with the intent of remaining a “seeker” for the rest of one’s life.
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ribozyme
Guest
Well, personal testimonies go both ways, why does one have to be exposed only to the testimony of Catholics. For balance, it is best for one to read the testimony of apostates; for example, A Salvation story.That’s a good point. History, corroborating stories, and verifiable experiences are also really important.
…
Of course, as soon as Thomas received the information he needed, he fell to his knees and said, “My Lord and my God.”
One should seek information with the intent of finding it - not with the intent of remaining a “seeker” for the rest of one’s life.
I still have my reasons to retain skepticism though. I do not have the information I need.
J
jmcrae
Guest
Other than a few of the details, I could think that my aunt wrote that story - she, too, was raised in a very Fundamentalist environment, and became an atheist when she went to college.
The problem with Fundamentalist religion is that it is very shallow - it crumbles in the face of the sorts of questions that young adults have - being a man-made religion, it doesn’t (ironically) deal very well with the human equation.
Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. God knows your heart, and you will be okay - just let Him do His thing, and don’t go in with any preconceived ideas.
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Gilbert_Keith
Guest
ribozyme
Well, I do believe that one should not rely on subjective experiences for evidence.
This is the usual atheist/agnostic attack. Religion is all subjective and cannot be verified.
But it’s a self-defeating attack. Religion by its nature requires the subjective approach, not flight. The atheist/agnostic cannot see or experience the truths of religion because he will not allow himself to get close enough to grow into those truths. This is evidenced in the fact that atheism/agnosticism is commonly found in those who became atheists or agnostics at an early age … their spiritual development was severely retarded or killed outright. They spend the rest of their lives trying to justify that choice … which in itself is proof that they are not sure of their choice and need constant reassuring by knocking other people’s beliefs.
Even a scientist will allow a subjective thought to enter his head and play with it in hopes of something being clarified sooner or later. Not so the atheist.
No God, case closed.
Well, I do believe that one should not rely on subjective experiences for evidence.
This is the usual atheist/agnostic attack. Religion is all subjective and cannot be verified.
But it’s a self-defeating attack. Religion by its nature requires the subjective approach, not flight. The atheist/agnostic cannot see or experience the truths of religion because he will not allow himself to get close enough to grow into those truths. This is evidenced in the fact that atheism/agnosticism is commonly found in those who became atheists or agnostics at an early age … their spiritual development was severely retarded or killed outright. They spend the rest of their lives trying to justify that choice … which in itself is proof that they are not sure of their choice and need constant reassuring by knocking other people’s beliefs.
Even a scientist will allow a subjective thought to enter his head and play with it in hopes of something being clarified sooner or later. Not so the atheist.
No God, case closed.
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ribozyme
Guest
No, the problem of subjective experiences is that they could support anything. Why should I have priority over the testimony of Catholic, than let’s say one who claimed to be abducted by a UFO. Why should I believe the Catholic’s testimony contains truth, while that of the apostate whose testimony I have linked is incorrect. She sincerely wanted to believe in God, but God did not answer her, and now she is an atheist.
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I_question_God
Guest
Well I have been going to the zoo for 6 dern years and the same apes and monkeys havent turned to men just yet …
no but in all seriousness, something tells me all of this earth, and creations did not come from 1 organism.
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