S
sadiebelle
Guest
I’m on a journey. Please be kind.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses in advance.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses in advance.
- Status
D
DavidFilmer
Guest
Well, I’m being kind, but you’re gonna have to be a little more specific.
Why does a parent care if our children believe that 1+1=2? Or that the set of positive integers is numerically equal to the set of real numbers? Or that E=MC[sup]2[/sup]. Or that force is equal to mass times acceleration? Or that Oxygen has eight protons?
(OK, I’m a science geek, but one could formulate any list of truths in any discipline of knowledge.)
Parents CARE if our children believe TRUTH, and we are worried if we think they believe ERROR. Others care about the same things - schools and universities award degrees upon this understanding. No student could obtain a degree at any respected University if he claimed that Oxygen had 19 protons (that would be potassium).
If HUMANS care about facts, why could we suppose that GOD does not give a fig if we believe either fact or fiction?
And, if God IS, then he is fact. And we ought to believe in him. And, if God is fact, he wants us to believe in what is true.
Why does a parent care if our children believe that 1+1=2? Or that the set of positive integers is numerically equal to the set of real numbers? Or that E=MC[sup]2[/sup]. Or that force is equal to mass times acceleration? Or that Oxygen has eight protons?
(OK, I’m a science geek, but one could formulate any list of truths in any discipline of knowledge.)
Parents CARE if our children believe TRUTH, and we are worried if we think they believe ERROR. Others care about the same things - schools and universities award degrees upon this understanding. No student could obtain a degree at any respected University if he claimed that Oxygen had 19 protons (that would be potassium).
If HUMANS care about facts, why could we suppose that GOD does not give a fig if we believe either fact or fiction?
And, if God IS, then he is fact. And we ought to believe in him. And, if God is fact, he wants us to believe in what is true.
M
MichaelHowling
Guest
Also remember that God IS Love…IS Love.
One of the tendency’s of love is to come to know and be known. Since God is already all knowing, and knows us more than we know ourselves…all that is left is for God to be known (and for us also to know more of ourselves…which in effect is a reflection of God Himself).
AND just to clarify…God does not NEED us to love/know Him. Being God, He is perfect in and of Himself and needs nothing…any less and He wouldin’t be God. It’s just His nature Godhead-Love-Mercy …His very essence pours Himself out to be known.
And being Love…the very act of Him permitted Himself to be known and to be worshipped is for OUR good and for our sake. Isin’t it crazy ! but it’s true!!..it’s a gift to worship Him!
God bless u on your journey
One of the tendency’s of love is to come to know and be known. Since God is already all knowing, and knows us more than we know ourselves…all that is left is for God to be known (and for us also to know more of ourselves…which in effect is a reflection of God Himself).
AND just to clarify…God does not NEED us to love/know Him. Being God, He is perfect in and of Himself and needs nothing…any less and He wouldin’t be God. It’s just His nature Godhead-Love-Mercy …His very essence pours Himself out to be known.
And being Love…the very act of Him permitted Himself to be known and to be worshipped is for OUR good and for our sake. Isin’t it crazy ! but it’s true!!..it’s a gift to worship Him!
God bless u on your journey
T
TiggerS
Guest
God cares very deeply for has made us for Himself - its just the way we are actually constructed, created, and He knows that we will not be truly happy and fulfilled without Him.
F
fhansen
Guest
Because we need Him. Adam basically created unbelief. By rejecting Gods authority he rejected God as his God; Adam became his own God. All humankind thereafter was born without the direct knowledge of and relationship with God that Adam first enjoyed; we were lost, rudderless, going our own way, doing what is right in our own eyes, without knowing where we came from, if anywhere, what we were here for, if anything, and where we are going, if anywhere. Jesus came to bring us back home, back to the Father, revealing Him to us and reconciling Him with us, so we may commune with Him again.
Original sin-both the act and the consequence-is separation from God. Separation from God guarantees disorder, disharmony, division within us and with each other: it makes all other human sin unavoidable as we’ve fallen to a lesser, graceless state, without God apart from Whom we can do nothing. (John 15:5) By His life, words, deeds, passion, death, and resurrection Jesus definitively proves what He should never have had to prove: God’s existence, God’s power, God’s boundless compassion, His uncompromising trustworthiness, goodness, mercy, and immense, unconditional love for man, in spite of our sin, in spite of our aversion to Him.
Restored relationship with God begins with faith, and faith is meant to ultimately lead to full-blown love for God, as well as neighbor, fulfilling the greatest commandments. This, love, is what defines the proper order for man: his righteousness, justice, holiness: his wholeness or integrity. This is the purpose of the New Covenant, prophecied in Jer 31, where God truly becomes the God of man again and He can proceed to mold us, with our cooperation, placing His laws on our hearts and writing them in our minds, His work of salvation in us. We’re all born like prodigal sons, exiled from the Father, needing to come to learn of our need for Him.
C
ClearWater
Guest
Well, you recall how Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eve. Then, they were both told not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, but they disobeyed God and were prideful, wanting to be gods, themselves.
At that moment, they, and us, all suffered from Original Sin. We are born with it, sort of like heredity. God told Adam and Eve were they to ever eat of this fruit, on that day, we would surely die, and that’s true. Before, we didn’t die, get sick, old, and we also had other gifts…called natural and preternatural gifts. During the fall, these gifts were either lost or weakened significantly. We also have a natural tendency towards sin, concupiscence, which we must resist.
Now, we had Abraham come along who was faithful to God to a point that, when asked, Abraham willingly offered his only son, to God. Now, God was only testing him, didn’t require he actually go through with the offering, rewarded Abraham abundantly for his faithfulness to God, saying he’d be blessed. It was from Abraham that came the messiah. God made a covenant with Abraham.
Now, seemingly, the gravity of Original Sin, is something God hard for us even to comprehend. The sin was apparently so grave that the only way to restore our relationship was only through a divine sacrifice. That seemed to be the only way to satisfy divine justice.
Now, Christ went through a lot of trouble to suffer his entire life, be crucified, humiliated, and this is even a worse humiliation since he had humbled himself to the level of man, when he was an innocent man and God!
So, he agreed that he would allow people to be saved of their sins on some conditions. One of the conditions is that people needed to believe. He said that those who are on the side of truth would listen to his voice, that his sheep know him, and he would know them.
God will give us free will, but ultimately, if we reject Christ, that is really our last chance. If we refuse to accept God after all his sacrifices, miracles, and all, we put ourselves outside of the Church, and are trying to do it alone. We CAN’T reach God alone. We absolutely MUST have help! We can only reach God at all through Christ and God’s grace.
Christ told us that the ONLY way now that we could reach God would be through him.
As it is, he’s been giving us chance after chance after chance. Read the Bible. He’s been giving us …first, second…hundredth chances!
He gives us free will, sets in front of us good and evil, sees what we will pick. He made us in his image and likeness. I know some believe we can achieve heaven …without God! So, some will ask why we even need God. However, it’s impossible to reach heaven without God.
Now, some prefer to go without God. That alternative is also available…call hell, in the company of Satan. If we pursue evil, God will let us have evil. He will not force us. He gives us free will. He does NOT want us to choose evil.
Christ set this belief in him as one of his criteria. He said that he who believes would be saved, that he who did not would be condemned.
Christ said evil people will simply refuse to listen to his voice, continue in their evil. Good people would listen and follow him.
Z
zz912
Guest
He created us to be with Him. He wants to pour out His love on us, and to spend eternity with us. He actively wills the existence of every single atom in our bodies at all times. He is active in keeping us in existence.
S
steve_b
Guest
Your religion says “letting go of God”. Is that your journey? Or are you really trying to understand why God cares about us?
If it’s the 2nd point, I would say just focus on the crucified Christ. God the Father gives His son to us. And His son gave His life willingly for us. No one can love another more than giving their life for another. We would have to have ice water in our veins to not love God in return.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/San_Carlos_Borromeo_Cathedral_%28Monterey%2C_CA%29_-interior%2C_crucifix.jpg/458px-San_Carlos_Borromeo_Cathedral%28Monterey%2C_CA%29_-_interior%2C_crucifix.jpg
A
Avila123
Guest
As others have said, God is Love (perfect love - not our imperfect version), he is our creator, our Father. What perfect loving Father would not love His children, would not want to engage in conversation, comfort them when they scrap their knee, teach them to walk and talk, wipe away their tears and prepare them for the future? A perfect loving Father would be heart-broken if their beloved child said “I hate you” and really meant it or “I don’t believe you are my Father” etc.
I also noticed that you had put letting go of god as your religion and like another person am unclear as to where you are coming from.
I understand that Julia Sweeney has started a movement to try to draw people away from God. I feel for her weak faith as she has chosen of her own free will not to seek God but to turn away from Him. She has made her choice (sadly the wrong one) but I dislike very much the fact that she wants to drag others with her.
Another thought is that as you say “God” in your Title but put your religion as letting go of god, I wonder if you are letting go of a god and are seeking “God”?
Or is it, that you are so tired of clinging to God, you wonder what happens if you let go? Not turn away or deny Him, but simply stop holding on so tightly that it is exhausting. If this is it, then you can safely let go as He will not let you fall but will instead carry you until you are refreshed enough to walk with Him again.
A little more information may help us to understand your difficulties and doubts, not to criticize but to be more helpful. There have been a long line of Saints (St Thomas springs to mind) who have had doubts and difficulties so you are in excellent company.
I also noticed that you had put letting go of god as your religion and like another person am unclear as to where you are coming from.
I understand that Julia Sweeney has started a movement to try to draw people away from God. I feel for her weak faith as she has chosen of her own free will not to seek God but to turn away from Him. She has made her choice (sadly the wrong one) but I dislike very much the fact that she wants to drag others with her.
Another thought is that as you say “God” in your Title but put your religion as letting go of god, I wonder if you are letting go of a god and are seeking “God”?
Or is it, that you are so tired of clinging to God, you wonder what happens if you let go? Not turn away or deny Him, but simply stop holding on so tightly that it is exhausting. If this is it, then you can safely let go as He will not let you fall but will instead carry you until you are refreshed enough to walk with Him again.
A little more information may help us to understand your difficulties and doubts, not to criticize but to be more helpful. There have been a long line of Saints (St Thomas springs to mind) who have had doubts and difficulties so you are in excellent company.
G
Genesis315
Guest
As others have mentioned, God is love, and therefore, salvation is that eternal partaking of that communion of love with God. However, since love is not love unless it is freely given and received, one must acknowledge God exists in order to love Him and to be open to His love. When we do not acknowledge that God exists, we cannot enter into that communion of love with Him, and instead we are left alone in the darkness with our sins. God cares that we believe in Him because He desires to saves us from that darkness.
P
Pablopedro
Guest
-Catechism of the Catholic Church
P
Pablopedro
Guest
Sorry I should start at the beginning…
And the great revelation that other posters have again and again mentioned (and quite possibly the most beautiful sentences ever written)
:extrahappy::extrahappy::extrahappy:
J
Judas_Thaddeus
Guest
Well God created out of love, so logically we should love him back.
God has done everything for us, even died on a cross, the least we can do is believe.
F
fisherman_carl
Guest
God created us. Of course he cares. Why would he create something he doesn’t care about? . Don’t you want God to care about us? Or do you think he cares too much?
Saving faith is not belief in God’s existence. It is a transformation of one’s life to God by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
God gives us enough evidence to believe. Most atheists over 75%, are atheists because of emotional reasons. This is according to a study.
We believe because we don’t know everything. That is the nature of being fallible and mortal. In other words we all believe things because we have no other choice because we are limited. If I could see all things then I would not have to believe. I would know all things.
F
fisherman_carl
Guest
God is the source of salvation and eternal life. It would not be loving if God did not care about bringing us to him so we could be saved. Therefore God offers his grace to all. We have free will to choose to a accept it. He doesn’t force us to accept. Because if he coerced us what merit would there be in our belief? But if freely chosen then it is of value.
S
StevenFrancis
Guest
Because He loves us. We are His beloved. The lover wants to be loved by His beloved. After many years of complicated thought, I really have come to believe it’s that simple.
S
sadiebelle
Guest
Thanks for your responses.
I’m still struggling. All of these seem like such small, human feelings and reactions.
I get that he created us. But why does it matter to him who or what gets the credit? Why would god even be concerned about getting credit?
From my perspective, I don’t care if I get the credit for birthing and parenting my children. I just want them to be kind and good. Why would it matter for an infinite being more that a human?
I guess the more that I see of these kinds of answers, the more I feel like maybe God is a human creation rather than the other way around. Why else would he be so petty, just like we are? Jealous, just like we are?
I don’t know. Like I said, I’m on a journey. And the answers I’m getting here, and the discussions I follow have lead me to this place. I’ve been trying so hard to hold on to belief, but I feel him slipping away more and more every day.
I’m still struggling. All of these seem like such small, human feelings and reactions.
I get that he created us. But why does it matter to him who or what gets the credit? Why would god even be concerned about getting credit?
From my perspective, I don’t care if I get the credit for birthing and parenting my children. I just want them to be kind and good. Why would it matter for an infinite being more that a human?
I guess the more that I see of these kinds of answers, the more I feel like maybe God is a human creation rather than the other way around. Why else would he be so petty, just like we are? Jealous, just like we are?
I don’t know. Like I said, I’m on a journey. And the answers I’m getting here, and the discussions I follow have lead me to this place. I’ve been trying so hard to hold on to belief, but I feel him slipping away more and more every day.
C
clmowry
Guest
O
oldcelt
Guest
It’s a terrible feeling, and I speak that from personal experience.
S
steve_b
Guest
Re: the title of the thread, here is why God cares if we believe in Him.
God made us to His image and likeness Genesis 1:26 ] ,
Therefore, It is inconceivable in my mind for God to create someone in His image and likeness and not care about them, nor be indifferent if someone He made to His image and likeness didn’t care about Him in return.
That one for me just doesn’t compute.
btw, “believe” as in faith is only needed this side of eternity. Faith won’t be necessary in heaven. Because we’ll see God face to face
s:
Is this (why does evil exist) your prime issue?
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=7719448&postcount=1
- Status