Why is God a Christian/Hebrew God?

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A few weeks back I was debating an atheist using the first cause argument for the existence of God. To make a long story short, I basically convinced him that he was not an atheist but agnostic. I would consider that a step in the right direction. At the end of the debate he posed the question, “Why would God be a Christian/Hebrew God and not a God revealed by Hindus or other God of Abraham based regions”?

So, if you go from “no god” to “God”, how to you get from “God” to the “God of Abraham”?
 
alms said:
A few weeks back I was debating an atheist using the first cause argument for the existence of God. To make a long story short, I basically convinced him that he was not an atheist but agnostic. I would consider that a step in the right direction. At the end of the debate he posed the question, “Why would God be a Christian/Hebrew God and not a God revealed by Hindus or other God of Abraham based regions”?

So, if you go from “no god” to “God”, how to you get from “God” to the “God of Abraham”?
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Well, if you teach a course in mathematics and only one of the students seems to “get it” and that student is a Christian and goes on to become a teacher of mathematics in a Catholic school and some of those students get it and go on to teach in other Catholic schools, eventually Catholics will have far more precedent for understanding mathematics than the Wicca, or the Pagan, or whoever.

Why would anyone expect total homogeny in the presence of such an egotistical creature as humans?
 
Well, if you teach a course in mathematics and only one of the students seems to “get it” and that student is a Christian and goes on to become a teacher of mathematics in a Catholic school and some of those students get it and go on to teach in other Catholic schools, eventually Catholics will have far more precedent for understanding mathematics than the Wicca, or the Pagan, or whoever.
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Why would anyone expect total homogeny in the presence of such an egotistical creature as humans?
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:confused:
 
Well, i can’t help much if I don’t know the question. I don’t know what alms didn’t understand. It seemed obvious to me. A “debater” persona would have at least asked a pertinent question about my explanation. A simple :confused: - doesn’t really fit a debating mindset/persona.

I certainly wouldn’t WANT everyone to be a debater. Christianity is certainly not based on debate (Judaism comes closer to that, but not even).

It usually isn’t wise for the faithful sheep to try to explain the Shepherds rationale. Wolves make feast and folly from such attempts. :o
 
alms said:
I really meant it as a question. I wasn’t making a claim that I know the anwer to my OP and I’m not looking to debate, but to learn. If it does lead to a debate, then okay.
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That isn’t what I meant.

I mean that you only posed that you didn’t understand my response to your question, but didn’t give me any clue as to what part of it that you didn’t understand. You mentioned that you were debating someone else. In debating anyone, it is imperative that you try to make yourself clear, even if you merely want to say that you don’t understand something said.

What didn’t you understand in my response? :o
 
alms said:
A few weeks back I was debating an atheist using the first cause argument for the existence of God. To make a long story short, I basically convinced him that he was not an atheist but agnostic. I would consider that a step in the right direction. At the end of the debate he posed the question, “Why would God be a Christian/Hebrew God and not a God revealed by Hindus or other God of Abraham based regions”?

So, if you go from “no god” to “God”, how to you get from “God” to the “God of Abraham”?
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You don’t. If God is a “Hebrew/Christian God”, then who is God for the rest of humanity? God is the God of all, the entirety of creation, of all people. God is even the God of agnostics and atheists.
 
chaunceygardner said:
You don’t. If God is a “Hebrew/Christian God”, then who is God for the rest of humanity? God is the God of all, the entirety of creation, of all people. God is even the God of agnostics and atheists.
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I think that alms meant, “How do you convince someone that the particular God of the Hebrew is the real God and not the others proposed by other faiths?”
 
“How do you convince someone that the particular God of the Hebrew is the real God and not the others proposed by other faiths?”
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Yes. That’s what I meant. Sorry I wasn’t clear.
 
alms said:
Yes. That’s what I meant. Sorry I wasn’t clear.
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Different people have different mindsets, different impetus for believing in things. Getting involved in the subject matter is pretty imperative, but to what degree and in what manner is different for different people.

If a person is much like the pseudo-intellectual atheist, then he would need careful guided study of concepts and definitions, and how they relate to Biblical concerns. But if more like the emotional type, easily distracted and persuaded by activities, then literally being baptized into the “water” as John was demonstrating would probably do the trick.

There isn’t a single answer as to how to convince everyone of a truth for the same reason you cannot speak merely one language and expect everyone to understand what you said. You have to tailor what you do to your actual situation, “allow the spirit to guide you”. But of course, that requires that you have “good contact”, I guess. :o

Basically, he needs to study and/or get involved in order to finally see why the Hebrew God is the One. The others cannot make such a claim and support it logically even though they use a type of baptizing also.

{well, there IS a way. It’s just that no one is doing it} 😦
 
alms said:
A few weeks back I was debating an atheist using the first cause argument for the existence of God. To make a long story short, I basically convinced him that he was not an atheist but agnostic. I would consider that a step in the right direction. At the end of the debate he posed the question, “Why would God be a Christian/Hebrew God and not a God revealed by Hindus or other God of Abraham based religions”?
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A false dilemma! There is only one God Who has revealed Himself in many different ways but most fully in Jesus…
So, if you go from “no god” to “God”, how do you get from “God” to the “God of Abraham”?
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By many different routes! The truth shines by its own light…
 
James_S_Saint said:
Well, i can’t help much if I don’t know the question. I don’t know what alms didn’t understand. It seemed obvious to me. A “debater” persona would have at least asked a pertinent question about my explanation. A simple :confused: - doesn’t really fit a debating mindset/persona.

I certainly wouldn’t WANT everyone to be a debater. Christianity is certainly not based on debate (Judaism comes closer to that, but not even).

It usually isn’t wise for the faithful sheep to try to explain the Shepherds rationale. Wolves make feast and folly from such attempts. :o
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Thank you for explaining to me:)
 
alms said:
A few weeks back I was debating an atheist using the first cause argument for the existence of God. To make a long story short, I basically convinced him that he was not an atheist but agnostic. I would consider that a step in the right direction. At the end of the debate he posed the question, “Why would God be a Christian/Hebrew God and not a God revealed by Hindus or other God of Abraham based regions”?

So, if you go from “no god” to “God”, how to you get from “God” to the “God of Abraham”?
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Because Abraham was the first person to understand who God is, and to respond by making a sacrifice to Him.
 
Is there a faith other than the Judaeo-Christian tradition which claims one, eternal, all powerful, all good, all loving, all merciful, all just, omnipresent, prime being creating and sustaining the world, having within his one divine nature three persons?
 
alms said:
A few weeks back I was debating an atheist using the first cause argument for the existence of God. To make a long story short, I basically convinced him that he was not an atheist but agnostic. I would consider that a step in the right direction. At the end of the debate he posed the question, “Why would God be a Christian/Hebrew God and not a God revealed by Hindus or other God of Abraham based regions”?

So, if you go from “no god” to “God”, how to you get from “God” to the “God of Abraham”?
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Look, god is the reality, religions are just fasade. If anyone knows love well enough he is free to experience god. When love is in you, you are within god, ask a question, intend a miracle, etc…

Love is the meditation, and god is the contemplation.

You have a powerful friend closer than you think. If you must be certain that god ‘exists’, just ask for a miracle big enough to satisfy your curiosity. Jesus recommended the miracle which is best, seek to enter the kingdom of god. When you arrive, you know, the world will seem new, because you will be reborn…

Go with god…
 
Hi alms,

The question in your OP is something I can personally relate to, since “how do you go from theism in general to Christianity in particular?” was something I often asked myself about eight years ago. With that said, I believe a compelling case can be made that God has revealed Himself in a special way through Jesus Christ, as is evidenced by his resurrection from the dead. You might start by listening to some lectures. veritas.org/media/talks/615. This talk is by Gary Habermas, who champions what is known as the “minimal facts approach.”

I also recommend reading some books on the resurrection. Habermas and Licona have written an excellent popular text, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus:amazon.com/Case-Resurrection-Jesus-Gary-Habermas/dp/0825427886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262243223&sr=1-1

You may find these sources helpful. 🙂
 
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