Why we believe in God

[twb1621]

You’ve taken my participation in this thread in the wrong way. Bruno started a thread called “why we believe” and I am interested to know why Catholics believe what they do. I am not looking to be convinced of anything. I’d just like to know what your reasining or evidence is. My doubt is not of interest to this thread.

But in order for you to get your answer “why we believe”, you would have to know what we came to know and how we came to know. That is up to you to look deeper into. That is what I refer to as your responsibility. We can’t write all that out for you, you have to follow the sources offered to you. There is nothing wrong with your questions. The problem is you ask without really wanting the answer. Otherwise you would follow the information and source to find it for yourself. you in fact are the one who is missing out on more than you could ever imagine when it comes to not being able to recognize the love of Christ, not being able to recognize or experience His answers to your prayers or His reassurances when you have that relationship with him. My biggest regret is I was blind of it for so many years before turning to Him. Now I realize the relationship I refused for those years and wished I’d have know sooner. I know what you loose daily because you’re not ready to accept.

 

[twb1621]

You’re correct. I really don’t have an interest in researching the claims of miracles you mentioned. I probably have about the same interest that you do in reasearching all the claims of miracles made by adherents to faiths that you do not profess.

don’t kid yourself.

 

[tomarin]

But in order for you to get your answer “why we believe”, you would have to know what we came to know and how we came to know. That is up to you to look deeper into. That is what I refer to as your responsibility. We can’t write all that out for you, you have to follow the sources offered to you.

Not sure I understand your point. If we can’t offer good reasons for believing what we believe then what are these “sources” going to tell her that’s any different?

Shouldn’t we be able to paraphrase these sources? It sounds like you’re saying that belief is a precondition to having good reasons to believe (or understanding those reasons). I’m not sure that makes any sense.

 

[Leela]

don’t kid yourself.

Does that mean that you actually do have an interest in researching the miraculous claims of Mormons or the millions of followers of Sai Baba?

 

[Charlemagne_II]

Leela

How could you possibly know whether I find meaning in my life? You seem to think that if I don’t find the same meaning in life as you do, then I find no meaning at all. You seem to think that the universe itself or things in it have specific meaning that everyone should agree on. So tell me, what does the universe mean? What does a tree mean? What does a rock mean? What does it mean to say that something means something?

When you say “meaning” are you talking about purpose or are you talking about actions directed toward some end? Obviously, as a human being you are constantly engaged in actions toward some end. You eat because you want to say alive. In that sense it is meaningful for you to stay alive (but notice that meaningful now only means important. Yet all these actions are ultimately meaningless because you yourself (as an atheist) do not believe that evolution is *meaning *oriented … it is randomly ordered with no particular end (teleology) toward which all of creation is directed … except possibly ultimate death and nothingness.

In the Christian view, we are meant (directed) by God toward some specific end … and we agree, or do not agree, to participate in our movement toward that end. Our end is to know God, to be thankful for being created by God, to answer His call to love, and to be with Him forever.

With atheism we are directed to no end but death and nothingness. In that sense we are meaningless accidents of the universe. Suicide then becomes a viable option, and some atheists have considered suicide as a viable exit from a meaningless life.

To the extent that religion has suffered serious setbacks today, especially among the young, you find increase in drug use as a vain escape from the spiritual “nausea” that Sartre, Camus and others talked about constantly as a condition resulting from atheism.

 

[Bruno_Schulz]

**Once upon a time, when it was still of some use to wish for the thing one wanted, there lived a Burgundy snail, happily and in peace in that little bed of lettuce of which she was convinced; that’s all there is.

Her favorite pastime was to say: I don’t need to look any further than my friends and family to find meaning and can find meaning everywhere I look.
So the snail always said, before she retired into her snail shell.

Though all the kings horses and all the kings men explained the escargot other again and again; she insisted to see no farther than the edge of her shell. Well.

So, one beautiful day, when she landed in the saucepan, everybody nodded sufficient and said; now she’s gone and away and her life made some sense after all.
**

 

[Leela]

**Once upon a time, when it was still of some use to wish for the thing one wanted, there lived a Burgundy snail, happily and in peace in that little bed of lettuce of which she was convinced; that’s all there is.

Her favorite pastime was to say: I don’t need to look any further than my friends and family to find meaning and can find meaning everywhere I look.
So the snail always said, before she retired into her snail shell.

Though all the kings horses and all the kings men explained the escargot other again and again; she insisted to see no farther than the edge of her shell. Well.

So, one beautiful day, when she landed in the saucepan, everybody nodded sufficient and said; now she’s gone and away and her life made some sense after all.
**

There once was a man named Uno from the land of Ulz…oh this is so silly. You are really nodding in satisfaction at the idea of me burning in hell, aren’t you? There is something deeply perverse going on here. I’m surprised your fellow Christians haven’t called you on it.