Well, here’s your conundrum ; the “external” only comes to those who are receptive to the 'internal" so as to strengthen the seed of Faith.
So, I wouldn’t wait around for someone to come tap you on the shoulder and perform signs and wonders exclusively for you.
So why should I try this process with your god instead of any of the other gods or goddesses out there? After all, consider the title of this thread.
[quote=“QuickSilver, post:99, topic:667033”]
The world is full of skeptics but not in numbers anywhere near those of the true believers. Trouble is, they believe so many contradictory things and each one is convinced that they have it right. Surely they can’t all be right.
A remnant of those would likely “be right.”
Believe in doing good, for its own sake. And do it, as best as you can.
You will then be following my God.
“good”?
And for those that already are receptive to it and believe? Do any signs and wonders come your way? I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say no. I feel like it’s a huge limb.
“Try this process” may be good tact when technical or mechanical approaches are being tested, but it doesn’t work that way with God. In fact, it is He who finds us, not the other way around - “few are chosen”
Yes! In fact, I’m sure if you took the time and perused some of the testimonials on many genuine Christian sites, you hear about them by the hundreds. The real question to you would be; would you believe any of them?
LOL. That no “limb” that the trunk of the tree:D
Then why the hell should I follow your god if he does the choosing and few are chosen? I’ll tell you what-if he wants me, he knows where I live. In the meantime, why are you bothering to post in this thread if you don’t want to convince us to follow your god? Did you forget to read the title and/or the OP?
And how do we determine which anecdotes on which Christian sites are genuine?
Yes.
If you want something more specific: you’re sapient, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself. It’s not easy and there’s no shortcuts.
Why I’d believe them like I’d believe all of those testimonials of info-commercials. Conservian, meet Kevin Trudea. He has personal testimonials by the tens of thousands, and if that is all it takes, congratulations, once you buy into his books and special system, you will be a multi-millionaire just like him.
Glad you liked it, but you misunderstand. I’m only concerned with those that do believe now in regards to what special signs or wonders you and they have. Tell us what did it for you. The bible says there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing and that you should test to see if they are truly believers or just pretenders.
Let me guess again, you don’t even bother, you just have to believe with the faith you were born into, and it just so happens to be the faith of your parents. If I’m wrong, at least I’m right a good percentage of the time, in that you generally inherit the same beliefs as your parents, which also depends on geography.
You’re failing to grasp that my initial post was a response indirectly to the OP, only from a very different perspective. I merely posted scripture verses (to another poster) clearly stating that some people - especially skeptics putting out a challenge - have no genuine concern at all about becoming a ‘true believer.’ That, Czarcasm, was posted by me because I believe chasing such ‘challenges’ is a fool’s errand - one that can never be achieved. And that certainly appears to be the case so far, especially judging from the defensive posture you’ve been taking here.
That’s what SHE said!
Knowledge of NT Scripture & Spiritual discernment.
So I would already have to be a believer to judge their worthiness, correct? That makes your advice to razncain absolutely useless.
Are you getting the gist of this “circular reasoning” bit yet?
Since we obviously can’t do the “Spiritual Discernment” part just yet, why don’t you just give us the top four or five sites to check out?
Tis true, I have no desire to become a believer or “true believer” if that makes a difference, in “any faith system” whatsoever. I cannot find a single compelling reason to do so, and just a hell of a lot good reasons not to.
And besides, the challenge wasn’t to convince us to become a “true believer”. The challenge was to convince us to become a “true believer” in the deity you follow, as opposed to all the other deities out there that have their wondrous claims and “true believers”.
As I understand/remember it, “spiritual discernment” is a non-intellectual exercise. You have to feel it in your heart. You just know that it is true. I mean, how else can you expect to discern the difference between a miracle and a coincidence (other than the fact that they are only miracles if your faith is involved, other faiths just have coincidences).