My second challenge: I will believe in God if he can make my compiler work FASTER! I don’t know how many of you are programmers but we are close to releasing a beta demo of our latest game (don’t worry I won’t advertise on the board) and good grief does it take forever to do a full build.
I think what Poly means is that God may choose not to reveal Himself at this time, through this means. It is like many moons ago when I told my friend that I was ending her challenge (after nearly a year of going to church, studying the Bible, etc). She replied “I respect that. I know that God will reveal Himself to you somebody, but I now know it won’t be through me.”
I don’t understand why it is so often assumed that agnostics/aetheists don’t WANT to believe. My life would be much easier if I thought I knew ‘the answer’. I would love to KNOW that sacrifice on Earth will lead me to eternal bliss. On the flip side, given that I have no real evidence for that, I’d hate to delude myself and waste the one life I have hoping for something better.
Willing myself to believe in God is not really going to help. First of all, which God do I command myself to accept? The Christian God? The Marshmallow God? More importantly, how can I trust vague ‘feelings’ of belief when it’s been demonstrated over and over that if I try hard enough, I can probably make myself believe in anything. Is THAT faith?
I was an athiest. I now believe. I feel that God has spoken to me. I am not a fundamentalist. Actually, I like the Episcopalian Church. But I do believe in God.
I liken it to the Grateful Dead . You either get it or you don’t. And who knows what flips the switch.
Lib, I know the answer is obvious, your faith comes from God, but can you expand on that? If your faith comes from God, what role do you see yourself playing in this whole thing?
I can understand why answers might vary. The existence of God drops man from master-of-his-own-destiny to plaything. And, of course, if God exists, but doesn’t give a darn about humans, that’s even worse.
On the other hand, I would much rather know the truth, whatever it is, then continue wondering. And the fact remains, the only way for us to really KNOW the truth is if there IS a god and he reveals himself to us.
So… actually, I would be delighted to learn that God exists and loves us. I would be horrified to learn that God exists and cares about nothing except being worshipped. Either way, I would be better off knowing the truth and choosing what to do about it (as opposed to finding out when I’m dead and it’s too late).
I’m pretty sure we SAW the Marshmellow god. He’s also known as Gozer the Destroyer, and he wiped out the better part of Manhattan in that famous documentary, “Ghostbusters”.
Actually, Niccolo Macchiavelli, of all people to quote in a theological debate, had the best possible answer to the question of whose volition counts in this situation:
As for Mullinator’s point:
It does sound like something a Jesuit might write!
So, you are translating Chapter 8 of John, and you get “Before Abraham, I am”. You found this to be enlightening.
…fill in the blank…
You allowed God to fill you with faith.
It is the …fill in the blank… part I am having trouble understanding. Are you saying that “Before Abraham, I am” is 100% proof of God? That there is no leap of faith for you from this evidence of God to absolute certainty in God? I don’t understand.
In a sense, I suppose. My will, with respect to my life, trumps His.
Glitch:
It wasn’t proof, but it was utterly convincing to me. Enough so that I said, “Wow, you really are God.” I decided then to give myself to Him. That was when I died. Then I was reborn. This time with faith.
Of course, you were tripping at the time…
Anyway, as to the original question: yes, I could. I don’t want to, but I’m fully capable of assuming a viewpoint and defending it whatever the reasons. It’s just that I don’t.
