great question…for some, this concept may be hard to understand, and that’s ok, but that’s why we call our religion a FAITH, no? Believing without seeing!
Anyways, I remember my priest talking about this subject, and there’s one thing you have to remember: FOR EVERY CREATION, THERE’S A CREATOR. For every bridge that was ever built, a master engineer (prob an Egyptian) came up with the blueprints: P. For every meal you ate, mama must have been working hard in the kitchen…with me so far?
So, if there’s existence, should there not have been a creator behind all of it? Ok, and this is prob where ppl may tell you that BY CHANCE a bunch of reactions occurred that resulted in a bunch of cells that eventually formed a LIVING organism which later evolved into other forms of life! Well, this cannot be true. From empty space with no force, no matter, no energy, and no intelligence, there is no way that matter can become existent. Even if this could happen by some strange new process unknown to science today, there is yet another problem. In order for matter to come out of nothing, all of our scientific laws dealing with the conservation of matter/energy would have to be wrong, right? I also remember reading this some time ago concerning the second law of thermodynamics which says that in any closed system, things tend to become disordered. If an automobile is driven for years and years without repair, (for example) it will become so disordered that it would not run any more. Getting old is another example. In space, things also get old. If the universe is everything that ever was or is or ever will be, nothing could be added to it to improve its order or repair it. Even a universe that expands and collapses and expands again forever would die because it would lose light and heat each time it expanded and recovered. So, if the universe can manage to remain looking the way it did several thousands of years ago, do you not think someone had marvelously created it? God obviously wanted us to know that he was the creator, b/c He says it in the beginning of the Holy Bible so that we may be assured. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God is described as the creator of time and space; He is the BEGINNING and the end. He created the universe, but whether the big bang theory or theories on dimensions is true, it’s not relevant because it does not provide us with enough framework towards understanding the creation of the universe. God may have allowed several phenomena to occur, but it’s not say that our world began from RANDOM episodes. Below I’ve added a few verses pertaining to the subject of God’s existence: - 1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” - 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” - 1 John 4:12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” - Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” - 2 Peter 3 10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up ” I hope I helped, ask me if you need me to clarify anything, or if you still don’t think I’ve given you enough proof….Take care, GB++
Your question was "How do we know there is a God?" and you also said that you believe there is a God but you need more proof. How can this be that you believe that there is a God and Id also like to add that he isnt just any God but he is Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ to Him is all glory, and yet you require more proof??... He is the same God that sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to endure all pain and suffering for our salvation. And after all that pain and suffering, are we going to say we need more proof?? What more proof do we need?? We have our proof, "The Bible". We musnt doubt and be like Thomas.We dont need to see to believe. We Chirstians are of God and the rest of the world lies under the slay of the wicked... We know there is a God because we are His children... We dont need proof.... He is our proof... [glow=red,2,300]+God Bless+ [/glow]
I have to disagree... I think we are allowed to have doubts at times but we must not quit at that .. keep searching for Him.. we get the proof in our hearts first through reading the word of God especially I like the Psalms and ofcourse the New Testament... and then our faith gets stronger through our mind.. like I might have doubts that God is Jesus Christ and then ill read the psalms and I know inside its true everything tells u its true.. not just the prophecies.. but U just know in your heart that the same person talking in the old testament is Jesus.. but not all questions are answered straight away it depends what stage in your spiritual life ur in.. but there is ALWAYS answers I promise you my brother. Like you might not agree with me coz newbies lol in the christian faith might see the old testament God is angry while Jesus is opposite. Its the Spirit of God inside u that will convince you of everthing. He searches the deeeep things of God and reveals the Son Jesus Christ through all the WORD. Amen. hehe
But I agree that we dont need the scientific proof.. Id like to share what I got from my friend A Guy from another coptic forum.
I think when we do find God, we realize that God totally transcends science, logic, human wisdom, and in fact, does not defy it at all. It's like, if you see a wall and it blocks the whole passage in 3D space, but then when you can see outside three dimensions and actually access the 4th dimension, you can see that there's a real easy way around it... To bring it down to a more manageable level: imagine a 2 dimensional sheet, with two circles on it. If you live in two dimensions and walk around, you'll see these two circules and walk around them etc., and you'll say "there's no way these connect..." However, if you look at the third dimension, you realize it's a donut going through the sheet and the two circles are just where the donut intersects the sheet, but the two circles are totally connected. It's a donut. They are part of the same single donut. You can't see that if you're confined to 2 dimensions, but you can only see it if you're promoted to three dimensions. With this, everyone agrees. I have an additional point though: as we know God and ask for wisdom, we see that there's NO WAY He defies logic. Some things we may not understand, but anything that seems to defy logic, will eventually appear to us to be just a mirage, totally false, if we ask for Wisdom and search.
I'd like to read that einstein paper you're talking about. You all covered many of the arguements so i'd just like to say one thing:
EVERYONE doubts..its just in our nature... so don't feel like you're a bad person, just keep on looking for the truth.... as christopherboctor so eloquently put it.
Its the Spirit of God inside u that will convince you of everthing. He searches the deeeep things of God and reveals the Son Jesus Christ through all the WORD. Amen.
Amen!....Without the living presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our heart,bearing witness with our spirit that the LORD is real,that His Word is true;then all the proofs in the world for Gods existence dont really mean a thing.But since the living God personally dwells in the inner sanctuary of our hearts, we have absolute assurance and peace that God does exist and that He has sent His Son into the world to save us,to give us Life,and when our mortal existence comes to an end,we know that He will bring us safely to that heavenly city, a city made not with human hands,but who's architect and builder is the Creator of the Universe,the great YHWH.
I also agree. To be honest, I don't think ALL the scientific evidence in the world will convince you that there is a God, not the words of abouna, not the words of the Pope, not any book of miracles.. I learned that our words soften the hearts of others but an open heart is not all there is to it. Christ is only he who can reveal himself to you and show you his love. If your really looking for proof, pray and open your heart. All you have to do is to just look around you and look back at all the wonderful things that God has done for you and continues to do. Please don't ask for proof from anyone, only ask him who can reveal it to you. God bless.
Christianity, although many emotionalize it, is a very INTELLECTUAL path. From a scientific perspective, the Bible is amazingly accurate in a lot of things...for the nitty gritty on this topic, go to the above link for sermons by Fr. Athanasius Iskander on this topic. It also explores a lil about big bang evolution etc. ENJOY
If your talking to an athiest...don't use the Bible...remember they don't believe in it...so its like tossing feathers in the wind...Supply the Biblical deman after you were shine light on there athiestic views. First of all. we live in such a world that is in full harmony. a mechanism that in no possiblity could have come about by chance. The human system alone shows the wonders of the mechanism. Then you have the diversity, chance could not have produced the broad band of cultures, races, ethinicities and all the wonders we seem to miss a great deal of the time. Then they might say, how about evolution. Remember the father of evolution is Darwin. No darwanisms main creed is not we came from apes, thats fantical darwinism. It is rather evolution through habituation. That means we adapt to the atomspheric, envrionmental, social, etc... conditions imposed on us by our geographic location, as sch we belive in evolution (a.ka. habituation) after creation. hope that helps
You are talking about believing or not believing in A god.....atleast that is what your comment says.....there is definately A god....science has proven it over and over...and over.....etc.... Darwin's theory is just that....a theory......a theory with no proof.....actually, this theory is under such heavy fire by scientists and religious groups alike that the (American and Canadian) government wants to take it out of the cirriculium...(...I have a feeling I spelt that wrong...). ***READ DARWINS DEMISE or go to this
Big bang theory in itself proves that there must be A god....for nething to move it must have a force being exerted on it....(law of inertia, if something is at rest it will stay at rest ) ....(for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, therefore there must have been an action that created the bang.....a god who has no begining and ...as our religion teaches us...has no end...) in a more philosohical approach... you come to learn things through the knowledge of others.....you know what a ship is because someone pointed at one and said.."this is a ship"....same with "doll" you know what a doll is cuz someone showed one to you.....but what about....."eternity".....it's abstract.....how did your parents know what eternity is.....cuz somone told them....but then how did those other people know....etc...therefore, there must have been something or someone that taught the first people what eternity is....and inoder to teach it...that something must have.. in some way.. experienced it...thus there is A god who is eternal (just as our religion teaches us)
Another way to look at it is through this little story....(I love this story! ;D) There was this Christian guy going for a hair cut to an athiest Barber...and as the Barber was cutting the guys hair...they got into a debate about if God really exists.....the barber argued "How could your God exist! You claim that he is a loving God and yet there are so many people out on the streets and people dieing left right and center! No way! There is no god!" the christian guy had no reply so the guy pays and leaves......but as he's walking out he sees that there are several homeless people out on the streets and they all have beards that are to thier sholders and thier hair is a mess cuz it is dirty and uncut, so the guy goes back in and says to the barber....."Look there are all these people outside that don't have haircuts!" the barber's like....."and..." the guy's says...."so if there are people without haircuts that means that there is no such thing as a barber!" The barber freaks..."What! How can you even think about saying that?! I obviously exist I'm right here infront of you! it's not my fault that they choose to never knock on my door..they've never asked me for help...I'm here! my store is always open, they just never come in!" the customer replies..."exactly" 8) Nice! Can't you hear the sizzle! I love this story cuz I've had people come up to me with the same argument as the Barber and this gets the message across load and clear)
Now the issue after that is not so much is there A god....but is this god the christian God...... I figure it is...the bible is scientifically very accurate....and there have been many times when the Old Test. "stories" have been proven to have occured....Noah's ark (has been seen on Mt. Ararat....the chariots (of the soldiers chasing the isrealites when they were leaving egypt) have been found in the red sea etc..... not only that...but it is a religion that has lasted many trial and tribulations showing how God loves and takes care of his people the miracles that have happened over all the years... it all goes to show that the christian God...is THE GOD.... besides that...Christianity is a religion that is all about faith.....remember ..musterd seed...moving mountains...
don't let doubt cloud your mind....don't try to make things complicated..... God is THE god.....some philosophers do that...they just doubt and in the end the only conclusion that they can come up with is that they doubt....they start thinking that the people around them....the computer screen that i'm looking at....the chair they sit on...it is all a figment of our imagination....my thinking is ...how can you doubt something that you are physically touching....if you can doubt that...you can doubt nething! don't let doubt get a hold of you....don't even let it creep in.....knock it out and say I BELIEVE!
Another way to look at it is through this little story....(I love this story! ;D) There was this Christian guy going for a hair cut to an athiest Barber...and as the Barber was cutting the guys hair...they got into a debate about if God really exists.....the barber argued "How could your God exist! You claim that he is a loving God and yet there are so many people out on the streets and people dieing left right and center! No way! There is no god!" the christian guy had no reply so the guy pays and leaves......but as he's walking out he sees that there are several homeless people out on the streets and they all have beards that are to thier sholders and thier hair is a mess cuz it is dirty and uncut, so the guy goes back in and says to the barber....."Look there are all these people outside that don't have haircuts!" the barber's like....."and..." the guy's says...."so if there are people without haircuts that means that there is no such thing as a barber!" The barber freaks..."What! How can you even think about saying that?! I obviously exist I'm right here infront of you! it's not my fault that they choose to never knock on my door..they've never asked me for help...I'm here! my store is always open, they just never come in!" the customer replies..."exactly" 8) Nice! Can't you hear the sizzle! I love this story cuz I've had people come up to me with the same argument as the Barber and this gets the message across load and clear)
Its a cute story and all but its someone's own free will whether they turn away from sin or not which yes could lead them to a fulfilling life with God and THAT is a connection to the story but people suffering from genocides and diseases, how is that their own free will? i just don't get how it explains THAT sort of suffering but i do think it explains the suffering that comes from sin.
I never thought of it that way.... what I think is that God would never put us into a situation that we can't get out of....with his help we can get through nething...that doesn't mean solving the problem that we are faced with...it just means dealing with it..... ..the reality of the matter is that ALL SUFFERING COMES FROM SIN.....we would have had a perfect life with no disease, hunger etc if we hadn't been kicked out of the garden when we sinned...thus that kind of suffering is from a sin that we still have to deal with..... ..the idea of genocides......that type of suffering also comes from sin.....the sin of the person who committed the crime (genocide is murder.. right...?) ..but then someone can say....that's not the fault of the person suffering.....well....that's when you have to go back to the idea that God would never put us in a situation that we can't deal with. how's that? :-\
The only way to show that there is a God is to show evidence for the resurrection, and therefore showing that Jesus is God. The most logical theories against the resurrection are: 1) The apostles were deceived by hallucination 2) The apostle created a myth 3) The apostles were deceivers 4) Jesus really didnt die on the cross, but was half-dead. You have to disprove these theories then work from there. Every credited scholar agrees that a man named Jesus lived and was crucified. Even the most logical theories against the resurrection can be disproved. Jesus couldn't have survived crucifixion because John witnessed water and blood coming from his side when he was pierced, any medical expert today can tell you he died from asphyxation. If he survived crucifixion he was half-dead, so how can a half-dead man roll a stone from a tomb, overpower Roman guards, and convince the cowardly disciples at the time to preach the gospel. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead why would the disciples die for the something that wasn't really? There was no self-advantage to lye about the gospels the only thing the disciples got out of preaching the gospel was death. Also the Jewish people at the time would have stopped the preaching of the disciples by coming up with Jesus's body, but they never did. But what if the discples hallucinated the whole resurrection? That's not logical because there were to many eyewitnesses that saw Jesus, 500 saw Christ at one gathering. If 500 people saw Elvis at different times you can say maybe they were hallucinating, but if 500 people say Elvis at the same time that evidence can be taken seriously. Hallunications don't last for 40 days, they last for minutes, hallucinations don't have bodies and they do not eat, but Jesus ate with the disciples and they touched him. If it was a hallunication why was Jesus's body missing from the tomb. But what if the gospels are myths? Any literary scholar who knows and appreciates myths can verify that the gospels are not myths. The gospels were written at different times yet are not identical, but are similar in substance proving that it was not a forgery. And again why would the disciples die for a make-up story. Have you ever heard of a fiction novelists dying for their wirttings? No! The disciples were tortured and it would have all stopped if they renounced their faith or said that the whole thing was a myth and not real. We know that God exists because we know that Jesus is God we know that Jesus is God because of what the gospels said, and we know the gospels are true because of the logical evidence that supports it. I think you should read the Pope's book "the contemplation on the resurrection." And try reading books on why the resurrection and the gospels are real, because most books trying to explain how God exists, don't really convince me, but by proving the resurrection you know that not ownly God exists, but that the Christian faith is the true faith. I hope this helps.
Hey sixstringsoul, That was a really nice story- love it!
You stated that "all suffering comes from sin" and i would humbly like to disagree with that point- if i may...
One of our preists came and talked to us in a servant's meeting about suffering...
He said to us "What would you tell someone that's ill and suffering (perhaps from a disease or a fractured limb or somthing)? How would you comfort them or explain to them the reason they are suffering?" He gave us a few senarios on what some people would say- stuff like "It is God's will" or "He is just testing you" or "He is trying to strengthen your faith"... and he said that some people will say "You porbably did somthing wrong and you're being punished"... and my preist said that the last statement is probably the worst (because it'll cause the person to be even sadder) and most untrue thing you can say to someone....
True, suffering does come partly from sin, but not everytime one suffers its because of sin.
As mentioned above, perhaps God is permitting one to suffer to strengthen their faith, or maybe even to show His Glory through them.... Suffering altogether- as hard as it may believe- is nothing less than Glorious. When suffering in Christ, it is Glory... especially if God is testing one's faith or trying to strengthen one's dependance on Him...
Through suffering, Christ shines through the one suffering if they let them... (which i believe is also why many saints welcome suffering [by that i mean illness], as in the example of Fr. Pishoy Kamel who accepted cancer for God's Glory) True, not everyone that suffers is Christian and thats why to them it is real suffering... but those that are Christian that suffer... its not really suffering... its more of trials and victories (hope that wasnt too confusing)
So basically i wanted to say... although some suffering does come from sin, not ALL suffering is from sin...
Hope you dont mind those comments i made...if i offended you (or anyone here) im sorry... its just my view on this....
k..cool..i like it...that was explained really well ....i get it and i take it back.....not all suffering comes from sin... I liked the part where you said that to the people who are not christian it is suffering, but to the christian it is a way to glorify the big G. thanks CrazyCopt i didn't really mean to say that ppl who have disease must have done something wrong...but once you put it that way..I guess that's what I was basically saying....sorry.... I think i have to learn humility in my answers and not be so direct...you know..think about my answers more.... I'm a newbie...I'm learning!
I think my answer to cremedelescremes's concern should have been that it's just an analogy..and it has it's limitations....maybe that's a little better...
hey, you have great answers! so far i've liked what i've read in your posts (and im sure others did too).... and i know i'll continue to like them ;) .... just because i might have a different idea doesnt mean you dont have good answers ;)... its just me... i get a bit wierd lol
I just have a story may it help us to know few things:
the story say:(execuse my spiling mistakes) Once there was a monk...and he saw a 2 feuneral for tow dead people . the first one was for a verey rich man and the second on was for a verey poor man . the one for the rich man was alot of important people there and it was nice and organized and it cost alot of money.
and the one for the poor man was no people at all and the animals on the street it start pie and touch the body for the poor man. the monk he ask god : oh god why that happen it is not fare?
God explain for the monk and told him that: " the rich man was a verey bad man and sinner he did not do any good things in his life only one time he give a poor child some food insted of throught away so that's why he got a nice feuneral it's his reward.
and the poor man was a verey good man he use to pray alot and help the people all his life only one time he refused to help an old lady. that's why he got a bad feuneral and the animal pied his body. now (god said ) the poor man in the heaven and the rich man in hell... and the monk he understood and knew it was fare. may that story help us to know how is god thinking . may he bless all of us amin pray for me..
Comments
Anyways, I remember my priest talking about this subject, and there’s one thing you have to remember: FOR EVERY CREATION, THERE’S A CREATOR. For every bridge that was ever built, a master engineer (prob an Egyptian) came up with the blueprints: P. For every meal you ate, mama must have been working hard in the kitchen…with me so far?
So, if there’s existence, should there not have been a creator behind all of it? Ok, and this is prob where ppl may tell you that BY CHANCE a bunch of reactions occurred that resulted in a bunch of cells that eventually formed a LIVING organism which later evolved into other forms of life! Well, this cannot be true. From empty space with no force, no matter, no energy, and no intelligence, there is no way that matter can become existent. Even if this could happen by some strange new process unknown to science today, there is yet another problem. In order for matter to come out of nothing, all of our scientific laws dealing with the conservation of matter/energy would have to be wrong, right?
I also remember reading this some time ago concerning the second law of thermodynamics which says that in any closed system, things tend to become disordered. If an automobile is driven for years and years without repair, (for example) it will become so disordered that it would not run any more. Getting old is another example. In space, things also get old. If the universe is everything that ever was or is or ever will be, nothing could be added to it to improve its order or repair it. Even a universe that expands and collapses and expands again forever would die because it would lose light and heat each time it expanded and recovered. So, if the universe can manage to remain looking the way it did several thousands of years ago, do you not think someone had marvelously created it?
God obviously wanted us to know that he was the creator, b/c He says it in the beginning of the Holy Bible so that we may be assured. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God is described as the creator of time and space; He is the BEGINNING and the end. He created the universe, but whether the big bang theory or theories on dimensions is true, it’s not relevant because it does not provide us with enough framework towards understanding the creation of the universe. God may have allowed several phenomena to occur, but it’s not say that our world began from RANDOM episodes. Below I’ve added a few verses pertaining to the subject of God’s existence:
- 1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
- 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love”
- 1 John 4:12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
- Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
- 2 Peter 3 10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up ”
I hope I helped, ask me if you need me to clarify anything, or if you still don’t think I’ve given you enough proof….Take care, GB++
[glow=red,2,300]+God Bless+ [/glow]
God Bless!
I think when we do find God, we realize that God totally transcends science, logic, human wisdom, and in fact, does not defy it at all. It's like, if you see a wall and it blocks the whole passage in 3D space, but then when you can see outside three dimensions and actually access the 4th dimension, you can see that there's a real easy way around it... To bring it down to a more manageable level: imagine a 2 dimensional sheet, with two circles on it. If you live in two dimensions and walk around, you'll see these two circules and walk around them etc., and you'll say "there's no way these connect..." However, if you look at the third dimension, you realize it's a donut going through the sheet and the two circles are just where the donut intersects the sheet, but the two circles are totally connected. It's a donut. They are part of the same single donut. You can't see that if you're confined to 2 dimensions, but you can only see it if you're promoted to three dimensions. With this, everyone agrees. I have an additional point though: as we know God and ask for wisdom, we see that there's NO WAY He defies logic. Some things we may not understand, but anything that seems to defy logic, will eventually appear to us to be just a mirage, totally false, if we ask for Wisdom and search.
ok theres an article that i have to look up for u, its true and it has Albert Instine,
its him arguing with his perfessor and well the outcome is a scientific explanation of why there is a god withought question.
but um if anyone was at the boston retreat 2004, can someone plz find the papers emnmanuel wrote(they were AWSOME) tey will realy convince u
EVERYONE doubts..its just in our nature... so don't feel like you're a bad person, just keep on looking for the truth.... as christopherboctor so eloquently put it.
Amen!....Without the living presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our heart,bearing witness with our spirit that the LORD is real,that His Word is true;then all the proofs in the world for Gods existence dont really mean a thing.But since the living God personally dwells in the inner sanctuary of our hearts, we have absolute assurance and peace that God does exist and that He has sent His Son into the world to save us,to give us Life,and when our mortal existence comes to an end,we know that He will bring us safely to that heavenly city, a city made not with human hands,but who's architect and builder is the Creator of the Universe,the great YHWH.
Christianity, although many emotionalize it, is a very INTELLECTUAL path. From a scientific perspective, the Bible is amazingly accurate in a lot of things...for the nitty gritty on this topic, go to the above link for sermons by Fr. Athanasius Iskander on this topic. It also explores a lil about big bang evolution etc. ENJOY
its called faith habiby
FAITH!!!!!!!!!! ;D
Darwin's theory is just that....a theory......a theory with no proof.....actually, this theory is under such heavy fire by scientists and religious groups alike that the (American and Canadian) government wants to take it out of the cirriculium...(...I have a feeling I spelt that wrong...). ***READ DARWINS DEMISE or go to this
http://www.darwinsdemise.com/ (it's REALLY good and it's easy to understand...)
Big bang theory in itself proves that there must be A god....for nething to move it must have a force being exerted on it....(law of inertia, if something is at rest it will stay at rest ) ....(for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, therefore there must have been an action that created the bang.....a god who has no begining and ...as our religion teaches us...has no end...)
in a more philosohical approach... you come to learn things through the knowledge of others.....you know what a ship is because someone pointed at one and said.."this is a ship"....same with "doll" you know what a doll is cuz someone showed one to you.....but what about....."eternity".....it's abstract.....how did your parents know what eternity is.....cuz somone told them....but then how did those other people know....etc...therefore, there must have been something or someone that taught the first people what eternity is....and inoder to teach it...that something must have.. in some way.. experienced it...thus there is A god who is eternal (just as our religion teaches us)
Another way to look at it is through this little story....(I love this story! ;D)
There was this Christian guy going for a hair cut to an athiest Barber...and as the Barber was cutting the guys hair...they got into a debate about if God really exists.....the barber argued "How could your God exist! You claim that he is a loving God and yet there are so many people out on the streets and people dieing left right and center! No way! There is no god!" the christian guy had no reply so the guy pays and leaves......but as he's walking out he sees that there are several homeless people out on the streets and they all have beards that are to thier sholders and thier hair is a mess cuz it is dirty and uncut, so the guy goes back in and says to the barber....."Look there are all these people outside that don't have haircuts!" the barber's like....."and..." the guy's says...."so if there are people without haircuts that means that there is no such thing as a barber!" The barber freaks..."What! How can you even think about saying that?! I obviously exist I'm right here infront of you! it's not my fault that they choose to never knock on my door..they've never asked me for help...I'm here! my store is always open, they just never come in!" the customer replies..."exactly" 8)
Nice! Can't you hear the sizzle!
I love this story cuz I've had people come up to me with the same argument as the Barber and this gets the message across load and clear)
Now the issue after that is not so much is there A god....but is this god the christian God......
I figure it is...the bible is scientifically very accurate....and there have been many times when the Old Test. "stories" have been proven to have occured....Noah's ark (has been seen on Mt. Ararat....the chariots (of the soldiers chasing the isrealites when they were leaving egypt) have been found in the red sea etc.....
not only that...but it is a religion that has lasted many trial and tribulations showing how God loves and takes care of his people
the miracles that have happened over all the years...
it all goes to show that the christian God...is THE GOD....
besides that...Christianity is a religion that is all about faith.....remember ..musterd seed...moving mountains...
don't let doubt cloud your mind....don't try to make things complicated..... God is THE god.....some philosophers do that...they just doubt and in the end the only conclusion that they can come up with is that they doubt....they start thinking that the people around them....the computer screen that i'm looking at....the chair they sit on...it is all a figment of our imagination....my thinking is ...how can you doubt something that you are physically touching....if you can doubt that...you can doubt nething! don't let doubt get a hold of you....don't even let it creep in.....knock it out and say I BELIEVE!
Another way to look at it is through this little story....(I love this story! ;D)
There was this Christian guy going for a hair cut to an athiest Barber...and as the Barber was cutting the guys hair...they got into a debate about if God really exists.....the barber argued "How could your God exist! You claim that he is a loving God and yet there are so many people out on the streets and people dieing left right and center! No way! There is no god!" the christian guy had no reply so the guy pays and leaves......but as he's walking out he sees that there are several homeless people out on the streets and they all have beards that are to thier sholders and thier hair is a mess cuz it is dirty and uncut, so the guy goes back in and says to the barber....."Look there are all these people outside that don't have haircuts!" the barber's like....."and..." the guy's says...."so if there are people without haircuts that means that there is no such thing as a barber!" The barber freaks..."What! How can you even think about saying that?! I obviously exist I'm right here infront of you! it's not my fault that they choose to never knock on my door..they've never asked me for help...I'm here! my store is always open, they just never come in!" the customer replies..."exactly" 8)
Nice! Can't you hear the sizzle!
I love this story cuz I've had people come up to me with the same argument as the Barber and this gets the message across load and clear)
Its a cute story and all but its someone's own free will whether they turn away from sin or not which yes could lead them to a fulfilling life with God and THAT is a connection to the story but people suffering from genocides and diseases, how is that their own free will? i just don't get how it explains THAT sort of suffering but i do think it explains the suffering that comes from sin.
what I think is that God would never put us into a situation that we can't get out of....with his help we can get through nething...that doesn't mean solving the problem that we are faced with...it just means dealing with it.....
..the reality of the matter is that ALL SUFFERING COMES FROM SIN.....we would have had a perfect life with no disease, hunger etc if we hadn't been kicked out of the garden when we sinned...thus that kind of suffering is from a sin that we still have to deal with.....
..the idea of genocides......that type of suffering also comes from sin.....the sin of the person who committed the crime (genocide is murder.. right...?) ..but then someone can say....that's not the fault of the person suffering.....well....that's when you have to go back to the idea that God would never put us in a situation that we can't deal with.
how's that? :-\
The only way to show that there is a God is to show evidence for the resurrection, and therefore showing that Jesus is God. The most logical theories against the resurrection are: 1) The apostles were deceived by hallucination 2) The apostle created a myth 3) The apostles were deceivers 4) Jesus really didnt die on the cross, but was half-dead. You have to disprove these theories then work from there.
Every credited scholar agrees that a man named Jesus lived and was crucified. Even the most logical theories against the resurrection can be disproved. Jesus couldn't have survived crucifixion because John witnessed water and blood coming from his side when he was pierced, any medical expert today can tell you he died from asphyxation. If he survived crucifixion he was half-dead, so how can a half-dead man roll a stone from a tomb, overpower Roman guards, and convince the cowardly disciples at the time to preach the gospel. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead why would the disciples die for the something that wasn't really? There was no self-advantage to lye about the gospels the only thing the disciples got out of preaching the gospel was death. Also the Jewish people at the time would have stopped the preaching of the disciples by coming up with Jesus's body, but they never did. But what if the discples hallucinated the whole resurrection? That's not logical because there were to many eyewitnesses that saw Jesus, 500 saw Christ at one gathering. If 500 people saw Elvis at different times you can say maybe they were hallucinating, but if 500 people say Elvis at the same time that evidence can be taken seriously. Hallunications don't last for 40 days, they last for minutes, hallucinations don't have bodies and they do not eat, but Jesus ate with the disciples and they touched him. If it was a hallunication why was Jesus's body missing from the tomb. But what if the gospels are myths? Any literary scholar who knows and appreciates myths can verify that the gospels are not myths. The gospels were written at different times yet are not identical, but are similar in substance proving that it was not a forgery. And again why would the disciples die for a make-up story. Have you ever heard of a fiction novelists dying for their wirttings? No! The disciples were tortured and it would have all stopped if they renounced their faith or said that the whole thing was a myth and not real.
We know that God exists because we know that Jesus is God we know that Jesus is God because of what the gospels said, and we know the gospels are true because of the logical evidence that supports it.
I think you should read the Pope's book "the contemplation on the resurrection." And try reading books on why the resurrection and the gospels are real, because most books trying to explain how God exists, don't really convince me, but by proving the resurrection you know that not ownly God exists, but that the Christian faith is the true faith.
I hope this helps.
Welcome Mena D! (not that I've been here long)
I liked that!
That was a really nice story- love it!
You stated that "all suffering comes from sin" and i would humbly like to disagree with that point- if i may...
One of our preists came and talked to us in a servant's meeting about suffering...
He said to us "What would you tell someone that's ill and suffering (perhaps from a disease or a fractured limb or somthing)? How would you comfort them or explain to them the reason they are suffering?"
He gave us a few senarios on what some people would say- stuff like "It is God's will" or "He is just testing you" or "He is trying to strengthen your faith"... and he said that some people will say "You porbably did somthing wrong and you're being punished"... and my preist said that the last statement is probably the worst (because it'll cause the person to be even sadder) and most untrue thing you can say to someone....
True, suffering does come partly from sin, but not everytime one suffers its because of sin.
As mentioned above, perhaps God is permitting one to suffer to strengthen their faith, or maybe even to show His Glory through them....
Suffering altogether- as hard as it may believe- is nothing less than Glorious.
When suffering in Christ, it is Glory... especially if God is testing one's faith or trying to strengthen one's dependance on Him...
Through suffering, Christ shines through the one suffering if they let them... (which i believe is also why many saints welcome suffering [by that i mean illness], as in the example of Fr. Pishoy Kamel who accepted cancer for God's Glory)
True, not everyone that suffers is Christian and thats why to them it is real suffering... but those that are Christian that suffer... its not really suffering... its more of trials and victories (hope that wasnt too confusing)
So basically i wanted to say... although some suffering does come from sin, not ALL suffering is from sin...
Hope you dont mind those comments i made...if i offended you (or anyone here) im sorry... its just my view on this....
take care and God bless
thanks CrazyCopt
i didn't really mean to say that ppl who have disease must have done something wrong...but once you put it that way..I guess that's what I was basically saying....sorry....
I think i have to learn humility in my answers and not be so direct...you know..think about my answers more....
I'm a newbie...I'm learning!
I think my answer to cremedelescremes's concern should have been that it's just an analogy..and it has it's limitations....maybe that's a little better...
hey, you have great answers!
so far i've liked what i've read in your posts (and im sure others did too).... and i know i'll continue to like them ;)
.... just because i might have a different idea doesnt mean you dont have good answers ;)... its just me... i get a bit wierd lol
anyways... keep posting! :)
take care and God bless
the story say:(execuse my spiling mistakes)
Once there was a monk...and he saw a 2 feuneral for tow dead people .
the first one was for a verey rich man and the second on was for a verey poor man .
the one for the rich man was alot of important people there and it was nice and organized and it cost alot of money.
and the one for the poor man was no people at all and the animals on the street it start pie and touch the body for the poor man.
the monk he ask god : oh god why that happen it is not fare?
God explain for the monk and told him that:
" the rich man was a verey bad man and sinner he did not do any good things in his life
only one time he give a poor child some food insted of throught
away so that's why he got a nice feuneral it's his reward.
and the poor man was a verey good man he use to pray alot and help the people all his life only one time he refused to help an old lady. that's why he got a bad feuneral and the animal pied his body.
now (god said ) the poor man in the heaven and the rich man in hell...
and the monk he understood and knew it was fare.
may that story help us to know how is god thinking .
may he bless all of us amin
pray for me..