This thread will be where the miniature footsie dude effectively shuts down the reason for this forum's existence

[docphin5]

Yes
Prior to that, God was not in any of my thoughts. I refused to listen to people who wanted to talk to me about him. I thought it was a waste of my time.

For what its worth we were all physically born that way, ignorant of god or gods. Then slowly, overtime our mind perceives something more excellent and beautiful in contrast to inferior things. In some it happens earlier than others. But better late than never.

Past
“we ALL once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the [ignorant] mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Present
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, … raised us up with him [with a moral consciousness, the divine nature] and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus [uniting us to the eternal divine mind],

Future
so that in the coming ages [in the future eternal lives] he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:3)

 

[Caroljeen]

For what its worth we were all physically born that way, ignorant of god or gods. Then slowly, overtime our mind perceives something more excellent and beautiful in contrast to inferior things. In some it happens earlier than others. But better late than never.

Past
“we ALL once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the [ignorant] mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Present
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, … raised us up with him [with a moral consciousness, the divine nature] and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus [uniting us to the eternal divine mind],

Future
so that in the coming ages [in the future eternal lives] he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:3)

Let be so.

 

[Caroljeen]

As soon as you think that the first prayer was answered, you are more likely to think that subsequent prayers are answered - how do you determine whether or not the first prayer was answered?

Because the thing that had been bothering me every day for two weeks, the thing that caused me to reach out to a God I didn't even believe existed was gone after I prayed and never bothered me again.

Did you pray for something obviously "miraculous"? An amputated limb to regrow?
Did other people see the "answer"?

The moment you concluded that he answered, you were a theist.

No, that is when I thought, very, very faintly, maybe there is a God. It took more experiences of this sort to finally convince me of the reality of God.

As many have tried and failed as tried and "succeeded". As I've said, I am not interested in "confirmations" that rely solely on my internal perceptions - "funny feelings", "inner peace", or other such nonsense that can be the result of mere belief itself; I want something that can only be the work of the god.

If you go to a "World's Strongest Man" contest, you don't go to watch them lift teacups; if they're as strong as they claim to be, you want to see them lifting cars and pianos.

If there's a miraculous god out there, I'm going to need to see the miracles.

(And if your god only reveals himself to those that seek, but refuses to give most of us a reason to seek him, he's going to be frustrated, isn't he?)

I don't think "frustrated" expresses what God feels when he is rejected by those he lovingly reaches out to.

 

[Eightcrackers]

Because the thing that had been bothering me every day for two weeks, the thing that caused me to reach out to a God I didn't even believe existed was gone after I prayed and never bothered me again.

I do not accept that the only reason it could have gone away is that the god your prayed to actually exists, and made it go away.

How do I rule out the possibility that the mere act of praying made it go away?

No, that is when I thought, very, very faintly, maybe there is a God.

?
I think very strongly that there may be a god, because I can't rule it out.

But I'm not going to commit my life to that kind of "maybe".

I don't think "frustrated" expresses what God feels when he is rejected by those he lovingly reaches out to.

Then he is his own worst enemy.
Reaching out in a way that he knows - knows - will fail, because he made the majority of people unable to accept it, is doomed to failure.


If I want to get hold of you and make my existence known, and I know your phone number, email address, place of work, and home address, leaving anonymous posters that say "I AM HERE" at your local train station would be idiotic.

And if I then punished you because you failed to recognize these "reachings", I would be a monster, wouldn't I?


If your god wants my attention, he knows how to get it, and it is not my fault if he fails - or refuses - to do so.