If God Asked You For a Dime, How Would You Know It Was Him?

What do you mean by what does my belief do for me? Is it supposed to do something?

All right, I'll take a stab at it.

By believing in a God who loves me unconditionally, I have no fear of disappointing Him or fearing His judgment. And whether I die tonight or 50 years from tonight, I have complete confidence that if heaven exists He will take me up there and transform me into a perfect being where I'll live with Him forever.

Why do I believe this? I have free will, remember. And since He gave me the ability to believe whatever I choose to believe, then this is what I choose to believe. And I am certain that He accepts my belief because I believe it with all my heart, soul, and mind.

What else do I want or need from God in this world that He hasn't already provided for me? He gave me all that I needed to survive here. He provided me with loving parents who took care of me until I was able to provide for myself. He gave me the ability to adapt as I have grown through the various stages of life that all of us experience if we're fortunate enough to live to a ripe old age. And if something terrible should happen to me or those I love, how could I blame Him? I believe God created this world with the intent that everything that happens within it is entirely up to us. God does not take sides and does not interfere with his creation whatsoever. If I believed otherwise, I might blame Him if something terrible did happen.

Now, I strive to understand His world, marvel at His creation as science and technology continue to unravel His secrets. I appreciate His gift of life within such a complex and beautiful world even though my time here is so brief. Isn't that enough?

 

There are people who live on $1 per day who still have loving parents who take care of them until they're able to fend for themselves even though the conditions they live in are deplorable (to a Westerner at least). And despite these conditions, these people can be just as happy as I am even though their foundation started on a dirt floor instead of in the operating room of a hygienic hospital.

Is there suffering in this world? No question about it. God created fallible beings who are always making mistakes. Those mistakes are what's primarily responsible for human suffering. Not to mention that our elected officials can't seem to do something as simple as raising the debt ceiling.

And technically I did not thank God for providing me a comfortable upbringing in my last post. I just stated the facts just like Sgt Joe Friday would want me to.

I don't think it's a contradiction that God loves each one of us unconditionally AND starts us out either rich or poor. Again, it's entirely up to us to level the playing field and we're still working on that one and maybe always will be.

 

The only thing you take out of this world into the next is character. I don't think i'd like Hitler's character in the next world. :nono:

 

I find that to be a huge contradiction. A bit like saying a race where one person runs a mile and other 100 miles is fair because it it is up to the guy who starts at the back to make up the distance.

I don't see much purpose in the belief in a god that does nothing for you and expects nothing of you. He simply starts the world in motion and gathers everyone to paradise when they die. Of course you a free to believe it what ever you would like. I applaud the live and let live nature of your belief.

 

Yeah that one is a bugger.

 

I don't believe this part but I would like To ask you this; what about those who don't choose to live in His kingdom for eternity? I believe a few here have stated that if given the choice they'd turn it down. Will God respect their free will choice?

 

PriusChat member....."Hey, GOD? What does 100 million years seem like to you?"

GOD..."One hundred million years? That's like a second to me."

PriusChat member....."Hey GOD? What's 100 million dollars seem like to you?"

GOD..."One hundred million dollars? It seems like a penny to me."

PriusChat member....."Hey, GOD, could I borrow a penny?"

GOD..."Sure....give me just a second..."

Personally? I'm not much of a theologian. It's interesting to me some of the similarities between the "GOD is real", and the "AGW is real" arguments.

My three laws of religion:
1. There is a GOD.
2. GOD has one heckuva good sense of humor.
3. GOD's sense of humor is activated by words like "never"..."always", etc...

It's not real deep I'll admit.....but if you take life too seriously, then you're going to miss the whole point.

 

So kinda like Murphy's God?

 

Not really. The Pro-God argument goes like this:

Rational person: How do you know God exists?
Religious person: It says so in the Bible!
Rational person: How do you know the Bible is correct?
Religious person: It was written by God!

While the Pro-Climate Change argument goes like this:

Denier: How do you know climate change is real?
Rational person: It says so in hundreds of studies.
Denier: How do you know these studies are correct?
Rational person: They were written by climatologists who have had years of training in meteorology, oceanography, physics, etc. and have been studying this for decades.

 

They've been studying the climate for whole decades, huh?
Yeah...I remember. Seems to me a couple of decades ago they wanted to spread pot ash over the Polar ice cap to mitigate "Climate Change"..... oops!

That's why I'm something of an AGW "agnostic". Scientists are using "decades" worth of measurements to establish a billion year trend.
Another set of "high priests and priestesses" trying using "their" religion to control the populace......

 

No, that's a misinterpretation. Decades of experience of studying climate change over geologic time scales is more like what was meant.

 

For some, no proof is necessary. For others, no proof is possible.

The reality is... God might be just so far outside our realm of understanding that he/she/it/they could be here RIGHT NOW and we might never know it for what it was. My take on it, anyway, your mileage may vary.

 

"Might be" is not reality. I suppose there could be a flying spaghetti monster holding us all down with his/her/its noodly appendages, but just because it can't be disproven, that does not justify the belief.

Perhaps we'd better go with your first sentence about proof. Then again, a reality-based existence seems saner and more worthwhile. As you say, ymmv.

 

Why it's clear to me, Tre that they've already MADE their choice. Free will allows everyone to make their choice. So if eternal life is not for you and you really believe that it's a crock and completely impossible, well then, that's what you receive. You can always change their mind but generally speaking, once you've made your decision it's generally difficult to completely reverse course in what you believe in. Some atheists and agnostics are just as set on their beliefs as those who believe in God. Now as for Satan and his followers....

What I meant by everyone being in heaven with God is: Only God knows what each human heart truely desires - not me. Hitler and Stalin, as ghastly as they were, might have choosen to be transformed into perfect beings and ultimately believed in the same God as me. Is it likely? Probably not. I doubt their egos left even the smallest space for God. And, as many have told to us in blogs from long ago, it doesn't take much. One neutrino's worth of belief is enough but as I said before that belief must be paramount to any and everything else you believe in or love in this world.

For me, it's as simple as 1 divided by 0.

 

That may not be as simple as you think. What do you think the answer is?

 

Of course she will Bra... otherwise why give us free will right...

 

This is where God of The Bible is a dick. "You can do ANYTHING you want! But you better do what I want you to do!"

 

Yeah....that whole "love thy neighbor" thing is a really heavy lift....isn't it?

One of the greatest things about living in America (and a few other countries) is that you have a GOD given, Constitutionally protected right to be wrong.
In some other countries that I can name, blasphemy carries a little harsher punishment than having people disagree with you in a car forum.
History is replete with people using GOD for all kinds of evil, small minded purposes, which for me is why there is a very big difference between GOD and religion.
So....GOD asks you for a dime, and you tell him "No! I deny your very existence."

GOD doesn't get your dime.
Question answered.