Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How can we find out if God exists?

If you don't like our responses, you don't have to open the thread.

No.

We do not fear that which we believe does not exist.

He tells us you must pray facing Mecca, 5 times a day if you want to get to heaven.

Do you follow that rule?

If not please explain why.

I believe and I am not ashamed.

When in the Marines, there were some who at first didn't believe, but they did later on.

I am lucky I guess, I've known the presence of God. I've also known the presence of angels.

I have also felt the presence of evil.

Call me all the names you want and diss me all you want. I wish you all the best and pray that you too may come to believe.

Oolong is doing well on the Hang Sang but green is down in Hong Kong.

Considering atheism:

“…if there is no God, then there is no difficulty reconciling nature and suffering. Nature (and this world we live in) is indifferent and unintelligent, and that leaves no one to stop the cruel deeds damaged minds or the devastation of natural disasters or disease.”

“The default position of the atheist is one of; ‘I do not believe due to the lack of evidence.” This is often followed by some declaration that a powerful God who lets these terrible things happen is not one to be believed in or worshipped anyway.

At least, AS comes right and declares he is an atheist.


This is often followed by some statement that judges God to be not loving, not kind, vindictive and even cruel. The question is posed; “Why should I believe in such a God?”

One is not required to believe. If there is no God then what does it matter? “The suffering and death of children is just a cold fact of nature….nature is unthinking and indifferent.” Our emotional distress over this is simply some natural brain construct that causes temporary feelings of unease, or distress if the loss is close to some person; but that is of no consequence either. The suffering of a child does not really matter and death, of a child or loved one, is really nothing more than the winking off of a light that was no more than small ripple on the ocean of one planet in a universe of billions of planets.

If there is no God, then religion is at best a benign hoax. And who is to say that one religion or set of morals is better than another? We just have competing tribes bound together with some tragic set of common beliefs. It matters not (in eternity) to kill a child or an enemy if he is not one of “your tribe.”

Lots of room in atheism for twisted morality.

TF


anyway, gotta get back on the road.

And post count. He/she is building the foundation for the long con.

Yet there is a lot of room in any given religion for twisted morality as well (Inquisition, honor killings, etc.). As long as people bend their version of the word of God to their own ends, there is room for immoral behavior. Conversely, it is possible to be a good, moral person without believing in god or attending a church. Back to the OP's question, I don't have an answer for how to find out if God exists, because there is and can be no empirical evidence that God does or does not exist. But people can observe circumstantial evidence and chose to believe or not.

Isaiah foresaw the coming of the Messiah of Israel, Savior of the world about 700 years before it happened:

42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.


Isaiah 7
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.



Isaiah 53King James Version (KJV)

53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Same here on all 3.

Preparing to fish one day, decades ago, I was drifting, alone in the cockpit of my then 38' sportfisher, when a whale surfaced within spitting distance. It seemed to hang there, suspended, just looking at me benevolently. For the first time in my life I felt truly connected to another living being. This was a long-lost brother I had never met. This creature was God and I was God, at the same time.

The moment seemed to last and last. And then the creature slowly sank out of sight. But I was left truly changed forever.

That pearl was not wasted on swine.

Thanks.

i know he does by things i've seen/experienced in my life.

Sorry Roger....... that hasn't been "peer reviewed" so it counts for naught.

Works for me. You can't, however, say you weren't warned.

You goose, that is PREY, not PRAY.

Good un....

It's not the responses that I take issue with, it's your ignorance and obfuscation that is annoying. You don't add anything to these threads because you can't. You aren't seeking answers you're trying to show us how smart you are. Your insecurities are glaringly obvious but your pride doesn't allow you the benefit fellowship. If you don't believe in God you don't have to open these threads. It's obvious your piety prevents your understanding and has hardened your resolve to be "right".

a blessing on Mordecai is a curse on Haman.

Maybe not, but I will feel better if the bastard goes ahead with LT's suggestion...preferably soon and horribly.

That's not very Christian.....wait!