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Oh God (yar har). Not the Santa Claus bit again. This one is about as frequent as the Pascal's Wager one.
However, I agree that you can't prove a negative.
Back about 15 yrs ago the manager at my club, his sister (who was the barmaid), and a bunch of the girls that were Mothers, asked me if I would be Santa Claus at a Christmas party they were having for the kids. I agreed...but only if they got me a professional costume with professional padding and a really good beard made of natural hair...the works. I told every mother to wrap a gift for their kid, and write down a "naughty" thing they do...and a "nice" thing they do.
You want true POWER and EXALTATION...show up as Santa Claus in a room full of kids.
Since I knew every kids name (unlike the other Santa's at the dept store), what they did, both "good" and "bad" (I complimented the good behavior and counseled them to discontinue the bad)...and even came across with a toy (that they had asked for) that "I had the elves make early for them"....they were CONVINCED (they had, what was to them, empirical evidence) I was REALLY Santa. I didn't leave right away...I "dwelt among them" for a time. They were soooo happy...Telling me "I love you Santa Claus", and hugging me, and offering me cookies. I told them I loved them too...and that it was important for them to be good...the parents told me weeks later they were STILL better behaved then they had ever been. They weren't responding to "Santa" or the toys...they were responding to the attention, the care & concern, and mostly the love.
That couple hours was two of the best in my life.
For those who don't know it...true belief in God can give you that same feeling those kids had...ALL THE TIME.
Sure! But you have to believe in imaginary things in order to get it. In effect, you have to be like a child that believes in Santa.
This isn't really something I deny. Not the imaginary part but the part about having a child life belief. It's almost like Santa Claus in a sense.
"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."
Mark 10:13-16 (New International Version)
One can tell me I am wrong, but then that one can't tell me why. That sounds like some sort panic thoughtless dribble or perhaps inflated egomania. There is a lot of this, telling someone that they are wrong, but then there is no thought behind their assertion; they can't even break down the argument to show the error. So much for the post modern and its love of deconstruction, at least here-the same ol "know it alls."
It seems that most of the posts here are about 'proving' that God does not exist - what malarky! - ... and as 'proof' or 'truth', you will accept ...??? (probably only what you imagine in your own head! - so, in a very real sense, YOU are your own 'god' -- Good luck with that!) Here are just a couple of real, substantive 'proofs' that the Bible (the source of what God has revealed about Himself, is truly His own inspired Word of Truth).
The Bible was incontrovertably written by over 100 authors over a period of 1500 years (not by a few folks that got together at a beer bash and decided to imagine a fable). The Qumran (Dead Sea scrolls), found in 1947, pre-dated the earliest known Masoretic texts by 1000 years -- HOWEVER, in carefully comparing the actual differences between the two, scholars found them to be negligible (eg; margin notes and verb tense -- remember, there were no printing presses or computers!).
The Bible, God's inspired Word, also contains over 3,000 specific, future prophecies that were written anywhere between 100 and 2000+ years PRIOR to the time they were accurately fulfilled (-- the only prophecies in scripture that remain unfulfilled, are approximately 500 End Time prophecies - which, unless you wake-up, you may see fulfilled in your earthly lifetime, as you try to figure out where all the Christians went(?) - during the Great Tribulation). Actually, almost 50% of the Bible was written as future prophecy -- ALL OF WHICH HAS BEEN ACCURATELY FULFILLED!
Using the most powerful Cray computers, scientists objectively estimated that the odds against even a fraction of that type of accurate prophetic fulfillment are about 1 in 10 TO THE 30th power (thats 10 with 30 zeros) -- Similarly, approximately 300 specific Messianic-related Bible prophecies were accurately fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Using powerful computers, scientists calculated the odds against any one man in history accurately fulfilling even a small segment (10) of the most specific and objective prophecies -- to be about 1 in 10 to the 17th power.
You may have notional ideas about Nostradomus or other 'holy books' doing the same thing; or about, perhaps, people getting together and writing the scriptures 'backwards!' - but, those imaginative notions have no substantive basis -- The writings of Nostradomus are so vague and sketchy that they could apply to anything or anyone .... and none of the other self-proclaimed 'holy books' have ever dared 'dabble' in future prophecy, since the failure to accurately fulfill those prophecies would quickly and convincingly prove their writings to be contrived and wrong! The Bible also declares "God Says" or a variant of that about 2500 times ... another reality that other 'holy books' also avoid in their writings. Further, the truths of God revealed in His inspired word, the Bible, have never been objectively disproved! (Oh, I forgot, 'truth is relative' ... right? (and that bit of winsome wisdom is based on what truth?)
Where is your proof???? --- or are you only looking for ways to contradict the more obvious truths of creation, nature, INBORN KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, and changed lives over thousands of years --- in people willing to die, rather than renounce, God's truth.... OR, is all you can offer your own enlightened opinions? -- Folks, I don't mean to get confrontational, but I get tired of the arrogance that shakes its fist in the face of Almighty God and foolishly declares, "You don't exist!" --- Get your head straight, or one day (sadly), God will say back to you, "You no longer exist ... for all eternity").
It seems that most of the posts here are about 'proving' that God does not exist - what malarky! - ... and as 'proof' or 'truth', you will accept ...??? (probably only what you imagine in your own head! - so, in a very real sense, YOU are your own 'god' -- Good luck with that!) Here are just a couple of real, substantive 'proofs' that the Bible (the source of what God has revealed about Himself, is truly His own inspired Word of Truth).
The Bible was incontrovertably written by over 100 authors over a period of 1500 years (not by a few folks that got together at a beer bash and decided to imagine a fable). The Qumran (Dead Sea scrolls), found in 1947, pre-dated the earliest known Masoretic texts by 1000 years -- HOWEVER, in carefully comparing the actual differences between the two, scholars found them to be negligible (eg; margin notes and verb tense -- remember, there were no printing presses or computers!).
The Bible, God's inspired Word, also contains over 3,000 specific, future prophecies that were written anywhere between 100 and 2000+ years PRIOR to the time they were accurately fulfilled (-- the only prophecies in scripture that remain unfulfilled, are approximately 500 End Time prophecies - which, unless you wake-up, you may see fulfilled in your earthly lifetime, as you try to figure out where all the Christians went(?) - during the Great Tribulation). Actually, almost 50% of the Bible was written as future prophecy -- ALL OF WHICH HAS BEEN ACCURATELY FULFILLED!
Using the most powerful Cray computers, scientists objectively estimated that the odds against even a fraction of that type of accurate prophetic fulfillment are about 1 in 10 TO THE 30th power (thats 10 with 30 zeros) -- Similarly, approximately 300 specific Messianic-related Bible prophecies were accurately fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Using powerful computers, scientists calculated the odds against any one man in history accurately fulfilling even a small segment (10) of the most specific and objective prophecies -- to be about 1 in 10 to the 17th power.
You may have notional ideas about Nostradomus or other 'holy books' doing the same thing; or about, perhaps, people getting together and writing the scriptures 'backwards!' - but, those imaginative notions have no substantive basis -- The writings of Nostradomus are so vague and sketchy that they could apply to anything or anyone .... and none of the other self-proclaimed 'holy books' have ever dared 'dabble' in future prophecy, since the failure to accurately fulfill those prophecies would quickly and convincingly prove their writings to be contrived and wrong! The Bible also declares "God Says" or a variant of that about 2500 times ... another reality that other 'holy books' also avoid in their writings. Further, the truths of God revealed in His inspired word, the Bible, have never been objectively disproved! (Oh, I forgot, 'truth is relative' ... right? (and that bit of winsome wisdom is based on what truth?)
Where is your proof???? --- or are you only looking for ways to contradict the more obvious truths of creation, nature, INBORN KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, and changed lives over thousands of years --- in people willing to die, rather than renounce, God's truth.... OR, is all you can offer your own enlightened opinions? -- Folks, I don't mean to get confrontational, but I get tired of the arrogance that shakes its fist in the face of Almighty God and foolishly declares, "You don't exist!" --- Get your head straight, or one day (sadly), God will say back to you, "You no longer exist ... for all eternity").
Spoken from a fundamentalist standpoint that only allows for your view and no other. That only the way you believe is the correct one. There are many ways to G-d, not just the Christian way.
Yes there is a G-d, I don't need to prove it. I don't need use a book. Writings about G-d through history have been written as to how those particular people understood G-d. Thus the out look changes. The Bible was written for the people in that time and for what was happening to them in that time. We look at it like they were writing for us, they weren't.
Christian scholarship understands that.
The bottom line is there is not proof as to the existence or non existence of G-d. It is a matter of what a person accepts. I have gone back and forth in my life between struggling with G-d and what and who and how can I know. I can't. All I can know is that for what ever reason I do and that is it.
Given that I have struggled and I know many people struggle. Some folks come out of it with a belief and some not. None of it is through proof otherwise everyone would believe.
For me proof is concrete evidence. Evidence that can stand being tested.
Until then it is just faith and what you choose to accept.
This won't work, OP. They believe the burden of proof is on you, when the truth is that the existence of a God can neither be confirmed nor denied.
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