Christians explanation for the unexplained (prophets, priest, trinity, pastor)
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You can't compare sustenance to your belief in God.
I just did, it is a metaphor of the spirit, it quenches my soul.
Why do people want other people to prove God to them, there is one way to know, and that is to be still and know that God is God. If you choose to not do that or doubted when you did that, then i have sincere compassion for you.
The system is set up for us to each seek, and find. There is a fiat to let our light so shine that those seeing our good works will glorify our Father in heaven. But, not to many do that, so it should not be counted on for proof.
Christians tend to have to ask other Christians if they are believers.
Thou i would love to take on that name, it is not one i have earned so i am a seeker, believer (as i live the word).
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"Thee" is the objective form of "thou". It is not a substitute for "the". Grammar doesn't care what you like.
fair enough, i most likely will continue to thee and thou all over the screen, so if you wish, you can keep correcting me.
I don't believe in questioning God as to his existence. I do believe in asking questions of God about direction in life and situations that occur in my life. I also believe in questioning man's interpretation of God's word, including my own at times.
My belief or faith in God is not something I question nor is it something that a lot of believers that I know question. Although there may be times when my faith may be a bit shaky, it usually is because I am giving into whatever is troubling me at the time. However, I always know where my faith lies and where my trust lies.
My belief in God is rooted in knowing who God is and what His character is. In believing that He loves me and desires the best for me. How I trust that belief is because of what He has already done for me in my life. How my life has changed since coming to that understanding and placing my trust in Him for all things. Because of the history in my relationship with God, my trust is there and my belief is there. It remains there. It is not something I daily or regularly question.
Although I understood the concept freedom was going for using the water quenching thirst example, I thought I'd share a couple that I use in explaining how or why I don't question what I have come to believe. I've used these examples because in life these are things that a lot of us have just come to believe or trust and don't give any thought whatsoever to when we do them. In life there are many such things that based on our personal history, we simply believe regularly or daily... such as...
1. When I go to sit down on a chair, I believe that the chair will not collapse but will hold me sitting on it.
2. When I approach the entrance to a store and step on that mat or in front of the automatic eye, I believe the door will open.
3. When I place my key in the ignition of my car and turn it, I believe that my car will turn on.
4. When I step on the brakes in my car, I am believing that the car will slow down or stop.
5. When I flick the lightswitch in my house, it is with the belief that the lights will go on.
The fact that previous experiences with these things have given the result that I have come to expect is where my belief is rooted. Should the result not be what was expected, I know more often than not there is an explanation for it. Seeking what that explanation is would be the next step.
The same goes for my belief in God, based on my personal history with God and what I have come to know and understand of him. I believe that he is real and that he listens and cares about his children. I believe that if we as his children ask, we shall receive. However, should what I have come to expect not be as expected, I also know there is often an explanation. It is then my job, not to automatically doubt God or question his existence, for I already know those things, but instead to turn to him, believing that he will reveal things to me in his time, and seek that explanation.
I don't believe in questioning God as to his existence.
That's the core issue that bothers me about people who are religious. I mean no offense to you but you use reason and common sense in every other aspect of your life, what's wrong with examining your faith? There seems to be such a focus on hanging onto faith no matter what happens and the very idea of questioning the foundation beliefs is taboo and unacceptable. Why is that? If the faith of any believer is based on something of substance and reality I would think that it should be encouraged because it would just strengthen that faith. Could it be that there's an underlying fear that some serious self examination could expose some doubt?
That's the core issue that bothers me about people who are religious. I mean no offense to you but you use reason and common sense in every other aspect of your life, what's wrong with examining your faith? There seems to be such a focus on hanging onto faith no matter what happens and the very idea of questioning the foundation beliefs is taboo and unacceptable. Why is that? If the faith of any believer is based on something of substance and reality I would think that it should be encouraged because it would just strengthen that faith. Could it be that there's an underlying fear that some serious self examination could expose some doubt?
It is assumed that we as Christians fail to use our reasoning skills and common sense to examine our faith. However, this is far from true at least in my case. I was not always a Christian. I was raised Catholic pretty much in name only because we were not practicing. I went through many, many years of living my life as I pleased. Being the God of my own life basically. I know the life I lived and things I experienced during that time.
When I did come to become a Christian I was 26 years old. I began to understand that it was not about religion but about relationship. I had to come to know God, know his character and come to have a relationship with him. I did this through reading his word, prayer and attending church. The more I got to know of him, the closer I got to him and the more I got to know him personally in my life.
I don't question his existence because my experiences with him have left me with nothing to question. I have witnessed my son being in the hospital for 10 days with a fever of 105 that doctors could not explain, nor could they control and after a prayer meeting and my crying my heart out to God asking for him to reveal himself through touching my son and healing him, seen the doctor come in and be in awe in the morning because my son's fever was just gone. Doctor still had no explanation for any of it.
I have witnessed my son suffering from Crohns Disease, losing 30 pounds in one month, being in and out of hospitals during the course of a year, admitted for up to 2 weeks and having to have a colonoscopy done only to be told he has this disease for which there is no cure, that it could lead to a part of his intestines having to be removed and possibly even colon cancer, seeing my son at the age of 15 having to take 22 pills a day. Yet holding on to faith, trusting God to heal him, praying through all this, found the doctor having to take the pills away because they began hurting him more than helping. Why? Because without explanation, a disease for which there is no cure, no real remission just some minor control over it, but my son was experiencing a total remission.
Like these my list of ways that God has already proved himself to me is long and goes on and on and on. I do not question God's existence, not out of ignorance, lack of common sense or lack of reasoning, No, I do not question it because there is nothing to question, I know he exist and I know that when I turn to him, I will find him just as he promised.
That's the core issue that bothers me about people who are religious. I mean no offense to you but you use reason and common sense in every other aspect of your life, what's wrong with examining your faith? There seems to be such a focus on hanging onto faith no matter what happens and the very idea of questioning the foundation beliefs is taboo and unacceptable. Why is that? If the faith of any believer is based on something of substance and reality I would think that it should be encouraged because it would just strengthen that faith. Could it be that there's an underlying fear that some serious self examination could expose some doubt?
Hey Montana, you know you should change your name to Tennessee Guy Just kidding, I hope you're enjoy Big T. Now about your question, faith is a heart thing, not a head thing if that makes sense. My faith in God is strong it is unshakable. My faith is strengthened by how God works in my life. Sometimes Christians do have questions and that is good, that's how we learn and grow, but to question is there a God, for me NEVER
I think I've answered this more thoroughly in other posts, but here it is in a nutshell.
The apostle Paul told Timothy that some people are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Why not? Because they don't know God, they don't want to know Him, and they're not willing to follow Him even if they do find Him. An example is the rich young man/ruler who went to Jesus and said he wanted to follow Jesus. This young man was willing to follow all the commandments, but he wasn't willing to sell all his possessions. He wasn't willing to give all of himself to the one he claimed to want to follow.
Only Jesus' sheep hear his voice and actually follow Him. It's not surprising that atheists and other non-believers have read the Bible and other religious texts yet still don't follow God. They're not willing to surrender themselves to Him.
You're speaking under the assumption that atheists who were religious didn't take the Bible literally or didn't actually believe it. You can not claim to know every atheist or know their situation, so to make statements such as, "It's not surprising that atheists and other non-believers have read the Bible and other religious texts yet still don't follow God. They're not willing to surrender themselves to Him" is just ridiculous.
i do understand, eventually. but i dont see the benefit in an event sometimes for several years later.
in fact at the time it made no sense at all to me. i am the sum total of everything that has happened to me.
so its gota all fit together, knowwhatamean?
There is no possible way that I as a human being can know precisely why something bad has happened to someone, I sometimes can't even understand why it has happened to myself or my own family.
If you believe in a God of love, no, you cannot answer that question. But if you dont believe, then you can answer. Unforeseen occurrences happen to many people. Its the luck of the draw. No grand scheme, no plan. Good and bad things happen to both good and bad people. Nature does not discriminate. However, God is supposed to discriminate...which is why you struggle to answer or understand.
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I don't question his existence because my experiences with him have left me with nothing to question. I have witnessed my son being in the hospital for 10 days with a fever of 105 that doctors could not explain, nor could they control and after a prayer meeting and my crying my heart out to God asking for him to reveal himself through touching my son and healing him, seen the doctor come in and be in awe in the morning because my son's fever was just gone. Doctor still had no explanation for any of it.
I have witnessed my son suffering from Crohns Disease, losing 30 pounds in one month, being in and out of hospitals during the course of a year, admitted for up to 2 weeks and having to have a colonoscopy done only to be told he has this disease for which there is no cure, that it could lead to a part of his intestines having to be removed and possibly even colon cancer, seeing my son at the age of 15 having to take 22 pills a day. Yet holding on to faith, trusting God to heal him, praying through all this, found the doctor having to take the pills away because they began hurting him more than helping. Why? Because without explanation, a disease for which there is no cure, no real remission just some minor control over it, but my son was experiencing a total remission.
From the book of genesis to the very end of bible we see examples ofsuffering in the world. It is said in the bible a suffering or bad thing occurs to someone when he break a covenant with god and thus sin. It says god doesn't make any one suffer but he let it happen to us. in other words, his protection of u will be taken from u leaving u to so called unclean spirit. every cause of suffering is considered due to unclean spirit or satan in bible. the extent of suffering depend on what covenant is broken. i mean in some parts of bible we see god saying your next generations will also suffer because of your sin. at the same time in new testament everything changes and christ comes as the only who can save us god's judgement upon us, only if u accept him in his life. with the coming of jesus all the suffering that were considered sin and cannot be changed are considered as reason of son of man to show miracles of god. ie sufferings can be taken away from you through christ if you believe and accept him means no more you but christ in you.(a difficult task). these are what i understood from reading the bible.
I have had some amazing things happen in my life but never saw them as coming from god or any higher power. Mostly from science or nature doing its thing. Some of us humans tend to stick a power behind everything that happens. I think our brains can't wrap themselves around many things yet so we put it on god or the devil. Instead of saying we just can't explain this or that. I remember people thinking thunder and lighting was the devil's work and people prayed to god to help them.(my grandmother was that way). Thunder and lighting are things that are scientifically explained but back then, people had no clue so it was a higher power that was showing its wrath.
The more science advances, the less 'miracles' will happen.
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Just kidding, I hope you're enjoy Big T. Now about your question, faith is a heart thing, not a head thing if that makes sense. My faith in God is strong it is unshakable. My faith is strengthened by how God works in my life. Sometimes Christians do have questions and that is good, that's how we learn and grow, but to question is there a God, for me NEVER 
