Is God Real

[zookeeper4321]

I'm starting this thread because of the responses I have gotten to my comments elsewhere. I just want you guys to know where I'm coming from. I consider myself an Agnostic because I believe there is a remote possibility that God exists even thought I don't believe in the Bible at all. I was raised by a pentecostal minister and always believed as a kid. I started to question things as I aged and people presented other ideas to me. What sealed it for me was when my 1st husband almost killed my oldest son. He beat him for 2 hours straight while I was gone. He kicked him in the ribs, hit his head against the wall, picked him up by his ears, and drug him down the stairs by his arm. This was 8 years ago and I still can't talk about it without bawling. I was always taught that God could preform miracles and intervene but chose to do so when his divine intelligence felt it was best. I was also told that he didn't treat us like pupets because he gave us free will. Maybe he would allow the father to make the choice to be violent or not, but I was raised to believe that children were inocent in the eyes of God. So did God choose to let this happen? If there is a God and he could have helped my son and chose not to I don't want anything to do with him. After all of this I read The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine which convinced me that the Bible is full of contradictions. Therefore I remain Agnostic. If anyone wants to try and explain these things or convert me feel free. My parents would love nothing more than to see me back in church. I just can't see it.

 

[AJ]

i hate threads like these, they start AD wars.

 

[zookeeper4321]

Sorry AJ

 

[AJ]

its ur business. i dont know why i came into a thread like this. i learned to stay away from them. it keeps life from getting stressful

 

[Cheri]

I understand how you feel zookeeper4321. People have bad lives, and even good ones too. God put us on earth for a reason, to test us, we either do good or either do evil. I know that each of us cannot be perfect to follow God's perfect standards. What your ex husband did to your son, he done evil and that doesn't make your son evil. That doesn't mean that God planned this to happened to your son, Your ex husband did those action, which he did evil, and he would be the one facing God for his evil ways. God can feel your pains, can feel your son's pains. God is the only one that knows what's on your mind, and your heart. Talk to God, maybe you'll get your answers.

 

[LisaMarie]

Well, I would like to tell u something Zookeeper..
Few years ago I felt the same way. If God is real or not.. I sort of dont believe in in God because of what went on in my life.. I vented out to my husband (before we got married) about God and I admitted that I dont believe in God or questioning if God is real or not. Scott told me that I should be ashamed for not believe in God. We were debate about this issuses for a while and we went out to eat at Olive garden. We ate and contiune our debate. The waiter came to our table and told us that our meal are taken care of. I of course puzzled and asked him how can it be taken care?? The waiter pointed to the couple sat across from us. He said they paid for our meal. I was like huh? so i got up and walked toward them and said Thank you for paying our meal but its really not nesscary. The couples said oh please let us! i really want to do that.. I asked them why? i dont know you guys but you are very genergous and again its really not nesscary. They said... let us... God bless you. I was shocked and speechless.... out of nowhere and all suddenly they said God bless you.. I said thank you and walked away. Scott noticed I was so pale and he asked me if im okay. I said yeah... and sat down for a few seconds. He asked me whats up.. i told them they want to pay and said God bless me.. He said AAHHHH.. SSEEEE God is watching you and that is your message from him! AFter that i beleive in God. werid, eh

 

[netrox]

Therefore I remain Agnostic. If anyone wants to try and explain these things or convert me feel free. My parents would love nothing more than to see me back in church. I just can't see it.

There are athiests or agnostics that beat up their kids as well. It's not religion per se but their own personal problems. Religion is NOT a guarantee - no matter how hard some Christians remain convinced they're the ones saved, there are other religious people thinking the same.

If you need "religion", pick one that fits what you believe without being brainwashed. Thomas Paine was right on target; he thought the Bible was terrible but he believed in God, just not a Christian.

 

[Cheri]

Good story LisaMaria!


I got one too matter of fact, I never learned about God or Jesus when growing up, I didn't know who was God or Jesus, when people asked me what I believe in, I said huh? They asked me if I believe in God? I said who is God? They gasped!

Some of you know the story about my mother, who never accepted my deafness, When my parents found out that I lost my hearing at the age of 5, took us to many different doctors, all said the same thing that I was becoming deaf and losing my hearing. My mother was the only person that wanted to leave me at the hospital and walk away, My dad thought she was nuts!

From that day forward, I never got any love affection from my mother, she would always hurt my feelings, She would say so much negatives, I'll tell you one, how she tells her friends at her work that I wasn't her daughter, that I was switched at birth, that someone else has her daughter.

I met a deaf friend, who was a Christen believer, she lead me the way of learning about God, and the bible, She even brought me a bible for my birthday. She told me to talk to God, tell God, how you feel about your mother. I believe I was at the age of 14 or 13. I prayed to God, asking why my mother isn't showing love affection, why isn't she accepting my deafness? When my dad decide to leave my mother I believe the age of 15 or 16, My dad found a new love, her name was Donna. I met her for the first time I see that she was very accepting and very outgoing, learned few sign language before meeting me. I was impressed!

She was a Christen too, from the day forward, I believe that was a sign a message from God, that I got a second chance at love, a brand new mother, a mother that accept me for who I am.

 

[Rose Immortal]

I'm starting this thread because of the responses I have gotten to my comments elsewhere. I just want you guys to know where I'm coming from. I consider myself an Agnostic because I believe there is a remote possibility that God exists even thought I don't believe in the Bible at all. I was raised by a pentecostal minister and always believed as a kid. I started to question things as I aged and people presented other ideas to me. What sealed it for me was when my 1st husband almost killed my oldest son. He beat him for 2 hours straight while I was gone. He kicked him in the ribs, hit his head against the wall, picked him up by his ears, and drug him down the stairs by his arm. This was 8 years ago and I still can't talk about it without bawling.

That is a HORRIBLE thing to have happen, and you have every right to your sadness. Children ARE innocent, and that makes it an even greater crime, what has happened. Is your son doing better now?

I was always taught that God could preform miracles and intervene but chose to do so when his divine intelligence felt it was best. I was also told that he didn't treat us like pupets because he gave us free will. Maybe he would allow the father to make the choice to be violent or not, but I was raised to believe that children were inocent in the eyes of God. So did God choose to let this happen? If there is a God and he could have helped my son and chose not to I don't want anything to do with him.

There's always a problem when it comes to the choices that people make, and yes, I think it's the free-will issue. I think that God chooses not to force people's choices because He places such great value upon free will...to take free will away would be soul-destroying and I suspect an evil so great that God will not do that (think of the horror of having your very identity and will stripped away from you). I think this is why sometimes we do have to deal with the consequences of our free will, and others...even when in this fallen world they are truly awful. And I do not believe for an instant that God enjoys any of the sorrows we deal with, but rather mourns it bitterly.

 

[hottiedeafboi]

Its very hard to understand why we have tragic times. God is God of comfort. Yes, God gave us freewill. Even hebrews understand ur feeling due when pharoah ordered to kill all hebrew males under 2 yrs old. King David lost his child at birth. Job suffered loss of all of his children. Roman soldiers killed all jewish male under 2 yrs old during jesus birth. The world is full of pain. Many has suffered. There is one book called Beauty for ashes by Joyce Meyers, she been there, when she was growing up by abused by her dad. Its a good book. Continue to ask God for guidance. You remember Jesus experience severe pain of His experience. May God guide u every step u take.

 

[Cheri]

Its very hard to understand why we have tragic times. God is God of comfort. Yes, God gave us freewill. Even hebrews understand ur feeling due when pharoah ordered to kill all hebrew males under 2 yrs old. King David lost his child at birth. Job suffered loss of all of his children. Roman soldiers killed all jewish male under 2 yrs old during jesus birth. The world is full of pain. Many has suffered. There is one book called Beauty for ashes by Joyce Meyers, she been there, when she was growing up by abused by her dad. Its a good book. Continue to ask God for guidance. You remember Jesus experience severe pain of His experience. May God guide u every step u take.

 

[deafdyke]

Netrox, agreed there are probaly atheists and agnostics that beat their kids, but I think zookeeper may have been referring to the fact that some Christians use the Bible to justify violence against others. (eg spousal abuse and child abuse)
I don't believe in the God of the Bible. I do however, believe in a Higher Power and also think that Jesus said some pretty good things. I don't believe that Christianity has a monopoly on The Truth.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

zookeeper4321, I can understand how you feeling. I feel bad for you withness what your ex did your son... It´s most disgust what he did his flesh and blood son...

Well, it´s similar to me... My father-in-law are terrible, cold and selfish man. We broke our contact with him in 1997 one year after my mother-in-law´s death. We keep saying to ourselves why good person have to die before bad person... We do not understand why the God decide for MIL to go, not FIL...

I realized that it has nothing do with God but out of nature...

 

[Maria]

I'm starting this thread because of the responses I have gotten to my comments elsewhere. I just want you guys to know where I'm coming from. I consider myself an Agnostic because I believe there is a remote possibility that God exists even thought I don't believe in the Bible at all. I was raised by a pentecostal minister and always believed as a kid. I started to question things as I aged and people presented other ideas to me. What sealed it for me was when my 1st husband almost killed my oldest son. He beat him for 2 hours straight while I was gone. He kicked him in the ribs, hit his head against the wall, picked him up by his ears, and drug him down the stairs by his arm. This was 8 years ago and I still can't talk about it without bawling. I was always taught that God could preform miracles and intervene but chose to do so when his divine intelligence felt it was best. I was also told that he didn't treat us like pupets because he gave us free will. Maybe he would allow the father to make the choice to be violent or not, but I was raised to believe that children were inocent in the eyes of God. So did God choose to let this happen? If there is a God and he could have helped my son and chose not to I don't want anything to do with him. After all of this I read The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine which convinced me that the Bible is full of contradictions. Therefore I remain Agnostic. If anyone wants to try and explain these things or convert me feel free. My parents would love nothing more than to see me back in church. I just can't see it.

Been there in my experience, I know how you feel. I can't complaint when I learned about starvin' and dyin' children in South Africa. South Africa and some other foreign countries where there are some children who suffered than USA children. In Rwanda, I also heard that adults/elders/children's limbs were cuttin' off for their punishment... for some kind of reasons. It's the worse thing I've ever heard in my entire life. But, God is always there with them and will judge. The truth is your son's father really hurt God by doin' evil things to Him. It wasn't your son, because Jesus died for your son. Ask God for His Guidance and seek for His Wisdom by explorin' His Holy Scripture. His Holy Scripture will comfort you.

 

[Reba]

... Religion is NOT a guarantee ...

Correct. Religion cannot save anyone; only Jesus Christ can save.

 

[neecy]

I honestly have to say that one of the main reasons I refuse to believe in God is because he is suposed to be this All Knowing, All Seeing, Most Benevolent and Good "being" and ye he allows genocide, rape, murder, pedophila, and does nothing about it.

Sorry, if nothing else it makes Earth look like one huge science experiment as opposed to having been created by a omnipotent being. If God can stand idly by and allow these things to happen when its said in the bible that he has ways to deal with them (like when God supposedly told the Jews to put blood on their doorposts to identify them when he killed all Egyptian firstborn's) then he's no friend or savior to humanity. He's more akin to a child pulling wings off a fly.

This is why I am an athiest. A "Good" God wouldn't allow these things to happen to innocent people.

 

[ayala920]

I think whether or not G-d (or any higher power) is real depends on each individual's definition of "real." I don't believe there's any one "right" religion; I think each person has their own definition and view of spirituality, and whether or not that includes a higher being is entirely dependent on what each person needs in his or her life.

 

[MorriganTait]

God is real to me. Zoo, possibly you need to seek some input from people of faith who come from a different religious tradition than yours, and you may find a way to worship that does not involve the entanglements of the religion you were raised in. Or - just stay how you are - if you're happy.

I choose to practice Christianity. Before I made that choice, I had a pre-existing relationship with God. Religion is not a requirement, though I am sure you will have many people tell you it is. I consider my experience with God prior to religion valid, and so I consider all experiences with God to be valid for the individual who had the experience. You don't have to worship just like me, and you also don't have to worship just like your family. God can reach you where you are - if you want.

In the question of why bad things happen to good people, I believe God is present with us in every moment, offering us possibilities for how to behave - but ultimately the choice is ours. I do not personally find validity in an idea of God as omnipotent, and life as pre-determined. That's just me. Please know there are other Christians who have rejected these ideas. If you are honestly seeking to develop a relationship with God, you can, and you don't have to accept what is illogical, unacceptable or apocryphal to do it.

 

[Ariakkas]

lisamarie....is it possible that the couple saw your conversation...saw that you were doubting your faith...and took advantage of that to try and force their beliefs back onto you?


this is the difference between a theist and an atheist...theist see proof where an atheist does not. Theist never question, atheists do.


zookeeper...when a good thing happens, its a gift from god...your ex-husband beats your son for 2 hours straight...eh thats his fault..he has free will. that is such a cop out. how can god get credit for all the good, and no blame for the bad??!?!?

god is real in the sense that an idea or a belief is real. god the idea tm, can inspire great things...is there some omnipotent being sitting up in heaven watching us all suffer...no..sorry

 

[Rose Immortal]

this is the difference between a theist and an atheist...theist see proof where an atheist does not. Theist never question, atheists do.

Do you really believe that no theist ever questions? Can you prove this? Even one theist who has questioned his or her beliefs invalidates your statement and reduces it to nothing but an uninformed stereotype.