What's a good argument for the existence of a personal God?

Question

I think I can accept God as consciousness or as an impersonal creative force, but I can't seem to accept the idea of God as a supreme being. It might be nice to be able to do this...but I can't believe it just because it would be nice to do so.

quirky girl: by personal, I mean in the form of a person. a being that we can communicate with. that's all.

Answer 1

Your instinct is correct. If you truly need this "force" in your life, then you really need to ask the question "why?". What is beyond your control that necessitates a supernatural entity? Think about it.

Answer 2

I don't think there is a good argument for the existence of a personal god.

You seem to be thinking of god and the problem of a personal god the same way Einstein did:

“It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.”

“It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. My views are near those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human problem—the most important of all human problems.”

“The idea of a personal God is quite alien to me and seems even naive.”

Not that you need to base your beliefs around what Einstein thinks, what you said just reminded me of how he thought.

Answer 3

previously you may ask in case you missed any, you will desire to provide some motives first. Love? Any emotion is chemically based interior the innovations. splendor? What approximately all of people who're seen no longer perfect? Did god love them below others? Rediculous. Morality isn't unique to god or faith. Cultures who have not got a god or a diverse god have morals to boot. close to-tragic events? What does this advise? God became toying around and then went, "Gotcha!"? Complexity of existence. there's a solid one.. What does that advise? existence is complicated how? Or do you advise particular species? confident, there is complexity in our bodies yet why might god provide us an appendix if we don't use it? Absurd. Finely-tuned universe? Nope. each twelve months, the moon drifts far off from the earth on the value of a million inch. ultimately, it is going to waft a methods sufficient away to the place the earth heavily isn't waiting to take care of existence. How is that for finely tuned? Prophecies? which of them? Please clarify. ultimately.. reports.. nicely, we on my own administration our reports. i won't be able to credit or blame god for that.

Answer 4

When you do something wrong, how do you feel? Why? God said it is because He sent His Spirit to convict us. When you believe, the Holy Spirit does much more. He guides us into all righteousness. That is righteousness in God's eyes, not just in men's eyes. In other words you can be taught all your life by society that something is right, but the Spirit of God says that it isn't. or vice versa. and you recognize the truth of it as a creature of God. The longer you live trying to please God the more you understand of His will and His way. The whole point is that He wants to have a personal relationship with you. Since God exists outside of time, (after all time is a creation of God) its as though He has nothing else to do but be with you for your whole life. And that's what they call omnipresence.

Answer 5

We've been through some life crises that there is no other way but for God to intervene. That proves his existence to me.

for example: 20 years ago my husband was being medevaced because he got severely sick after chemo. We lived in a isolated northern community. While standing with my nurse friend God reminded me of the verse "you will walk through the fire and you will not be burned, the floods will not overtake you." Even at that dire moment with my husband on the stretcher I knew my husband was going completely recover and we were getting through it!

Answer 6

God is urs personally if u love him so much. God is not a consciousness, or a creative force, he is not an idea of some one either. But it would be nice if u just know these few things about God. u need not do anything until u feel so todo it.

Who is God?
Who has been remembered as the Ocean of Love, the Intellect of the Wise, the Almighty Authority, the Comforter of Hearts, the Truth, The Living Being and the Blissful One?
God Says:
I am the Ocean of Love;
I show you the path of love.
My love remains unbroken and constant.
I cannot forget even one of you.
I have so much love for you,
and My love is unconditional and unlimited.
I am the Beloved.You have been calling out to Me for a long time.
Who Is God?
We are used to knowing things by seeing them, hearing them, tasting them, touching or smelling them. Most of us have grown up in a ‘seeing–is–believing’ and ‘hands on’ culture and we are used to perceiving things in that way. Because we can’t see, hear, taste, touch or smell God, the question arises – is God for real?
One can reach out to God with pure thoughts and be connected to Him. The soul experiences the response of pure feelings and spiritual strength. God is truth itself and thus can be recognized with the eye of truth.
God: The Supreme Soul
Like us, God is also a soul. Unlike us, He is referred to as the Supreme Soul – the only soul who never takes a body (gross or subtle, human or angelic) of His own. He is beyond the effects of actions and is never subject to the dualities of birth and death, pleasure and pain, success and failure. Being beyond the limits of time of this physical world, He retains absolute knowledge of the universe and all its dimensions.
Where is God?
God lives, not everywhere but somewhere. A thought of God almost always takes the eyes upwards, as though one is perhaps expecting a face to miraculously appear from behind the clouds or to beam down from the moon. Thoughts are powerful. They link one soul to another. If they are properly channelled, thoughts can even go where only the soul can travel – beyond the moon and stars to a dimension of golden red light, the original home of all souls. Immersed in the experience of the warmth of this light, the soul feels as though it is truly at home at last, and with God.
God – The Spiritual Sun
Like the physical sun, which gives light and life indiscriminately to all beings, God is the Spiritual Sun, giving light to all, whomever and wherever they may be. He serves altruistically, without any selfish motives, reminding each one of their innate qualities of love, peace and happiness. This is why He has been remembered in some countries and cultures by the name Shiva, The Benevolent One.
God’s Wisdom, Love and Power
People may wonder why, if God exists, He doesn’t wave a magic wand and fix things, making or at least influencing everyone so that they do exactly what they ‘should’ do. But God never takes away anyone’s freedom of choice. God’s wisdom is to recognize and respect each soul’s individual identity, freedom and inherent goodness. God shares knowledge – a profound understanding of the dualities and dilemmas of love and hatred, happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat, etc. – but He does not make our choices for us. The soul is free to choose ‘to be or not to be’, ‘to love or not to love’. God’s love strengthens the soul’s will to free itself from the distresses caused by vices such as selfish desire, anger, fear, ego and attachment. God’s power helps the soul to recognize its highest potential and to aim for perfection by practising the art of simple living and high thinking. Such practice by a significant number of souls eventually brings about positive change in the whole of humanity.
When you learn to tune your mind in meditation to the mind of God, then whatever the situation, you always have a source of help and strength to draw upon – an infinite reservoir of power and virtues that is only a thought away

Answer 7

Well Jesus had a personal God...it just so happens every one else wanted in on that God. I think that's a pretty good example if I do say so myself. p.s. I'm not suggesting you buy into that same God if you choose your own just know that so did Jesus.

Answer 8

James 4:8 encourages us to 'draw close to God and he will draw close to you.' If you honestly want to have a relationship with God, pray to him, be very specific and when one of Jehovah's Witnesses knocks on your door, offering you a Bible Study, take it.

Answer 9

What do you mean, a personal God? He's not here to cater to your every wish or devote all his attention to you! He always there, yes...but he's always there for everyone.

This is not an exclusive service!

Answer 10

Just believe what you want to. People should not insist you follow their beliefs exactly.