When God talks do you listen?

Question

I mean...really really listen?
Has he talked to you? What was his voice like? Maybe it was your mother?

If you know a group of devout Christians, you will frequently hear them say to each other (and even to people outside the group) things like this:

My husband and I are not sure what to do in this situation. We are going to pray to God and see what he tells us to do.

According to televangelists and ministers, God also frequently talks to them as well.

In other words, Christians believe that God transmits divine messages to his followers in response to prayer. Christians actually believe that the almighty, all-knowing creator of the universe is talking to them personally and guiding their decisions.

Now think about this. Let's say that the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe was going to transmit personal messages to Christians. Wouldn't you expect the people receiving these messages to blow the rest of us away in every intellectual endeavor? Wouldn't you expect someone who is directed by God to be a genius?

Answer 1

"Wouldn't you expect the people receiving these messages to blow the rest of us away in every intellectual endeavor? Wouldn't you expect someone who is directed by God to be a genius?"

Unfortunately, no. The most devout Christians see sharpening of the intellect as an endeavour that is unhealthy at the least. Though it takes immense efforts to come up with adequate 'reasoning' against thories and develop 'intelligunt desine' and 'creationism' instead.. This is not regarded as such sharpening of intellect, by the fanatics - and this I agree on.

In the society I come from, people that hear voices are gently taken care of in professional treatment, then hopefully readjusted to society. Maybe in America you have to be stark raving mad indeed to get such treatment - or maybe leftwing people that think out of the box already fill up the facilities.

The people that hear the voice of God play to their own doubts as well as ours. In philosophy and psychology you never get any securities: Depth of thought nor tolerance for ideas never runs out. This insecurity is the backdoor that christian zealots use in people that have not yet established independent thought: children and the uneducated. Religion is a smart drug for simple people, like the blue pill in The Matrix. The pity is that when it's accepted, there's no way back. Whereas, when you accept science, you can fall prey to christinsanity anyway. We're a feeble species.

Lastly, some think god speaks to them when they kneel, fold hands, close eyes and sit still by their bedside, softly speaking a few words. The resulting feeling of light-headedness however can be 'conjured' too when you sit and meditate, pray to the devil, envoke spirits or even if you talk to the IRS or your neighbour, if you give it a similar seriousness and physicality. It's sad, and though religion is ok for individuals to find comfort after life's hardships, it's outright dangerous to society. If my kid will ever have to learn about creationism in a public school, I'll personally make hell freeze over.

Answer 2

Are you looking for an answer or are you trying to just attack Christians. If you are looking for a real answer. Yes many of us do have conversations with God and he talks to us about a lot of things. He has told me how to fix a lot of things that I had no idea how to do. You cannot really understand until you talk to him yourself.

Answer 3

God speaks to us through the written word. His son Jesus showed us that the only proper path is to look to the scriptures.
Mt.4: 4 But in reply he said: “It is written, ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.’”
Mt.4:7 Jesus said to him: “Again it is written, ‘You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.’”
Mt.4:10 Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service

Anyone who believes they are receiving special messages from God is in serious danger. They are making themselves vulnerable to overstepping the commandment of God,and actually doing Satans direct bidding.
The safest place to be in these times of the end is to never follow your heart, only the written word.

Answer 4

Your answer to the Jesus Christ question was awesome. I would expect God or his written word to contain a perfection of philosophy.

Answer 5

Oddly enough, those who claim to receive divine revelations appear to suffer from substandard intelligence levels.

Answer 6

I only listen when the voice of God is spoken though my dog.

Answer 7

i listen when god takes action, like someones death or birth of child or whatever, never 'heard' him talk though i am sure I have heard his words sometime

Answer 8

What god there is no higher power

Answer 9

I always listen to my brain when it talks to me. How can I not?

Answer 10

I wish