Theists: How can you believe in God when you can't discern him with your five senses?

Question

If you answer, "Faith", in what is your faith grounded?

Answer 1

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen my dear.

Answer 2

Five senses? Hinduism teaches that there are seven.
See
Smell
Touch
Taste
Hear
Intellect
Mind

The intellect is what senses thoughts and the mind is what sense consciousness. Consciousness is the root of God (Brahman is the word that is often used by Hindus for God, well its one of the many. Brahman comes from two Sanskrit words Brah and Manah and means "Expanding Consciousness" or "Cosmic Consciousness" although it also gets translated into English sometimes as "Supreme Soul" which actually would be Paratman which is another word for God or "Ultimate Reality" which again is actually a different Sanskrit word altogether). Anyways, it is because the mind can sense God because God is the source of consciousness.

Okay so that is probably not exactly a "theistic" answer to God since most "theists" say that God is a "person", but technically speaking the Hindu God is still monotheistic because Hindus do believe that this God, though not necessarily a person, is both all that is in the universe and yet beyond it. Saivite Hindus believe that at moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) that you merge into Brahman and become completely one. Vaishnava Hindus say that at moksha you do not completely merge with Brahman, instead you are united with Brahman and are more like a eternal companion of Brahman. Smarta Hindus say that at moksha that you do completely merge with Brahman and you lose your complete sense of individuality (because, of course, everything is Brahman..it came from Brahman, it is Brahman, it goes back to Brahman...there never was anything but Brahman, it is just an illusion of ignorance to believe otherwise).

So that's the Hindu view. And they definately don't believe you should believe on "faith". You should always question everything and test and try out everything. As many Hindu teachers have said over the centuries "try it, if it works for you and you want to keep doing the practices then keep doing them, however, if you wish to not continue then please feel free to move on."

Answer 3

If we walk by faith and not by sight, we are walking in God's kingdom. When we trust in Him and His word, we are honoring Him to the fullest. We cannot see, nor hear Him directly since He is a being and not a person typing on the Internet.

Our faith is grounded to what was written thousands of years ago. These writings were inspired by God who spoke to those through other means as well.

Just because cameras and tape recorders weren't invented yet, doesn't mean that Adam and Eve weren't alive. Their lives were documented and passed down through the ages, just like the history of our presidents, writers, actors, etc before cameras and recorders.

Answer 4

1) Plug the wire of a TV into the socket. Dont switch it ON. leave it as it is.
My question to you, if no body switches it ON, can it switch ON by itself?

2) You are lost in a forest, there you see a house in the middle of the forest. you are certain that this house has been built by someone. you may not know who he is but you are dead sure that the house has a owner. WHY?

3)You dont see Infra-Red radiations, yet you believe its existence. you dont see the waves that are meitted while we talk, yet you can feel it. you have not seen a single galaxy yet you believe the presence of millions of galaxies. WHY?

4) You were not present when an Apple fell over Newton. And he discovered Gravity. yet you believe Newton discovered 'Gravity'. have you seen it? Yet you believe in the phenomenon called 'Gravity'.

5) Nobody knows where is the exact location of 'Mind' and the 'Soul' in the human body, yet millions accept its prescence.

If you can affirm all these without seeing them, Can not the whole of the universe be built by ALmighty GOD???

The house in the forest has to have an owner, The Gigantic universe running in precise equilibrium, without an Owner?

GOD exists and HE is only ONE

You cant have your own laws. If you buy a TV. Dont you refer to the instruction manual for the TV? Or you just mess it up as you like it since you OWN it?

The body which we have is not ours. Its a ctually a gift of ALmighty GOD which we have to use it as per his guidelines.

All the rules and Laws made by Man are subject to fail as Man doesnt know whats in store for him in the future. So Bow yourself to The will of GOD... In other words Submit your will to Almighty GOD. Enter Islam which means "Peace acquired by submitting your will to ALmighty GOD (ALLAH)"

Answer 5

Several years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away.

While driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.

Three days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to.

I feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.
During the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible.

I can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.

I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings.

Your brother don

Answer 6

Son can you verify with your five senses time,atoms,germs bacteria or a host of others ?No only by enhancements.Well faith is the enhancement to verify God.

Answer 7

We all believe in things that our senses can't discern. Do you believe that there are radio waves passing through the room you're in even though you don't have a radio turned on to convert them to sound? Do you believe that there is gravity even though you can't see it? When you see a sign that says, "Danger - Radioactivity," do you stand next to it or avoid the area due to radioactivity that your senses can't detect?

Answer 8

he dosent expect you to, he expects you to show him love and careness trust me you can tell he is there when your scared, sad, mad, and just.....he is there

Answer 9

flameslivewire, I really love your answer.

You are good.