I believe in God, but I also believe that God does not exist, does this blow your mind?

Question

One of the first to articulate the theology in Christianity was St Paul whose reference to the Unknown God in the book of Acts (Acts 17:23) is the foundation of works such as that of Pseudo Dionysius. This is as Pseudo Dionysius so describes. Exemplars of the via negativa, the Cappadocian Fathers of the 4th century said that they believed in God, but they did not believe that God exists. In contrast, making positive statements about the nature of God, which occurs in most other forms of Christian theology, is sometimes called 'kataphatic theology'. Adherents of the apophatic tradition hold that God is beyond the limits of what humans can understand, and that one should not seek God by means of intellectual understanding, but through a direct experience of the love (in Western Christianity) or the Energies (in Eastern Christianity) of God. Apophatic theology can be also seen as an oral tradition. "It must also be recognized that "forgery" is a modern notion. Like Plotinus and the Cappadocians before him, Dionysius does not claim to be an innovator, but rather a communicator of a tradition." [1]

Negative theology played an important role early in the history of Christianity. Like in the works of Clement of Alexandria. Three more theologians who emphasized the importance of negative theology to an orthodox understanding of God, were Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, and Basil the Great. John of Damascus employed it when he wrote that positive statements about God reveal "not the nature, but the things around the nature." It continues to be prominent in Eastern Christianity (see Gregory Palamas), and is used to balance kataphatic theology. Apophatic statements are crucial to much theology in Orthodox Christianity.

Negative theology has a place in the Western Christian tradition as well, although it is definitely much more of a counter-current to the prevailing positive or cataphatic traditions central to Western Christianity. For example, theologians like Meister Eckhart and St. John of the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz), mentioned above, exemplify some aspects of or tendencies towards the apophatic tradition in the West. The Cloud of Unknowing (author unknown) and St John's Dark Night of the Soul are particularly well-known in the West.

I hope this helps to bring a better understanding to hard core christians who bash us poor atheists in this forum.

Answer 1

huh. well, i'm impressed! but an atheist seems to me one who does not know God; you seem to know a great deal about Him. i especially like how you say, "one should not seek God by means of intellectual understanding".

~stolen panties

Answer 2

Welll I don't have a problem with it because I believe in God as a scientifically explainable phenomenon that science hasn't been able to explain yet.

Remember: those same people who told us that God is too vast for our meager human comprehension would also have been overwhelmed by such scientifically explainable phenomena as meteors, airplanes, refrigeration, viruses, bacteria, and the benefits of cleaning ones teeth.

Answer 3

Ah my brother, one cannot be an atheist and believe in God = no matter what theology you choose. Atheism is the belief of no God. Negative theology does not deny God so much as deny our ability to know God. Perhaps you would like to move to the shores of agnosticism?

Answer 4

Wow that was a lot of blah,blah coming from a scoffer

Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease (Proverbs 22:10).

TRY FINDING PEACE FOR YOUR SOUL

http://www.carm.org/doctrine/100truths.

The above is what I tell every scoffer, however I will give you a little credit and say that that was very scholarly,
but I will say sometimes a work like that is not faith enhancing because you stand outside of the word of God and and critisize it. Whereas the best approach is to believe it as if God is speaking directly to you. And of course that won't happen until you do the following and have a visitation from the Holy Spirit.

God's Gospel:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9-10

Answer 5

Don't know what's more boring- your question or the answers. (Yawn)

The force of which you speak has been humanized by attatching symbols identifiable to humans beings. It is not a father or a person.

You believe because you feel something.....and, like me, you also don't care for the cheap decoration of the idea that little brains have to dress it up with to hold onto it, like handles on a suitcase.

They even have to name it. God backwards is Dog. Woof!

Answer 6

lots relies upon on the way you define "believing in" and what it ability. in my view, the two bypass at the same time -- it is, you are able to not believe in God without believing God exists. which would be authentic of any deity. yet to envision it any incorrect way, the way you're curiously watching it, believing God exists would not inevitably equate in believing in him. and that i believe that view.

Answer 7

i'm not atheist but i do think god doesnt existe i believe is a force, a light not a "god" the people used to use god to make bad things to dominate the people they still doing it... the last generation is beating the religion... at least all my friends mate thanks 4 the new knowledge but try to make more easy all of that it's quiet hard to read it all

Answer 8

Do you know how you got that dent, in your top lip? Way back, before you were born, I told you a secret, then I put my finger there and I said "Shhhhh

Answer 9

This question is too long and too boring. By the way, when I post something I can only post a couple of paragraphs, how come you got to write some much?

Answer 10

Never have a seen a more ridiculous statement by anyone, atheist or otherwise.

Please get some professional theological help!