So questioning or testing Him is wrong? Humans, after all, have very limited senses---apes are primarily visual creatures. To see is to believe, isn't it not?
It doesn't have to be a grand show for millions to see; it can be done tete-a-tete. Why does He refuse do you think?
2006-11-11 04:19:56 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Unfortunately most Christians are extremely ignorant about things related to their own religious beliefs and because of this they have very misguided ideas about what it means to believe in god and what "faith" is. I know this very well having been a Christian for many years. I attended Christian Theology school and one thing I quickly realized is how ignorant Christians are when it comes to the book they so dearly love--the Bible. (despite the fact that they claim to cherish the bible 99% of all christians have never even read the entire bible from start to finish)
In my opinion not only is it OK to question Gods existence and the validity of Christianity, I think it is NECESSARY and I think that the Christian God encourages this type of questioning.
When you study the old testament there are countless examples of God performing miracles in order to PROVE that he was the true and only god. Any person who has actually studied the bible would recognize this and therefore the idea that it is WRONG to question gods existence is foolish since the God of the bible himself thought it necessary to demonstrate evidence for his own existence and superiority over the pagan gods.
Another evidence for the fact that even the Christian God would encourage questioning their religion is the fact that Christians, when they are "witnessing" to non-christians demand of them to question their own belief systems and to consider all the arguments for the validity of Christianity.
Christians use prophecy to prove the authenticity and validity of the Bible over other books who lack such evidence.
Therefore, it is completely ridiculous and hypocritical for Christians to try to give evidence for the validity of Christianity through "prophecy" etc one minute and then condemn a person who is demanding "evidence" for the validity of Christian beliefs.
So my conclusion regarding this point is that pretty much all Christians are extremely ignorant even about their own beliefs and they are hypocritical because they try to give "logical" reasons and proof for their belief system and expect people to be "honest with themselves and truly consider Christianity" but yet they would condemn you for "questioning" Christianity once you are in it. Its ridiculously funny.
However, I think it is important to make a distinction between Christians and the Christian religion and the question of whether there is a god and whether the bible has something to it. They are two different things. Just because Christians are ignorant does not mean that God doesnt exist or that the Bible doesnt have something to it.
As a student of Philosophy (something that wasnt encouraged by Christianity) I began to study all of the philosophical arguments for the Existence of God and I am 100% convinced that a god does exist. These philosophical arguments have nothing to do with Christianity or the bible, they are simply deduced using logic. there are many different arguments for the existence of god, all of them have limitations, however, when you consider all of them they provide a very strong argument in favor of the existence of god.
here i will share only one of them.
The Cosmological Argument: the cosmological argument consists of the following syllogism:
1. the earth had a beginning
2. everything that has a beginning has a cause
3, therefore the earth had a cause
it sounds extremely simple and it in fact is, but it is also extremely powerful. i will elaborate only a little on this argument but trust me when i say that it provides an enormously powerful argument in favor of gods existence.
1. we know from physics etc that the universe is expanding, therefore if we reversed time it obviously means that the universe would be compacting, this means that the universe was at one point at a level of complete and total compaction.
2. there is no such thing as infinte regression. what this means is that you cant say "what was before last year" and some one says "the year before that" and then "what was before that year" and respond "the year before that" for all eternity. This is called an infinite regression. infinite regression is impossible since it leads to mathmatical absurdities. eternity just is, it cannot be reached through simply increasing numbers..1...2...3...4...5...etc
therefore, it is impossible that the earth simply just existed implying an infinite regression. it had to have had a beginning. if it had a beginning then it had to have a cause. for something to be caused it must have a causer. a causer cannot cause something without a purpose because it is impossible to purpose something with no purpose. therefore this causer had to have a purpose which implies that it has intelligence and is some kind of a being. THUS GOD.
anyway, this is an extremely quick and simplistic explanation of only one of the arguments for the existence of god. i hope it helps. if you want to read more go to a library and look for philosophy books on the existence of god.
2006-11-11 05:08:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It is not wrong to question if God exists. You don't get answers without questioning. Sometimes people don't get anwers because they just want answers that agree with their preconceived ideas about something - not that they are truly looking for absolute truths. I think this is a common problem in humanity.
About God's existence... There is more historical documentation available to prove the God of the Christians and Jews exists, that Jesus and Mohammed existed - than there is documentation that proves Napolean existed, that all the pharoahs of Egypt existed and that WWI and WWII, the Korean War, etc. actually happened. So does that mean that those parts of history didn't happen either or are equally unreliable as "proof"?
The Hewbrew people took exacting measures to document their history - both in what is known as the Old Testament of the Bible and other documents. It was unthinkable and sinful to them to modify anything in the writings and there were people who specifically had the job to keep the transcribers accountable so there was no editing or editorializing.
So think of it this way: since there are more historical, written accounts from different people and different perspectives to prove the existence of God and the Jesus of Nazareth than there are written accounts of proving the historical events we already believe happened... then why should God make any gesture when there's already so much proof and still people dont want to "see" it?
God is probably thinking, "Look at all the proof I've already provided! Take your blinders off!"
Whether you choose to follow a particular "religion" is something altogether different.
As for the grand show for millions to see you don't require - I'm sure many Christians SOMETIMES wish He would do that in order to silence the nay-sayers once-and-for-all. ;-)
P.S. Well said "Villegas"!!!
2006-11-11 05:31:24 · answer #2 · answered by Evy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Christian. I accept that evolution and creationism co-exist very well. I don't ask you for proof. I don't expect to have to give proof. But no, I don't think that the assertion you make as right has any proof of anything. And I don't think Christians attack evolution as their first argument either. I am thankful for your interest and concern in how we feel.
2016-05-22 05:21:28 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He did, when Christ walked. Also the unvierse itself, which men are still debating the origins of. He did, in the fulfilled prophecies of the bible.
Man just does not want to see it, because to admit there's a God means there's accountability, and man does not want to be accountable. So he rejects any 'proof' out there, most especially regarding evolution. No branch of science proves it. It is just assumed and the 'proofs' are made up.
That being said, if God sat for an hour with Larry King, it wouldn't change many minds. They'd assume it was a trick anyway, so what do you want God to do, to prove Himself, is the better question. It's not "why won't God prove Himself?", it's "what proof will you accept if He did?"
2006-11-11 04:30:52 · answer #4 · answered by Snake 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No it is not evil to question him. It is part of our curious nature. However, when you become a Christian (BELIEVING he is the one true God and TRUSTING him to be your Savior of sins) then we are expected to already know and believe God is God and will always be God. Because A Christian has to have FAITH and can no longer question God's existence. Because if you do, then you are not a true Christian. Most of the time, in these cases, people got saved for "fire insurance". That means so they can still do anything ungodly (so they don't have to follow God's rules and act like a Christian) but still want to go to heaven, not hell, when they die.
I'm sorry if this sounds a little too religious for you. I just take this subject very strongly because I am, myself, a Christian.
2006-11-11 04:28:24 · answer #5 · answered by Centrino 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it is wrong. In fact you should search for proof. The Bible says that, "search and you will find".
Yes to see is to believe. I think sometimes we know something is true yet we want to see it. It's not easy. You don't see the wind yet you know that it is real. I think a lot of times you can see God work if you seek with your heart not your eyes. Some things are hidden.
I think even if God showed himself to people they would still not believe. Like Jesus. He said he was God, showed up and people still didn't believe Him.
2006-11-11 04:40:04 · answer #6 · answered by los 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yeah. I mean if God showed he actually did exist, then he'd get so many more followers, "servants", so why doesn't he just show up, perform a few miracles until people believe (and this wouldn't go against the "free will" thing Christians go on about)
But you can't really ask god to prove his existence. I mean, you might as well ask Santa to prove his existence. It amounts to the same thing in the end.
2006-11-11 04:25:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
In my opinion to be a Christian is to have faith that God exist. Faith is when you believe in something without having to see it. Plus God creates miracles everyday, just look around all the good things in this world are here because of God.
2006-11-11 04:26:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
God is not against us knowing that He is real.
But people have learned that He is real in different ways.
Some believe from reading the Bible.
Some believe because they or someone they know was healed by God.
Some see changes in others lives that have become Christians.
Christians do not have blind faith. They do not know every thing, but because they do know that God is real, they have faith that God will do the things that He has promised even though it has not yet happened.
2006-11-11 04:39:58 · answer #9 · answered by tim 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Who indicated it is wrong? God provided many people with the intellect and logic to think for themselves. Part of that logic is searching for proof and facts. This is why the theory of evolution scares religious fanatics. Because it can be proved.
I don't believe in religion. IMO, they are hypocrites and attempt to brainwash into their beliefs. The God I believe in provided me with free will and will judge me in the end.
2006-11-11 04:27:19 · answer #10 · answered by S H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋