So I can tell my Athiest brother-in-law on Thanksgiving as he just sits there while we pray before dinner. Always upsets me every year, and at Christmas.
2006-11-20 00:52:59 · 24 answers · asked by Oh Tami !! 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Why the thumbs down, just asking for help?
2006-11-20 01:21:13 · update #1
The Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Seriously, the only argument you have is that you can't disprove God. Or, there is a lack of evidence for his inexistence
2006-11-20 00:54:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Bring up creation how did the world get here and how did we get there? Here are some statistics all from Mark Cahill's book One Heart Beat Away which is a really good book.
1.The earth is positioned at just the right distance from the sun so that we receive the proper amount of heat to support life all the rest of the planets are to far away or to close.
2. Any appreciable change in the rate of rotation in the earth would make life in possible. For example if The earth were to rotate at 1/10th its present rate all plant life would burn to a crisp during the day or freeze at night
3. The thickness of the earths crust and depth of the ocean are carefully designed. Increase in thickness or depth would drastically alter the absorption of free oxygen and carbon dioxide that plant and animal life could not exist.
4. There is no fossil evidence that supports Marco evolution.
5. Since humans are said to have evolved relatively recently, fossils would have less time to decay and should be more plentiful.
6. If one counts the trial Assemblies of amino acids that are needed to give rise to enzymes(required for life), the probability of discovery by random shuffling turns out to be less than 1*10^40,000(to the 40 thousandth power)
by the way there are only an estimated 10^80 electrons in the entire universe mathematics also says that any odds over 10^50 is impossible.
Also you don't have to "prove" the existance of God it might be better to show it to him. Ask about his life and really listen do the best \you can to make his life easier.
2006-11-20 09:18:21 · answer #2 · answered by Pinnaclespades 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would recommend any of Lee Strobel's books "A Case for ..." "... a Creator" or "... for Christ." Either are excellent books. Many of the great church fathers would tell you to start with Genesis, I would too. Ask him some questions. Another good book is "Darwin's little black Box" by Behe.
Once you have established there is a God. Then we must be responsible to Him and from there the gospel should flow. I pray things will go well for you and that God will grant you wisdom to know what to say when and how.
2006-11-20 09:09:24 · answer #3 · answered by icthyus05 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If your brother-in-law is science-minded, offer him the proof of cause and effect. For example, show him a painting and ask him if he's sure it has been painted. Of course, yes. The existence of a painting presupposes the existence of a painter, though he may never see or meet that painter. You can do this with anything in creation ~ your fork, your tea cup, your dinner plate, YOURSELF. If he recognizes that he has been created, then that knowledge presupposes the existence of a Creator. In English we usually refer to the Creator as God.
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
www.bahai.org
2006-11-20 09:32:41 · answer #4 · answered by Linell 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The difference between life and death is God. The difference between a man alive and a dead body is God. The existence of everything around is God. The answers to questions of the orderly chaos is God. Who could have thought of millions and millions of species of animals, insects, plants and what not if not God? Science? Man? Naah...... Look for evrything that u cannot find an answer to and u will find God. Your inner peace, the love around is God. The fact that life still exists with so much hatred, violence and negativity around is God. The point beyond which human beings cannot find an answer is God. The answer to the answerable is God.
2006-11-20 09:03:45 · answer #5 · answered by andekhi_anjaani 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Below are two ways to prove God, without using Creation and without using the Bible. Of course the best are Creation and Conscience (see Psalm 19) but many reject both outright so I use this approach. But what's more important rather than try to prove God to your BIL you should try to witness to him. Trying to prove God to him is a way to get the conversation going. But go here to learn how to share your faith Biblically. www.wayofthemaster.com They have free videos that are about 30 minutes long. Watch the episode titled "WDJD - What Did Jesus Do". This is straight to the chase. God Bless.
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1) The existence of evil is proof of God.
We all agree that evil exists – in fact we object to things we call evil (war, poverty, Republicans, liberals, whatever). So, what is evil? Not what are examples of evil (rape, murder, etc…) but what makes something evil? What makes something evil is whether it deviates from some idea of objective good. In other words, there has to be some objective standard of good in order to measure whether something is evil. C. S. Lewis said “how can a man call anything crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line?”. If there is no good, how then can we call anything evil? But there doesn’t seem to be any way to account for an objective standard of good unless there is a God. We ourselves cannot serve as that standard. Even the best of us have lied and stolen at sometime in our lives (deviations from good) so we ourselves cannot be used as a standard for good. So, evil is evidence of good; good is evidence of God; therefore evil is evidence of God.
2) It seems to me that if there is no God then there is also no ultimate justice.
Between the years 1990 and 2000 there were 200,000 murders in the U.S. Approximately 100,000 of those are unsolved (this is from the Census Bureau of 2000). That means that there are potentially 100,000 murderers that have never been brought to justice and most likely may never be. That means that they have committed the perfect crime - they have killed another person and gotten away with it. Does it seem reasonable that someone could live out the rest of their life and never pay for such a crime? Think of the outcry when an innocent child is raped and murdered. We demand justice! But what justice is there for the victim whose murderer is never caught? If there is no ultimate justice, then we can do whatever we like in this world and when this life is over, it’s over – there is no penalty. If God does not exist, then there is no true justice.
2006-11-20 09:19:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is the never ending debate. The best that you can do is to pray that God reveals himself to your brother in law in some way.
Faith is like a pendulum, many people go back and forth throughout their life. Most atheists are former believers, they are frustrated in the lack of evidence because they tend to be more materialistic by nature, and so they need to see things to belive them. Others are more comfortable with uncertainty and life does not make sense to them without the notion of God, contrary to atheist convictions.
There are those that just get it and they don't need any reasons, and there are those who will never get it. Its the fact, accept it.
Do the best you can and stay strong!
2006-11-20 09:01:47 · answer #7 · answered by Rick 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You will never be able to prove other than by faith. All the things that was created by God could not have evolved. The earth is just the right distance from the Sun. If we was any closer we would burn up and if we was any futher we would freeze. Evolution does not know distance. The human brain is so complex how can evolution have a part of that. Evolution does not know parts.
2006-11-20 09:02:09 · answer #8 · answered by iwant_u2_wantme2000 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Look in the mirror, you are here because God is real. Just look all around you and see what God has done.
Better than that, let him see Jesus in you and don't bother to argue with him.
Or you could just tell him about the rule of reproducing, everything after its own likeness, which is why he was not born half man and half turkey.
2006-11-20 08:59:31 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In as much as I was not around to see how everything came into being (and neither were you),I say, "I don't know ..... YET!" To assume that some god, my less than intellectual ancestors made up, instantaneously farted the universe into being, is absurd. God is the end result of a failed search for truth by a very shallow mind, provided that any search was made at all instead of swallowing the pile of delusional bilge that was spoon fed to you as a child. GOD THEORY - The accumulated myths and superstitions of your ancestors which have been dogmatized, institutionalized and mounded into the colossal pile of crap you call ultimate truth.
2006-11-20 08:58:23 · answer #10 · answered by iknowtruthismine 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You get thumbs down because you're trying to force your beliefs on your brother, and we don't like that. And as for the situation, it seems like you're getting mad at his inaction, but here you are ready to make a scene at your family's celebration. Do you really think that's going to change him or make it any more pleasant? All that'll happen is you'll say some unconvincing, he'll argue back, and you'll have an even better holiday than usual.
2006-11-20 20:46:08 · answer #11 · answered by Phil 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋