Not trying to be funny but is God real?

Question

I am not trying to be anti-sematic, or blasfamis, (I don't think I spelled that right) but I have often wondered if God was just something or someone that someone else made up to put fear into people. By saying stuff like

"You will go to hell if you don't believe in GOD"

And for that matter is there really a Hell and Devil, Lucifer? Or was he made up to scare the hell outta young people?

I was raised baptist, But I have always had these questions lingering in the back of my mind.

I mean I believe in GOD, but how do we know fr a fact that he/she exist? How are we for certain that undoubtedly there is a Spiritual being floating around us? And who wrote the bible to begin with? How are we certain that some crazy person trying to scare the heck outta people didn't write some stuff on a piece of paper and then go off and tell folks that God wrote to him. and said this is what you have to send out to the people of the world, because he, GOD, said so.

Answer 1

I used to think so but now I have some serious doubts. I just couldn't understand why god, if he existed, would forsake all of the young men that the catholic priests were raping by not stopping it.

Answer 2

All good questions, and bravo to you for asking them instead of blindly following "dogma."

There is no proof of any kind that any sort of "god" actually exists. Ignore the ridiculous statements of some such as "the existence of god has been mathematically proven" -- there is no such thing. In fact, the existence or non-existence of god CANNOT be proven. That leaves us with the simple fact that there is no evidence god exists, and considerable evidence that all gods were made up by humans to serve their own selfish political-social needs.
Same goes for heaven, hell, any kind of afterlife, the devil, angels, spirits, demons, etc. -- no proof of any kind they exist, lots of proof that they were all just made up by humans.

Who wrote the bible? Well, the old testament is largely a collection of oral myths passed down generation to generation by the hebrews that were finally written down. The new testament is a collection of "gospels" all written long after jesus died and by people who never met him, and letters from early church leaders to their "flock" scattered around the middle east and mediterranean. There are literally thousands of other writings by the ancient hebrews and by early christian leaders and writers that are NOT in the bible, the contents of the bible were arranged by a committee of bishops in the year 534 AD, and they are the ones that decided which writings were "acceptable" and which weren't -- many writings that were popular and considered holy at the time were left out because they didn't agree with the doctrine these bishops wanted to present as "christian." God didn't say so, bishops and emperors decided what would be in the bible. And since not a single one of the original texts of the current bible exists, nobody can even be sure that what's in there is what was what was really written in the first place.

You're being sold a bunch of nonsense by anyone who tells you the bible is the "absolute word of god." Do the research yourself, don't take such claims at face value. The truth will undoubtedly bring you to ask more questions -- keep seeking the answers.

Answer 3

Belief is a matter of faith, faith is popularly defined by Heb 11:1 "Faith is convicion of things not seen and assurance of things hoped for." And leads many to think that faith must be blind.

I believe that this is not the case - faith is a matter of a realtionship that is significant, real and felt, between God the creator and we the created. Having such a relationship has tangible results that are real, but not considered by most as provable.

As for Lucifer/devil/satan... these are different terms that get used and mis-used in religion.

Lucifer is a mythology that has been co-opted by many from (not the Bible) Babalyon. You will not find Lucifer in any current translation of the Bible. The King James Version contains one reference in Isaah that is iterpreted differently with our current understanding of the Hebrew language.

Satan is the accusor and temptor and works as the "prosecuting attorny" on God's behalf. Satan tempts humans that God might be able to judge them, and is also a product of Hebrew mythology.

Devil is a lose term found in the New Testament and has different meanings based upon context. Often Devil is synonmous with the Satan character of the Old Testament. Other times devil is the ideal of posession which most scholars would agree was a sign of un treated mental illness.

Anti Christ does not exist in the Revelation as popularized, but rather is in the epistles of John and simply means one who does not believe that Jesus is the Christ - thus they are anti-Christ (against Christ) not some evil demonic.

There are many Christian denomination (Methodist, Presbyterian, ELCA) that do not take a literal stance on the Bible, but rather study the Biblical truths that are in the Bible as allegory. I would suggest that you seek out a minister of one of those denominations about your questions.

Answer 4

You surely asked a lot of questions about God and spirituality. I personaly have had my belief in God tested many times. The most recent was the death of my father to cancer. I prayed and prayed that the treatments would work and that he'd be ok, but we lost him suddenly. I look back and recall that part of my prayers where to end his suffering to help him feel at peace, and in one way that was answered. It may not have been to my liking but it was.

Another reason I believe is there are unanswered things in our world that can only have happened through "miracles". Science has yet to find the "missing link" between Humans and the animals we supposedly sprang from.

The bible was written over the ages by what I call scribes, those people that followed and listened to the stories as they happened. Those who made sure to record history as it happened sharing it with others when they could.

As for if you go to hell if you do not believe in God, well we hear stories of souls haunting and wandering the earth. Is it because they had no faith in God, or was it because they couldn't give up their physical life? A believe in God does not mean that everything you want in life will come. However, it does mean that there is a place to turn in deep sorrow or despare for help. It may not come in a manner we want but in some other form.

My over 100 yr old grandmother is living proof that a belief can lead you to a strong healthy life. As she will tell you she believes that the Holy Spirit has saved her life at least 19 times in her life. Having phnemona in her late 80's early 90's is one of the more recent. Your believe in God is your own choice, but I often wonder where would I be if I did not have that "spirit" to turn to when I so needed help.

I wouldn't sweat the small stuff about heaven or hell just enjoy life to it's fullest.

Answer 5

Being 'anti-semitic' only means that a person doesn't like semitic speaking persons of the Middle East or Northern Africa. Oddly, Jewish persons the world over claim they are semites, but this is not always the case. Anyway, nobody can 'prove' to another that God exists. Just as you and I can't prove to each other that we both see the same color 'orange', or 'green'. We agree on the word, yes, but we cannot prove our inner experiences are identical. 'Believing' is something the Human Being can do, and, actually, should do. It is a normal function of the brain, at the very least, and to deny yourself this function will lead to a difficult time. A person can believe in god, science, whatever,but be sure, they are both beliefs. The short answer? If you create a relationship with what you percieve to be God, then you will see results. Remember, 'reality' is fluid, changing constantly. If you're in touch with your spiritual side, you have more power to alter this reality for your own good, and the good of those you care about.

Answer 6

VERY GOOD QUESTION!
We CAN'T know! No one can know for sure whether there is a God or not, because it most certainly COULD be just some guy who made it up, to force beliefs on others, so that they can do what he says.
I am agnostic, and personally I believe that no one can no for sure whether there is a god or any other diety for that matter, because there is no way (scientificly OR mathmatical) to prove that they exist.
Humans wrote the bible, even the bible said that. So how can we know if they weren't hallucinating?
And I'm absolutely POSITIVE that people have used the bible and God as an ecuse for something they didn't like before as well. Take the KKK for instance, they used it to back up segregation in the 1950's. They used it as an excuse to kill people.
And Gay rights, republicans use the bible and God as an excuse to say that being Gay in itself is wrong. They try to scare the vote out of people who are afraid to go to hell!
I'm not comparing the KKK to Republicans either, so don't say that. I'm just taking examples off the top of my head.
Like, Hitler. He didn't like Jews. Why? Because he was christian and they didn't believe in Christ.
All this would make someone want to stop believing, wouldn't it?
Make them doubt that there was even a God in the first place, and say that God was just created as a way to control the masses.
That is what I believe, and it doesn't have to be what you believe.

So in conclusion, God may very well not exist, but people are too afraid to admit it.

~Suri. (Please don't get mad at me...)

Answer 7

You ask a *lot* of questions.

Techically, we have *no* proof of the existence of God, or otherwise science would talk about God as a person and not as an idea. There is no way to know if God exists or not. You have *faith* that God exists simply by seeing the evidence of God, just like you know the wind blows because you feel and see the evidence of the wind.

The Christian bible was written by dozens of people. I personally believe that everyone writing the books of the canonized bible beleived in their hearts that they had a revelation from God. I also believe that the bible does have a direct witness to the nature of God. It's not a perfect set of text and it does contradict itself, but it's driving towards an idea of God that loves and cares for creation and wants to be in relationship with it. I believe that, from what I have seen of love and communion here on Earth.

Answer 8

i'm baptist too and here the answers to your questions. God is real, he's like air. you can't see him or touch him. but when He moves you, you know He's there. It's all a matter of faith. just like Christians can't prove scientificly that there is a God, atheist can't scientificly prove that there isn't.

and is wasn't one person that wrote the Bible. It was several people ( like Matthew, Mark, David....) that wrote a book on Jesus or God. Then many, many years later, our ancestors put those books together and created the Bible. The Bible must be true because Matthew never showed anyone his book and neither did David and they lived centuries apart, yet they contain the same information. so we have facts that can prove the Bible wasn't a joke, but the rest depends on your faith. if you need more answers, ask a priest or just pray about it.

Answer 9

Think of all the beautiful things in the world. God designed those things. The Universe and all the wonderous things = God. Now I know all the people who do not believe will say "what about rape, murder, and all those horrible things." This is the absence of God. "well I thought God is everywhere, all the time" you might ask. This too is true. You must believe that everything is in God's plan and that is where faith takes over. If you believe in God, as a Baptist, which is Christian you also believe that Jesus came and died on the cross for your sins. Now all your sins are forgiven, even those to come. You should also know as a Baptist that "no one comes to the Father but through the Son". This means you must believe in Jesus and that his blood make you acceptable to God.

As for the Devil. Believe that he is alive and real. "Think it not stange..." Lucifer is a fallen angel and is already condemened to hell. His main goal is to make sure your burning up with him. By distracting you with earthly pleasures and by getting in your mind and impareing your "vision" of true bliss.

You have been given free will to decide. Decide to please God or to be owned by the devil. You can only have one master. If you belong to the world you do not belong to God. Choose wisely.

I am a sinner, but I know I am forgiven. I try to please God and I am aware of my short comings. It is my daily bruden to try to behave.

Faith can only come by hearing. so go to church if you need some comfort and faith. God is with you he knows your heart.

Answer 10

The existence of God is a question of faith. There is NO way to prove that God exists in an empirical fashion. You can only know God through your spiritual self.

Introspection will help. God and your belief system is something that only you can build.

Reading the Bible might help. It is a book written by men, perhaps using divine inspiration, but more likely it is their own experiences of developing a relationship with God. See above.

Speaking to 'holy' men will not help. They are nothing more then men. The more honest of them will tell you only that they have developed an inner sense of God. If they tell you that they know God or have actually had a dialog with God, they are at best delusional and at worst liars.

Building your relationship with God will take you a life time. Enjoy the journey.

Answer 11

You know that little voice in your head that keeps trying to tell you God is real? Listen to it. There is a Creator just don't confuse God with man made religions. I do recommend reading the bible. Read it yourself. Do not let another man interpret it for you unless you can trust that he or she has no hidden agenda.