serious q. you guys. how is there a god?

Question

christians talk of conversation with god, evidence of his existance etc.
where?
is it just intuition, like, you have a thought, say, 'i feel like a cheese sandwich', and you think it is god telling you to have one?
i'm not poking fun this time,
i just really don't understand, where you get it from, other than the bible

i want tangible answers! not 'i just know it in my heart" or 'just faith'

Answer 1

"Faith" is a pretty good answer, if the person using it is able to admit that the reason faith is needed is the complete absence of evidence. If you can be that honest, I think you're entitled to believe what you will. We ALL have false beliefs - the test is whether or not we're honest about them.

Those who claim to have evidence are either lying, or so terribly arrogant, or both.

To the person immediately above me - that's not evidence. Do it again, in front of a skeptical witness, and we might start taking your claim seriously. If it was god and not a coincidence, you should be able to make it happen regularly.

Same basic answer for the faith healer guy who asks for respect: demonstrate the ability, and we'll think about it. But simply making claims is not the same as providing evidence for those claims, and you need to respect the fact that we're not going to just take your word for it that these events happened. Respect runs both ways, and frankly, the dogmatic believers don't seem to understand that they need to participate respectfully as well.

Answer 2

Let me give you one of the many arguments for the existence of God, "The Cosmological Argument." The argument is this: The cosmos is here and must be explained as to how it got here. This argument is using the law of cause and effect, which states: Every effect must have a preceding and adequate cause (the cause must come first and be adequate). What do I mean by adequate? Well, the building didn’t collapse because a mosquito landed on it; the tsunami didn’t hit because someone threw a pebble into the ocean.

Now, when it comes to explaining the existence of the universe, you only get three possibilities: (1) the universe is eternal (it has always been here), (2) the universe created itself, or (3) something created the universe. There is no other possibility except to claim that the universe is simply an illusion and does not exist. So let’s examine these three possibilities to see which is the most reasonable.

First, is the universe eternal? Absolutely not. We know this is true because of the universally recognized second law of Thermodynamics (the law of energy decay or entropy). This law states that everything goes downhill from order to disorder, more usable energy to less. This law is the reason why heat flows from hot to cold and why this building will fall apart if it is not kept up with. If someone doesn’t believe in the second law of thermodynamics, just challenge them to live forever; even with this awesome machinery we have in our bodies, you will eventually wear out and die. We can see that the universe is running down and wearing out; the stars are burning up, the radioactive atoms are decaying, etc. As Psalm 102:26 says, the heavens “will wear out like a garment.” Given enough time, the universe will experience what some call a “heat death” where there is no more energy available for work (everything will just be low level heat energy); every part of the universe will be the same temperature, and no further work will be possible.

Eternal things obviously do not wear out because they would have had an infinite amount of time to come to their end. Since you cannot have an end without a beginning, the universe must have had a beginning. And everything that has a beginning has a cause. This building had a beginning, you had a beginning, therefore there must have been a preceding and adequate cause. The evolutionists know this and so they came up with the “big bang” theory from that “cosmic egg” (the universe exploded into existence). But there is still a major problem, you have to explain where that “cosmic egg” came from. As it has been said, “There must be a cosmic chicken.” Some scientists like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov proposed the oscillating universe theory to avoid a beginning. This theory states that the universe acts like a yo-yo; it explodes and then gravity pulls it back in, and then the process repeats itself over and over. But the second law of Thermodynamics still refutes that idea, since each cycle would exhaust more and more usable energy. The universe is not eternal!

Ok, that brings us to the second possibility: Did the universe create itself? I think Hebrews 3:4 answers that pretty well, “...every house is built by someone...” Let’s say I walk into my livingroom and see a crayon drawing of our family on the wall. When I ask my daughter where it came from, will I accept her answer of, “It just appeared there; it came from nothing”? Her grandparents might, but I won’t. It is pretty clear that something cannot bring itself into existence. As R.C. Sproul has said, “It is impossible for something to create itself. The concept of self-creation is a contradiction in terms, a nonsense statement . . . It would have to have the causal power of being before it was. It would have to have the power of being before it had any being with which to exercise that power.” As it has been said, “Nothing scratched its head one day and decided to become something.” I’m sorry to have to drop this bombshell on you, but from nothing, comes nothing.

And now the third possibility: Did something create the universe? If the universe is not eternal and could not have created itself, then the only remaining alternative is that the universe was created by something or Someone. This would have to be a transcendent, eternal, self-existing being. I can find only one satisfactory explanation to our conundrum, and that is found in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Someone may argue, “If the universe needs a cause, then why doesn’t God need a cause; who created God?” The answer is, everything that has a beginning has a cause. God, unlike the universe, did not have a beginning. Time is linked to matter and space (as we can see from Einstein’s general relativity). If God created the universe, then He created time along with matter and space. If God created time, then He is outside of time and doesn’t need a beginning.

What is more absurd, to believe that God Created everything out of nothing or that nothing turned itself into everything? The fact is, we live in a Universe that is an effect. There must be a preceding and adequate cause for it. The only thing that makes sense is a Creator who is more powerful than anything we can imagine.

Answer 3

WHEN someone says, 'I believe only in what I can see,' he is not speaking literally. Actually, we all believe in things that we cannot see.

For example, at school you may have performed an experiment designed to prove the existence of a magnetic field. It may go like this: Sprinkle iron filings on a sheet of paper. Then place the sheet over the magnet. When the sheet is vibrated, as if by magic the iron filings bunch up near the magnet's poles and form into the pattern of the magnetic field. If you did that, could you actually see the magnetic field? No, but its effect on the iron filings is plain to see, giving you convincing proof that magnetism exists.

We accept without question other things that we cannot see. When we look at a beautiful painting or admire a fine sculpture, we do not doubt the existence of a painter or a sculptor. So when we contemplate a waterfall or gaze at a sunset, should we not be moved at least to consider the possibility that they are the work of a Great Artist or Sculptor?

Answer 4

I just want to beat my head against a wall here! The nuclear physics / saved in Christ analogy is flawed. There is physical evidence supporting nuclear physic, be it fission, fusion, or what have you. Such evidence simply does not support the existence of a deity. Furthermore, even if such evidence was to be found, it would not necessarily validate the Jesus angle. You know in your heart that there is a God. Great. So do I. BUT THIS IS NOT PROOF.

As for Darknights healings, I actually believe that such things could happen, but I do not believe it proves God. I believe that it proves that there are many things about the physical world that we do not yet understand. One of them might turn out to be God, but we cannot know at this point.

Edit: Roxie - below - has made an interesting point, but what if I were to say that I know in my heart that this is not a magnetic felid but God? I think she inadvertently fueled my argument: we often credit God for things that we do not understand. Like the shooting star above. That's a beautiful story, and to be honest, I had a similar experience. I choose to believe that it was a divine communication, but I have no proof of that. I could never use that experience to convince anyone else, nor should I. If it was indeed God - which I freely admit it may not have been - it was between God and ME. If God wants to communicate with someone else, he will do it in a language suited to them, in a way meant for THEM.

Answer 5

I will tell you if you really want to know. There are two things you should read. One is the "The Case For Faith", The other are the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. Both are very intreguing and give you an idea from a logical point of view why you too should believe. If you are serious then look these up. The Thomas Aquinas stuff(I believe they are called the proofs for the existence of god) you can find anywhere on the internet. The other is a bood just look it up on Amazon they go the library they should have it.

Answer 6

How is there not God? That question can go both ways. I sort of understand how you feel...in a way, I guess the opposite. It is sort of like intuition. I have just had experiences where I "saw" God, not like a hallucination, but where I have experienced something knowing I feel the hand and presence of God. I am sure this is laughable to many, how can you know without proof and whatnot. Well I have no problem with taking a leap of faith. I can't see love, but I know it exists beyond just some chemical reaction in the brain. As long as a mind or heart is closed to a leap of faith it is impossible to experience...

Answer 7

Its called faith in God. We believe because we know it in our hearts. And we have found a good bible based church.

Peace out

Answer 8

I have an experience I will share:

Some years back, I was in a questioning frame of mind about God. It was a warm summer evening, skies lit up with lots of stars...I asked, "God if you hear this prayer and you are really there, I need you to make it real for me....can you hear me?"
Then I said, "God please show me a brilliant shooting star across the sky...something I can see...right here and right now...prove to me you are here and care?

I was afraid to raise my eyes to the Heavens because I so wanted to see a shooting star, but was afraid not too....finally I looked up...and just as I did, a beautiful and brilliant shooting star went across the whole sky...

I don't have doubts anymore...He Lives !!!

Answer 9

God speaks to us in many ways. Intuition is one way, I'd say the main way is through reading His word (Bible). Other ways are through other people, situations, church, etc... God is not limited in ways He speaks to His followers.

You don't understand because you can't understand until you accept and believe in Him. Then and only then will you be able to make sense and understand God. It all starts with FAITH. It is so simple, don't try to make God more complicated than He is. Believe, Confess & Repent of Sins, Enjoy God & Eternal Life.

Answer 10

Its called faith