Seriously asking...not trying to be disrespectful, but have any of you seriously tried to search out God for yourself and not just a "Okay God if you are truly there, then make my car levitate" response or something like that? Or do you just base all your opinions on research that you have found in books trying to disprove Christianity or the existance of God?
2007-06-20 05:43:05 · 25 answers · asked by The 2 points guy 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Okay by those who said, "I was a Christian." Most of you well know there is a difference between going to church and being a Christian. I mean, if you are going to say that you were a Christian then that means you tried to actually exemplify Christ and his teachings.
And yes I have done tons of research on many, many other religions, thank you for asking though.
2007-06-20 06:02:59 · update #1
Yes, I have.
After all, I was a born-again, saved, sealed and convicted Christian for the larger portion of my life.
I spent four years praying for a renewal of faith, four years of rather agonizing and terrifying transition.
It's not like I WANTED to become an atheist. It's just this little fact that you don't choose what you believe, you accept what the evidence indicates is true.
I've taken college level Bible Study courses... with just a few more courses, combined with my BA in Psych and BS in Comptuer Science which cover my core curriculum, I could have a degree in Biblical Studies.
I've also ready the Bible cover to cover more than 20 times.
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Yes, I did live a life to exemplify the teachings of the Bible. I lived, as best I could, by the commandments, I lived a life of faith, hope, and love. I had a rich prayer life, both private and shared, through private prayer and prayer groups, Bible Study groups, and regular retreats.
I had begun studying to prepare for Seminary so I could become a priest. The entire time, my sole, single prayer was, "Lord, teach me to be nothing so you can be everything."
Of course, being human, I was not perfect, but I regularly went before God and repented of my sins and prayed for the strength to overcome them.
Yes, being Christian is far, far more than just going to a building for a few hours a week. It's a way of life, and yes, I lived it.
2007-06-20 05:50:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
Let me ask you this and bare with me for there is a point to this.
We live in a world which is inhabited by more than 6 billion people and about half of that number lives in poverty. In third world countries, people have nothing and are dieing of hunger, thirst, an infectious disease or a terminal illness.
The Pope lives in a city state in Rome, he has shelter, food & beverage at his will, a bed to sleep in and probably even some jackass who makes it an honor to wipe his *** each time he uses the bathroom. All day he sits in a chair, occasionally gets up to make a senseless speech on international TV and my all time favorite, has no power what so ever to change anything.
Now, if I were to be Pope (not that I would want to) - I would live as a simple man, dedicate my life for those in need and guide them to do what is in their best interest, instead of what the Church tells me to do.
Here's another idea for your consideration: If there really was a god, there would be no crime, no war, no hunger, no misery and we would be living in a perfect world. "God" is supposed to be perfect, but the Church is anything but perfect...and then all the mormons and Jehovah's witness are full of crap anyways.
So the reason why I am an athiest is that I believe in myself, I am the master of my own mind and my own actions. Plus, I have better things to do on my sundays.
2007-06-20 13:11:49 · answer #2 · answered by d_leoncavallo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I came to doubt God's existence long before Dawkins wrote his first book. It is a bold statement, "There is a God". It is often made, but seldom is any support offered. I have never seen any evidence to back it up.
The question is, how long should I look. At what point does it become unhealthy to stay up nights listening for sleigh bells in the sky? How often should a grown man look under his bed to see if there really is a monster there? How many day is it reasonable to search in ones back yard for fairies?
Put simply, it is an incredible clam. It would require considerable evidence to support it. None seems forthcoming.
2007-06-20 13:10:58 · answer #3 · answered by Herodotus 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not an atheist, but needed to answer anyways. I was born into a very devout Roman Catholic Italian. My family is peppered with Nuns and Priests. However, as I reached my teen years, and read the Bible for myself, I found many inconsistencies and contradictions. When I asked my priest, or anyone in my family, to explain things, in an effort to understand my faith, I was rebuffed. One of the nuns, a missionary that has been in Brazil for the past 40 years, went so far as to scold me for trying to understand, and told me that I had to take it all on faith, and trust the Church's interpretation of events.
Is there really any wonder that I, a college educated adult, went seeking a belief system that allowed me to challenge, to question, and to seek knowledge?
2007-06-20 15:23:52 · answer #4 · answered by mikalina 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What kind of fools do you take us for? All the atheists I know have made many very serious efforts to rationalize the existence of God. It just doesn't work for us. We just can't make ourselves believe. Prayer does no good. Joining a church and pretending to believe does no good. Once a person realizes God is simply impossible, there's no way to unlearn the truth.
2007-06-20 13:06:49 · answer #5 · answered by Diogenes 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Alright,
Christianity says faith is the most important thing. I am asking for proof of YOUR faith, not mine, since I have none.
Here are my standards (AKA tests) that some one must do to prove the existence of his god. These standards are designed to eliminate any other causes of occurrence other than a faith in a deity.
1) Raise someone from the dead. Must be dead for more than 2 weeks.
2) Make a mountain move into the ocean with just prayer.
3) Walk on water.
4) Speak into tongues that he does not have any a priori knowledge of beforehand. I get to choose the language. Just to be certain that a polyglot does not fake "speaking in tongues".
5) Levitate. Move around while levitating. I get to choose the place.
6) Walk though walls. My choice.
7) Reappear from nothing. I get to choose the location.
8) Answer me a few questions about my grandfather's death. Just to check if you CAN communicate with a metaphysical being who knows everything. I get to choose the questions for you to answer.
Just do one of these tasks. And I will donate all my possessions and my time to follow you and your god. But what will you give me in return if you cannot pass ANY of my tests?
All of these standards were written down in various books used by the world's most popular religions. Surely, you could do at least one of them by your faith.
Rob
2007-06-20 12:55:02 · answer #6 · answered by barefoot_rob1 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I am a former southern Baptist. I scrutinized the bible, and the history of Christianity, after learning of all the science that disproves the book of Genesis in high school.
In studying Christianity, and the bible, I soon discovered more and more things about it that disproved its entire concept. My intention was to find a way to keep my faith, as it was steadily slipping away. You'll just have to trust me when I say I was probably the most reluctant atheist you're ever going to meet. But the more I learned, the more obvious it became.
God does not exist. And as I'm fond of saying... don't blame me. I didn't kill him. And I don't hate him. "He" just doesn't exist.
http://www.godisimaginary.com
2007-06-20 12:48:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Yes I did search for god before, but after reading IDEAS by peter watson, I see no point in believing that God exists.
Why?
God, The Idea of God, the religions and ideas around it were made by man alone to fulfill needs he/she deemed cannot be fulfilled through humanity's own will and action.
2007-06-20 13:15:53 · answer #8 · answered by rewysten 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I base my opinion on scientific/psychological/ social
research or observations and then I analyze that information based on what seems the most logical answer to me(usually the most complex explanation, the most realistic or the thing with the most evidence or just what makes sense) .
2007-06-20 12:55:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You assume that we all started Atheists. I was a Christian, and certainly did not research to try to "disprove" Christianity. I saw the arguments, realized the contradictions in mine, and changed my mind. I did in fact "reach out" but nothing happened, as one would expect. I didn't "lose" my faith so much as change my opinion, after looking at the facts.
2007-06-20 12:48:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋