From my personal experience, I never truly understood my need of God until I went through a horrible period of my life. Science, philosophy and theology meant absolutely nothing to me during that time. His presence was what pulled me through. Jesus was there suffering with me. Call my faith prejudiced because a part of it is based on evidence of what I experienced, but He was there when I was broken.
As I observe people now, I find it ironic how most objections to God's existence from the problem of suffering come from people who are quite comfortable with life, while those who do experience such harm seem to become stronger believers rather than stronger agnostics.
If you are on your dying bed, terrified of being alone, the most important thing to you is not an explanation but another's presence. Someone to sit with you. God was that someone. For that reason, I love him.
2007-12-20 15:44:40 · 22 answers · asked by j97774 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
During the time of my brothers death God became very real to me. I can completely understand where you are coming from because the people that try to disprove God by pointing to suffering have often not suffered. When people do need something that is beyond their control it is interesting to see that the first person they turn to is not a person at all but rather the one people refer to as God.
2007-12-20 15:50:05 · answer #1 · answered by Nate 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should re-title this. There is no question in what you are saying. You are simply telling your story. You are not looking for an interaction in order to broaden your perspective. This is why I think you are spamming-proselytizing and should not post here. Your story is not universal in the sense that only those who are comfortable turn away from God and those who experience harm turn towards belief.
If this were patently true we would not have such crazy acting drug addicted parents and children running the streets. Each one of those people are harmed, but they are not spiritually at peace, eg. "believers". It is unlikely a person who is making things worse is spiritually at peace, as a True Believer would be. Here is the rub, the amoral often believe they are close to God or are God. And sanction their actions accordingly-feeling morally justified. There is no logic in concluding that because a person is suffering that they are spiritually connected (anyone can be religiously connected). And because a person is "comfortable" they are not connected.
And I can't help but feel uncomfortable with your ideas, they seem inflexible as if you are trying to suggest there is a wrong side being unChristian/ a right side being a Christian. Is that right? That kind of "black and white" thinking has gotten human kind into catastrophic errors of judgement. Everything from persecuting people who are different to genocide. "Black and white" thinking is an error in judgement and shows immaturity.
2007-12-21 00:25:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
For me the answer is yes. Suffering allows us to take a step back and really see what we (I) have been taking for granted. It was then that I truly understood my need for the Lord.
May I share?
God is becoming more real to me as I rely on him more since my husband and I found out that we are the only family to take in my sister's four teenagers. The awesome part? I know He will provide and I am not scared a bit. I have lived a physically and emotionally abused life like these kids and the Lord knows we can help them. We are very excited!
Thank you for sharing. Sometimes we miss the silver lining which is what you put as a question.
2007-12-20 23:54:24 · answer #3 · answered by Holly 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You know it's funny isn't it? You can look back on the hardest times of your life and feel like it was the best time of your life because all you had was Jesus Christ. Yes, I went through many many bad years. I had gotten divorced, for the second time. I was so ashamed and felt like my life had been ruined, that I would never recover my footing in life. But every week I was in bible study, and I stayed in that bible study. I relied on Jesus for everything.
My restoration came over a number of years. It did not happen overnight. And I'm glad it did not....I learned many hard and good lessons in those difficult years. I am now happy, at peace, confident, and He has placed my feet solidly on the rock of His word. He is so good and so faithful. There is a verse that says God will never let you fall. I have seen that is so.
2007-12-20 23:50:53 · answer #4 · answered by Esther 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
this is true. lately I have been having a hard time in life and I have found the comfort of God to be the thing that is getting me through. I know that I need to keep going because God is rooting for me to succeed and he isn't going to let things get too far out of my reach. I think my faith in God has doubled since this time of trouble. Before when life was cozy I doubted God exsisted but now I believe in him without a doubt.
2007-12-20 23:49:30 · answer #5 · answered by Mommy of Lily, Daisy, and Jayson 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Amen. Joseph Smith said, "The infidel will grasp at every straw for help until death stares him in the face, and then his infidelity takes its flight, for the realities of the eternal world are resting upon him in mighty power; and when every earthly support and prop fails him, he then sensibly feels the eternal truths of the immortality of the soul. We should take warning and not wait for the death-bed to repent; as we see the infant taken away by death, so may the youth and middle aged, as well as the infant be suddenly called into eternity. Let this, then, prove as a warning to all not to procrastinate repentance, or wait till a death-bed, for it is the will of God that man should repent and serve Him in health, and in the strength and power of his mind, in order to secure His blessing, and not wait until he is called to die.” History of the Church, 4:553–54
2007-12-20 23:59:20 · answer #6 · answered by Arthurpod 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes and will always be. i'm His witness. When i was in my time of sorrow, He seems like tell me what to do. He always remind me that the way to resolve my problems is not to run from it but to face it. And He is the one who give me strength after i come to worship HIM and pray so i feel that my problem isn't that big.
i remember when i was ill, and I pray a lot, beg HIM to heal me but i don't even heal yet. Then, i stop for a while and i ask HIM why? And He said that it's just because He want to have a more time with me. i was busy with all my activities and i forgot about HIM. So, He permitted that to happen to me because HE wanna be with me for more and He wanna feel the pain that i feel too...What a wonderful God that I have...
God bless you.
2007-12-21 00:00:37 · answer #7 · answered by AB.Christ'91 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is such a comfort because he defies all logic and all rational thought. God can be real without an ounce of proof, because he is real in your heart. That is why earthly truths seem fake.
2007-12-20 23:48:26 · answer #8 · answered by Charlie M. 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God is not existing anywhere, but within you.
If you are realizing the need of god, it means you started listening to your SELF and you directed your mind inwards.
People tends to object on God's Existence, because they look outside assistance with predefined assumptions.
Tell me one thing,
Have you ever seen your face by yourself, without the external assistance like mirror? Can you deny the existence of your face?
Here the mirror is spiritual thoughts, meditation, etc....
2007-12-20 23:58:48 · answer #9 · answered by Hari Krishnan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All of us need to go through some period of ordeal or tribulation to test our Faith and Loyalty to the Eternal.
peace
:-)
2007-12-20 23:50:01 · answer #10 · answered by Bob V 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋