Does God Exist?

Thank you. You have a very good point. It takes me back to my English classes and my English teacher demanding of me to be precise with my words.

So the answer is yes, but as yet I cannot prove it.

I am 54, and touch wood I should carry on until 80 or more and will devote as much time as I can to prove the existence of God.

Prove it to you or I? God has never been proven in thousands of years, do you really believe you can succeed? Why do you find the need? To me it is like believing in fairies, a lovely romantic concept but beyond reasonable expectations.

Prove it to you or I?

Ideally to everyone. A factual and objective proof.

God has never been proven in thousands of years, do you really believe you can succeed?

Yes. If I thought it was a lost cause I would not waste my time.

Why do you find the need?

To say thank you to God.

To me it is like believing in fairies, a lovely romantic concept but beyond reasonable expectations.

I appreciate this.

I wish you luck because it will not be by logical reasoning.

I wish you luck because it will not be by logical reasoning.

You are probably right, given that yesterday when I was swimming someone one broke into my locker and as a consequence then I had no trousers, no money, no bus pass, no mobile, no keys to get into the house. In the end I got in, the police were very helpful. What has this got to do with the existence of God? Well I kept on thinking to myself, God is testing my patience and belief in it.

You are probably right, given that yesterday when I was swimming someone one broke into my locker and as a consequence then I had no trousers, no money, no bus pass, no mobile, no keys to get into the house. In the end I got in, the police were very helpful. What has this got to do with the existence of God? Well I kept on thinking to myself, God is testing my patience and belief in it.

Or perhaps some scumbag decided to help himself to your property, & your God couldn't care less.

I care that Bermudj retains his patience and reasonableness, after the theft and I am sure that others reading this wish him all the best too.

I care that Bermudj retains his patience and reasonableness, after the theft and I am sure that others reading this wish him all the best too.

Thanks.

-- Updated July 22nd, 2012, 4:14 pm to add the following --

Or perhaps some scumbag decided to help himself to your property, & your God couldn't care less.

My thoughts on God are incredibly hazy. Apart from the fact that I am 100% sure it exists, but as yet I cannot prove it. The rest I will not bother with, whether it is a creator, or a personal god, intelligent designer, benign and so on. I once (over 20 years ago) asked this question, "and did God create the emotions?". At the time I was given no answer. I tend to think, based on personal experience, and observation that the emotions feed on us. So we have to work very hard to ensure that this does not happen so that in most situations we remain calm, composed, aware, patient. If we can achieve this, then we are able to resolve most conflicts in a peaceful manner. The more that you are able to resolve conflicts in this way, the more confident you become, the more at peace you are with yourself, the more you are in control of your life and so on. There is no denying that life is full of conflicts.

Bermudj wrote:

My thoughts on God are incredibly hazy. Apart from the fact that I am 100% sure it exists, but as yet I cannot prove it. The rest I will not bother with, whether it is a creator, or a personal god, intelligent designer, benign and so on. I once (over 20 years ago) asked this question, "and did God create the emotions?". At the time I was given no answer. I tend to think, based on personal experience, and observation that the emotions feed on us. So we have to work very hard to ensure that this does not happen so that in most situations we remain calm, composed, aware, patient. If we can achieve this, then we are able to resolve most conflicts in a peaceful manner. The more that you are able to resolve conflicts in this way, the more confident you become, the more at peace you are with yourself, the more you are in control of your life and so on. There is no denying that life is full of conflicts.

I can understand Bermudj feeling and believing that 'the emotions feed on us'. But the metaphor is not much help because our emotions are always and for everyone necessary to life, and if there is a creator God he created the emotions just as he created other natural things. Sometimes emotions cannot entirely be brought under the control of reason without artificial replacement of some body chemical that is missing. Sometimes talking reason with someone with uncomfortably strong emotions can induce helpful reason in the sufferer.

I choose another explanation than God for the existence of things . But even for God believers it is true that nature often needs a helping hand.

Bermudj wrote: ....Sometimes emotions cannot entirely be brought under the control of reason without artificial replacement of some body chemical that is missing.....

Is this so?, if you have a link to studies like this I will appreciate them. The way I handle it is by talking to the emotion. Initially the emotions were stronger than me, but gradually I was able to retrain them so they are under my control.

Or perhaps some scumbag decided to help himself to your property, & your God couldn't care less.

What do you think God should have done? Surely your concept of God is not so naive to imagine he would intervene in affairs that we can manage ourselves. God has given us the reigns in regard to the administration of the Earth and Bermudj addressed the problem by contacting the police.

It seems to me Burmudj has internalised Jesus' injunction:

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matthew 6:19-21

It also seems pretty clear to me where Burmudj's heart is.

Cheers,
enegue

We all gather treasures, some more than others. Treasured moments, a child's laugh, a wife's smile. If you attach yourself to a belief in god you are gathering treasures just like any one else. Jesus and his message is a valid treasure but not the dogmatic belief in the holy body of Christ. Why should a belief in god stop the faithful more than the atheist realise that earthly treasures are only borrowed. Look at the riches of the church can you find them any less earthly than the temples of entertainment.