28 Dec 07
The older I get the more I question all my once strongly held beliefs. Was my youth nothing but an illusion? Now I feel somewhat lost as to what to believe politically or spiritually. Nothing makes much sense in the spiritual arena. Or at least nothing has been put to me that really knocks me off my feet with excitment. It all appears to be the same old rehash. Somebody throw my a new idea. Or better yet I want God or one of his many angel type beings to come down to earth and show me the real deal. Tell me the straight scoop. I can't get a grip on the Bible or any of the other "Holy books" we have down here on earth. I want to hear it from the man Himself. If that's not asking to much.
28 Dec 07
1 edit
Originally posted by buckkyNot to change the subject but have you ever pondered if God exists what does he want from you? We have heard what you want from him which is to come down and show himself to you but have you ever wondered the opposite?
The older I get the more I question all my once strongly held beliefs. Was my youth nothing but an illusion? Now I feel somewhat lost as to what to believe politically or spiritually. Nothing makes much sense in the spiritual arena. Or at least nothing has been put to me that really knocks me off my feet with excitment. It all appears to be the same old rehas ve down here on earth. I want to hear it from the man Himself. If that's not asking to much.
28 Dec 07
Originally posted by buckkyAsk the Universe. But remember that the answers depend entirely upon the questions you ask.
The older I get the more I question all my once strongly held beliefs. Was my youth nothing but an illusion? Now I feel somewhat lost as to what to believe politically or spiritually. Nothing makes much sense in the spiritual arena. Or at least nothing has been put to me that really knocks me off my feet with excitment. It all appears to be the same old rehas ...[text shortened]... ve down here on earth. I want to hear it from the man Himself. If that's not asking to much.
28 Dec 07
Originally posted by buckkyApparently it IS asking too much for many of us. I'll probably never figure out why He hides from His creation. We've been waiting about 2000 years for Christ to return. (The preterists think he came back about thirty years after his crucifiction, though.)
I want God or one of his many angel type beings to come down to earth and show me the real deal. Tell me the straight scoop. I can't get a grip on the Bible or any of the other "Holy books" we have down here on earth. I want to hear it from the man Himself. If that's not asking to much.
I'm still a Christian, but I am becoming increasingly aware of how flimsy my arguments for Christianity are. (I'm not impressed by most arguments for atheism, either.)
After pondering imponderables for about thirty years, I finally have to agree with the man who said "There are some really bright people who can prove that God exists, and some really bright people who can prove that God does not exist."
28 Dec 07
"There are some bright people who can prove god exists and some bright people who can prove god doesn't exist"
If you agree with the person who said that, then your grounds for logic are undermined by an insanely large amount. If there's anybody in the world who can prove god exists, then why are they being so immoral as to not display the proof so that everybody can believe in them? I can't imagine that a scientist who finds a cure for cancer would inexplicably keep the whole thing quiet. Likewise, if there is a person who can prove god doesn't exist, why don't they do it and stop all the evils religion's giving us once and for all?
Nobody can prove god doesn't exist, just as nobody can prove that father christmas doesn't exist, or unicorns. Have a shot at disproving them, you'll fail miserably.
It may be possible to prove god does exist - that is, if she does, one would think there'd be evidence. But as with father christmas and unicorns, until evidence is presented, it is a fairer assumption that they do not exist.
28 Dec 07
1 edit
Originally posted by buckkyBucky,
The older I get the more I question all my once strongly held beliefs. Was my youth nothing but an illusion? Now I feel somewhat lost as to what to believe politically or spiritually. Nothing makes much sense in the spiritual arena. Or at least nothing has been put to me that really knocks me off my feet with excitment. It all appears to be the same old rehas ve down here on earth. I want to hear it from the man Himself. If that's not asking to much.
What makes God not real to you has to be identified. Th barrier between you and the experience of God has to be identified. What is it? What is the problem that makes God not real to you?
What is the barrier? What is the wall between you and the realness of God?
Bucky, the obstacle is your sins. What you said that day ... what you did that day ... what you did that night ... what you said that night ... the way you treated that person .... the desire you nourished in your heart .... the action you took.
The log of trangressions of your sins and iniquities is the WALL that makes God feel unreal to you. I'm sorry that it is not something more interesting. But it is the problem of your real transgressions coming from real sins which have accumulated real and actual GUILT before God and in your own conscience.
Now here is what I would do if I were you:
Get alone somewhere. Start with the top of your head and work your way down to your feet:
Confess the sins of your eyes, what you gazed upon - as much as you are aware of.
Confess the sins of your mouth, as much as you can remember you spoke that was evil.
Confess the sins of your ears, what you have listened to that was unclean and sinful before God.
Confess the sins of your tongue, what you have tasted that was not pleasing to God.
Confess the sins of your hands, what you have handled that was not pleasing to God.
Confess the sins of your feet, where they have taken you that was not pleasing to God.
And any other sins of any other members of your body, you should confess. And as you confess your sins believe and CLAIM this promise from God's word:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)
"But if we walk in the light as He is in teh light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanes us from every sin." (1 John 1:7)
Because Jesus shed His blood for the forgiveness of every sin, it is RIGHTEOUS of God to forgive everyone who confesses his or her sins trusting in the cleansing of the redemptive blood of Christ.
As you take Inventory you are not promising God that you will never do these things again. You cannot escape the power of sin except by the fulness of the Holy Spirit. You however agreeing with God, one by one that these were all trangressions and iniquities which you commited.
This time of confession may go from a few minutes to a few hours depending on how much the Spirit of God will bring to your memory and how much you are willing to admit and agree with God that you have sinned and are a helpless sinner who always offends God.
Once you have brought each and every one of these failures under the blood of Jesus there will be no problem with you sensing the REALNESS of GOD and the REALNESS of Jesus Christ. The obstacle is removed by your confession and His cleansing blood of redemption.
This is only the beginning. But realize that it is God's will that He be real to you. It is His good pleasure to give you the kingdom. You do not need to grovel. You do not need to beg.
But you do need to believe and to trust and to confess your sins, one by one, putting each under the blood of Jesus.
Christ will then be close and real to you. And your heart will be unspeakably at PEACE.
Let me know how it goes.
29 Dec 07
Originally posted by whodeyWhat I want is to understand the nature of God if that's even posible. It might be beyond my comprehension. God might not be a person a s we understand personhood.. Maybe God is a force and not something you can converse with. I would love to know what God wants from me if anything at all. Maybe that whole concept is off.
Not to change the subject but have you ever pondered if God exists what does he want from you? We have heard what you want from him which is to come down and show himself to you but have you ever wondered the opposite?
29 Dec 07
Originally posted by doodinthemoodI should have placed quote-marks around the word "prove." The point of the quotation that I agree with is that there are some really brilliant people with fairly persusive arguments in both the theistic and atheistic camps.
"There are some bright people who can prove god exists and some bright people who can prove god doesn't exist"
If you agree with the person who said that, then your grounds for logic are undermined by an insanely large amount....
29 Dec 07
Originally posted by buckkyRead Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" and let us know what you think.
The older I get the more I question all my once strongly held beliefs. Was my youth nothing but an illusion? Now I feel somewhat lost as to what to believe politically or spiritually. Nothing makes much sense in the spiritual arena. Or at least nothing has been put to me that really knocks me off my feet with excitment. It all appears to be the same old rehas ...[text shortened]... ve down here on earth. I want to hear it from the man Himself. If that's not asking to much.
31 Dec 07
Originally posted by jaywillI've sinned my ass off. I know I'm a dirty no good rat of a man.. Still somewhere down inside me is this longing for Real Truth. Maybe that's like a dog chasing it's tail. Never getting anywhere with the struggle.
Bucky,
What makes God not real to you has to be identified. Th barrier between you and the experience of God has to be identified. What is it? What is the problem that makes God not real to you?
What is the barrier? What is the wall between you and the realness of God?
Bucky, the obstacle is your sins. What you said that day ... what you ...[text shortened]... nd real to you. And your heart will be unspeakably at PEACE.
Let me know how it goes.
You claim because of my sinfull nature I can't expect to understand or have a relationship with God unless I become a traditional Christian, and truely believe the Christian dogma. I've tried to make sense of the Christian view of tings but for the life of me I can't feel good about it. I was raised Christian and never doubted anything untill I was around fourteen. At that time I really started to pounder the teachings of the Church and for the last forty years have still not been able tosee any charm or clarity in the Church. I've looked elsewhere in other religions and I came away from that also with a sense of bewilderment and want. That's why I'm craving direct contact with the power that drives the universe. Not some religion or cult to show me the way.
01 Jan 08
Originally posted by gaychessplayerHe does not completely hide from His creation, those who seek Him
Apparently it IS asking too much for many of us. I'll probably never figure out why He hides from His creation. We've been waiting about 2000 years for Christ to return. (The preterists think he came back about thirty years after his crucifiction, though.)
I'm still a Christian, but I am becoming increasingly aware of how flimsy my arguments for ...[text shortened]... ove that God exists, and some really bright people who can prove that God does not exist."
find Him. The trouble with most is that they really want a genie in the
bottle than they do God, or it is just an experiment to see if anything
really will happen if they look to Him. Walking in truth means what
you are doing is real and that is when you will find Him when you seek
Him with all your heart.
Kelly
01 Jan 08
Originally posted by buckkyI do not know what a traditional Christian is, I didn't become a
I've sinned my ass off. I know I'm a dirty no good rat of a man.. Still somewhere down inside me is this longing for Real Truth. Maybe that's like a dog chasing it's tail. Never getting anywhere with the struggle.
You claim because of my sinfull nature I can't expect to understand or have a relationship with God unless I become a traditional Christian, and ...[text shortened]... with the power that drives the universe. Not some religion or cult to show me the way.
Christian until I was 25, and before then I was doing everything I
could to draw as much pleasure I could out of life, everywhere I could
find it doing what ever I wanted. I can tell you He is real, but if I were
to give you advice, make your prayers as honest as possible, it isn't
like you can hide anything from God. When I came to Him I didn't
want to stop doing drugs I was enjoying them to much, it wasn't until
shortly after I got saved (over 25 years ago) that they lost their
appeal to me. You want God to be real to you, you get real with God.
Kelly
01 Jan 08
Originally posted by KellyJayAhhh, Kelly, another washed up drug addict. Who'd have put you down for one? Not I? It does explain, I suppose, why you often have problems distinguishing between reality and fantasy.
I do not know what a traditional Christian is, I didn't become a
Christian until I was 25, and before then I was doing everything I
could to draw as much pleasure I could out of life, everywhere I could
find it doing what ever I wanted. I can tell you He is real, but if I were
to give you advice, make your prayers as honest as possible, it isn't
like y ...[text shortened]... they lost their
appeal to me. You want God to be real to you, you get real with God.
Kelly
Seems Christendom is entirely made up of ex-users. Geez, Ratzinger must have been into some hardcore stuff to get made King of the Druggies!