God will honor a heart closed to Him. However, as Scripture says in many places, He stands ready at the door of your heart if you open it slightly to let Him in. Before that happens, I can see how an atheist might believe the way he or she does because a closed heart has no room for anything bigger than he or she. An open heart has a hole in it which is exactly "God-sized".

When I say the power is within you, I mean that. Christianity says that you are bad, you are a sinner, you need to be saved from your disgusting, awful self. What a terrible message to anyone, especially young children, who have such problems with self-esteem. NO WONDER! I say that your nature is one of goodness, of harmony with the Universe. Yes, we often get out of balance with who we really are. Some of us get way out of alignment. Our thoughts get us into trouble and our thoughts can get us back into alignment. Jesus can't help with that. It's all on you...and YOU have all the power you need to do it.

Christianity says that Jesus loves you, can't think of a better message for anyone, including children.

Christianity says that Jesus loves you, can't think of a better message for anyone, including children.

 

 

I don't know. God killed an awful lot of children in Biblical times. It's not a stretch to imagine that Jesus(God the Son) is a chip off the ole block. Jesus did seem to be a bit more passive than the ole man , though.

The apostle Paul prayed for relief from (apparently) a physical problem (bad eyesight has been proffered) and the problem never went away. And he accepted that. The man considered the most incredible missionary ever asked for relief from something he considered a hindrance to his ministry. And God said, "No." And the affliction certainly didn't affect his ministry...at least negatively.

 

I've heard it said, God answers prayers with either "Yes", "No" or "not yet." If you believe in Him, whatever the answer it shouldn't affect your faith. Who can know His reasoning?

 

IF I'm being heard, and I'm sorry to say I have doubt, I must be getting the "no" or "not yet" answer. With my age and problems, the window is closing.

Copied from a FB post I just read:

 

 

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

 

 

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

 

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

 

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

 

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

 

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

 

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

 

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

 

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

 

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

Copied from a FB post I just read:

 

 

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

 

 

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

 

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

 

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

 

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

 

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

 

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

 

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

 

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

 

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

 

:clap:

You believe because you WANT to believe. I disbelieve because I MUST. What else in life do you take on blind faith? You want so badly to believe that pearly gates , golden streets, a mansion beside the King, and virgins galore(if you are a Muslim) await you on the other side. Most believe in things that they so desperately want to believe. We see it everyday. I felt so terribly sorry for those sweet folks you wanted to climb aboard Hale-Bopp to reach the next level. They didn't question Applewhite for a minute because they wanted that Nirvana so desperately. It's all so very sad.

You believe because you WANT to believe. I disbelieve because I MUST. What else in life do you take on blind faith? You want so badly to believe that pearly gates , golden streets, a mansion beside the King, and virgins galore(if you are a Muslim) await you on the other side. Most believe in things that they so desperately want to believe. We see it everyday. I felt so terribly sorry for those sweet folks you wanted to climb aboard Hale-Bopp to reach the next level. They didn't question Applewhite for a minute because they wanted that Nirvana so desperately. It's all so very sad.

 

I live on blind faith whenever I drive down a two lane road. I have faith that the cars coming in the opposite direction will not cross the double yellow line and hit me. I have no power over them. Yet I drive down the road anyway.

I'm going to pray SF never starts another thread on a God he doesnt believe in . ( JK !!!! )

Objective

 

(of a person or their judgment) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.

 

Subjective

 

based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.

It didn't at the blackjack table a few minutes ago.

It didn't at the blackjack table a few minutes ago.

Did you in the Ferrari?

BTW, I am glad you folks like these topics. I do as well. I love prompting people to think. Organized religion does the opposite. It tells you what to believe and encourages you NOT to question. Just have faith, religion says. No evidence, no science, just faith. Just believe what you are told from infancy and not question it.

 

I think we've gotten away from this is in the last thirty years or so. Since the publication of the NIV and bible colleges offering more programs besides preaching, the church has come a long way to encourage people to study their scriptures and make their own interpretations. I almost think we've gone too far the other way in saying "anything you feel is right, is right." Your claim that religion does not prompt independent thinking probably has had merit in the past. If anyone has listened to my sermons I usually say at least once a week "this is my opinion" or "this is not in the Bible, it is just what I think" type statements. I do not think you would have heard a preacher or church leader say stuff like that in the 1950s. But it is a shared practice since about 1984 and beyond.

The peculiar thing about religion is that it's not typically good enough for some believers to be satisfied that others may not also believe, and there's a built-in facet that prompts some followers to make it their duty to ensure that others "see the light" and follow as well. Is their faith not strong enough for themselves that they need validation of others to strengthen the numbers of believers to somehow give more merit to it?

 

My personal spiritual journey that began with being raised from childhood in an organized religion, to seeking "truth" through my own personal analysis and questioning, initially misguidedly thinking that my aim was to ultimately settle into a particular "label" to live by, to presently settling with an open ended understanding through personal experiences, and human limitations with no concrete conclusions other than to develop the peace of mind to be content with where I presently am, and to stay open to future experiences that could further my learning.

 

I'm fine that I've allowed myself to question. I'm content in knowing that I've not been awarded answers to all of those questions. I don't completely rule out various possibilities. I remain hopeful that there's a "truth" all the while content in knowing that I might not ever fully grasp it, but stay open to the possibility that I ultimately could.

 

I don't have a "label" for this position, and am content that it doesn't need one. This position is not one that requires others to follow as it has evolved from my own personal experiences. It's not important that I have others' approval to give validation to where I am. Although I might have personal thoughts regarding others, and their belief systems, it's not my responsibility to dissect them in order to validate them, or alter them with attempts to lead them.

 

To some who follow a specific organized belief system, I will look like a lost soul in need of their guidance.

 

To them, if I just listened then they could undoubtedly lead me to the "truth".

 

Sometimes I'm under the impression that they haven't thought things through as nearly as much as I have, yet they are certain that they have the answer for me not taking into consideration that quite often I'm already aware of the loopholes of their beliefs, and have already dissected it, and that their lack of logic will not hold water with me.

 

It drains me to try to present an objective thought to a subjective person, for what seems to make clear sense to them, to me tends to be a swirling mess of intangibles, and unprovable. They tend to follow one subjective thought with another subjective thought, all the while convinced that they are being objective.

 

They would probably have to get in line with guiding me because over my lifetime there have been numerous people from various belief systems who have the impression that I need their guidance.

 

Each one is certain that their belief system is the correct one.

 

It's typically not good enough to them that I am content with where I am, and that I'm well aware of the various choices and avenues, that If I were so inclined I would have already gone in that direction, and where would I be but in a world of confusion if I let all the guides fill me with the man-made complexities of their "truth" when I personally aim to whittle away all the complexities to arrive at more simplistic place, void of too much subjectivity.

 

I don't have all, or anywhere near all the answers, and neither does anyone else. We as humans are not born with them, yet it makes perfect sense that we'd desire to know. The desire to know does not guarantee that that we are capable of arriving at answers.

 

I'm content in others following whatever it is for them that gives meaning to their lives, and makes them feel as if their on the track that will lead them to where they want to be.

 

I'm uncomfortable with the idea that for some to feel validated, that I too must follow their same track. I'm uncomfortable with the idea that to some it's not good enough that I follow my own track.

 

A religion that would promote the idea that a member should seek out others to follow the flock is the very thing that would have me running away from it.

 

The idea that someone feels the need to guide me to their "truth" is the very thing that turns me off about it.

 

Live and let live with the freedom to believe in whatever way that works for you, and leave others to do the same.