Does God Exist?

Katrina

2015-12-07 16:22:21 UTC

Hi Max. I completely understand what you are going through. I've been down that road myself. I believe in God because He is the best explanation for why things are the way they are. Obviously I don't have time to get into all the arguments for God's existence here, but thankfully there are plenty of resources out there that you can look up for yourself. There's a wonderful little thing called apologetics, which is basically the defence of Christianity. I would really encourage you to check out these websites:

Stand to Reason: http://www.str.org/

Cold Case Christianity: http://coldcasechristianity.com/

Got Questions: http://www.gotquestions.org/

Always be Ready: http://www.alwaysbeready.com/

I'm sorry you're going through this. Like I said, I've been in your shoes and it's horrendous. I would just ask you to not give up on God. I didn't, and I have never regretted it. He's changed my life. Just stay strong. I'll be praying. Good luck and God bless :)

?

2015-12-07 12:19:48 UTC

If no one can be sure of anything, then it's all imaginary. Why should I be in a turmoil over one set of imaginary things and not over everything else imaginary, including all other religions?

The reason for having morality, if that's the term you want to use, is so obvious I'm not going to discuss it other than to say that if you believe believe God is the only justification for civil behavior, go out and start ticking people off and breaking laws and see how far you get in life. You'll be spending it in jail. There's a reason for that that has nothing to do with God; we are social animals and can live no other way.

james o

2015-12-07 12:29:14 UTC

What evidence is there that God is real?

We observe that God has not shown Godself to a public group for a very long time. There are a few reports, but these are few and far between, and in many cases, their reliability can easily be questioned.

However, many people report a personal experience with God. These seem to fall into a few broad categories.

We have, of course, those that are questionable and even highly questionable.

However, we also have a number which seem to be genuine. These seem to break down into: (1) people who have a strong faith, (2) people who have little faith, or have walked away from faith, and finally, (3) those who say they had no faith at all.

In most cases, the reports are somewhat similar. God seems untroubled by the person's checkered past, and in most cases, the person reports an overwhelming feeling that they are loved, and that everything will work out okay. One could say these people are lying, but it seems there are better ways to make a little money from creative writing, and one wonders how so many people could be lying, and nobody has caught on to this and exposed it, since these examples number in the dozens of thousands.

We have millions of people, across the span of time, geography and cultures, who all affirm that there is a God. Even in "atheist" Europe, 75 per cent of the people still affirm a belief in God. That high number is found to be alarming because it used to be much higher. But the fact is, if we look at history, belief in God has gone up and down for centuries.

ANOTHER POINT: There are many, many reports from unbiased sources about people willing to die for their faith. Such reports again span all ages, times, geography and cultures. One can easily find numerous such reports in the twentieth century merely by searching on the internet. That such life-sacrificing faith is not all that uncommon is hardly controversial. You can easily find all sorts of reports, and while some will certainly be biased, you will find many that are not. (In other words, you can easily look it up)

All of this being the case, I think it is reasonable to consider the strong possibility that these millions of people are on to something.

The experiences reported by these people certainly is valid evidence. Cases are heard all the time in courts in which the findings hinge on what someone states that they observed. Therefore such experiences about God most definitely are evidence. Only a person intent on distortion would claim they were not.

For the person who wishes to try to demonstrate that all of these cases are deluded, mentally ill, liars or hoaxes -- well, good luck with that, since they far and away outnumber you. One could more rationally posit that the person who resists belief in God is the deluded one, but why go there?

gladia

2015-12-07 13:01:44 UTC

I believe that there is a God. Why? Because I look at this world and see living people, animals, and things. Then I look at Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and all the other planets and think, 'Why is Earth so special?' That Earth has life on it and these don't. They are either too cold or too hot, they don't have a thick enough atmosphere or they don't have the right elements, they don't have a right orbit. In order for life on Earth to sustain or form the conditions would have to be just right. It is possible that this happened by chance but what about the hundreds of other planets that have been found, wouldn't even one have life on it? But they don't... so far only Earth. That says something. How about the big bang? Maybe God created the Big Bang. Lets look at the galaxies, some are spinning clockwise, others are spinning counter clockwise. Why is that? According to the big bang theory everything was spinning the same direction extremely fast. When it exploded, wouldn't everything continue spinning the same way? Even black holes can't change that. Some planets rotate the opposite of others in our Solar system. could a asteroid really hit them hard enough to change their rotation without leaving a mark? This is just some of the scientific reasons I believe in God, yeah it isn't proof but it is enough for me. I have seen the Power, I have witnessed miracles that only a God could do. That is why I believe in a infinite Being. Look around, can anything that you see eternal? No, not even the stars are eternal. But how about what is unseen? That is eternal. We believe not in what is seen, but in what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Yes I have had many doubts, still do. But would prefer to believe in my God and find that He is not true then not believe and find that He is true. Because I believe my God is true I also believe in Hell and Heaven, because God is just. God will give us things in our life that are too much for us so that we have to put out faith in Him. Sometimes he has to shake our boat in order for us to see. I can't convince you to believe but I can tell you I do because I have seen dead be raised, sick be healed, and how he has worked in my life. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, He will. Remember that He chose you. God bless and I hope that everything is okay with you.

2015-12-07 12:25:53 UTC

It takes more faith to believe that the big bang came from nothing and formed all the matter that exists today.

1st Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

Therefore, there must have been an intelligent designer with that energy already in his possession to cause that massive explosion of energy to occur.

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

It is no coincidence that God spoke the universe into existence (See Genesis 1).

God is a source of unlimited energy and power

Revelation 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

George Patton

2015-12-07 12:21:15 UTC

The idea that gods exist requires the presumption that magic was involved in the creation of everything. I see no reason to make that presumption. Magic isn't involved, at all, in our daily lives and doesn't even appear to exist. So, that requires an awfully big "leap of faith" that appears totally unjustified.

Especially given the proclivity for people to fill in gaps in knowledge and/or flat out lie I really see no reason to make that presumption. Even when I was a kid I remember thinking it was odd. Those in the religion I was brought up in all just took it as a matter of course that all the other religions and even sects of ours out there were just flat out made up by crazy people or scam artists. So............why is this one any different?

Uncle Thesis

2015-12-07 12:52:17 UTC

A basic scientific rule taught in elementary school, is:

There will be no action unless exerted upon by an outside force.

There is a lot of action in the universe.

Conclusion?

There is an outside force.

Maybe you dislike the word 'God'.

Maybe you do not wish to think it superior.

Nevertheless, something is there.

Fred

2015-12-07 12:16:12 UTC

There is no credible evidence that any gods exist. None of the "evidence" that theists mention is convincing and even they, when pressed fall back on faith, which is an admission that they don't have real evidence.

Gert

2015-12-07 12:19:21 UTC

Yes, God exists. I have known it my entire life. My faith has never faltered in my long life. I also know there is an afterlife. There is heaven and there is hell. I'm sorry you have doubts and issues about your beliefs. That must really suck. But faith is just that. It requires no proof. That is the beauty of it.

Greg

2015-12-07 12:14:42 UTC

I don't know.

No.

"If you do not believe in God, how can you be sure?"

I'm not sure. There may also be a Santa Claus.... I cannot prove that there isn't one. But until I see some evidence I'm not about to "believe in" either one.

?

2015-12-07 12:37:58 UTC

Buddha and Jesus discovered a connection through belief and practice that increased goodness and reduced fear and therefore sin , a connection to what may be soul the evolutional energy of goodness most call God, many believe few connect.

Hal

2015-12-07 12:21:09 UTC

But He said that faith fails by Matthew 7:26-27. On that basis.

He said that faith is strong only by Matthew 7:24-25.....

So, why not....find out? Try it for 6 months and see for yourself first hand.

*Don't* take other peoples ideologies.... Instead, get your own first-hand knowledge.

2015-12-07 12:30:45 UTC

No, not at all. It's a foolish myth that silly people think is real even though there's no proof at all.

Sati

2015-12-07 13:39:06 UTC

God is really nothing more than a conceptual label. God is a word that every human being can individually fill with personal meaning. For some, God is the "big guy in the sky." For others, God is nothing more than a fairytale. As for myself, I resonate with the words of Cynthia Bourgeault, in that God entails a more mystical quality of life. She states that “God is all over the place. . . . God is the web, the energy, the space, the light ... revealed in that singular, vast net of relationships that animates everything that is.”

The word God is like a finger pointing to the moon. It is a tool of the conceptual mind to help us actualize that which is beyond our conceptual understanding. Father Thomas Keating writes about this fact as well, saying that "whatever we say about God is more unlike God than saying nothing. If we do say something, it can only be a pointer toward the Mystery that can never be articulated in words.” God points to the ultimate truth of reality, to the divine nature of all created phenomena that is far beyond what our limited conceptual minds can possibly know.

One of my favorite quotes is the first verse of the Tao Te Ching: "The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The NAMELESS is the origin of Heaven and Earth." The original conception of Tao was simply the observation that reality has a certain way about it. This "way" encompasses all of existence: life, the universe — everything! Both concepts of God and Tao point to this "nameless" way that can be called by many names. It is fact that we cannot truly know the essence of God with logical reasoning, but rather we know God through feeling and experiencing God in ourselves, in others, and in all creation.

I know the Bible is not physical proof of God, but it can be a tool that guides us to explore who or what God truly is. According to the Scriptures, God is . . .

Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge & strength”

Psalm 73:26 NRSV — “God is the strength of my heart"

** The two Hebrew words translated as "strength" are tsuwr and 'oz. Tsuwr literally means rock, as in a rock cliff, but metaphorically is means the rock of God. 'Oz implies that which is our personal strength.

Psalm 115:3 — “God is in the heavens”

** The Hebrew word translated as heavens is shamayim, defined as the visible heavens — sky, atmosphere, stars, visible universe, etc.; the abode of God.

John 4:24 — "God is Spirit"

** Spirit is the translation of the Greek word pneuma, which is defined as "the vital principal by which the body is animated", in other words the breath. God is the life giving air that we breath each and every moment.

Romans 14:17 NRSV — “God is . . . peace and joy in the Holy Sprit”

1 Corinthians 14:33 — “God is . . . peace”

** Peace is the translation of the Greek word eirēnē, "an internal sense of well-being". In the words of St. Paul, “God’s peace . . . exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds” (Phil 4:7). Even Paul recognized God’s ineffable nature that transcends all words and logical understanding. Yet, he still felt and knew the God that is profound peace and well-being.

1 John 1:5 — “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”

** Phōs is the Greek word for light. It is a metaphor for the "Light of Christ" that dwells in all of us (Col 3:11). "God is light" reflects an OT background where "light" symbolizes both knowledge and purity; in other words, the light of wisdom. It points to perfect purity, the naturally luminous quality of our hearts and minds.

1 John 4:16 NRSV — "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."

** Greek noun, agapē: affection, good will, love, benevolence. When feelings and sensations of love are present, then God is present. The more love that is present in the world, the more God will also be present with all of us.

If we know our breath is real, peace is real, wisdom is real, and love is real -- then we know God is real. If anything, let us contemplate the following verse from Romans 1:20: "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

I hope this is a valid answer to make you consider why some believe God is real. It is just a matter of how we decide to define God. Then to know God as God truly is, we must possess the ability to let go of those definitions and tune into the true "way" of existence. If we can do that, then we will feel and know that which can be called "God."

Thanks for the question. May God's spirit, peace, light, and love be forever and always with you :)

2015-12-07 12:14:15 UTC

Probably not, but there's a Jew's chance in Pakistan he's real.

DB.

2015-12-10 16:20:13 UTC

1. Any information we know comes from an intelligent mind.

2. The genetic code of DNA contains information.

3. Therefore, the DNA code comes from an intelligent mind. In other words, God.

If you think about it – atheism cannot be logically true. Design demands a Designer. Random chance does not produce things that are complex. Things decay over time – not get more complex. And our human bodies are the most complex things in the universe. Therefore – it is illogical to assume that they came together by time and chance. There had to be a Designer.

OK- so that brings us to a generic “Designer”. So what is this “Designer” like? Did He ever try to communicate with us? Does He have any standards of right and wrong?

Long story short – I am convinced that there is a God. That He DOES have standards of right and wrong. (Which we have all fallen short of btw.) :) And He has communicated with humanity through the Scriptures.

Are you an honest Juror and willing to read some intelligent believers on this subject?

Visit http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/ for a list of scientists and people with with advanced degrees who say that macro evolution is not an adequate explanation for life as we know it. Note: Micro evolution (small dogs to big dogs, etc.) is true. Macro-evolution (amoeba to humans) is false.

Have you ever read - Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis?

C.S. Lewis and fellow novelist J. R. R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) were both professors at Oxford University. Tolkien helped lead Lewis to faith in Jesus Christ. Lewis then wrote many excellent books defending the faith for thinking people. ((He also wrote the classic children’s allegory “The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe.” ))

Or how about reading - “The Case for a Creator” by Lee Strobel. EXCELLENT evidence.

The former atheist was the award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. Strobel was educated at the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism degree, 1974) and Yale Law School (Master of Studies in Law degree, 1979).

He was a professional journalist for 14 years at The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois' top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led).

After a nearly two-year investigation of the evidence for Jesus Christ, Lee became a Christian and has written several books defending the faith now!

How do you explain the high degree of design and order in the universe if there is no God?

Remember: The Second Law of Thermodynamics is against atheism!

(Things will always go from order to disorder (2nd Law). Evolution teaches the exact OPPOSITE of this. Right away there is PROOF. Evolution contradicts a set law in the universe.)

Also: Living Things NEVER Arise from Non-living Things. And Complex Systems do not evolve 'bit by bit' - ever! Complex Design Demands a Complex Designer.

** Design requires intelligence—in this case an extremely high order of intelligence. Man’s most advanced thinking and planning has produced airplanes, personal computers, etc. But none of this was done by accident. Careful thought and structuring was required.. This is the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. The more complex the system, the more elaborate the design needed.

Everywhere we turn in the cell we find the most highly technical computerization. Electrical polarity is a key in the DNA. This is positive and negative electrical impulses, found both in the DNA and about the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. The result is a binary system, similar to what we find in the most advanced computers in the world, but far more sophisticated and miniaturized. Sophistication requires design, not random chance.

** Consider the retina of the eye, consisting of 150 million correctly made and positioned specialized cells! “The eye appears to have been designed; no designer of telescopes could have done better.”—*Robert Jastrow - American astronomer, physicist and cosmologist. He was a leading NASA scientist.

Everyone knows Mount Rushmore was the result of intelligent design. How can the human body (infinitely more complex) not be the result of intelligent design?

There is a multitude more evidence that God exists. What complex system is there that ever designed itself? An atheist cannot find God just as a criminal cannot find a police officer.

“For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

- Robert Jastrow (1925 – 2008)

*Robert Jastrow, (the founding director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies) This quote was taken from his notable work, “God and the Astronomers,” which expounded the big bang theory and the argument from design.

"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble….” (Albert Einstein)

"It was not by accident that the greatest thinkers of all ages were deeply religious souls." Max Planck (1858-1947) --German physicist, noted for work on quantum theory

"A commonsense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has tinkered with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question." Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) --English mathematician and astronomer.

"I am very much a scientist, and so I naturally have thought about religion also through the eyes of a scientist….. I have been influence in my thinking by the writing of Einstein who has made remarks to the effect that when he contemplated the world he sensed an underlying Force much greater than any human force. I feel very much the same..." Walter Kohn (1923-) --American theoretical physicist, awarded Nobel Prize in 1998

There is way more evidence to list. Check out this link for more quotes on how science points us to a Designer.

http://godevidence.com/2010/08/quotes-about-god/

I simply do not have enough faith to be an atheist. :)

=========================================

Sample from list: 50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God

1. Nevill Mott ------- Nobel Laureate in Physics

2. Louis Pasteur ----- Founder of Microbiology and Immunology

3. Arthur Compton ----- Nobel Laureate in Physics

4. Richard Smalley ----- Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

5. Joseph H. Taylor, Jr. ----- Nobel Laureate in Physics

6. Francis S. Collins, ------- Leader of the Human Genome Project

There are TONS more, but space limits what we can write.

An atheist cannot find God just as a criminal cannot find a police officer.

It is true - I simply do not have enough faith to be an atheist. :)

?

2015-12-07 12:59:25 UTC

I'll take a stab at this.

I believe there are Gods and Goddesses.

Because I experience them, so they are a part of my reality. I can't *not* believe... it's not a choice.

I don't know whether they come from some external source, or from somewhere in the recesses of my brain; how I interpret my experience is that there are Gods, which makes them part of my reality, and I accept it.

Personal gnosis satisfies me to lead me to my own beliefs.

<(Besides saying "we are all here")>

That is a dumb thing to say, isn't it?; we're all here no matter what the origins of the universe are.

I put faith in a lot of things I can't see-- air, family bonds, the signals delivering this message. I don't need to see something to believe it. I am able to trust my experiences sometimes without needing laboratory verification.

< (Besides, if you don't believe in a heaven or hell, then why have a moral code?)>

I don't believe in a heaven or hell... to me they are silly myths.

Why do you need a heaven/hell to be moral? Fear of punishment/desire for reward is the lowest stage of moral reasoning. Do you really need the threat of that kind of punishment/reward to prevent you from committing crimes or hurting others? Have you no compassion, no caring for the state of the society in which you live?

In my religion, there is no threat of punishment/reward after death. There are natural consequences to all we do in life, for ourselves and others. Trying to be a good, honest, fair person is better for ourselves (personal growth) and better for society.

I don't see why there should be a conflict? In my beliefs, I can turn to my Gods for everything I need-- strength, comfort, guidance, wisdom, etc.; but I am still responsible for doing things for myself. They don't move the universe for me to make things go my way, they don't force people to hire me for a job, fall in love with me, or fix games I play to make me win; they don't heal me if I am sick, they don't beat me down if I am wrong, the don't stop death for me just because I am faithful to them (death is a natural part of life).

My Gods are there for me to draw on what I need, but I am the one who lives my life.

Maybe you are not connecting in a way that you can understand God(s) best. Maybe you just need to re-think your concept of 'god'.

There is no 'point' to believe... believe is not a choice. It's something you come by. If you don't believe, there's no point in telling yourself you have faith; that's just pretending to believe. There's no point in pretending.

If you do want a relationship with a Higher Power, you have to seek it; open yourself to it... perhaps, as I've said, re-think what you thought you knew. Maybe those old beliefs are just not helping you connect anymore because they don't make sense to you. You might need a new way to connect to Divine Energy to experience it.