Where is your God?

[teeny]

I ask anyone who is religious out there to turn on the news and answer the question. I dont care what religion.

 

WHERE IS GOD?

 

No one has seen a god in modern times. Where is he or she or it?

 

I am not religious I have an alive faith : here's something useful for you to read :Imagine there are two people on a flat piece of paper. These people are two-dimensional, having height and width but no depth; the paper is the extent of their world. Can they see you? No. They can see only what's on the paper (in their world). They have no depth perception. Now pretend you use your finger to touch the paper. Now can they see you? They cannot see all of you, but they can see the tip of your finger, the part that has entered their world.

 

Where is God? God is Hidden

 

That is an analogy of our situation with God. God exists outside our dimensions. He can exist outside of time and space as we know it. Therefore, it is difficult to "see" Him. We are like the flat people on the two-dimensional paper. We can't see what's in a third dimension. But in this case, we exist in four dimensions (height, width, depth, time), and God exists beyond that.

 

So how are we to know such a Being? Just as the "flat people" on the paper could not know about you unless you touched the paper, we cannot detect God unless he reveals himself. He must "touch the paper" of our world. God has to step down in dimensions.

 

Where is God? The Invisible God Revealed

 

As we study human history, especially religious history, do we find any instances where God "touched the paper" of our world? Consider that God's "finger" has touched our world in a person known as Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be God1, said that to see him was to see God2, said that he was the only person who had come directly from God to our world3, and forgave people of their sins, which only God can do.4 Many other passages of the New Testament affirm Jesus' deity.5 He was God who "became flesh and made his dwelling among us."6 He is the "image of the invisible God."7

 

If we are the "flat people" it makes sense that the multi-dimensional Creator God entered our four-dimensional world by becoming a human being. He revealed himself to us. But why would God do that?

 

Where is God? Why He Came

 

There is a story told of an old farmer who lived by himself in a cabin. Next to his cabin was a barn. One very cold wintery night, birds began to crash into the windows of his warm cabin, trying to escape the deadly cold. So the old man went outside and opened the barn door. It was warm inside the barn. He waved his arms and shouted at the birds to go into the barn, into safety. But they did not understand him.

 

It was then that the old man wished that he could become one of them. If he could become a bird, then he could lead the other birds into the barn, to avoid death. And at that moment the old farmer understood why Jesus had come. Though the old man could not become a bird, God could become a man. So he did. "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."8

[Lotusflower]

Yes, to THEM - not to to actual reality.

 

It's like the age old argument that's used about the wind:

 

'You can't SEE the wind, but you know it's there because you can feel it - that's like me with God. I feel God's presence' says a religious person.

 

However, I've never 'felt' God's presence, but I have felt the wind. It's not up for discussion - wind exists; we can all feel it, we can all see it's effects on what it does to the world - hurricanes, tornados etc. - and how wind is produced has been explained. It affects people in ALL parts of the world - every age, race, sex, class... EVERYONE. A person might believe, in their 'reality' that it doesn't exist, but that proves their reality is false and not a reality at all - it is either a lie or delusion.

 

God/gods either exist or they don't - forget an individual's 'reality'.

 

I cannot fault your logic.

 

However, I maintain that if a person feels God's presence then God exists for them.

 

Personally I do not believe there is a God. I do however, very much believe in Godliness.

I believe that having religion is very much like having a penis. It is a fine thing to have until you start taking it out and waving it in someone else's face.

 

Each to their own is the essence of what I've been trying to communicate.

If someone derives comfort, peace and happiness from God I say WUNDERBAR!

[Camrat78]

I am not religious I have an alive faith : here's something useful for you to read :Imagine there are two people on a flat piece of paper. These people are two-dimensional, having height and width but no depth; the paper is the extent of their world. Can they see you? No. They can see only what's on the paper (in their world). They have no depth perception. Now pretend you use your finger to touch the paper. Now can they see you? They cannot see all of you, but they can see the tip of your finger, the part that has entered their world.

 

Where is God? God is Hidden

 

That is an analogy of our situation with God. God exists outside our dimensions. He can exist outside of time and space as we know it. Therefore, it is difficult to "see" Him. We are like the flat people on the two-dimensional paper. We can't see what's in a third dimension. But in this case, we exist in four dimensions (height, width, depth, time), and God exists beyond that.

 

So how are we to know such a Being? Just as the "flat people" on the paper could not know about you unless you touched the paper, we cannot detect God unless he reveals himself. He must "touch the paper" of our world. God has to step down in dimensions.

 

Where is God? The Invisible God Revealed

 

As we study human history, especially religious history, do we find any instances where God "touched the paper" of our world? Consider that God's "finger" has touched our world in a person known as Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be God1, said that to see him was to see God2, said that he was the only person who had come directly from God to our world3, and forgave people of their sins, which only God can do.4 Many other passages of the New Testament affirm Jesus' deity.5 He was God who "became flesh and made his dwelling among us."6 He is the "image of the invisible God."7

 

If we are the "flat people" it makes sense that the multi-dimensional Creator God entered our four-dimensional world by becoming a human being. He revealed himself to us. But why would God do that?

 

Where is God? Why He Came

 

There is a story told of an old farmer who lived by himself in a cabin. Next to his cabin was a barn. One very cold wintery night, birds began to crash into the windows of his warm cabin, trying to escape the deadly cold. So the old man went outside and opened the barn door. It was warm inside the barn. He waved his arms and shouted at the birds to go into the barn, into safety. But they did not understand him.

 

It was then that the old man wished that he could become one of them. If he could become a bird, then he could lead the other birds into the barn, to avoid death. And at that moment the old farmer understood why Jesus had come. Though the old man could not become a bird, God could become a man. So he did. "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."8

 

Firstly, although you say you aren't religious, it is clear from the rest of the post you are, it might not just fit into a the parameters of normal church teachings.

 

Secondly, it all sound nice and airy-fairy, but all it is, is an nice idea. There is no evidence to support any of this. Their is no finger of God that comes down to touch our paper dimensions to help a baby not be sexually abused, to put food into the mouths of starving children, to stop people killing each other in his name.

[Tommo68]

Well written teeny.

Nice analogy too.

It did nothing to convince me of the existence any deity, not even the christian one.

But if its all your own then it was well written.

.

.

[Camrat78]

I cannot fault your logic.

 

However, I maintain that if a person feels God's presence then God exists for them.

 

Personally I do not believe there is a God. I do however, very much believe in Godliness.

I believe that having religion is very much like having a penis. It is a fine thing to have until you start taking it out and waving it in someone else's face.

 

Each to their own is the essence of what I've been trying to communicate.

If someone derives comfort, peace and happiness from God I say WUNDERBAR!

 

So, with that logic, if a mentally disturbed individual hears voices, then we should accept that they are real?

 

I do agree that people can believe what they want as long as it doesn't effect me, but the problem with any religion is that they cannot stop trying to convert people to their faith. Its written into the doctrines of religions to bring people to that particular God. Religion is a parasite that worms its way into the fabric of society, from unelected Bishops sitting in the House of Lords making decisions on the laws of the land, to faith schools teaching creationism, to Muslims trying to get Sharia Law into certain areas of the country.

[truman]

But if its all your own then it was well written.

.

.

 

It's not his own

 

http://www.everystudent.com/wires/finger.html

[Lotusflower]

So, with that logic, if a mentally disturbed individual hears voices, then we should accept that they are real?

 

I do agree that people can believe what they want as long as it doesn't effect me, but the problem with any religion is that they cannot stop trying to convert people to their faith. Its written into the doctrines of religions to bring people to that particular God. Religion is a parasite that worms its way into the fabric of society, from unelected Bishops sitting in the House of Lords making decisions on the laws of the land, to faith schools teaching creationism, to Muslims trying to get Sharia Law into certain areas of the country.

 

Re my bold.

 

That doesn't even come close to what I said. You have confused yourself with a preconception and twisted "logic."

 

I know many religious people who do not proselytise at all. I would also take issue with your statement regarding what may or may not be "written into doctrines" of religions.

 

I can't agree either that religion is a "parasite."

 

It is the minds of certain people that become corrupted and perverted that are the base of the problems you describe.

[RootsBooster]

In my opinion there are three possibilities

 

1 - There is no God

 

2 - There is a God, but it is neither all powerful or all knowing, hence all the pain and suffering in the world

 

3 - There is a God, that is all knowing and all powerful, yet stands by and lets thousands of children a day die from hunger or get abused.

 

If its option 2, then why worship a god that is impotent, or if its option 3 then this isn't a God that deserves worshiping.

 

No possibility of gods, plural?

[teeny]

Firstly, although you say you aren't religious, it is clear from the rest of the post you are, it might not just fit into a the parameters of normal church teachings.

 

Secondly, it all sound nice and airy-fairy, but all it is, is an nice idea. There is no evidence to support any of this. Their is no finger of God that comes down to touch our paper dimensions to help a baby not be sexually abused, to put food into the mouths of starving children, to stop people killing each other in his name.

 

We are here on earth and those of us who have faith in God( not a religion ) are called to be his hands and feet , we have to reach out with Gods love for these people , people are starving in 3rd world countries through selfishness of people and in the 1st world countries tend to ignore the plight of many

 

---------- Post added 29-08-2014 at 15:19 ----------

 

Well written teeny.

Nice analogy too.

It did nothing to convince me of the existence any deity, not even the christian one.

But if its all your own then it was well written.

.

.

 

no its not my own but it explains what I personally believe in a better way than I could write

 

---------- Post added 29-08-2014 at 15:20 ----------

 

Firstly, although you say you aren't religious, it is clear from the rest of the post you are, it might not just fit into a the parameters of normal church teachings.

 

Probably true but I don't attend a state church

[redwhine]

How about this...

 

...If you believe in God then God exists.

 

If you don't believe in God...God does not exist!

 

Define 'God', please.

 

(Something that both exists and does not exist at the same time depending on the whim of mere mortals does not fit the job description of any god I ever heard of.)