Has everyone asked God to reveal himself?

[Will Due]

4 hours ago, spartan max2 said:

If you don't mind answering the thread question.

 

I've never asked God to reveal himself. No.

But once, when I was still an atheist and indulging myself in having arguements with Christians about the existence of God and the validity of the Bible, I thought to myself one day (which looking back on it now, must have been tantamount to it being a prayer) if there really is a God, he should be able to provide the people of this world with something that will explain who he really is and straighten out everything that the Bible and Christianity didn't get right.

It was a couple of years later that I realized he already did, when I discovered this:

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Will Due

[Grim Reaper 6]

7 minutes ago, Will Due said:

 

I've never asked God to reveal himself. No.

But once, when I was still an atheist and indulging myself in having arguements with Christians about the existence of God and the validity of the Bible, I thought to myself one day (which looking back on it now, must have been tantamount to it being a prayer) if there really is a God, he should be able to provide the people of this world with something that will explain who he really is and straighten out everything that the Bible and Christianity didn't get right.

It was a couple of years later that I realized that God actually did reveal himself when I discovered this:

 

 

I appreaciate that you have taken the time to explain your experience that has lead you to your current beliefs. While I don't share your beliefs, I am glad you have something that fulfills your needs, that's all we can every hope to find.

Peace

[Mr Walker]

22 hours ago, spartan max2 said:

Odd thread title, but I suspect this is a expierence many people have, so I'm curious.

I have some religious friends and religious family. I've been told (in the past, no one trys with me anymore lol) to try "praying to God to ask him to show himself to you". 

So naturally I did that. I did that for a while, multiple times in my life, and obviously nonething ever happened.

But my question is, has every atheist here also done that at some point in your life?

I suspect that this is common "advice" and a common expierence people have where religious people tell you to just pray for God to show and then, as open people, we try and of course nonething happens. 

 

And also to the Christians, have you done this? And what actually happened that you felt like was a supernatural being "showing" itself to you.

 

 

I wont detail my story again,  but i was an atheist secular humanist for 22 years. Then "god" chose to physically reveal itself  to me, and physically alter me 

 

I didn't want god, didn't need god, and hadn't even thought much,about god, but this gave me no practical choice.

Sure it was great that it healed my nicotine addiction instantly, but it was also a pain in the backside having to live with a "god".  It was a bit like going back home to live with your parents after living independently. 

It has been with me ever since, and i have simply had to adapt to its presence and power 

ps i would say that "god" does not respond to your wants or desires but can appear when you are most in need..   

You shouldn't need god to "appear" to you, (yea i recognise the irony of me saying that)  

What i mean is that god can give you power (strength, courage, perseverance, peace of mind, etc.)which enables you  to deal with and cope with your life.

You might not even realise this is happening,  because you believe these things are coming from within you.

But that is where god lives; Inside you, and it can transform and empower you, without revealing itself  

[Mr Walker]

9 hours ago, Not Your Huckleberry said:

God and other deities were created, in my opinion, to explain away things we simply weren't able to comprehend throughout history. With the advent of science and a better understanding of our universe in general, the concept of a God or creator is now obsolete. 

And yet it refuses to go away and die  

Then there are people like me who live with a living, real, and powerful "god", and thus will never be able to dismiss it as a concept 

Concepts cant physically save your life or physically  influence the world  

[spartan max2]

4 minutes ago, Mr Walker said:

I wont detail my story again,  but i was an atheist secular humanist for 22 years. Then "god" chose to physically reveal itself  to me, and physically alter me 

 

I didn't want god, didn't need god, and hadn't even thought much,about god, but this gave me no practical choice.

Sure it was great that it healed my nicotine addiction instantly, but it was also a pain in the backside having to live with a "god".  It was a bit like going back home to live with your parents after living independently. 

It has been with me ever since, and i have simply had to adapt to its presence and power 

ps i would say that "god" does not respond to your wants or desires but can appear when you are most in need..   

You shouldn't need god to "appear" to you, (yea i recognise the irony of me saying that)  

What i mean is that god can give you power (strength, courage, perseverance, peace of mind, etc.)which enables you  to deal with and cope with your life.

You might not even realise this is happening,  because you believe these things are coming from within you.

But that is where god lives; Inside you, and it can transform and empower you, without revealing itself  

When you say "physically reveal himself to me" do you mean in the form of a vision or in more of a indirect way such as a huge coincidence or strong feeling, etc. ? 

[Mr Walker]

8 hours ago, Sherapy said:

I think thanks to the last 20 years Neuroscience has changed the god game, as far as I am concerned god is an oxytocin rush. 

 

 

lol.

[BlackWidowOfTheWeb]

God is nothing more than the control system of the original military tyranny, a means of subjugating the population to the military the same tactics used by every military tyranny be it the juche in North Korea where they replace God with Kim Il Sing, be it ancient Greece where they call god Zeus, be it even Scientology where they have Xenu, it is nothing more than part of the evolution of the ape to the hominid where the alphale become god and basic ape conflict becomes war. It is nothing more than a basic cult, no different than any cult that has ever existed be it Manson, Branch Davidian, or Heavens Gate.

[+Sherapy]

6 hours ago, Will Due said:

 

Have you considered the possibility that this is why anything real, does not concern itself with you?

 

 

Trolling me again I see. 
 

Will, you don’t have anything I would want, except to leave me alone.

[Mr Walker]

1 hour ago, spartan max2 said:

When you say "physically reveal himself to me" do you mean in the form of a vision or in more of a indirect way such as a huge coincidence or strong feeling, etc. ? 

I mean as a physical powerful intelligent entity, visible to myself and others, and capable of altering the physical nature of the environment ,just like any real being.

I mean a being who can appear and disappear physically at will (in any shape or form), walk through walls,  protect a person from harm, and intervene physically to save their life    A being able to educate and empower a person and lend some of its own abilities and powers to the person it connects to.

A being who can speak mind to mind, or out loud, or through other people, or even via things like a radio.

A being who can alter your brain and body to heal, to empower with strength, courage, love, and passion,  and to give you abilities beyond those of human who are not linked to it    

Not a vision. Not an hallucination. Not in my mind (anymore than everything exists in my mind)

Just like my dog or my wife.

A real, living powerful and protective entity. Similar in some ways to a human, but capable of a much greater science and technology, and much wiser, and more mature/controlled    Able to alter matter and energy, and shape it directly to it's will, perhaps by  using advanced technologies  An ancient evolved alien being (OR an advanced artefact of such a race of beings ) From my perspective and knowledge, it is a bit hard to tell the difference ie if it is naturally organic or artificial. 

Ps i said itself, but you saw it as himself.  Masculinity is not applicable to an alien being or an artificial entity However it is interesting that culturally we tend to see god as male.

I prefer the earth mother myself,  but in reality of course, being nonhuman it does not have a human gender.  

Edited February 24, 2020 by Mr Walker

[Crikey]

14 hours ago, Rlyeh said:

Crikey said- I was never broken

---------------------------------------

That's not what you said before.

Clean your monitor screen mate, you're seeing things that aren't there.. I simply said my awful school and awful jobs made me depressed..

[psyche101]

On 2/23/2020 at 2:33 PM, spartan max2 said:

Odd thread title, but I suspect this is a expierence many people have, so I'm curious.

I have some religious friends and religious family. I've been told (in the past, no one trys with me anymore lol) to try "praying to God to ask him to show himself to you". 

So naturally I did that. I did that for a while, multiple times in my life, and obviously nonething ever happened.

But my question is, has every atheist here also done that at some point in your life?

I suspect that this is common "advice" and a common expierence people have where religious people tell you to just pray for God to show and then, as open people, we try and of course nonething happens. 

 

And also to the Christians, have you done this? And what actually happened that you felt like was a supernatural being "showing" itself to you.

 

 

How is that not a definition of a self fulfilling prophecy?

Besides it's illegal to expose yourself in public 

[psyche101]

10 hours ago, Will Due said:

Have you considered the possibility that this is why anything real, does not concern itself with you?

You are concerning yourself.

Aren't you real? 

[Rlyeh]

5 hours ago, Crikey said:

Clean your monitor screen mate, you're seeing things that aren't there.. I simply said my awful school and awful jobs made me depressed..

So you were broken enough to accept a superstitious solution. 

[Crikey]

15 minutes ago, Rlyeh said:

Crikey said- I simply said my awful school and awful jobs made me depressed

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So you were broken enough to accept a superstitious solution. 

Logic it out mate, if I was "broken" I'd have admitted defeat and knuckled down to dancing to the world's tune for the rest of my life like a good little boy without complaining, but we holy men don't dance..

Jesus said:- "The world wants you to dance to its tune......God has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners....to release the oppressed" (Matt 11:16/17,Luke 4:18 )

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Crikey

[Stubbly_Dooright]

On 2/22/2020 at 11:33 PM, spartan max2 said:

Odd thread title, but I suspect this is a expierence many people have, so I'm curious.

I have some religious friends and religious family. I've been told (in the past, no one trys with me anymore lol) to try "praying to God to ask him to show himself to you". 

So naturally I did that. I did that for a while, multiple times in my life, and obviously nonething ever happened.

But my question is, has every atheist here also done that at some point in your life?

I suspect that this is common "advice" and a common expierence people have where religious people tell you to just pray for God to show and then, as open people, we try and of course nonething happens. 

 

And also to the Christians, have you done this? And what actually happened that you felt like was a supernatural being "showing" itself to you.

 

 

Growing up secular, no going to meetings and reading any religious book, there was no reason for it. I guess, the looking at it was considered a waste of time. And if anyone told me to do so, I think I just went, ‘if you say so,’ and well, kind of not meaning it, and didn’t do it. Because, deep down, I didn’t think it was going to happen in the literal way. 

And, I think that’s the bottom line here. In the literal way, is this what the answer to this question is? Because, it seems to come out to mean literally, but later on described as anything but, like spiritually, metaphorically, symbolistically, etc. And in the end, I would think it would be the answer of .... did it happen literally? 

Well, did it? 

Yes, I may have not done it, but for my experiences, there were probably ‘clues’, ‘feelings’, in the shape of something or someone else, but no.......... 

never literally. (Yeah, I know, I still didn’t asked)   

There is no literal answer for my understanding and experience. I have yet to hear from anyone in the real world, of it being that way. 

 

[Stubbly_Dooright]

18 hours ago, Sherapy said:

I think thanks to the last 20 years Neuroscience has changed the god game, as far as I am concerned god is an oxytocin rush. 

 

 

I find this an interesting thought. Of course, it’s also a recurring topic that has been discussed educationally here and it has me reflecting on it a lot through the years. With Sheri’s post here, I have often experienced these rushes, and I feel, it’s not what ever god/goddesses/higher powers it might be, but what I feel it is and what it does for me. It’s me, and I do feel it’s a plausibility. 

I can also feel, there might be experiences and situations that might ‘explain it’, but to be truthful (at least to myself) it’s not the objective answer, only a subject one. It’s not one, I’m going on a public stage to push with. I don’t think, that would be right. 

It often has me wondering, how some who ‘encourage’ others to practice what ever religious ritual to ‘see’ a god, is only explaining later that it’s how one should see it in the non-literal sense, when the point of the direction was for a literal experience. Well, that’s how I see it as playing out. I often wonder, do these particular religious people realize, it’s the literal god they want to see, and they really don’t have the answer for? 

Kind of like reading about one great female actress/singer/comedienne who lost a child (dies as an adult) and sees various ‘experiences and signs’ as their lost child speaking to them, I can it as being hopeful, but it could also be seen as coincidental. I feel it’s a subjective thing. 

I think this thread’s question, (which I find a really good question to ask) is speaking in the literal point of view. 

[Stubbly_Dooright]

17 hours ago, Will Due said:

19 hours ago, Sherapy said:

as far as I am concerned god is an oxytocin rush. 

 

Have you considered the possibility that this is why anything real, does not concern itself with you?

 

Well, that doesn’t make sense. The way I see Sheri, she and her life, and the life around here, seems more real than anything else. 

So yeah, I wouldn’t think that’s ever a possibility with her. 

[Rlyeh]

1 hour ago, Crikey said:

Logic it out mate, if I was "broken" I'd have admitted defeat and knuckled down to dancing to the world's tune for the rest of my life like a good little boy without complaining, but we holy men don't dance..

The fact you gave up shows defeat.  Use your brain here.

Making up Bible verses doesn't help you.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Rlyeh

[Mr Walker]

1 minute ago, Scudbuster said:

That's only because "it" is rooted deep inside the human psyche, an inherent human frailty, not some sky dweller drifting around in the upper atmosphere.

Or an evolved human strength which evolved to help us deal with the pain of self  aware consciousness.

Belief like logic seems to be an inherent tool in the tool box of human cognition. 

Of course belief is different to knowledge and it serves a different purpose. Of all the organisms on earth, only humans are capable of belief/faith  

The physical existence of real gods is another matter altogether. 

 

[Will Due]

11 hours ago, Sherapy said:

Trolling me again I see. 
 

Will, you don’t have anything I would want, except to leave me alone.

 

I apologize Sheri. I crossed a line. I still have things to learn. I hope you'll forgive me.

 

 

[Festina]

On 2/22/2020 at 8:33 PM, spartan max2 said:

Odd thread title, but I suspect this is a expierence many people have, so I'm curious.

I have some religious friends and religious family. I've been told (in the past, no one trys with me anymore lol) to try "praying to God to ask him to show himself to you". 

So naturally I did that. I did that for a while, multiple times in my life, and obviously nonething ever happened.

But my question is, has every atheist here also done that at some point in your life?

I suspect that this is common "advice" and a common expierence people have where religious people tell you to just pray for God to show and then, as open people, we try and of course nonething happens. 

 

And also to the Christians, have you done this? And what actually happened that you felt like was a supernatural being "showing" itself to you.

 

 

In a moment of utter desperation I called out to the Universe — entirely impersonal  — “tell me what is going on on this planet!!”.

One catalyst a couple of weeks later and then a synchronistic series of extraordinary events ensued. I followed and The Dance continues....

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Festina

[+Sherapy]

24 minutes ago, Will Due said:

 

I apologize Sheri. I crossed a line. I still have things to learn. I hope you'll forgive me.

 

 

Thanks Will. 

[+Desertrat56]

15 hours ago, freetoroam said:

Offering "proofs" always work. though in this particular topic, there has not been any.

What does not work is offering 'feelings' or a "belief" as they are not "proofs". 

Like @Hammerclaw said somewhere else, you can't offer proofs for philosophy or religious debates.  Think about it.  Both are more about feelings, belief and intangibles than anything physical so if it bothers you don't read these types of threads.

[+Desertrat56]

11 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

Ps i said itself, but you saw it as himself.  Masculinity is not applicable to an alien being or an artificial entity However it is interesting that culturally we tend to see god as male.

That is because culturally we are still living in the roman empire.  Think about who put what we call the bible together and who decreed that everyone would worship this version of judaic god.

[+Desertrat56]

3 hours ago, Crikey said:

Logic it out mate, if I was "broken" I'd have admitted defeat and knuckled down to dancing to the world's tune for the rest of my life like a good little boy without complaining, but we holy men don't dance..

Jesus said:- "The world wants you to dance to its tune......God has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners....to release the oppressed" (Matt 11:16/17,Luke 4:18 )

 

 

 

You keep using that word "logic" with the most illogical suppositions.  Get on dictionary.com and read the definition of logic.