So I did the math.....

[mrveggieman]

God as far as I know does not speak to anyone like someone would have a conversation with their neighboor or co-worker. What you would have to to is get on your knees and pray and he will show you some of the answers to your questions without speaking to you in a way that man would. I hope and pray this helps.

[Kosmo kards]

perhaps you should become more confident in yourself, you don't need a supreme being who may or may not exist to answer this, you are capable of learning, but don't expect the answer to be given to you.

Believing and being more confident in myself is not the issue for me. The issue is I don't believe there is any way of truly knowing what is true and what isn't when it comes to God, Jesus and the bible. There are certain things that I believe that I wasn't present for. I wasn't there when Lincoln was assassinated but yet I hold that event to be true. But Jesus dying for our sins and being the savior for all of mankind for me I just don't know. Nobody does. Also most people that do believe in god aren't as educated as you are and they don't truly know the history of the bible. They just believe out of fear of death or hell or because they were just raised that way.

if you accept the idea of God being the king and creator of all things (if not, that's fine, but for our purposes here, assume that is true), who are we to demand God give us time and attention beyond what he has already done by sending his son.

Do I get to demand that the president of the US give me his time? I mean if he expects my loyalty he owes me something right? If he expects me to follow his laws he owes me right? We take this attitude with no one but God. Applying it to our life on earth we see how ridiculous a demand it is and yet people still think it is a rational demand to make of God.


Your original question was why praise someone who won't make time for you. If you believe in the biblical account of Jesus, God has done more than just make time for us. He sent his son to teach us (answer questions about what to do with our lives) and die for us so that we may be with him in Heaven. That is so much more than giving each individual a few minutes of his time. I would think that is much more praise worthy than if he showed up at my house for a little Q and A.

This was a nice post to read. However, you gotta understand the way I think on this. The President can't be all places at one. The President doesn't have ultimate powers and the President isn't all knowing. If God didn't have unlimited powers my request would be absolutely ridiculous and very selfish, there's 7 billion people on this Earth and they're would never be enough time. But God does have unlimited powers and God can be all places at once so why doesn't he actually talk to me, or anybody for that matter?

The whole idea of being saved just doesn't make sense to me. It seems completely unnecessary. Also it was 2000 years ago, way before I was born so saying it was for me just doesn't feel right.

God as far as I know does not speak to anyone like someone would have a conversation with their neighboor or co-worker. What you would have to to is get on your knees and pray and he will show you some of the answers to your questions without speaking to you in a way that man would. I hope and pray this helps.

I understand that God will never take physical form and have an actual conversation with me or anyone alive. It sounds stupid to people with strong religious faith but my question is why doesn't he? I haven't prayed in quite a while but who knows, I've got nothing to lose.

[duane1969]

Somebody thinks a lot of themselves. Exactly when did you come to the conclusion that God owes you and has to answer to you?

Also, unless I did my math wrong, there are 7 billion people in the world. If everyone has a "right" to 5 minutes then it will take him approximately 583,333,333 hours or 24,305,555 days or 66,590 years to get to everyone. As soon as you figure out how to live 66,490 years longer, let me know...unless you feel that you are so special that you are supposed to be at the front of the line too.

[Wickabee]

I think more religious people are educated than non religious people give them credit for. The idea that you have to be a non-thinking brainwash victim to believe in God comes from people who don't believe in God and don't understand any of it. Not saying that's what you said, but the attitude is prevalent with many, many people and, while stereotypes come from somewhere, that generalization is just wrong.

[Kosmo kards]

Somebody thinks a lot of themselves. Exactly when did you come to the conclusion that God owes you and has to answer to you?

Also, unless I did my math wrong, there are 7 billion people in the world. If everyone has a "right" to 5 minutes then it will take him approximately 583,333,333 hours or 24,305,555 days or 66,590 years to get to everyone. As soon as you figure out how to live 66,490 years longer, let me know...unless you feel that you are so special that you are supposed to be at the front of the line too.

I like this post and I have no problem getting bashed. I am here to learn something new. First off I am no one special I am am very aware of that. Of the seven billion people on Earth about 6 billion of them should be ahead of me. Secondly, God can be all places at once. For God Time is non linear. It wouldn't be talking with me for 5 minutes then on to the next person and so on and so forth. I said in a previous post it would be selfish of me and an absolutely ridiculous request if he didn't have unlimited powers. God could talk to all seven billion people on this planet at the exact same time (unless you think that God's powers are limited, but that's a whole different topic). If you truly believe what you typed then why pray? How could God possibly hear prayers from billions of people every single day for thousands of years and why pray if you don't truly believe God is listening? If he can hear your prayers why not respond verbally?

To answer your question my answer is unfortunately no, God doesn't owe me anything or anybody alive anything. But I can't truly believe without something to grab on to. If God truly loves us all, why not show it? In my experiences people only believe in God because of the reward of Heaven and the fear of Hell and Death. There has to be a reward or a serious consequence for people to take it seriously? If it wasn't for Heaven and Hell nobody would take any religion seriously.

I think more religious people are educated than non religious people give them credit for. The idea that you have to be a non-thinking brainwash victim to believe in God comes from people who don't believe in God and don't understand any of it. Not saying that's what you said, but the attitude is prevalent with many, many people and, while stereotypes come from somewhere, that generalization is just wrong.

There are several people that I know who are religious that are very smart and also not smart at all. Same goes with people I know that are Atheist's. My comment to Shrewbury was a response to him saying that the answer is not given to you and what I meant to say was that some people that have strong faith do so because they are raised that way, not because they go out and seek the answers they desire and some people of faith do have the answers given to them and they choose to accept them as truth. Sorry for the confusion.

[Wickabee]

So basically like the guy who votes democrat because his daddy did and his daddy did and his....?

[Kosmo kards]

So basically like the guy who votes democrat because his daddy did and his daddy did and his....?

Exactly. There's nothing wrong with it IMO, but you are not seeking the answers you are looking for. You are just accepting what you are raised to believe.

[Wickabee]

Exactly. There's nothing wrong with it IMO, but you are not seeking the answers you are looking for. You are just accepting what you are raised to believe.

That much I agree with. How many of either type make up Christians...I don't think that's worth worrying over. Suffice it to say I think generalizations lead people to think more are one way or another than actually are.

[shrewsbury]

Believing and being more confident in myself is not the issue for me. The issue is I don't believe there is any way of truly knowing what is true and what isn't when it comes to God, Jesus and the bible.

This is a very fair statement, the only thing I would change is the bible. I believe that just through the teachings of Jesus you can figure out whether you want to follow or not.
Even though I do believe in Jesus as the mesiah and God, perhaps it does not seem as important as the lessons to be learned and knowledge to be gained from His teachings. Though simple in idea, they are complex to incorporate in everything in everyday life.

Historically there is little doubt that Jesus did exist. When looking at the timing of Christianity, the spread of Christianity, and even the historical evidence, actual existing fragments, and archaeological finds, that certainly make it easy to logically reason someone named Jesus did exist, claimed to be mesiah, and was crucified for it.
that's the easy stuff to come to a logical conclusion about

[Kosmo kards]

This is a very fair statement, the only thing I would change is the bible. I believe that just through the teachings of Jesus you can figure out whether you want to follow or not.
Even though I do believe in Jesus as the mesiah and God, perhaps it does not seem as important as the lessons to be learned and knowledge to be gained from His teachings. Though simple in idea, they are complex to incorporate in everything in everyday life.

Historically there is little doubt that Jesus did exist. When looking at the timing of Christianity, the spread of Christianity, and even the historical evidence, actual existing fragments, and archaeological finds, that certainly make it easy to logically reason someone named Jesus did exist, claimed to be mesiah, and was crucified for it.
that's the easy stuff to come to a logical conclusion about

There is definitely evidence of Jesus. I don't doubt that. I question that he is the son of God. What's to say this scenario isn't true.

What if Jesus was a regular man and not the son of God. He sees all the horrible things wrong with the world. He is sick of all the greed, corruption and just the ways people treat one another, so he tells people that he is the son of God for affect and so that people will listen to him. He believed that people wouldn't do good unless there was an incentive, so he talks about the kingdom of heaven. He ends up being crucified for claiming to be the Prophet, but he doesn't actually raise from the dead. Instead his disciples are able to move the boulder in front of his tomb, give him a proper burial and say that he raised from the dead to get back at the Roman's and Elder Jew's that had him put to death and to carry on his legacy since Jesus was an amazing person and a visionary who did a lot for them.

I tired to make it short, so a lot's missing. Maybe I'm just a dumb moron who over thinks everything, but the best lies always stay close to the truth.