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In this entry I would like to share the ways I have found to find and hear the voice of God.
Steps of Advice to Find God
First and most importantly, you must have a genuine and willing desire to find God. God knows our heart and thoughts and whether we are genuine or not and will not make his presence known if you are not sincere.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6
Second, listen to your God-given conscience. You know when you are doing something wrong and will feel guilt and remorse for it. This is one way in which God can communicate with us, because our conscience came from God. I also recommend reading the Bible and steering clear of any obvious sins. Learning about God through his Word will also bring you closer to him as well. The easiest commandment in the Bible to remember and cover the most areas was given by Jesus.
"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you." - John 15:12
Obviously you would not steal, speak out against, murder, or steal the spouse of someone you love.
Third, Pray to him. Ask him to guide you and to present himself to you. Tell him that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior who died on the cross for you to clear you of your debt from sin.
For me, that was really all there was to it. I had stopped intentionally sinning. I worked on multiple bad habits. I will say it did take over a month of earnest praying and conforming to the will of God before I had my first "conversation" with him.
As far as the "conversation" it is hard to explain, but should be obvious when it happens. The best I can describe it, is it seems as if there is someone inside your head. My mind was flooded with guidance and ideas that were not my own, but became my own.
Additional Steps
After God reveals himself to you, it would only seem naturally to me that you would cherish this new relationship and continue to get closer to God.
Continue your quest to become Christ-like and not sin. Work on any bad habits you may have such as emotional issues with anger, stress, letting the world get to you, etc, sexual immoralities, bad mouthing people, etc. Habits CAN be broken, especially if you honestly wish to change and seek for help from God. Furthermore, you control your state of mind; if you move away from the negative aspects of your life, and curve your mental state into a positive direction, you will bring happiness to yourself.
Start to gain control "over the flesh" rather than letting your flesh control you. That is to keep your earthly desires in check such as over-eating, wasting money, sex, aggression, etc. Let your spirit and mind be in control of the flesh so that any actions or reactions come from your spirit and mind rather than out of habit or instincts of the flesh. This should help build your mind and spirit as you increase your understanding that there is more to existence than our earthly desires and activities.
You can also increase your spiritual sensitivity through fasting. Fasting is not starving yourself. It is doing without the things of the earth that you crave and desire and depend upon and having faith in God that he will provide for you. There is a lot to cover for fasting, which I will not be doing here, but make sure you do research if you intend on fasting, and start off very slow. (If you have any illnesses or are pregnant, do not even attempt to fast unless you clear it with your Doctor.) Try skipping breakfast and lunch one day and waiting till dinner, or try eating only vegetables. Or if you do not like the idea of skipping out on food, sacrifice certain activities for a period of time. Give up TV for a night or week, etc. The important thing is that you are giving up something that you desire and instead are putting that attention on to God through prayer and reading his Word.
That's all the advice I have for now. Be true and follow the will of God, and he will make himself known to you.
God Bless
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Human Beings Should not be Followed
In this posting, I want to urge the reader to use extreme caution when reading and listening to the opinions of human beings, especially when it comes to forming their worldview. Virtually every human being is inherently biased when it comes to nearly any topic and just about every statement a human makes has a specific agenda behind it. Many human beings will try to reassure you that they are not biased, and have no agenda and that their words are reliable but they are wrong. They are simply another human being with an opinion that rests on either side of a given argument.
Take myself, for example. I am a Christian who believes that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and He inspired the authors through the Holy Spirit.
Some liberal Christians do not believe in miracles and believe the Bible is full of embellishments so they pick and choose what they wish to believe out of the Bible.
And of course, non-believers believe it is just another man made religion.
When human beings process the historical evidence, our natural bias projects through the evidence so that human statements are blurred interpretations of the evidence. This is particularly important to remember when reading the works of scholars and other "professionals." It is important to know where the author of a given work stands in regards to the topic they are writing about. Knowing their history in regard to the topic is also important.
Sir William Mitchell Ramsay1 for instance, was a late 1800s, early 1900s archeologist who was raised an atheist. He was determined to set out and prove that the Bible was fraudulent by going through the book of Acts and comparing the accuracy of the book with his archeological findings along the way. However, he found that the book of Acts matched up with his numerous findings and actually converted to Christianity.
In contrast, modern day scholar Bart Ehrman2 grew up as a Christian and graduated from a seminary school. Through his investigations into early Christianity he actually lost his faith. I find his reasoning to be a fatal flaw as he bases his reasoning around human action. He is often heard speaking about multiple Christian sects, similar to the different denominations of today, and somehow draws the conclusion that this means Christianity must be fraudulent. He also often brings up so-called contradictions in the Bible such as the Gospels not agreeing on what day Jesus was crucified which is clearly incorrect on his part.
My point is that extreme caution should be used when taking statements of human beings as anything more than biased opinions. When it comes to Christianity and the Bible, one should find out for themselves through prayer and reading the Bible and talking with God rather than putting much weight in the words of humans.
Christian History can be very interesting, but can also be very dangerous when reading the biased opinions of others. It can test one's faith and in some cases, such as Bart Ehrman's, their faith will fail the test. Ultimately, the question of "Who is Jesus Christ?" is a question of faith, and not a question of history.
God Bless.
_____________________________________________________
1 - Sir William Ramsay
2 - Bart Ehrman
Take myself, for example. I am a Christian who believes that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and He inspired the authors through the Holy Spirit.
Some liberal Christians do not believe in miracles and believe the Bible is full of embellishments so they pick and choose what they wish to believe out of the Bible.
And of course, non-believers believe it is just another man made religion.
When human beings process the historical evidence, our natural bias projects through the evidence so that human statements are blurred interpretations of the evidence. This is particularly important to remember when reading the works of scholars and other "professionals." It is important to know where the author of a given work stands in regards to the topic they are writing about. Knowing their history in regard to the topic is also important.
Sir William Mitchell Ramsay1 for instance, was a late 1800s, early 1900s archeologist who was raised an atheist. He was determined to set out and prove that the Bible was fraudulent by going through the book of Acts and comparing the accuracy of the book with his archeological findings along the way. However, he found that the book of Acts matched up with his numerous findings and actually converted to Christianity.
In contrast, modern day scholar Bart Ehrman2 grew up as a Christian and graduated from a seminary school. Through his investigations into early Christianity he actually lost his faith. I find his reasoning to be a fatal flaw as he bases his reasoning around human action. He is often heard speaking about multiple Christian sects, similar to the different denominations of today, and somehow draws the conclusion that this means Christianity must be fraudulent. He also often brings up so-called contradictions in the Bible such as the Gospels not agreeing on what day Jesus was crucified which is clearly incorrect on his part.
My point is that extreme caution should be used when taking statements of human beings as anything more than biased opinions. When it comes to Christianity and the Bible, one should find out for themselves through prayer and reading the Bible and talking with God rather than putting much weight in the words of humans.
Christian History can be very interesting, but can also be very dangerous when reading the biased opinions of others. It can test one's faith and in some cases, such as Bart Ehrman's, their faith will fail the test. Ultimately, the question of "Who is Jesus Christ?" is a question of faith, and not a question of history.
God Bless.
_____________________________________________________
1 - Sir William Ramsay
2 - Bart Ehrman
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
What Day was Jesus Crucified?
There seems to be much confusion between the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and the Gospel of John. This is because the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell much of the same story (hence the nickname Synoptic) while the Gospel of John seems to have a much different style. Some people, including some scholars, even claim that the Synoptic Gospels contradict the Gospel of John in many places.
This posting will deal with the claim that the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John do not agree on the day in which Jesus was crucified. The week leading up to the crucifixion, now honored as "Holy Week" in the Christian religion, was the week leading up to the Jewish Passover.1
According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified on Preparation day which was the 14th of Nisan which was the day in which the Passover lamb was slaughtered and its blood was smeared on the door posts of Jewish homes so the spirit of the Lord would "passover" their homes. Jesus Christ was the Passover lamb for the world.
This Preparation day occurred between sundown Thursday and sundown Friday, but was considered the Jewish Friday, because Jewish days are from sundown to sundown.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" - Mark 14:12
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. - Luke 22:7
It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. - John 19:14
The actual Passover began Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown which also happened to be the Sabbath. Scripture makes it clear that Jesus died and was buried on Preparation Day before Sabbath which started at sundown.
59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. - Matthew 27:59-62
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. - Mark 15:42-43
54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. - Luke 23:54-55
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. - John 19:31
The Gospels clearly agree that Jesus died and was buried before the start of Sabbath.
So where does all the confusion come from? People seem to get tripped up over the Last Supper, and whether the Last Supper was the actual Passover. Indeed, the Gospels do make it sound like they were eating Passover dinner together.
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " - Matthew 26:17-18
We know that it is not possible for Jesus to share the actual Passover Feast with his disciples as he died before Passover started. The only explanations are either Jesus and his disciples (who were life long Jews) did not know when the actual Passover took place, or the much more likely answer, Jesus wanted to have Passover dinner with his disciples, but could not, since he knew when and how he was going to die. So they shared their Passover dinner the night earlier.
15 And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." - Luke 22:15
Interestingly enough, the answer to this so-called contradiction was in the Bible in plain view all along.
Many Blessings.
__________________________________________________________
1 - Jewish Passover
This posting will deal with the claim that the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John do not agree on the day in which Jesus was crucified. The week leading up to the crucifixion, now honored as "Holy Week" in the Christian religion, was the week leading up to the Jewish Passover.1
According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified on Preparation day which was the 14th of Nisan which was the day in which the Passover lamb was slaughtered and its blood was smeared on the door posts of Jewish homes so the spirit of the Lord would "passover" their homes. Jesus Christ was the Passover lamb for the world.
This Preparation day occurred between sundown Thursday and sundown Friday, but was considered the Jewish Friday, because Jewish days are from sundown to sundown.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" - Mark 14:12
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. - Luke 22:7
It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. - John 19:14
The actual Passover began Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown which also happened to be the Sabbath. Scripture makes it clear that Jesus died and was buried on Preparation Day before Sabbath which started at sundown.
59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. - Matthew 27:59-62
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. - Mark 15:42-43
54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. - Luke 23:54-55
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. - John 19:31
The Gospels clearly agree that Jesus died and was buried before the start of Sabbath.
So where does all the confusion come from? People seem to get tripped up over the Last Supper, and whether the Last Supper was the actual Passover. Indeed, the Gospels do make it sound like they were eating Passover dinner together.
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " - Matthew 26:17-18
We know that it is not possible for Jesus to share the actual Passover Feast with his disciples as he died before Passover started. The only explanations are either Jesus and his disciples (who were life long Jews) did not know when the actual Passover took place, or the much more likely answer, Jesus wanted to have Passover dinner with his disciples, but could not, since he knew when and how he was going to die. So they shared their Passover dinner the night earlier.
15 And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." - Luke 22:15
Interestingly enough, the answer to this so-called contradiction was in the Bible in plain view all along.
Many Blessings.
__________________________________________________________
1 - Jewish Passover
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Questions or Topic Requests
If you would like any questions or topics covered, please leave a comment here, or email them directly to romans120blog@gmail.com.
God Bless
God Bless
Coincidence or Intelligence? The Puzzle of Our Existence
(Note: This outline of the content of this site is a work in progress and will be updated regularly to include newly written articles.)
Everyday that passes, mankind makes numerous important decisions that heavily impacts our lives.
Can we afford this mortgage or new car payment? Is this new career move going to be beneficial down the road? Can I trust this person to watch my children? Should we get married? Will we be happy moving out of state or country?
These questions, and countless others, typically have one thing in common when it comes to their answers. The commonality is that none of these types of questions will typically have an absolute answer. That is to say, we cannot be absolutely sure we are making the correct decisions. We evaluate the available evidence and make an educated decision based on that evidence. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of our decisions are made in this manner. We atypically have absolute proof available when making our decisions.
Given our current income and monthly debt, we can indeed afford this new mortgage payment. The income adjustment from switching careers will yield greater income. We love each other and have a similar outlook on life. We have grandma living in close proximity and the children would have to change schools.
These decisions are determined from the currently available evidence. However, when things change, what once seemed like the correct decision can become apparently wrong.
Monthly income has dropped significantly after getting laid off. The new career requires an additional hour of commuting which is beginning to take its toll. We realized we are not so compatible after all. Grandma has passed away and the children are not attached to their school.
This same method of important decision making should also be used when compiling your world view or your outlook on life and our existence.
- What is "God" or the eternal, supernatural, incomprehensible cause of all existence? Is "God" intelligent? Is "God" everything, everyone, and everywhere? Or is "God" purely coincidence?
- Is there an afterlife? If so, can we manipulate our afterlife by our actions on earth?
- Who are we ultimately and morally responsible to? Ourselves, or the survival of mankind? An intelligent "God" or simply no one?
- If "God" is intelligent and has been influencing mankind, are there any existing religions that stand out and match up with the evidence?
I believe and have an argument that Christianity is the best fit for the above questions and for the puzzle of our existence that makes perfect logical sense.
Aside from the above introduction, this article will also outline the different arguments and cross reference other articles, so let us get started.
Laying the Foundation
Before we present any arguments, it is imperative that we are on the same page. We would like to clear up the "Common Misconceptions about Science and Religion" and clarify some key ideology about "God" and religion with the article, "Does God Exist?" We would also like to provide "Absolute Proof that Miracles Exist and the First Step that was Taken for You" and finally if you wish to read the site introduction, testimony of the Blogger, or the ground rules of the site, please see our "Welcome and Introduction."
Cosmological Argument
"Answers in the Cosmos" provides an in dept overview of scientific theories and discoveries made within the past century. Many support the Big Bang which models how our universe evolved from an initial hot and condensed state, to an expanding and cooling current state. This theory has strong indications that our universe is not the eternal source of everything in existence, and therefor has an external supernatural cause. It goes further to explain where current astrophysics is headed by attempting to combine the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics so that they can see beyond the Big Bang.
The point of this argument is to illustrate that evidence indicates this universe had an external, eternal, supernatural cause and this cause is unlikely to ever be observed by science or ultimately be found due to the recursive principle.
Waiting on mankind and science to formulate your decision on this topic is putting your faith in ignorance.
Evidence Surrounding Jesus Christ and Early Christianity (TO BE DONE.)
A future article will provide evidence for the vast discoveries of New Testament manuscripts, and explain how the majority of Historical Scholars find the New Testament historically reliable. This article will also explain and counter common arguments that arise on this topic.
Contradicting the Contradictions in the Bible
What Day was Jesus Crucified?
Other Important Considerations (TO BE DONE.)
This section will contain additional articles detailing other important considerations that are left up to the reader to judge and interpret.
Current Ideas
-Complexity
-Morality
-Spirituality
Putting the Puzzle Together
When we put the pieces of the puzzle together, what we are left with is a complete picture. If we assume that "God" is an intelligent being and has indeed been interacting with his creation, then the most obvious picture is that of Jesus Christ.
The alternative is that our existence, this world and this moment are nothing more than pure peculiar coincidence.
Romans 1:20 states "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
The pieces are in place; the puzzle is complete and it is pointing to Jesus Christ. The only question left is if you believe that The Puzzle of Our Existence is Coincidence or Intelligence?
This literary work is simply to lead you to the water of Jesus Christ and show, what I feel to be, sufficient evidence to give Christ a chance to work in your life. The ultimate evidence cannot be given by science or by man, as it lies within you, in faith and spirituality, if you decide to drink.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
Appendix A: Additional Articles
Human Beings Should not be Followed - Advise against letting fellow human beings heavily influence your decisions about God.
God Bless
Everyday that passes, mankind makes numerous important decisions that heavily impacts our lives.
Can we afford this mortgage or new car payment? Is this new career move going to be beneficial down the road? Can I trust this person to watch my children? Should we get married? Will we be happy moving out of state or country?
These questions, and countless others, typically have one thing in common when it comes to their answers. The commonality is that none of these types of questions will typically have an absolute answer. That is to say, we cannot be absolutely sure we are making the correct decisions. We evaluate the available evidence and make an educated decision based on that evidence. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of our decisions are made in this manner. We atypically have absolute proof available when making our decisions.
Given our current income and monthly debt, we can indeed afford this new mortgage payment. The income adjustment from switching careers will yield greater income. We love each other and have a similar outlook on life. We have grandma living in close proximity and the children would have to change schools.
These decisions are determined from the currently available evidence. However, when things change, what once seemed like the correct decision can become apparently wrong.
Monthly income has dropped significantly after getting laid off. The new career requires an additional hour of commuting which is beginning to take its toll. We realized we are not so compatible after all. Grandma has passed away and the children are not attached to their school.
This same method of important decision making should also be used when compiling your world view or your outlook on life and our existence.
- What is "God" or the eternal, supernatural, incomprehensible cause of all existence? Is "God" intelligent? Is "God" everything, everyone, and everywhere? Or is "God" purely coincidence?
- Is there an afterlife? If so, can we manipulate our afterlife by our actions on earth?
- Who are we ultimately and morally responsible to? Ourselves, or the survival of mankind? An intelligent "God" or simply no one?
- If "God" is intelligent and has been influencing mankind, are there any existing religions that stand out and match up with the evidence?
I believe and have an argument that Christianity is the best fit for the above questions and for the puzzle of our existence that makes perfect logical sense.
Aside from the above introduction, this article will also outline the different arguments and cross reference other articles, so let us get started.
Before we present any arguments, it is imperative that we are on the same page. We would like to clear up the "Common Misconceptions about Science and Religion" and clarify some key ideology about "God" and religion with the article, "Does God Exist?" We would also like to provide "Absolute Proof that Miracles Exist and the First Step that was Taken for You" and finally if you wish to read the site introduction, testimony of the Blogger, or the ground rules of the site, please see our "Welcome and Introduction."
"Answers in the Cosmos" provides an in dept overview of scientific theories and discoveries made within the past century. Many support the Big Bang which models how our universe evolved from an initial hot and condensed state, to an expanding and cooling current state. This theory has strong indications that our universe is not the eternal source of everything in existence, and therefor has an external supernatural cause. It goes further to explain where current astrophysics is headed by attempting to combine the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics so that they can see beyond the Big Bang.
The point of this argument is to illustrate that evidence indicates this universe had an external, eternal, supernatural cause and this cause is unlikely to ever be observed by science or ultimately be found due to the recursive principle.
Waiting on mankind and science to formulate your decision on this topic is putting your faith in ignorance.
A future article will provide evidence for the vast discoveries of New Testament manuscripts, and explain how the majority of Historical Scholars find the New Testament historically reliable. This article will also explain and counter common arguments that arise on this topic.
Contradicting the Contradictions in the Bible
What Day was Jesus Crucified?
This section will contain additional articles detailing other important considerations that are left up to the reader to judge and interpret.
Current Ideas
-Complexity
-Morality
-Spirituality
When we put the pieces of the puzzle together, what we are left with is a complete picture. If we assume that "God" is an intelligent being and has indeed been interacting with his creation, then the most obvious picture is that of Jesus Christ.
The alternative is that our existence, this world and this moment are nothing more than pure peculiar coincidence.
Romans 1:20 states "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
The pieces are in place; the puzzle is complete and it is pointing to Jesus Christ. The only question left is if you believe that The Puzzle of Our Existence is Coincidence or Intelligence?
This literary work is simply to lead you to the water of Jesus Christ and show, what I feel to be, sufficient evidence to give Christ a chance to work in your life. The ultimate evidence cannot be given by science or by man, as it lies within you, in faith and spirituality, if you decide to drink.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
Human Beings Should not be Followed - Advise against letting fellow human beings heavily influence your decisions about God.
God Bless
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Does God Exist?
By now I hope some points are beginning to set in or are already agreed upon and your mind is starting to become clear from some of the common misconceptions and logical flaws in people’s reasoning when it comes to God.
I would like to continue to chisel away the logical flaws in reasoning and bring forth some additional clarity with this next article that I have titled “Does God Exist?” The answer may surprise you.
When you hear the word “Religion” or “Religious” many key terms flood your mind. For instance, some may be spiritual, faith, beliefs, God, afterlife, purpose, etc. Some non-believers may also wish to add irrational, ignorant, outdated, brainwashed, unscientific, etc. What is the actual meaning of religion?
I personally believe religion should be a set of beliefs based around science, philosophy and faith. However, at its core, religion is simply a specific set of beliefs about our existence. What is the eternal first cause of all of existence, and is it intelligent? Is there life after death, and can we manipulate where we end up? How should we live morally, and is there a standard? With whom do we place our faith?
Simply put, your religion is your worldview and your outlook on the important questions of life. While I will not go as far as to say everyone has a religion, I will say there are some definite religious or religious like groups that would simply never consider themselves religious.
Atheists surely have a specific set of believes about our existence. They believe “God” does not exist; they believe there is no life after death; they believe we should govern our own individual moral rules and they put faith in man. The pure atheist has made just as many choices about the world as “religious” people.
My point is that when people attempt to single out “religious” people, also known as people with a specific set of beliefs about our existence, their query is coming back with millions if not billions of results. Not a very successful way of singling people out for hypocritical criticism for their beliefs.
Let us take this one step further and give the general definition of “God.” At its core the term “God” is the supernatural eternal source that created everything in existence. “God” is “Infinite,” “God” is the “Alpha and the Omega,” “God” is the “Always Has and Always Will Be” cause of everything. Now people’s view on “God” will obviously vary. Some people believe “God” has intelligence and willed existence into being. Some people believe “God” is everything in existence and we are all part of what makes up “God.” Some people believe “God” is the universe, or the Big Bang, or what came after the Big Bang and that there is nothing mystical or spiritual about existence and it is all simply a peculiar coincidence. However, as I explain in Answers in the Cosmos, scientists implicate this universe is not eternal and had a definitive beginning and will have an end, meaning universe itself had to have an outside eternal cause.
So if we are to give an answer to the question, “Does God Exist?” This answer is a resounding yes. An eternal, supernatural, miraculous, first cause for all of existence, does indeed exist, or simply put, we would not be here.
The purpose of this article was to clear up the meaning of some specific terms and to break down the walls of segregation between so-called “believers” and “non-believers.” It demonstrated that most of us are people with a set of beliefs about our existence. One in particular is our belief about “God” also known as the indisputably existing, eternal, supernatural, incomprehensible, miraculous, ultimate first cause of everything in existence.
Our views will obviously differ from person to person, as does happen with just about every topic, but it is indisputable, that “God” does indeed exist.
Impressive foresight for first century AD. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:8
I would like to continue to chisel away the logical flaws in reasoning and bring forth some additional clarity with this next article that I have titled “Does God Exist?” The answer may surprise you.
When you hear the word “Religion” or “Religious” many key terms flood your mind. For instance, some may be spiritual, faith, beliefs, God, afterlife, purpose, etc. Some non-believers may also wish to add irrational, ignorant, outdated, brainwashed, unscientific, etc. What is the actual meaning of religion?
I personally believe religion should be a set of beliefs based around science, philosophy and faith. However, at its core, religion is simply a specific set of beliefs about our existence. What is the eternal first cause of all of existence, and is it intelligent? Is there life after death, and can we manipulate where we end up? How should we live morally, and is there a standard? With whom do we place our faith?
Simply put, your religion is your worldview and your outlook on the important questions of life. While I will not go as far as to say everyone has a religion, I will say there are some definite religious or religious like groups that would simply never consider themselves religious.
Atheists surely have a specific set of believes about our existence. They believe “God” does not exist; they believe there is no life after death; they believe we should govern our own individual moral rules and they put faith in man. The pure atheist has made just as many choices about the world as “religious” people.
My point is that when people attempt to single out “religious” people, also known as people with a specific set of beliefs about our existence, their query is coming back with millions if not billions of results. Not a very successful way of singling people out for hypocritical criticism for their beliefs.
Let us take this one step further and give the general definition of “God.” At its core the term “God” is the supernatural eternal source that created everything in existence. “God” is “Infinite,” “God” is the “Alpha and the Omega,” “God” is the “Always Has and Always Will Be” cause of everything. Now people’s view on “God” will obviously vary. Some people believe “God” has intelligence and willed existence into being. Some people believe “God” is everything in existence and we are all part of what makes up “God.” Some people believe “God” is the universe, or the Big Bang, or what came after the Big Bang and that there is nothing mystical or spiritual about existence and it is all simply a peculiar coincidence. However, as I explain in Answers in the Cosmos, scientists implicate this universe is not eternal and had a definitive beginning and will have an end, meaning universe itself had to have an outside eternal cause.
So if we are to give an answer to the question, “Does God Exist?” This answer is a resounding yes. An eternal, supernatural, miraculous, first cause for all of existence, does indeed exist, or simply put, we would not be here.
The purpose of this article was to clear up the meaning of some specific terms and to break down the walls of segregation between so-called “believers” and “non-believers.” It demonstrated that most of us are people with a set of beliefs about our existence. One in particular is our belief about “God” also known as the indisputably existing, eternal, supernatural, incomprehensible, miraculous, ultimate first cause of everything in existence.
Our views will obviously differ from person to person, as does happen with just about every topic, but it is indisputable, that “God” does indeed exist.
Impressive foresight for first century AD. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:8
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Absolute Proof that Miracles Exist and the First Step that was Taken for You
Today I would like to invite you for some deep thinking that should have you awakened out of the Matrix of absolute disbelief in no time. Please before we begin, try to have a clear mind free of any distractions and a completely objective state of mind. I am about to show you indisputable and absolute proof that miracles indeed exist.
Absolute Proof that Miracles Exist
Think carefully and take time if you need to ponder on what our ultimate cause is. Before you go quickly thinking of amino acids and proteins or thinking of the earth evolving with the rest of the universe, think harder. What is the absolute first thing that you think existed and ultimately started the chain of events leading to human beings.
When you have chosen a logical answer, whether it be the universe, or perhaps the Big Bang, branes, or even God, start to think of the cause, or what created your answer.
If you actually manage to sensibly answer what created your first answer, then what was the cause or what created that answer?
By this point you are probably stumped on what could have created your answer. What caused God? What caused the universe? What caused the Big Bang, and what caused the cause of the Big Bang? and so on and so forth.
Eventually, you will hit a road block that the human mind simply cannot comprehend. You have hit the eternal cause of all existence. One of the more common excuses people use to reject God is that it does not make sense that God would exist.
They say, "Well if God created all of existence, then who created God? It does not make sense."
They are actually right. It does not make sense. Human beings lack the intellectual capacity to comprehend what "eternal" truly is. We are unable to properly define and understand what infinite means. Mathematics cannot solve∞.
The rub however, is that this fact alone does not give nonbelievers the excuse they are looking for. The fact of the matter is that no matter your belief on "what came first" you have to realize that "whatever came first" could not of had a cause either, and must be eternal. Whether you believe the universe is all there is and came first, or you believe whatever came before the big bang came first, or you believe God created the universe, something had to have "always" existed in order for us to be here.
Again, this concept is something we cannot hope to explain or comprehend as we are finite beings. Thus, the seemingly impossible, yet what obviously happened paradox of our existence is indeed absolute proof that miracles do exist.
Every glance in the mirror, every step taken, every hug, every kiss, every random thought is the result of an inexplicable miracle that we call our mere existence.
The First Step that was Taken for You
From the last section we know that no matter what your personal theory is on the ultimate cause of our existence, it does not make logical sense. Whether you believe God is responsible for all existence, or that the universe is all there is in existence, or you believe whatever came before the big bang is responsible for all of existence, or whatever came before that, so on and so forth. Some point down the line you will hit a wall named "eternity" that cannot be explained.
This is an important first step to get over, and luckily, for our limited mental capacity, it has been made for us, because even though it does not make logical sense... *POOF* Here we are.
The most important thing about this exercise is that it completely counters the argument that God creating everything in existence does not make sense, because then who created God? A circular argument can be made against the other's theory on who created their cause for all of existence.
EDIT: The point has been made that this is not necessarily a "religious" miracle, so this may somehow take away from the point. The problem with this line of thinking is that ultimately, in it's purest form, a miracle is simply something that cannot be comprehended.
Some will be quick to point out that we were once ignorant about other things like the universe, or other discoveries and advancement in technology, but this is different.
Humans are finite beings and we cannot comprehend eternal. Science cannot observe what eternal is, because there is no cause for eternal. Mathematics cannot equate the value of infinity or divide by 0.
Infinite is simply something that will never be comprehended by human beings, observed by science, or equated in mathematics.
Christians claim Jesus was able to perform miracles, but non-believers claim he did no such thing because miracles do not happen, and if he were here to perform them today, our science and human comprehension would be able to explain how Jesus performed these so-called miracles.
This has been illustrated to be incorrect, because we are all absolute proof that miracles do indeed exist.
Thank you and God Bless
Think carefully and take time if you need to ponder on what our ultimate cause is. Before you go quickly thinking of amino acids and proteins or thinking of the earth evolving with the rest of the universe, think harder. What is the absolute first thing that you think existed and ultimately started the chain of events leading to human beings.
When you have chosen a logical answer, whether it be the universe, or perhaps the Big Bang, branes, or even God, start to think of the cause, or what created your answer.
If you actually manage to sensibly answer what created your first answer, then what was the cause or what created that answer?
By this point you are probably stumped on what could have created your answer. What caused God? What caused the universe? What caused the Big Bang, and what caused the cause of the Big Bang? and so on and so forth.
Eventually, you will hit a road block that the human mind simply cannot comprehend. You have hit the eternal cause of all existence. One of the more common excuses people use to reject God is that it does not make sense that God would exist.
They say, "Well if God created all of existence, then who created God? It does not make sense."
They are actually right. It does not make sense. Human beings lack the intellectual capacity to comprehend what "eternal" truly is. We are unable to properly define and understand what infinite means. Mathematics cannot solve
The rub however, is that this fact alone does not give nonbelievers the excuse they are looking for. The fact of the matter is that no matter your belief on "what came first" you have to realize that "whatever came first" could not of had a cause either, and must be eternal. Whether you believe the universe is all there is and came first, or you believe whatever came before the big bang came first, or you believe God created the universe, something had to have "always" existed in order for us to be here.
Again, this concept is something we cannot hope to explain or comprehend as we are finite beings. Thus, the seemingly impossible, yet what obviously happened paradox of our existence is indeed absolute proof that miracles do exist.
Every glance in the mirror, every step taken, every hug, every kiss, every random thought is the result of an inexplicable miracle that we call our mere existence.
From the last section we know that no matter what your personal theory is on the ultimate cause of our existence, it does not make logical sense. Whether you believe God is responsible for all existence, or that the universe is all there is in existence, or you believe whatever came before the big bang is responsible for all of existence, or whatever came before that, so on and so forth. Some point down the line you will hit a wall named "eternity" that cannot be explained.
This is an important first step to get over, and luckily, for our limited mental capacity, it has been made for us, because even though it does not make logical sense... *POOF* Here we are.
The most important thing about this exercise is that it completely counters the argument that God creating everything in existence does not make sense, because then who created God? A circular argument can be made against the other's theory on who created their cause for all of existence.
EDIT: The point has been made that this is not necessarily a "religious" miracle, so this may somehow take away from the point. The problem with this line of thinking is that ultimately, in it's purest form, a miracle is simply something that cannot be comprehended.
Some will be quick to point out that we were once ignorant about other things like the universe, or other discoveries and advancement in technology, but this is different.
Humans are finite beings and we cannot comprehend eternal. Science cannot observe what eternal is, because there is no cause for eternal. Mathematics cannot equate the value of infinity or divide by 0.
Infinite is simply something that will never be comprehended by human beings, observed by science, or equated in mathematics.
Christians claim Jesus was able to perform miracles, but non-believers claim he did no such thing because miracles do not happen, and if he were here to perform them today, our science and human comprehension would be able to explain how Jesus performed these so-called miracles.
This has been illustrated to be incorrect, because we are all absolute proof that miracles do indeed exist.
Thank you and God Bless
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