How do you know your God is true?

[Irish]

Hi, My name is Beth. I'm a newbie and an atheist. I am just wondering how you Christians know that your God is true and not just a figment of someone's imagination? I used to be a Christian until I came to the realization that 'God' is just that, a figment. What 'proofs' do you use to support your belief?

Brightest blessings!:gim:

edit: I am not looking for a debate. I am just posing these questions.:smile:

[InquisitorKind]

Two things:

1. Answering the "ultimate cause" question, and

2. Understanding the chances that evolution is true.

~Matt

[adam.naranjo]

I know God, because God first knew me, and it pleased Him to reveal himself to me. This is the ONLY reason I believe. Its simple, I know.

I know that without God, I couldn't make sense out of my experience. I dont just mean that "God helps me", in a simplistic sense. But rather, that GOD, and GOD alone, offers the necessary preconditions for the intelligibility of our experience. In other words, God offers, in himself, the things which must be true in order for us to make sense out of the phenomenon we experience. Atheism cannot offer the preconditions for intelligibility of experience. This is called the transcendental argument. An argument that OBJECTIVELY PROVES thet existance of God. This argument effectively shows that atheists have to borrow from God, in order to obtain the necessary preconditions that allow them to make sense out of their arguments...Give them logical Justificaiton. This argument also shows that the atheist cannot, from the assumptions in their worldview, offer any intelligible argumentation because their worldview does not give the necesary precondtions upon which arguments can be offered for anything -- mutch less any predication even be made.

A short example would be that atheists cannot give an epistemological basis for certain knowledge about anything. Yet they can't live without absolute certainty. They need it just like anyone else, but their worldview doesn't allow for it so they are not justified in their use of it. (which the participate in all of the time) Never-the-less they use it... proving that they cannot live according to there own worldview, but have to borrow from the [Christian] theist worldview. [and rely on it to be justified in their reasoning.


This is a very simplified and crude example of the way in which reason itself relies on a Christian-Theist worldview. For me, this gives encouragment that not only am I redeemed in regards to my relationship to God, but I am also redeemed in regards to my reason itself...I now have the preconditions for reason as part of my worldview. So now I have the potential for logical consistantcy and coherency in all of my belief.

Adam.naranjo

[undead]

Yesterday @ 11:30 PM
Irish:
Hi, My name is Beth. I'm a newbie and an atheist. I am just wondering how you Christians know that your God is true and not just a figment of someone's imagination? I used to be a Christian....

err... Christ?:thumb:

[Irish]

Adam, thanks for your reply. I understand that you believe in God. I can't even say that there is not a supernatural being with certainty, but how do you know that YOUR god is the one true god? Also how do you accept the fact that if the Bible is as you believe, that most of the world will enter into eternal perdition?

[Pilgrim]

Why do you ask?

[Irish]

Because I'm still seeking answers.

[Xmansmommy]

Irish,
I'm so glad to hear that you are seeking answers. Perhaps some of the discussions on TW will help you begin to find the answers you are seeking.
While I can't speak for anyone else I simply would ask you Irish, what is it that you are seeking? Are you seeking to prove or disprove the existence of God? If there is no God what is the purpose for anything? Just curious to what your thoughts are on these issues. I pray that you will gain insight and answers to your questions as you sincerely desire to understand.

In His Stead,
Linda

[Xmansmommy]

Great post btw Adam! :thumb: If I had seen it when you posted it, you would have made post of the day :yipee: Hmmmm, maybe I'll still pick it even though it's past. I'll just title it for the day it was posted. :xmm:

[Socrates]

Irish wrote:
I used to be a Christian until I came to the realization that 'God' is just that, a figment.First, based on 1 John 2:19 I would question whether you were ever a Christian in the first place. Second, "realization" -- so what scientific or historical paper was this, so I may find this. I always thought that one could not prove a universal negative like "There is no God" unless one has omnicience. So perhaps Irish is claiming omniscience for herself, so maybe "atheist" is not the right term for her!

[Irish]

03-18-2003 @ 08:34 PM
Socrates:

Irish wrote:
I used to be a Christian until I came to the realization that 'God' is just that, a figment.First, based on 1 John 2:19 I would question whether you were ever a Christian in the first place. Second, "realization" -- so what scientific or historical paper was this, so I may find this. I always thought that one could not prove a universal negative like "There is no God" unless one has omnicience. So perhaps Irish is claiming omniscience for herself, so maybe "atheist" is not the right term for her! First off, I was a Christian in the truest sense. I think it is very wrong for you to even question whether I was or not. I can tell you that my deconversion led to much shock in myself and to others. My husband told me that I just tried too hard to figure the Bible out. I do not claim any omniscience. God, to my reality, is a figment, at least the God of the Bible.


To answer earlier questions.
I am seeking answers, I am not sure whether those answers are to proove or disprove a God. I want to find the truth. I am not here to form doubt. I wanted to know why people believe the way they do. That is all.

[Xmansmommy]

Irish,
I apologize if my comments seemed to imply you were here to cast doubt. I don't feel that way at all, so please forgive me. I suppose those questions were for you to reflect on, so that you may understand what exactly it is you are seeking, not for you to answer for me or anyone else here. I felt you were sincere and still do. I almost lost all faith in God once so I can relate to some extent. I pray that you might find the answers you are asking.

In Christ,
Linda

[adam.naranjo]

03-18-2003 @ 08:29 AM
Irish:

Adam, thanks for your reply. I understand that you believe in God. I can't even say that there is not a supernatural being with certainty, but how do you know that YOUR god is the one true god? Also how do you accept the fact that if the Bible is as you believe, that most of the world will enter into eternal perdition?

I know God because He revealed himself to me. The Holy Spirit caused me to brought to life, He caused me to see Him, and I can't deny this. He revealed to me that His word is truth.

With regard to the transcendental argument:
Because ONLY the God which the BIBLE describes offers the preconditions upon which we can be JUSTIFIED in our belief in anything (or our knowledge of anything). In order for us to make intelligible our experiences certain things must be true. BUT, unbelievers -- (all other worldviews) -- cannot logically justify these things (that must be true) given the presuppositions in their worldview. Only the God of the Bible gives justification for belief in the the uniformity of nature, induction, historical factuality, laws of logic, causation, and many other things that must be true and upon which all of our reasoning is based. Even the ability for our minds to make sense out of the experiences before us. He must exist, and the Bible must be true.

I'm making this short, but nevertheless there is no other answer to the the biggest, toughest, problems in philosophy -- In regards to epistemology, logic, ethics and others.

I have to go, keep seeking, and read some books.
I'll work on a booklist for what I think you should read, the only way to honestly seek is to read them open mindedly, yet critically.

Adam.Naranjo

[themuzicman]

I would want a God who has demonstrated the ability to overcome death. Only Jesus Christ has done that.

Michael

[Pilgrim]

03-18-2003 @ 09:55 AM here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=38792#post38792)
Irish:

Because I'm still seeking answers.

I'm not trying to make trouble but that answer rings a bit hollow. In your first post you tell us that you have already found the answer and that answer is that God is a "figment." That being the case, there must be something else behind your question.

[Irish]

Yesterday @ 04:09 PM here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=41901#post41901)
Pilgrim:



I'm not trying to make trouble but that answer rings a bit hollow. In your first post you tell us that you have already found the answer and that answer is that God is a "figment." That being the case, there must be something else behind your question. I was a very devout Christian. I began to lose my faith. I would cry out to God to renew it. He never answered. After one night of crying, I even cried in my sleep, I awoke and all my faith and belief in God was gone. So right now I am still very conflicted within myself. I believe Him to be a figment, but I want someone to say something to make me believe again. In all the boards in which I've posted similar questions, all the people I personally speak with, all the verses that I read, all the prayers that I beg to God, I haven't found anything to make me believe again.

[vlandsponger]

Yesterday @ 08:55 PM here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=41890#post41890)
themuzicman:

I would want a God who has demonstrated the ability to overcome death. Only Jesus Christ has done that.

Michael

This is the second person i believe that has mentioned Jesus Christ. Jesus is our proof...So much evidence and yet people still deny the truth...

[Pilgrim]

Today @ 01:02 PM here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=42490#post42490)
Irish:

I was a very devout Christian. I began to lose my faith. I would cry out to God to renew it. He never answered. After one night of crying, I even cried in my sleep, I awoke and all my faith and belief in God was gone. So right now I am still very conflicted within myself. I believe Him to be a figment, but I want someone to say something to make me believe again. In all the boards in which I've posted similar questions, all the people I personally speak with, all the verses that I read, all the prayers that I beg to God, I haven't found anything to make me believe again.

I'm not sure that there is anything I can say to you that will make you believe in God. I'm not even sure it works that way. Instead all I can say is that I see in you the image of God and because of that I have a love for you.

I empathise with your confusion and can only offer myself as ears to hear that confusion and pray that God will take care of the rest.

Pilgrim

[Lazy Agnostic]

By what mechanism do the "truly" Christian, perceive God? There are those of other faiths and disciplines who report similar certitude in their spiritual relationship and, indeed, display better versions of themselves as a result. How does one discern the difference between them and Christians?