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Do you believe in God, why or why not?

D.Y.R#7XTRUST wrote on 10/12/2006 11:37:53 PM :

I am simply asking the question, do you or do you not believe in God. Give your reasons for your belief, debate is open in a kind peaceful manner. Looking forward to your response!!!

Thank You

mindy rae wrote on 10/13/2006 12:07:58 AM :

Well I beleive this question has been debated many times but not so forthright.

I do NOT believe in God. I do believe in something (s) greater than us. But I do not like organized religions. and certainly do not believe in the "christian God".

I have never believed in god, not even as a kid and if my parents had taken me to church they would have been asked to take me home because even as a young child my views of this subject were extremely strong.

I believe there are definately spirits, magic, aliens, ghosts, precognictive abilities, pshyic abilities, clairvoyancey, telepathic and telekentic abilities, Spirit Guides, occult activities.

I do not believe in god, satan, heaven or hell. (So those who pray for me are wasting their time because I do not believe that I am going to hell because it does not exist).

Why do I not believe in God?

Well for one I think that with what the world has become that any god would be proud of it, if god existed I am sure that god would have blown us up by now and started over. Also with as much suffering there is (especially innocent children) I just can't bring myself to believe that any enity would place that kind of plan on such a small helpless being it is just wrong.

I do believe that there is fate but we also have freewill to change our paths!

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 12:37:12 PM :

Well, if her emails youch you, then you'll be pleased to knwo she's just as "real" in person...a humble, loving and precious woman

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 12:47:18 PM :

I'm going to have to come up for a service sometime to see all these people we both know in one way or another, LOL.

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 1:05:44 PM :

BlinkeredKitten wrote:
I'm going to have to come up for a service sometime to see all these people we both know in one way or another, LOL.

hehe yes we apear to know many of the same Brethren.

I, however, attend a baptist Church.... but nonethless, I'm a believer in the Apostlic Gospel, whcih we know includes the Gifts of the Spirit :)

Our Baptist leadership also believe in the Gifts as do some of our congregation members; most are actually very open to the moving of the Anointing of God.

notme wrote on 10/14/2006 2:04:30 PM :

WWJD wrote:
When somone's response attacks who God is and attacks him for all of the problems in the world etc etc then I think I'm entitled to what I want to respond with; agree or not, Sass, neither Mindy nor I nor anyone else is required to not post something because it offends.

never did I ask you not to post your views on ANYTHING, because I respect your entitlement to your own view and I'm not about to post "I don;t think that was necessary" just because I don;t agree; I expect you to show me the same courteousy.

well you kind of told me often to stop posting something that was against your policies what this ?

it allright for you to do it but not for anyone else

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 2:22:10 PM :

notme wrote:
WWJD wrote:
When somone's response attacks who God is and attacks him for all of the problems in the world etc etc then I think I'm entitled to what I want to respond with; agree or not, Sass, neither Mindy nor I nor anyone else is required to not post something because it offends.

never did I ask you not to post your views on ANYTHING, because I respect your entitlement to your own view and I'm not about to post "I don;t think that was necessary" just because I don;t agree; I expect you to show me the same courteousy.

well you kind of told me often to stop posting something that was against your policies what this ?

it allright for you to do it but not for anyone else

Notme, can you R E A D?

Look at my post again; I'm DEFENDING views....not telling people to NOT post.

Duh.

willie c wuddle wrote on 10/14/2006 2:45:31 PM :

Oh oh, what did I just walk into and how badly is the furniture broken again? Just kidding.

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 2:48:21 PM :

willie only a few scratches on the coffee table nothing broken Wave [wave]

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 2:48:58 PM :

no broken bones, but a few bruised egos Stick out tongue [:P]

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 2:49:26 PM :

that's true

notme wrote on 10/14/2006 2:55:25 PM :

oops sorry wwjd my error

it last night fault i still have double vision

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 3:05:04 PM :

notme wrote:
oops sorry wwjd my error

it last night fault i still have double vision

Now were you being bad last night?

notme wrote on 10/14/2006 3:11:49 PM :

me never

willie c wuddle wrote on 10/14/2006 3:16:47 PM :

I've been behaved for a couple of days now. That's "Not me" misbehaving. All puns intended. Big Smile [:D]

oneandonly wrote on 10/14/2006 3:52:30 PM :

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 4:08:43 PM :

expecting a storm tonight Whistling [whistling]

D.Y.R#7XTRUST wrote on 10/14/2006 4:22:15 PM :

I'm sorry to say or maybe even offend, but that type of material meaning the picture above should not be posted on this post. I am am asking the poster to PLEASE delete this picture. The picture clearly has nothing to do with the topic, and is offending to me, so may you please remove the photo.

THANK YOU!!

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 4:27:18 PM :

Oneandonly, you're a sick puppy.

Seriously; you shout, yell and demean others and yet do so much worse all in the name of "I'm only joking".

For real, have some respect.

oneandonly wrote on 10/14/2006 4:30:54 PM :

for real--GO *** YOURSELF!

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 4:32:27 PM :

oneandonly wrote:
for real--GO *** YOURSELF!

I KNEW you were 12 years old!

ha!

I knew it!

oneandonly wrote on 10/14/2006 4:39:14 PM :

you dont know sh1t! and you prove it daily.

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 4:41:58 PM :

oneandonly wrote:
you dont know sh1t! and you prove it daily.

Uh huh.

Child.

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 4:48:05 PM :

i thought this was a simple answer why or why not

joel27 wrote on 10/14/2006 5:47:08 PM :

It cant be with some people on this forum

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 5:48:34 PM :

why not joel

joel27 wrote on 10/14/2006 5:55:19 PM :

well thier are some people on this forum freak out over little stuff

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 5:57:51 PM :

well if you have an opinion post it it's your choice

joel27 wrote on 10/14/2006 5:59:08 PM :

I believe in God

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 6:02:03 PM :

now was that so hard

joel27 wrote on 10/14/2006 6:02:53 PM :

No lol

willie c wuddle wrote on 10/14/2006 6:04:53 PM :

"Thank GOD tomorrow's Sunday, my day of rest."

joel27 wrote on 10/14/2006 6:06:35 PM :

lol i know its going to be SUNNY

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 6:08:03 PM :

joel27 wrote:
lol i know its going to be SUNNY

Well! I must then preach!

PREACH!

joel27 wrote on 10/14/2006 6:09:23 PM :

i know iam going to church tommorow

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 6:10:02 PM :

joel27 wrote:
i know iam going to church tommorow

Me 2...I go three days per week and preach three days per week :)

I LOVE CHURCH!

:)

D.Y.R#7XTRUST wrote on 10/14/2006 7:55:18 PM :

Thank You all, who have responded to this question in a mature manner. I personal believe in God, and more specific I believe in Christ and that he Is the Savior of this wicked world.

I had read in one of the posts about an individual witnessing 2 childrens deaths, and that was one of the reasons she did not believe in God. Many people hold the same belief that if there is a God, then why does he allow so much suffering. The Bibles answer to this question is a simple one, "through one man sin entered into the world",(Adam in the Garden of Eden). The result is Sin, that we have committed, not saying any One Persons Sin causes a child to suffer, but that sickness and disease is the result of Sin as a whole. Going back to the Garden of Eden.....as explained in greater detail below..

Searing pain that goes on and on, suffering that seems so futile and needless: these are some of the most troubling circumstances of human experience. The inevitable question that we all ask is, "why?," particularly when we see the innocent suffer, such as young children or animals. If there is really a good God, how can He permit such evil? Why doesn't He force it to stop if He is really there and truly good?

To even begin a serious discussion of what the Bible has to say about this topic, it is crucial to understand that we rarely see the big picture of this world or ourselves as God sees us. How emphatically He spoke to the people through Isaiah, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (The Bible, Old Testament, book of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8 and 9) Furthermore, it is critical to understand that the primary reason for this great gulf of mind and spirit between ourselves and God is that we live in a world that has fallen from the state in which God created it -- and us -- to exist. The Bible depicts that the whole world is in bondage to this fallen state, even nature itself (New Testament, book of Romans, chapter 8, verses 18 to 23), and that this was the result of God giving man the gift of freedom; freedom which he used to rebel against His Creator and give ear and allegiance to the Creator's Enemy instead (Old Testament, book of Genesis, chapters 2 and 3; New Testament, book of Romans, chapter 1, verses 18 to 32). Choosing to turn away from God meant choosing to turn away from perfect good. Satan, the enemy of God, has no other purpose but the destruction of that perfect goodness in us and around us (New Testament, Gospel of John, chapter 8, verses 42 to 44). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to save us from this condition, from ourselves and from Satan's destruction (New Testament, book of 1 John, chapter 3, verses 7 to 8).

At times, we have glimpses of how pain can have a very necessary function in this world. For example, those who suffer from Hansen's disease (leprosy) might well describe our sense of pain as a gift. Having often lost any feeling in their extremities (such as fingers and toes), they often damage them by burning or impact without even realizing it. What applies to the Hansen's patient physically, may be true for all of humanity spiritually: pain and suffering ring out the message that something has gone terribly wrong in this world.

C.S. Lewis, the late Christian apologist and professor at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in Great Britain, gave a masterful discourse on the subject of pain and suffering in his book, The Problem of Pain, which we recommend for further study. Douglas Gresham, his stepson, who is a psychotherapist working in healing ministries in Ireland, has graciously contributed some of his thoughts on the subject. As portrayed in the "Shadowlands" movies and stageplay, Doug is uniquely qualified to comment on this subject from his personal as well as professional experience:

"Suffering comes from Satan as he constantly tries to inveigle us away from Christ. God, if we allow Him, will take the very worst tragedies that Satan inflicts upon us and turn them to good. [New Testament, book of Romans, chapter 8, verse 28] I do not believe that God causes our pain. [New Testament, book of James, chapter 1, verses 16 and 17] God does chastise those whom He loves. [New Testament, book of Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 6 to 13] Chastisement and agony, however, are not the same thing. All the ills of humanity can, if studied carefully and honestly, be traced back to man's own doing as he succumbs to temptation. Every plague, every famine, and every war can be followed back to our own sinfulness. Even what we euphemistically call "accidents" are in reality no such thing, but nearly always the result of someone making a bad decision. It is thus that Satan cons us into blaming God for what he has instigated and we have carried out. As long as we have free will to choose to do good or to do evil, we will cause each other suffering, and Satan's aim is to persuade us to blame God for it when, in fact, it is we who cause it.

"God could have put an end to suffering and pain at any time by merely removing our free will, but that would be the very worst tyranny imaginable. We would all become mere automatons. To do so, God would have to deny His own loving nature as He has revealed it to us. Indeed, all human tyrants try as hard as they can to steal away that very free will that God has given us and they always fail in the end. Satan himself always tries to do the same thing and never can quite manage it, so he tries to persuade us that he has by trickery. As soon as human beings hear the thought that they have no choice about something, they must know that they are being lied to. There are always alternatives, and often the one that seems the more attractive is the wrong one.

"Even love has its associated suffering and that, too, is the result of our imperfection. Take bereavement, for example: When we lose someone whom we love, we grieve, and grieve we must. We feel the pain of losing them, and if we are honest about it, we have to admit that our pain is selfish in essence. We are wailing because we don't have them with us anymore. Our grief is not really for them, but for us. All human relationships end in pain, but that is again because of our Fall from God, and is a kind of value-added tax that our fallen nature allows Satan to place on God's free gift of love. Yet even that grief has immense value to us, for it is by its depth and intensity that we are enabled to gauge the depth and strength of our love for the one whom we have lost. All of Satan's schemes backfire on him in the end."

mike6x5 wrote on 10/14/2006 9:49:03 PM :

We're going to St. Bernard's Church tomorrow morning at 11. I think that's the oldest church in Moncton?

willie c wuddle wrote on 10/14/2006 6:09:46 PM :

"Good, that means I don't have to patch that hole in the wall someone made"

D.Y.R#7XTRUST wrote on 10/13/2006 11:10:29 PM :

Well, sometimes we as people can assume and or believe that a response can be offensive. But given the question, I do believe both sides have answered the question from their hearts. When an individual strongly believes something, it is natural for them to proclaim their belief in a way that they are sure both sides understand where they are coming from. Also every person is different and has their personality and gifts. Some are passive, and others are aggressive.Truly I respect both sides of this argument, one cannot find truth in staying quite. I look forward to both sides explaining their beliefs!

Thank You all; for your responses thus far!!

oldman wrote on 10/14/2006 1:41:36 PM :

i thought the question here was do you believe in god.in my mind that makes it perfectly alright to express your own views???????????

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 1:56:42 PM :

oldman wrote:
i thought the question here was do you believe in god.in my mind that makes it perfectly alright to express your own views???????????

What are you talking about?

Who's asking others to NOT express their view?

willie c wuddle wrote on 10/13/2006 12:54:10 AM :

I beleive in GOD. Somebody started everything in motion. I beleive it was GOD and not Donald K Donald.

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/13/2006 2:06:46 AM :

I believe in God because:

I'm here: think about the complexities of the human body, and how those came to be.
I've had too many prayers answered to deny His existence.
I've experienced and witnessed healings.
I feel Him with me ... most times.
I'd have nothing to look forward to if I didn't believe in God. There has to be more to life than a miserable existence and then death!
I need to believe that there's always at least 1 "person" who loves me despite my failures.
When I prayed sincerely with an open heart AND mind, He proved His existence to me. Not everything in life can be chalked up to "coincidence"; sometimes you have to accept the reality of divine intervention.

D.Y.R#7XTRUST wrote on 10/13/2006 9:49:44 PM :

Well, I will only ask you this once, and I want you to seriously think about it. Are you even open to there being a God, if so I would love for you to reply.

Thank You, Mindy Rae for your reply!

mike6x5 wrote on 10/13/2006 9:54:16 PM :

There are things the human mind can't possibly hope to comprehend, just as there are things the human eye can't see. For one to close his/her mind to the possibility of the existence of God is shortsighted, imho.

WWJD wrote on 10/13/2006 10:20:20 PM :

Mindy, you need to:

1- Stop believing in what you WANT to believe in and believe in the TRUTH

2- Repent...this mans TURN FROM YOUR SIN!

3- Place your Faith in Jesus Christ!

4- Obey the Word of God!

You see, you don;t believe in God because you believe in "you".

You hate GOD because you LOVE sin.

You need fairy tales to believe in because you refuse to believe in Christ!

You call Christians such as myself to "harsh"...too "mean"....This is because you yourself are hateful and mean to the God who created you!

You claim you want tolerance for all religions, yet you cannot tolerate the Bible and it's command that you repent and be Born Again!

You love sin and hate God; you hate God and love sin!

Turn, Mindy!

Turn to God....turn to Jesus Christ!

sass wrote on 10/13/2006 10:23:22 PM :

I don't really think that was neccessary at all...She was asked a question and she responded....If you want to debate this it will have to ewait till tomorrow..night!! Wave Towel [towel]

WWJD wrote on 10/13/2006 10:44:12 PM :

When somone's response attacks who God is and attacks him for all of the problems in the world etc etc then I think I'm entitled to what I want to respond with; agree or not, Sass, neither Mindy nor I nor anyone else is required to not post something because it offends.

never did I ask you not to post your views on ANYTHING, because I respect your entitlement to your own view and I'm not about to post "I don;t think that was necessary" just because I don;t agree; I expect you to show me the same courteousy. Big Smile [:D]

mindy rae wrote on 10/13/2006 11:28:31 PM :

Say what you may WWJD but I never once stated that I hate your God I stated that I did not BELIEVE in your God! There is a difference.

As for sinning that is my business. Remember I am a non-believer so I do not believe in sins either, but I believe in right and wrong.

Have I stole from anyone? No

Have I murdered anyone? No

Have I cheated on anyone? No

Have I tortured a child? No

Have I killed an animal? No

Have I raped anyone? No

Have I sold drugs to anyone? No

So You see I do have morals and values. I believe in my family, I believe in myself, I believe in helping others, I believe in giving myself to love.

This is not what I want to believe in. Trust me there have been times where I have WANTED to believe there was a God so that I could blame God for my troubles, for my families troubles, for my friends troubles, Hell for the world's troubles! But do I blame your God? NO because your God does not exist for me and there for the blame falls to us, ourselves, the world!

When you watch two infants suffer for 2 years of their lives and then die because of a disease they were born with! When you watch them wilt away to NOTHING, Watch them lose their sight, their hearing, their ability to eat normally, their ability to control their bodies movements, When YOU watch them suffer in pain for TWO years of their lives before they die then you will partly understand why I stated that I do not believe in your God! Those two babies erased ANY doubt that I ever had about your God's existance! Because if there was a God then that God certainly would not allow helpless innocent babies to suffer!

You have no right what so ever to make judgements on me and then say that I need fairy tales. You see in my 25 yrs of life I have seen and felt more suffering than you can ever imagine and I live in REALITY of this life not in some fairy tale such as yourself!

D.Y.R#7XTRUST wrote on 10/13/2006 11:33:28 PM :

If you don't believe in God, check out this url: www.reasons.org

mindy rae wrote on 10/14/2006 12:10:57 AM :

Thanks but I don't need a web site to "help" me find reasons to believe. I will going to my death bed and DIE without belief of God.

Quite frankly I really don't care what happens to me after I am dead.

The way I see is I would rather spend the next 70 or so years not wasting my time believing in God to die and find out that I was wrong than to spend those years giving my precious time to God to find out that there isn't a God.

Reasons I do not like organized religions:

Every religion thinks its better than all the others. I have had a baptist tell me to my face that unless you are baptist you are nothing Her father was a minister. This was before she knew that I myself am a non believer. The only fact she had was that my family is United!

They have a leader who preaches and oversees their followers and seems to always have the only right answer to everything.

They encourage their followers to give them monetary contributions. Some even demanding contributions (passing around the donation bucket).

Lastly they tell their followers what the should believe (commandments), what they should and should eat/drink (fish on certain days; no alcohol etc) , what they should or shouldn't wear (not all but some).

Everyone should be free to believe what they want. If I wanted to pray and honor the spider in the corner and say that it is my God then so be it. But to tell me that I am wrong in my beliefs is very hypacritial.

I hate when anyone tries to push their religion on me. I feel that there is a time and a place for religion and if I want to pursue a religion I will find a church that suits me. That is where the preaching should be done, not in the streets or school or the local mall or on the radio or tv but in the church!

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 10:09:37 AM :

Say what you may WWJD but I never once stated that I hate your God I stated that I did not BELIEVE in your God! There is a difference.

As for sinning that is my business. Remember I am a non-believer so I do not believe in sins either, but I believe in right and wrong.

Have I stole from anyone? No

A: You've never stoeln ONCE in your entire LIFE? Not a paperclip, an envelope, etc etc...? NOTHING EVER?

Have I murdered anyone? No

A: The Bible's definition of murder goes much much deeper than taking a physcial life...and I'd encourage you to read 1 John (just before Jude which is before Revelation)...

Have I cheated on anyone? No

A: You broke the First Commandment.

Have I tortured a child? No

A: Phew!

Have I killed an animal? No

A: That must mean you've never eaten one piece of meat in your LIFE EVER, because if you HAVE, you've supporte dthose who did kill animals...not that that's bad; I just wanted you to the utter foolishness of your "Have I killed an animal" question.

Have I raped anyone? No

A: Phew!

Have I sold drugs to anyone? No

A: Phew!

So You see I do have morals and values. I believe in my family, I believe in myself, I believe in helping others, I believe in giving myself to love.

A: You sure like that "I" word.

Conclusion: You need to review, rethink and re-evaluate your life....You can have ETERNAL Life TODAY! PRAISE GOD!

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 10:32:08 AM :

WWJD wrote:

I'd encourage you to read 1 John (just before Jude which is before Revelation)...

Minor detail, but you made a mistake. 1 John is actually right before 2 John, which is right before 3 John, which in turn is before Jude which is before Revelation.

Stick out tongue [:P]

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 10:40:09 AM :

BlinkeredKitten wrote:
WWJD wrote:

I'd encourage you to read 1 John (just before Jude which is before Revelation)...

Minor detail, but you made a mistake. 1 John is actually right before 2 John, which is right before 3 John, which in turn is before Jude which is before Revelation.

Actually no mistake was made; Scripture never had chapter and verse; only complete books....I grouped them, and thsu my statement, which stands correct ;)

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 10:44:25 AM :

I was joking ... didn't mean to offend.

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 11:02:13 AM :

BlinkeredKitten wrote:
I was joking ... didn't mean to offend.

ahha I wasn;t offended; I just thought I'd make note that the Scriptures never had chapters and verses when written... that came later, in the 15th century, I believe, through the efforts of a Roman catholic monk :)

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 11:32:03 AM :

Where did you learn all this stuff???

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 12:24:29 PM :

BlinkeredKitten wrote:
Where did you learn all this stuff???

Bible College Big Smile [:D]

(I majored in Pneumatology though)

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 12:25:56 PM :

I didn't know you had gone. ABC? ABU now, I guess.

and for blondes like myself, what is pneumatology?

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 12:27:03 PM :

BlinkeredKitten wrote:
I didn't know you had gone. ABC? ABU now, I guess.

and for blondes like myself, what is pneumatology?

I went to NBCC, VBCI (Victory Bible College; Charismatic) and EBC (Baptist) and was ordained and licensed recently (last year)

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 12:28:08 PM :

and the only one there i recognize is NBCC

so what was pneumatology?

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 12:30:10 PM :

VBCI is the college of Victory Churches International, the largest growing Christian Charismatic denomination in North America.

Pneumatology is the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit; His Gifts, Person, Power, Anointing, Manifestations, etc etc....

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 12:31:21 PM :

Victory Churches, huh?! Would you happen to know a beautiful lady named Martha?

WWJD wrote on 10/14/2006 12:33:01 PM :

My mother is Deacon there, the pastor was my professor and Martha is one heck of a godly and wonderful woman!

BlinkeredKitten wrote on 10/14/2006 12:35:32 PM :

I've never met her, but I'd certainly love to! She sends the most beautiful e-mails, and always right when I need them!!!