If God Is Real?

(yes friends, this is a jesus thread! So if you don't want to talk about this guy... leave )

I am really struggling with this. I have been a christian for my entire life (i'm 19 now), and I still don't really really REALLY know if God is real... Maybe it's because I've been watching to much of the science channel and I find a lot of what they have to say quite convincing. I mean, especially when it comes down to the formation of the universe or whatnot... ugh, if God is truly real then why does He make it so difficult for people to actually believe in him? Seriously, He offers no real/tangible proof of his existence, yet He expects us to just believe and follow what He has to say with no lip, back talk, or hesitation. I mean, of coarse we have the Bible. But even that has been debated, argued, and disputed to the point where it leaves you feeling more confused then enlightened.

I think it would be so much easier to believe in God if he were to just give us a sign that he is real. Give us a sign that he is watching over us. Give us a sign that he cares. Hell, give us a sign that he is actually there. I don't want to have to live my life walking on egg shells for a God that I don't even know exist... how messed up would that be if you lived the perfect life here on earth, only to die and find out that you were doing it all in vain because there is no......... damn, it sucks and I don't even wanna think about it.

I don't know, I think that most christians (including myself) only believe in God because they are scared that they may go to hell if they don't. But I refuse to serve a God that has to scare me into believing in him. That's like some dictatorship or something, and i don't want to be apart of that, lol. I guess we all just have to live our lives as best as we can here on earth, pray that there is someplace better than this, and hope to God that he lets our asses in after it's all said and done. I just wish that some public service annoucement would pop on t.v and it's God telling the world that he is in fact real... at least then we would know we weren't doing it all in vain.

Tell me about it....one word = sexuality. Enough said.

I'm a Christian too & do beleive in God as well but I don't carry the bible everywhere I go & pray everywhere I go, but I don't think we should have a thread about religion in here, people have different opinions about this type of topic & some people in here don't even beleive in religion so having a thread about this is not such a good idea in my opinion, just to be honest.

Does it really matter if God is real or not? I mean, if believing in Him makes you happy and makes you look forward to something, go for it. I mean the fact that so many believe in Him has to be a sign that there is something out there, but at the same time, that does not mean that we have scientific proof that He exists. Religion seems to be about faith, so it makes no sense to contemplate how much faith you should have when for the most part it is similar to a feeling. I mean when you look at science, it is all a bunch of theories anyway.

If you want to believe in God, do it from your heart or even your mind if your heart is not fully into it. It is seriously just about faith because even proof can be mistaken. Our senses can deceive us, so if you want to doubt, doubt, and if you want to believe, believe. I think if there was a higher power, they would prefer us making our own decisions and doing good deeds, not just trying to follow them word-to-word.

There is nothing wrong in believing in what is not real (it might be illogical but logic is just theories that can be explained and not necessarily always the right path to take). It is only wrong when you hurt others by doing so.

JT: You bring up a good point about this thread existing but at the same time, maybe this might make the Lounge seem less pointless if there is an actual sensible discussion going on, haha.

well if people were to embrace the opinions of others without getting all defensive, we wouldn't have a problem.

I think sharing opinions, thoughts, and feelings about topics should be encouraged on messageboards.

^ If people can do that, than I think it would be okay to have a thread i guess. I just experienced in the past alot of stereotypes from us Christians, & i just don't want that to happen in here.

LOL. Oh. I'm really too lazy physically and mentally to get in such discussion. Although I'd like to participate in it.

However, If God spoke to us and told us that he is there ,then everyone on earth would be believing in him and there wouldn't be violence,poverty, wars, rich and poor, because everyone would be afraid of getting punished since they have a sensual proof that there's someone over there watching them. I think that's why we are not angels. And that's where the word "faith" comes from.

God gave you some clues, like "who created the universe?", "What makes your heart beat?", "How can a sperm turn into a life ?". And he's asking you to believe in him. Now that's the heart of all religions and you have the choice to do whatever you want.

I don't agree with you when you say that it does not matter if God is real or not. I think it absolutely matters to those who have devouted their entire lives to following him, like myself.

i mean, you say that you should believe in him if it makes you happy. But to me, that's like saying that you should be blissfully ignorant to whats going on around you. I refuse to put on blindfolds and act like I don't have these feelings inside of me just because I want to be happy and believe that somplace, somewhere, there is a God and a heaven to go to after it's all said and done. I would rather be content with knowing that there isn't a God, then to fool myself into thinking there is. At least then, I could live a life that is my own, and not try and mold myself into what God says I should be.

but all of that can be answered scientifically as well

my question is, why does God make it so hard. Why does he have to send us hints or whatever as to his existence. Why does he have to be so indirect with his approach. Just come out and tell us if you are real dammit! And then, like the rest of your post said, the world would be a much better place!

But how can it be called ignorance when there is no way to prove one way or the other? I did not mean to come off negative at all since I know it matters to those who devoted their lives to Him but at the same time, when you started to believe, it was not because you saw proof, but you had a feeling, and I just meant to say that you should just hold onto that feeling... since sometimes feelings cannot be explained and faith is similar.

You just said that you do not want to "act like [you] don't have these feelings inside of [you]," well then why do you want to try to change the other feeling of belief just because a science channel says it does not exist? With that logic it would seem best to ask robots about emotions. I am not saying the science channel is wrong but I strongly believe there are some things that cannot be explained scientifically, just because there are so many who believe, and so there must be something to even be able to believe to that degree. Still, I apologize for coming off careless by suggesting that God Himself does not matter, I was just trying to say that you should believe what you want to, not that you should blindly follow what is said.

Which leads me to: "At least then, I could live a life that is my own, and not try and mold myself into what God says I should be." Um, you should live your life as your own anyway. In my opinion God would not want you to mold to what He says, but rather just be a good person. I mean, then you go into the whole idea of what God's purpose is... apparently you think God just wants everyone to be the same and not yourself? I am not too sure and so I might have misunderstood.

You can't know whether God or a god exists or not. No one can. Just accept your inability to answer these questions, and live your life by the golden rule, which is to treat others as you would like to be treated.

hmm, no, it doens't matter. I don't believe in god, but i don't care if people trust him. i think everybody should believe in something that won't affect anybody, respecting their own opinions.

jesus is my homeboiii =]

"God(s)" must be a true theory for such a complex world as this to exist. If you think about your body, and how every part of it seems to have a purpose, just that alone would tell you that this world wasn't created with a random explosion. The world we live in is even more complexed as is our universe.

As for religion, I think it's great to have one especially for young people because it keeps them out of trouble and is a great defense against peer pressure. However I do not believe there is only 1 true religion. There are so many religions in this world and every single one of them believes they are the right one, but in the end they all have inaccuracies in what they believe to be "The Word of God".

If you really think about the concept of "Eternity" you'll find that it makes a life of 90+ years seem like nothing. For that reason I would urge every person to live their life with as little wrong doing as possible. Believe in whatever religion you choose because at the end it should only matter on the purity of your heart.

i'd be a fool to throw away my salvation and my beliefs over something I heard on the science channel, lol. I only brought that up because watching it intensified feelings I already had inside of me. And to be honest, a lot of what they had to say seemed logical. I mean, it's always easier to believe in something that is tangible.

and yes, God absolutely wants you to live a life that He approves. For example, you're no good in his eyes if you are gay. Now that doesn't apply to me, but I'm sure there are some people who read that part of your post and sort of raised their hand in objection.

Maybe you're right though, perhaps faith is what i'm lacking... but it's really hard to base your salvation off of that alone.

i'm sorry, but I just can't accept that. I HAVE TO know! I'm like Muhammad, I MUST reach some sort of enlightenment before it's all said and done!

A complete and total LIE. It's abstinence that is the issue, and that applies to EVERYONE except married couples. and besides, why did you make this thrad if all you're going to do is basically bash other people's rock solid beliefs to no avail? There is NO SOLD PROOF. But like Athens said, look at everything. To me and lots of other people, that;s enough for us to BELIEVE in something without having concrete evidence.

and when did I bash anything

I'm guessing you don't. You believe that he is real, like little kids believe Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy is real. I'm not saying he's real or not real -- it all depends what you believe in. If you believe in him in your heart, sure, he's real. If you don't, kk he's not thx

You seemed to insinuate if someone was a certain thing, then GOd doesnt like you.

And the bible preaches tolerance, and not all of it is fact either. I personally do not believe as human we can know the specific expectations God has for me as a person, like homosexulaity or whatever. It isnt in God's nature to shut specific people out. And another passage also states the Jews are to blame for Christ's death, but that's been rebuked because it was a biased writing not from God. Therefore your quote could be the exact same thing.

Sorry if I come across as bitchy, it's just religion is a very touchy thing for me. :\ I know several gay people who are christians, and a couple of them are way better people than anyone like paris hilton or most of general society will be.