The Puzzle of God
One of the most frequently asked questions I get each week is about my personal beliefs. Some ask if I’m a Christian, Atheist, Pagan or part of some other cult. Back in May 2005 I took my confirmation to become a Christian. Back then I was fully on for God however now in 2007 I look back on my commitment to Christianity and instead ask the question ‘Why did I make that decision?’ This has been one of the hardest questions iv come to face with and since mid 2006 I have been struggling with the idea of a Christian God ever since. So the short answer to what do I believe in at the moment is nothing. I don’t know if a God exists and I have no evidence to say that he doesn’t. However despite my lack in faith I still have a sharp mind which I am trying to use to bring myself to some sort of conclusion so that I may have rock solid beliefs within me.
Amongst my Christian friends they would be most interested in why my lack of faith. I believe the thing that started me questioning God was logic. I went to a number of sermons at Soul Survivor and usually every Sunday at church, I still do go to sermons. Somehow the character of God being shown by others certainly didn’t match up with my idea of God, the feelings I had inside of me. So looking at this logically then a God would have to be personal to each person, almost unique in ways and characteristics. Obviously then you could either say “well maybe there is more than one God?” or you could do what I did and thought “Isn’t this evidence that one God doesn’t exist?” Either way this widened my gap of questioning and brought me onto some more questions. Every time I go to church I look around. Since I go to a youth group people are very young there, lack knowledge (as I recently recognized in myself) and seem to always be having a good social time. Not only this but the actual youth group is run by young people. How then is it possible to take everyone seriously? Everybody is young and doesn’t yet have full knowledge of the world around them and yet they believe in a God. In my own experience believing in a God is a very easy thing to do when you go down to church Sunday and everybody is worshipping and having fun. However looking out at the real world, no sign of a God can be found. One of the biggest obvious questions is about suffering; that question leads onto our freewill, that onto Gods characteristics. All of these questions to me don’t have any answers and eventually you’re left with confusion and a mind boggling puzzle, a puzzle that would take a lifetime to solve.
To put it bluntly, I’m not against the existence of God like some people may believe. I want a God to exist, life after death is a wonderful thought and the idea somebody more powerful than yourself loves you forever. I’m currently going out with a girl who is a Christian and for me to share her beliefs once more would be an amazing thing. However the fact is there staring me in the face, I will only believe in God unless I see physical proof because I don’t believe I could ever believe in something without visual evidence. If a loving God does exist then I’m sure I will see this evidence sometime in my life, maybe I’m meant to be questioning at the moment in ‘God’s big plan’? I only hope that this questioning one day ends.
4 comments:
Why does the fact that different people see different aspects of God mean there must be multiple God's? Even with people (who's characters are a speck compared to God and are infinitely easier to understand, even though we can't!), different people see different aspects of one person. Surely an infinite and transcendent God would be understood differently by different people?
If you've a problem with being led by 'young people' (though I don't think you could class Sam/Gillett like that...) why don't you join an adult church?
And no one will ever have a full knowledge of God will they? I would have thought that if they could, it would make God completely worthless, as if someone can fully understand Him, that person would be greater than God.
You say believing in God is easy, but is it really? Maybe looking around you with your upbringing it seems it, but look at the wider picture - the world. Today in church we were told that on Wednesday, 3 men who work closely with a missionary my church (OCC) supports were killed my militants in Turkey for publishing Christian material. There are thousands of Christians who have considered all things (including torture and death) nothing compared to Christ. There has to be something in that right?
I didnt mean to write a big philosophical blog, I may do that soon. When you say 'different people see different characters of God' how do we know that maybe this God maybe just an idea people have? Afterall as you said 'but look at the wider picture - the world', the world to me does not show me that of a loving God or even a caring one.
I am very sorry to hear of that killing which took place but I dont think anything was in that but rather a clash between religions.
On more personal notes to me I find I need knowledge of something before I full know it or in the case of God, believe. People say you need faith but its faith that tells children Santa Claus exists, in the same way I question Gods existence.
I agree with you about Sam and Gillet as they are older. I dont want to join a church where the average age of the congregation is 40.
How do we know God's not just an idea...? It's a big question. But I think it comes down to experience (of us and others), and the change it makes to people's lives...
Experience: If God was just an idea, then there's an awful lot of freaky stuff that has happened in my life that has absolutely no explanation. There's also a lot of coincidence that I cannot attribute to anything but God. Other people can testify the same.
Change: Now I know that change doesn't necessarily mean that there is a God. However, the frequency and consistency of change in people who have 'met with God' is fairly supportive of the idea that there is something common behind it that is more than just our minds. All types of people, from good to bad, all being transformed into the likeness of Jesus, and although no one is there, you can still see it in a lot of people...
It was a clash of religions. But my point was more that there are loads of people who are willing (and have) laid down their lives, in often brutal ways with much suffering. That is fairly supportive of the existence of God.
Cool - glad you question. Just don't discount something before you've completely understood it, or you'll never get anywhere in life, with anything :P
For tackling the argument of God not being an idea its best to look at external evidence for God rather than internal personal evidence. It’s this ‘evidence’ which you have provided here which I like to call ‘Personal Faith’. What you have shared here seems to be the basic understanding you have about God. If you like this is the foundations from which ‘Knowledgeable Faith’ is built upon. From the replies you have given there is nothing which would argue for a God to exist or equally a God to exist outside of the mind.
Personal experience has been used to testify from a whole range of religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. Many people from these religions claim to have experienced effects from their God. What makes Christian God more real than the Zoroastrian God? Zoroastrianism is a much older religion compared to Christianity in terms of historical evidence. For this reason the experiences you have had are only personal to you. This is why I like to call it ‘Personal Faith’ since it is the faith which would have helped you first believe in God. It’s impossible to argue God on the grounds of your experience simply because it’s not factual evidence for everyone else.
I can see how change could be used as an argument however it’s not a very strong one. Despite that ‘change’ is one of the many reasons for why I am a Christian.
It’s interesting that you interpret religious based fighting on grounds for the proof of God. One of the most well known current Religious violence in this country is Islam. Certain members of this religion will happily commit suicide in order for the higher good so that they can reach paradise. Isn’t this proof that their God exists?
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