You are making a valid point with your analogy. As I understand you, you are saying something like 'If God is there, and He is as loving and caring as some profess Him to be, then it should be more evident to us. If He is truly loving, why does He hide Himself from those that desire a more intimate relationship with Him? Why is He so distant etc...?' There is one thing though: In the analogy, you omit to say that around this person who is receiving these letters from this woman are many evidences of her existence. As he walks along the street there are trees that have been planted by her, gardens created in infinite beauty by her. Even the sky is a result of her creativity, etc... Of course the analogy fails because no woman can do such things, and therefore the evidence that is pointed to by the scriptures to the existence of God cannot be included in your story. If God is a figment, you have still to explain the existence of an incredibly complex universe, and the explanations put forward by evolutionists are weakening more and more as more information is found about life in all of its intricacy.
Colin Nunn
· 3 years ago
You are making a valid point with your analogy. As I understand you, you are saying something like 'If God is there, and He is as loving and caring as some profess Him to be, then it should be more evident to us. If He is truly loving, why does He hide Himself from those that desire a more intimate relationship with Him? Why is He so distant etc...?' There is one thing though: In the analogy, you omit to say that around this person who is receiving these letters from this woman are many evidences of her existence. As he walks along the street there are trees that have been planted by her, gardens created in infinite beauty by her. Even the sky is a result of her creativity, etc... Of course the analogy fails because no woman can do such things, and therefore the evidence that is pointed to by the scriptures to the existence of God cannot be included in your story. If God is a figment, you have still to explain the existence of an incredibly complex universe, and the explanations put forward by evolutionists are weakening more and more as more information is found about life in all of its intricacy.
p
· 3 years ago
please forgive my e-mail adress you know me i was hoping to stay annonimous josh we spoke the other day after that disscusion i went of to bible college it was my last theology lecture yay the lecture began wraping up the year theosis is the point of salvation this is the theame of the year. theosis is a greek word meaning to get caught up into the life of God as the relationship deepens you are sanctified. and thus when God returns glorified you become christ like. (shortened very simplafied version) this is faith. as he went on i became aggitated and i had to ask well if salvation is relationship and God wants all to be saved were is God in your situation (no names used annonimity was yours) he gave varied responces like God is there perhaps you miss his voice, he went on to sugest that i find out how you and you wifes relationship works as this will be an indicator as to how God will engage you we are all engaged by God in our own laguage. the final point he made is this (most christians will see you as lost off track in some way) but he feels that you are in a good place you dont want ritual you want relationship this for him is positive not negitive. i want to say that i know God is there (in my time when i wanted to give up i knew i had to turn my back and walk away from the truth cuse i wanted to sleep with that girl with the brown legs). God is there in you life keep watch for him listen for his voice i know he calls you i pray that he would break into your life in power show himself but dont you miss him. pass my regards to you wife and i hope to see you soon
p
· 3 years ago
please forgive my e-mail adress you know me i was hoping to stay annonimous josh we spoke the other day after that disscusion i went of to bible college it was my last theology lecture yay the lecture began wraping up the year theosis is the point of salvation this is the theame of the year. theosis is a greek word meaning to get caught up into the life of God as the relationship deepens you are sanctified. and thus when God returns glorified you become christ like. (shortened very simplafied version) this is faith. as he went on i became aggitated and i had to ask well if salvation is relationship and God wants all to be saved were is God in your situation (no names used annonimity was yours) he gave varied responces like God is there perhaps you miss his voice, he went on to sugest that i find out how you and you wifes relationship works as this will be an indicator as to how God will engage you we are all engaged by God in our own laguage. the final point he made is this (most christians will see you as lost off track in some way) but he feels that you are in a good place you dont want ritual you want relationship this for him is positive not negitive. i want to say that i know God is there (in my time when i wanted to give up i knew i had to turn my back and walk away from the truth cuse i wanted to sleep with that girl with the brown legs). God is there in you life keep watch for him listen for his voice i know he calls you i pray that he would break into your life in power show himself but dont you miss him. pass my regards to you wife and i hope to see you soon
p
· 3 years ago
please forgive my e-mail adress you know me i was hoping to stay annonimous josh we spoke the other day after that disscusion i went of to bible college it was my last theology lecture yay the lecture began wraping up the year theosis is the point of salvation this is the theame of the year. theosis is a greek word meaning to get caught up into the life of God as the relationship deepens you are sanctified. and thus when God returns glorified you become christ like. (shortened very simplafied version) this is faith. as he went on i became aggitated and i had to ask well if salvation is relationship and God wants all to be saved were is God in your situation (no names used annonimity was yours) he gave varied responces like God is there perhaps you miss his voice, he went on to sugest that i find out how you and you wifes relationship works as this will be an indicator as to how God will engage you we are all engaged by God in our own laguage. the final point he made is this (most christians will see you as lost off track in some way) but he feels that you are in a good place you dont want ritual you want relationship this for him is positive not negitive. i want to say that i know God is there (in my time when i wanted to give up i knew i had to turn my back and walk away from the truth cuse i wanted to sleep with that girl with the brown legs). God is there in you life keep watch for him listen for his voice i know he calls you i pray that he would break into your life in power show himself but dont you miss him. pass my regards to you wife and i hope to see you soon
peridot1966
· 1 month ago
Josh,
I came here from your link on The Redheaded Skeptic. Thank you for writing your heartfelt testimony of honest thinking and skepticism. I notice this was written 3 year ago, and wonder how your thinking and experience has evolved since then.
I left the Christian faith myself because of the "problem of communication." If God is all-powerful and loves individual people, why does he not make himself more clear? It was my observation that the most devoted and the most sincere Christians could not agree on some very essential questions of how we are to be saved and how we are to live our lives. For many years I laid the blame on myself and on my fellow Christians, that we hadn't learned enough, that we were too often blinded by sin, that I needed to find a better church. Eventually, though, it made more sense to decide that a loving, personal God just wasn't there. I know many (all?) Christians who read your story will blame you for somehow not trying hard enough or not trusting enough, but I understand.
Thank you for writing your story. You and your wife are in my thoughts.
All Comments
I came here from your link on The Redheaded Skeptic. Thank you for writing your heartfelt testimony of honest thinking and skepticism. I notice this was written 3 year ago, and wonder how your thinking and experience has evolved since then.
I left the Christian faith myself because of the "problem of communication." If God is all-powerful and loves individual people, why does he not make himself more clear? It was my observation that the most devoted and the most sincere Christians could not agree on some very essential questions of how we are to be saved and how we are to live our lives. For many years I laid the blame on myself and on my fellow Christians, that we hadn't learned enough, that we were too often blinded by sin, that I needed to find a better church. Eventually, though, it made more sense to decide that a loving, personal God just wasn't there. I know many (all?) Christians who read your story will blame you for somehow not trying hard enough or not trusting enough, but I understand.
Thank you for writing your story. You and your wife are in my thoughts.
Lisa
aka Peridot