Do you honestly think that believing in a god actually helped anyone on the Titanic? Personally I will go with the ability/money enough to get on a lifeboat and may the devil have the poor bastards in steerage.
I suppose that belief in god provides comfort to people in times of distress or the act of praying makes them think they are actually doing something to change the situation.
Same here. More than a few times HE has helped me make it through some rough times and taken care of things I couldn't do myself. Including saving my life more than once.
I was diving with a friend of mine three miles offshore in a rubber inflatable Zodiac boat. My friend speared a fish and took it to the surface to put it in the boat. He was taking too long, so I too headed for the surface. Once there I found that the boat has burned, deflated and sank. For reasons which I will not go into here I didn't believe it was my time to die. In full scuba gear, we swam against the wind and current about half way back when another boat, the only other boat out that day, picked us up and took us to shore. My belief in God kept me from despair during that whole ordeal.
This post was edited by CallMeIshmael at January 28, 2018 5:09 PM MST
Yes---especially in my present situation...called LIFE...
If He does exist, and you are either unaware or have concluded that He doesn't exist, then either your logic and reason have some incorrect steps or He just hasn't revealed Himself to you yet.
Without faith in God, there's nothing to trust in, believe in, hope for or rely on. I cannot understand anyone wanting to separate themselves from God and His mercy. My entire life has been a miracle and I have been spared and sustained by Him when nothing else came close to meeting the situation. I know beyond any doubt that He intercedes in the lives of those who trust and obey. His mercy and love is free and accessible to all.
I can only say that despite the great things He has accomplished in my own life, there have been times when I too have wondered if He saw me, knew me and cared. I've been tested to the limits of patience and reason and yet, like old Job in scripture, I know my redeemer lives. Despite our frustrations and doubts, His supernatural ability to redeem lives, mend broken hearts and transform us is as real as the breath we draw. Think of it like this, if He weren't supernatural, He wouldn't be God and if He wasn't God, there would be nothing in which to invest our faith. I daresay there would be no faith because everything contrived by man collapses. Remember, head knowledge of God is helpful, but heart knowledge of Him is transforming and renewing.
Most of them. If nothing else, I think there's a certain kind of peace that comes with genuinely believing someone is looking out for you and has a plan for you. There are many times I really wish I had that kind of belief. I'm not really an atheist by choice. I'm one by default because I'm incapable of believing in something I have no proof of.
I was sitting in a coffee shop one Sunday when a group of people came in to spend a bit of time together after a church service. I could sense a kind of aura of sort of spiritual peacefulness about them for sure. Nice but after a few hours that probably wears off and they revert back to their regular hypocritical selves again. I think we all have within ourselves a sort of invisible force that can help us at times of difficulty but kind of sporadically -I have had that kind of experience occasionally. My favorite example is the news article -some time ago now- about the woman who managed to lift about 1500 pounds of a car to free her child pinned underneath.
But, I think we're on the same page. People are capable of amazing things. I would call the car adrenaline, while believers might say god made the adrenaline possible.
We're all hypocrites in some way. Humans of any religion (or non-religion) are not infallible. If their religion gives them a moment of peace or drives them to complete any kind of act for the sake of good, more power to them. Better they have those moments under the guise of religion than not at all, IMO.
The adrenaline effect -amazing stuff but somehow does not always kick in when it seems we need it. Anyway another 'invisible force' is what causes a placebo thing to be effective that can enable a spontaneous healing to occur. It is a matter one's faith being suitably inspired in order to activate one's own secret invisible force to become effective.
Indeed... see, the power of belief is amazing. I do believe in the power of the human mind. I wonder if that produces the same effect as the belief in a higher power.
myonemaster 