Why do I need to prove there is no God?

Good write up

 

Have a question for you believers of GOD and Jesus Christ. Was going to make a thread, but i'll ask here(and sorry to derail thread for a moment).

Was discussing with a business partner today about GOD.

I believe there is a GOD and I believe in Jesus Christ, but don't go to church, or believe much in the Bible, but I do believe there is a higher powered entity somewhere out there.

We were discussing if GOD gives us blessings, or Opportunities. This came after a new huge client started pouring down jobs on us that we can barely handle right now, starting today.

In my belief, GOD only gives us Opportunities to see if we can recognize them and act on them to adjust our life accordingly. What opportunities we let slip, means a piece of life that was promised to each of us is slightly taken away and replaced with a revised piece that is lesser than what was designed.

My partner believes that if you accept Christ, he blesses you, so that you can in return glorify his presence and give blessings back. But he would not, or could fully explain his position, or just didn't want to. He says the bible says nothing about GOD giving us opportunities, and only gives humans blessings that accept Christ in their hearts and every day life.

Am I wrong on my line of thinking?

Sorry to bring this up in this thread, but figured it was better than being scolded on making a new thread since this one was here talking about GOD lol.

 

For some reason I find something inherently wrong with this line of thinking.

 

This is a really stupid comment. First of all, if you revere the Bible, you would capitalize it. Second- the Bible's morals? As in, if a woman wears men's pants, she should be stoned? What a tool.

 

I think you're both fools if you believe what you just wrote. But that's just my opinion. There are plenty of non-believers that are much more successful than you and your partner can ever dream of being. How does that align with your view?

 

That is fine and dandy. I never said I was successful or more successful than anyone else.

But if you say people are fools for believing in something, then you must be a miserable person.

 

I'm a believer, and I'll give you my thoughts.

Following Christ is difficult. It brings blessings in and of itself...a changed you turned out for other people....a different perspective on humanity that sees past borders and nationalities.

But it's not a cosmic slot machine waiting to pay off.

Jesus said the greatest man to live was John the Baptist....he was blessed for sure...but not in the way the rest of the world would think. He lived in the wilderness and ultimately had his head cut off.

Peter was a disciple..as close to Jesus as anyone ever was. He was ultimately crucified upside down.

Paul changed Western civilization arguably, bringing a very Eastern faith background to the West. He was shipwrecked, imprisoned and dealt with the frailities of an aging body.

Early followers were persecuted like crazy. Many were quite literally "thrown to the lions."

Jesus, himself, was mocked, tortured and crucified.

This is not prosperity or "blessing" by most people's definition. If that's what you're looking for, you won't find it. The call is to give yourself away. Not to say the right words so that God can fill your wallet. I don't mean to sound crass when saying this or to offend you...I'm just deeply disturbed by what gets passed off as Gospel in many of the churches in the United States.

This isn't about "your best life now" unless you're completely redefining what is best. That redefinition is at the heart, I believe, of what it is to follow Jesus...to see the world differently than you did before and to love without condition or expectation of return....to love through action.

I'm not about to tell you I haven't been blessed..but the Bible's pretty clear that God has blessed everyone. He causes the sun to shine on those who you might call evil as well as though who you might call good. We've all been blessed in some way. And I believe God loves absolutely everyone without condition. What I don't believe is that there is an exclusive club where membership has its benefits.

I hope this helps...I'm not going to pretend I have all the answers or that I'm correct....but I think if you look at the broader narrative of the Bible and particular of Christ, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that a decision to follow Christ leads to worldly blessings.

 

A bit of a non sequitur there, don't you think? Do you believe in Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny?

 

No I do not believe in a man riding a sled with reindeer guiding it delivering presents to everyone in one night. But there is factual evidence that Saint Nicholas was a real human being at one time.

As for as the Easter Bunny, it was never meant to be taken literal. It is a religious symbol dating back to some of the earliest Christian history.

 

I'm a christian, but I don't believe any of the things you ascribed to Christianity. I also don't believe the bible advocates what you are claiming.

I freely admit many Christians do believe something similar to what you describe.

 

Just a little tip..take it or leave it....

if you're serious about having a real give-and-take exchange about this issue with people of faith, you probably shouldn't draw comparisons to a faith someone holds dear to the Easter Bunny.

Just sayin'. Ignore the tip...take it...whatever...I get that it might be your view and perspective of it...and that's just fine. But it's not going to move the meter if you're really trying to understand someone's faith.

 

um we know Spiderman and Batman are not real because they are fictional characters? Maybe? Just a little?

 

Aside from the fact that more people believe in one over the other, what exactly is the difference between the two? And before you say "The Bible," remember that there are books about the Easter Bunny, too.

You know what? Nevermind. This is a rabbit hole (hehehehe pun) that I don't want to go down today.

 

I am not a Christian but what you talk about hit's upon a basic problem that I see with the monotheistic religions regarding an omnipotent, omniscient and ultimately benevolent god. If you believe that you are accruing opportunities or blessing based on faith how does that jibe with those who have faith but who otherwise suffer greatly? Or those who suffer whether they have faith or not.

As Madmax mentioned in his post the idea of a material prosperity through faith I find very troubling because sometimes the most pious and faithful person can also be the one who suffers the most.

 

I think you missed the entire point of Christianity. It's weird that you argue about something when you don't even know the basics.

Perhaps because we know the origins of both and there was never any claim that they were real.

Do you think you are somehow being a critical thinker when you compare Spiderman to a religion? Or when you argue but don't even know the most basic tenet of Christianity (hint: you don't go to hell if you do things God doesn't like)? You sound at least as ignorant as the people you claim you claim to have a problem with.