What would it take for you to believe in the God of the bible you may have been told that Jesus died for your sins and you may not have believed it for whatever reason. But tell me what would have to happen for you to believe. Maybe if you witnessed someone being healed on the spot, being raised from the dead (which DOES happen) etc.
Hm, still no. It's a matter of how one look at it still. Because any such circumstances (even when I bear eyewitness myself) is anecdotal and can seldom be accurately repeated (which is the basis of scientific method). Raising from the dead: the person could have been poisoned and "sleep" in an hibernating state (which resembles death, especially if it has good reason to BELIEVE to be so) Being healed on the spot: Define "healed on the spot", unless such miraculous power can be controled (which means that no repeated "trying"), it doesn't prove anything. Things happen for a reason, and I believe it is no coincidence it is so, nor miracles.
thanks for replying hiake, healing on the spot means being fully healed there an then. no waiting about but being healed in an instant. well you said what you wont believe but is there anything that would convince you otherwise?
i dont believe in the healing shtick... you got those crazy evangelists screaming on a stage and slapping old people in the face and tossing holy water on the crowd telling people that everything from cancers to sore backs can be cured through god. its pure hogwash. iv seen videotaped proof of some of these guys getting information off prayercards before hand about individuals so they can instantly diagnose an individual's illness as well as planting people in the crowds. All in an attempt to collect of 'charitable donations'. People believe in stuff like this because they want to. If i was a good enough actor even i could probably pull it off. Put on some robes, a big cross around my neck, set up a stage and start slapping old people in the head, telling them i've cured their alzheimers or something. Honestly, the ONLY way i would believe in GOD is if some ethereal being visited me while i was on the crapper or something and said 'I am your creator' and then conjured a mongoose out of thin air. I'm not a hardcore atheist, but i really need to see/experience something to believe it. You could probably make up a counterargument for this and say 'pfff, well I assume you believe in e=mc squared, although you've never seen it/experienced it' which is true, but i am sure there are thorough and logical mathematical proofs of that equation which have been studied in depth, and since no one has disproven it to my knowledge, i can believe in it without much difficulty. At which point someone might say 'well look at the bible, there is lots of proof in there', but to be honest, iv read parts of the bible, and iv also read a great many fictional novels and i can conclude that i have read fiction that is more believable. Which, for me, rules out the Bible's worth completely. You show me a story about a man who can part the sea by waving his hands, and I'll show you a movie called Star Wars.
@fearless: You are brutal... you may have hurt people's feelings @_@b Although I must say I WORD your argument... *hide in shame*
Plus, if God is indeed the true path as many claims, we would all eventually end up there (believing in him), why so agitated in converting atheists if he indeed is THE TRUE PATH? Have you ever see anyone convincing another persont that a mother is female and a father is a male? If something is universal truth, it doesn't need convincing. Or will we see TV shows and hundreds (if not thousands) of titles devoted into convincing the crowd that "Death is eventual and inevitable (at least the physical one)"? We never see it because it is true to anyone. I am having doubts because I don't see it as truthful and thus, little in this world is likely to be able to convince me otherwise. When in doubt, demand more proof.
Believing in God is a leap of faith. Some can take the leap, some need proof before they leap, others don't leap at all.
jumping off a bridge and thinking you will fly is a leap of faith too... some take the leap, others look to see whether there is any documented evidence that people can fly, and the smart ones weigh this evidence before deciding to leap or not.
Jumping off a bridge a leap of faith. Why? With a bridge, you know where your going. Believing in God, a real leap of faith, as to some, the unknown.
@Fearless & Knoc: (In regards to leaping off a bridge aka the real leap of faith) No thanks, I think I am still very lacking in the department of faith and would like to have my feet stick firmly on the ground. Leap of faith is just so unbecoming for me @_@b
on the subject of weed: it's totally gross, causes you to lose motivation, lose social skills and eventually i believe you become a lazy, laid back person living on welfare. it dumps 4 times as much tar in your body than cigarettes, i did research on it for a paper. @hiake: while i believe Jesus is the only way, i don't think that people will come to that conclusion until it's too late, when Jesus comes back. the reason why there are so many evangelists preaching their hearts out is because Jesus will eventually come back and by then, the Last Judgment will occur. there are many other beliefs that are saying, "i'm the only way" as well and people fall for that. as i believe that Jesus is real, i also know Satan is real. Satan doesn't want people to find Jesus/accept Jesus as Lord and Savior by making sugar-coated lies. these sugar-coated lies come in the form of ouji boards, seances, cults, etc and even disbelief but when we all die, people will find out the truth. it's just a matter of people seeing the truth before they die or after, when it'll be too late. @fearless: i believe you only saw the scammers, etc. if only you could really see God's power at work. i've had people tell me something about me/my life that was true and i was sure they could not have gotten that from anybody else but only from God. and about waiting for an ethereal being & mongoose, do you really think you'd accept God right on the spot if that happened or would you try to rationalize that it wasn't God?
@CNB: Talking about weed vs. cigarette, at least weed does not contain as much carcinogen (just talking about carcinogen, not tar)... relatively weed is the safest addiction one can possibly have (not that it's right to have ANY addiction... but why are we on PA anyways ) I see the point about rationalizing, but then since I in fact believe in fortune telling (yeah, very much blasphemy to many), it got down into reading the possibilities, another super long discussion for another thread. But getting my fortune read or someone able to tell me things which happened in the past would not be considered miraculous to me. Heal on the spot may, and it's a huge may. Eyewitness and all.
IMO i think you would prolly put it down to the person doing the healing and not the God you cant see.
No offence; but sounds to me you should rephrase your title to What would it take for you to believe in Christianity and Jesus? Because the notion of God that you have seems to be limited in that category. Having said that, I do believe in God; in fact all religions do
