Whispers

Just wondering aloud here....


To those that have always been atheist or agnostic, have you ever wondered why you cannot see or feel god? I was thinking about this on the way to work this morning, and my thoughts went like this....

Maybe they cant see/feel god because they are not looking for him. Or they are looking in the wrong way...ie looking to see if he is there as a "test".

Was the promise not...."seek and ye shall find"??

This theory does not fit with a Christian that did find god and then de-converted. Not sure what the bible would say about that

Babylon Sister

Seek and ye shall find?

In my search for god I looked high and low. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Only no one would tell me where the haystack was.

Darth Dane

Maybe they cant see/feel god because they are not looking for him. Or they are looking in the wrong way...ie looking to see if he is there as a "test".

Also, it says seek and you shall find, it doesn't what you will find if you search for "God" for example, it says that if you search for God, you will find what God [b[Is[/b].

Was the promise not...."seek and ye shall find"??

Yes.....afaik

This theory does not fit with a Christian that did find god and then de-converted. Not sure what the bible would say about that

The answer could be that the finding of God, lead them to see that christianity is not the truth, the words of Christ could be true, but not christianity.

And oh, if they did find God, how could they become an atheist? They KNOW that God Is, they are no longer theists but Gnostics, they Know! Why should they follow a belief system? If they have knowledge?





DD - Love Spliff

Psycho Economist

Seek and ye shall find? In modern times, we have a name for that type of thinking: confirmation bias.

I don't care whether you were or were not ever a Christian, critical investigation doesn't work by taking an idea and trying to prove it true and coming up with evidence that suggests it may be true. You take an idea, try to prove it false and continue with whatever has withstood the test.

Family Man

Maybe we don't find God because he isn't there.

And perhaps Christians "find" God because they read their desires into otherwise ordinary events.

BadBadBad

Let's see. I looked in my drawer? Nope. Under my keyboard? Nope. Hmmm. Let me look around under all this paper on my desk. Nope. I looked in my car this morning. I saw a few mosquitos but no God. I looked all around as I drove into work. No, just buildings, trees, and cars. No, I can't find God. You're right. I'm probably just looking in the wrong place. Where do you think I should look now?

Do you think it's because God is invisible? Well I guess that does make it harder. Maybe if he would, you know, just stop by and say hello. He did for Abraham and Moses. I guess that shows he can. Says so right there in the Bible. Surely it made it a little easier for them, but I guess they were buds with God, so maybe I shouldn't hold my breath that he'll want to talk to me even though he obviously loves me so. I guess I'll keep holding out hope that one day before I die and God stands by and let's me choose an eternity in Hell that he will take time out of his busy day and come by for a little chat. I'll be here any time.

Do you think I can't find him because he hardened my heart against him like it says in Romans 9? You know, just like he kept doing to poor old Pharoah in Exodus? Jeez, sure does suck to be damned and dishonoured by God. You should really count your blessings, you know, being blessed, honored, and shown mercy by God and all. God sure made himself obvious to Pharoah, and Pharoah even started to see the light, but dang it, God came in there and hardened his heart every time. Do you think that's why it's so hard for us atheists to get it?

You know, the more I think about it, that's got to be it. If God wanted me to believe, by God, I'd believe. "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" Rom 9:13. Who am I, mere pot, to question our almighty potter?

Zadok001

Seek and ye shall find Zeus.

My big problem with the whole "You aren't looking for him!" argument is simply that I *HAVE* looked for him. He ain't be found none at all.

Selsaral

My problem with 'seek and ye shall find' is that people seek many things other than the christian god and they find it. They seek alien-castration cults, and they find them. They seek gods like allah, or zeus, and they find them. They seek galactic overlords and they find them. They seek suicide christian cults, and they find them. They seek drug-induced spiritual experiences, and they find them. Clearly it is a feature of human psychology to go looking for things and find them, regardless of how ridiculous they may be.

Jet Grind

Seek an ye shall find.

I'm sick and tired of having this thrown at me by Christians. These people must have some superiority complex in order to think that those who don't believe in God really haven't looked. I've looked all my life (though it has been short). My grandfather searched his whole life for God...he died without an answer.

Echo

The theory also does not fit with the testimonies of individuals such as CS Lewis who claim that they were not seeking God and yet God found them.

It also would not fit the claims of staunch Calvinist Christians who claim that their natural state was such that they not only had no desire to seek God, but were also naturally blind and ignorant to all things of God. Yet God called them and then gave them what they needed to understand.