Larsguy47

Here's something on the existence of God beyond faith. What if you have a personal experience that to you seems real in which God actually speaks with you (in a vision or some mental state), and that's your new reference that God exists?

Then what if that experience is consistent with your previous belief system, such as the Bible, where God is described, for instance, and he appears precisely that way? Others, outside your experience, of course, have no choice but to think your crazy or on drugs, but they'd think that about anybody making that claim whether it was true or not, so it doesn't matter. Even so, subjectively speaking, the only reason others don't believe is because they haven't had similar experiences.

At any rate, if you believe your experience is real then you have no choice but to believe God is real. The Bible prophesied some miracles would start to take place close to when the 1000-year millennium begins, first among the chosen ones, so once those things start to really happen a group of people on the planet will have their "confirmation" that God really exists before many others, who will get their confirmation at the very least, at Armageddon much like those at the time of Noah's flood.

So it's an interesting topic for the "claivoyant" who have supernatural experiences they believe consistent with God. For instance, since I believe in my mind that my experience was real and it is consistent with what the Bible claims would happen I have no doubt that God is real, and as such, that question of "Does God Exist?" no longer applies to me and/or others with personal contact.

LG47

Sarpedon

How can I tell the difference between someone who talks to god and claims to talk to god?

The lady who drowned her children claims that god told her to. Are you claiming that he did?

If so, why? If not, then you must acknowledge that its possible to be mistaken about god talking to you. (or alternatively, she's just a rat fink liar, but the point remains) So why would you ever assume that god is speaking, rather than your brain misfiring? I've had some hallucinations before, and drawn mistaken conclusions before. I've never heard the voice of god. So therefore if, at some future time, I heard a voice claiming to be god, I'd first question my own brain, because I know that it goes wrong sometimes. I would not automatically assume that it was god talking to me, any more than I would assume that the time that Anubis appeared in one of my dreams indicates that he exists.

Mizled

What about people who have real faith in Odin and he talks to them in a vision? I myself find it quite convienent that you speak to the God you already have faith in and not another.

David B

It seems that people who have the very real seeming (I know!!!) experiences that are sleep paralysis, and don't know that they are sleep paralysis experiences, interpret those experiences in ways consistent with their preconceptions.

People who believe in aliens experience them as alien abductions, believers in demons view them as incubi and succubi etc.

So the point about consistency of the experience with the bible seems to me without merit.

David B

Donnmathan

That offers a possible explaination for one class of possible divine contact. I'm sorry, but some of mine have been during meditation (without the use of drugs of any kind or deprivation) and while engaged in otherwise normal waking activity. I have never been asked to do anything dangerous, nor even suspect, though a few seemingly minor tasks had bigger results than I ever guessed. By the apparent opinion of most people here, I'm delusional. But how did my delusions direct me to do simple things that helped both me and others in bigger ways than the task seemed to promise? I can't believe in that many coincidences.

Question: two groups of people who say they have spoken to god (any god/dess). One group say they were told about the coming end of the world, which they used to maybe write a book and make money on the lecture circuit. The other were told about some small way they could help someone, or how to fix something in their own lives. Do you see these as two different types of phenomina, are they all just delusional, or something else?

Larsguy47

Good question. My only response is that it is consistent with the Biblical situation.

No. But since there are demon angels who do have the power to influence and possess people, that would be my impression. God would not tell her to do something like that, but a demon would.


Not mistaken, deceived.

Well, in my case, there's a Biblical precedent and accompanying physical evidence (I have pictures).

Well, my experience is a little different. It sort of coincides with a logical situation where God might speak directly with me. Each experience has to be taken separately.

I hear you. And I certainly would immediately presume that I was hallucinating, hypnotized or delusional hadn't there been other things consistent with the timing of my experience that convinces me it's real, things prophesied in the Bible centuries before that are coming true.

LG47

Larsguy47

Well, I think each individual situation has to be examined. I'm convinced my experience is real, but it's not entirely without some physical evidence. Physical evidence that others might not consider very believable but physical evidence that I believe is also from God that adds to the credibility in my own mind that it must be real. So I guess God didn't leave it so totally an isolated and personal thing. Others were involved.

LG47

Larsguy47

Perhaps, but I'm presuming I'm a skeptic and still am convinced. Plus there are physical evidences that are part of my belief system, even if others might discount that, it still is a belief factor that is beyond a pure delusion. Now that physical evidence might have been entirely "coincidental" but it still contributed to the reality of the experience.

Yes, and we doubt them. But in their minds, it's real and they are more apt to believe someone else's experience. For instance, long ago a woman claims she had a vision of Christ and described it, and it was similar to my experience when I saw Christ. Now I'm not sure whether her experience was real or not, but I'm more apt to believe her because it was my precise experience as well. In fact, it was too specific for me now not to believe that Christ appeared to her for some reason. Actually, I should try and look her up.

With all due respect, you don't know what aspects of the Bible I'm speaking of so you can't make that judgment yet, now can you? My experience is consistent with the Bible as far as timing and circumstance, such that speaking with God personally makes sense, so it's believable. Further there was the physical manifestation that also convinces me.

Point being, even if I'm delusional, I'm in no position to question any more whether God exists, having spoken with him and had this experience. It's a question for others, not me.

LG47

axolotl

What about people of other faiths who have experiences similar to the one you describe and claim that Allah/Buddha/Vishnu/Zeus/Thor/the Flying Spaghetti Monster/etc. has "spoken" to them? Oh wait ... I forgot ... your faith is the only TRUE one.
Did the thought ever occur to you that your "experiences with God" are the result of a process of indoctrination and mind control that has been perfected over the last 2000+ years? The fact that your experiences are consistent with the Bible is not all that surprising. That's how the system works!!

Larsguy47

Thanks for sharing this experience and please share more if you like. You at least have an audience of ONE! But you see, you're more apt to believe me and I'm more apt to believe you because of our own personal experience. But for those without a similar experience, they have little choice but to doubt and create some other explanation, the most handy being a person is mentally ill, etc.

Thanks for sharing!

LG47