ishalon

When I 'lost' my theism, i said one last prayer (actually, ive tried it again since then) saying that if God exists, guide me the right way or show me a sign that He does and don't let me lose my faith.

Immediately after, Jesus descended from heaven on a cloud with silver lining, looking like a renaissance painting and gently told me not to let Satan into my heart.

Sorry. But what is the Christian reason for God not answering my prayer and saving my soul for eternity?

John Page

Same reason David Matthews doesn't answer questions is my guess.

Philosoft

Not sure. Variations on the True Christian (TM) doctrine, perhaps?

Hmm. I suppose Calvinism wouldn't have this problem. Isn't there someone who posts here who's a Calvinist?

Doubting Didymus

The usual answer is that God is mysterious and we mere humans can never understand His plan, or what motivates Him. (An answer that should be completely unsatisfactory to anyone with a questioning mind, as the same answer can be given for fairies, santa, and more importantly, any of the many other supposed gods).

Bluenose

CurtX

John Page

oops!

[ July 16, 2002: Message edited by: John Page ]</p>

Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas

Ishalon,
Interesting. This is almost the same way I came to atheism. I could not understand why a God of omnipotent device could not spare a simple single sign of His existence. After all...He should WANT me to know Him right? Why couldn't He just show me and then everything would be fine.

I remember several months of asking God for a sign. Eventually it came down to me standing in a corn field in the middle of nowhere and declaring at the top of my lungs 'If you don't show me a sign God I will not believe in you!'


Then the most amazing thing happened.


SOMMS

Philosoft

I agree. That was Costner's best role, IMO. He played you to a 'T'.

David Mathews

Hello ishalon,

ishalon: God is not answering your prayer because He is not obligated to do so. God has granted you the freedom to condemn yourself and you have exercised that option. Why then should you complain about your life at present or your eternal fate?

You want God to condemn you and God is accommodating you wish. Don't complain about God's refusal to save you.

Sincerely,

David Mathews

Tercel

Remember that not all of us Christians think your soul will be damned for eternity just because you don't believe god exists...

I don't think God's out to prove he exists, or gives two figs about whether people believe he exists. I happen to believe he does, and think there are plenty of good arguments about why believing such is reasonable. (If I ever recover from my laziness I'll get round to writing a list of them )
God only cares about what your attitude to other people is and about making you a better person.
Try praying for God to show you areas in your life you could improve, try praying for more love and compassion in your heart for others, try asking good to show you think things you're doing wrong and what areas of your life are sinful, try praying that he'd give you opportunities to help and support people.
IMO those are the sorts of prayers that God answers 100% of the time. Try it and I think you just might experience God somewhere along the way...

Put frankly, isn't trying to get God to talk to you so you can have the benifit of knowing he exists simply selfish? I don't mean that in a bad way: but let's face it, the only person benifiting is you: you've asking it so that you might know the answer for yourself.
The only thing God's answering would acheive would be to give you a little bit of intellectual knowledge in the form of knowing the truth of the intellectual proposition "god exists". Whoop-diddly, who cares? Should he tell you every other true intellectual proposition while he's at it? Why? To satisfy your own curiousity? Isn't that all that's at stake here, that you're curious and want God to dictate an answer.
Newsflash, he's not interested in dictating answers to intellectual questions.

Why does the Bible say "love your neighbour as yourself" 10 times? Why does it say "love one another" 15 times? Why does it spend countless verses exhorting us to put of our sinful nature and be transformed into beings of love and truth, kindness and compassion?
What do you think God really cares about?

<strong>"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God"</strong> -Matthew 5:8