Why God doesn't work for me.

   Interesting title for a topic, no? Please allow me to explain myself in detail. It's not that I have a problem with God existing or with God being the ultimate creator. Both of those things are perfectly acceptable. It's the burden of proof. I refuse to accept anything on faith alone, because faith that something exists or will happen is basically nothing more than an oppinion. On matters of great importance, such as... if a God exists.... one should "Know" without a shadow of a doubt that a God exists. Simply saying, I believe God exists because of the bible. Or saying I believe in God because we exist are not scientific and are unacceptable as forms of proof of the existance of God.

So then you may ask: Ok... so what IS proof that God exists?
     
    Scientifically speaking, proof of anything is completely based on testable, verifiable information. So in order to make the true statement, God exists because xxxxxxx. You would need to be able to set up a lab experiment involving (for a basic example.) a bush in a pot under controlled situations and a person in devout prayer. If the bush would burst into flames, or talk, or anything happens for that matter (the bush isn't really important.) then that could be construed of as scientific proof of God's existance.

Essentially what I am getting at is this:

God has to come like thunder and lightning and speak for everyone to hear. (In fact, God will have to do this repeatedly and constantly, as new children which have never heard this proof will be naturally skeptical and will not believe without personal proof.)

God does not do this.

     We as humans are simply amazing, and most of us literally demand this proof of God. Otherwise we will never believe. I admit it is a burden (of sorts) on a creator to have to send constant scientificly verifyable data but at the same time it is a testament to humankind and it's shrewed intelligence that (many of us) demand just that.

     In conclusion, I will never simply believe in a God. I will never say, God does not exist mind you! I will simply state that God, if he does exist has done nothing to proof his existance to me in an acceptable and reproducable scientific laboratory experiment. This is not proof that he does not exist, but it does put that out as a possibility and quiestions his existance in a way that will most likely never result in an acceptable answer since God does not actively do anything to meet the requirements stated.

     Cheers friends! Please be polite in your comments and have a good one! It's my last day of the weekend and back to work I go!

If you accept only cold, hard, factual proof which is repeatable under determined conditions, then agnosticism is the only option available for you in this world. You can then be either a theist agnostic (tending towards God) or an atheist agnostic. But you can never be a believer either way. Why? Because humanity still simply has a lot to discover and if anything is proven, then it is that we still know nothing. We may even be interpreting everything in the totally wrong context because there is something fundamental in the physics of this universe that we don`t know. Happens all the time with science.

The only option you have is your own experience which you can verify, which admittedly does not seem to be open to everyone, at least I did not manage. Some people here managed. I find this amazing, but of course, as long as you cant do it yourself: see above.

It is a difficult position to be in as a sentient being, no mistake.

Why did you post? Are you in pain because of your disbelief? Or do you want to be convinced? Or do you want to convince us?

There are several arguments against the theory that God, if she exists, should show herself in person and with fire and flood, so to say.

Firstly, if we assume for a moment that we talk about a higher intelligence that somehow busies herself with the movements and evolution of the multicosmos and if we also assume that there are more than three dimensions dancing around in this immensely complex dance of life, why, then, should this being busy herself with proving her existence to one people in this multiverse? In this, I assume btw that such a supreme being has no interest in being worshipped which happens to be what I believe.

IF such a being chose to show herself plain, with all power and splendour, so to say, no one would have free will anymore because this would coerce and make everyone follow this Beings tenets – this goes contrary to both the assumption that such a Being is loving and that such a Being has no particular lines ones must follow.

Fun pun title, jehovah 

To approach it from the punny angle, would you demand to buy products only from the CEOs rather than the clerks? Lots of luck   

Some might say that God is busy working for the highest good and therefore may seem to not work for any individual. However many references exist to the tiers of heavenly hosts, to the heirarchy of angels. If you would practice the spiritual traditions that will revive your connection with these tiers, I betcha you will soon find proof enough.

Bets

chrwe, just curious why you reference God as female? I find it interesting and was just wondering. Obviously most people reference God with "He" which is quite likely due to the over all theme of men lording themselves over women so to speak.

Personally, I have called God a He, but, I think of God as an IT.

God is IT.

or

God is the artist formerly Known as God. 

chrwe,
    Na, didn't provoke me at all, but I was intrigued by it because it was very obvious you meant something by it but I didn't get it.... I like what you meant though.... I basically agree but the way I was raised I personally take God as a father/mother/parent figure and if you mean God in any way other than an omnipotent being you should NOT be using the word God in the first place....

If anyone is relating to some sort of collective consciousness I would ask that they cease and desist refferring to it as God...

From henceforth and forthwith and all that junk, let this consciousness be known as the "Lifeforce" or "Lifestream" (from Final Fantasy VII the playstation one game)

Usetawuz,

You were kicked out of sunday school because you believed in a God of Love ?!

Well, that does it for me! I always wanted to give the benefit of a doubt to the minister that preached damnation so well to my schoolchums and me that our dread showed in photos of our Sunday school class. None of us then had the gumption to ask "But what happened to the God of Love?" 
Now I know the answer.

Thank you!
Bets

Yup, Bets...I was nine and we were discussing other religions and those who don't believe as we do will not be looked upon well by God.  My comment was:

"Doesn't God love all of us?"
"Yes he does." 
"Then why would he punish those who don't believe as we do?" 
"Because they have heard the truth and choose to deny Him." 
"So my neighbors who are catholic and lutheran, are in trouble with God?" 
"Yes they are." 
"Then how can he love us all but not love them just because they were raised to believe differently?"
"Because they are denying God."
"Aren't we denying their God?  What if we're the ones who are wrong...will God love us?"
"We believe the truth."
"Well I believe that God loves all of us."

At this point the class was silent, the teacher was seething and I was taken to my parents who were told I had an issue of faith and was no longer welcome in her class.  My mom, with wide eyes, asked what I had done and I said I didn't agree that God didn't love our neighbors because they had other religions.  The teacher looked at me as if I was a leper, and mom looked at her, cocked her head to say something, changed her mind and said to me, "Of course He does, dear.  Let's get your sister and go home."  The most valuable lesson I have learned with organized religion.