What do you think about this? (All welcome)?

Question

Does this make sense to you?

People always claim the way to know God exist is to feel him- once you've felt his power there's no way you can deny.

Personally- i went to serious church for years and in times of need BEGGED God to reveal himself and got- naught. But i digress.

I think people feel him because they choose to. They are so engrossed in religion that their mind makes them feel things they want to so strongly. I can listen to a good song and cry and feel. But i can also listen to a pastor and be in the middle of a passionate crowd and "feel God". If your life is SO based on this faith- you are squeezing each and every experience into your theory.

What do you think about my hypothesis.

BTW: i love convo with all of you...even the harsh ones. letstalk.

Answer 1

I kind of agree and disagree.

I believe you sense God in your life.

But knowing if he exist only comes from personal experience in your waking life. Nothing else. Feelings are subjective.

You may undoubtedly feel the essence of God...

but how sure can you  be? You could just felt so happy because of the passion in the room. Maybe that was the "lift"

Also, what do people expect when they ask for God to reveal itself?

Lights, fairy dust?

Some ministers tell those "i bumped into a friend and she needed a candle and i had a spare candle and she said she had a nudge to ask me" stories, they're telling you that God shows itself in not just the bold way but even the subtle ways.

Answer 2

I think it needs some more thought.  And some cold hard evidence would be nice.

Answer 3

i think you have mixed up feeling god with feeling GOOD, everyone has a super nice feeling once in a while.

it has bugger all to do with organised religion.  

Answer 4

Let's see! "For God so loved the world that He (got all emotional,teary eyed, gushy?)( or made a decision!) GAVE His only begotten Son,that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For me anyway being a Christian is all about decision. I decided to believe in Christ. It wasn't a feeling or an emotion, It was a rational decision on my part (based on the historical,and spiritual eyewitness accounts).The Evidence is pretty hard to refute, and 2000 years of history has passed and we're still honoring Him. He made an impact wheather anyone wants to believe it or not!

Answer 5

When you simply come to believe in Christ as your personal savior, you do not have to beg God to reveal himself. Christ is the bridge from you to God.There is no other way.

Answer 6

I think everyone does this.  It doesn't matter the theory, everyone is squeezing each and every experience they have into some preconceived notion of life.  

Answer 7

"Truth is sought for its own sake. And those who are engaged upon the quest for anything for its own sake are not interested in other things. Finding the truth is difficult, and the road to it is rough." -Alhazen

Answer 8

I think that for you and based on your personal experiences your hypothesis is a very good one. Apart from that, I think it stinks.

Why do so many people use absolutes such as always, every, never, none and so on when it is true very, very seldom?

I have never, and yes, I am using an absolute, I have NEVER claimed the way to know God exists is to feel Him. Now you have some alternatives. One is you can call (or think) me a liar or say (or think) my memory is faulty. Another is you can back down and say you should not have used the word "always." You can also say I simply misunderstood what you actually said, but there is a greater chance of convincing me of that than a meteor will crash through my roof before I get through writing this sentence. Too late. No holes.

Have I felt what I believe to be God? Call it His presence, His influence or anything you wish, but I have felt something that is at times almost palpable. But as many times as tears have come to my eyes, and as  many "goose bumps" as I have felt, to very few of those would I give such attribution as they came from God or from experiencing Him. I could share many stories with you about when someone I did not know came up to me and said they felt something from me and asked if I was a man of faith. I could, and they are true but if you were not there and a part of it they have no meaning for you. And if you are thinking they saw same jewelry or a Bible on or around me, no, I carry none of either. In addition to all I have mentioned so far, there is something called "Peace that passeth all understanding." Have you ever experienced it? It truly is beyond all understanding, maybe especially for those who have felt it.

I am going to take issue with your Additional Details. I think it has everything to do with you. Or are you not human? I agree, from some ways of looking at it the human mind has almost unimaginable power over at least some emotions if not all of them. Does this make sense to you? You do not feel God because you choose NOT to. Did you perhaps subconsciously decided you were not going to feel or experience something that is or was very real? How about this for a hypothesis: God is so much a part of our experience that we become desensitized to it and no more consciously feel it under ordinary circumstances than we feel every moment the clothes we wear.

There is none as blind as he who will not see.

I, personally, look for the most likely reason and until I find a better one embrace that one. As many of the types of experience as you or I have described that have happened to me, I do not look to them as proof of anything. I do believe they together are a great deal of personal confirmation of my faith, but that is personal and no proof of anything at all other than something happened or I felt something. Some of it is so unusual and out of the ordinary it might convince even a sceptic such as you, but even if the possibility is extremely remote it was coincidence, there is still that chance.

If you care to see what I accept as evidence of the existence of God or just how my brain works, you can get just the tiniest of hints by checking out the links I am going to include.

I rather enjoyed your question and thank you for the chance to give my input.

Peace, my friend.

Faith, is it self hypnosis?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Are you certain there is a God?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

What Kind of Religious Customer are You?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

For Christians open to serious debate only., Origin of god?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

(This one got me blocked by the asker) Do atheists need to remember that all religion is the enemy to which no mercy should be shown?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 9

I think the religious impulse part of some people's brains is larger than in other people.

I went to church for years and never "felt" anything except guilt.

Answer 10

my most religious moments (as the words were) have all involved LSD, but I think it was because I really wanted to feel like there was a god (or gods). Sounds reasonable to me.

Answer 11

I don't think that there is any point in theorizing what goes on in other people's minds.  I have found that most people are only vaguely aware of what goes on in their own minds.  It seems to me that it is the actions of other people - their words and deeds - not their thoughts or beliefs that are what affect others.  Therefore we would all be a lot better off if we stopped telling each other what we think they are thinking.

How about if we all stop trying to be thought police?

Sure, a lot of people of faith are quick to judge the beliefs of others as wrong or even evil.  That is what so many find repugnant about them yet the same people that hate the religious fanatics are themselves just as fanatically anti-religious.  I really don't see any difference between the two.

Answer 12

"Personally- i went to serious church for years and in times of need BEGGED God to reveal himself and got- naught. But i digress.

I think people feel him because they choose to. They are so engrossed in religion that their mind makes them feel things they want to so strongly."

You wanted the revelation from God very strongly. So if your theory is correct, it should have happened to you, but it didn't.

I have known a few people who prayed very seriously for a revelation. They never got it either. It was only after they let go and let God do things on His terms that the true revelations started coming.

People have such incredible experiences and revelations that I think there's no question that something real is going on. That does not mean anybody has a clue what that thing "going on" is -- but something definitely is going on.

Answer 13

You wanted proof to believe, that is how I am interpreting your statement. So maybe your believing wasn't true from the heart.  "blessed is he who believes without seeing".   You don't have to be a hardcore church goer to believe.  Faith is not taught anywhere, nor in any book, it's taken hold of.  I am 38, never had religion pounded in to me.  But I have known since I was 17 God was with me.  Since I converted 2 yrs ago, I CHOSE to learn about my faith, but certainly it was not indoctrinated into my brain.  

Don't give up :)