Is there a god? (Part 1)

I accidentally erased this article which was published on April 23^rd. I am now resubmitting it.

Recently, the National Post published an article in which it included a number of statements by various readers as to whether or not they believed in the existence of a god. I have downloaded a number of their responses and will give you my own thoughts in response to their beliefs on this very contentious issue. In this article, I will present to you the views of those who believe that God exists. I will also give you my thoughts re their views which will be in Italic.

I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit to you that I am an atheist. So my views of the statements made by the people who submitted them to the National Post are the views of an atheist. I wrote an article in my blog on atheism on December 14, 2011 which will explain my own thoughts on atheism.

I want to add however that I have a great deal of respect for those people that submitted their views to the National Post as I am of the opinion that they sincerely believe in the existence of a god in their lives. Although I am critical of their opinions (which is my right) this doesn’t mean that I don’t respect them for what they have said in their statements.

Those who believe in the existence of a god

Many, many times have I been comforted by a presence I could not see, but was aware of. I believe in a power beyond our understanding.

That isn’t necessarily proof that a god exists. Many people feel comforted however it is a psychological occurrence that makes them feel good.

The reason I believe in God is because the Bible is full of hundreds of prophecies that have all been affirmed by archaeological findings. The Bible has stood the test of time; it is like an anvil being hammered upon by mallets, only the mallets break, the anvil remains undamaged like the word of God.

This was a well written statement but other books have also prophesied occurrences in history.

Why do I believe in God? Many years of practical experience, and because He seems to believe in me too.

How would he know if a god believes in him unless he has had a conversation with his god and further, why did he use the pronoun He? Is he saying that he is fully aware that his god is a man and that it was a male god that spoke with him? Did he actually see his god?

The complexity of all living animals, plants and all other matter and their interrelationships and interdependence dismisses coincidence as the catalyst for their creation. The infinity of our universe and the statistical probability of countless more such civilizations has led me to believe in God as our creator and ongoing guiding force.

That is a good argument and is a common argument however, one question that can shoot that theory down is this one—if there is a single god who created the universe 14 billion years ago, where then was that god before the universe was created and what was that god doing before the creation of the universe began? Further, why would his god wait 14 billion years to create our universe?

I’m a Christian and believe in God, but don’t belong to any church. Faith trumps religion. My God is omnipotent. He also, but not only, used evolution in His creation. He is the greatest scientist of all time, devising all that science stems from. As an engineer He has no equal. Who can replicate His delicate construction of a foot or a hand? What would music and the arts have been without His influence?

My response is similar to the previous one I gave

When I consider the orderly works of the sun, moon, stars, and clouds — their beauty; when I contemplate the construction and function of the human body, I am filled with awe and wonder and praise the God who made them; and I thank Him for His son Jesus, who fills my heart with peace and joy.

Would he still be filled with awe if his child was born deformed?

I was in the police for 35 years and had been in some fairly precarious situations. When I started in my career, my dear mother gave me a medal of St. Jude that I always carried behind my badge in my wallet. To this day I believe it kept me from serious harm.

Many people who carried that medal with them were later killed both in accidents and in war. This police officer kept himself from serious harm because he was careful in what he was doing as a police officer.

Belief in a higher power gives us a purpose of life—to please Him through our good deeds. It makes us comfortable to know that someone is watching over us, someone is listening; someone cares. It gives us hope—hope for the better through the unseen.

This man also believes that his god is a male. I agree with him that his believing that someone is watching over him makes him feel comfortable. But some people believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus is also watching over them as well as St. Jude and others and that makes them fell comfortable also. It is a psychological thing.

I have seen miracles in my life and in the lives of others. People may ask, “Where is God”? He’s everywhere; you just have to look closely and with an open mind. Seek Him and you shall find Him!

Do I really believe that this man has seen his god? What makes him believe that his god is a man? Is it because the Bible refers to the god described in it as He and Him?

The presence of god is seen everywhere, in everything and in everybody. It is seen in the rays of sunshine and in every droplet of rain and gush of wind. It is seen in the twinkling eyes of parents as they pick up their children from school. I have also seen god in the tears on the loss of loved ones.

It is a very pretty comment but it isn’t proof that a god exists. The rays of sunshine come from a star (our sun) and the droplets of rain and the wind are brought about by the forces of nature and tears in one’s eyes are human features caused by tear ducts. If a god exists because of these things, then it also causes war, starvation and crimes also and if it doesn’t, it should intervene just as a loving parent intervenes when his or her child misbehaves.

He parted the sea and turned water into wine. He can be seen in the Grandeur of mountains, oceans, stars and the sun. He can be found in the hearts of every man, woman and their miraculous “newborns.” He is our daily source of strength, courage, wisdom and love. He is Jesus, my Lord and my God.

Moses didn’t get his god to part the Red Sea since Moses didn’t cross the Red Sea. He crossed a lake north of the Red Sea while the tide was low. Read my article in my blog that is titled, “Did Moses really part the Red Sea?” Belief in anything is strong enough to give someone a daily source of strength. For example, the Egyptians believed in Ra, the Egyptian Sun god and they were certainly strong, courageous and capable of love. 

Until I was 33, I regarded all who believed in God with cynicism and contempt. Then, I stepped outside the door one day, and I knew of God, and our relationship to Him in a moment. The words “God bless us everyone” came out of my mouth. I spent the next few years living alone in a teepee in the Yukon, reading the Bible constantly. I have never doubted the clarity and conviction of the moment.

Living alone for years will do strange things to the human mind. I believe this man when he says that he never doubted the clarity and conviction of the moment. But those cardinals in history that condemned Galileo for his belief that the earth revolved around the sun also had clarity and conviction of their beliefs and they were mistaken. By the way, it was Tiny Tim in the Christmas Carol who said at the end of the novella written by Charles Dickens, “God bless us, every one.” Is this where this man got that phrase?   

I looked for God all my life in all the wrong places. Then one day as I emptied myself of all my pride, I bowed my knee at the foot of the cross of Jesus, and asked Him if He was really real, would He let me know? God spoke to me that day, and I have never been the same. I believe in God and His name is Jesus.

The Bible refers to Jesus as the son of God. How did he presume that God spoke to him? Was it the tenor of his voice? I am always leery of people who claim that they hear voices.

When I was just 13 years old, I fell through the ice into the Bow River near Calgary. Twice I tried to get up but couldn’t, then I prayed, “Please save me.” The next time I tried, I was out. That was a baptism that was a coming out of the wilderness, that was a chance for a new life and that is what the Christian God is about.

In 2010, while I was swimming in the ocean at a beach at Rio de Janeiro, a wave knocked me down. Because I am disabled, I couldn’t get up and as I was still under water, I didn’t pray to a god. My thoughts were that if I could hold my breath long enough, the waves would push me to shallow water where I could then raise my head above the water. As it turned out, my wife saw me struggling to get out of the water and called upon a man and a boy nearby to help me. It was the three of them that saved my life and not a prayer to some god.

I believe in God for two reasons. First, no monkey pounding away at a typewriter would ever turn out a literate text. Thinking that the universe created itself is like thinking Shakespeare’s works could be created by that monkey. Second, the one factor common to all successful societies, and which all unsuccessful societies lack, is a brush with Christianity.

First of all, this man doesn’t believe in the evolution of man. Second, he has the temerity to suggest that only Christianity will make societies successful. There are many societies where Christianity is not the predominant religion and yet these societies were successful even before Christianity came into being.

I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His chosen people, the Jews, make up only 0.2% of the world population, but 54% of the world chess champions, 27% of the Nobel physics laureates and 31% of the medicine laureates. Divine intervention is the only explanation for these astonishing statistics. Belief in God is more than an intellectual decision; His spirit testifies with our spirit. I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and in his son Jesus Christ.

I don’t question his statistics but I find it odd that he hasn’t mentioned that great scientists and thinkers are not all Jews and for that matter, nor Christians also. For him to suggest that a god (if it exists) has chosen only Jews who are so smart that there are more of them as chess winners than those of other beliefs is presumptuous.  Hannes Alfven (1908–1995) the Swedish electrical engineer and plasma physicist was an atheist. He received the 1970  Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on           magnetohydrodymamics.  Philip W. Anderson (1923-) was an American physicist and also an atheist. He was one of the recipients of the  Nobel Prize in Physics   in 1977. Anderson has made contributions to the theories of  localization antiferromagnestism  and  high-temperature superconductivity.  

God is being served up as a sliced turkey. Early religious leaders took a slice to be eaten. And the fact is that each slice came from the same turkey. Every religious leader announced that the turkey served to them had a different taste. Had all these religious scholars cut their turkey slices in to smaller potions. And distributed to their believers, they would have found that the whole turkey tasted the same. I personally believe in a “Whole God” and not a “sliced up God.”

That is one of the finest definitions of comparative religions that I have ever read. However all it proves is that there are many definitions of one god. It is not proof that a god actually exists.

I believe in God more than I’m certain the sun will rise tomorrow. Indeed, most people throughout history have recognized a Supreme Being. Only the modern dawn of science and philosophy recently changed this. But the hearts of people will return back to He who is the ultimate source of peace, for as Sir Francis Bacon states, “a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.”

This person is right when he says that most people in history recognize the existence of a Supreme Being. But I think that is for two reasons. The first is that they were taught that such a being exists. Second, those people in the past risked their lives if they publicly denied the existence of a Supreme Being. If  this person’s god is the source of peace, what was that god doing during the First and Second World Wars?

Do I believe in a god? This is a question of faith. While the agnostic allow themselves a free rein to repudiate the existence of a higher spiritual power, the Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews. 11:1) I believe God’s love dwells in us and when we love each other, we experience God in us. Therefore, the answer to the question must be in the affirmative.

He is right when this person says that faith is the substance of things hoped for but I find it hard to believe that a god dwelled in Hitler or even dwells in Anders Behring Brevik, the Norwegian who murdered 77 people in Norway. If he did and does, did that god prompt those evil men into doing what they did?

Until not too long ago I believed in myself, then life carved me, to my great dislike. Now I believe in destiny and in force above us, whether you call it Elohim, Jésus, The Grand Architect, Allah, Buddha (Indian or Chinese) I now believe in one great god, or force like in Star Wars, I am not too big on Mary nor the Trinity. Of course in Québec we have 8,000,000 gods and goddess, so it is for The Grand Architect to blossom. I also believe we are at the crossing of the road and let me be clear if mighty god comes from heaven he is by definition E.T. Few people understand my voice or views but remember I am not always right but never wrong so beware we are at the crossing of the road in a Star Wars type of thing.

There are people who believe that a god exists on another planet but I for one don’t believe that at all. It is beyond me as to how this person can prove that in Québec there are eight million gods or goddesses in that province. I can only presume that since there are little over eight million people living in Quebec, he is stating that each of them have a separate god or goddess to believe in. Somehow, that doesn’t make much sense. 

I believe in God because the heavens declare the glory of God, especially on a starry night. God states in his word, only a fool can say, in light of evidence, there is no God. So to say there is no God is to confess  or declare “I am to ignorant to know how to interpret evidence” Thus disqualifying myself to serve on 12 man jury duty, not being able to interpret evidence.

There is no doubt in my mind that the trillions of stars in the universe are  something to behold. But that is not proof that a god made them. If we believe in the Big Bang theory, then that is how the stars creations came about. I don’t agree with this person’s belief that people who don’t believe in the existence of a god are ignorant on how to interpret evidence. Incidentally, he couldn’t legally disqualify himself from serving on a jury however the lawyers for both parties would probably exclude him as being a crackpot.

The human family has inherited an abundance of life – seen and unseen. The material world has been probed by the scientific mind. The invisible aspect has been probed by us all intellectually and emotionally through the ages. According to Scripture, after his death on the cross, Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days to teach them about the Kingdom of God – a complexity. All life is precious to Him, my Lord – my God.

Again, I point out that the Bible described Jesus as the son of God. However, that isn’t what the writers of the Bible meant. It was the Roman soldier who was at the foot of Jesus when Jesus was on the cross that said, “Truly this man is a son of God. He didn’t say that he was the son of God. In those days, the term, “a son of God” was a description of any man who cared for widows and orphans. That is what the soldier was implying. He was saying that Jesus was that kind of man.

Of course, there are a lot of people who don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead. If you look at the New Testament, you will see notations that after Jesus died on the cross, the disciples later believed that the saw a stranger who seemed like he was Jesus but was in fact still a stranger to them and not Jesus himself. In Mark, chapter sixteen, verse twelve, it actually says, ‘After this, he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.’ And the same thing happened again after the resurrection when his disciples were fishing and they saw a stranger on the shore who told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat and it was subsequently filled with fish. The other disciples called out to Peter, ‘It’s the Lord!’ believing that Jesus had return to them. Peter then swam to shore and when the others saw him on the shore at a fire he had built, they saw him with a stranger whom they later believed was Jesus. None of his disciples dare ask stranger, ‘Who are you?’ when they really didn’t know who he was.

Decades ago, this world-weary, lapsed Catholic knelt before a chapel tabernacle repenting her manifold sins, and tearfully begging God’s mercy. Instantly, I was cocooned in the love of a living God. Awestruck, I asked God; “Is this the Church You founded, and through which you speak?” After three years of intense study, the answer was a resounding yes. Thirty years later, the answer is still the same. I feel like the world’s most grateful Catholic.

This person didn’t say that he or she actually heard his or her god speak. His belief therefore is based on his studies and not on a communication he had with his or her god.

Yes, I believe in an omnipotent, omnipresent and majestic God, who’s summarized thus; “Say, He is Allah the One. Allah, the Independent and Besought of all. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him.” (Chapter 112, The Koran) For God’s sake alone am I upright even when nobody’s looking and tell the truth even when it hurts and ultimately live by the motto: Love for all, hatred for none.

I wish more Muslims were like this man. His belief in Allah has brought about this man’s noble sentiments that we should love all and have hatred for none. Alas, it is wishful thinking on his part. I don’t see how the Jews could ever love Hitler or the Norwegians love the mass killer that killed so many of their children. 

I believe in the God of the Bible because of the evidence from history. The four Gospels tell us that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. Furthermore, secular writers like Josephus either directly confirm this (see “Antiquities of the Jews,” Book 18:3:3), or indirectly confirm it (see Tacitus’ book, “The Annals,” Book 15:44). Hence, the God of the Bible is rooted in history. I invite all to check out the evidence for themselves!

I for one find it difficult to accept that the Bible is conclusive proof of the existence of a god any more than I believe that the fairy tale of Snow White is proof that a witch could put her to sleep for years.

To me, the presence of a higher power, God, that underlies our unimaginably vast creation, and gives human beings the capacity to experience love, truth, goodness and beauty, is an intuition validated by our religious traditions that must be made real in daily living. The rational mind that the atheists and agnostics use to raise questions about God as an object of their thoughts can never touch God, but when the mind tires of questioning and becomes quiet, God’s presence may be felt in one’s heart.

Very nicely put but where is the proof that his or her god actually exists?

I believe in the only God who has provided a written record containing 8,362 predictive verses which include 1,817 specific predictions about 737 separate matters. Over 300 of these predictions specify with astonishing precision – centuries in advance – the minute details concerning the genealogy, birth, ministry and sacrificial death of Jesus of Nazareth. That God challenges any who claim to be a god to predict events with like accuracy. So far: NO TAKERS!

King James in 1611 after having had a large number of educated people re-write the Bible, he had his version of the Bible published. It wasn’t a god that wrote it. It was those men (human beings) that wrote it. Now many will say that they were inspired by God. If that is so, then are we all inspired by God? If that is so, were the cardinals that condemned Galileo for saying the earth revolved around the sun inspired by God? Did God inspire John to write in Revelation 21:19 “And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald”; and in Revelation 21:20 “The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst?” These writings seem like the dreams of human beings only.

The human family has inherited an abundance of life – seen and unseen. The material world has been probed by the scientific mind. The invisible aspect has been probed by us all intellectually and emotionally through the ages. According to Scripture, after his death on the cross, Jesus appeared to his disciples for forty days to teach them about the Kingdom of God – a complexity! All life is precious to Him, my Lord – my God.

The scientific minds would say that once a person dies, his brain dies also and since no blood oozed out of the wound when the soldier’s spear was shoved into his chest, this meant that his heart was no longer plumping blood. He and his brain were dead. There is no way that he could have been resurrected. I believe that what the people saw later was someone else whom they believed was Jesus.

Was Jesus a liar, a lunatic, a legend – or Lord? His apostles, eyewitnesses facing torture and death for their preaching, affirmed repeatedly that Christ rose from the dead. People may die for something they mistakenly believe to be true. But sane men do not willingly die asserting what they know to be false. When faced with the risen Christ, Doubting Thomas could only exclaim: “My Lord and my God!” Can we do otherwise?

Alas, some people do believe in things that are not true. By this I am saying that because people believe in something that isn’t necessarily true does not mean that they are not sane.

They named Him Jesus; such wisdom He possessed. He only asked for truth and that we all try to do our best. Often I let my selfish needs overpower what I knew was right. I know I disappointed Him. When my soul cried for purity, I sought a priest to say:” I’m sorry for my sins; help me start fresh today.” The cross of Calvary absolved me and with God’s help, my soul lives in peace.

As I see it, the real advantage of confessing your sins to a priest it to get certain matters off of your chest. In doing so, you know that he will never ever discuss what you have said to him to anyone else. It is better than confessing your sins to a psychiatrist because a psychiatrist will not necessarily tell you that you are forgiven for your sins, further, he can be ordered to tell a court what you have said to him.

If you’re tempted to believe there’s no God, start thinking about sub-atomic particles. They are so complex they are still not fully understood. They form atoms with extremely complex structures. Atoms, existing in the right quantities (many hydrogen, few helium) combine complexly to form all the compounds necessary for the magnificence of the universe. An arbitrary random process with this creative capability is impossible and that’s without touching the problem of nothing creating something.

It was the Big Bang where everything began shooting outward as atoms. If a god created the substances that shot outwards after that great explosion, then what was that god doing for perhaps billions of years earlier? And if  that god existed then, how did that god create itself out of nothing?  

Yes, of course. Do you think the universe just come together by itself? Does a designers watch just come together by itself, no it needed a skilled watch maker to put it together so is our beautiful universe. Think of all the stars, planets, earth all in perfect sync with each other without colliding into each other, the way our earth revolved, tilt at the perfect degree, do you still think that there is not God (beside scripture reference).

My comment is similar to the previous one. (Ditto)

The human mind is able to range from contemplating the far functioning of the universe, to the most intimate of personal feelings. The radiant, but invisible energy from the stars becomes brilliant, in the interpretive magic the mind. But was there not “light” before there were eyes to see energy as light? No, light as a “visible property,” always needs an observer; to be existentially real, it needs God.

Ditto

Reflecting on how I was once but a shapeless lump in the womb, and how thereafter the forces of nature worked mysteriously to develop me to what I am now, it’s hard for me to believe I randomly came from nowhere and exist without purpose. Nay, destined for more than just crude physical existence, life’s purpose is to recognize God’s nature and influence, strive to mimic his peerless character and thereby reach our grand potential.

Ditto

“Is there a God?” is a non-sequitur. One meets God with the sun, rain, night, moon, earhquakes, floods, tornados, let alone fancy flamboyant flower. Uncountable living creations. Galaxies filled with countless stars and matter yet undiscovered. Tell me, the Big Bang created a pet cat, dog. Let alone you.

Ditto

All that we see around us, the immense variety of fauna and flora, the universe, our own bodies and how they work, speak of a tremendously intelligent Creator. The idea that all of this has made itself is totally illogical. In addition, from my own experience, prayer works.

Ditto

I believe in God. It is a conscious decision, an act of faith. Why would I choose to live my life ignoring God’s grace and love? Being an agnostic might seem the most rational choice, but why choose angst or indecision? I look at the beauty and complexity of all living creatures and think it would take enormous faith in one’s self to say; God does not exist.

Ditto

I believe in God and am made for a relationship with the divine. This belief completes me and inspires my living. I have felt the certainty of God’s embrace and oft times experience divine graces. This august presence challenges me to see beyond current societal successes and failures, to reach for more. Every day I strive to do better, not just for myself and my family, but for my creator. Deus est regit qui Omnia. (It is God that rules all)

If God rules all, he is doing a bad job of it.

We sincerely believe and have faith and hope in Almighty God. We try to always exemplify virtues of truth, honesty and integrity. God is love, hope and charity. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. God lets us exercise free will and choice without overt interference. Let us follow his simple rules, leading us to the path of happiness, contentment and enlightenment.

If this man’s god is love, hope and charity, where was that god when 50 million people died during the Second World War? Where was that god when the Nazis slaughtered six million Jews? If God loved his children, then why was he standing by while his children were being slaughtered?

I believe in God because I can see His wonders by looking at the heavens or at a new born baby. I can see, in these marvels, intricate designs that require the existence of an intelligent, supernatural designer. If we can accept, while not being able to comprehend, the concept of infinity in the universe, we should be able to accept the existence of a creator, while not fully understanding the concept of His being.

If his god is an intelligent, supernatural designer, then why are some babies born deformed?

Yes, I believe in a God — one God expressed as; Majestic, just, merciful Creator; Human yet divine Son, who lived, died and rose again; Holy Spirit, in believers’ hearts, whispering encouragement and hope. Why? Because I have heard His voice, felt His comfort, and seen His glory in creation and others, and am certain He led me from the brink of despair many times and on to paths of joy.

I can’t help but wonder if he was still on the brink of despair, would he still have the same view of his god?

I believe a “god” exists. I have put the term in inverted commas because ever since someone – “Abraham” of Judaic and Islamic legend – promulgated the idea of monotheism, the term “god” has been so misused over the centuries as to become almost trivial. Yet I still believe in a monotheistic Creator.

His belief that there is only one god conflicts with other beliefs that there are many gods. Which belief is truer than the other?

It is only by experiencing God through prayer, we are led to a sustaining faith followed by belief. The human heart craves and seeks happiness, however, it is the daily physical and psychological challenges we face that draw us to that spiritual dimension, time and time again. Faith is the solution and interpretation of life. It bestows wisdom, compassion and love.

I agree that faith in anything, no matter what it is, permits us to face challenges. But even atheists have faith, especially in others to assist them to face their challenges in life.

Do I believe in god? Yes, because the heavens declare the glory of god, especially on a starry night. God states in his word, only a fool can say, in light of evidence, there is no god. So to say there is no god is to confess or declare, “I am to ignorant to know how to interpret evidence” thus disqualifying myself to serve on 12 man jury duty, not being able to interpret evidence.

To suggest that only someone who believes in the existence of a god can honestly and properly interpret evidence is absolutely foolish. Thomas Edison, the great inventor was an atheist as was Mark Twain. What about Clarence Darrow, the great American lawyer? There have been thousands of public figures who were atheists all their lives and they were all successful in their endevours throughout their lives. Does anyone really think that these men couldn’t interpret evidence? When I was practicing law before I retired, I had to interpret evidence in hundreds of trials and I won 80% of the trials I conducted on behalf of my clients and all the time I was representing them in court, I was an atheist. If this man were to ask the court to disqualify him on the basis that he isn’t a person who believes in a god, the court would refuse his request. However, the lawyers for the other parties to the trial may excuse him from sitting on the jury if they thought he was a crackpot. 

God is the good, opposed to evil. God is not a superhuman. He does not act. He does not directly determine the course of human life. The good is truth, dependent on courage and justice, reflected in love, beauty, humility and compassion. In prayer and meditation we sense God’s way. God is defined or defied by our chosen lives. This interpretation derives from the Judaeo-Christian tradition. There are other perspectives. God is.

I find this man’s comment about God not being superhuman and not acting rather confusing. If he created the stars and everything else in the known universe, then what else is he if he isn’t superhuman and what did he really do or does?

Once I realized through studying there is a seamlessness connection of science and religion, my belief in God became aligned as one in understanding the bigger picture and the higher power’s purpose. Knowing there are two governments North and South wanting to become the new nanny state replacement god thus relegating God to the used car lot of ‘milled’ out sale’s belief then my answer is, man still can not get it right. And never will. Yes God is alive, well and working. Man, please do not disturb HIS intended purpose because you only know a minuscule part, about a grains worth of HIS whole being.

This person’s comment conflicts with the one above because in this statement, he says that God is working whereas the other person says that God is not acting? He refers to God as a male? What evidence does he have that his god is a male?

Yes, I believe in the God of the Bible who revealed himself as the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Who declared (that) he is Sovereign God and there is no other. Made himself known as The Lord, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. This God became incarnate in his Son Jesus Christ through whom we can know God. By His Grace I believe.

I can answer his question about who declared this person’s god as the sovereign of everyone. It was humans that made that decision when they wrote their scriptures.

I believe in the God of the Bible, Maker of heaven and earth, whose words are true and faithful and whose prophesies have been fulfilled and will continue to do so until the end. That is why I believe. Salvation is of the LORD.

Again, it was humans who wrote the words that are true and faithful.

I believe in the God, not a God, whose son Jesus Christ died for my sins on the cruel Roman Cross. He rose from the dead, and has promised me eternal life in heaven after death, if I believe on Him! How could I not believe there is a higher power who created this complex beautiful world, with all the varieties of animals, plants, and seasons, that couldn’t have come about by random chance!

This person is implying that the billions of people around the world who don’t believe in Jesus will never have everlasting life. I think that is rather presumptuous on his part. The people of India for the most part believe in re-incarnation and Jesus is not their Lord.

In closing

I am not mocking those people who submitted their views to the National Post. I respect them for their honesty and sincerity. I just think that their views, the way they presented them are based entirely on faith alone and that is not, in my respectful opinion, sufficient enough  to prove that there is a god or gods somewhere that is supreme to every human being on earth and any other beings in space.

Although people who believe in the existence of a god outnumber atheists, they  based their beliefs on two themes. The first is that the words in the Bible has convinced them of the existence of a god that is supreme over mankind and the second is that only their god could create the universe and everything in it.

It is unfortunate that they were restricted to expressing their views in 75 words or less. That is like asking an artist to paint a mural on the back of a postage stamp.

The previous article presented was the views of atheists that were published in the National Post.