I want to believe. Can you help?
Most people on the planet believe in the god of the old testament or a god that their society believes in.
Just about every civilisation and culture throughout history has or has had a belief in some form of higher being.
When I was young my parents would take me to church where lots of well dressed important looking people were talking to god and so I just went along with it because I kind of trusted that they knew their stuff.
However it used to trouble me that god was invisible and couldn't speak or be detectable in any way.
I'd hear people say I found god and I'd be thinking where?
Where did you find him?
People say they have faith in the existence of their god, but what does faith mean?
Typing 'define faith' in google gives the following: 'a strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.'
Again this troubles me, how can I believe in something without proof.
Like if someone said there was a gremlin on the dark side of the moon with a computer that controlled the weather or punished people for being bad.
I couldn't believe it because there is no proof.
As I grew up I had so many questions about life, the universe and my place in it. I found that science was able to answer many of my questions with evidence and proof. Learning about evolution gave me an epiphany. Suddenly all the diversity of life on Earth made sense. I wanted to know about the universe, energy, matter, space and time so I studied a physics degree. I found joy in finding things out, but I never found god.
People that believe in god are generally happier, have a higher chance of staying married and live longer.
I must admit that I am a bit grumpy about the thought of dying someday and returning to the abyss of nothingness like before I was born.
Please can someone convince me that there is a god out there somewhere, so I can join the party and feel a bit less of an outsider.
Thanks.
I don't know that I could convince you with words, or stories from my own experience, or the stories I've heard from others. It would all be hearsay, just as you have experienced in your life so far. The best suggestion I could give you is to ask the question to the Universe at large, outside you, or inside you, to give you proof that you can understand and believe.
My favorite story in the Bible is that of Gideon. (The Book of Judges, chapters 6 - 8) The cool part of Gideon's story is that he doubted God. God told him to defeat His enemies. Gideon says I think You have the wrong guy. He asked God to prove Himself, and the Lord did, several times, and still Gideon wasn't all that sold on the idea.
We are allowed to question! We're allowed to ask for evidence! If you ask you will be answered - to your satisfaction, not to anyone else's.
Thanks, I really appreciate the input. You inspired me to read the story of Gideon which I found interesting. Stories written a long time ago about god appearing to people, I'm just wondering if these were passed down a few generations before they were written down. I'm just wondering if it really happened. I don't want to be a naysayer, I just wish that god would appear today infront of like a church congregation or a crowd and tell us what he really thinks about things rather than trusting anonymous authors from millenia ago or people that say god spoke to them and told them to do it. I do like stories in the bible too, like the good samaritan. I think parts of the bible can be used to teach morality, like jesus was a pretty cool guy and told us to love each other.
The old Bible stories are interesting, and sometimes terrifying! Some people make a distinction between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament, tempered by the teachings of Jesus.
I'm a skeptic like you and I also wish God would show Himself and say this part is true and this part is BS and what I really want from you is thus and so!
As to whether any of the Bible stories are true - well a lot of people think so but I'm not one of them, at least not literally true. I like to read them though. I brought up Gideon's story because to me it says it's okay to question God and ask to be convinced. At least someone who put it in the Bible thought it was an acceptable message to hand down over the thousands of years since!
But like I say, having a personal experience is the way to go. And if God can't muster up enough evidence to convince you, then I say stay skeptical!