** Breaking News** Do you believe in MIRACLES?

Believing in G-d is a choice for anyone who has not witnessed near-death experiences. Those of us who've faced death, know there is a Higher Power, for a fact.

That said, for those to whom it is a choice, the way I'd look at it is like this, if you believe and you're wrong, you don't lose out on anything. But if you don't believe and you're wrong, sems to me you're losing out on the opportunity to connect with G-d, to feel supported and loved by Him, which is losing out on a lot, if you ask me. You have to decide that, though.

Uh, I've had a few near-death experiences. Don't speak for me.

Love how all the christians don't comment on the starving kids in africa. Praise the lord...

I believe.

And I struggle with all the injustice in the world. Especially things that involve little kids... Africa, child porn, abuse, disfunctional families... all of it.

I don't understand a lot of things, but I do know that I have experienced things in my life that were more than mere chance and therefore I CHOOSE to believe in something greater than myself.

I do not believe, however, that the fact that there are starving children in Africa proves that there is no god. Nor do I believe that my personal experiences prove that there IS one.

Those children are OUR responsibility too. And blaming god for their pain is can often be one way we abdicate our own culpability.

this. All of this is part of why I you, Mirey.

Believing in G-d is a choice for anyone who has not witnessed near-death experiences. Those of us who've faced death, know there is a Higher Power, for a fact.

That said, for those to whom it is a choice, the way I'd look at it is like this, if you believe and you're wrong, you don't lose out on anything. But if you don't believe and you're wrong, sems to me you're losing out on the opportunity to connect with G-d, to feel supported and loved by Him, which is losing out on a lot, if you ask me. You have to decide that, though.

Uh, I've had a few near-death experiences. Don't speak for me.

Do you believe everything you read on the Internet?

Of course not... That's just silly.

And for those starving kids in Africa, God has a plan for them. There are people there doing there best to help them survive in a country that HUMANS brutally destroyed.

If that's his plan for them, your god is a scumbag.

#Freewill

If we didn't have freewill, everyone would be like robots and there would never be any pain in the world, or sickness, or starving... but we have it, and the world get's messed up because of it. I can't imagine when God made the world he was like "these people over here are the ones that are going to starve to death". It's because of past decisions that humans (not God) make. If God were to solve all the problems in the world, we would no longer have freewill or choice in our lives. It's like any child, if you shelter them from all the bad, they will never learn and make the right decisions themselves.

But he will find a person's car keys? Those are some messed up priorities.

*sigh*

Why do these always turn into this kind of crap? Why is it necessary to tell the OP what your persoal beliefs are? What is so dificult in just saying, "good for you!" and moving on?

He believes God was involved. So what? Does it threaten anyone's atheism to read those words?

Honestly, probably because this stripped the agency of the young woman who did a good deed. How could it possibly threaten someone's atheism? People probably pointed it out (as seen in this thread, with both Christians and Atheists) that it was clearly the young woman who helped because it seemed strange to attribute the good deed to someone else, be it the Christian God, Zeus or Vishnu. Sure, the OP gave her $20 and said thank you, but she seems to be the afterthought in this story in favor of something else.

Brb, going back to .gifs.

Not only is she not an afterthought, but she has reached out to me several times since yesterday in regards to furthering her career. She is in IT and I am helping her look for a position that will advance her career.

I don't believe in coincidences. There is a reason my God, who is 1 of a 1,000 I guess, answered my prayers. See even finding keys as small as it seems is a blessing to me.

I am not sure why it's important to question my faith. The woman who found the keys MAY be an atheist but WHAT does that have to do with me praying and being blessed by her actions?

This reminds me of this:

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout “PRAISE THE LORD!”

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, “There ain’t no Lord!!”

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted “PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!”

The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD.”

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, “Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn’t.”

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, “PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He got an Atheist to pay for them. Praise the Lord!”

God works through EVERYONE!

That is funny. I think it's simple. God gives us free will. Some believe and some don't.

I am STILL thankful to have my keys!

Maybe I should thank OBAMA and see how this turns out! Lol

No offense, but many of you in here are kinda stupid.

Do you believe everything you read on the Internet?

Of course not... That's just silly.

And for those starving kids in Africa, God has a plan for them. There are people there doing there best to help them survive in a country that HUMANS brutally destroyed.

If that's his plan for them, your god is a scumbag.

#Freewill

If we didn't have freewill, everyone would be like robots and there would never be any pain in the world, or sickness, or starving... but we have it, and the world get's messed up because of it. I can't imagine when God made the world he was like "these people over here are the ones that are going to starve to death". It's because of past decisions that humans (not God) make. If God were to solve all the problems in the world, we would no longer have freewill or choice in our lives. It's like any child, if you shelter them from all the bad, they will never learn and make the right decisions themselves.

But he will find a person's car keys? Those are some messed up priorities.

You really think (that if there is a God in your opinion) he was like "yo, this guys needs to find his keys, I need to devote all my power to helping him... 'aint nobody got time for those starving children.."

Some problems are harder to solve without effecting our free will.. Again, I'm sure he could go in and fix it in a heartbeat, but if he did, what kind of impact would that have in the world? What choices would he be making for people? For example, you wouldn't have the choice to believe/not believe, because you would have proof of his existence.

Do you believe everything you read on the Internet?

Of course not... That's just silly.

And for those starving kids in Africa, God has a plan for them. There are people there doing there best to help them survive in a country that HUMANS brutally destroyed.

If that's his plan for them, your god is a scumbag.

#Freewill

If we didn't have freewill, everyone would be like robots and there would never be any pain in the world, or sickness, or starving... but we have it, and the world get's messed up because of it. I can't imagine when God made the world he was like "these people over here are the ones that are going to starve to death". It's because of past decisions that humans (not God) make. If God were to solve all the problems in the world, we would no longer have freewill or choice in our lives. It's like any child, if you shelter them from all the bad, they will never learn and make the right decisions themselves.

But he will find a person's car keys? Those are some messed up priorities.

You really think (that if there is a God in your opinion) he was like "yo, this guys needs to find his keys, I need to devote all my power to helping him... 'aint nobody got time for those starving children.."

Some problems are harder to solve without effecting our free will.. Again, I'm sure he could go in and fix it in a heartbeat, but if he did, what kind of impact would that have in the world? What choices would he be making for people? For example, you wouldn't have the choice to believe/not believe, because you would have proof of his existence.

I am sure it would not be catastrophic to the myth of freewill to throw down some rain and perhaps make some crops grow in eastern Africa.

I say myth of freewill because do you really have freewill when any choice other than the "correct" one results in eternal torment?

*sigh*

Why do these always turn into this kind of crap? Why is it necessary to tell the OP what your persoal beliefs are? What is so dificult in just saying, "good for you!" and moving on?

He believes God was involved. So what? Does it threaten anyone's atheism to read those words?

Honestly, probably because this stripped the agency of the young woman who did a good deed. How could it possibly threaten someone's atheism? People probably pointed it out (as seen in this thread, with both Christians and Atheists) that it was clearly the young woman who helped because it seemed strange to attribute the good deed to someone else, be it the Christian God, Zeus or Vishnu. Sure, the OP gave her $20 and said thank you, but she seems to be the afterthought in this story in favor of something else.

Brb, going back to .gifs.

Not only is she not an afterthought, but she has reached out to me several times since yesterday in regards to furthering her career. She is in IT and I am helping her look for a position that will advance her career.

I don't believe in coincidences. There is a reason my God, who is 1 of a 1,000 I guess, answered my prayers. See even finding keys as small as it seems is a blessing to me.

I am not sure why it's important to question my faith. The woman who found the keys MAY be an atheist but WHAT does that have to do with me praying and being blessed by her actions?

This reminds me of this:

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout “PRAISE THE LORD!”

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, “There ain’t no Lord!!”

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted “PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!”

The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD.”

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, “Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn’t.”

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, “PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He got an Atheist to pay for them. Praise the Lord!”

God works through EVERYONE!

That is funny. I think it's simple. God gives us free will. Some believe and some don't.

I am STILL thankful to have my keys!

Maybe I should thank OBAMA and see how this turns out! Lol

its fascinating that you can see that thanking Obama would be ridiculous, but not that thanking God is. Even if God exists, given that you also believe in free will, he had about as much to do with that woman picking up your keys as Obama did.

No offense, but many of you in here are kinda stupid.

What? No offense, but you call many of us stupid. Totally offended!

I meant it with love, so that the stupid may understand themselves a bit better.

You're welcome. :flowerforyou: