[pianoperformer]

Originally Posted by mercuryrising

The only way I think you can know whether God exists is through life experience. I don't mean necessarily mystical experience, either. And I wouldn't trust what anyone told me. In fact, I never have.

Life is like a conversation between myself and God. It is a relationship, after all. I speak through my thoughts and behavior and God 'speaks' through the external world. To share a more intimate relationship with Him is to experience happiness, freedom and love. If I ignore Him or deny his existence, I experience suffering, isolation and anger. And I have had some very intense experiences that verify this understanding. (Please note that I am not trying to convert or convince you of anything.)

Interesting. But that's not to say that those who have a relationship with God never experience suffering, right?

Originally Posted by mercuryrising

I have entertained at some point over the last twenty years every version you could think of for God, including His non-existence.

Same here, except over about 8 years for me.

Originally Posted by mercuryrising

The one I find most intriguing, oddly enough, is the Christian version.

The main difference between Christianity and other religions is there is nothing you have to actually do to come closer to God besides having faith. In Hinduism or Buddhism, for example, you have to become something (enlightened) through various techniques. Christianity doesn't have any techniques. You don't have to know the secret handshake, you don't have to have some amazing blissful experience, you don't have to be intelligent or wealthy. The only criteria is faith. It would seem to me that if God is real, then he would have already built the path to Him; I wouldn't have to create my own. And also that that path would be open to all people no matter what their status or intelligence.

Hmm, I agree with that assessment.

Originally Posted by mercuryrising

As an aside, I think that some people are more prone to reason and others are more prone to faith. I could go through this forum and point out the people who either have very powerful faith or they are very adept at reason. I think that perhaps we are all here to learn something from each other: the skeptics and the believers.

I wrote in another thread to Bob that I have always consider myself a man of faith. But that hardly means I couldn't use a little doubt and some logic in my life.

True. The tough part is balancing faith and reason.

Originally Posted by mercuryrising

Lastly, I commend you for putting up this topic. Thanks.

Thank you.