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Misc All Things Religious

EastAtlwx said:
God created us, knows exactly what we are going to do (before he made us)... now think about that for one moment.. thats not free will. This is explained clearly in the video.
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The issue is that it is clearly NOT explained in the video. Three things are being conflated: Creation, free will, and foreknowledge. That is a faulty foundation upon which to build a fundamental idea.
 
I dont have the answers for alot of questions in here, but I pray that we all find a peace that passes all understanding. Lot of times we question God and question things we dont understand. All I know is pray and read and he will direct your heart and path.
 
Prayer is fundamentally one’s acknowledgment of his or her trust in God. It is an act of humility. And though we often ask God for things in our prayers, we ultimately acknowledge that it is His will that is to be done, not our will.
 
Poimen said:
Oh, and by the way, God rarely answers my prayers for snow!
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I confess that during winter weather events I have actually been on my knees fervently begging for heavenly blessings of white to fall. I still will pray for snow during more recent events, but not to that level of devotion.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Poimen said:
Prayer is fundamentally one’s acknowledgment of his or her trust in God. It is an act of humility. And though we often ask God for things in our prayers, we ultimately acknowledge that it is His will that is to be done, not our will.
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We know that ultimately God is in control and as you state ultimately acknowledge that it is His will not ours to be done.... however, don't you think that sometimes this hampers one's faith? In other words, one may pray fervently for someone's healing but then as if doubt actually enters when they close, "never the less, not my will but Your will be done". I feel like that is a way out for some, for lack of a better phrase. God's word tells us that if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can move mountains, but pure faith leaves no room for doubt and I feel so many of us in our prayers leave that door cracked that allows doubt to enter which in turn isn't pure faith. My sister and I had this conversation several years back when they had a pastor that preached on prayer and being specific and purposeful in their prayers. With an expectation that God not only hears but will answer (within reason of course, we're not talking selfish desires here).... not sure if I'm making my point to well but I'm guessing a theologically trained pastor will be able to decipher and answer ;)
 
metwannabe said:
We know that ultimately God is in control and as you state ultimately acknowledge that it is His will not ours to be done.... however, don't you think that sometimes this hampers one's faith? In other words, one may pray fervently for someone's healing but then as if doubt actually enters when they close, "never the less, not my will but Your will be done". I feel like that is a way out for some, for lack of a better phrase. God's word tells us that if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can move mountains, but pure faith leaves no room for doubt and I feel so many of us in our prayers leave that door cracked that allows doubt to enter which in turn isn't pure faith. My sister and I had this conversation several years back when they had a pastor that preached on prayer and being specific and purposeful in their prayers. With an expectation that God not only hears but will answer (within reason of course, we're not talking selfish desires here).... not sure if I'm making my point to well but I'm guessing a theologically trained pastor will be able to decipher and answer ;)
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A couple of quick points off the top of my head to consider:

1) Jesus taught us to pray, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

2) The mustard seed quote, if I recall, comes in the context of the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith, to which he responds with the mustard seed illustration. If I understand Jesus correctly, his point is that faith is a matter of possession, not increasing or decreasing; you either have it or you don’t. The disciples ( again, I’m going off the top of my head) we’re responding to Jesus’ teaching on unlimited forgiveness. They found it to be too radical to follow and felt they didn’t have that kind of faith. Thus Jesus says, in effect via the imagery of the mustard seed, “you will either believe me or not.”
 
It’s also important to point out that in other contexts where Jesus talks about faith to move mountains, he may very well be referencing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem; the point being that faith would supersede the religious worship/sacrifices of the Temple (thus removing the need to worship at the Temple.)
 
EastAtlwx said:
You are missing the point, the important part that god created us. We have no choice whether we are alive or not. He knows everything that will happen and will happen. Therefore, we have no free will. Some are literally born on this earth to end up murderers, others on this earth to end up going to hell. Determinism that comes with an omniscient god and free will are incompatible through logic. I used to be a firm believer in god but it all changed a couple summers ago when I decided to stop being so dogmatic and look into the other side with an open mind and see where they’re coming from. It took about 2 weeks of researching and watching guys like Matt dillahunty that truly exposed all the logical fallacious, assumptions, and all the trickery in the Bible. It also showed me that the god of the Bible is actually an evil god. That’s a hot take here but that’s just my opinion.
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Vernon Mcgee said something that has stuck with me through the years when he said he was asked about whether he believes in free will or predestination, his answer was simply "Yes". The fact is both circumstances can be true. God can both know what we will do and also grant us free will. That fact doesnt make him evil. In fact there is so much mercy in the whole Bible, it boggles my mind.
 
metwannabe said:
We know that ultimately God is in control and as you state ultimately acknowledge that it is His will not ours to be done.... however, don't you think that sometimes this hampers one's faith? In other words, one may pray fervently for someone's healing but then as if doubt actually enters when they close, "never the less, not my will but Your will be done". I feel like that is a way out for some, for lack of a better phrase. God's word tells us that if we have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can move mountains, but pure faith leaves no room for doubt and I feel so many of us in our prayers leave that door cracked that allows doubt to enter which in turn isn't pure faith. My sister and I had this conversation several years back when they had a pastor that preached on prayer and being specific and purposeful in their prayers. With an expectation that God not only hears but will answer (within reason of course, we're not talking selfish desires here).... not sure if I'm making my point to well but I'm guessing a theologically trained pastor will be able to decipher and answer ;)
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The prayer that says "Thy will be done" is agreement with God that you do not see the whole picture and is the act of you submitting to that fact. Ive had many times in my life where I prayed and God answered with an incredible act which built my faith. Then again in others where I prayed and he did not move, but that is where submitting to his will come in. Then with an equal act of power he revealed that his will was far superior to my knowledge at the time and increased my faith down through the years and I had to stand in awe and sometimes shame.

Praying both ways brings completeness in prayer.
 
Arcc said:
Vernon Mcgee said something that has stuck with me through the years when he said he was asked about whether he believes in free will or predestination, his answer was simply "Yes". The fact is both circumstances can be true. God can both know what we will do and also grant us free will. That fact doesnt make him evil. In fact there is so much mercy in the whole Bible, it boggles my mind.
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But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was.
When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,
came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn,
and took care of him.
On the next day, when he departed,
he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host,
and said to him, ‘Take care of him.
Whatever you spend beyond that,
I will repay you when I return.'
 
EastAtlwx said:
Remember that I am agnostic. I do thing there is something higher than us. However, I do not think it is god at least in the way the Bible describes him. I don’t think miracle is a good word to approach really any concept of anything. I think people get too ‘hype’ in it, if that makes any sense kinda tired lol. I think there is something fundamental behind consciousness. My speculation (I must bold this word because really all our views are because we really don’t know) is that consciousness in itself may be god is some sense. If you ever heard the phrase, “we are all one” I think there may be some truth there.
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My whole life is a miracle.
 
Bham 99 said:
My whole life is a miracle.
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AMEN BROTHER!
LIFE ITSELF IS A MIRACLE!
This quality that we call life is a natural" science" problem. There is no time in history of science has someone witnessed an inanimate
(un-alive) object become animated ( alive). The quality "life" is a supernatural occurrence ( aka miracle).
The idea of evolution is non-sense because it defies all logic. The basic laws of physics must be broken. The fossil record has no transforming species. the Quote scientific dating (2 most accepted) carbon dating and radiometric dating have been proven unreliable. The first law of thermodynamics states that the total energy of a system and its surroundings remain constant. Thus, through no natural occurrence is it possible for the universe to appear from nothing(no Big Bang). Therefore, since there is a universe , it logically is the result of a supernatural event aka miracle. We don't even have to go to the second law of thermodynamics, gravity ...etc
The Bible gives explanation for life . It says that God said let there be, and it was. It says that the visible is made from the invisible (atoms). He gives historical accounts that are being proven true continually. He gives prophecy that has been fulfilled exactly as He said it would be. Prophecies of nations, men , and the Man Jesus the Messiah. He even foretold the age that we're in today. Men would be lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God...It's all there. You just have to be logical.
 
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