Atheists And Christians Community Blog - Latest Comments in How do you, or did you experience God?

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:31:22 -0000

Agreed, boomSLANG.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:29:15 -0000

I've been aware of Spong for years, but never really checked out what he had to say. I've heard from Christian sources that he was atheist, yet that clip would not make me think that. Perhaps a panentheist, but not an atheist. Interesting stuff.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

boomSLANG — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:02:15 -0000

"....when i wake up in the morning in not th saem thing to know that that your are alive that feel life within you..thanks to him..i experience him when its rain..when the wind blows to my face."

I contend that such experiences..i.e..the wind blowing, the rain, a beautiful sunset, a little kitty-cat, etc., are simply examples of Nature. Notwithstanding, I fully support your right to believe that a "God" is at the bottom of it all. Where you lose my support, however, is when people promote their personal beliefs in such beings as "Universal Truth", especially with accompanying threats of bodily harm for non-compliance to their beliefs.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

JEB — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:27:06 -0000

Hi Mike
JEB here again. I'm curious to know if you're aware of the retired bishop of the Episcopalian church of NJ, John Shelby Spong. He still calls himself a christian and is appreciative of Jesus but in a way that is anathema to most christians. Here's a clip of a talk he gave and while I don't agree with him totally I appreciate his forward thinking about this whole god thing. http://www.youtube.com/watc... As I've said, he really ticks off the more literalistic kind of christians so I like him for that reason alone. Oh, I know, they've got a special microwave in hell for me too. LOL

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:33:40 -0000

Thanks David. That's kind of how I used to feel too.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

david — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:00:23 -0000

well...to begin with every person is different and for me one experience is not the same as your. now i experience God every day in my life..when i wake up in the morning in not th saem thing to know that that your are alive that feel life within you..thanks to him..i experience him when its rain..when the wind blows to my face. is not feelings i just conviction that he is there with you no matter what even do. i dt see him but i know not by luck or because im good person it just because he is GOD...

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:03:16 -0000

It's cool, boomSLANG. I get battered by enough Christian attacks that I know what you mean.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

boomSLANG — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:56:11 -0000

Sadly, just as I suspected: Blame the nonbeliever...a la...."you don't understand Agape Love"...or..."you didn't word your prayers correctly"..or..."you weren't sincere", yada, yada, blah, blah.

@ Mike,

'Sorry Mike, if the above sounds antagonistic, but this reasoning sickens me. As if I wasn't sincere; as if I didn't try multiple versions and methods of "prayer" over the course of 30 years.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:23:56 -0000

The whole reason I'm an atheist is that I groveled before the cross daily praying almost exactly that prayer with no response.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Terrie — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:04:48 -0000

My comment was a response to boom slang. I didn't see your comment - Sorry. I can't explain why you haven't heard or felt the presence of God. All I can do is to tell you what I would do. I would say to God "If you are real and if you love me then please pour your Holy Spirit over me and fill me with your love and your Holy Spirit. Touch me the way you did the disciples. When I go to sleep tonight let my dreams be controlled by you. Dear God show me - open my eyes - make yourself known to me. Thank you - Amen."

Mike I will keep in touch and again I am sorry that I did'nt see your comment.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:54:01 -0000

I fully understand the four Greek words for love. What could agape possibly have to do with God not talking to me? Is this the unconditional, self sacrificing love silent treatment?

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Terrie — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:27:17 -0000

Maybe it's because you don't understand Agape Love. It is completely different then human love. I suggest that everyone reads "The Shack" . It is on the best seller list and it opens the doors for all kinds of great debates.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:32:48 -0000

People that love me talk to me, God might want to speak up.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

boomSLANG — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:11:02 -0000

"..... I know that I know that I know that God loves you!"

' Not a particularly useful statement, except of course, to the already-convinced. Nonetheless, isn't it interesting that Christians know that they know that they know that their biblegod loves everyone - including, even nonbelievers - but yet, the god whom they speak on the behalf of (for some reason) fails at getting the nonbeliever to "know" it?

In my view, when a believer tells a nonbeliever, "God loves you!!!", it is an implicit accusation that the nonbeliever is culpable in some way, unless the one making the statement will concede that the "God" in question doesn't want the nonbeliever to believe for some reason. (And that's rare, but I've actually seen it before)

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Terrie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:26:04 -0000

Mike I came from a family that didn't go to church but I have always felt the presence of God. My mother committed suicide when I was 2 years old. My father remarried and he and my step-mother became alcoholics. My childhood was difficult but when ever I needed comfort God would give me signs that he was there and that he cared for me. One Christmas after my drunk parents went to bed. I sat crying looking out my bedroom window and an angel appeared. I know it was an angel because I could see through him. I didn't start going to church on a regular basis until after I got married. I have had so many wonderful experiences since I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have been given the gift of being able to pray for people and have them fall or faint from feeling the power of God. One time a man that other people were trying to pray over was scared and resisted. I walked over and said you are afraid of falling but you don't have to stand up to receive prayer you can sit in this chair. Then I prayed for him he immediately slid out of the chair to the floor. I could go on and on but then it would sound like I am blowing my horn. All I can say Mike is I know that I know that I know that God loves you!

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

boomSLANG — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:27:43 -0000

David: I could never go back now. I know God is sovereign over salvation, so I try not to worry about people being converted. (Though that is very difficult sometimes, especially with family members who don't believe.)

Hi,

A couple of thoughts---if, as you say, "God is sovereign over salvation", then this seems to imply that the "saved" are predestined, which, subsequently, would make free agency a lie at worst; an illusion at best......would it not? I think so, but if you can explain it a different way, I'd be curious to see such an explanation.

As far as "family members who don't believe".... again, if "God is sovereign over salvation", then aren't you surrendering to the notion that "God's Will" trumps our own; that "God" knows best, and thus, there is a Divine Purpose for your family members who don't believe? If so, then I fail to see how being disappointed in the final ruling of "God" is consistant with honoring the ruling of "God". How can accepting the ruling of "God" be "difficult", if you truly believe it is "best"? That concept has always caused a bit of cognative dissonance with me.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:33:20 -0000

Thanks David, I wish you well in your journey and do not wish to be discouraging, but several years ago I would have written a very similar response, saying things like "I could never go back now." and "we don't deserve a savior -- we deserve to go to hell."

You said "I've since learned that we receive merely a moment of truly knowing God, and spend the rest of our lives seeking him, after we've seen and felt that the Lord is good."

I'm curious, how did you learn this? I know people who claim to truly experience God's presence very tangibly daily.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

David — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:38:53 -0000

I suppose the most experiential thing would be conversion 2 years ago. In an instant, I was a brand new person. Prior to then I saw God as boring, prayer as boring, and the Bible difficult to understand. I saw for the first time in my life Christ as precious and God as holy and kind for sending a savior. I had always assumed we deserved a savior. (Hence the questions of what about those who never hear?) -- but I saw for the first time, we don't deserve a savior -- we deserve to go to hell. I've never been able to get back to exactly that point of enlightenment -- it's quite a struggle. I've since learned that we receive merely a moment of truly knowing God, and spend the rest of our lives seeking him, after we've seen and felt that the Lord is good.

I could never go back now. I know God is sovereign over salvation, so I try not to worry about people being converted. (Though that is very difficult sometimes, especially with family members who don't believe.)

But it is interesting to see unbelievers and "former Christians" talk. I mean... it's not something you can ever really convince someone of, because it's between you and God. Only God can save and reveal himself. Sometimes that's a frustrating experience.

Like... if I could just convince you that I've experienced something real, and you're missing it... and it's not in my head... and it's not like what others say they've experienced...

But you have no way of differentiating, so again, it's up to the Lord.

I hope that gives you what you were looking for.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Ray Comfort's Book of Learnin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:16:35 -0000

I think chanting (speaking in tongues) and psychedelic music (or how the music gets towards that part of the service) may help bring it on.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Ray Comfort's Book of Learnin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:14:55 -0000

That's it, like electricity. I felt a tingling sensation and numbness in my hands, and I couldn't move parts of my body (hence I fell over). It was a very powerful thing, and I was certain after that that I'd never question the existence of God. I was struck by a sense that this amazing thing was only scratching the surface, like God had not so much touched me as kind of tapped me with His pinky, if that makes sense :-)

Considering how good I felt after, and how positive my outlook become for about a fortnight, I'd be really interested in finding out how it's done. I've seen work on inducing a spiritual feeling in people using psilocybin mushrooms and there's a fascinating T.E.D. talk about a woman who had a stroke and how that effected her (Google will find it). I have also read about Hindu kundalini (sp?) practices that give the same effect, and I know someone who has induced it in himself just by listening to music (not spiritual music).

Unfortunately I'm yet to replicate the effect. It was once only for me.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:12:25 -0000

As a Christian, I was in charismatic situations, but it was always uncomfortable, given the verses about praying in private and especially tongues being special and not some sort of group gibberish-fest.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Karla — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:06:41 -0000

I have heard tell of atheists who have come into such meetings expecting it all to be fake only to find themselves under the power of God in a supernatural way.

I have been around this kind of thing a lot in the last few years and I was skeptical at first even as a Christian that people were faking it and then I saw someone who thought for sure it was all fake experience the power of God and I saw other things that gave testimony to it's authenticity. Then I experienced God's Presence in a way that is best described as electrifying, just currents of power surging through me. Not strong enough to have an external sign of it as some were experiences, but certainly undeniable.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:01:08 -0000

Interesting. Thanks for sharing! I never had an experience like that, though there were times where I really thought I was experiencing God's presence.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Ray Comfort's Book of Learnin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:45:38 -0000

I had a lot of those things, thoughts popping into my head etc, but the one that convinced me was that I had a charismatic experience. You know that thing where they all have the pastor lay hands on them and then they fall over? I was as surprised as anyone to find out that they weren't faking it.

Re: How do you, or did you experience God?

Mike aka MonolithTMA — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:21:37 -0000

I keep finding that I am not alone in what I experienced and my journey since de-converting.

Thanks for your thoughts!