Theist:Why do you think God does not exist what are your reasons?

[Baruch]

is there a correct way to pray? there must be 100 videos on youtube of people saying they know the correct way to pray. I tried a few of them... not really feelin like tryin all of them.

If you don't know how to walk, you will have to crawl.  Look up psychosomatic affirmation.  Is anything holding you back?  How can you undermine that, so you are more effective?  What carrot do you need to offer yourself to be motivated?  It doesn't require an imaginary friend.

[Blackleaf]

Prayer is effectual when sincere.

I was atheist or I guess technically some form of agnostic at the exact time I first sincerely prayed.

I don't remember if it was a couple days or a couple weeks later, but my prayers were wholly answered and much more, hence my belief now. I have since had varied confirmations of the hearings of my own supplications.

That's funny. In my years of deep devotion to God, I made several sincere prayers, and God ignored all of them. And what was this prayer of yours for, that God would find it worth his time to grant your request and not mine? What makes you certain that you did not get what you wanted by random chance or by effort on your part?

[popsthebuilder]

That's funny. In my years of deep devotion to God, I made several sincere prayers, and God ignored all of them. And what was this prayer of yours for, that God would find it worth his time to grant your request and not mine? What makes you certain that you did not get what you wanted by random chance or by effort on your part?

There is no such thing as chance or random.

Out of the most debilitating depression and longing for death I prayed. I prayed to whatever may be listening; GOD, Christ, higher power....Whatever this thing was that I had heard of yet never believed in....That is why I prayed to. What I prayed for was help. I wished for death and loathed life and myself and others in general (much of the time) to the fullest.

I realized through my own doing, retrospect and introspection that regardless of my percievable will, I could not help the situation I was in for years. So I asked for help.

[aitm]

Prayer is effectual when sincere.

I have several billion who would argue...if they had survived.

I don't remember if it was a couple days or a couple weeks later, but my prayers were wholly answered and much more,

put next to said several billion, it is indeed simple chance. How fortunate for you. I also met one such deluded and devoted as you before, he proclaimed he received gods grace while walking to a store to get some duct tape he found a small role with just enough to do the job...ain't god grand. Meanwhile...at the childrens hospital cancer ward....not so much, and we are quite convinced the prayers are sincere, as were the millions previous.

The babbling babble promises that if you pray believing, that nothing will be impossible for you and you can tell a mountain to move and it will. At last check...no mountains moved....nor barely a boulder, but one guy got some duct tape and Pops here got a pat on the back so....hip hip hooray!

[aitm]

There is no such thing as chance or random.

God give diseases and deformities to the bastards that deserve it.

So I asked for help.

I used google. Same results, less ass kissing.

[popsthebuilder]

I have several billion who would argue...if they had survived.
put next to said several billion, it is indeed simple chance. How fortunate for you. I also met one such deluded and devoted as you before, he proclaimed he received gods grace while walking to a store to get some duct tape he found a small role with just enough to do the job...ain't god grand. Meanwhile...at the childrens hospital cancer ward....not so much, and we are quite convinced the prayers are sincere, as were the millions previous.

The babbling babble promises that if you pray believing, that nothing will be impossible for you and you can tell a mountain to move and it will. At last check...no mountains moved....nor barely a boulder, but one guy got some duct tape and Pops here got a pat on the back so....hip hip hooray!

Not talking about duct tape.

I didn't get a pat on the back. What I got was direction, healing, revelation, and undeniable conformation of not only the existence of GOD, but how that related to my individual, seemingly worthless, pointless existence.

Among other things I was suicidal due to my own knowing misdirection. I had watched myself destroy everything good in my life... nearly. Though recent efforts to change my own direction had seemingly proven somewhat profitable, I was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at seemingly miniscule, irrelevant occurrences. I very nearly came to killing a mother of one of my children.

My anger and self loathing tendencies left me when I was given faith too. I experienced things that I never witnessed before. Can you imagine being burdened to the point of seeking out and seriously contemplating how to end your life? Do you know what it is to wake furious and sleep angry? Do you know how heavy the weight is of all things in ones own life observably going wholly the wrong direction, and how fatiguing it gets over years and with much effort to change only to have others pertinent to that change not be willing even for the sake of your child? You can? Good. Now attempt to imagine that heavy load, that burden, that inner detriment being wholly lifted and utterly removed, being replaced by never before fathomed joy and utter thankfulness. Couple that with all the other things, revelations, and circumstances and then tell me my own prayer wasn't effectual to any end whatsoever.

I do actively attempt to not take offence. Not that you care.

I am speaking the truth though.

It is the will of GOD for all creation to come to know and abide by what it was formed for.

In those cases of sincere humble selfless prayer, ones prayer is not only heard but answered. GOD is subtle yet all pervading, even so, you can get actual signs and evidences of ones own prayers being heard through all types of experiences.

Just my opinion; don't go thinking I insist all must do as I do or even listen to me

Yet still, my faith is not of me but was given to me, and the things I speak are not wholly the things I do. I am a low hypocrite at times for now.
peace

[Mike Cl]

Isn't that odd how that works.  Idiots like Pops say there is no random chance or coincidence.  But then they deny that is what they mean.  So, my 3 yr. old grandson deserved the brain caner he got--or received from his own personal loving god.  All of the babies born deformed or diseased received only what they deserved since that was not a random act.  But if I were to sincerely, and correctly pray, then my prayer would be acted upon by my own personal loving god.  They would insist that cancer or any disease was a gift from god; yet if anything good happens, then that is a gift from god.  These people are not only ignorant, but stupid beyond belief.

[popsthebuilder]

Isn't that odd how that works.  Idiots like Pops say there is no random chance or coincidence.  But then they deny that is what they mean.  So, my 3 yr. old grandson deserved the brain caner he got--or received from his own personal loving god.  All of the babies born deformed or diseased received only what they deserved since that was not a random act.  But if I were to sincerely, and correctly pray, then my prayer would be acted upon by my own personal loving god.  They would insist that cancer or any disease was a gift from god; yet if anything good happens, then that is a gift from god.  These people are not only ignorant, but stupid beyond belief.

No jack ass, I insist that cancer could have been negated long ago, along with starvation, overpopulation, environmental dangers, diseases, hate/terror crimes, amebas/parasites and other things through the profitable equitable advancement of our species and life as a whole through wholly equitable and peaceable selfless means. Yet that isn't to say that death isn't part of life. But that seems too difficult a consent for you to grasp.

[Mike Cl]

No jack ass, I insist that cancer could have been negated long ago, along with starvation, overpopulation, environmental dangers, diseases, hate/terror crimes, amebas/parasites and other things through the profitable equitable advancement of our species and life as a whole through wholly equitable and peaceable selfless means. Yet that isn't to say that death isn't part of life. But that seems too difficult a consent for you to grasp.

The ever loving Pops, I see.  So, your god can keep babies from being deformed or diseased at birth, but he is too busy?  Humans too wicked (even tho your perfect god make them)?  Humans too impotent?  And since you 'insist' that caner could have been negated long ago, then that must be so.  God created the cancer cell and he can stop making the cancer cell if humans jump through the correct hoops?  In your world god, the ultimate good, the perfect, the just and merciful, created all, including humans.  Yet this world has not a single 'perfect' thing in it--and never has.  But you are simply too blind to really see the world; you are too busy in your own imagination; too wrapped up in your own ego of knowing this fictional god of yours.  Pity.

Death is part of life.  Wow!  I had not considered that!!  And I give my 'consent' for you to grasp the 'concept' of that idea, that reality.  Nature is the creation of your wonderful god.  But look at it semi-closely.  Death is for sure a feature of that, of nature, and it is the biggest, most self evident feature of that system, we call nature.  Everything has to eat another creature to survive--except plants.  Cruelty is a cornerstone of this system; nature cares not if you live or die; cares not how you die, only that you will.  Your god does not care how you die or when you die--babies die a second after birth all the time.  And you cannot say that god was sort of asleep when he designed nature, for plants clearly show that life does not need to feed off other life--minerals and sunlight will do just nicely.  So, he chose his system of nature for nonplants knowing just how cruel it was/is.  You, my idiot friend are so wrapped up in your fiction that you simply cannot see what is under your nose. 

[popsthebuilder]

The ever loving Pops, I see.  So, your god can keep babies from being deformed or diseased at birth, but he is too busy?  Humans too wicked (even tho your perfect god make them)?  Humans too impotent?  And since you 'insist' that caner could have been negated long ago, then that must be so.  God created the cancer cell and he can stop making the cancer cell if humans jump through the correct hoops?  In your world god, the ultimate good, the perfect, the just and merciful, created all, including humans.  Yet this world has not a single 'perfect' thing in it--and never has.  But you are simply too blind to really see the world; you are too busy in your own imagination; too wrapped up in your own ego of knowing this fictional god of yours.  Pity.

Death is part of life.  Wow!  I had not considered that!!  And I give my 'consent' for you to grasp the 'concept' of that idea, that reality.  Nature is the creation of your wonderful god.  But look at it semi-closely.  Death is for sure a feature of that, of nature, and it is the biggest, most self evident feature of that system, we call nature.  Everything has to eat another creature to survive--except plants.  Cruelty is a cornerstone of this system; nature cares not if you live or die; cares not how you die, only that you will.  Your god does not care how you die or when you die--babies die a second after birth all the time.  And you cannot say that god was sort of asleep when he designed nature, for plants clearly show that life does not need to feed off other life--minerals and sunlight will do just nicely.  So, he chose his system of nature for nonplants knowing just how cruel it was/is.  You, my idiot friend are so wrapped up in your fiction that you simply cannot see what is under your nose.

I'm sorry you find life so cruel. I used to as well and still do understand your sentiments. Surly the innocent who are taken away before this life is really realized are returned in there innocence and beauty to there benevolent origin or source. Energy doesn't die, and though I cannot prove it, it seems to me that the breath and or light of life is indeed some grand form of energy.

For those of use privy enough to witness this existence are tested throughout it, perhaps oblivious to us. The life of self isn't the thing to grasp for are attain to, but that giving of life and help to life as a whole regardless of circumstance or affliction.

I'm not dumb friend, but do admit that I see things wholly differently from the way I used to. Pessimism and moreso nihilistic views are wholly contrary to the benefit of any at all, including self.

peace

[Baruch]

Pops ... sorry you had to go there, but I understand suicidal thoughts, and people who have attempted and committed suicide ;-(  Glad you are still with us ;-)

"There is no such thing as chance or random" ... well there is in mathematics.  As far as I can tell however, everything in nature (other than mathematics) is pseudo-random.  So technically, nothing that happens to you or me, is completely due to chance, just do to complicated cause/effect that is beyond our ken.  Karma the Hindus call it.  Of course I consider this to be supernatural rather than natural, but one can take it as completely non-theistically, as some Buddhists and Hindus do.

A friend of mine, his dad passed away a week ago.  I am going to recite the 23rd Psalm for them, in Hebrew ... a surprise wake ... The Sleeper Must Awaken!  Muad Dib.  Why am I doing this ... my middle name is Son of Elijah ... and I do hear the small still voice, and that voice spoke to me before I went to breakfast this morning.  Of course nobody heard it, but I un-heard it ;-))

[popsthebuilder]

Pops ... sorry you had to go there, but I understand suicidal thoughts, and people who have attempted and committed suicide ;-(  Glad you are still with us ;-)

"There is no such thing as chance or random" ... well there is in mathematics.  As far as I can tell however, everything in nature (other than mathematics) is pseudo-random.  So technically, nothing that happens to you or me, is completely due to chance, just do to complicated cause/effect that is beyond our ken.  Karma the Hindus call it.  Of course I consider this to be supernatural rather than natural, but one can take it as completely non-theistically, as some Buddhists and Hindus do.

A friend of mine, his dad passed away a week ago.  I am going to recite the 23rd Psalm for them, in Hebrew ... a surprise wake ... The Sleeper Must Awaken!  Muad Dib.  Why am I doing this ... my middle name is Son of Elijah ... and I do hear the small still voice, and that voice spoke to me before I went to breakfast this morning.  Of course nobody heard it, but I un-heard it ;-))

Lovely.

My actual name was quite revealing when I actually looked into it.

It's good to hear your words of this sort, as sometimes I do wonder about your motives. I think that confusion is intentional on your part though and sort of a jest...Mostly harmless.

I wish you the best and hope that peace has come to your friends father and does come to your friend.

[Mike Cl]

I'm sorry you find life so cruel. I used to as well and still do understand your sentiments. Surly the innocent who are taken away before this life is really realized are returned in there innocence and beauty to there benevolent origin or source. Energy doesn't die, and though I cannot prove it, it seems to me that the breath and or light of life is indeed some grand form of energy.

For those of use privy enough to witness this existence are tested throughout it, perhaps oblivious to us. The life of self isn't the thing to grasp for are attain to, but that giving of life and help to life as a whole regardless of circumstance or affliction.

I'm not dumb friend, but do admit that I see things wholly differently from the way I used to. Pessimism and moreso nihilistic views are wholly contrary to the benefit of any at all, including self.

peace

Once again you demonstrate the understanding of an ant.  I do not find life cruel.  I do see the reality of it though.  Life can be and is often cruel whether or not you see it.  I was reflecting what your 'seeing' is not seeing.  You simply ignore that which you do not like or make up fictional niceties about it.  Your fictional system is totally bankrupt of meaning and content.  You are just too stupid to see it.

[popsthebuilder]

Once again you demonstrate the understanding of an ant.  I do not find life cruel.  I do see the reality of it though.  Life can be and is often cruel whether or not you see it.  I was reflecting what your 'seeing' is not seeing.  You simply ignore that which you do not like or make up fictional niceties about it.  Your fictional system is totally bankrupt of meaning and content.  You are just too stupid to see it.

Whatever makes you feel better buttercup

[Mike Cl]

Whatever makes you feel better buttercup

You have the 'feel better' fiction all to yourself.