If there could be a God, couldn't people experience him?

[Man of Faith]

Most atheists or nonbelievers will admit that there could be a God, they just don't see any evidence for him or her. If there could be a God, then couldn't people experience him and if they do experience him, couldn't they know it?

 

[sojourner]

People experience God all the time.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Most atheists or nonbelievers will admit that there could be a God, they just don't see any evidence for him or her. If there could be a God, then couldn't people experience him and if they do experience him, couldn't they know it?

Sure, and I could win Powerball next week.

 

[El_Majusi]

I don't know if "normal" people can experience God. I just know that the Prophet (Zarathushtra) experienced It many times and people felt he experienced It at his sight and while speaking with him. Some people, like Sufis, etc. claim they experience God, and, sincerely, I think it is maybe possible. I speak of a mystical experience, of course, during which God communicates with the person, and enters in the person, and the person know It, through deep insight. I do not speak of things that make us experience an earthly part of God, like prayers etc.

 

[Man of Faith]

Great, I'm getting positive responses. That's three that agree that people can experience God if there was a God or they aren't sure. In other words, evangelicals could be right.

 

[Sweetly_Broken]

Most atheists or nonbelievers will admit that there could be a God, they just don't see any evidence for him or her. If there could be a God, then couldn't people experience him and if they do experience him, couldn't they know it?

I know you can experience him.

Example, my wife couldn't have kids, we prayed many years for kids (actually that his will be done regarding kids for us). My father in-law had a dream. In that dream God told him to ask us that if he would give us the child of his heart, would we consider the child God's Grace (unmerited favor). We said yes. He had another dream where God told him "would we name our child Grace". No one in our family is named Grace, and no one would have ever considered naming our child Grace. Also, God stated the gender of the child by stating the name would be Grace.

5 years had passed after those dreams. My wife went to a womens conference and had a vision that she would have Grace by next years women's conference. She didn't tell anyone, but was told by someone else just after the conference that she would have a child by the following year. A few weeks later, she conceived after 12 years of marriage, and we had a girl a year later (no birth hormones). What's even stranger is that normally they have the womens conference in August. Our child was due on July 22nd. They moved the conference to July 1st, which meant that there was probably no way that she could make the conference. However, she ended up having our baby 1 month pre-mature (June 22nd) which fulfilled the prophecy that "she would have our child by next years women's conference". She went to the conference with our new healthy baby and shared her testimony. There's more to it than that, but it was a pretty amazing thing. People can say it's all chance, but I know it wasn't. The odds are extremely low of this happening all together.

He definitely shows his presence and evidence. IMO, you just have to look and be open minded.

 

[Willamena]

Most atheists or nonbelievers will admit that there could be a God, they just don't see any evidence for him or her. If there could be a God, then couldn't people experience him and if they do experience him, couldn't they know it?

What is "God"? If God is the creator, then isn't "he" present in "his" entire creation? Then the question would be, when don't we experience God.

 

[El_Majusi]

Sweetly Broken: when your father-in-law dreamed he saw God, what did he see? Was it precise or naught, or an old man or what? The same question I ask concerning the vision of your wife.
May your child be happy, and may she live long and be a shining sun for everyone.

 

[Sweetly_Broken]

Sweetly Broken: when your father-in-law dreamed he saw God, what did he see? Was it precise or naught, or an old man or what? The same question I ask concerning the vision of your wife.
May your child be happy, and may she live long and be a shining sun for everyone.

Sorry. Not actually a vision of God but a voice of God. At least that's what I think he said. I never thought to ask him that question. Good idea . I'll ask him next time I see him. I'd be interested to know myself. I do know that my wife didn't see God. She just heard a voice in her head during prayer at the womens conference.

Me being the doubting Thomas didn't fully believe that she was going to have a kid until I saw the sonogram and even still, I didn't believe it was going to be a girl until the day she was born, even after we were told by the doctor that she was a girl. We tried many many times over the years, which don't get me wrong was good practice , but were frustrated not to have kids.

Oh, and thanks for the well wishes.

 

[El_Majusi]

Thank you for your answer, Sweetly Broken. It's good to know.

 

[gnomon]

It all depends upon definition.

A pantheistic view would say we are experiencing God constantly. A convenient definition.

Monotheistic views do not imply this. A separate, singular entity with the limitless power as often defined in monotheism could conceivably separate itself from it's creation.

In fact, when it comes to the multiple definitions and characteristics we know of describing all the known mythical concepts of God through human history the only reasonable answer is.........anything's possible.

But the statement that if God exists than we must be able to perceive this existence is not necessarily so.

 

[rusra02]

Most atheists or nonbelievers will admit that there could be a God, they just don't see any evidence for him or her. If there could be a God, then couldn't people experience him and if they do experience him, couldn't they know it?

How does one experience another? By sight? The true God is a Spirit and cannot be seen visibly. The Creator of billions of galaxies is too powerful to be seen by humans. The experience would kill us. Just looking at the Sun for more than a short time can damage our vision.
Still we can experience God by coming to know him. We experience people long dead by learning about them, their personalities, deeds, and what they produced. Just so, we can learn about the true God by his deeds and works. "[God's] invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world's creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and godship, so that they [those who deny God] are inexcusable." (Romans 1:20)
Further, God has made himself known through his Word, the Bible. There we get answers to questions that have plagued men for centuries. Who are we, and why are we, and why do we suffer and die? What is the purpose of life?
The Bible urges us to "Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you." (James 4:8) We experience God's love and concern for us as we learn more about him. He draws close to us and listens and responds to our prayers. (Psalms 62:8) He acts in our behalf and pours out his holy spirit or active force upon us. (Luke 11:13) Thus, although we cannot literally feel, see, touch, or hear God, we experience his love and kindness toward us. We see convincing evidence of his Godship all around us. He becomes our loving Father and we are drawn close to him in intimate friendship.

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[tumbleweed41]

Most atheists or nonbelievers will admit that there could be a God, they just don't see any evidence for him or her. If there could be a God, then couldn't people experience him and if they do experience him, couldn't they know it?

I assume we are speaking of the Christian God.
What exactly do you mean by experience God?

 

[Man of Faith]

I know you can experience him.

Example, my wife couldn't have kids, we prayed many years for kids (actually that his will be done regarding kids for us). My father in-law had a dream. In that dream God told him to ask us that if he would give us the child of his heart, would we consider the child God's Grace (unmerited favor). We said yes. He had another dream where God told him "would we name our child Grace". No one in our family is named Grace, and no one would have ever considered naming our child Grace. Also, God stated the gender of the child by stating the name would be Grace.

5 years had passed after those dreams. My wife went to a womens conference and had a vision that she would have Grace by next years women's conference. She didn't tell anyone, but was told by someone else just after the conference that she would have a child by the following year. A few weeks later, she conceived after 12 years of marriage, and we had a girl a year later (no birth hormones). What's even stranger is that normally they have the womens conference in August. Our child was due on July 22nd. They moved the conference to July 1st, which meant that there was probably no way that she could make the conference. However, she ended up having our baby 1 month pre-mature (June 22nd) which fulfilled the prophecy that "she would have our child by next years women's conference". She went to the conference with our new healthy baby and shared her testimony. There's more to it than that, but it was a pretty amazing thing. People can say it's all chance, but I know it wasn't. The odds are extremely low of this happening all together.

He definitely shows his presence and evidence. IMO, you just have to look and be open minded.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Man of Faith]

What is "God"? If God is the creator, then isn't "he" present in "his" entire creation? Then the question would be, when don't we experience God.

This post isn't trying to determine what or who God is, just to ask if there is a God couldn't people experience him or her. People say God is a lot of different things and describe him or her in different ways. Some claim to have experiences with him and claim to know that they have had those experiences by being changed, through an unknown, undetermined or supernatural way.

You bring up a good question though that I ask myself whenever I hear an atheist and nonbeliever say that they see no evidence for God, what do they think about the world and themselves? If there is a God and they admit that there could be a God, then they themselves and the world are their own evidence for God that they say they don’t see.

 

[Man of Faith]

It all depends upon definition.

A pantheistic view would say we are experiencing God constantly. A convenient definition.

Monotheistic views do not imply this. A separate, singular entity with the limitless power as often defined in monotheism could conceivably separate itself from it's creation.

In fact, when it comes to the multiple definitions and characteristics we know of describing all the known mythical concepts of God through human history the only reasonable answer is.........anything's possible.

But the statement that if God exists than we must be able to perceive this existence is not necessarily so.

I'm not trying to imply that we must experience God, but that if there is a God couldn't he be experienced? Lot's of people claim to experience God so isn't it possible that they are? And some people claim not to experience God and I am willing to admit that is true.

 

[Tristesse]

I'm not trying to imply that we must experience God, but that if there is a God couldn't he be experienced? Lot's of people claim to experience God so isn't it possible that they are? And some people claim not to experience God and I am willing to admit that is true.

A lot of people claim to experience alien abductions. Does this mean that they are correct in what they have experienced? Personal experience is not evidence for anyone other than the person who experienced it. The main reason for this, is because the mind is easily fooled.

 

[DavyCrocket2003]

In other words, evangelicals could be right.

Doesn't that attitude sort of contradict what you're trying to accomplish?

 

[Man of Faith]

I assume we are speaking of the Christian God.
What exactly do you mean by experience God?

I'm not necessarily talking about the Christian God, any God will do for this conversation. We can talk about the Christian God if you want to. However when atheists say that there could be a God, I don't think they are necessarily referring to the Christian God, because they also say that the Bible is a bunch of made up stories. I can’t necessarily say which God we should talk about or which one atheists refer to when they say that there could be a God.

Concerning experiencing God, I’m also not necessarily taking about the Christian experience, however we can talk about that if you like. If others claim to have some kind of experience with God we can talk about that also. With this post I am open to any experience that people say they had with God, or not. My point is if there is a God, whoever the God is, couldn’t people experience him or her and couldn’t they know it when they do?

 

[heretic]

I liked the story of sweety_broken very much , I once saw jesus in a dream , I was very happy to see him .

otherwise I'd like to experience God in everything around me , through my prayers , supplications, at work , in talking to my friends ,my family . when I play with my son .
and even when I smell a flower .

evoking God in everything I face makes my life with more hope and relief , experiencing God starts with the desire in the heart to see God , and this leads to all sorts of experiences