I used to think that if i were to join all religions...and i do mean all...that id probably get at least one right...lol...
I found that the search for and knowing God is not confined to a religion. God is not constrained to what and how we think of him as, and especially not to what someone else has to say about him.
You don't depend on someone else's opinion if you want to get to know someone, what more God?

Absurd, how so?
Even people, governments, societies have absurdities, constrictions, immoral behavior...doesnt make any of it untrue, or unreal or unbelievable...? Doesnt even make it unacceptable, i think..



What kind of evidence are you looking for?



I think God is mostly just used as a scapegoat for both ends...
If someone were to do something as evil in the name of a god they believe in, but in reality only wanted to advance themselves...How is it different from someone who does something good in the name of a god, but in reality, suffers for it?
Is the existence of God dependent on what other people do?


This is true if your concept of God is one that hinges solely on science.



I agree, it is a mix of both.
Some who were raised without learning any measure of faith in God, can eventually find him after all, God-willing.



His assumption actually removes personal accountability. Seems selfish and childish to be one sided and to put all the blame on God for something Matt chose on his own.
Kinda like how kids sometimes tell their parents " if i am important to you, then you should do ____ to convince me, otherwise you are just full of it and there is no reason for me to believe you anymore "
Same reasoning with some toxic relationships..." If you love me, you'd do ___ to prove it "

So no matter what he does, if you dont want to believe or acknowledge it, nothing he does will ever convince you anyways...?

You are equating religion with God?

Where indeed, is the poet? Is the man? Where does one end and the other begin? How did our creator contrive the melding and the separation of our being, just as we so do with our own inner reflections put into trifle words?

Thank you tommy.

What you have posted is nothing offensive. There is nothing to be apologetic for.
God is God.
We, people are just people.
The recognition of such, is true wisdom, just as confidence in ignorance is true bliss.

and there was light...and he separated light from the darkness...and there was evening, and there was morning...

It takes a lot more courage to let something go than it does to hang on to it, trying to make it better. Letting go doesn't mean ignoring a situation. Letting go means accepting what is, exactly as it is, without fear, resistance, or a struggle for control. Letting go means standing still and letting the world, or a piece of it, crumble at your feet while saying to yourself, "Mmmm, that's interesting!"

Finding the Courage to Let Go of the Familiar and Make a Change

By Mary Beth Owen

'Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.' ~Raymond Lindquist

I’ve been processing my beliefs on courage since I turned 31.

When I was in my 20s and teens, my idea of courage was that you fight until the death, never give up, be the one to say the last word, and always, always prove your point. And yet, I spent most of those years feeling unseen and unheard by my family and friends.

I felt completely isolated and exhausted, yet I wasn’t expressing these feelings. (Not to say I hold regret; in my journey I had to seek and exhaust what didn’t work before fumbling my way to what could.)

On the day of my 30th birthday, I found myself stuck in an unsatisfying four-year relationship, feeling so much pain, but I lacked the strength to move on. During those four years, I felt more and more isolated.

Some research suggests that isolation is the most terrifying and destructive feeling a person can endure.

In their book The Healing Connection, Jean Baker Miller and Irene Pierce Stiver define isolation as 'a feeling that one is locked out of the possibility of human connection and of being powerless to change the situation.'

I felt I had lost my self-respect and power, and that made me feel trapped and ashamed. As painful as it was to feel that way, it also felt familiar and comfortable. I was drowning with no life raft, holding my own head underwater.

Part of me was staying because I didn't believe I would feel worthy or complete until I saved my then-boyfriend and the relationship.

At the same time, I wasn't voicing my needs or feelings. I was expecting and depending on someone else to change instead of changing myself.

Perhaps this is the gift when relationships don't work out: We learn where we are not loving or accepting ourselves. Relationships bring to light the wounds we have yet to heal. For that, I am grateful.

Once I recognized that the relationship had served a divine purpose—that the experience had happened for me, not to me—I was able to move on.

I've learned that the experience of shame traps us in self-defeating cycles; we feel unworthy and powerlessness to change our life conditions.

It also prevents us from seeing and representing our authentic selves. Then instead of airing it out and clearing the water, we muddy it further by keeping it all inside.

Familiarity can be more comforting than the uncertainty of what will happen after we let go and jump into the abyss, but we have to ask ourselves what we value more: comfort or growth?

Richard Schaub wrote, 'Surrender is an active decision, an act of strength and courage, with serenity as its reward.'

Perhaps courage, for me, meant not hanging on and pushing through, but accepting the hurt, surrendering the need for certainty, and making the active choice to break the silence and begin clearing up the water.

I have learned that as unique as our stories may be, we all struggle with the same fundamental fears and we all lose our belief in ourselves. We all feel alone and isolated at times, and that leaves us feeling powerless.

When we get stuck in toxic behaviors and relationships and we feel trapped in this vicious cycle, we need to ask ourselves, 'What do we stand to lose by not changing?'

For me, I stood to lose my authentic self, my integrity, my spirit, and the opportunity to live my best life.

It takes courage to be completely honest with ourselves about what's keeping us stuck.

It took courage for me to accept that I was staying in an unsatisfying relationship because it was familiar, and even harder to acknowledge the shame and unworthiness I felt for being too scared to face the truth.

To feel worthy and take control back, I first needed to feel accepted and connected.

Sharing my story helped with that, and helped me release my shame. Shame and fear can hide in silence, but have a hard time lingering around when shared in a loving space.

When we don't tell our stories, we miss the opportunity to experience empathy and move from isolation to connection. Breaking the cycle ultimately means breaking the silence.

To begin my healing, I started by cultivating a loving space within myself.
To do that, we need to recognize that the pain of staying the same is greater that the risk of making a change, and it’s worth facing the fear of uncertainty.

Who knows what the future holds, and perhaps that is part of the beauty of life. Each moment is fresh and new and maybe, just maybe, that’s what makes it so precious.

the key words are "sincerity" and "reciprocation"

due to popular demand

"Owner Of A Lonely Heart"

Move yourself
You always live your life
Never thinking of the future
Prove yourself
You are the move you make
Take your chances win or loser

See yourself
You are the steps you take
You and you - and that's the only way

Shake - shake yourself
You're every move you make
So the story goes

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than - a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart

Say - you don't want to chance it
You've been hurt so before

Watch it now
The eagle in the sky
How he dancin' one and only
You - lose yourself
No not for pity's sake
There's no real reason to be lonely
Be yourself
Give your free will a chance
You've got to want to succeed

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than - a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart

After my own decision
They confused me so
My love said never question your will at all
In the end you've got to go
Look before you leap
And don't you hesitate at all - no no
Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than - a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart
[repeat]

Owner of a lonely heart

Sooner or later each conclusion
Will decide the lonely heart
It will excite it will delight
It will give a better start

Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart

Don't deceive your free will at all
Don't deceive your free will at all
Don't deceive your free will at all
Just receive it

Owner of a lonely heart

AIEEEE!!!

Well...the right thing is subjective...
Not much you can do? Depends. Its a choice out of free will. You can either be active or passive.
And i dont see reason what 75 virgins will be doing in heaven waiting for some dude...lol...i really dont see any point to it.

Which is why i also wonder about the reasons.

You would be so lucky for God to prove himself to you in the manner you choose and with an answer you find acceptable. It's not impossible...but you would be so lucky for that to happen.
I had it happen once, and only as a matter of personal acknowledgement of a series of unlikely events being as such. i still face everyday in a conflict with Him, and a choice to continue life with him or without him.
Maybe you should just challenge him. Seems like you have nothing else to lose by doing so, anyways.

What are you trying to say conrad?

As far as self-serving purposes can take it.

Do you find those reasons valid?