How well do you know God?

That's right, Roosevelt, but we only have an average of three score years and ten to figure out mankind. That just isn't long enough!

Arthur, I have peace of mind, hope and the will to Love in what I believe and you have the same in what you believe. That's all that really matters. I know God my way and you Know God your way. We've got all Eternity to figue God out anyway! LOL!

The only problem I find with your reasoning, Roosevelt, is that God is omnipotent and should be able to create non-polar positions. Since God is the creator and initiator, He presumably has the power to decide exactly what He creates. Just as an artist does not feel the need to make a horrendous mistake in a beautful picture, why would God be so feeble as to mar His whole creation? Good only needs evil if God set it up that way. As for the reference to weeping, this is so wrong that it hardly be

"Evil has its place in God's creation but I have not yet worked out what it is. It might be something as simple as a test for humanity or it could be the counterweight to keep "goodness" in its exhalted position." I find those suppositions about why there is evil very intriguing, Arthur. Your last supposition comes close to the Yin-Yang concept of Eastern philosphy, that all opposites are two sides of the same coin. Tall cannot exist without short, two sides of the same coin of "height", therefo

It might seem strange but i have come to entertain thoughts that in common parlance are classified as "conspiracy theories". These so called theories give me an opportunity to see different ideas.One theme that runs through them all is that they believe that our blood has been mixed with alien blood . In fact one individual: Michael Tsarion believes that " Evil" originates with the genetic manipulation of earthlings by the " "Nephilim" who were centered on the continent of Atlantis. I purchased

Hi, Zigortools, thanks or your "soul" insight. I can see that you feel as I do about the evil of the priests but my belief is tempered by a simple question. "Why did God create evil?" Most of us credit God with the creation of all things on Earth and yet many people speak of evil as if it just materialised of its own volition. Evil has its place in God's creation but I have not yet worked out what it is. It might be something as simple as a test for humanity or it could be the counterweight to k

If the desparaging of the sense of soul is in proximity to the hatred of " Protestantism" for "Catholicism" then it is in my opinion a misapplied association logically , theologically and also rationally because the word " Priest" giving meaning this way no more invalidates the existence of soul then saying " Protestantism" in its pursuit of imperialism and enslavement to work is a good indication for the non- existence of soul. Even Jefferson in his dislike of priests was in contradiction by hi

I use the word soul in reference to individuals who despite being victimized by evil remain good and fight for the light against the occult sorcerers who have invaded our planet and continue to try and enslave "our souls" by killing our sweet earth and us. My definition of someone who has soul= is the entity who brings life, light and righteousness into the world while nevertheless being shadowed by the evil duplicity of warlocks, sorcerers and there minions who wish to bring death, destructio

I use the soul to mean the life force itself unimpeded by Evil. But evil in fact does exist and man has no real explanation for it. Evil is damaging to the human soul because it is alien to that soul just as Protestantism although railing against priests managed to alienate humanity from nature and transfer the evil priests would do
to occult secular warlords i.e corporations. It doesn't matter what mask evil wears it is what it does. The bent of a culture to destroy the environment, murder

You are a modern day "Job", Arthur. I am awed by your stoicism in the face of such adversities. Whether you believe or not, you got "Soul". Thanks for sharing a little about your Life.

How well do I know God? I think that I know Him quite well. He has made my life a misery by inflicting my parents with major health problems, He has seen fit to allow three of my wives and two of my children to die. My health over the last 55 years has been grim. My eldest son is now going through hell on earth with his own major health concerns. Do I curse Him for this? No. I do not. I am pleased that He has set me up to be able to reduce the pain of other people. I believe that my pain has bee

It is gratifying to see that many people feel enough passion to join this discussion but it would be great to hear from more people not of the christian persuasion. I find it strange that the believers in God and Allah are probably the most beligerant and blood thirsty of all religious professions. I doubt that God really wants to be used as an excuse for massive slaughter but, as a vengeful and jealous God, is it possible that the wars fought in his name are a sort of reflection of or retributi

An interesting aspect, the soul, has been brought into the discussion. Once again, if we take the bible as reliable evidence we must assume that mankind has no soul. The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. Only priests and others wishing to profit talk about a man having a soul. Although the original creations might have been souls, there is no evidence that god intended that the progeny of those should also be souls.

I love "civil discourse". I love persons who don't see "eye to eye" with me. It would be a dull world if there was no diversity of belief, as I see it.

I really do appreciate these dio- logues. It says to me that someday all the righteous will be together.
The wheat germ is beginning to winnow from the shaft- behold. I agree that not all fundamentalists are extremists because i have seen such.I agree about the pharisees they have never left us. I also appreciate the kindness shown herein. It informs me about the nobility of heart.
Nobility as defined in its non- pejoritive, less rhetorical sense simply means "Magnaminity" the ideal being kin

Thank you Roosevelt, I wish I had seen that post before I responded, I was afraid from your response that you were thinking that the people on here were getting spiteful with each other. I am much relieved to learn otherwise.

@Zigortools: I agree, Jesus was totally a radical. But the pharisees were extremists. There is quite a significant difference. A radical person seeks change from the accepted norm. Most extremists seek to keep the status quo at all costs. Fundamentalists in any religion generally act in extreme fashion, although not always. I'm with you about appropriate reactions as well. Just let someone try to lay a finger on my wife or my children and you will certainly see a response.
@Roosevelt: I'

Gerry, you represent our Saviour Jesus very well, with love, tolerance and conviction. Zigortools, you represent the ethical humanists stance very well, with reason, tolerance and radicalism. Thanks for sharing both your perspectives of "knowing God". I appreciate you Franto for your in-your-face Realism. Nobody is going to be "converted" from this comment thread but I am enjoying it nonetheless. Thanks Arthur, for publishing this article.

Mr. Copenhaver,
I appreciate your acknowledgement of the inner reality necessary to experience the light to many folks get caught up in overemphasizing externals i.e. to much aggression, to much arrogance.
I think at some times some form of radicalism may be appropriate because oppressive situations may make them appropriate. For example, the American Revolution gave the average Joe more freedoom. Of course what has been done with this more freedoom is another story and not entirely the avera

The title of this article is, "How Well Do You Know God". All of you anti-religonists have attacked those of us who have come to know God primarily from the Bible and their personal and subjective encounter with Jesus Christ. As I see it, the study of Nature, science, philosophy, and other religions will also help us to "know God" but not as well as the 'myths" and stories of the Bible. Most of the Bible is "myth" in my understanding but those Biblical "myths" contain great Truths, particularly