RiseUp! discussion

This is marked serious discussion because it is a serious discussion. Please treat it as such.

Please pray for our nation.

Seriously....

Ok. Hypothetical but realistic scenario.

30 people have a rugby final the next day. It has been good, hot weather recently and they pray that it continues and is sunny the next day for the match.

Nearby, farmers are lamenting. The hot weather and lack of rainfall is killing their crops. They pray for rain to increase their yield.

What happens?

But surely an omnipotent and omnibenelovent god would be forced - by merit of all-loving-ness - to accommodate both. Correct me if I'm wrong, I merely hypothesise.

See, but the thing is, God gave us dominion over the earth. He gave us and free will. (otherwise we would be mindless slaves) I think a large part of our prayer has to do with our believe. We have to actually believe something will happen, and trust God to do it. If someone needs something and just prays to God, maybe for rain, they have to really believe and trust God. It takes faith. God loves us, but I don't think he controls every aspect of our lives.

Going down a metaphorical rabbit-hole...
Where does faith come from, initially. Right at the start. Why do some people get it, and some not?

But the question is why. Why do you have faith - why do two million (billion???) Christians have faith - and the rest of us don't.

I posted on the others as well.

Biblical definition of faith. From Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"

I'm not going to say all, but the majority of atheists do not believe in "the unseen". They believe in what's scientifically quantifiable and nothing else.

Yes, but before I even decided I was an atheist, as a child, I still had pretty much no faith, and knew people who did. Why is there a difference?

The Phantom wrote: "Yes, but before I even decided I was an atheist, as a child, I still had pretty much no faith, and knew people who did. Why is there a difference?"

It's how you're grown up possibly.

I was brought up to have the choice. I experienced both options. I used to go to church relatively regularly. An old friend of mine was the padre's son. I know more about the bible than most "Christians" I know. Yet, for some great unknown reason, it never in any way appealed to me.

" Faith is a gift from God."

Then God is rather selective with who he gives it to.

The Phantom wrote: "" Faith is a gift from God."

Then God is rather selective with who he gives it to."

You know, you CAN always pray to him and ask him to give the gift of Faith to you. Really, believing in God doesn't have to be a trial like so many make it out to be. It does take hard work and courage but trust in God helps.

I've said this before. I can no more humble myself and pray to God than you could to Allah. And, no matter how much you tell me, my brain is programmed without God as a component. I can't trust in God, because I see no grounds to trust in something I can't see, hear, smell, touch or experience in any way other than through the words of people who are probably quite a bit less intelligent than Stephen Hawking, who share's my views.

Well then I guess you can't get faith. The only true way to get spiritual faith is to believe in God. Unless you're talking about earthly faith, then there are probably several ways. I personally find that spiritual faith helps more, but to each their own. Have a good day

I will.