Searching for GOD...

[Maeght]

On your second point, my faith would prevent me from using any reasoning which did not include God, because I know Him, I trust Him and I love Him.

Then you are not really using reasoning at all. Which is fine, so long as you don't try to argue as if you are - which is what you have been doing throughout.

[Nearly Sane]

Well he said "many occasions" and "often," so the answer to that one would have to be no, I assume.

I did ask if he keeps track of those prayers which are not answered or are answered in a way which he didn't want/intend as there are further questions after that, but so far he hasn't answered.

The Secret Diary of Alan Burns aged 61 and 4/5.


' 27th Feb Prayed to god to find lost cufflink. it's my favourite set, nothing so far but when I put on my jacket found a two pound coin, and three boiled sweets that I had forgotten about so that's probably an answer. Meanwhile next door's couple's baby got meningitis and there is a tsunami that hit Indonesia with 80, 000 dead. I wonder if my cufflink will turn up tomorrow.



28 th Feb - still no sign of cufflink but remembered that had parked car in towing zone last night, not sure why probably Satan got to me. Prayed to God and rushed off downtown in a taxi. Phew! Got there just in time. Towing lorry was reversing in to pick up car but it was so sunny that driver was slower than taxi. Jesus really is the light, I guess. Next door neighbours' baby apparently worse. Twenty migrants drowned, and Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinian children praying to the Satanic Allah on a beach by making sandcastles to worship it. Still no cufflink but the WiFi was working particularly fast this evening.


Feb 29th - well, I mean, wow, it's a whole extra bonus day, got up thanked the Lord and remembered that I may have forgotten to set the video to record the Christian network's series 'why animals are a bit shite' so Prayed, and went downstairs to check. Holy Jesus Murdoch, when I thought it was a one off, I must have pressed record series. Miracles keep happening to me
 And last night was the big episode 'Monkeys are just nothing like us!!!!'. Neighbours baby died. Really sad, if they invite me to the funeral, won't be able to wear cufflinks as that prayer one that the Big G has held off on'

[Shaker]

I laughed 

Top work, NS 

[SusanDoris]

NS

I smiled too - it was a clear summary of AB's views. It will be interesting to see if AB is able to actually read what you have written, rather than seeing it through a smoke screen via a distorting mirror.

[Rhiannon]

IIRC when Alan originally told us the story of the car parking miracle there was an angel involved.

Perhaps NS thought that'd be a piss-take too far.

[Nearly Sane]

IIRC when Alan originally told us the story of the car parking miracle there was an angel involved.

Perhaps NS thought that'd be a piss-take too far.

No, I tried to passenger side mirror that

[Khatru]

The Secret Diary of Alan Burns aged 61 and 4/5.


' 27th Feb Prayed to god to find lost cufflink. it's my favourite set, nothing so far but when I put on my jacket found a two pound coin, and three boiled sweets that I had forgotten about so that's probably an answer. Meanwhile next door's couple's baby got meningitis and there is a tsunami that hit Indonesia with 80, 000 dead. I wonder if my cufflink will turn up tomorrow.



28 th Feb - still no sign of cufflink but remembered that had parked car in towing zone last night, not sure why probably Satan got to me. Prayed to God and rushed off downtown in a taxi. Phew! Got there just in time. Towing lorry was reversing in to pick up car but it was so sunny that driver was slower than taxi. Jesus really is the light, I guess. Next door neighbours' baby apparently worse. Twenty migrants drowned, and Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinian children praying to the Satanic Allah on a beach by making sandcastles to worship it. Still no cufflink but the WiFi was working particularly fast this evening.


Feb 29th - well, I mean, wow, it's a whole extra bonus day, got up thanked the Lord and remembered that I may have forgotten to set the video to record the Christian network's series 'why animals are a bit shite' so Prayed, and went downstairs to check. Holy Jesus Murdoch, when I thought it was a one off, I must have pressed record series. Miracles keep happening to me
 And last night was the big episode 'Monkeys are just nothing like us!!!!'. Neighbours baby died. Really sad, if they invite me to the funeral, won't be able to wear cufflinks as that prayer one that the Big G has held off on'

Lol!  Now that was funny!

[Alan Burns]

Ns,

You got it totally wrong!

I am sixty four and a half 

[Sebastian Toe]

Ns,

You got it totally wrong!

I am sixty four and a half 

Maybe he was relating events of approx 3 years ago?

 

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Ns,

You got it totally wrong!

I am sixty four and a half 

Don't worry Alan....he won't be any happier for it.

[Alan Burns]

Then please pray for the elimination of bone cancer in children - how long do we wait for evidence you've succeeded?

My wife and I pray every day for cancer cures.

[Gordon]

My wife and I pray every day for cancer cures.

Super - given that a seemingly 'good' god would presumably agree that bone cancer in children would be worthy of neing eliminated, and also that an omni-god would know about this awful illness without you guys bring the matter to its attention, then either your god needs prayers first and you guys aren't doing it right, or there is nothing to be prayed to.

The latter seems to fit reality in that children still suffer and die from this awful illness.

[Shaker]

My wife and I pray every day for cancer cures.

Why waste your time? Do something useful, practical and worthwhile. Set up a £3 a month standing order. Clear out the loft and the garage and donate anything unwanted (but usable or recyclable) to charity; many charities want books, reasonable quality clothes and bric-a-brac. Have a car boot sale and give the proceeds to charity. Do a sponsored event - a walk or a swim or something of that kind - and get everybody you know well, know hardly at all and all points in between to sponsor you for as much brass as they can part with. Every little bit helps.

But for goodness' sake, don't think that getting down on your knees will help with curing cancer, because it won't. This wholly superfluous God you witter on about is clearly useless at doing anything about it - goodness only knows why you give it your time of day; only humans - kind, compassionate, clever humans - can. They're the ones who need your time and your support.

[Rhiannon]

My wife and I pray every day for cancer cures.

And hows that working?

Better yet, see if your God can't bypass 'cure' and go for 'no cancer in the first place'. Ok, so he'd only be putting right his earlier cock-up, but still...

[Shaker]

And hows that working?

Better yet, see if your God can't bypass 'cure' and go for 'no cancer in the first place'. Ok, so he'd only be putting right his earlier cock-up, but still...

So many of the things that the theists pray for seem to be about no more than rectifying a cock-up that their deity, on the traditional view of its attributes at any rate, couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't have made in the first instance - a cure for the cancer that a traditional omnimax god wouldn't have caused to begin with being a prime example of this. Curiouser and curiouser said Alice.

[Sebastian Toe]

My wife and I pray every day for cancer cures.

Stick to asking to find lost cuff-links, you seem to get a higher hit rate!

[SweetPea]

Ns,

You got it totally wrong!

I am sixty four and a half 

Hey, Alan..... how goes it? Still holding your own, I see....

[Shaker]

Hey, Alan..... how goes it? Still holding your own, I see....

You must be referring to a different Alan.

The one I thought we were talking about - Alan Burns - is whupped like a ginger stepchild on a near-daily basis and still keeps coming back for more.

[SweetPea]

You must be referring to a different Alan.

The one I thought we were talking about - Alan Burns - is whupped like a ginger stepchild on a near-daily basis and still keeps coming back for more.

Takes some courage!

[Alan Burns]

It would seem that a predominant argument against the existence of God is that if God did exist, He would ensure that His people would be free from such things as natural disasters, diseases, pain and suffering.  This argument presumes that our idea of "goodness" would be better that God's if He allows such things to happen.  Yet if God made us, He must also have given us this idea of "goodness".

So we have this knowledge that things could be much better than they are - an idea of utopia which we yearn for, but which we know does not exist on this planet.  Can this vision really be generated from the deterministic chemical reactions in our brains, or is it a desire built in to the very heart of our conscious awareness, our soul.  If God does exist, surely He would not allow such a desire to prevail within us if it could not be fulfilled. 

The message of the Bible tells us that this desire can be fulfilled, but it is not as easy as we would like it to be.  It can be fulfilled in Heaven if we accept Jesus as our saviour.

So the devil twists our desire for heaven into a reason for rejecting God by suggesting to us that: "If God is so good and powerful,why can He not do this on earth?".  It is the same argument used to mock Jesus on the cross by those who said "If he could save others, why can't he save himself"

[Sebastian Toe]

So the devil twists our desire for heaven into a reason for rejecting God by suggesting

..how does he do that exactly?

[Gordon]

So the devil twists our desire for heaven into a reason for rejecting God by suggesting to us that: "why can He not do this on earth?".  It is the same argument used to mock Jesus on the cross by those who said "If he could save others, why can't he save himself"

Nope - God is rejected because there are no good reasons to accept it as a serious proposition.

[wigginhall]

AB wrote:

So the devil twists our desire for heaven into a reason for rejecting God by suggesting to us that: "why can He not do this on earth?".  It is the same argument used to mock Jesus on the cross by those who said "If he could save others, why can't he save himself"

Hold on, are you saying that posters here are being twisted by the devil?  I suppose if you are losing the argument, it's one way out. 

[Alan Burns]

Takes some courage!

Thanks, Sweets 

[Alan Burns]

Hold on, are you saying that posters here are being twisted by the devil?  I suppose if you are losing the argument, it's one way out.

But I am not trying to win an argument.  I am trying to spread the Good News.  I would hope that even though they are rejected now, some of the messages I send might provide food for thought in later life