god just never listens...or replies

C

charles cure

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from cnn.com

Letters to God Found Dumped Off New Jersey Coast

"ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) -- Some of the letters are comical (a man asking God to let him win the lottery, twice), others are heartbreaking (a distraught teen asking forgiveness for an abortion, an unwed mother pleading with God to make the baby's father marry her).

The letters -- about 300 in all, sent to a New Jersey minister -- ended up dumped in the ocean, most of them unopened."

[MORE]

"Lacovara said he is sad that most of the writers never had their letters read. But he hopes to change that soon: He is putting the collection up for sale on eBay."



fools.
 
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seriously, poetry aside - did these people really think their letters would reach god or that god would do something about it? if they didn't, and were writing just to vent or feel better, why not just address it to No One. they could have gotten the same result. why do people do this kind of thing, are they really that stupid, or just really naive and hopeful? how does an occurance like this not diminish a believers faith in at least the goodness and caring of church officials, if not god itself?
 
charles cure said:
seriously, poetry aside - did these people really think their letters would reach god or that god would do something about it? if they didn't, and were writing just to vent or feel better, why not just address it to No One. they could have gotten the same result. why do people do this kind of thing, are they really that stupid, or just really naive and hopeful? how does an occurance like this not diminish a believers faith in at least the goodness and caring of church officials, if not god itself?
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Ok admitted - most people approach god for stupid things - but what would be required for you to acknowledge that god did or did not respond to a letter? Fingerprints?

In other words are you simply operating out of the generic atheistic foundation that "god doesn't exist" due to an absence of "evidence"?
 
lightgigantic,

Assuming people deny the "evidence" given by the five basic senses a person usually has, how are we to know that a god exists?
 
original said:
lightgigantic,

Assuming we deny the "evidence" given by the five basic senses a person usually has, how are we to know that a god exists?
Click to expand...
How do we determine about the nature of anything that is beyond our 5 senses?

Like for instance do you believe an electron exists? How, because you have never seen one (even if you are a physicist you have never seen an electron).

How about the president of the united states - has he ever came into the direct purview of your 5 senses?
 
God doesn't listen nor care nor can he reply. Your prayers are just like talking to an imaginary friend. However, if you pray as described by Jesus, then that is different will allow you to fulfill any desire.
 
VitalOne said:
God doesn't listen nor care nor can he reply. Your prayers are just like talking to an imaginary friend. However, if you pray as described by Jesus, then that is different will allow you to fulfill any desire.
Click to expand...
I'm not exactly familiar with this, how did Jesus say to pray?


Maybe writing out the prayers was just a sentiment or a psychological exercise in expression; to get it out on paper can sometimes be very relieving. To me it seems unlikely that they actual thought it was going to go to heaven but then I could also have an outlandish faith in the intelligence of these strangers.
When I was a little girl i wrote out my prayers not intending them to be picked up by God and then watched them wash down a river... I liked the concept and the visual but I knew it wasn't going anywhere and might never be answered (not in any tangible way, anyways).
 
How do we determine about the nature of anything that is beyond our 5 senses?
Click to expand...

That is my question to you. You recently said,
"In other words are you simply operating out of the generic atheistic foundation that "god doesn't exist" due to an absence of "evidence"?
Click to expand...
With no "evidence" of an omnipotent omniscient being, how do you determine if god exists?

As for the electron and the President of the United States, there is evidence that both of these things exist.

I have the answer.
 
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original said:
That is my question to you. You recently said,
With no "evidence" of an omnipotent omniscient being, how do you determine if god exists?

As for the electron and the President of the United States, there is evidence that both of these things exist.

I have the answer.
Click to expand...

What's the answer?

Wanting someone to present evidence of God (to you) would probably lead to trouble. Do you know what your looking for?
 
That's a tough one, isn't it? Evidence of God won't give you a reason.
 
original said:
That is my question to you. You recently said,
With no "evidence" of an omnipotent omniscient being, how do you determine if god exists?

As for the electron and the President of the United States, there is evidence that both of these things exist.

I have the answer.
Click to expand...

Unless the president has personally come to your house for dinner and also unelss you have access to some method of perceiving electrons not available to contemporary physicists, you have not perceived the evidence fo r these things with your 5 senses
 
Yet another complete and utter nonsensical argument of postmodernist B.S.

The evidence for these things does enter the "5 senses" by proxy. There are those that have observed each, moreover each is capable of being observed by the individual, whereas your silly sky-god is not. Religious nutters have made this argument ad nauseum and its been refuted time and again. The argument is flawed because the person making the argument picks something obscure or unlikely to have been directly observed by the individual such as an electron and the President and then claiming this is evidence of perception other than observational.

This is pure poppycock since both the electron and the President are observable and have definite characteristics and attributes that are testable and give rise to prediction. Something that religious superstitions CANNOT lay claim to. None, absolutely NONE of the superstitious mumbu jumbo that LightG. has double-talked in this forum has any basis in reality such that it offers any prediction or testability. What's the predictive nature of "disciplic succession," "transcendental phenomena," or any of the other made up, pseudo-intellectual B.S. you've presented in this forum?
 
lightgigantic said:
Ok admitted - most people approach god for stupid things - but what would be required for you to acknowledge that god did or did not respond to a letter? Fingerprints?
Click to expand...

Whether or not God exists is not the issue.
Writing him a letter and giving to a pastor, expecting the Pastor to somehow forward the pieces of paper onto God is the imbecilic thing that was done.

Does the pastor have God's address somewhere up in the North Pole?
Whether or not it is naive to believe in God is not at issue, whether ot not it is naive to write him letters and think you have to give those letters to a human being in order for God to read them IS.


xandrique said:
I'm not exactly familiar with this, how did Jesus say to pray?
Click to expand...

<i><b>NIV Matthew</b> 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.</i>
 
rjr6 said:
Wanting someone to present evidence of God (to you) would probably lead to trouble. Do you know what your looking for?
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What makes you think theists know what they're looking for either? I think we all have experiences (especially as children) of having deep belief in things that exist only in your imagination. So I know all too well what it takes to believe in god.
 
xandrique said:
I'm not exactly familiar with this, how did Jesus say to pray?


Maybe writing out the prayers was just a sentiment or a psychological exercise in expression; to get it out on paper can sometimes be very relieving. To me it seems unlikely that they actual thought it was going to go to heaven but then I could also have an outlandish faith in the intelligence of these strangers.
When I was a little girl i wrote out my prayers not intending them to be picked up by God and then watched them wash down a river... I liked the concept and the visual but I knew it wasn't going anywhere and might never be answered (not in any tangible way, anyways).
Click to expand...

Here's how Jesus describes how to fulfill any desire:
"Therefore I say unto you , What things soever ye desire, when ye pray , believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" - Mark 11:24

In other words, imagine already having what you desire.
 
one raven

Originally Posted by lightgigantic
Ok admitted - most people approach god for stupid things - but what would be required for you to acknowledge that god did or did not respond to a letter? Fingerprints? ”

Whether or not God exists is not the issue.
Writing him a letter and giving to a pastor, expecting the Pastor to somehow forward the pieces of paper onto God is the imbecilic thing that was done.

Does the pastor have God's address somewhere up in the North Pole?
Whether or not it is naive to believe in God is not at issue, whether ot not it is naive to write him letters and think you have to give those letters to a human being in order for God to read them IS.
Click to expand...

Sometimes there are devices in theistic practices that exist to evoke the correct mood/attitude/concentration of the practioner.

Like for instance a rich person donates something to a religious instituition (that utilizes it in the service of god - ie doing gods work) - it is not that god required the rich mans assistance - its not even that god requires people to work for him..... in other words god doesn't "benefit" from such acts. But it is the practioner that benefits from such acts - like for instance if a rich man throws $5 forward it means he couldn't care less - if he steps forward with plans to redesign the interior etc then he naturally exhibits more care and attention to his meditation on god (simply because he is innvolved more) - this is the nature of sacrifice (and all sacrifice culminates in knowledge, that is it is perfected not simply by becoming concerned about temple architecture but by becoming attentive to the activities of the temple - namely hearing)

So as regards to these people writing letters, as xandrique pointed out earlier, its not likely that these people were expecting the letters to wind up in god's inbox - it is a device to help people develop and hone the right attitude towards god and also a means to focus on what they conceive (whether it is a true conception or not is a seperate issue ....) as the most essential need of their life.

As for the minister, its that such persons are supposed to be representatives of god - in conditioned life we have no scope of the transcendental so in practically all faiths there is some representation/indication of the absolute for people to focus on (like for instance they go to church to hear the pastor speak about god - they may also hear the fruitseller talk about god too, but they are not on the same platform (at least if the pastor is actually qualified and doesn't live in the vicinity of exceptional fruit vendors) - just like there are numerous books available about god full of numerous ideas by numerous authors - but it is the essential scriptures of that faith that are accepted as authoratative)
 
lightgigantic said:
As for the minister, its that such persons are supposed to be representatives of god -
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exactly.. thats why all the theists give money to the church in some faint hope that god will do you a favor,whatever it may be.
the preachers are bunch of con men praying on the brainwashed ones
yeah YOU :D
IF there was god do you think she would need your fng $$$.??
how would those preachers deliver it anyways? :rolleyes:
you dudes are hillarious for falling for their rippof con game hook line and sinker,
 
scorpius said:
exactly.. thats why all the theists give money to the church in some faint hope that god will do you a favor,whatever it may be.
the preachers are bunch of con men praying on the brainwashed ones
yeah YOU :D
IF there was god do you think she would need your fng $$$.??
how would those preachers deliver it anyways? :rolleyes:
you dudes are hillarious for falling for their rippof con game hook line and sinker,
Click to expand...
I think in your atheistic fervour of mouth spittling ectstasy my post might have become illegible - try reading it again with a mouth guard

:D

It appears that you are contending one raven's initial statement that the issue is not whether god exists or not
 
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