Gambling with God

[miyako73]

Gambling with God


Five days in bed made me wonder about the existence of God. I was scared of dying and not knowing if there was an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent powerful entity up there who had a checklist of all my sins, faults, and misgivings. Believing in God is like Black Jack. I just can't bet all my chips unless I am sure I would get an exact twenty-one. It is also like Poker. What if everything is just a bluff or a lie? Are we just fooling our own selves?

In times of need, I convince myself that there is God out of fear that later I might find out He indeed exists. I don't want to miss out for not listening. The feeling will be like a lotto would-be winner I ignore after he tells me to put in a couple of bucks for the winning numbers he saw in his dream. I could not forgive myself for such stubborn stance against luck and chance. I simply want to believe that there is God because I am not sure if there is none.

Even a nymphomaniac has God to blame for her uncontrollable, surging libido. Some murderers point above for the inner voice that makes them bloodthirsty. I blame God for my unfortunate lot. He is a piñata for our anger, angst, and misery. We need Him when we cannot really find the cause of an effect. God becomes a placebo when we are sick. He is our imaginary friend when we are lonely. When we are abandoned, we find solace in the thought that from a distance, He is watching. God makes us feel good.

I want to believe in God because there are things I can't explain. I don't want my doubts to remain as such forever. I need to fear someone or something to put myself in a right place, where I am just a fraction of a dot in the universe. I also need God to talk to when I am alone crying or laughing. His silence is the answer to my question and His conversation. Maybe He really laughs with me with His hand covering His mouth. That's why He can't speak. Maybe He also cries with me. I just can't hear because my sobs are louder than His.

I need God because I am just human. I need to gamble with my destiny. I need to rise up beyond my arrogance.

[Charles Darnay]

So....you're Pascal?

I'm not criticizing you for believing in god or wanting to, it just seems like fear is not the best reason to. You shouldn't believe because there might be consequences if you don't, but rather, believe in god if you think that said belief will help you here and now.

[miyako73]

Fear is a wild reality of man. The easiest way of putting that reality in control is to believe in something. It is more intellectually creative to believe in God than in a force, a rock, or a tree.

[ShadowsCool]

Gambling with God
I need God because I am just human. I need to gamble with my destiny. I need to rise up beyond my arrogance.


Yes, because it's in our nature to feel a higher presence about us, except for those debased and evil. To them, they fear not God, for they don't believe in anything but their own belly.

If you don't feel you know God, you can get to know Him better, by privately confessing your issues before Him and asking for guidance. There are a number of ways you can become a better person through God. God is a person of understanding, wisdom, truth, light, and righteous judge of the world.

Another thing, if people can't pay respect by capitalizing His name, know where they are coming from.

[usman.khawar]

Gambling with God


Five days in bed made me wonder about the existence of God. I was scared of dying and not knowing if there was an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent powerful entity up there who had a checklist of all my sins, faults, and misgivings. Believing in God is like Black Jack. I just can't bet all my chips unless I am sure I would get an exact twenty-one. It is also like Poker. What if everything is just a bluff or a lie? Are we just fooling our own selves?

In times of need, I convince myself that there is God out of fear that later I might find out He indeed exists. I don't want to miss out for not listening. The feeling will be like a lotto would-be winner I ignore after he tells me to put in a couple of bucks for the winning numbers he saw in his dream. I could not forgive myself for such stubborn stance against luck and chance. I simply want to believe that there is God because I am not sure if there is none.

Even a nymphomaniac has God to blame for her uncontrollable, surging libido. Some murderers point above for the inner voice that makes them bloodthirsty. I blame God for my unfortunate lot. He is a piñata for our anger, angst, and misery. We need Him when we cannot really find the cause of an effect. God becomes a placebo when we are sick. He is our imaginary friend when we are lonely. When we are abandoned, we find solace in the thought that from a distance, He is watching. God makes us feel good.

I want to believe in God because there are things I can't explain. I don't want my doubts to remain as such forever. I need to fear someone or something to put myself in a right place, where I am just a fraction of a dot in the universe. I also need God to talk to when I am alone crying or laughing. His silence is the answer to my question and His conversation. Maybe He really laughs with me with His hand covering His mouth. That's why He can't speak. Maybe He also cries with me. I just can't hear because my sobs are louder than His.

I need God because I am just human. I need to gamble with my destiny. I need to rise up beyond my arrogance.

There is no gambling,just person should have bussiness mind.. gambling are for those who didnt find the answer of 1st basic question " is there any God or not" with some objective scientifc argument and for those who have solved it, its like a bussiness. everyone need God for peace and satisfaction of heart n mind. all question will be answered all doubts will be removed through knowledge. If you want to talk with God, remember Him, if you want that God talks with you, read His book, the actual knoweldge, about which He claimed that its all words, all sentences are Mine. He claimed that He will protect His last book till dooms day Himself. There is no error or contradiction, reasons and arguments are not ignored. Among so many scientific invention, some have become now LAW after 14 centuries and science is progressing towards rest of them. Not a single fact is wrong. i beleive this is good argument of God existence that there is not a single mistake He made in the book in which He claimed that its mine, its my last book and I'll protect it Myself. One can scientifically research on it.

Further, there is no need to fear God. There is only one kind of fear with God one can have who want to get closer to Him. Fear of losing Him. Fear of getting apart. One stop himself for the forbidden things just for this fear. there is no other scope of fear God. He is loving so Likes that if someone want to come towards Him, He should come with Love. No one can bear the fear of God almighty. we human cannot bear if a local police/cia or some gangs are behind us or to kill us. He is Lord of the universes who created time and space for specific time. who can bear His fear then?

If someone just understand a single fact, that he is given intellect to recogonize God, than there is nothing who can stop Him to get closer with God.
Our priorities in different ages can be different. when a person is at growing age, his 1st priority can be study, then job, then family, then honor or power. our mind is built in, in a way that its automatically arrange the priority. priorities of the day,month etc, if something happen strange its automatically gives the rearrangement of the prioirities. But, there is a priority of all life. one has to sit honestly for some time to manage this priority. the priority of whole life is God. God should be his/her priority. God is 1st priority of all life. To maintain this priority one need to have in the start, an argument. strong argument, which helps a person whenever he/she returns to revise his 1st priority. to maintain this priority one have to make a permanent relation of remembrance with God with His beautiful names no matter for it costs some minutes. but it should be permanent. for all day n night there should be sometime for His remembrance with love and affection. The biggest punish which God gives any human which i know with knoweldge, is that, God forget the person. leave him in this world in the hands of world. leave him in the lust of getting world only. He says you remember me i remember you. you forget me ,I forget you.
further He says , remember me with love n hope, affection little more than you do for any worldly thing or relation. He is Lord of everything in the universe, He dont like to be in lesser priority. One cannot get Him until understand this fact that God is 1st prioirty of all intellectual curosity of a whole life.

Then there remains only one thing, read yourself for the sake of Lord. recogonize yourself to recogonize Lord. read your thoughts, check them from where it comes. read ur instincts. when a person is on the bed, sick, self (packet of instincts) lose its power and grip on intellect. some basic intincts like food, sex, etc are weakened. God comes closer when self is away.

[BienvenuJDC]

Fear is the first reason to believe. Until you are able to get to know Him. Once one has seen Him, then the emotion turns from fear to love. Love is a better reason to seek Him.

[usman.khawar]

Fear is the first reason to believe. Until you are able to get to know Him. Once one has seen Him, then the emotion turns from fear to love. Love is a better reason to seek Him.

yes love is better to proceed towards Him. about ur 1st sentence " Fear is the first reason to beleive" its seems wrong coz fear is not any reason to beleive on Him,Fear is an emotion it may b a drive motive to proceed to recogonize Him , fear can b a drive emotion to find reasons and arguments about His existence. once u find arguments than ur beleive will b in the process of increasing, always growing beleive. to beleive on Him 1st of all you need reason or argument. beleive is mainly in 3 catogories i told and explain already which 1st catogory is argument or knowledge of beleive. As much a person recogonizes Him as much love increases.

[ShadowsCool]

Fear is the first reason to believe. Until you are able to get to know Him. Once one has seen Him, then the emotion turns from fear to love. Love is a better reason to seek Him.

I agree totally. Fear is the number 1 reason to believe in God. It is written all over the Bible. If one don't fear God they regard right and wrong as huh, who cares. Man has no morality. A good man is an eyesore to God. There are no holy men, just selfish people.

[OrphanPip]

If one don't fear God they regard right and wrong as huh, who cares.

That's nonsense.

[BienvenuJDC]

That's nonsense.

Expected perspective from someone who does not fear (or even believe in) God. You establish your morality based on what? I believe I'd be right if I guess that you establish your perspective of morality on your own judgment.

[OrphanPip]

Expected perspective from someone who does not fear (or even believe in) God. You establish your morality based on what? I believe I'd be right if I guess that you establish your perspective of morality on your own judgment.

I think moral principles need to be reasoned, something of which people like Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill would agree with me on. However, that is irrelevant to the claim made by Shadow, which was that people who do not fear God somehow don't care about right or wrong.

I'd ask you is something right or wrong because God says it is so, or is it right or wrong in and of itself? If it is the latter then there must be a reason for it to be so, and we must be able to argue what is right and what is wrong. Moreover, is morality purely deontological or is it consequential? Is it the action or the result that informs moral decisions? Is it a sin to cause a death accidentally, or is it merely the intent to kill that makes it murder.

[ShadowsCool]

I'd ask you is something right or wrong because God says it is so, or is it right or wrong in and of itself? If it is the latter then there must be a reason for it to be so, and we must be able to argue what is right and what is wrong.


Wisdom always fly's above the heads of intellectuals.

What you just proposed is pure indulgence of thought.

Now the original question was posed from God's perspective, that one must fear God. My
God tells me to fear Him. Your god? Not sure if he speaks at all.

If what I say is nonsense to you, then Judaism and Christianity is mere hogwash to you also. Which it may be to your "moral" mind.

When growing up, there was one person I feared, and that was my pop. Cause I knew if I did something wrong I would get a whipping.

Fear of a consequence is a strong stabilizer in faith of any sort. Not some enlightened mind journey found in man's vain philosophies.

[OrphanPip]

I would say that what you propose is Christianity is not in line with what a great many others view as Christianity. And yes your particular brand and understanding of faith and morality is simplistic and frankly reprehensible.

[miyako73]

When one can embrace suffering, then he attains freedom from fear. This is a Buddhist thought that I strongly believe. Since we have not renounced the world yet to trace the path of suffering, we live in fear. The very reason of our existence from dawn to dusk and after that is fear. Aren't we scared of losing our jobs? Aren't we fearful of muggers and thieves? Aren't we vigilant against terrorists? Aren't we hoping not to grow old alone or die young a failure? Fear is everywhere, and it is a reason too.

[ShadowsCool]

I would say that what you propose is Christianity is not in line with what a great many others view as Christianity. And yes your particular brand and understanding of faith and morality is simplistic and frankly reprehensible.

The original comment was made, that a man need not fear God in order to know Him.

Pick up any Bible and read verse after verse:

<< Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction

<<Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

<< Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.

<< Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

This was cut & paste from the Bible, as you will accuse me. It's pretty clear to me that what I was saying was true according to the Word of God. To walk "humbly" with your God, shows humility. A form of subservience to the creator. I suppose He too is simplistic according to your scurrilous accusations.

[Charles Darnay]

Another thing, if people can't pay respect by capitalizing His name, know where they are coming from.

I am bowing out of this conversation after this, but as this was directed at me I will respond. There are some who would say that writing out the word "God" is disrespectful, and that it should be written "G-d" - I think clinging to semantics is not the way to go.

I have spelled Shakespeare as "shakespeare" because capitalizing on an iPad is an entirely extra step (and sometimes the autocorrect does not kick in) - and yet, there is no one I respect more than Shakespeare.

[ShadowsCool]

I am bowing out of this conversation after this, but as this was directed at me I will respond. There are some who would say that writing out the word "God" is disrespectful, and that it should be written "G-d" - I think clinging to semantics is not the way to go.

I have spelled Shakespeare as "shakespeare" because capitalizing on an iPad is an entirely extra step (and sometimes the autocorrect does not kick in) - and yet, there is no one I respect more than Shakespeare.

No disrespect due you. Pointing out. Whether it's God or G-d certainly shows more respect than say god. But having said that, it's no big deal.

[cacian]

Fear is the first reason to believe. Until you are able to get to know Him. Once one has seen Him, then the emotion turns from fear to love. Love is a better reason to seek Him.

really? Fear?
I would have thought the opposite..fear makes people unbelieve rather then believe.

[cacian]

Fear is a wild reality of man. The easiest way of putting that reality in control is to believe in something. It is more intellectually creative to believe in God than in a force, a rock, or a tree.

Interesting but isn't it easier said then done.
Those who don't believe are as good as any who do believe because the act of believing is a personal journey.

[BienvenuJDC]

Interesting but isn't it easier said then done.
Those who don't believe are as good as any who do believe because the act of believing is a personal journey.

Everything is easier said than done...

[cacian]

Everything is easier said than done...

What? even God?

[cacian]

I am bowing out of this conversation after this, but as this was directed at me I will respond. There are some who would say that writing out the word "God" is disrespectful, and that it should be written "G-d" - I think clinging to semantics is not the way to go.

I have spelled Shakespeare as "shakespeare" because capitalizing on an iPad is an entirely extra step (and sometimes the autocorrect does not kick in) - and yet, there is no one I respect more than Shakespeare.

Agreed.
I cannot capitalisation only because god written this way looks better, even I mean, then God written with G. It looks uneven to me. It is purely aesthetical and has nothing to do with respect.
I write poetry without capitalisation because of it, it is easier on the eye.

[usman.khawar]

really? Fear?
I would have thought the opposite..fear makes people unbelieve rather then believe.


they are mixing up the things . you are also right and they are too, but they are right at their place not here as i just replied in response of Beiven who said " fear is the 1st reason to beleive on Him" and i replied " To beleive on Him you need argument. For their point of view Fear is the reason to beleive, its an argument, i think curosity is better word than fear to find reasons or arguments for the existence of God. actually m sorry for all my christian fellows, that christianity what i observe, just emphasize to believe without any reason or arguement. so it is hard for them to think what i m saying. they are not talking on existence of God with reason or argument.

why i beleive there is a God. due to fear?

why i fear God if i dont beleive Him?

is He like a tribal wild angry young man ? if i beleive that He is so horrible then i never turn towards Him, proceedign to Him is far away..

what i define fear people should read again about there is only one kind of fear.

some quoted bible verses. thanks God some of verses are still safe. fear can be the start of wisdom or knowlege there is no doubt on that. is only possible, when people STOP themself (In fear or in Love, for the benifit(its looks more cool intellectually)) to do forbidden things, they will see that its give benefit. precisly God will be happy with them if they dont do bad things. Fear stop them to do forbidden things, fear of hell, but if i use the word "sincerity" then fear of God's unpleasure. i dont like to do anything for the greed of paradise nor the fear of hell.

[Whifflingpin]

I do not think that belief in God comes from fear or from any kind of argument. It comes from experience or not at all. Believing in God is simply recognising God's presence, (or imagining it, only God knows which.)

Professing to a belief in God, or acting as if God exists, might have all sorts of origin, but professing and acting are not the same as believing.

Once there is a belief, then reason needs to be applied, to work out the implications.

"I think moral principles need to be reasoned." I think so too. People work out their moral principles from whatever they believe about whatever they consider to be the primary objective of their lives. For those who believe in God, morality might depend on what they believe about God. The starting point for others might be "the greatest good of the greatest number" or "look after number one" or any point beyond or between those.

[Varenne Rodin]

Becoming a zealot out of fear is the most cowardly thing I can think of. There are things I'm afraid of, but I'm strong enough to boldly venture into the darkness of not knowing everything. I would never lie and say I am certain of something unknown. If it turns out that there is a god, I would much rather bravely face that discovery than approach him as a cowering, grateful slave.

Please don't anyone demand that I "respect" Christian beliefs. You yourselves put these ideas beneath respect by admitting that you are so terrified of the idea of a god that you can't live your lives honestly. (I'm sure some of you are furious with me already)

For those still questioning (those who haven't gone into a fully cultish stupor), it's ok to question everything. Human beings have been puzzling over many questions for so long. The great thing about explorers is that they frequently make discoveries. Not knowing everything means there is room to grow.

There's a tremendous freedom in NOT being a know it all. Is it harder than sitting around trying desperately to convince yourself to believe in a god? I don't know. Letting go of a security blanket is hard, but then you realize how much stronger you are without it. It's a good feeling. The only downside is living amongst people who are still driven by constant fear. I don't want to pity anyone. Please don't be pitiful.

[ShadowsCool]

I think that the mission of Christ is the most misunderstood mission in all of mankind. I am amazed how so many people believe one thing about Christ but not another. The fact that many people think He was weak and his message only involved love thy neighbor. Yes, that role He certainly played. But there are way more aspects to His ministry. How He also came to divide people. To make people leave family and livelihoods for His kingdom. How He's gonna come with a sword to take out the wicked. How He will come as a judge the second time. How He claimed Himself to be God Himself. How He did all kinds of miracles that only someone Divine can do. I bring this out because I always hear, oh he was a good prophet, a nice man, a gentle lamb. Please. There is way more to uncover if someone is interested to see.

As for the fear thing. The kind of fear I speak of is in reverence. Like you would fear a king when being up for judgment. Knowing someone Almighty as special powers to ponder your fate. Not the kind of fear of hiding in bed afraid to live your life. Actually having the Spirit work within you gives you great comfort and boldness.

[Varenne Rodin]

Pardon me, but that's just sad. I don't fear kings or my government either. I have to say, I love this idea of god being some kind of legislator. Haha. He's sitting up there keeping tabs. You die, you go see him and he what? Checks his rule book? You had reverence, so you get in? Is he that ridiculous? What about all of these people with phony piousness? Does he know they were just hedging their bets? Does he say, "I know you didn't truly believe, but you said you did, so my rule book says you can go to heaven"?

A judge and king sitting and waiting for sinners. Total weirdo, I would think. Deep psychological problems, to be doing that for eternity. Call me a rebel, but I'm not interested in hanging with an uptight, insecure egomaniac. I'll tell him so if I see him. I would suffer "hell fire" before I would willingly be taken in by a slave collector. "Reverence." I'm sorry. I wish people were stronger than that.

[Varenne Rodin]

You tell yourself and others that you're afraid. Then you put your fear in a category and say it's the good kind of fear. Fear in any form is something to be overcome. You learn from it, you master it, you move on.

[ShadowsCool]

You tell yourself and others that you're afraid. Then you put your fear in a category and say it's the good kind of fear. Fear in any form is something to be overcome. You learn from it, you master it, you move on.

Excuse me. Can I finish saying before my words get minced? All I said was the kind of fear a person may have of God. A healthy fear, that I know you wouldn't agree with. Can you really live your life without any fears? Be all you can, do all you can and then die. And then what? If your one of those who believe that this life is it, then that's fine. Live and let live.

Calling me sad is just shifting the blame for something you don't understand. Like my faith and my belief system. We were just talking about one aspect of God, that of fear. Then why does God say, knowledge is found through fear of the Lord? I have run into people who think just like you. I tend to avoid discussions because it gets nowhere. I'm not putting you down, I'm just saying. Calling me kinda pathetic is not helping the cause either. You actually don't know how I feel. Explaining God to anyone is a challenge in of itself. But then to have someone say your just a scared feeble minded weak person, makes it twice as hard. I have issues but that's not one of them. And I'm not a zealot. Nor am I a holy roller or someone who hasn't done bad stuff, cause I have.

Now the message I alluded to before concerning Christ, was the same problem the Jews had with Him. They expected a deliverer. But God sent them just what they didn't want to see. Someone to reveal just how uptight and hypocritical they were. He said, you got to change and believe. They said, what for? We have our God and He likes us the way we are. Proud they were. Just like most people. Waiting for something to happen instead of taking hold and doing it themselves.

[Varenne Rodin]

I do understand it. I was a Christian, and now Christians are saying the same things. You don't need a god, you need strength of will. To a person who has outgrown this, it does look sad when grown adults cling to it. It looks sad when they say they are afraid of not worshipping god. That means god is something scary. It's an abuser/victim relationship, and the abuser might not even exist.

If I can motivate anyone to feel better about this life, and to take personal responsibility instead of foisting it off on a boogie man deity, great. As I have said, if someone is locked into the delusion I have only pity for them. There's still hope for the people who are unsure they should swallow what's being fed to them.

[ShadowsCool]

I just think your concept of God is strange. As if you outgrew Him and you feel free. And that I am in bondage because of Him. Actually this world would make no sense without a God. Children dying before they grow up. Does that make sense? No. There must be another reason for this. Maybe I do cling to God cause clinging to anything else brings emptiness. I feel whole when I know this is all part of something bigger. If that makes me pathetic or weak willed then your not understanding what I say. I just think differently than you.

[Paulclem]

Actually this world would make no sense without a God. Children dying before they grow up. Does that make sense? No. There must be another reason for this.

This is the issue that meant I wouldn't be a Christian, Muslim - or in any of the theistic religions.

A creator God of this world makes no sense because of the problem of evil, the general suffering and the death of children. I find that this question is rarely answered if I put it, or the answer is trite.

Where does a creator God fit into this? Either God creates evil as well, or if not, then God is not the ultimate creator.

Suggestions that God has set the universe going and has withdrawn after letting us get on with it are based upon what?

Suggestions that man creates all his own undoing, or causes all his own suffering also make no sense in the face of the often illogical, unpredictable disasters and occurences that happen.

The suggestion that Satan is fallen and tempts man to evil does not answer the above point - unless you think that Satan causes catastrophes. But then why does an omnipotent God put up with the imfliction of suffering upon humans and animals? Either God is all powerful or not.

Suggestions that the ways of of God are unknowable do not cut it. It seems trite.

[ShadowsCool]

Where does a creator God fit into this? Either God creates evil as well, or if not, then God is not the ultimate creator.

Suggestions that God has set the universe going and has withdrawn after letting us get on with it are based upon what?

Suggestions that man creates all his own undoing, or causes all his own suffering also make no sense in the face of the often illogical, unpredictable disasters and occurences that happen.

The suggestion that Satan is fallen and tempts man to evil does not answer the above point - unless you think that Satan causes catastrophes. But then why does an omnipotent God put up with the imfliction of suffering upon humans and animals? Either God is all powerful or not.

Suggestions that the ways of of God are unknowable do not cut it. It seems trite.

So who has the Answer then? Does an atheist? A buddhist? A hindu? A Jew? A Christian? Or any number of other religions floating around? I don't know. Why such suffering, I don't know. Can anyone know why? I don't believe any religion addresses such issues. I believe it's a faith issue. Having faith that something will turn out right. I don't believe anyone on earth knows.

[Paulclem]

So who has the Answer then? Does an atheist? A buddhist? A hindu? A Jew? A Christian? Or any number of other religions floating around? I don't know. Why such suffering, I don't know. Can anyone know why? I don't believe any religion addresses such issues. I believe it's a faith issue. Having faith that something will turn out right. I don't believe anyone on earth knows.

The Buddha's first teaching was on the Four Noble Truths:

1) The truth of suffering
2) The truth of the origin of suffering.
3) The cessation (ending) of suffering.
4) The Path to the cessation of suffering.

Obviously there's a lot more detail to it, but this is what The Buddha taught. It works for me, but of course that's just me.

Gaining an answer to such questions - whatever your religion is - will increase faith.

[Varenne Rodin]

The difference is that some people don't claim to know. Christianity IS claiming to have the answers. It claims there is a correct way of life for getting into a paradise. It claims God can manipulate our lives (enough to create us and everything), and we can potentially sway the mind of a god with prayers, begging, following "rules" and having faith. You don't know why God lets children die horrible deaths, but you say you know that we should be reverent of him. If you're now saying that you don't know, then you're not a Christian. You're closer to agnostic, which would be fine too. There is nothing wrong with admitting you don't know everything. That's why it's so bizarre for Christians to attempt to convert atheists, and even feel anger and bitterness toward them for not believing it all.

God hasn't made a good case for himself.

[ShadowsCool]

The difference is that some people don't claim to know. Christianity IS claiming to have the answers. It claims there is a correct way of life for getting into a paradise. It claims God can manipulate our lives (enough to create us and everything), and we can potentially sway the mind of a god with prayers, begging, following "rules" and having faith. You don't know why God lets children die horrible deaths, but you say you know that we should be reverent of him. If you're now saying that you don't know, then you're not a Christian. You're closer to agnostic, which would be fine too. There is nothing wrong with admitting you don't know everything. That's why it's so bizarre for Christians to attempt to convert atheists, and even feel anger and bitterness toward them for not believing it all.

God hasn't made a good case for himself.

I never claim to have all the answers. The suffering of children or anyone who is innocent bothers me greatly too. I can sit all day and blame God, but where would that get me? Bitter. Who knows the answer? The Bible says we must suffer for His sake. Of course, it's not that simplistic. The Bible also said an angel fell and he became the devil. It did not say why the devil was sent down to tempt man. The Bible doesn't even say why He made man. Just that God made man in His image. So I think it comes down to faith. Faith that God knows what He's doing and I don't. Simplistic as that sounds.

I will never try to convert you or anyone. Who am I to foister my belief's on others? I'm just answering questions to particular questions regarding belief's and my lack of knowing or what I know.

But let me add, I don't think that's a reason not to believe in God.

Thanks