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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by rfs on September 3, 2006, at 17:53:58
Hi
I do not believe in any traditional "god" maybe in any god at all. I feel bad about that. I know many people who are stronger and better because of the faith they have. I guess my question is, if I don't have any faith, how does one develop it. How do I rely on someone something I don't believe in. I was raised in a christian home. But I think I was about 40 when I thought this God thing is all contrived. Religions come and go. Greek gods-Indian gods etc. I try to grasp onto things like a life force nature power greater then myself, etc. but I god that is personal to me that I can speak/pray to is just something I can't buy. I wish I could. Any suggestions. Generally, anything I read or hear I attribute to a man's interpertation or his concept of god. In other words it is just speculation in my book. I think I agree with the old saying that even if there was no god, man would have to invent one, because as difficult as it is to think about heaven and hell thinking that once you die, millions and millions of years will come and go and you will never exist again. A real blow to my ego.
Ray
Posted by SLS on September 3, 2006, at 19:39:22
In reply to Faith, posted by rfs on September 3, 2006, at 17:53:58
Hi Ray.
Perhaps you are having difficulties with having to place faith in the existence of a god that must be fashioned in a particular image or confined to a particular conceptualization. For me, the question is not how we got here. Science is providing answers to that. The question for me is "Why existence?" I think this is the ultimate unanswerable question. Why are we here? Why existence? For me, this leaves available only one answer. Therein lies my spirituality. The neat thing about the answer is that it can vary moment by moment. It is never certain. However, it always is. You don't need faith to feel certain that there is a god. Uncertainty will do just fine. You can't account for the existence of all that is (or all that is not) without it. Perhaps you can look towards the uncertain for spiritual certainty. It works for me.
- Scott
Posted by SLS on September 3, 2006, at 19:46:12
In reply to Re: Faith, posted by SLS on September 3, 2006, at 19:39:22
> Hi Ray.
>
> Perhaps you are having difficulties with having to place faith in the existence of a god that must be fashioned in a particular image or confined to a particular conceptualization. For me, the question is not how we got here. Science is providing answers to that. The question for me is "Why existence?" I think this is the ultimate unanswerable question. Why are we here? Why existence? For me, this leaves available only one answer. Therein lies my spirituality. The neat thing about the answer is that it can vary moment by moment. It is never certain. However, it always is. You don't need faith to feel certain that there is a god. Uncertainty will do just fine. You can't account for the existence of all that is (or all that is not) without it. Perhaps you can look towards the uncertain for spiritual certainty. It works for me.Once you become certain that there is something in the ultimately uncertain that is greater than can be ascertained, you will have found faith.
Maybe.
I'm not certain.
:-)
- Scott
Posted by finelinebob on September 3, 2006, at 22:54:48
In reply to Faith, posted by rfs on September 3, 2006, at 17:53:58
What an opportunity to prostelytize! But it seems that such actions have led to your disbelief, so I'll just shut up about that.
> I do not believe in any traditional "god" maybe in any god at all. I feel bad about that ... Any suggestions.
Perhaps your feeling bad is evidence that you do have faith in a G-d, but cannot find any evidence of G-d in what you see around you, whether it is any one particular "faith" or the hodgepodge of faiths that many adopt in these days. All I can suggest is:
1) It is good, even necessary, to question your faith. But it is not enough. You need to resolve those questions to better affirm your faith.
2) Faith requires no proof. "Islam" translated somewhat loosely, means "submission". That is one path to affirming faith to which many, many world religions ascribe. I believe that "acceptance" is enough.
3) If you cannot find G-d where you are looking, then perhaps it is time to look elsewhere.
Posted by Alexus on September 4, 2006, at 2:26:45
In reply to Faith, posted by rfs on September 3, 2006, at 17:53:58
maybe you are a bright.
thats not a bad thing.
apparantly bush said at some point that the us was one nation under god and thus the atheists / agnostics / humanists out there aren't really citizens...
but i'm sure he didn't really mean that.er...
you know you can have faith without having faith in any religion, right?
i try and have faith in things that might possibly be true ;-)
This is the end of the thread.
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