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The Existence of God is Under Review
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Are the Christians right about God?
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by Carl Baydala
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There is a great debate swirling about in society today and it concerns the existence of God. However, the educated man knows that the debate should not be occurring at all. Simply put, the knowledgeable person knows that the idea of God and His existence died some time ago.
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Let me make a comparison for you. Think about a time in your life when you experienced a meaningful relationship. You were totally dedicated to the other person involved in that relationship and you never wanted it to end and you never even anticipated its ending. Yet, one day it did end. You knew it and the other person involved in that relationship knew it as well.
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But, then you began a process of denying the ending of this relationship. If you have heard about the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche ( 1844 - 1900 ) then you will know about the death of God as well. Philosopher Nietzsche informs us that there came a time in the life of European man when the relationship between man and God just ended. There was no more use for God and the relationship simply withered away. Life and relationships are like that. They are wonderful experiences when they happen, but then conditions change and the meaning and the intimacy of the relationship just disappears and it is no more.
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Now, I am talking about the informed man and his understanding of the notion of God. In a sense, God has rejected man, if we are using the personal relationship as an example. That might be the cruelty of the situation itself. I know that this might be hard for the Christian to grasp, but it is one way of examining the relationship between man and God that came to a close some time ago. However, the remaining Christians in this world are those who refuse to believe that the relationship has in fact, ended. Nuns still marry Jesus Christ and people of all Christian varieties steadfastly hold to the belief in God. They cling to the idea that God still loves them and that He is real and that He loves them. That is their belief.
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And, that is what the whole thing has come down to. Some people just continue to believe. They believe that God exists and that He loves them. Friends, do not for a moment misinterpret my thoughts here. People are allowed to believe whatever they want to believe in. It is part of the human animal to maintain wants and desires, and, yes, even beliefs.
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But, to continue to believe in something that is not real, and in fact may never have existed at all, cannot be considered as something that we would generally characterize as being healthy. Believing in God is the exact same thing as a one-sided relationship for lack of a better term and understanding.
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God has never came out and said: " I love you ". No mystical being who lives in the sky and beyond has done that. Never. If anyone believes that or has testimony to that effect then I suggest that you approach these kinds of people with some degree of trepidation. For miracles and talking to a god who says that He loves you is something that resides in the demesne of fantasy.
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How can you be sure that I know what I am talking about? I know what I am talking about because I know what a one-sided relationship is. You may have experienced this thing yourself and are as equally knowledgeable as myself. This is something that you experience when you really like somebody or something, but the party on the other side is not responding in kind. And, that exactly is what a belief in God is like for the Christian. Now, this fantasy survived for a great long period of time. Christianity in fact was the dominant religion in Europe and it governed peoples' lives and their relations amongst themselves. And, the whole system was kept together by authority figures who spoke for God Himself. But, society changed and it progressed. It developed to a point when it could examine itself and its beliefs. And, in so doing it was able to determine that its belief in Christianity was something that needed to be re-examined. And, the thoughtful people in society determined that Christianity had in fact come to an end, it no longer served the purpose for which it was intended. And, that is to provide meaning about man's position in society and as a general aid in the understanding of life and even of life after death. Christianity even had a gimmick attached to it and maybe that is why it lasted for so long - and continues to exist for some.
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Christianity did indeed offer man an understanding of life and even a salvation. Sinful man could be saved and live forever with God if he simply played by the rules. But, as I state above, man progressed, he advanced, in his technology and in his ideas. Some people started to question the authority of Christianity and of its hold on man. The Reformation was only the beginning of course, but it was a beginning. From a questioning of authority to the very question about the existence of God and of His importance to man, all things began to change. Educated man became to realize that God was not all that He was cracked up to me, and in fact, He probably did not even exist at all. The advances in science were making this fact more clear day by day. But the fantasy of God continued to exist and He had many followers, but what is that when you are dealing with the future of mankind? Doesn't something have to give at some point and doesn't somebody or some thing eventually have to wind up the winner in a debate?
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The modern Christian is living in the past and hanging onto a failed relationship. I don't think I can make things any more plainer than that my friends. So, when Friedrich Nietzsche says that God is dead, well, I think that he is on to something. It is nice to hang on to a good feeling though, I am not going to deny that. But, where is it going to get you? Are you guaranteed an afterlife and a relationship with God? Has anybody been able to put that future relationship in writing for you? I think not. So, I say to the Christian: Heed the words of someone like Friedrich Nietzsche and realize that God is dead, and consider in fact, that He may never have lived at all. His idea lived, just like the idea of the one-sided relationship lives on for some. These can be strong and very meaningful beliefs, but that is what they are - beliefs. The other party is not listening, because he cannot. He does not exist.
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So, belief in God is not much more than a delusion. But, it is much worse than that when there are still cheerleaders pushing the gullible Christian into a false belief. I say false because it cannot be proven that God exists. We know that He existed for the Europeans for a very long time, but even that utility came to an end some time ago. It is only those who prosper from the relationship who keep it going in the form that it does.
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What is left for the Christian then if God does not exist? What is left is his belief and those leaders who will be constantly making up answers to counter the naysayers. I say to the Christian: examine both sides of the argument and determine for yourself if God exists. Physically, I do not think the entity exists. The idea perhaps, but not much more than that. The Christian needs to ask himself this question: If I am believing in an idea that cannot be proven then what I have I got? That is what you must live with after all is said and done.
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What have the non-believers done with their time? They have become atheists, agnostics, critics and the like. Some don't care or even think about God. While others have become existentialists in fact. These are the people who recognize that God is stone dead and in fact, may not even have existed at all. These are the realists in the world today. They are examining themselves and their position in society. They are living a life without God and they are putting their very being on the front lines so to speak. They know that it is possible to go through life without believing in something like a Christian God. They have come to that determination based on the evidence. They are not running away from reality but they are making a new sense out of life without imputing the idea of a Christian God, a saviour who provides meaning and everlasting life.
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Are the Christians right? A Christian has only one response and the only one that he knows. And, that is because the only thing he knows is God. That is his belief and he is entitled to it as I have stated above. A Christian is right to believe if that is what he wants to believe. So, in that sense he is right. But, to be stuck in a one-sided relationship might not be the right thing to do if you are being honest with yourself. If you can prove to yourself beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves you then more power to you.
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Photo Jesus Christ found here:
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