""You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
You want to know who God is then read what Christ had to say. He is the New Covenant - the Old (covenant) Testament is no longer valid. So do not reference it.
Homosexuality, adultery, murder, stealing, envy, gluteny are all sin and seperate us from God. Christ offers all of us sinners reconcilliation with God.
When people who don't know the bible use the bible to invalidate the bible it is quite silly.
Sadly most have no idea of what faith is because it is counter-intellectual and counter-logical/reasonable and therefore they reject it. Sadly far too many very intelligent people are victims of themselves. They have great intellectual capacity to define and metaphore what a paradox principle is yet are completely and hopelessly powerless to live by it.
Inserting religion and mythology into a faith discussion is foolish. Discussing faith with someone who has no idea what faith is or how to practice it is equally foolish.
"Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise."
I have absolutely the same proof you do. None. But "the substance of things hoped for by the evidence of the unseen" have been abundant in my life. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." It does not say mind, logic, reason or any other faculty. All of those faculties contradict time after time after time. I cannot find Him on my terms.
My God is a creator and nurturer - He created me perfectly and nurtures esteem just as your father should. Do you have a son or daughter whom your brought into the world whom you tell "you are my second or third most greatest". No. That would be counter instinctive and counter productive.
Blaming sin for the absence of a God is naive.
As far as alien life - my faith and knowledge of my God does not cause me to become ignorant nor do I dismiss that there may very well be other life in this vast universe that God created. Alien by definition means foreign. It does not mean that my same creator did not also create them and nurture them just as he has me.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known."---All posts made by David Dunn
“You see, gentlemen, reason is an excellent thing, there’s no disputing that, but reason is nothing but reason and satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life, that is, of the whole human life including reason and all the impulses. And although our life, in this manifestation of it, is often worthless, yet it is life and not simply extracting square roots.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky
