...SNIP...

My understanding of "faith" here is that it means the belief in a means (a substance) by which events can be made to happen. In Hebrews 1:1 "faith" is descibed as: "...the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." And that the evidence is the belief that God can make things happen in the future. To me it sounds like something is being concealed.

I've always had a problem with faith. I guess it is whatever the person makes of it but I always imagined faith not to need god to make something happen afterwards.. To me faith is an acceptance whether by some internal mechanism or by internal proof but not by some hope in the future.

"...the substance of things hoped for.."

for me doesn't have to mean a future tense - Most people hope for something to happen at this moment not in some distant future. (I don't think I ever heard someone pray for their loved one to be cured tommorow..)

When it says "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God", it means through our acceptance of his powers, we understand that he made the "worlds" as he wished. And when it says "...things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.", it means that the ground, sky, water, etc, were produced by particles.

I only see the objects around me that make up my life. Some of those can be pulled apart and others can only be fitted together.

I know scientists tell me that small particles exist (and I mostly believe them).. I like the particles of the world that I can act upon... Everything else is a maybe...

I have never seen a disparity between god and my material world.. but then I don't follow a religion. If science does anything for me it simply makes me look and question. If god does anything for me it makes me see that there are so many questions to be asked and nothing is too great or small to value.

Yet I remain outside of belief... and it does my head in :)


It would be nice to hear why Jason asked his question.

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@ cRunchy

I am a Christian but... I don't have a solid position about the existance or non-existance of God. Sometimes there are things that I see, hear and read that make me more slanted towards believer though. Like I hear people talking about experiences with ghosts. I wonder if there could really be such things. When I hear a ghost story that's sounds believable, sometimes it makes me wonder about all the supernatural stuff in the Bible. But usually most of the time I avoid thinking about the possibility. Maybe because I'm afraid to know the truth.

I find things in the Bible that are hard for me to believe. But I also find it hard to believe that it's all made up. Some things in the Bible are not very easy to just dismiss. I'm not even sure who the Devil is. Some say the fallen angel dude, but maybe another mysterious whatever. Or what exactly evil is. Sex and drugs, or something else?

This is the best I could come up with this late :)

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@ cRunchy

I am a Christian but... I don't have a solid position about the existance or non-existance of God. Sometimes there are things that I see, hear and read that make me more slanted towards believer though. Like I hear people talking about experiences with ghosts. I wonder if there could really be such things. When I hear a ghost story that's sounds believable, sometimes it makes me wonder about all the supernatural stuff in the Bible. But usually most of the time I avoid thinking about the possibility. Maybe because I'm afraid to know the truth.

I find things in the Bible that are hard for me to believe. But I also find it hard to believe that it's all made up. Some things in the Bible are not very easy to just dismiss. I'm not even sure who the Devil is. Some say the fallen angel dude, but maybe another mysterious whatever. Or what exactly evil is. Sex and drugs, or something else?

This is the best I could come up with this late :)

I think I am a human (I hope..)

I guess I live in innocence but all I have to do is look out the window or at the people around me and I see something so awesome that it is far more than anyone could ever explain to me.

I know it's not good enough for some people ...

... but it's mostly good enough for me.

The only angels I ever saw were those people who loved me so completely and the only devil I ever saw was me when I was too stupid to accept their love.

Why not!

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By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command

In other words: faith reveals to us that the Universe is God's creation

I prefer to think of it as ' Gods little science project '... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

I prefer to think of it as ' Gods little science project '... ;)

Yes, God playing around at making us suffer, watch us cause suffering on each other, watching the occasional grizzly death, or death of millions, human or any life. Is that 'godly' experimentation or a silly child enjoying the experiment of torture?

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flaming balloons

Is that 'godly' experimentation or a silly child enjoying the experiment of torture?

How can we possibly blame God for our troubles when He made things so perfectly clear:

Deuteronomy 11:26-28
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which you have not known.

Have we been following Gods rules? ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .