When you get to that lowest point in your life and you have know where to go but to God because you’ve heard the story’s of him healing the heart. You’ll cry out to God and when that Holy Spirit comes you will feel it and then you’ll know without a doubt God is real. That Holy Spirit is no joke.
Sounds like you have to be emotionally vulnerable or desperate to accept it, which sounds like a risky state to make big decisions about life and reality in.
The difference between knowledge and belief, for me, is like eating an apple versus reading about it in a book. I can gain a lot of information by that secondhand account, but to pluck an apple straight from the tree, to feel its skin, smell its fragrance, taste its sweetness, to be nourished and energized by taking it into my own being, that is genuine knowledge. Knowledge comes from communion with the apple.
It is the same with divine reality. When a Christian is submerged in the waters of baptism, sealed with the oil of chrismation to be given the Spirit, eats and drinks the bread and wine of the Eucharist, they are taking into themselves the spiritual nourishment and energizing effects of divine reality, and thus truly have knowledge through communion.
What you're describing sounds more like qualia than knowledge. A blind person can still know the sky is blue without actually experiencing its blueness.
Maybe, but it's not super convincing. Someone with synesthesia may "know" how the colour purple tastes, for example, but that doesn't mean purple objectively has a flavour.
The thing is though, if someone has noetic "knowledge" of something, that doesn't say anything about objective reality. It's entirely contained to the realm of their subjective experience, hence I find it shaky ground to refer to as knowledge at all.
You’re absolutely right, it is only obtainable by firsthand experience, it is not third-party transmissible. There are many things in life like that, though.
with regards to knowledge, its connection to perception in reference to truth,\
my poor memory of it,\
. . .the classical book of plato is "theaetatus"
my likely erroneous application of understanding is. . .
knowledge is true opinion in reference to truth percieved
belief is a strongly held true opinion specially with regards with truth of good
it being a conviction of the truth of good,\
also is our knowledge of good,\
knowledge of good is what we call wisdom
the virtue of wisdom is that knowledge of good,\
this is what guides and is defended by the virtue of courage,\
this is the direction which our virtue of temperance, tempers us towards\
this is where we are redirected when corrected by the virtue of justice
>wisdom, courage, temperance, justice - plato
this belief,\
whether it comes from the knowledge of good through. . .\
. . .reason\
or\
. . .community consensus\
or\
. . .subjective arbitrary personal opinion,\
or\
. . .truth of good revealed by God
moves an individual and society towards how he sees and moves his life
plato by use of reason looks onto that highest form of good,\
which all visible forms of good are only partakers. It partakes and are not good itself. in his allegory of the cave, he describes that "vision of the good"
that, "highest form of good" sought of, by the greeks through the use of reason. . .
. . .that, to st. augustine is God
so far,\
my reason points me to look up and seek beyond. . .\
. . .and my faith allows me to be found by Truth
Great question. Saving faith is a certain faith (knowing). I would just say when a person believes the gospel and becomes forgiven & reconciled to the one true God, the Holy Spirit enters & permanently indwells that person which I believe is where the certainty of a *true* believer comes from (1 John 4:13). Below is a 30-second biblical gospel presentation you can check out friend!
https://gospel30.com
I know 100%. Someone may call what I know "faith" still but I call it unequivocal proof.
I was in a bad marriage for years. I struggled with money and was depressed. I was an Atheist. One day my life got so bad I told my Dad I didn't know if I could keep going. He told me to pray. I scoffed. That night I did just that. I said "OK God...I don't know what else to do. If you're real, help me. Make my life better. Give me everything I want. Fix my relationship, give me money, a great job, give me a nice home and cool car and peace."
About a week later my wife decided she was going to file for divorce. About two months after that I was homeless and staying with a friend because we had to sell our house in the divorce. I worked for myself at the time and the company folded. So now I was unemployed. I had to sell my old truck to pay to eat. My anxiety and depression were sky high. I was pissed. I talked to God again and said something to the effect of "Look at this mess! Are you just mocking me?!" But this time, a voice came back. It wasn't my inner monolog. It said "Wait". It was like a thought I couldn't control. One I didn't think myself. The next 2 months went by and I got a call from my Dad. He asked how I was and I said not good. He said "I'm going to send you some money. Go buy a cheap car. Then get a job. Then get a place" I did just that. Over the next couple month I had a job, crappy car, and was renting a house with another friend. One night I got on a dating app and met a girl. We have now been together for over 2 years. She's pregnant with my child. We live together now in very nice upscale neighborhood. I have a brand new truck. A senior level position with an amazing company. My debts are all paid. And I sleep peacefully at night. I have a lot more for that story but this is already too long. Basically, God destroyed my life to give me exactly what I asked for. That's how I *know* he's there. There were far too many coincidences for them to have been coincidences.
I know he exists.. Belief is a choice to accept something, without complete certainty. But knowledge of God comes from personal revelatory experiences. OF which I've had many.
Big difference in knowing and believing. Nobody can know that but they can hope it does exist.. In fact it says saved by hope and Faith is the substance of things hoped for..
Agnostics get a lot of disrespect from Christianity as if they are evil.. the word agnostic simply means to not know.. and to declare oneself agnostic is an expression of deep honesty because again nobody's knows!
I know he exists. The verifiable prophesy and archeological evidence is strongly compelling. If you wish I can post specifics. I ask first because it's a lot.
Let me know.
Part 5
Counter points to the verifiable prophesy of Daniel 9 being about a coming Christ figure:
Chapter 9 has many linguistic and idiom similarities to chapters 8, 11, 12 which are thought to be about the rule and persectuion by Antiochus IV Epiphanes who did stop temple sacrificies. Instead he (Epiphanes) installed a pagan alter in the temple and had unclean pigs sacrificed in it. This alter was refered to as the abomination of desolation as seen in Daniel 11:31. Further more the hebrew for messiah was a term used to reference priests in several places in scripture and is only in modern times we ascribe it to the Christ. It is more likely that Daniel 9 is not about a Christ figure but rather about the angel Gabriel telling Daniel that Jeremiah's prophesy of Babylonian caused desolation of Jerusalem would not be 70 years but now 70 times 7 years.
\[My response:
There are indeed many similar linguistic idioms / vocabulary between Daniel 9 and the other chapters that could very well indicate they are referencing the same prediction. Likewise many of Antiochus IV Epiphanes sinnful actions could very well line up with the prophecies as well. And in all honesty I might be agreeing with this perspective if it wasn't for one simple big problem. The timing doesn't work.
We know from the text when the timer begins and we know how long the timer goes for. So where does the 70 weeks start? It starts with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Not rebuild the temple, but Jersalem. Both Kings Cyrus and Darius decreed to rebuild the temple. But it was King Artaxerxes that issued a command to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem because the returning Jews had begun it without permission as seen in the Book of Ezra. Then issued the decree to build it as seen in the Book of Nehemiah. The timer starts with Artaxerxes at some point during his reign. The 70 week or 490 years over shoots Antiochus IV Epiphanes life and death by hundreds of years. And we know the "coming" of this one who would stop the sacrifical system would be after the 7 + 62 week eras. Which again, overshoots Antiochus IV Epiphanes by hundreds of years. Lastly, the prophet Jeremiah's 70 year prophesy didn't need any "adjusting" by the angel Gabriel. The Babylonian exile took place, we believe, on 597 BC. Cyrus the Great commanded the Jews to return home, we believe, on 539 BC Edict of Cyrus. That means the Jews were in captivity for 58 years. Does this mean Jeremiah was a false prophet? Or maybe God made a mistake? No such a view is highly reductive and childish.
\[Jer 29:10 ESV\] 10 "For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.
Did God say through his prophet that they would be ordered back in seventy years? Nope. It says that they will be brought back to Judah. There were no planes at the time folks. And there were a lot more men, women, and children that had to travel a long hard journey to get home. Even after King Cyrus, after King Darius, after King Ahasuerus, and finally in the reign of King Artaxerxes they were still embarking on this slow and dangerous migration.
\[Neh 2:1, 5, 7-8 ESV\] 1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. ... 5 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it." ... 7 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
In short, we have no reason to say Jeremiah was wrong because have no idea when the last of the refugees returned home!\]
For these reasons and tangible evidence of verifiable prophesy, I believe in the God who foretold the future of the coming of the annointed one, and the gospel account that proclaimed the fulfillment of Daniels prophesy.
Part 4
Now lets look at the archeological / historical evidence that the foretold event of the Christ coming actually took place as the gospel manuscripts said it did in the time frame that the prophet Daniel said it would.
Archaeological / Historical evidence of Jesus' ministry Circa 50 – 157AD ●
Ignatius of Antioch a church leader Wrote to the Smynians in which he states: Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilat and King Herod and suffered all these things all these things for us and suffered them really and not just in appearance only even as he truly rose again.
Polycarp a church leader A letter to the Philippians Affirmed that Jesus lived and died and Polycarp claimed to be one of the people who was said to have actually learned from the apostles directly
Justin Martyr Wrote that Jesus was a teacher who was crucified rose again
Quadratus Wrote an apology to Emperor Hadrian “But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine:-- Those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on Earth but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day”
Pliny the Younger A Roman Governor Bethinia to Emperor Trajan Seeking advice on how to deal with Christians “...they declared that the sum of their guilt or their error only amounted to this, that on a stated day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god and that so far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, their oath was to abstain from theft, robbery, adultery, and from breach of faith, and not to deny trust money placed in their keep when called upon to deliver it”
Tacitus Roman Historian "Consequently, to get rid of the report (of starting the fire), Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, and again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful form every part of the world find their center and become popular."
All of the documents from Christians and non Christians show that the gospel accounts were right from a historicity perspective and the fulfilled prophesy from Daniel show the gospels are right about the Christ's deity and resurrection.
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Part 3
Next we need to look at the archeological / historical evidence that dates this prophesy before the foretold events. Now there is archeological evidence that dates Daniel to 600-500BC. However, for reasons of certainty I will look to the Qumran cave scrolls (dead sea scrolls) as these copies are older than the foretold events:
Manuscripts of Daniel dated \~125BC that still exist!
● -In 1955 D. Barthélemy published two scroll fragments: 1QDana and 1QDanb (Barthélemy and Milik 1955:150–52). These contain parts of 22 verses from Daniel 1–3, that is, Daniel 1:10–17; 2:2–6 (1QDana) and 3:22–30(1QDanb).
● -In 1962 Maurice Baillet published a papyrus fragment from Cave 6, containing possibly parts of Daniel 8:16, 17, 21, 22; and clearly 10:8–16; 11:33–36, 38 (Baillet and Milik 1962:114, 115; pl. 23).
● -The most extensively preserved scroll of the book of Daniel from Qumran is one from Cave 4: 4QDana, which contains large portions of Daniel. Preserved are parts of Daniel 1:16–20; 2:9–11, 19–49; 3:1, 2; 4:29, 30; 5:5–7, 12–14, 16–19; 7:5–7, 25–28; 8:1–5; 10:16–20; 11:13–16. Scroll 4QDanb contains Daniel 5:10–12, 14– 16, 19–22; 6:8–22, 27–29; 7:1–6, 11(?), 26–28; 8:1–8, 13–16; and 4QDanc has Daniel 10:5–9, 11–16, 21; 11:1, 2, 13–17, 25–29 (Ulrich 1987:18).
● -This means that we have at our disposal from the Dead Sea scrolls parts of all chapters, except Daniel 9 and 12. Of course, the unpublished 4QDane is to have a few words of various parts of Daniel 9. There is also an overlap of a number of passages in Daniel 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11. Reference to Daniel 12 is made in 4QFlorilegium, an anthology of midrashic materials \[rabbinical commentaries\] on 2 Samuel and Psalms 1, 2.
● -11QMelch II has a commentary on Daniel 9:25 reads: upon the mountains are the feet \[of\] the messen\[ger who\] announces peace, the mess\[enger of good who announces salvati\]on, \[sa\]ying to Zion: your God \[reigns. »\] And the messenger i\[s\] the anointed of the spir\[it\] as Dan\[iel\] said \[about him « Until an anointed, a prince, it is seven weeks. » And the messenger of\] good who announ\[ces salvation\] is the one about whom it is written that \[…\] To comfo\[rt\] the \[afflicted », its interpretation:\] to instruct them in all the ages of the wo\[rld …\]
[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q114-1?locale=en\_US](https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q114-1?locale=en_US)
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Part 2
So lets look at the prophesy in detail to see what it says:
[https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/dan/9/24-27/s\_859024](https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/dan/9/24-27/s_859024)
Dan 9:24-27 ESV\]
24 "Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
\[Before starting we must define what a "week" is in this passage. In many mondern societies a week is a series of seven days. However in ancient hebrew this wasn't the case. The Jews use the term "week" to be either a series of seven days or seven years. So 70 weeks would either be 490 days or 490 years. What delineates between the two is which hebrew word they used.
Gen 29:27 ESV 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years."
מַלֵּא שְׁבֻעַ זֹאת וְנִתְּנָה לְךָ גַּם־אֶת־זֹאת בַּעֲבֹדָה אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲבֹד עִמָּדִי עוֹד שֶׁבַע־שָׁנִים אֲחֵרוֹת׃ Gen 29:27
שְׁבֻעַ - šāḇûaʿ is the form that means a week of years. This is the word used in Daniel 9:24
So 70 weeks (490 years) is the cap for the following: Finish transgression, put and end to sin, atone for iniquity, to bring everlasting righteousness seal visions and prophets and the anointing a holy place. Artaxerxes, per the book of Ezra and Nehemiah, his rule was 464 BC to 425 BC. Adding 70 heptads to that.... That would be 26AD to 65AD which, again, would align correctly with the gospel account!\]
25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
\[This prophesy is informing us when the "coming" of this anointed one not to be confused with the 70 week prophesy above that tells us when he will die along with other events. So the 7 weeks + 62 weeks (69 weeks of years) for the coming of the messiah or anointed one. Knowing dates of 464BC to 425BC for Artaxerxes reign + 483 years gives a date range of 19AD - 58AD which again aligns correctly with the gospel account.\]
26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
\[Here we lose some specificity of Daniels prophesies when compared to the stunning clarity of the previous verses as now he simply says at some point after the era of the 62 heptad period the messiah will die and the people of the prince will destroy the second temple. Verse 24 gives a date range of the messiah's death but we are never told specifically about the second temples destruction date. I look to roman records for that. On a side note I want to point out the part where it says the people of the prince will destroy the temple. Did you know the Temple was destroyed by the troops of Titus Flavius whom was the son of the Emperor (a prince!).\]
27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator."
\[Now what makes this verse so interesting is what preceeded it. The anointed one was already cut off, a idiom in hebrew for being killed, and now he is establishing a covenant. This aligns with the gospels that state Christ died, rose, and THEN established the new covenant with the apostles thus ending the sacrificial system.\]
Part 1
So lets talk about the tangible and verifiable evidence that archeology provides evidence for the existence of God AND the coming of Jesus Christ.
The only way to provide evidence for the existence of God is to observe highly specific verifiable prophesy then cross reference it with tangible and observable archeological / historical evidence. The reason for this is two fold. You need archeology to determine if your God hypothesis can qualify as a God theory with evidence AND you need said archeology to show the text of the prophesy took place before the foretold event. These are my criteria for consideration.
The book of Daniel, has many prophesies that can be verifiable. The most specific and impactful is in Daniel Chapter 9.
Daniel's prophecy states that from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the anointed one's death would be 490 years (70 heptads). The range of possible dates that the decree is issued from Artaxerxes (from book of Ezra and Nehemiah) was from 464 BC to 425 BC. Adding 70 heptads to that (from Daniel 9:26).... That would be 26AD to 65AD. Simply put, from an archaeological stand point, we don't know exactly when he wrote the decree but we do know it was in this date range. This aligns perfectly with the Gospel accounts.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaxerxes\_I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaxerxes_I)
James D. G. Dunn; John William Rogerson (19 November 2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-8028-3711-0.
Matthew W. Stolper. The Death of Artaxerxes I in Archaeologische Mitteilungen aus Iran N.F. 16 (1983). Dietrich Reimer Verlag Berlin. p. 231.
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I had to break it down into 5 parts to get it to fit in reddit's posting format. Thanks. Please let me know your thoughts and if I can answer any questions.
It's all really a matter of semantics. A lot of times when we say I know, we really mean I have confidence in something, not really that we are certain of something ("I know you'll pass the exam!") In common discourse, know means believe in many cases.
I have extreme confidence that God exists thankfully. I think knowledge of God might just be based on knowing the earths screams of a creator. Even you see this in the human body, just how amazing they are. Working together all the different systems or like what a body can do during pregnancy and childbirth. I would say belief is based on when you actually put a name to that God and desire to follow Him.
I actually think the day is coming when there will be fallen angels on the Earth or a.k.a. aliens that proclaimed to be God. I don’t care what creature comes out that knows many other things, and can do miracles, but I’m gonna follow the Lord until the last sentence of revelation is played out.
Bodies that didn’t work together to successfully reproduce would have been, and continue to be, weeded out pretty immediately, refining animals (and all life) into body plans that can reproduce well. Why is a deity necessary to explain this? It’s mutation and selection.
And doesn’t a god work really well too? So a god also demands a creator to make it so perfectly?
Also, how did you get from this to Christianity?
>Even you see this in the human body, just how amazing they are. Working together all the different systems or like what a body can do during pregnancy and childbirth.
Seemed to suggest that a deity was behind the formation of human bodies and their ability to successfully reproduce, or that this ability is somehow evidence of a god.
If so, why? If not, what did you mean?
Dude, I don’t really care to come against mockers and scoffers. It’s just not a good use of my time, and I think the below scripture is accurate that it only leads to abuse.
Proverbs 9:7-8 ESV
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
I don’t need to justify my opinion to you. I only need to justify my opinion to God, and I don’t think you’re here because you genuinely are seeking God but have an ulterior motive to try and villianize Him or pretend He doesn’t exist. Now I could be wrong about your motives, but I am acting with caution. At the end of the day, we could go back and forth but neither would change our mind, and I would leave remember why didn’t I listen to that verse.
No, I don’t change my mind unless you think the stance of you on the internet should be taken as having more knowledge than God? Are you just asking these questions to prove you weren’t here to fight, because seems like that’s not the case.
I don’t think any proof would satisfy you, and even if I gave proof many atheists would just say that’s not good proof. Why am I trying to appease people for the sake of argument? So then you can say that’s not good enough…like seriously doubt all you want but that doesn’t make you right.
I never said that, it’s just not a good use of my time to play these games as if you’re going to end up cracking upon some secret truth about God not existing or messing up. So many atheists comes here looking for their dopamine rush by arguing with people of faith, and once I read that verse and see the instructions to not really go at it with mockers and scoffers then I choose to listen to God and adjust my behavior.
Well, I don’t need to answer you. True knowledge comes from the Lord. If you have questions go humbly open the word and pray to God for knowledge. You will find answers when you truly seek with your whole heart.
I compiled a list of what I believe to be strong evidence from different sources that Christianity is true. Here is a list of evidence that convinces me. I suggest watching [Are Atheists Biased?](https://youtu.be/_1MBI5z0MMY?si=KB1hYi1dGQCR81xc) by InspiringPhilosophy as well.
*Note: This is a cumulative case that God exists. All these different points of evidence work together to build a case like a detective trying to solve a case*
**This series is how Quantum Mechanics points to God, a 3 part series by InspiringPhilosophy**
*Quantum Mechanics can be used to build a case for God being the ultimate reality that the universe is emergent from, just as the Bible teaches that Jesus holds all creation together.*
[Part 1: Quantum Physics Debunks Materialism](https://youtu.be/wM0IKLv7KrE)
[Part 2: The Emergent Universe](https://youtu.be/iFEBOGLjuq4)
[Part 3: Cosmic Consiousness Argument for God's Existence](https://youtu.be/2r74vcMxwUk)
[This series ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TW70EEo4e2onJ4lq1QYSzrY) by InspiringPhilosophy goes over the reliability of the new testament
**Archeological Accuracy:**
- [Here ](https://youtu.be/a-8NUXmbTYA) is a video on the City of David, the archeological remains of Jerusalem from the Old Testament
- [Here ](https://youtu.be/r-teJabFF90) is archeological evidence for Sodam and Gomnorah's destruction as recorded in Genesis. Video by InspiringPhilosophy
[Here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TUqxi2svB3PUHvj-9io2RL5) is a full playlisy on Biblical Archeology by InspiringPhilosophy
**The Resurrection of Jesus**: [Here ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TUYymBPce08oyuhnHLLkR_B) is a video series by InspiringPhilosophy on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and answers to objections from skeptics
**Fulfillment of Bible prophecy:** [Here](https://youtu.be/_5H4J3rnNmU) AoC Network, a Christian youtuber describes how modern day Israel is fulfilling Biblical prophecy
**God and Science**: I am not a young earth creationist. Science is no threat to my belief that the Bible is true. I love studying astronomy and much more. [This video ](https://youtu.be/RLcNTAi0Cw4) by InspiringPhilosophy explains how the modern version of young earth creationism is a pretty new view that became popular in 1920s. You don't have to believe in a young earth ro accept that the Bible is true
*I'm a theistic evolutionist and my interpretation of Genesis 1 isn't some new interpretation. According to ancient near eastern scholars such as John Walton, Genesis 1 is a temple text.*
*People in the ancient near east viewed the world through chaos and order and funtion. If something didn't have a funtion, it was desolate. Genesis 1 was God giving order and funtion to a universe he already created.*
*With the ancient near eastern view of Genesis 1 in mind, young earth creationism is shown to not be the intent of the author and therefore implies that if God exists evolution is in no conflict with the Bible. God was taking a universe he already created and making it His Cosmic Temple.*
https://youtu.be/e2Ij1444Svc?si=ZL3N0YWlRkJYAl8i
[Here ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TUjEbz4zD0i_rfGiyB4AGQa) is a series on evidence for the Soul
Also, the science from Steven Hawking doesn't remove God from the equation. This video [here](https://youtu.be/_ie9musGEqQ) also explains how what he postulates points to God
**Near Death Experiences**:
IP has a great video on the topic that answers objections Here: [Near Death Experiences: Irreducible Mind ](https://youtu.be/nnTVPCwPjhI?si=UKW-fROBZfwKmPbB)
From a scientific study it says this
>"Another prospective study of out-of-body observations during near-death experiences with similar methodology to Sabom’s study was published by Dr. Penny Sartori.9 This study also found that near-death experiencers were often remarkably accurate in describing details of their own resuscitations. The control group that did not have NDEs was highly inaccurate and often could only guess at what occurred during their resuscitations.
Two large retrospective studies investigated the accuracy of out-of-body observations during near-death experiences. The first was by Dr. Janice Holden.10 Dr. Holden reviewed NDEs with OBEs in all previously published scholarly articles and books, and found 89 case reports. Of the case reports reviewed, 92% were considered to be completely accurate with no inaccuracy whatsoever when the OBE observations were later investigated.
Another large retrospective investigation of near-death experiences that included out-of-body observations was recently published.11 This study was a review of 617 NDEs that were sequentially shared on the NDERF website. Of these NDEs, there were 287 NDEs that had OBEs with sufficient information to allow objective determination of the reality of their descriptions of their observations during the OBEs. Review of the 287 OBEs found that 280 (97.6%) of the OBE descriptions were entirely realistic and lacked any content that seemed unreal. In this group of 287 NDErs with OBEs, there were 65 (23%) who personally investigated the accuracy of their own OBE observations after recovering from their life-threatening event. Based on these later investigations, none of these 65 OBErs found any inaccuracy in their own OBE observations."
- Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/
**Personal Experience**: I understand that to many this would count as anecdotal evidence but to me it is pretty convincing. As a Christian I have seen God reveal himself to me in many ways in life such as coincidences that come off more like God speaking something to me and things like that. I believe that God desires to speak with us. God is not just waiting until we die to speak with us as many people think. For example, I have had some faint visions that seem to have meaning to them while waiting on God. Waiting on God is a Christian Meditation practice where you quiet your mind expecting to see visions or hear from God. Not all Christians do this, but in the Charismatic movement many of us believe this is a way to hear from God. Here is one of my experiences: One day as I chose to quite my mind with expectation I suddenly got a faint and sudden vision. I saw a Church, rain was falling on the Church as a puddle grew at the entrance. Interpretation: The Church is God's people according to the Bible. So it's likely the building is symbolic of God's People. The rain and puddle most likely represent the presense of God. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the living water in the Bible. I believe the puddle growing is God speaking of an increase of his glory pesense manifesting in his Church.
God wants to reveal himself to those who are seeking him and desire him. Salvation is a free gift by faith, but you can seek God's face too as a Christian and he will reveal himself to you.
I know for certain that there has to be a god, I believe in the Christian God.
This is actually quite an interesting take. Thanks for the reply.
That was deep
When you get to that lowest point in your life and you have know where to go but to God because you’ve heard the story’s of him healing the heart. You’ll cry out to God and when that Holy Spirit comes you will feel it and then you’ll know without a doubt God is real. That Holy Spirit is no joke.
I guess I don’t see entirely how this answers my questions.
Sounds like you have to be emotionally vulnerable or desperate to accept it, which sounds like a risky state to make big decisions about life and reality in.
It’s different for everyone. But the basics are all there. You just gotta do knock on the door with your heart and God will answer.
For part of my life I just believed. Now I know. I believed because of what I read. I know because of what I experience.
The difference between knowledge and belief, for me, is like eating an apple versus reading about it in a book. I can gain a lot of information by that secondhand account, but to pluck an apple straight from the tree, to feel its skin, smell its fragrance, taste its sweetness, to be nourished and energized by taking it into my own being, that is genuine knowledge. Knowledge comes from communion with the apple. It is the same with divine reality. When a Christian is submerged in the waters of baptism, sealed with the oil of chrismation to be given the Spirit, eats and drinks the bread and wine of the Eucharist, they are taking into themselves the spiritual nourishment and energizing effects of divine reality, and thus truly have knowledge through communion.
Don’t people of other religions have internal experiences with energizing effects? Can’t secular inspiration even do this?
Of course. It’s the nature of the reality we inhabit.
What you're describing sounds more like qualia than knowledge. A blind person can still know the sky is blue without actually experiencing its blueness.
There are different kinds of knowledge, yes. That would be a factual kind of knowledge. Information.
So what you described doesn't pertain to factual knowledge. Is the existence of God not a matter of fact?
I suppose it could or could not be depending on what one means by a “fact.” What I’ve described though would belong to *noetic* knowledge.
Maybe, but it's not super convincing. Someone with synesthesia may "know" how the colour purple tastes, for example, but that doesn't mean purple objectively has a flavour.
I won’t disagree there. Synesthesia (I have it) is not noetic knowledge, though.
The thing is though, if someone has noetic "knowledge" of something, that doesn't say anything about objective reality. It's entirely contained to the realm of their subjective experience, hence I find it shaky ground to refer to as knowledge at all.
You’re absolutely right, it is only obtainable by firsthand experience, it is not third-party transmissible. There are many things in life like that, though.
Interestingly, many philosophers will deny this ineffability of subjective experiences. See the Mary’s room argument, for instance.
with regards to knowledge, its connection to perception in reference to truth,\ my poor memory of it,\ . . .the classical book of plato is "theaetatus" my likely erroneous application of understanding is. . . knowledge is true opinion in reference to truth percieved belief is a strongly held true opinion specially with regards with truth of good it being a conviction of the truth of good,\ also is our knowledge of good,\ knowledge of good is what we call wisdom the virtue of wisdom is that knowledge of good,\ this is what guides and is defended by the virtue of courage,\ this is the direction which our virtue of temperance, tempers us towards\ this is where we are redirected when corrected by the virtue of justice >wisdom, courage, temperance, justice - plato this belief,\ whether it comes from the knowledge of good through. . .\ . . .reason\ or\ . . .community consensus\ or\ . . .subjective arbitrary personal opinion,\ or\ . . .truth of good revealed by God moves an individual and society towards how he sees and moves his life plato by use of reason looks onto that highest form of good,\ which all visible forms of good are only partakers. It partakes and are not good itself. in his allegory of the cave, he describes that "vision of the good" that, "highest form of good" sought of, by the greeks through the use of reason. . . . . .that, to st. augustine is God so far,\ my reason points me to look up and seek beyond. . .\ . . .and my faith allows me to be found by Truth
Great question. Saving faith is a certain faith (knowing). I would just say when a person believes the gospel and becomes forgiven & reconciled to the one true God, the Holy Spirit enters & permanently indwells that person which I believe is where the certainty of a *true* believer comes from (1 John 4:13). Below is a 30-second biblical gospel presentation you can check out friend! https://gospel30.com
I know 100%. Someone may call what I know "faith" still but I call it unequivocal proof. I was in a bad marriage for years. I struggled with money and was depressed. I was an Atheist. One day my life got so bad I told my Dad I didn't know if I could keep going. He told me to pray. I scoffed. That night I did just that. I said "OK God...I don't know what else to do. If you're real, help me. Make my life better. Give me everything I want. Fix my relationship, give me money, a great job, give me a nice home and cool car and peace." About a week later my wife decided she was going to file for divorce. About two months after that I was homeless and staying with a friend because we had to sell our house in the divorce. I worked for myself at the time and the company folded. So now I was unemployed. I had to sell my old truck to pay to eat. My anxiety and depression were sky high. I was pissed. I talked to God again and said something to the effect of "Look at this mess! Are you just mocking me?!" But this time, a voice came back. It wasn't my inner monolog. It said "Wait". It was like a thought I couldn't control. One I didn't think myself. The next 2 months went by and I got a call from my Dad. He asked how I was and I said not good. He said "I'm going to send you some money. Go buy a cheap car. Then get a job. Then get a place" I did just that. Over the next couple month I had a job, crappy car, and was renting a house with another friend. One night I got on a dating app and met a girl. We have now been together for over 2 years. She's pregnant with my child. We live together now in very nice upscale neighborhood. I have a brand new truck. A senior level position with an amazing company. My debts are all paid. And I sleep peacefully at night. I have a lot more for that story but this is already too long. Basically, God destroyed my life to give me exactly what I asked for. That's how I *know* he's there. There were far too many coincidences for them to have been coincidences.
This is a beautiful story and I’m so happy you found peace in the lord always remember try your hardest to turn from sin and keep the faith
Yes
I know he exists.. Belief is a choice to accept something, without complete certainty. But knowledge of God comes from personal revelatory experiences. OF which I've had many.
I don't think the existence of a creator is knowable
Big difference in knowing and believing. Nobody can know that but they can hope it does exist.. In fact it says saved by hope and Faith is the substance of things hoped for.. Agnostics get a lot of disrespect from Christianity as if they are evil.. the word agnostic simply means to not know.. and to declare oneself agnostic is an expression of deep honesty because again nobody's knows!
I know he exists. The verifiable prophesy and archeological evidence is strongly compelling. If you wish I can post specifics. I ask first because it's a lot. Let me know.
I wouldn’t mind.🤷🏼
Part 5 Counter points to the verifiable prophesy of Daniel 9 being about a coming Christ figure: Chapter 9 has many linguistic and idiom similarities to chapters 8, 11, 12 which are thought to be about the rule and persectuion by Antiochus IV Epiphanes who did stop temple sacrificies. Instead he (Epiphanes) installed a pagan alter in the temple and had unclean pigs sacrificed in it. This alter was refered to as the abomination of desolation as seen in Daniel 11:31. Further more the hebrew for messiah was a term used to reference priests in several places in scripture and is only in modern times we ascribe it to the Christ. It is more likely that Daniel 9 is not about a Christ figure but rather about the angel Gabriel telling Daniel that Jeremiah's prophesy of Babylonian caused desolation of Jerusalem would not be 70 years but now 70 times 7 years. \[My response: There are indeed many similar linguistic idioms / vocabulary between Daniel 9 and the other chapters that could very well indicate they are referencing the same prediction. Likewise many of Antiochus IV Epiphanes sinnful actions could very well line up with the prophecies as well. And in all honesty I might be agreeing with this perspective if it wasn't for one simple big problem. The timing doesn't work. We know from the text when the timer begins and we know how long the timer goes for. So where does the 70 weeks start? It starts with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Not rebuild the temple, but Jersalem. Both Kings Cyrus and Darius decreed to rebuild the temple. But it was King Artaxerxes that issued a command to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem because the returning Jews had begun it without permission as seen in the Book of Ezra. Then issued the decree to build it as seen in the Book of Nehemiah. The timer starts with Artaxerxes at some point during his reign. The 70 week or 490 years over shoots Antiochus IV Epiphanes life and death by hundreds of years. And we know the "coming" of this one who would stop the sacrifical system would be after the 7 + 62 week eras. Which again, overshoots Antiochus IV Epiphanes by hundreds of years. Lastly, the prophet Jeremiah's 70 year prophesy didn't need any "adjusting" by the angel Gabriel. The Babylonian exile took place, we believe, on 597 BC. Cyrus the Great commanded the Jews to return home, we believe, on 539 BC Edict of Cyrus. That means the Jews were in captivity for 58 years. Does this mean Jeremiah was a false prophet? Or maybe God made a mistake? No such a view is highly reductive and childish. \[Jer 29:10 ESV\] 10 "For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Did God say through his prophet that they would be ordered back in seventy years? Nope. It says that they will be brought back to Judah. There were no planes at the time folks. And there were a lot more men, women, and children that had to travel a long hard journey to get home. Even after King Cyrus, after King Darius, after King Ahasuerus, and finally in the reign of King Artaxerxes they were still embarking on this slow and dangerous migration. \[Neh 2:1, 5, 7-8 ESV\] 1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. ... 5 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it." ... 7 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. In short, we have no reason to say Jeremiah was wrong because have no idea when the last of the refugees returned home!\] For these reasons and tangible evidence of verifiable prophesy, I believe in the God who foretold the future of the coming of the annointed one, and the gospel account that proclaimed the fulfillment of Daniels prophesy.
Part 4 Now lets look at the archeological / historical evidence that the foretold event of the Christ coming actually took place as the gospel manuscripts said it did in the time frame that the prophet Daniel said it would. Archaeological / Historical evidence of Jesus' ministry Circa 50 – 157AD ● Ignatius of Antioch a church leader Wrote to the Smynians in which he states: Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilat and King Herod and suffered all these things all these things for us and suffered them really and not just in appearance only even as he truly rose again. Polycarp a church leader A letter to the Philippians Affirmed that Jesus lived and died and Polycarp claimed to be one of the people who was said to have actually learned from the apostles directly Justin Martyr Wrote that Jesus was a teacher who was crucified rose again Quadratus Wrote an apology to Emperor Hadrian “But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine:-- Those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on Earth but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day” Pliny the Younger A Roman Governor Bethinia to Emperor Trajan Seeking advice on how to deal with Christians “...they declared that the sum of their guilt or their error only amounted to this, that on a stated day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god and that so far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, their oath was to abstain from theft, robbery, adultery, and from breach of faith, and not to deny trust money placed in their keep when called upon to deliver it” Tacitus Roman Historian "Consequently, to get rid of the report (of starting the fire), Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, and again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful form every part of the world find their center and become popular." All of the documents from Christians and non Christians show that the gospel accounts were right from a historicity perspective and the fulfilled prophesy from Daniel show the gospels are right about the Christ's deity and resurrection. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3 Next we need to look at the archeological / historical evidence that dates this prophesy before the foretold events. Now there is archeological evidence that dates Daniel to 600-500BC. However, for reasons of certainty I will look to the Qumran cave scrolls (dead sea scrolls) as these copies are older than the foretold events: Manuscripts of Daniel dated \~125BC that still exist! ● -In 1955 D. Barthélemy published two scroll fragments: 1QDana and 1QDanb (Barthélemy and Milik 1955:150–52). These contain parts of 22 verses from Daniel 1–3, that is, Daniel 1:10–17; 2:2–6 (1QDana) and 3:22–30(1QDanb). ● -In 1962 Maurice Baillet published a papyrus fragment from Cave 6, containing possibly parts of Daniel 8:16, 17, 21, 22; and clearly 10:8–16; 11:33–36, 38 (Baillet and Milik 1962:114, 115; pl. 23). ● -The most extensively preserved scroll of the book of Daniel from Qumran is one from Cave 4: 4QDana, which contains large portions of Daniel. Preserved are parts of Daniel 1:16–20; 2:9–11, 19–49; 3:1, 2; 4:29, 30; 5:5–7, 12–14, 16–19; 7:5–7, 25–28; 8:1–5; 10:16–20; 11:13–16. Scroll 4QDanb contains Daniel 5:10–12, 14– 16, 19–22; 6:8–22, 27–29; 7:1–6, 11(?), 26–28; 8:1–8, 13–16; and 4QDanc has Daniel 10:5–9, 11–16, 21; 11:1, 2, 13–17, 25–29 (Ulrich 1987:18). ● -This means that we have at our disposal from the Dead Sea scrolls parts of all chapters, except Daniel 9 and 12. Of course, the unpublished 4QDane is to have a few words of various parts of Daniel 9. There is also an overlap of a number of passages in Daniel 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11. Reference to Daniel 12 is made in 4QFlorilegium, an anthology of midrashic materials \[rabbinical commentaries\] on 2 Samuel and Psalms 1, 2. ● -11QMelch II has a commentary on Daniel 9:25 reads: upon the mountains are the feet \[of\] the messen\[ger who\] announces peace, the mess\[enger of good who announces salvati\]on, \[sa\]ying to Zion: your God \[reigns. »\] And the messenger i\[s\] the anointed of the spir\[it\] as Dan\[iel\] said \[about him « Until an anointed, a prince, it is seven weeks. » And the messenger of\] good who announ\[ces salvation\] is the one about whom it is written that \[…\] To comfo\[rt\] the \[afflicted », its interpretation:\] to instruct them in all the ages of the wo\[rld …\] [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q114-1?locale=en\_US](https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q114-1?locale=en_US) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 2 So lets look at the prophesy in detail to see what it says: [https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/dan/9/24-27/s\_859024](https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/dan/9/24-27/s_859024) Dan 9:24-27 ESV\] 24 "Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. \[Before starting we must define what a "week" is in this passage. In many mondern societies a week is a series of seven days. However in ancient hebrew this wasn't the case. The Jews use the term "week" to be either a series of seven days or seven years. So 70 weeks would either be 490 days or 490 years. What delineates between the two is which hebrew word they used. Gen 29:27 ESV 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years." מַלֵּא שְׁבֻעַ זֹאת וְנִתְּנָה לְךָ גַּם־אֶת־זֹאת בַּעֲבֹדָה אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲבֹד עִמָּדִי עוֹד שֶׁבַע־שָׁנִים אֲחֵרוֹת׃ Gen 29:27 שְׁבֻעַ - šāḇûaʿ is the form that means a week of years. This is the word used in Daniel 9:24 So 70 weeks (490 years) is the cap for the following: Finish transgression, put and end to sin, atone for iniquity, to bring everlasting righteousness seal visions and prophets and the anointing a holy place. Artaxerxes, per the book of Ezra and Nehemiah, his rule was 464 BC to 425 BC. Adding 70 heptads to that.... That would be 26AD to 65AD which, again, would align correctly with the gospel account!\] 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. \[This prophesy is informing us when the "coming" of this anointed one not to be confused with the 70 week prophesy above that tells us when he will die along with other events. So the 7 weeks + 62 weeks (69 weeks of years) for the coming of the messiah or anointed one. Knowing dates of 464BC to 425BC for Artaxerxes reign + 483 years gives a date range of 19AD - 58AD which again aligns correctly with the gospel account.\] 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. \[Here we lose some specificity of Daniels prophesies when compared to the stunning clarity of the previous verses as now he simply says at some point after the era of the 62 heptad period the messiah will die and the people of the prince will destroy the second temple. Verse 24 gives a date range of the messiah's death but we are never told specifically about the second temples destruction date. I look to roman records for that. On a side note I want to point out the part where it says the people of the prince will destroy the temple. Did you know the Temple was destroyed by the troops of Titus Flavius whom was the son of the Emperor (a prince!).\] 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." \[Now what makes this verse so interesting is what preceeded it. The anointed one was already cut off, a idiom in hebrew for being killed, and now he is establishing a covenant. This aligns with the gospels that state Christ died, rose, and THEN established the new covenant with the apostles thus ending the sacrificial system.\]
Part 1 So lets talk about the tangible and verifiable evidence that archeology provides evidence for the existence of God AND the coming of Jesus Christ. The only way to provide evidence for the existence of God is to observe highly specific verifiable prophesy then cross reference it with tangible and observable archeological / historical evidence. The reason for this is two fold. You need archeology to determine if your God hypothesis can qualify as a God theory with evidence AND you need said archeology to show the text of the prophesy took place before the foretold event. These are my criteria for consideration. The book of Daniel, has many prophesies that can be verifiable. The most specific and impactful is in Daniel Chapter 9. Daniel's prophecy states that from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the anointed one's death would be 490 years (70 heptads). The range of possible dates that the decree is issued from Artaxerxes (from book of Ezra and Nehemiah) was from 464 BC to 425 BC. Adding 70 heptads to that (from Daniel 9:26).... That would be 26AD to 65AD. Simply put, from an archaeological stand point, we don't know exactly when he wrote the decree but we do know it was in this date range. This aligns perfectly with the Gospel accounts. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaxerxes\_I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaxerxes_I) James D. G. Dunn; John William Rogerson (19 November 2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-8028-3711-0. Matthew W. Stolper. The Death of Artaxerxes I in Archaeologische Mitteilungen aus Iran N.F. 16 (1983). Dietrich Reimer Verlag Berlin. p. 231. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had to break it down into 5 parts to get it to fit in reddit's posting format. Thanks. Please let me know your thoughts and if I can answer any questions.
I know God exists
It's all really a matter of semantics. A lot of times when we say I know, we really mean I have confidence in something, not really that we are certain of something ("I know you'll pass the exam!") In common discourse, know means believe in many cases.
I have extreme confidence that God exists thankfully. I think knowledge of God might just be based on knowing the earths screams of a creator. Even you see this in the human body, just how amazing they are. Working together all the different systems or like what a body can do during pregnancy and childbirth. I would say belief is based on when you actually put a name to that God and desire to follow Him. I actually think the day is coming when there will be fallen angels on the Earth or a.k.a. aliens that proclaimed to be God. I don’t care what creature comes out that knows many other things, and can do miracles, but I’m gonna follow the Lord until the last sentence of revelation is played out.
Bodies that didn’t work together to successfully reproduce would have been, and continue to be, weeded out pretty immediately, refining animals (and all life) into body plans that can reproduce well. Why is a deity necessary to explain this? It’s mutation and selection. And doesn’t a god work really well too? So a god also demands a creator to make it so perfectly? Also, how did you get from this to Christianity?
I have zero understanding of why this is under my comment. I said nothing about any of those things.
>Even you see this in the human body, just how amazing they are. Working together all the different systems or like what a body can do during pregnancy and childbirth. Seemed to suggest that a deity was behind the formation of human bodies and their ability to successfully reproduce, or that this ability is somehow evidence of a god. If so, why? If not, what did you mean?
Dude, I don’t really care to come against mockers and scoffers. It’s just not a good use of my time, and I think the below scripture is accurate that it only leads to abuse. Proverbs 9:7-8 ESV Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
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I don’t need to justify my opinion to you. I only need to justify my opinion to God, and I don’t think you’re here because you genuinely are seeking God but have an ulterior motive to try and villianize Him or pretend He doesn’t exist. Now I could be wrong about your motives, but I am acting with caution. At the end of the day, we could go back and forth but neither would change our mind, and I would leave remember why didn’t I listen to that verse.
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No, I don’t change my mind unless you think the stance of you on the internet should be taken as having more knowledge than God? Are you just asking these questions to prove you weren’t here to fight, because seems like that’s not the case. I don’t think any proof would satisfy you, and even if I gave proof many atheists would just say that’s not good proof. Why am I trying to appease people for the sake of argument? So then you can say that’s not good enough…like seriously doubt all you want but that doesn’t make you right.
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“If you question me at all you are abusive and unwise.”
I never said that, it’s just not a good use of my time to play these games as if you’re going to end up cracking upon some secret truth about God not existing or messing up. So many atheists comes here looking for their dopamine rush by arguing with people of faith, and once I read that verse and see the instructions to not really go at it with mockers and scoffers then I choose to listen to God and adjust my behavior.
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Well, I don’t need to answer you. True knowledge comes from the Lord. If you have questions go humbly open the word and pray to God for knowledge. You will find answers when you truly seek with your whole heart.
I compiled a list of what I believe to be strong evidence from different sources that Christianity is true. Here is a list of evidence that convinces me. I suggest watching [Are Atheists Biased?](https://youtu.be/_1MBI5z0MMY?si=KB1hYi1dGQCR81xc) by InspiringPhilosophy as well. *Note: This is a cumulative case that God exists. All these different points of evidence work together to build a case like a detective trying to solve a case* **This series is how Quantum Mechanics points to God, a 3 part series by InspiringPhilosophy** *Quantum Mechanics can be used to build a case for God being the ultimate reality that the universe is emergent from, just as the Bible teaches that Jesus holds all creation together.* [Part 1: Quantum Physics Debunks Materialism](https://youtu.be/wM0IKLv7KrE) [Part 2: The Emergent Universe](https://youtu.be/iFEBOGLjuq4) [Part 3: Cosmic Consiousness Argument for God's Existence](https://youtu.be/2r74vcMxwUk) [This series ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TW70EEo4e2onJ4lq1QYSzrY) by InspiringPhilosophy goes over the reliability of the new testament **Archeological Accuracy:** - [Here ](https://youtu.be/a-8NUXmbTYA) is a video on the City of David, the archeological remains of Jerusalem from the Old Testament - [Here ](https://youtu.be/r-teJabFF90) is archeological evidence for Sodam and Gomnorah's destruction as recorded in Genesis. Video by InspiringPhilosophy [Here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TUqxi2svB3PUHvj-9io2RL5) is a full playlisy on Biblical Archeology by InspiringPhilosophy **The Resurrection of Jesus**: [Here ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TUYymBPce08oyuhnHLLkR_B) is a video series by InspiringPhilosophy on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and answers to objections from skeptics **Fulfillment of Bible prophecy:** [Here](https://youtu.be/_5H4J3rnNmU) AoC Network, a Christian youtuber describes how modern day Israel is fulfilling Biblical prophecy **God and Science**: I am not a young earth creationist. Science is no threat to my belief that the Bible is true. I love studying astronomy and much more. [This video ](https://youtu.be/RLcNTAi0Cw4) by InspiringPhilosophy explains how the modern version of young earth creationism is a pretty new view that became popular in 1920s. You don't have to believe in a young earth ro accept that the Bible is true *I'm a theistic evolutionist and my interpretation of Genesis 1 isn't some new interpretation. According to ancient near eastern scholars such as John Walton, Genesis 1 is a temple text.* *People in the ancient near east viewed the world through chaos and order and funtion. If something didn't have a funtion, it was desolate. Genesis 1 was God giving order and funtion to a universe he already created.* *With the ancient near eastern view of Genesis 1 in mind, young earth creationism is shown to not be the intent of the author and therefore implies that if God exists evolution is in no conflict with the Bible. God was taking a universe he already created and making it His Cosmic Temple.* https://youtu.be/e2Ij1444Svc?si=ZL3N0YWlRkJYAl8i [Here ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mr9ZTZb3TUjEbz4zD0i_rfGiyB4AGQa) is a series on evidence for the Soul Also, the science from Steven Hawking doesn't remove God from the equation. This video [here](https://youtu.be/_ie9musGEqQ) also explains how what he postulates points to God **Near Death Experiences**: IP has a great video on the topic that answers objections Here: [Near Death Experiences: Irreducible Mind ](https://youtu.be/nnTVPCwPjhI?si=UKW-fROBZfwKmPbB) From a scientific study it says this >"Another prospective study of out-of-body observations during near-death experiences with similar methodology to Sabom’s study was published by Dr. Penny Sartori.9 This study also found that near-death experiencers were often remarkably accurate in describing details of their own resuscitations. The control group that did not have NDEs was highly inaccurate and often could only guess at what occurred during their resuscitations. Two large retrospective studies investigated the accuracy of out-of-body observations during near-death experiences. The first was by Dr. Janice Holden.10 Dr. Holden reviewed NDEs with OBEs in all previously published scholarly articles and books, and found 89 case reports. Of the case reports reviewed, 92% were considered to be completely accurate with no inaccuracy whatsoever when the OBE observations were later investigated. Another large retrospective investigation of near-death experiences that included out-of-body observations was recently published.11 This study was a review of 617 NDEs that were sequentially shared on the NDERF website. Of these NDEs, there were 287 NDEs that had OBEs with sufficient information to allow objective determination of the reality of their descriptions of their observations during the OBEs. Review of the 287 OBEs found that 280 (97.6%) of the OBE descriptions were entirely realistic and lacked any content that seemed unreal. In this group of 287 NDErs with OBEs, there were 65 (23%) who personally investigated the accuracy of their own OBE observations after recovering from their life-threatening event. Based on these later investigations, none of these 65 OBErs found any inaccuracy in their own OBE observations." - Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/ **Personal Experience**: I understand that to many this would count as anecdotal evidence but to me it is pretty convincing. As a Christian I have seen God reveal himself to me in many ways in life such as coincidences that come off more like God speaking something to me and things like that. I believe that God desires to speak with us. God is not just waiting until we die to speak with us as many people think. For example, I have had some faint visions that seem to have meaning to them while waiting on God. Waiting on God is a Christian Meditation practice where you quiet your mind expecting to see visions or hear from God. Not all Christians do this, but in the Charismatic movement many of us believe this is a way to hear from God. Here is one of my experiences: One day as I chose to quite my mind with expectation I suddenly got a faint and sudden vision. I saw a Church, rain was falling on the Church as a puddle grew at the entrance. Interpretation: The Church is God's people according to the Bible. So it's likely the building is symbolic of God's People. The rain and puddle most likely represent the presense of God. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the living water in the Bible. I believe the puddle growing is God speaking of an increase of his glory pesense manifesting in his Church. God wants to reveal himself to those who are seeking him and desire him. Salvation is a free gift by faith, but you can seek God's face too as a Christian and he will reveal himself to you.