If there be a GOD, which GOD is the real one and how can I know it for certain?

Question

Living in a multi-cultural information age society, where the various religions origins and essential differences can be studied, it becomes clear that GOD, as understood by believers, vary enormously in character, form and nature.

Even in one religion, such as Christianity, the nature of GOD and his/ her/it's (he/his from here on) participation or intervention or interaction with his creation varies form the vengeful and smiting interventionist GOD of the Old Testament, to the compassionate and forgiving loving God, absent since departure, of the new.

Many educated people realise that their contextual based conditioning from youth regarding their views concerning truth are but another perspective. Thus they search for the immutable aspects amongst the multitude of visions trying to find a firm basis from which to rebuild an understanding of the world which transcends culturally biased paradigms in order get closer to the truth about reality.

For such a person GOD seems to exist as a conjecture. So how can I know the face of the GOD and if there be one at all?

Answer 1

You have already seen any number of people give you any number of answers. They each have their opinion about which god or gods are real and which are not. But if all you needed was someone telling you an opinion, you would have falled into one of those folds long ago. So I won't tell you what I think.



Instead, let's look at this reasonably. If there is some kind of god, and this entity wants to communicate with you, don't you think he, she, it, or they would be able to do so in such a way as to leave you little room for doubt about their identity? I cannot think of any example of a person cited as a religious prophet who spoke with a god and then wondered if perhaps it had really happened (or at least, not for long).



So there's your answer. Try and communicate with whatever entity is out there, and if it wants to communicate with you, then it will. If it doesn't respond to your earnest requests for guidance, then either it is completely unreasonable (who would want to follow an unreasonable god anyway?) or doesn't care too much what you are up to.



Go have a conversation. I think it's the least one can expect.

Answer 2

If you have doubts about organised religion...forget them for the time being. Religion takes God a step further. First establish what you believe God to be.



Philosophers have come up with their own definitions of God through the ages. Here are a few:



Richard Swinburne:

God is disembodied, omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) morally perfect and completely free.



St Anselm:

God is the greatest possible conceivable thing.



Descartes:

God has all perfections.



Alvin Plantinga:

God has maximal greatness or maximal excellence in all worlds.



Norman Malcolm:

God is not contradictory.



Classical Definition:

God is disembodied, omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), a free agent, the creator and sustainer of the universe, wholly good, and worthy of worship.



These are philosophical definitions of God, which came from philosophy which came long before organised religion. For example, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are based on the teachings of Aristotle. As you can see, all these definitions say more or less the same thing. The most important thing about God, is that you believe he not only exists, but is worthy of worship.



Unfortunately, as you pointed out, organised religion is full of contradictions, in the Bible for example. There is a very good reason why this has occured: the Bible was written by men, who are not perfect, not by God. God did not write the Bible, so my suggestion is that if you are looking for the truth about God...you don't let yourself get to bogged down with all the scriptural details.



In organised religion this is indeed what happens. In several sects of Christianity, every detail of the Bible is studied and taken into account. A lot of these details are not important. People should instead concentrate on the overall message of the Bible, which is that, God came down to Earth, and sacrificed himself as Jesus so that humans would be cleansed of sin and could reach salvation.



(Now similarly, philosophers have proved the existence of God in different ways. Some I accept...others I don't. I would be only too happy to explain them to you if you want me to, but I'll leave it for now because it will be extremely lengthy.)

Answer 3

So, you'll accept a faceless "invisible dimension" as the cause, but not an overall Creator? Who created the "invisible dimension"? Either the principle of an always-existing God in some form is true or it is not. If it is not true, then we're always going to be working our way back, looking for the cause of the cause of the cause. "Why is the Christian God immune from mistaken identity" He is only immune by those who hold to said God as true. You attack Him daily. That's hardly being immune. As for the assumption of immunity, the same could be said for the adherent to any faith. They will consider their god immune. How do you not understand that?

Answer 4

When we come to know things and try to find facts about them we naturally adapt an objective approach. We prefer to see as if things were laid in front of us, detached and therefore observable. When we first get interested into religion, if we have never been before, then an intellectual debate is the most common start. The reality however is that we can know a religion to fairly good degree of understanding, we can appreciate its values and underpinning inherent philosophies, but when it comes to having an insight into the very ideals of devotion round which a religion suggests that human mind should be structured, we do not find anything that would satisfy us rationally or intellectual.



The concept of God, and an understanding of this concept are not only for the domains of human reason and rationality. With a better understanding of our own self, however, we can transcend the bounds and dependencies of knowing without 'going out of our mind'. We can know what God means in this world. This is the divine purpose that we knwo we have innately in our nature. And religion suggests us the way to fulfil teh very purpose supreme human purpose, that is to know thy self in gracious the name of God Almighty.



The ultimate in human nature thus is not an inquiry into the supreme, or God Almighty, with a forgetfulness of our own self, but an inquiry into our own life, and self with a complete mindfulness of God Almighty.



We can say God is vengeful, powerful, or kind and compassionate, but these are the attributes that constitute our own nature. And if we have an ideal in our life realised in a most elevated manner by what we believe in then it is for the purpose of first of all knowing what qualities our mind has and then making the best of them for the good of both ourselves and the world around us at large.



The solution to religious matters would be found in the times to come. People will be better aware of themselves and their links to this life and to an essential divinity that capacitates us to shape our end before every new start into life.

Answer 5

The concept of a God doesn't make any sense; there is therefore no reason to believe in any of them. The greatest arguements for the existence of a god were believed to have been devised by Thomas Aquinas, but none of those arguements have withstood the test of time. His longest lasting arguement was called 'The Arguement from Design/Analogy', which was first proven an inadequate explanation and was later replaced by a better alternative arguement devised by Charles Darwin. If you haven't already read Richard Hawkins book 'The God Delusion', I suggest you do. If you already have or just don't like Richard as I do, then I also have a book you might be interested in.

Answer 6

Maybe I can only answer from my own personal experience, but you've asked a question and I will answer...



One definition of GOD is unchanging, always was and always been, and omnipresent or in every place at the same time. By that definition, energy qualifies as that answer: Unchanging, always was and always has been, and omnipresent or in every place at the same time. Yes, the GOD of my understanding is the New Testament GOD. And that is my own personal belief of that which I believe to be right. But I have also discovered somehow and in someway that the Universe gives me whatever I ask, both good and bad. The vessel by which I seek my own success is in my thoughts and my feelings and these are described by one definition as energy of which my thoughts and feelings are a part.



I cannot even begin to tell you what to believe, but I can tell you this. I died on the operating room table in 1994 and I had my own experience with death and it was everything that I had been told was true. And now I am living on borrowed time, and could not maintain a positive attitude were it not for my faith in GOD (See definition). I hope this answers your question in a different light.

Answer 7

God is about your own perceptions of morality. It is how you relate to others, not just people but all Life.

Personally i don't believe that God is a little old man with a beard or something.

I think what we find in the Bible, for example, tells us more about the people who wrote it, than it does about God him/herself.

My "God" is about my relationship with my inner self and the rest of creation.

I try to respect others views, sometimes that can be difficult, particularly when i consider religious extremists. It is very sad how people can promote hate and destruction in the name of their God.

Life is a Spiritual journey. All any of us can do is try to be an honest, caring person.

Answer 8

Seems to me that you are a complex, and truly thinking being (not many of you about).

I'm afraid that you will have to dig deep on this one. Our current Christian beliefs seem to be steeped in the history of older, mythological religious beliefs.

You yourself, will have to find that alchemical formula in which you will find your faith. And you will know it when it comes along, but more importantly, it is the journey as they say that is the more enlightening.

I agree that God seems to exist as a conjecture. But there is the mysterious aspect of life in which no answer exists (at least, not yet).

And how can you know the face of God when their is no face. A face suggests physical form, and "my interpretation" is that we are looking for something greater, beyond the physical form.

Christianity is a form of understanding known as the outer mysteries. There are many philosophical groups that exist today, specifically aimed at guiding you through the inner mysteries, such as the "hermetic order of the golden dawn" or "AMORC". I might add, a good group would be one that allows you to learn from the sacred texts, but allows you to draw your own conclusions.

We have been given a brain to think with, why should someone wish for our thoughts to be identical? Our goal should be to find our own connection to the universal collective mind.

Answer 9

Hello,



(ANS) I make no apologies for being an Atheist, its my sincerely held belief that although millions & millions people have a faith. I think they remain misguided.



The truth of the matter is there is No! God, there never was a god & never will be a god!!



Why?? because God is a human construct, an idea invented by humans for humans.



**Other examples of human constructs are:- the idea of time, the idea of money, the idea of a calender, the idea of capitalism itself.



**People need a faith or religion's in order to feel OK! about themselves, they cannot face the reality of life without something to help them.



**All organized religions are about :- No.1 The politics of controlling peoples real spirituality, No.2 The control of woman specifically No.3 The desire to control peoples sexuality, especially true of the pope & the roman catholic church & Islam too.



**Humans cannot bear much existential reality?? Cannot face the truth about death and that when you die your gone, finished, not coming back ever again. Of course what rational human being wouldn't be fearful of that? But religion or faith wont take that way.



**There is No! heaven or hell when you die, only that you return to the primal void from where we all came from in the first place. Dust to Dust thats very very true!!



Ivan

Answer 10

I don't think you can ever 'know' the answer to that question, but it sure is fun sometimes to look at all the different ideas on the subject.

Some ideas seem foolish, some are nice happy ideas, others more complex. Whatever there may or may not be, I find more freedom in not having made up my mind about the whole business. That way I don't have illogical or outdated paradigms to overcome.

Answer 11

My dear chap you have asked the $64,000 question!



All the religious churches will have you believe in a supreme being, He who Must be Obeyed. (Apologies to H Ryder Haggard). In medieval times it helped with law and order and it also helped the churches get rich.



Most scientists rationalise our existence through theories e.g. evolution, Big Bang, etc. But they cannot bring their collective minds to find a cure for the common cold or prevent earthquakes, tornadoes etc. from happening thus saving lives.



We are here today and gone tomorrow and whilst we live we should choose right from wrong in all we do in our daily lives. This then begs the question as to the definition of right. My personal feeling is that each of us knows what is right in the important issues. For the non-important issues it matters little what course of action you choose.



In conclusion, I think God was invoked to explain certain natural phenomena and as our learning improved and we found scientific explanations to some of them our doubt in God increased.

Answer 12

You have a very interesting question here and I feel the question itself is a part of the answer. There can be no explanation of God which is completely true and no explanation which is completely false either......the Hindu way we say if we go in search of God we the only answers we get are neeti,neethi(which means not this...not this).....There are cultures like Buddhism and Jainism which seriously doubt even the existence of God. Does it mean that that religion is completely false? Well to me it might be possible that either Gods definition of himself changes constantly with age......well to tell the truth no one really knows......we ar all blind men each holding the trunk,legs and tail of the elephant trying to explain how the elephant is..

Answer 13

It's instinctual. It is said that G-d is in all of us, well, when you find the person that most reflects what you believe G-d to "look" like, you will know and recognise that feeling. There are many different interpretations on the subject, it is a matter of what you believe and what you sense, feel and see. My understanding is that there was one covenant made with Noah in the Torah, and another made through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In the first, He was selective with who was saved, in the second, ALL are saved.

Answer 14

Is it not possible that God only varies in character, form, and nature in the variety of beliefs? For even these beliefs state that God inspired the belief not vice versa. Thus if God exists does he not exist beyond these beliefs. Religious ideologies are admittedly based on Faith. To try to find certainty in an institution based on faith is to trade faith for certainty.

Such an action would render one faithless.Consequently, in ur search for absoluteness you would not believe in any religious ideology. The problem is not the variety of forms God is taught to have in different ideologies. The problem is you are searching for an absolute in a an institution based on faith.

Easy answer- Do what I did become an Agnostic!

Answer 15

Nothing is absolutely certain. Mom's father was a pastor, so I had Christianity forced upon me from birth, but I doubted it at age 7 or 8. I studied many religions in college Philosophy and on my own, and I attended services at Buddhist, Taoist, etc. temples. I find contradictions and pathetic ignorance of science in so-called sacred books. That proves to me that ignorant men claimed to speak for gods. There are no gods, as Thomas Jefferson told his nephew one might conclude after a critical and objective study of the Bible. Study as Jefferson and I did, and you should see for yourself ... if you remain objective as Jefferson advised his nephew.

Answer 16

There is no god, no real god.

Man invented god, not god invented man.

As for the face of the creator - well, they say that a god made the earth, the earth is five and a half billion years old, he never had his face photographed, nor has anyone done a genuine drawing of him, only pretended they had, so how does anyone `see god` in anything?

What no-one has ever mentioned or explained is; what was their `god` doing before the first five billion years?

Where did he come from? Who made him?

Ask that question and you`ll get a million bible quotes, none of which, in the slightest, answers your question.

It is much simpler and believable to state that there is no god, it`s all in the mind.

Answer 17

For centuries we've been told there is a God. Whether there is or is not is only part of the question.

Look at who has been telling us and ask: why should I trust this one as opposed to that one, or why should I trust any?

How can we know if god exist? Personal experience would be the answer to that question, but can you trust yourself?

Answer 18

on answering your question i ask and answer one for you,

who wrote the bible? answer- man, man wrote the bible, each person is different from the person directly in front and directly behind, therefore each person has their own views and opinions, in the old testament god had not given any gifts to the world and as such was only viewed as a vengeful god, in the new testament god had given us jesus, and the main parts of the new testament were written by his disciples, matthew, mark, luke and john therefore god was seen as more compassionate, on our birthdays we think differently about someone who has given us a gift, than we do about someone who has given us a card, this is true for the bible also,when you talk about the face of god this also varies from one person to the next, but put it in this context, god created man (and woman) in his own image, if this is true we all look like god, which effectively means that god has billions of faces so whatever one person thinks he looks like is bound to be true as he will appear to each of us as the personwe think he is, therefore there is no one answer nor one true answer to your question, he is what he is

Answer 19

Every image of any god described or perceived by the human mind is illusive and does not represent the real god. If there be a God, which I believe there is, none of God's creation can ever know God for certain.

Answer 20

I think this youtube submission answers that question very well. I think that you will agree that it's an extraordinary experience. God adapts his dialogue to the listener so it's somewhat unique, but essentially correct..

Answer 21

Let's get one thing straight here: there is no god in the image that people believe, know and all the traditions and wars that have lasted over two thousand years!! Man created the idea.

Answer 22

There is only one GOD but many forms of beliefs and religious practices paying homage and praying to this Supreme Being. This world consists of people so diverse in thinking and perception that even if black and white are the only two colours to choose they still would want to have grey and then find other colours to complement the three!

Answer 23

God. Let me give you some examples I was born a Catholic and now have joined aChristian Church, a musician play many instruments God gave me these talents so I play for Him. Let me give you some stories, my sister in law was dying had a 5% chance of living, I sent emails, went through a prayer line, and phoned my friends who prayed for them, they survived the operation. I have had really bad health for two years n through prayer and staying close to my best friend Jesus he has seen my through. My mother who is 77 has just gone under a serious operation tumour cancerous, left kidney removed, heart failure, we said our goodbyes in out hearts as the surgeon did not expect her to pull through, guesswhat she did, we nearly lost her twice since then, I stayed up all night long praying and pleading if it was gods will to take her as I worked in palative care for two years and saw some suffering and did not want to see this happen to my mum she is now at home on a zimmer, got a cathether in n being cared for by her family good n bad days but got to talk to her for more than aminute yesterday she is in Ireland what a feeling I read the bible n Philippians 4 verse 4-8 has helped me through the last two years. There should not be hunger in the world this is not God's doing, it's peeoples greed, and what goes on in one religion goes on in all and what is religion, to me its how we treat our fellow human beings regardless of age, beliefs, sexual orientation, colour, creed, status in life, we all have to pass wind and go to the toilet.



Mags

Answer 24

god exists in us all, we are our own god. i have read somewhere, that some ancient parchments were found, in which jesus says that god is within us all, and is not a higher being, as we are all our own god.



The catholic church apparently, removed,/destoyed these, otherwise the whole basis of the insitution woudl be removed.



God is here for faith. Thats it. if people didnt have faith, then what would they have. Humans bring comfort by thinking that they can rely on a god. As for which god is real, they all are, a god is there to worship and bring comfort to its believer. A god un worshipped, is no more for they are not real in the physical sense. i suppose a little like the hog father ;-)



we all have our own god, whether it be catholicisms god, oslams god, or our cat!

Answer 25

For the same reason atheists say, "oh my g-d" when a tragedy occurs. Their is only one G-d.



One of our four fathers Abraham, had a father by the name of Terach. His father worshiped Idols, as his g-d. One day when his father was away, Abraham took a hammer, and smashed all of the idols, except for one. When Terach returned, and saw all of his idols were smashed. He was hysterical, and asked Abraham. How did this happen. Abraham replied. "you see this idol that is still standing, well he took a hammer, and smashed all the other idols. "You fool replied Terach, how can an idol smash anything"?



Just thought this would perk your interest.

Answer 26

There is a god, and only one god, he made everything, he is of infinite power, infinite knowledge, and infinite mercy.

No one is like him, and nothing is like him.

He has no father and no son and no wife.

Can you believe that a house or a car came to existence on their own? There must be someone who made them, then how could the world and humans and everything around us come to existence without someone who made them? There must be a creator for all this!

God is the one you resort to when you are in real trouble, and he has put you in this trouble in order for you to know him.

Anyway we all will know the truth after we die...

See u there !

Answer 27

In Christinanity,Judiaism and Islam there is one God. Jesus belives in Mohammad and Moses,Moses belives in Jesus and Mohammad and Mohammad belives in Jesus and Moses. So in these three faiths people belive in just one holy God but have come to him in differnt ways and Prophets so when a christian prays in a church and jew prays in a sanyouge and a muslim prays in a mosque, they are praying to the one and only God. other faiths belive in many Gods but these faiths are not as holy as Christianity,Judiaism and Islam.

Answer 28

brought up christian, spent life in military doing and seeing things that were often less than christian,so consider myself "lapsed".



The bible says "God created man".



Perhaps this should say "Man created God"



I think we all need something to believe in.



Your own god is the real one.

Answer 29

There is not one god......



God is all there is!



It's me, you, the plants, trees, animals, ALL THAT IS.......



There is no separation between any of it (even science has caught up to this!)....



Nothing to do with religion either - it's just so.



Breath taking isn't it.



Peace.

Answer 30

There is only one and He is the Father of All creation. We are the ones that make things confusing, not God. So therefore it is up to every individual to make his choice.

Answer 31

God is light, sound, electricity, magnetism, gravity, etc. The mediums through which we communicate with the world, and which we use to allow the world to communicate with us. We are consciousness, and God is only conscious because we are.

Answer 32

That which we call G.O.D has the attributes of all things however is one thing. Hence confusing most of us.

Answer 33

I think the person asking the question does know the answer clearly he/she is just asking for the sake of getting it answerned nothing else...



pls vist visit http://storiesthattouch.blogspot.com to read inspirational stories and poems that would touch your heart.And then decide who is the real GOD.

Answer 34

god knows

Answer 35

Please read Bhagavad Gita As It Is and you will get a clear idea who is God, what is His nature and what is His will.

Answer 36

why do we need something to believe in anyway,suppose its human nature.i myself dont believe in any god.

Answer 37

The real God will love you and forgive you for doubting there was a real God in the first place.

Answer 38

There is no Big G of any description.

Answer 39

You'll easily know, SHE'll be the one all the other Gods are worshipping!

Answer 40

Keep your options open, just say your agnostic

Answer 41

The FSM, of course! Once you are touched by His Noodley appendage, you just know!

Answer 42

Look for yourself.

You'll know when it feels right.

Answer 43

WELL REMEMBER PLEASE IF YOU CAN IF YOU WERE EVER MIS JUDGED BY SOMEBODY AND ON TOURAGE TO THAT YOU PROCEEDED WITH HAPPY LIFE.