Quote Originally Posted by PRO DOM View Post
It's funny that I seem to have empirical evidence and still I find myself doubting but if you want evidence that is astounding, I have three miracles to share. I’ll be brief.

Situation one: I fell off a house and screamed Gods name as I was falling when I was nine. As I was rolling down I saw my feet go over my head and my life was ending before me. I didn't scream it as though I was begging, I screamed it as though God were my parent and I was informing him that I needed his care right then and there. I am telling you, and I'm not playing, I was instantaneously at the top of the roof again as though nothing had ever happened.

Situation two: I became deaf in one ear in college for three months. I had always been taught in my religion to expect instantaneous healings since it was what Jesus taught his disciples and tried to get them to pass the word on. I hadn't prayed about it at all when one night I decided that I was a Christian Scientist and I should be able to heal myself instantaneously. So I knew that I was a child of God. Not born into matter and that my rightful heritage was spiritual. I had only been knowing the truth for one minute max when all the fluid drained from my ear in that very instant.

Situation three: I was about 50 miles inland in the middle of nowhere. My job as an ornithologist required very remote settings. I became lost as I lost my flag line. I wondered aimlessly for 30 minutes and then panic set in. I realized my life was in danger. There literally was no way out but by boat which was an hour walk to the boat and the boat ride took 30 minutes and to get out of the forest took another 45 minutes by car. I was screwed if I didn't find the flag line! I told God. I will calm down and listen. He said to me, "Stop and know that I am God." So I stopped and prayed. He was quiet and I didn't hear him and began to get nervous so I stopped again and listened very carefully. He told me 90 degrees. So I was startled and turned my compass 90 degrees. Nothing. I thought, "That's the wrong way anyway." So I decided to head at about 350 degrees. Well I didn't make it more than three feet when I ran into a web of a spider! With the spider in it! I thought that was a sign from God so I backed up. I went back to where God had told me to turn my compass to 90 degrees. I looked again but nothing. Then I thought to myself. If He says it is 90 then it is 90. So I started at the ground and with a straight line I ran my compass into the air and it was the last flag on the corner of the plot dangling over 10 feet in the air. Holy Cow! It was then that I remembered that in Arkansas, the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge is under water when the flags were put in. God had saved my life again!

Coincidence? If so then I should sign up for the lottery!
The thing is that I've experienced plenty of similar things. It's just that my assumption has always been that it's my mind playing tricks on me. This is down to faith. I've got a great one with the sky lighting up, angels, trumpets, divine presences and a great epiphany. The whole circus. But even though I've seen it, I'm still convinced that there was nothing there. That's my faith. I have a very over active mind. If I gave that credence, I'll have to have faith in all kinds of monsters and space aliens. I've chosen to give all of them a miss. Faith.

We know perception is interpretative. Basically, if we believe in God, we'll see God everywhere, and if we don't, we won't. So here is the dilemma. Since we can't trust our senses, how do we know what is really there?

Christians seem to be at ease about the fact that God is hiding whenever Scientists try to prove his existence, or even whenever there's a measuring device in the vicinity. Personally, that only serves to make me suspicious, but that's just me. And it's certainly no proof God doesn't perform miracles, or even exists. But if God would exist it would strongly suggest that God didn't want me specifically to believe in him/her. Just out of respect for Gods wishes, I'll refrain from faith in him/her.

amen

Here's a fun little video on topic


edit:
... and there's that great quote from Jesus Christ superstar. From Judas lips:

"Everytime I look at you I don't understand
Why you let the things you did get so out of hand
You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned
Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land?
If you'd come TODAY you would have reached a whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication
Don't you get me wrong - I only want to know"

That's a film I don't understand how it could keep from being black listed by Christian fundamentalists. To me it's a vitriolic attack on Christianity as a whole. But, hey... that's just my interpretation.