DriftingSand
Cast Iron Member
Yes. I question, God answers.
Matthew 7:7 (ESV)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
I didn't come to a belief in God until I was in the total depths of alcoholism. That's when I got on my knees and prayed for God's help. He literally sent help in the form of a coworker who invited me to an AA meeting just a few days after I prayed. I continued to pray for wisdom and truth and He's answered my calls and needs ever since.
Well, I'm glad that you have stopped drinking. Alcoholism is a nasty problem to overcome so good for you. That's a happy ending and I hope and think you should feel proud and good about it.
Your anecdote is the same for many of the born again religious. They are at their lowest point, whether drugs, alcohol, gambling, depression, in prison, homeless, etc. and thy turn to God or Allah, etc. and find the strength to turn their lives around and forever after they are zealously religious.
Why do you think that happens regardless of the religion? Could it be because it is emotional - you were as you described "in the total depths of alcoholism" and needed something to believe in. Your response was emotional. You were enculturated in a society the is predominately Christian. Had you been born and raised in India you would've prayed to a Brahmin, in Pakistan Allah, in Jerusalem Yahweh, in Italy the Catholic God, etc.
Could it be that your coworker got you to go to AA, isn't a miracle and it isn't even a coincidence, but that it just makes sense. You knew you needed help and he or she saw that you did.
This is, even from an unbiased perspective, not enough evidence to proclaim once and for all, that the Christian God is real and to commit all of your beliefs to this one dogma. It might be that IS the truth, but not conclusively. Therefore because there are more reasonable explanations for your conversion to Christianity, the story is not compelling to someone who doesn't believe.
It could be that in order to sustain your sobriety that you must whole-heartedly believe. Critical questioning would then only be a threat to your well being.
Since my emotions are part of my being I believe them to be part of God's creation. My belief in God often effects my emotions but it also effects my rational, unemotional side. When I look at life from a belief that God exists the meaning of my existence takes shape and has greater meaning. I end up feeling that life is a blessing to be experienced in a state of humility and gratitude. I believe that God is a Person or individual but I also recognize Him as a power or force. In AA, we used to call this power our "Higher Power." I'm not a proponent of calling God that at this point in my life but using that term helped me see Him as just that ... a power greater than myself.
So, for me, His influence in helping me when I needed Him most (and during other trials of life) have only bolstered my belief that He's real and not a figment of my imagination.