Is it better to know, or to believe?

[Delta4Embassy]

As I brought up in other threads, there's a difference between knowing God exists, and believing it does. This was actually depicted well in the movie "Constantine." Constantine was a demon-fighter who absolutely knew God and hell existed having commited suicide and been to hell. For whatever reason the movie didn't mention he was alive and now fighting demons he could see having crossed over or whatever. But the character Gabriel (the angel) made the point that he was headed back to hell when ever he died because in part though he knew God existed, he didn't have faith.

Thinking of the UFO question, I believe aliens exist throughout the universe. But I don't know for certain. And I have yet to see UFO evidence to convince me any of it's been here, or is visiting in an ongoing sense. And thinking about the possibility of such evidence existing but being kept secret by governments I'm forced to admit I wouldn't wanna know for sure. A little mystery is fun, but once you know somethin gfor sure the mystery is gone and you're left with either no aliens have visited Earth (which means everyone claiming such is mentally ill to some degree,) or, they are and for some reason keeping is discrete which would be very worrisome. Nothing good relies upon secrecy.

And when it comes around to God, am I happier remaining open to the possibility, or would I be better off knowing for sure one way or the other? I'm happier not knowing for sure. Too many problems with knowing God exists beyond all doubt, like should I then make this evidence public? And if he doesn't, same dilemna. Reveal that in whatever conclusive irrefutable way robbing billions of hope? Including myself?

If I knew beyond all doubt God existed I'd probably be unable to function in our decidely secular country. I'd be terrified of commiting some sin and making God angry with me. I'd get rid of my tv, cancel my DSL account lest I inadvertantly see something I'm not supposed to, and become a total hermit. Conversely, if I absolutely knew God didn't exist, and everything's just random and chaos and without significance or meaning because we're just sentient pond scum that'd be something of a bummer.

Therefore I conclude we're all much better off believing than knowing.

 

[Indeependent]

Jews are commanded to study and know.
Non-Jews do not have the same obligation in regards to God.

 

[Chuckt]

Believe has other definitions to it. Where does everyone get their definitions?

Two things:

Repentance is in belief:

It is the same word translated "commit":

John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit (g4100 πιστεύω pisteu&#333 himself unto them, because he knew all men,

John 2 (Blue Letter Bible: KJV - King James Version)

It is the same word in John 3:16:

John 3 (Blue Letter Bible: KJV - King James Version)

And what do we really do when we believe? I think it is represented in baptism where we die to ourselves, take on new life and rise from the dead? How? By being born again we accept His blood atonement and accept Jesus as the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world by Him being our offering for our sins. To say that we say, "I was wrong" which people can't because they have pride and say, "Come into my life, Lord".

That is a little different than your believing. The devils believe. Did you exchange your sin for his righteousness? The devils didn't, wouldn't and couldn't but you could.

 

[Spoonman]

As I brought up in other threads, there's a difference between knowing God exists, and believing it does. This was actually depicted well in the movie "Constantine." Constantine was a demon-fighter who absolutely knew God and hell existed having commited suicide and been to hell. For whatever reason the movie didn't mention he was alive and now fighting demons he could see having crossed over or whatever. But the character Gabriel (the angel) made the point that he was headed back to hell when ever he died because in part though he knew God existed, he didn't have faith.

Thinking of the UFO question, I believe aliens exist throughout the universe. But I don't know for certain. And I have yet to see UFO evidence to convince me any of it's been here, or is visiting in an ongoing sense. And thinking about the possibility of such evidence existing but being kept secret by governments I'm forced to admit I wouldn't wanna know for sure. A little mystery is fun, but once you know somethin gfor sure the mystery is gone and you're left with either no aliens have visited Earth (which means everyone claiming such is mentally ill to some degree,) or, they are and for some reason keeping is discrete which would be very worrisome. Nothing good relies upon secrecy.

And when it comes around to God, am I happier remaining open to the possibility, or would I be better off knowing for sure one way or the other? I'm happier not knowing for sure. Too many problems with knowing God exists beyond all doubt, like should I then make this evidence public? And if he doesn't, same dilemna. Reveal that in whatever conclusive irrefutable way robbing billions of hope? Including myself?

If I knew beyond all doubt God existed I'd probably be unable to function in our decidely secular country. I'd be terrified of commiting some sin and making God angry with me. I'd get rid of my tv, cancel my DSL account lest I inadvertantly see something I'm not supposed to, and become a total hermit. Conversely, if I absolutely knew God didn't exist, and everything's just random and chaos and without significance or meaning because we're just sentient pond scum that'd be something of a bummer.

Therefore I conclude we're all much better off believing than knowing.

couldn't the same be said about the fact we theoretically all evolved from some single celled organism that came from a nitrogen rich pool? we don't really know that, we believe it. or we are told to believe it. As far as God, I know he's there because I feel him. I know he hears me and he responds. Not in words, but in answers and direction.

 

[PratchettFan]

Yes.

 

[onecut39]

As I brought up in other threads, there's a difference between knowing God exists, and believing it does. This was actually depicted well in the movie "Constantine." Constantine was a demon-fighter who absolutely knew God and hell existed having commited suicide and been to hell. For whatever reason the movie didn't mention he was alive and now fighting demons he could see having crossed over or whatever. But the character Gabriel (the angel) made the point that he was headed back to hell when ever he died because in part though he knew God existed, he didn't have faith.

Thinking of the UFO question, I believe aliens exist throughout the universe. But I don't know for certain. And I have yet to see UFO evidence to convince me any of it's been here, or is visiting in an ongoing sense. And thinking about the possibility of such evidence existing but being kept secret by governments I'm forced to admit I wouldn't wanna know for sure. A little mystery is fun, but once you know somethin gfor sure the mystery is gone and you're left with either no aliens have visited Earth (which means everyone claiming such is mentally ill to some degree,) or, they are and for some reason keeping is discrete which would be very worrisome. Nothing good relies upon secrecy.

And when it comes around to God, am I happier remaining open to the possibility, or would I be better off knowing for sure one way or the other? I'm happier not knowing for sure. Too many problems with knowing God exists beyond all doubt, like should I then make this evidence public? And if he doesn't, same dilemna. Reveal that in whatever conclusive irrefutable way robbing billions of hope? Including myself?

If I knew beyond all doubt God existed I'd probably be unable to function in our decidely secular country. I'd be terrified of commiting some sin and making God angry with me. I'd get rid of my tv, cancel my DSL account lest I inadvertantly see something I'm not supposed to, and become a total hermit. Conversely, if I absolutely knew God didn't exist, and everything's just random and chaos and without significance or meaning because we're just sentient pond scum that'd be something of a bummer.

Therefore I conclude we're all much better off believing than knowing.

One can believe whatever they wish, belief is subjective. You cannot "know" about God because there is not ones single solitary objective fact that will support the existence of god, any god.

They don't call it faith for nothing.

Faith: belief in something without any factual evidence to support that belief.

 

[hobelim]

Jews are commanded to study and know.
Non-Jews do not have the same obligation in regards to God.

I agree that one must know God to be able to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'.

Without knowing God how can anyone love him in spirit or in truth? The best anyone could do without an accurate knowledge of God is to pretend to love or even worse profess love for a false image of God as a consequence of not knowing.

However if Christianity is supposed to be based on the teachings of Jesus who said, " This is eternal life: To know he who truly is God." non Jews who claim to follow Jesus do have that same obligation.

 

[hobelim]

As I brought up in other threads, there's a difference between knowing God exists, and believing it does. This was actually depicted well in the movie "Constantine." Constantine was a demon-fighter who absolutely knew God and hell existed having commited suicide and been to hell. For whatever reason the movie didn't mention he was alive and now fighting demons he could see having crossed over or whatever. But the character Gabriel (the angel) made the point that he was headed back to hell when ever he died because in part though he knew God existed, he didn't have faith.

Thinking of the UFO question, I believe aliens exist throughout the universe. But I don't know for certain. And I have yet to see UFO evidence to convince me any of it's been here, or is visiting in an ongoing sense. And thinking about the possibility of such evidence existing but being kept secret by governments I'm forced to admit I wouldn't wanna know for sure. A little mystery is fun, but once you know somethin gfor sure the mystery is gone and you're left with either no aliens have visited Earth (which means everyone claiming such is mentally ill to some degree,) or, they are and for some reason keeping is discrete which would be very worrisome. Nothing good relies upon secrecy.

And when it comes around to God, am I happier remaining open to the possibility, or would I be better off knowing for sure one way or the other? I'm happier not knowing for sure. Too many problems with knowing God exists beyond all doubt, like should I then make this evidence public? And if he doesn't, same dilemna. Reveal that in whatever conclusive irrefutable way robbing billions of hope? Including myself?

If I knew beyond all doubt God existed I'd probably be unable to function in our decidely secular country. I'd be terrified of commiting some sin and making God angry with me. I'd get rid of my tv, cancel my DSL account lest I inadvertantly see something I'm not supposed to, and become a total hermit. Conversely, if I absolutely knew God didn't exist, and everything's just random and chaos and without significance or meaning because we're just sentient pond scum that'd be something of a bummer.

Therefore I conclude we're all much better off believing than knowing.

One can believe whatever they wish, belief is subjective. You cannot "know" about God because there is not ones single solitary objective fact that will support the existence of god, any god.

They don't call it faith for nothing.

Faith: belief in something without any factual evidence to support that belief.

Whether God exists or not is irrelevant to the fact that there is a God written about and described in great detail in the Bible however obscured by figurative language and hidden meanings lost to time.

One can know this God just like anyone can know everything possible to know about any other character in a book written by men just by reading the stories about them.

For instance the Jewish scriptures clearly teach that there is only one God in existence who has no visible shape or material form, has no equal, and there is no other god above or below him.

This is a verifiable fact.

If a Christian comes around and claims a belief in this one God, the God of Abraham, but instead starts some drunken talk about god becoming a human being or being a coequal trinity with three persons in one God then it can be truthfully and accurately said that they do not know God either from ignorance of the Jewish teachings, which would be astonishing since they are not a secret, or because they have made great errors in their own speculations or because they have been misled themselves by people who do not know God and have replaced Jewish teachings with Pagan superstitions and are engaged in the worship of that which is not God as he is clearly defined in scripture.

Now for someone like you who needs proof before you will believe, you too would have to start by learning your A, B, C's and study about God as he really is by learning the language of the prophets and perceiving the hidden subjects not directly connected to the literal meaning of the words written.

Only by acquiring an accurate knowledge of God through study will you be capable of using that knowing to find proof of a God. If you read scripture and end up with false conclusions about God you will never find proof of that which does not exist.

So if you look for evidence of God and find none it could be that you just don't know what you are looking for or where or how to look.

 

[The Irish Ram]

Jews are commanded to study and know.
Non-Jews do not have the same obligation in regards to God.

Actually we are under the same obligation:

2 Tim. 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

To know that you know that you know He exists is a heart situation. But in order to spread the good news and to help those who are searching, a solid understanding of scripture is the best teaching aid we have. That comes from studying the word.