Advice for an Agnostic: Why have I never felt God's Love?

Originally posted by LiquidLight
As I grew older I began trying to accept God again,

I can't help but wonder why you are "trying" to accept something with which you've never had a real connection. What is your motive? Why are you trying to force something that doesn't seem to come naturally? These are rhetorical questions, but something you may want to think about. Are your intentions pure?

My thoughts are that people can attribute almost anything they see or experience to the love or beauty of "God". People cry and faint and laugh with joy and attribute it to "God". My personal belief is that these are all things we humans are capable of all by ourselves, if we just let it happen without trying to make it about "God".

The first thing that needs to be done here is to define "God".
It is not wise to assume that we all have the same definition of "God".
So, op, what is YOUR definition of "God".

On a more forward serious note, then my last satirical post:

For the record, i'm an atheist on a bad day, an agnostic on an average day and a universalist/unitarian on a good day.

Steer clear of the fundaMENTAList's god, he's a real twisted sadistic A-hole. The god/love you seek is not outside of you but inside of you. Seek to first know/understand yourself and be your own best-friend, so you in turn you can be and do the same for others. If you feel the need for some structure/guidance, avoid organized religion, instead look to practical eclectic spiritual philosophies that allow you to think for yourself. In this route, i highly recommend any book by Gerald G Jampolsky, most notably 'Shortcuts to God' & 'Love is Letting Go of Fear'.

[edit on 22-1-2010 by The Blind Eye]

Well there is always the possibility that the reason for not experiencing God's love is that there is no such thing as God. Or God is something entirely different to what people imagine.
It must be nice to believe in some objectively real, external source of compassion - which cares about you, the individual.
But if you can't imagine that, I do believe it's inside all of us. And that we have more strength than we realise.

Yes well said, it would appear that we are not allowed to grow because we have been held back by religious fundamentalism for centuries (made up religions).

Originally posted by unicorn1
Well there is always the possibility that the reason for not experiencing God's love is that there is no such thing as God. Or God is something entirely different to what people imagine.
It must be nice to believe in some objectively real, external source of compassion - which cares about you, the individual.
But if you can't imagine that, I do believe it's inside all of us. And that we have more strength than we realise.

reply to post by LiquidLight


Keep asking:

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
Deut 4:29

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jer 29:13

"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"
Isaiah 29:13

'And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."
Psalm 9:10

"The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."
Psalm 51:17

"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."
Prov 8:17

"The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."
Lam 3:25

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened."
Math 7:7-8

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Math 11:28

"When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
John 5:5

"That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us..."
Acts 17:27

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
Heb 11:6

You need to search him out. Look for God and his love not in the form of a personal meeting with him but behind the inspiration...behind the smile...behind the emotion...behind the beautiful artistry found in a flower or sunset. We don't get personal letters from God on his stationary but he is everywhere if we know where and how to find him. Once you know how to look for him you will see God behind all that is good. You will find his staring right back at you with love and peace.

I'm not speaking of some fanciful representation of God but in a very literal sense. Look with more than your eyes and you will see and feel him. Have faith and an open heart.

God is NOW, not the past or the future. But we are really never in the
present. We must place ourselves in His presence. Before that is
possible, we must place ourselves in the present.



"A lover pressed his suit unsuccessfully for many
months, suffering the atrocious pains of rejection.
Finally his sweetheart yeilded. "Come to such and
and such a place, at such and such an hour," she
said to him.

At that time and place the lover finally found himself
seated beside his beloved. He then reached into his
pocket and pulled out a sheaf of love letters that he
had written to her over the past months. They were
passionate letters, expressing the pain he felt and his
burning desire to experience the delights of love and
union. He begn to read them to his beloved. The hours
passed by but still he read on and on.

Finally the woman said "What kind of a fool are you?
These letters are all about me and your longing for me.
Well, here I am sitting with you at last and your are
lost in your stupid letters.


"Here I am with you," says God, "and you keep reflecting about me in your head, talking about me with your tongue, and searching for me in
your books. When will you shut up and see?"



Hindu India developed a magnificent image to describe God's relationship
with creation. God "dances" creation. He is the dancer, creation, the
dance. The dance is different from the dancer; yet it has no existnece apart from him.

In our quest for God, we think too much, reflect to much, talk to much.
Even when we look at this dance that we call creation, we are the whole
time thinking, talking, reflecting, analyzing, philosophizing.
Words. Noise.

Be silent and contemplate the dance.

The disciple was always complaining to his master,
"You are hiding the final secret of Zen from me." And
he would not accept the master's denials.

One day they were walking in the hills when they
heard a bird sing.

"Did you hear that bird sing?" said the master.

"Yes," said the disciple.

"Well, now you know that I have hidden nothing
from you."

"Yes"

If you really heard a bird sing, if you really saw a tree, you would know.
Beyond words and concepts.

What was that you said? You have heard dozens of birds sing and seen
hundreds of trees" Ah, was it the tree you saw or the label? If you look
at a tree and see a tree, you have really not seen the tree. When you
look at the tree and see a miracle-then, at last you have seen! Did your
heart never fill with wordless wonder when you heard a bird in song?

reply to post by kinglizard


Your post appears to be in contradiction to your sig and posts elsewhere...
so you are saying that you don't need a near death experience ...and/or to follow the bible as you do to find and keep god's love?

reply to post by LiquidLight


God does not know you, that's why you have never felt it's love. God doesn't know anyone personally. It's got a whole universe to run after all. It's not that it hates you. It just does not know you.

Imagine if you will, you are god and you have a yard full of ants. Do you know those ants by name? Do you care? Probably not. All they are are an infestation ruining your lawn.

reply to post by The Blind Eye


Yeah it may be a bit confusing but we can agree that my NDE is not the common experience for all people. A person cannot wait for something like that to have a relationship with God. If I didn't have that relationship my NDE never would have happened imo. I am not living in my NDE right now but if I look I can see him and his influence in my life. My NDE didn't give me the ability to see, my ability to see gave me my NDE.

I believe anyone can have this relationship, all that is needed is the nurturing of faith, an open heart.

Still though it's probably not fair for me to comment on faith after my NDE, I understand that....though faith is still a big part of my life.

[edit on 1/23/2010 by kinglizard]

Because by not feeling him,
you will search him.
Gods love is the goal, its the place of rest.
the place of love, not of judgement and accusitions.

Originally posted by CSquared288
If you have been happy, you have known God.

I have been happy and only known Isis so I am gonna have to disagree with you on this one

Thing is I made my happiness and I have caused my own fears

is knowing God the only way you can be happy? Is God an enabler?

-Kyo

Originally posted by KyoZero
Is God an enabler?

This question, brings to light a reality that few would want to admit, let a lone even be aware of... god for many, if not most, is a very powerful enabler... a crutch... a drug.

God or it's nature cannot be defined, labeled, captured in a book, and certainly not developed into a system, because what works for one CANNOT work for all, ... hence is the fallibility of religion itself. "


That's not true. God has to teach people for generations of his life story.And btw this is irrelevant to the Op. But, again God doesn't have a cell phone and is gonna call people everyday. He leaves his life story in the traditional way of communication, in a book.

God can reveal things about himself. If God cannot be labeled, then what if people wanted their own idea of God to be an axe murderer? Or my idea of God is a cerial bomber. whynot? God can't be labeled. And don't say love is God, because I am doing people a favor by bombing in my own mind, my own act of love.

you see why that theory flaws?

God can be bottled, contained, taught, in a book, because he has a truth, and he has to reveal it some way.


Now OP.

You do have God in you everyday. Do you ever go outside and just walk up to someone and punch them in the face?

Hopefully not.

every good act you do is God working through you.

I grew up as a kid. Ok? completely opposite of you. Our fun at age 14 was going around throwing ROCKS at peoples heads for fun. Woopin ass in a 4 on 1 gang mentality.

That was my fun. loveless. our friends were loveless. This is why Christ came for souls. he saved me and I know what iv'e felt since I known him.

Now there is something much deeper than good acts. it's called feeling. That comes through communion, but I wont' go into that in here.

peace!

[edit on 27-1-2010 by JesusisTruth]

[edit on 28-1-2010 by JesusisTruth]

Btw completely gone I loved that post!!!

great stuff.

Originally posted by The Blind Eye

Originally posted by KyoZero
Is God an enabler?

This question, brings to light a reality that few would want to admit, let a lone even be aware of... god for many, if not most, is a very powerful enabler... a crutch... a drug.

if I may throw a pun...amen I say

I am so tired of people saying God is why love exists or God is why we do good things. If you truly can't do a good act without God then you aren't good

The way I see it is the goddess or God or Allah or whatever sets out rules. I will use my own spirituality since I know it much more than I do the rest

Isis tells me to live. Make my choices, enjoy my body and enjoy the little time I have here. I have a set of rules to live by. Do no harm and in the end she will weigh my heart. If it is heavy and good then I go to the great beyond. If not I am screwed.

I just get tired when people can't stand or do anything without their God or say all emotion and love comes from God

-Kyo