Does God exist?

[Uiiop]

Well well well well well well well well well well well well well well well...First of all, you have to read through any holy book before you can believe it is or isn't legitimate evidence.
Science...it is, overall, an idea, yes? You have to have an idea before you can prove it with facts. Religion is not so. God is not an idea, more of a literal being. Since He is willing to prevent evil, doesn't mean He isn't able; He gives us agency, not free agency, so that we can make choices to "prove" ourselves so that we can enter the Celestial Kingdom. I'm gonna preach a bit here, I'm LDS(Mormon) and we believe that God has three distinct kingdoms of heaven: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Tellestial. There is also an Outer Darkness where Satan and his followers dwell in the infernal pit. I believe the the Outer Darkness is hell, basically it's obvious by its description. Now...God is able to do "anything" according to His own laws. It's like, as an example, if a cop arrested himself because he committed a crime he was supposed to enforce. The police have to follow the laws they enforce, do they not? God has laws that He made that he follows. He's willing to help us, we just have to ask. I learned, that there are two P's and an F: pray, ponder, and have faith. You do all three, and I promise, whether you're religious or don't believe in God, If you pray, ponder what you want to know, and have faith that He will give you an answer (it might not be right away) that you'll know the truth about God. Like the famous scripture that the Prophet Joseph Smith read when he was 14 years old, which was James 1:5 f any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. I promise that God will give you an answer to your prayers if you follow the two P's and one F. i challenge all people, not just religious, to attempt this on there own time.

Already tried that only got a dial tone. /Half sincerity

[Councordia]

I'm using it as an excuse. I just thought of it right now. We don't know if he was or wasn't.

We also don't know whether or not the Big Bang was caused by a snoring alicorn. That doesn't mean it should be given as much weight as scientific hypotheses on the matter.

No point in wasting your time arguing over something that neither side can prove wrong or right.

When some of the worst atrocities in history have been tied to people believing in the existence of a deity, I can hardly see how it could not be in important issue to resolve.

And then the bullshit alarms go off. I may not be any sort of a scientist (I'm at school to study dead languages and ancient Scriptures, and love it), but I know enough history to tell when someone is just being a nutter.

According tohttp://necrometrics.com/pre1700a.htm


(Possibly) The Twenty (or so) Worst Things People Have Done to Each Other:

Rank Death Toll Cause Centuries
1 66 million Second World War 20C
2 40 million Mao Zedong (mostly famine)20C
40 million Genghis Khan 13C
4 27 million British India (mostly famine) 19C
5 25 million Fall of the Ming Dynasty 17C
6 20 million Taiping Rebellion 19C
20 million Joseph Stalin 20C
8 18½ million Mideast Slave Trade 7C-19C
9 17 million Timur Lenk 14C-15C
10 16 million Atlantic Slave Trade 15C-19C
11 15 million First World War 20C
15 million Conquest of the Americas 15C-19C
13 13 million An Lushan Revolt 8C
14 10 million Xin Dynasty 1C
10 million Congo Free State 19C-20C
16 9 million Russian Civil War 20C
17 7½ million Thirty Years War 17C
7½ million Fall of the Yuan Dynasty 14C
19 7 million Fall of Rome 5C
7 million Chinese Civil Wars

Obviously, the website has a neater chart, and I'm too lazy to actually go and straighten things up. And I don't want to get caught up in the 'does God exist' question, because, frankly, I don't like talking to arrogant people, who presume in their arrogance to have a corner on the metanarrative because they can invent toasters and drugs. But look at these stats. 150 million people killed in the 20th century, and this isn't even a comprehensive list.
Ironically, the 20th century is also the first century in which communism and fascism, two political movements derived from, and taking much of their justification from, Darwinian evolution (Nazism in eugenics, and Communism in dialectical evolution/dialectical materialism) really gained traction. And if you look at the biggest killers of the century, this single, bloody century, they are all directly or indirectly related to both communism and fascism. Secularist ideologies.

So if any ideology is 'dangerous', it is atheism. Not because atheists are dangerous people, but because they believe in no one (but themselves and the Goddess Reason) hold to no creed (except to anathematize other creeds) and have no real basis for conducting themselves in a 'moral' fashion. And here's the proof of it.*

(*It should be made clear that not all Nazis were atheist (many were church-goers) but the fundamental justification for genocide and the superiority of the German race was grounded in eugenics)

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

More rational Abrahamics would say it's the same thing, which it totally is.

IMO, the only gods that make any sense are the Hindu gods and the only one worthy of worship are any sun gods.

Ameterasu appreciates the sentiment, but would like to remind you that if we spent all of our time in the sun, we'd eventually burn to death.
Balance between light and darkness is what allows life to exist.

Yeah...there is so much heat at the poles...

[Koevoet]

More rational Abrahamics would say it's the same thing, which it totally is.

IMO, the only gods that make any sense are the Hindu gods and the only one worthy of worship are any sun gods.

Ameterasu appreciates the sentiment, but would like to remind you that if we spent all of our time in the sun, we'd eventually burn to death.
Balance between light and darkness is what allows life to exist.

Yeah, tell you what, I prayed many times to God, many many many times, but hey, he doesn't give a shit about me.

The only God here is that thing between your ears son

[United Paradisia]

Sometimes when I pray for things, he grants them. This doesn't necessarily prove his existence, but if he does exist
Than You!

[Koumakan Underground]

You can only prove that something doesn't exist when you have proven that everything else other than that something exists.
Science itself can explain everything, but as flawed humans, there are many things that science explains that humans cannot comprehend. The human brain, as amazing as it is, has not yet evolved the capability of understanding these things.
To put it simply, humanity thinks it can understand science, but it actually knows only a mere fraction of what is out there. Science can prove that the things that are "supernatural" do, in fact, exist, but humans cannot understand how it does so... yet.
Science is not flawed.
The human perceptions and interpretations of science are what is flawed.

Very true.

Like intelligent design.

Huge flaw of understanding right there.

Indeed. For all we know, the universe came into being, and then it was the universe that created gods. Or perhaps the universe itself is a god, or at least a living thing.
Or maybe we're the gods.

[Liriena]

We also don't know whether or not the Big Bang was caused by a snoring alicorn. That doesn't mean it should be given as much weight as scientific hypotheses on the matter.
When some of the worst atrocities in history have been tied to people believing in the existence of a deity, I can hardly see how it could not be in important issue to resolve.

And then the bullshit alarms go off. I may not be any sort of a scientist (I'm at school to study dead languages and ancient Scriptures, and love it), but I know enough history to tell when someone is just being a nutter.

According tohttp://necrometrics.com/pre1700a.htm


(Possibly) The Twenty (or so) Worst Things People Have Done to Each Other:

Rank Death Toll Cause Centuries
1 66 million Second World War 20C
2 40 million Mao Zedong (mostly famine)20C
40 million Genghis Khan 13C
4 27 million British India (mostly famine) 19C
5 25 million Fall of the Ming Dynasty 17C
6 20 million Taiping Rebellion 19C
20 million Joseph Stalin 20C
8 18½ million Mideast Slave Trade 7C-19C
9 17 million Timur Lenk 14C-15C
10 16 million Atlantic Slave Trade 15C-19C
11 15 million First World War 20C
15 million Conquest of the Americas 15C-19C
13 13 million An Lushan Revolt 8C
14 10 million Xin Dynasty 1C
10 million Congo Free State 19C-20C
16 9 million Russian Civil War 20C
17 7½ million Thirty Years War 17C
7½ million Fall of the Yuan Dynasty 14C
19 7 million Fall of Rome 5C
7 million Chinese Civil Wars

Obviously, the website has a neater chart, and I'm too lazy to actually go and straighten things up. And I don't want to get caught up in the 'does God exist' question, because, frankly, I don't like talking to arrogant people, who presume in their arrogance to have a corner on the metanarrative because they can invent toasters and drugs. But look at these stats. 150 million people killed in the 20th century, and this isn't even a comprehensive list.
Ironically, the 20th century is also the first century in which communism and fascism, two political movements derived from, and taking much of their justification from, Darwinian evolution (Nazism in eugenics, and Communism in dialectical evolution/dialectical materialism) really gained traction. And if you look at the biggest killers of the century, this single, bloody century, they are all directly or indirectly related to both communism and fascism. Secularist ideologies.

So if any ideology is 'dangerous', it is atheism. Not because atheists are dangerous people, but because they believe in no one (but themselves and the Goddess Reason) hold to no creed (except to anathematize other creeds) and have no real basis for conducting themselves in a 'moral' fashion. And here's the proof of it.*

(*It should be made clear that not all Nazis were atheist (many were church-goers) but the fundamental justification for genocide and the superiority of the German race was grounded in eugenics)

You could not be more dishonest even if you tried.

Pro-tip: Don't lie in debates.

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

We also don't know whether or not the Big Bang was caused by a snoring alicorn. That doesn't mean it should be given as much weight as scientific hypotheses on the matter.
When some of the worst atrocities in history have been tied to people believing in the existence of a deity, I can hardly see how it could not be in important issue to resolve.

And then the bullshit alarms go off. I may not be any sort of a scientist (I'm at school to study dead languages and ancient Scriptures, and love it), but I know enough history to tell when someone is just being a nutter.

According tohttp://necrometrics.com/pre1700a.htm


(Possibly) The Twenty (or so) Worst Things People Have Done to Each Other:

Rank Death Toll Cause Centuries
1 66 million Second World War 20C
2 40 million Mao Zedong (mostly famine)20C
40 million Genghis Khan 13C
4 27 million British India (mostly famine) 19C
5 25 million Fall of the Ming Dynasty 17C
6 20 million Taiping Rebellion 19C
20 million Joseph Stalin 20C
8 18½ million Mideast Slave Trade 7C-19C
9 17 million Timur Lenk 14C-15C
10 16 million Atlantic Slave Trade 15C-19C
11 15 million First World War 20C
15 million Conquest of the Americas 15C-19C
13 13 million An Lushan Revolt 8C
14 10 million Xin Dynasty 1C
10 million Congo Free State 19C-20C
16 9 million Russian Civil War 20C
17 7½ million Thirty Years War 17C
7½ million Fall of the Yuan Dynasty 14C
19 7 million Fall of Rome 5C
7 million Chinese Civil Wars

Obviously, the website has a neater chart, and I'm too lazy to actually go and straighten things up. And I don't want to get caught up in the 'does God exist' question, because, frankly, I don't like talking to arrogant people, who presume in their arrogance to have a corner on the metanarrative because they can invent toasters and drugs. But look at these stats. 150 million people killed in the 20th century, and this isn't even a comprehensive list.
Ironically, the 20th century is also the first century in which communism and fascism, two political movements derived from, and taking much of their justification from, Darwinian evolution (Nazism in eugenics, and Communism in dialectical evolution/dialectical materialism) really gained traction. And if you look at the biggest killers of the century, this single, bloody century, they are all directly or indirectly related to both communism and fascism. Secularist ideologies.

So if any ideology is 'dangerous', it is atheism. Not because atheists are dangerous people, but because they believe in no one (but themselves and the Goddess Reason) hold to no creed (except to anathematize other creeds) and have no real basis for conducting themselves in a 'moral' fashion. And here's the proof of it.*

(*It should be made clear that not all Nazis were atheist (many were church-goers) but the fundamental justification for genocide and the superiority of the German race was grounded in eugenics)

Oh great...not this bullshit again.

Atheists have no moral compass, atheists are the cause of all the suffering in the world blah blah blah...

So...ok...source for your assertions please.

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

Very true.

Like intelligent design.

Huge flaw of understanding right there.

Indeed. For all we know, the universe came into being, and then it was the universe that created gods. Or perhaps the universe itself is a god, or at least a living thing.
Or maybe we're the gods.

I'd be quite comfortable in saying that all the above is bollocks.

[Jefferstown]

There are 32 pages behind me and I don't have time to read them all, so I'm afraid I'm just going to tack my two cents on right here rather than carrying on the conversation that's already going on. Sorry!

I do believe in God. In fact, I believe I know God personally. I'm a Christian - I was raised in a Christian home and sort of soured on the whole thing in my teens, but I ended up being drawn back to it later. If you ask me whether I think my faith is reasonable or rational, though, there would be a few seconds silence while I stare pensively into space before answering, "No, it isn't."

Honestly, I don't think it's any more possible for us to demonstrate the existence of God than it is for Sherlock Holmes to demonstrate the existence of Arthur Conan Doyle. If you hold to the Calvinist doctrine of Total Depravity (which I do), then you have to accept that there's no aspect of human existence - including our capacity for reason - that isn't in some way touched by sin, so I think there's a boundary to what we, as rational creatures, our able to comprehend. Our reason takes us so far, and says 'this far, no further'. Beyond that boundary is God. I don't believe He wants to be 'figured out' like some physical force of nature, and it's a misunderstanding of both His nature and ours for us to assume that we can. Or at least that's what I take from Isaiah 55:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Basically, I believe that God speaks to your heart before He speaks to your intellect.

His existence is something that I take on faith. This is what's called a 'properly basic belief' - it's not based on any other belief, but is itself the basis for other beliefs. It's an axiom from which more complex beliefs stem; it's something you have to take on faith. I don't know God exists because I heard a clever logical argument, or because I understand physics (I'm not going to pretend that I do), though I'm aware that there are logical and physics-based arguments. I know Him because I know Him. The same way I know anybody else. It's that simple. It's not a hallucination or a delusion, either - I've worked with people who suffer from both, and I assure you I am perfectly sane.

This isn't to say that I don't experience doubt or uncertainty at times in my life. Because everyone who says it's hard to believe without solid evidence is right - people are wired that way, and God has never written His name in the clouds for me. But that's a part of what faith is: it's trusting in spite of your doubt. Making a "leap to faith", as Kierkegaard put it. The analogy I like to use is that it's like standing on a pier, looking for a boat. Somebody behind you says, "there's a boat right in front of you! Step aboard!" So you look, but there's no boat at all. There's just empty space. Nevertheless, you decide to close your eyes, hold your breath and step off the pier - and your feet fall onto the deck of a ship. You open your eyes, look around, and you still can't see the boat, but you know it's there because you can feel it under your feet.

(interesting side-note: it can be (and has been) argued that science itself is based on a 'properly basic belief' of the same kind - namely, the existence of a physical world external to the mind. Depends how much stock you put in Cartesian philosophy, but it's an interesting thing to think about.)

In summary, I can't prove to anyone that God exists. I don't pretend to be able to, but I also don't see that as my job. Nobody convinced me the He exists but Himself. The best I can do is try to reflect God's love into the world by living out of love and compassion for other people; in many ways, that's a much more convincing proof of God's existence than any fact or figure.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

[Akkaga]

Well well well well well well well well well well well well well well well...First of all, you have to read through any holy book before you can believe it is or isn't legitimate evidence.
Science...it is, overall, an idea, yes? You have to have an idea before you can prove it with facts. Religion is not so. God is not an idea, more of a literal being. Since He is willing to prevent evil, doesn't mean He isn't able; He gives us agency, not free agency, so that we can make choices to "prove" ourselves so that we can enter the Celestial Kingdom. I'm gonna preach a bit here, I'm LDS(Mormon) and we believe that God has three distinct kingdoms of heaven: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Tellestial. There is also an Outer Darkness where Satan and his followers dwell in the infernal pit. I believe the the Outer Darkness is hell, basically it's obvious by its description. Now...God is able to do "anything" according to His own laws. It's like, as an example, if a cop arrested himself because he committed a crime he was supposed to enforce. The police have to follow the laws they enforce, do they not? God has laws that He made that he follows. He's willing to help us, we just have to ask. I learned, that there are two P's and an F: pray, ponder, and have faith. You do all three, and I promise, whether you're religious or don't believe in God, If you pray, ponder what you want to know, and have faith that He will give you an answer (it might not be right away) that you'll know the truth about God. Like the famous scripture that the Prophet Joseph Smith read when he was 14 years old, which was James 1:5 f any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. I promise that God will give you an answer to your prayers if you follow the two P's and one F. i challenge all people, not just religious, to attempt this on there own time.

So, where is your God?

Where is he? Oh wait, he ain't

I agree. I am a follower of the great Journey. We don't hate others. We just know that gods are fake, or more or less figures of the Human mind. We believe in beings from outside our world, who created it all for the simple fun of it. Like humans creating Robots. As I quote from a great movie.

Man to Cyborg: "Why did the create us?"
Cyborg to man: "Why did you create me?"
man to cyborg: "Because we could."
cyborg: "How would you act if your creator told you this?"

[Koevoet]

So, where is your God?

Where is he? Oh wait, he ain't

I agree. I am a follower of the great Journey. We don't hate others. We just know that gods are fake, or more or less figures of the Human mind. We believe in beings from outside our world, who created it all for the simple fun of it. Like humans creating Robots. As I quote from a great movie.

Man to Cyborg: "Why did the create us?"
Cyborg to man: "Why did you create me?"
man to cyborg: "Because we could."
cyborg: "How would you act if your creator told you this?"

Have fun with you Happy Meal toys

[Obamas Country]

Atheists never can and never will prove that God DOES NOT exist. Christians never can and never will prove that God DOES exist. The whole point of God is that you can't prove that he does or doesn't exist. That's what faith is for.

[Transhuman Proteus]

Atheists never can and never will prove that God DOES NOT exist. Christians never can and never will prove that God DOES exist. The whole point of God is that you can't prove that he does or doesn't exist. That's what faith is for.

God has a point and it is to be unprovable?

[United Paradisia]

Atheists never can and never will prove that God DOES NOT exist. Christians never can and never will prove that God DOES exist. The whole point of God is that you can't prove that he does or doesn't exist. That's what faith is for.

True
Love the fact that your a psychotic dictatorship and the nation of Obama

[Obamas Country]

Also I'm Christian and I fully believe in the big bang and evolution.

[DaWoad]

But according to quantum physics, like the string theory, there is a separate timeline for every possibility,

It states no such thing.

aye, he's thinking multiverse theory which is something else again.

[Obamas Country]

Atheists never can and never will prove that God DOES NOT exist. Christians never can and never will prove that God DOES exist. The whole point of God is that you can't prove that he does or doesn't exist. That's what faith is for.

God has a point and it is to be unprovable?

Yes

[Koevoet]

God has a point and it is to be unprovable?

Yes

Just...

Press ALT+F4

[The Rich Port]

Indeed. For all we know, the universe came into being, and then it was the universe that created gods. Or perhaps the universe itself is a god, or at least a living thing.
Or maybe we're the gods.

I'd be quite comfortable in saying that all the above is bollocks.

To be fair, my abs could deflect meteorites and turn Medusa into stone.

I'd say that's pretty Godly.

God has a point and it is to be unprovable?

Yes

That's fucking stupid.

[Koumakan Underground]

Ameterasu appreciates the sentiment, but would like to remind you that if we spent all of our time in the sun, we'd eventually burn to death.
Balance between light and darkness is what allows life to exist.

Yeah, tell you what, I prayed many times to God, many many many times, but hey, he doesn't give a shit about me.

The only God here is that thing between your ears son

Judging from the tone of your response, you seem to think I believe in the Abrahamic god... Ha ha, that's hilarious. No, the gods I believe in are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They have very specific roles to fill, and why should they waste energy and time helping someone that doesn't even try to help themselves? I always try to meet them halfway, and perhaps even shoulder some of their burdens.
But you know, seriously, you shouldn't believe in anything just because someone tells you to-- you should believe in something because you choose to do so. And if that something you believe in is that gods don't exist, that's just fine.

[Liriena]

Atheists never can and never will prove that God DOES NOT exist. Christians never can and never will prove that God DOES exist. The whole point of God is that you can't prove that he does or doesn't exist. That's what faith is for.

So...your god is an illusive prick that expects you to brainwash yourself into stupidity and intellectual dishonesty in order to perceive his implausible existence as actually true?

Talk about arbitrary!

[Koevoet]

Yeah, tell you what, I prayed many times to God, many many many times, but hey, he doesn't give a shit about me.

The only God here is that thing between your ears son

Judging from the tone of your response, you seem to think I believe in the Abrahamic god... Ha ha, that's hilarious. No, the gods I believe in are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They have very specific roles to fill, and why should they waste energy and time helping someone that doesn't even try to help themselves? I always try to meet them halfway, and perhaps even shoulder some of their burdens.
But you know, seriously, you shouldn't believe in anything just because someone tells you to-- you should believe in something because you choose to do so. And if that something you believe in is that gods don't exist, that's just fine.

So according to you Gods always help?

[Councordia]

And then the bullshit alarms go off. I may not be any sort of a scientist (I'm at school to study dead languages and ancient Scriptures, and love it), but I know enough history to tell when someone is just being a nutter.

According tohttp://necrometrics.com/pre1700a.htm


(Possibly) The Twenty (or so) Worst Things People Have Done to Each Other:

Rank Death Toll Cause Centuries
1 66 million Second World War 20C
2 40 million Mao Zedong (mostly famine)20C
40 million Genghis Khan 13C
4 27 million British India (mostly famine) 19C
5 25 million Fall of the Ming Dynasty 17C
6 20 million Taiping Rebellion 19C
20 million Joseph Stalin 20C
8 18½ million Mideast Slave Trade 7C-19C
9 17 million Timur Lenk 14C-15C
10 16 million Atlantic Slave Trade 15C-19C
11 15 million First World War 20C
15 million Conquest of the Americas 15C-19C
13 13 million An Lushan Revolt 8C
14 10 million Xin Dynasty 1C
10 million Congo Free State 19C-20C
16 9 million Russian Civil War 20C
17 7½ million Thirty Years War 17C
7½ million Fall of the Yuan Dynasty 14C
19 7 million Fall of Rome 5C
7 million Chinese Civil Wars

Obviously, the website has a neater chart, and I'm too lazy to actually go and straighten things up. And I don't want to get caught up in the 'does God exist' question, because, frankly, I don't like talking to arrogant people, who presume in their arrogance to have a corner on the metanarrative because they can invent toasters and drugs. But look at these stats. 150 million people killed in the 20th century, and this isn't even a comprehensive list.
Ironically, the 20th century is also the first century in which communism and fascism, two political movements derived from, and taking much of their justification from, Darwinian evolution (Nazism in eugenics, and Communism in dialectical evolution/dialectical materialism) really gained traction. And if you look at the biggest killers of the century, this single, bloody century, they are all directly or indirectly related to both communism and fascism. Secularist ideologies.

So if any ideology is 'dangerous', it is atheism. Not because atheists are dangerous people, but because they believe in no one (but themselves and the Goddess Reason) hold to no creed (except to anathematize other creeds) and have no real basis for conducting themselves in a 'moral' fashion. And here's the proof of it.*

(*It should be made clear that not all Nazis were atheist (many were church-goers) but the fundamental justification for genocide and the superiority of the German race was grounded in eugenics)

Oh great...not this bullshit again.

Atheists have no moral compass, atheists are the cause of all the suffering in the world blah blah blah...

So...ok...source for your assertions please.

Erm, the link. And also, high school world history. Maybe not American high school world history.

(EDIT) Also, in retrospect, 'blah blah blah' does not a response constitute. And I nowhere said that atheists cause all the suffering in the world. So either respond to my evidence (the numbers) with evidence, or getouttahere...

[Liriena]

There are 32 pages behind me and I don't have time to read them all, so I'm afraid I'm just going to tack my two cents on right here rather than carrying on the conversation that's already going on. Sorry!

I do believe in God. In fact, I believe I know God personally. I'm a Christian - I was raised in a Christian home and sort of soured on the whole thing in my teens, but I ended up being drawn back to it later. If you ask me whether I think my faith is reasonable or rational, though, there would be a few seconds silence while I stare pensively into space before answering, "No, it isn't."

Honestly, I don't think it's any more possible for us to demonstrate the existence of God than it is for Sherlock Holmes to demonstrate the existence of Arthur Conan Doyle. If you hold to the Calvinist doctrine of Total Depravity (which I do), then you have to accept that there's no aspect of human existence - including our capacity for reason - that isn't in some way touched by sin, so I think there's a boundary to what we, as rational creatures, our able to comprehend. Our reason takes us so far, and says 'this far, no further'. Beyond that boundary is God. I don't believe He wants to be 'figured out' like some physical force of nature, and it's a misunderstanding of both His nature and ours for us to assume that we can. Or at least that's what I take from Isaiah 55:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Basically, I believe that God speaks to your heart before He speaks to your intellect.

His existence is something that I take on faith. This is what's called a 'properly basic belief' - it's not based on any other belief, but is itself the basis for other beliefs. It's an axiom from which more complex beliefs stem; it's something you have to take on faith. I don't know God exists because I heard a clever logical argument, or because I understand physics (I'm not going to pretend that I do), though I'm aware that there are logical and physics-based arguments. I know Him because I know Him. The same way I know anybody else. It's that simple. It's not a hallucination or a delusion, either - I've worked with people who suffer from both, and I assure you I am perfectly sane.

This isn't to say that I don't experience doubt or uncertainty at times in my life. Because everyone who says it's hard to believe without solid evidence is right - people are wired that way, and God has never written His name in the clouds for me. But that's a part of what faith is: it's trusting in spite of your doubt. Making a "leap to faith", as Kierkegaard put it. The analogy I like to use is that it's like standing on a pier, looking for a boat. Somebody behind you says, "there's a boat right in front of you! Step aboard!" So you look, but there's no boat at all. There's just empty space. Nevertheless, you decide to close your eyes, hold your breath and step off the pier - and your feet fall onto the deck of a ship. You open your eyes, look around, and you still can't see the boat, but you know it's there because you can feel it under your feet.

(interesting side-note: it can be (and has been) argued that science itself is based on a 'properly basic belief' of the same kind - namely, the existence of a physical world external to the mind. Depends how much stock you put in Cartesian philosophy, but it's an interesting thing to think about.)

In summary, I can't prove to anyone that God exists. I don't pretend to be able to, but I also don't see that as my job. Nobody convinced me the He exists but Himself. The best I can do is try to reflect God's love into the world by living out of love and compassion for other people; in many ways, that's a much more convincing proof of God's existence than any fact or figure.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

So...you believe in a self-contradicting, personal supreme entity that rules your life, that loves you and cares for you deeply, yet is reluctant to show himself for no good reason...and expect me to believe that such a belief is in any way different from schizophrenia?