Quote:
Originally Posted by Abysmal
When I was ~13 i had some sort of religious experience at a bible camp where i felt God's presence very strongly and decided God wanted me to go to India to do charity work. A couple of years later I decided that this feeling was probably very similar to the religious experiences reported by thousands of people over the years who had cited them as proof of the veracity of many different religions and decided that such an experience is probably very poor evidence of the existence of god.
Are you saying there's some stronger version of what i experienced that can convince you that what you feel is so definitely the presence of Christ that you can disregard the fact that many people have described the same experience you have in connection to many other religions?
How do you think you would interpret this feeling if you'd grown up in a Shamanist tribe in Mongolia and had never heard of Christianity?
Your question seems a bit strange, since you seem to be saying that you actually don't believe that the presence is God, but then you're asking me if God can really reveal himself through that presence. Not sure if you're condescending or not, but I'll bite anyway.
I realize I come across pretty pretty obtuse, arrogant, maybe throw some ignorance in there, and a few other negative adjectives as well. All I can describe to you is my experiences, and that of other Christians. Like I always say, maybe I'm wrong, nothing is a hundred percent. I'm not really looking to debate this, if you think I'm wrong, I can't really defend my view, so you're right in a way.
Have you ever heard of God, or heaven, be referred to as "the upside down kingdom"? Consider these things: The bible says that in order to save your life, you have to lose it. In order to be strong, you have to be weak. To be esteemed, you must be humble. That's why the first will be last, and the last, first. It's the same reason the Jews expected Christ, and expect him still, to come with power and prestige, and didn't recognize him as a lowly carpenter, who lived to serve others and to die a humble death.
So why am I saying all this? Because you can't please God without faith. People want to see proof in order to believe, but God will give you proof after you believe. God (usually) doesn't reveal himself to people who don't believe in him, at least with the level of assurance I'm describing. He has in the past, but for this conversation, lets say he doesn't. People who are sitting back and waiting for a sign from God in order to believe, all the while blaspheming the idea of him and what he stands for, are probably not going to get a sign. If they stepped out in faith, and sought him humbly and persistently, that is, believed in him, then he gives you many signs. More than signs, in fact. Being born again is about a relationship with Christ. If I didn't have that relationship, I would not live how I live, so yes, the presence you're asking about can be a whisper that you doubt as soon as it passes, or the Lord speaking into your sprit as sure as you exist.
I'm just some guy. I didn't grow up in a religious home, or go to church on Sunday. I went to College, I drank too much and did too many drugs, I'm just an average guy. I just happened to hit rock bottom and cried out to God and he answered me. That's it. You can choose to interpret my little rant however you'd like to, it's completely up to you.