Hello Branka

  I am glad you liked my cake and yes, I am at least baking another. LOL

  When I spoke of the " Communion Of Eternity" it was in fact a prelude to what I am about to say now. In describing eternity with terms such as infinity, there was really no room for decisions or opinions. I stated this process as a fact. An infinate number of elements with the potential to combine with other elements to create another infinate number of new elements. Very difficult to argue this point.

   Belief in The Creator on the other hand is not so set in stone. There is a possibility that ones belief is not based on the assumption of fact as it is in the Communion Of Eternity theory. There is incentive to believe in God. There are factors other than undeniable fact that can persuade one to believe in God. I believe that some who profess their firm belief in God are trying to convince themselves of this reality as much as they are trying to convince others of ther belief. According to all laws of physics and of nature, the whole concept of God is impossible. We are taught that God had no beginning and will have no end. This truly defies our sense of logic, yet we believe. We are taught that God is all knowing but how could God already know about the infinate number of Communions Of Eternity yet to happen. Knowledge, as we percieve it, is based only on past experience and we cannot claim to be able to accurately predict future outcomes. Yet we accept this idea that God is all knowing.

   Perhaps, the incentive to believe in God is inspired by fear. Fear of the consequences for not believing. Fear of hell. Fear of not attaining eternal life. Fear of the finality of life as opposed to life eternal. So, as I see it, people could have many reasons for believing in God other than simply the fact that he exists. In most religions we are taught that in order to attain eternal life we simply must believe and, so we do believe. For many, the greatest fear is of death. Death being viewed as a new beginning rather than a definate end is a much more comforting thought and as human beings, we are certainly creatures of comfort.

    So, for those who really are not so certain of the " God As Fact " theory, the Communion Of Eternity theory does at least offer something more concrete to base our beliefs on than " He always was and always will be. Somethng that does not go so strongly against our earthly sense of logic. Something, a little more comfortable.

 

 

William stated:
"There is incentive to believe in God."

I beg to differ.

The Universe itself crys out "Creator!" Theories of Big Bangs and matter created from nothing are not satisfactory. The question arising from the dismissing such theories is inevitably who created God? The only explanation is the self-existance of God. Does this defy human logic? Of course!

1 Corinthians 13:
1When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

 12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

We have, recorded in history, eyewitness testimony to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, from the original disciples who died for, not what they merely believed, but for what they KNEW as TRUTH! Furthermore, it was not just a handful of men and women, but hundreds who saw Jesus after His resurrection.

Blessings.

Bruce
http://christiansoldiersonline.org
(The only promotion that matters!)

Oops. I wish we could edit our posts.

Disregard the prelude - I was sure I read (and that I pasted) "no incentive" - suffice it to say, the rest of my posts stands to give affirmation for belief in God apart from the reasons stated in previous Williams post.

 

Ineffable!

Branka, what a most enlightening post.  The  world is a mirror of who and what I am.  I must look at those that I don't like very carefully, as they are mirroring what is inside of me.  They are merely my reflection.  They tell me that I have work to do within myself. 
They are not the problem, I am.

I was given my parents and my life.  That was a starting point.  My parents taught me up to a point.  Then the work was up to me.  If I was taught hate and fear, then it is up to me to learn about love. 

The world is my mirror.