God really exists? Can God existence be Proven?
The president of the Philippines has vowed to step down immediately if it can be proven to him that God is real through a selfie.
Rodrigo Duterte sparked outrage in his largely Roman Catholic country by saying that if just one Christian told him truthfully that they had been to heaven and had a conversation with God, he would quit.
He also attacked the Catholic Church for collecting funds from members, accusing it of using donations to "maintain the palaces and the luxurious things that the rest of humanity do not have".
“If you are really helping people, why do you ask money from them?” he asked.
Two weeks ago, the president angered believers by calling God "stupid" and "a son of a b****” and questioning certain beliefs, such as the story of creation, the concept of heaven and hell, and the last supper.
Christian groups accused him of insulting God and demanded an apology, to which he replied: “Not in a million years.” Mr Duterte, who was giving an unrehearsed speech on Friday, said:
“If there is any one of you...who say you’d been to heaven, talked to God, saw him personally, and that he exists, the God is yours, and if he does, it’s true, I will step down the presidency".
“I just need one witness who will say, ‘Those fools at the church ordered me to go to heaven and talk to God. God really exists. We have a picture together and I brought a selfie',” he added during the opening of a science and technology event.
"You do that today, one single witness, that there is a guy, a human being was able to talk and to see God. Of the so many billions, I just need one. And if there is one, ladies and gentlemen, I will announce my resignation immediatelyl."
The 73-year-old leader, who was born and raised as a Catholic, questioned some of the basic tenets of the Catholic faith, including the concept of original sin, which he said tainted even infants and could be removed only through baptism in a church for a fee...
Mr Duterte has been in office for two years but critics say he has “become isolated domestically and internationally” in part because of his spat with the Church, and may not finish his six-year term in office.
The president has repeatedly prompted international condemnation over his human rights record, war on drugs and military operations against militants. Last month he kissed an overseas Filipino worker on the lips during a public event in South Korea.
Well, can you meet the challenge? Is it possible? Is it necessary? Isn't this an old challenge in modern times? CM
Comments
-
@C_M_ said:
The president of the Philippines has vowed to step down immediately if it can be proven to him that God is real through a selfie.Rodrigo Duterte sparked outrage in his largely Roman Catholic country by saying that if just one Christian told him truthfully that they had been to heaven and had a conversation with God, he would quit.
He also attacked the Catholic Church for collecting funds from members, accusing it of using donations to "maintain the palaces and the luxurious things that the rest of humanity do not have".
“If you are really helping people, why do you ask money from them?” he asked.
Two weeks ago, the president angered believers by calling God "stupid" and "a son of a b****” and questioning certain beliefs, such as the story of creation, the concept of heaven and hell, and the last supper.
Christian groups accused him of insulting God and demanded an apology, to which he replied: “Not in a million years.” Mr Duterte, who was giving an unrehearsed speech on Friday, said:
“If there is any one of you...who say you’d been to heaven, talked to God, saw him personally, and that he exists, the God is yours, and if he does, it’s true, I will step down the presidency".
“I just need one witness who will say, ‘Those fools at the church ordered me to go to heaven and talk to God. God really exists. We have a picture together and I brought a selfie',” he added during the opening of a science and technology event.
"You do that today, one single witness, that there is a guy, a human being was able to talk and to see God. Of the so many billions, I just need one. And if there is one, ladies and gentlemen, I will announce my resignation immediatelyl."
The 73-year-old leader, who was born and raised as a Catholic, questioned some of the basic tenets of the Catholic faith, including the concept of original sin, which he said tainted even infants and could be removed only through baptism in a church for a fee...
Mr Duterte has been in office for two years but critics say he has “become isolated domestically and internationally” in part because of his spat with the Church, and may not finish his six-year term in office.
The president has repeatedly prompted international condemnation over his human rights record, war on drugs and military operations against militants. Last month he kissed an overseas Filipino worker on the lips during a public event in South Korea.
Well, can you meet the challenge? Is it possible? Is it necessary? Isn't this an old challenge in modern times? CM
I think if we could prove God exists, it would no longer be a matter of faith. And it is through faith, each believer has evidence of God's existance in their hearts. But the only way to prove his existence to others is when God imparts faith to them too.
Many believed superficially in Christ when they saw the miracles. But only few of these had heart faith to go along with it. How could Apostle Paul not believe in God after experiencing his conversion on the road to Damascus? But we know he had heart faith too, as did all who believed apart from external proof.
-
Let me quote Frank Turek on the question.
"He gave enough evidence to convince the open-minded, but not enough to overwhelm the free will of those wishing to cling to their own traditions."
SOURCE:
Geisler, N. L., & Turek, F. (2004). I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist (p. 349). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.So there's not gonna be a selfie. Unless he is still around on Jesus's second coming, and he remembers to take a selfie on the occasion. And even if so, the selfie is not gonna save him.
-
A number of passages in the OT suggest or even imply that God exists in more than one Being:
Genesis 1
- The word for God is ’Elohim, the plural form of ’Eloha. Generally, this plural has been interpreted as a plural of majesty rather than of plurality. (See Source).
- Genesis 1:26, we read “Then God said (singular), ‘Let Us make (plural) man in Our (plural) image, according to Our (plural) likeness.’”
Deut 6:4
- Genesis 2:24, man and woman are to “become one (’echad) flesh,” a union of two separate persons.
- In Deuteronomy 6:4 the same word is used of God, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one (’echad).”
- “It seems that something is being affirmed here about the nature of God — he is an organism, that is, a unity of distinct parts.” (See Source).
Other Old Testament Texts Expressing a Plurality
- “Behold, man has become like one of Us” (Gen 3:22).
- “Come let Us go down and there confuse their language” (Gen 11:7).
- “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (Isa 6:8).
- Isaiah 40:13,14 -- The plural, suggests that there is a plurality of beings in the speaker.
The Angel of the Lord
- Angel of the LORD” is also called “God” or “LORD” (Gen 16:7-13; Num 22:31- 38; Judg 2:1-4; 6:22).
- “This ‘messenger’ must be seen as a special manifestation of the being of God himself.” (See Source).
In the New Testament
1 John 4:8 -- God is said to be love. Implies that there must be a plurality within the Godhead since love can only exist in a relationship between different beings.
Matt 3:16-17 -- "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".
John 10:30 -- Christ claims equality with the Father
Acts 5:3, 4- "The Son did not become less than the Father during his earthly incarnation, but he did subordinate himself functionally to the Father’s will. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is now subordinated to the ministry of the Son (see John 14-16) as well as to the will of the Father, but this does not imply that he is less than they are".
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 --
- There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
- There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
- There are diversities of activities, but the same God who works all in all.
Paul refers to all three in the same text: The word “God” to refer to the Father, “Lord” to refer to the Son, and “Spirit” to refer to the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 13:14 -- Paul lists the three persons of the Trinity:
- The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- The love of God.
- The communion of the Holy Spirit.
These passages are along with Eph 4:4-6 are clearly Trinitarian in character.
SOURCES:
-- G. A. F. Knight, A Biblical Approach to the Doctrine of the Trinity, (Edinburgh, 1953), 20.
-- Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Baker, 1983), 1:329.
-- G. Ch. Aalders, Genesis (Zondervan, 1981), 300.PS. I agree with all the direct quotes in this post from the sources above. CM
