Happy Atheist Forum

Hi everybody. I'm Max from Argentina, aka "keep sucking it"  

Well, the thing is that... I was raised as a christian. I always had my doubts, but I was told to believe, and I created a relationship with god when I was young. I used to believe in him, rely on him, talk with him (unidirectional talking), pray, etc.

When I was twelve maybe, the doubts became bigger, I started to think that it was all invented by human. But, anyway, I had the idea since I was a child, that one day I would ask god for a proof, and if he responded, then it would mean that he was real.

So, I did it. I was twelve, and I needed ten bucks to buy a computer game. So I told god in my mind, that I would throw away a few cents that I had, and walk a few blocks. Then I would come back to my house, and see if the ten bucks appeared.
So I walked maybe ten minutes, and I came back. And for my surprise.. ten bucks were waiting for me on the floor of my porche.

So far, that has been the greatest obstacle that I had to overcome to free my mind from the idea of a god. For some years, this experience kept me believing. It's 100% true.

Now, though it's difficult, I guess I see it as a tremendous casuality. How would you see it if that happened to you? if you ask god for a sign, and "he responds" so clearly?

I want your opinions... Thanks!

PD: just in case someone thinks I'm a troll.. no i'm not.

What kind of god would leave $10 dollars for some kid who wants to buy a game yet not teleport a child out of an abusive situation?  Coincidence makes more sense than that.

Maybe God just really wanted you to have that computer game. It was part of his cosmic plan, and the universe would have been torn asunder if it didn't happen.

Or not.

Yah, I guess it's funny for you. For me it was quite a shock. I just wanted to share that experience.

QuoteWhat kind of god would leave $10 dollars for some kid who wants to buy a game yet not teleport a child out of an abusive situation? Coincidence makes more sense than that.

Yes, I agree, but.. what a coincidence eh?

It's actually more likely that you mumbled to yourself while praying and someone over heard you then put the money there thinking you needed your faith boosted.  Sometimes we don't quite remember things as they actually occurred.

Hi _Maxi.

Improbable things happen sometimes. So many things are happening that it stands to reason that some improbable things will occur every once in a while. I remember when I was a kid I wondered if I could predict what the next song on the radio would be. I didn't ask god for help. I just wondered if I was psychic =). I tried it and low and behold, I got it exactly right. I ran to my mom to tell her I was psychic because I had guessed one song right. I was never able to do it again though. I bet everyone has some experiences like that. Occasionally you just get lucky but we pick up on and remember those rare occurrences because they are so unusual. Think about all the times you have wished that something would happen and it didn't. That's the norm. And those occurrences are less memorable.

I can see why this might make you wonder about god. In my case I wondered if I was psychic. Have you tried it again? Maybe god only supplies these signs once? Haha, I think these days, any reasonable god would understand that we have learned about statistical significance =).

Sorry, I didn't mean to poke fun. It just seems ridiculous to me that God would fall for such a bargain--"I'll believe in you if you do X." And then you still question his existence. Meanwhile, as Whitney said, there are thousands, millions of children around the world who need a loving God to take them out of their situation--children who have suffered abuse, disease, abandonment, starvation, and all other types of severe tragedy, and he doesn't lift a finger. He'll give $10 to a kid who wants a computer game, but the orphaned children in Uganda can't have decent food, clean water, or medical care. It just doesn't make sense at all.

I don't think Chimera has to apologize for her original reply. She was just being light. Certainly no more offensive than starting your first post here with "keep sucking it".

If you're going to be rude then maybe you should be a little more thick skinned yourself.

But hey, welcome to the forum.  

And I vote for coincidence in your scenario, by the way.

Quote from: "McQ"I don't think Chimera has to apologize for her original reply. She was just being light. Certainly no more offensive than starting your first post here with "keep sucking it".

Agreed.

Not to mention that you shouldn't' ask what people think then be offended by their thoughts.  The very idea of money appearing for some kid who just wants to buy a video game is laughable when we know that kids who really need help don't get it.

In this thread: coincidences mistaken for purposeful acts.

Quote from: "Whitney"It's actually more likely that you mumbled to yourself while praying and someone over heard you then put the money there thinking you needed your faith boosted. Sometimes we don't quite remember things as they actually occurred.

Nope. I didn't speak at all, and I was alone at home.

Quote from: "AlP"Hi _Maxi.

Improbable things happen sometimes..

(...)

Hi, I understand. Some things like that happened to me. Like, for example, one day I was with a girl, and we both said at the same time to each other: "your socks are untied". That happened with a friend also.. we said a joke at the same time. It happened with songs too..

This coincidence is different. The probability wasn't 0,001 like the other events, it could be much lesser.

Anyway, I'm assimilating it :)

Thanks for the welcome. I will be here sometimes, just to see what can I do for spread atheism and agnosticism.

So are you an atheist, or aren't you? Make up your mind already!  

I interpreted "keep sucking it" as some kind of improper translation and ignored it. It makes no sense as an insult in it's context.

The Bible says something like do no test your God. So don't do that. You WILL NOT find out if he is real by doing that. What you need to do is "break the cycle".

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcoasm.files.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fbreak-the-cycle.jpg&hash=790938ce17726aaab36ba6c0abe98304b52b001d)

Discover for yourself that the Bible actually is fallible, then all the pieces will eventually fall into place.

Quote from: "Ellainix"Discover for yourself that the Bible actually is infallible, then all the pieces will eventually fall into place.

You meant fallible...right?

Quote from: "Ellanix"The Bible says something like do no test your God. So don't do that. You WILL NOT find out if he is real by doing that. What you need to do is "break the cycle".

And why the god should be the god of the bible? What has necessarily the bible or christ to do with god? Maybe it's another god who responded to me.

Yes, I know that I said that I was raised as a christian, but that was just to tell that before atheist/agnostic I was christian. But it could be some unknown god (?)

And about the "keep sucking it" issue, I said Argentina aka "keep sucking it", trying to say Argentina, also known as Maradona. I thought that you would maybe know what he said recently.

Anyway, this thread is done I guess :-P

Quote from: "_Maxi"And why the god should be the god of the bible? What has necessarily the bible or christ to do with god? Maybe it's another god who responded to me.

We don't really have any reason to believe there is a god. After all, have you ruled out everything else, such as the Roman gods, your own will power, your sister dropped it, etc.?

Quote from: "_Maxi"And why the god should be the god of the bible? What has necessarily the bible or christ to do with god? Maybe it's another god who responded to me.

Why is the god of the bible more or less implausible then any other god?  What makes you think there are other gods out there?  If you keep moving the goal post logic can never work on you.  If that is your goal then by all means keep moving it, just don't expect us to answer you seriously.  What if it was the Pink Unicorn that answered your prayers, did you think about that?

Quote from: "Chimera"Maybe God just really wanted you to have that computer game. It was part of his cosmic plan, and the universe would have been torn asunder if it didn't happen.

Or not.

Asunder is an awesome word.
(Sorry, vocab nerd.)