Hello Everyone,

I am brand new to this forum, and am somewhat intimidated to contribute to this discussion, as things seem heated and emotional, however, I cannot help but see that there seems to be a miscommunication of sorts going on between others and the desperately-wanting-to-be-understood, SoA. I in no way want to "rock the boat" or pick sides, but I feel as if SoA is speaking out of reason and rational thought. He/she doesn't seem to be emotional-SoA is just seeking honesty. She/he has asked for evidences or proofs for claims and has been met with, primarily, emotional responses.

I think what it comes down to is truth. Whether SoA is right or ManofFaith is or Jafar is or JavaLatte is, etc etc, we are all on here in search of truth; we are NOT searching for subjective truth (which can not exist), but OBJECTIVE truth. Whether I believe I am a mailbox or not, I am not a mailbox. Even if I believe with all of my heart that I am a mailbox, and I claim that to be true, the fact of the matter is that I am NOT one.

Overall, I have come to the conclusion that people of religion = people of faith. We pride ourselves on having faith in the unseen and allow our emotions to play an VERY large role in our relationship with our God (whether that be an "essence", a "force", an omnipotent being, etc). In order to be as honest and truthful as possible, we need to be sure to say to ourselves at the end of the day "it comes down to faith".

When reading Quranic "proofs", it can end up seeming like cheating a bit. I feel oftentimes as if in order to look for these proofs, we started with the conclusion and then worked our way backwards. As science evolves, we continue to "find" miracles in the Quran by looking back at things and twisting them to fit the recent discoveries of science. I find creating these links to be fun and interesting BUT to regard them as FACTUAL proofs seems, as SoA would put it, "undeniably unfalsifiable".

Ultimately, the fact of the matter is that I have NO evidence to prove that an Arab God exists. Or a Jewish one. Or a Christian one. Or a Greek one. Or any of the Hindu gods. I can believe with all my heart that my God exists, but the hard evidence just is not present at this time and place. Perhaps in future with the development of science, we will discover something, but the HONEST truth is that right now, we have nothing to offer up to atheists in the way of physical/honest/rational proofs.

That doesn't make God less real for the believers.

Hey Everyone,

My brief explanation about how and why I am here

I was born and raised in a non-denominational Christian home. My father was the minister of the church I attended and we were very devout. I realized from a young age that my convictions were based solely on my parents' convictions and had very little to do with what I believed. As I continued to grow, I had to leave the Christian faith, as Jesus blatantly claims in the Bible, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 146). I could not believe that Jesus was the only way to be with God, as I knew plenty of Jews and Muslims who deeply believed what they believed and could not be faulted for not being born into the "correct" religion. I couldn't believe that a loving God would allow people who were living to please him (to the best of their abilities) to be condemned to hell for not accepting Jesus as their saviour.

I am currently unsure if religion is for me at all, but I thought a forum such as this one that allows freedom to discuss faith-based topics would help me find the truth either way. I have so many questions and look forward to reading posts by you all to help enlighten me.

I am so grateful for this opportunity.