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Author Topic:   Philosophy of Ideas
Malachi-II
Member (Idle past 6233 days)
Posts: 139
From: Sussex, England
Joined: 04-10-2006


Message 36 of 44 (307856)
04-30-2006 5:36 AM
Reply to: Message 6 by Phat
04-20-2006 9:37 AM


Re: An a-priori type of guy
Good morning, Phat. I empathize with your comments. I believe one's experience of God reveals more than words about God.
May I, as briefly as possible, recount a personal experience.
My father was a heavy drinker. Often violent. One day, when ten or eleven, I ran for my life. Had I not he would have killed me. I cycled as fast and far as I could and flopped into tall, parched grass on a hillside. My mind searched for what I had done to make my father hate me enough to want to kill me; what should I do; how can I creep back into the house to get some clothing; and where could I go? I was gripped by fear and confusion. Suddenly I felt something gentle and warm on my chest. It went into my body and seemed to caress my heart. I heard a tender, strong voice in my head say, “You belong to me. I will never leave you.”
I sat bolt upright. No one was there. I laid back in puzzlement, then realized my fears had gone. I went home. Father was at the table with a bottle and glass in each hand. He ignored me. Life went on.
Fast forward. Many years later. A major city. I began a career in a glamorous profession. So many opportunities! I was rapidly sinking into a quagmire of harmful activities prompted by conscious relaxation of moral standards. For the first time since it happened the childhood experience came to mind. I made a conscious decision to alter my attitudes and actions. Changes were far from instantaneous. But that’s another story.
Nothing in the above account either proves or disproves the concept of God. The voice did not identify itself. Somehow that didn’t seem to matter. What mattered was that I was free from fear - until I realized how low I had allowed myself to sink.
I more or less concluded that I had a guardian angel (I believe every human being has one. Whether we believe it or not is a matter of personal choice.)
I can vouch for the ultimate benefit in my life and relationships from believing in and accepting the evidence of the presence of my guardian angel. I require no further proof.
I turned away from orthodox beliefs when I found them to be elitist and, often, hypocritical and protectionist institutions operating in their own understanding and belief in God. Fine for many. Not for myself.
At my weakest point I picked up my Bible. It fell open at Chapter 14 of John’s Gospel. Verse 12 leapt off the page. Then Verse 26. I had never heard those words read from any pulpit. I have yet to find any lie spoken by Jesus. Without forming any judgement, I have yet to find any man, including myself, who does not or has never lied.
So, whether or not my boyhood experience was an hallucination, a malfunction of the brain, or easily explained neurological nonevent, sufficient evidence for me exists in how I conduct my life and thoughts.
© 2006, Malachi II

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by Phat, posted 04-20-2006 9:37 AM Phat has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 37 by iano, posted 05-02-2006 10:07 AM Malachi-II has replied
 Message 38 by Phat, posted 05-02-2006 10:32 AM Malachi-II has replied

  
Malachi-II
Member (Idle past 6233 days)
Posts: 139
From: Sussex, England
Joined: 04-10-2006


Message 39 of 44 (308468)
05-02-2006 11:16 AM
Reply to: Message 38 by Phat
05-02-2006 10:32 AM


Re: Faith comes from Experience
Thank you.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 38 by Phat, posted 05-02-2006 10:32 AM Phat has not replied

  
Malachi-II
Member (Idle past 6233 days)
Posts: 139
From: Sussex, England
Joined: 04-10-2006


Message 40 of 44 (308469)
05-02-2006 11:17 AM
Reply to: Message 37 by iano
05-02-2006 10:07 AM


Re: An a-priori type of guy
Right on!!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 37 by iano, posted 05-02-2006 10:07 AM iano has not replied

  
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