If You Were God Would You Prove Yourself?

[Bathsheba]

Me: no, I wouldn't.
Why: for a start I suspect it would harm the world. People would expect me to fight all the battles that make them better/stronger/compassionate people. Souls would not grow stronger because all the "exercise" of struggle would be taken away. Souls would become couch potatoes. People would therefore never become my equal and be able to join me in my dimension (Heaven). It would set up an unhealthy dynamic and people would become mere pawns on my chess board. Freewill would not be a choice... because I was "proven" everybody would either become passively obedient or if they didn't care about the total destruction of their soul post death they would possibly battle hard in final blazes of glory and that would be that forever more.

What about you?

(sorry if this hypothetical thread offends... I know that some faiths might interpret this as offensive... please PM if this is the case).

[HotI]

I don't know if that would be the outcome, because of those that are convinced of your existence, that isn't necessarily how they act.

Now back to the first part, would you prove yourself? I don't know how you could prove yourself to all people. Not everyone believes in gravity, a round world, evolution or climate change even though I may say there is enough evidence to support each theory. I don't know what act would be proof-ful enough for every person. And if we say that rather than an act (that people can assess) you just whisper in every person's ear, and then they know you are true, then this isn't really proof, as it could also be seen as mass psychosis.

[Bathsheba]

Ok, interesting tangent: How could God prove himself? Well... let's say he chose different methods according to the community/person. Maybe he would work through people we already trust/acknowledge as leaders... maybe we'd turn on the news and Kevin Rudd would be making a public announcement... and then we turn the channel and Queen Elizabeth is doing the same thing... and then on another channel Barrack Obama is on CNN I guess if the G20 leaders were all convinced then we'd all have to sit up and take notice. Then what?

[Lulu]

oh yeah - there would be flying pigs everywhere and I'd probably release a few flying elephants too!

[Mr Squidipa]

IMO you need to ask God to prove that he is real to you if you want him to and he will

but if i was God himself I would not prove myself unless i was asked to then I would IMO

[HotI]

Ok, interesting tangent: How could God prove himself? Well... let's say he chose different methods according to the community/person. Maybe he would work through people we already trust/acknowledge as leaders... maybe we'd turn on the news and Kevin Rudd would be making a public announcement... and then we turn the channel and Queen Elizabeth is doing the same thing... and then on another channel Barrack Obama is on CNN I guess if the G20 leaders were all convinced then we'd all have to sit up and take notice. Then what?

Ok, i wouldn't be convinced by a public statement by any of these people, so a new method would be needed for me.

I know there is a word to describe it but i can't remember what it is, a person who needs to actually have evidence for something before they believe it. So nothing exists, unless i have concrete evidence for it existing. I am kinda on the edge of believing in that philosophy. People lie too often, or don;t hold require the same degree of 'proof' (as I), and so they may accept something without examining the evidence to the same degree as i would.

[Inanna]

Interesting....

I agree with Kate any of those folk making an announcement wouldn't budge me an inch!!!! I think that is called healthy cynicisim!!!!

I dom't see God as outside myself but rather a part of who we all are... So it's a different perspective to the previous one...

I see Faith as a feeling and not something that can be quantified. So, what would be proof would be different to each individual... I also don't think Faith can be proved...

[Nelle]

If I was God, we'd all be in BIG trouble.

How would I prove myself - just say hello from the sky - 'Hi guys, it's God, what's happening? No no, don't tell me, I already know, I'm God remember? I was just trying to be friendly'.
Piece of cake for God to prove himself, but he'd need to make sure everyone was paying attention, which might involve taking away free will.
No point with the sound and light show and flying donkeys and breakdancing angels and beautiful creation or small still voice if people aren't watching for it...

I seem to recall parts of the New Testament where Jesus refused to do miracles sometimes because it was just light entertainment for people and it didn't change their hearts and lives.

[nanananny]

So Nelle do you think God shows Himself in beautiful creation? :-)

[diannescruffy]

I wouldn't prove myself if I was God, not in a public way anyway. Being able to have faith, to believe in something that you cannot see, I believe to be very special. God has proved himself to me many times in many different ways.

Regards,
Dianne

[Roryrory]

Wouldn't it depend on what kind of god you were? If you were a vengeful god of the old testament-type you probably wouldn't, but perhaps a new testament god would? I think that an answer to this question, Bath, would fundamentally be determined by whether you believed in a personal god or an impersonal one - the interventionist-type or the watcher god...

[Bathsheba]

Yes, I agree Rory Looking for a variety of answers... just to gain some new perspective. I often read in other threads a frustration and strong desire for some kind of proof of God's existence before some members will commit to belief... so I was just wondering if those members had given any thought to what the ramifications of proof might be? Personally I feel ambivalent about God proving himself to me or the world. I think it does better things for my soul to accept that I won't know one way or the other while am alive. It's frustrating but good in that it forces me to relinquish control of the situation. It forces me into a position of humility. This is just speaking for me personally. I think about this nearly every day... and my mind swings like a pendulum... do I need to know/ Don't I need to know? Back and forth. Intuitively it feels slightly better accepting that I don't need to know.

[Heaven]

The old testament and new testament God are the same.

I'm thinking that bc God knows everything and He's chosen not to prove Himself then there must be some pretty good reason why not that we can't understand. SO then if I was God I would have that knowledge and therefore not prove myself either if that makes sense??

[Roryrory]

The old testament and new testament God are the same.

Noted, but I was more suggesting that if you subscribe to one testament more than the other your views would be different (ie: a Jew who follows the OT would have different thoughts on the matter than, say, a gay Uniting Church Minister (do they ordain gay priests, or is it the Anglicans?) who is presumably more NT in their leanings).

[Jennifer13]

I actually think God has already done plenty to prove his existence. How everyone interprets that seems to vary (and some don't believe at all).

Maybe this is more about proving something to yourself than about having it proven to you. For example, how do you know your child loves you before they can tell you, or before they really understand what they're telling you?

Personally, from a faith perspective, I think the onus is on me, not on God ("think not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" sort of thing!).

[Bathsheba]

Yes, very good points Jennifer. It has also occured to me that in the NT it is written that the son of God (Jesus) will return in a tangible way at some point... and then alluded to life on Earth changing forever... so I guess that's the thing... we can't know life as it is today AND have God proven to us... it's just not a compatible situation.

[Lulu]

cows giving orange juice then?

[Nelle]

Lulu, Jesus turned water into wine! Why are you settling for OJ?