Where's God?

[POI]

Does he pop up in my dreams? Is he the one whom produces my goose-bumps? Is He the one giving me my "moral compass"? Is he only experienced during deep meditation? If I have enough faith, will he appear to me? But seriously. Where is he? I was a Christian for decades. I earnestly prayed for him to reach me, to no avail.

For debate: Why have I not felt his presence?

A) I never tried hard enough; lack faith
B) He does not want to reveal Himself to me (yet)
C) Evil is blocking the request(s)
D) I'm too dumb to realize he's reaching me
E) He's not really there at all <- Current conclusion

Do not answer yet. This topic has spawned from another unrelated topic. I decided to devote this large topic to itself. Below are some premises:

P1) does god exist? (dunno)
P2) does god want a relationship with all, especially the ones who seek him (apparently so)
P3) is god capable of communicating (apparently so)
P4) can god communicate his message in a way in which the recipient could no longer deny (apparently so)
P5) have I asked for this communication earnestly and repetitively (YES)
P6) does the Bible state god answers the call to all who seek him (YES)

At best, god has opted not to contact me YET. And this would be after decades of actively seeking him. Without any emotion, I'm logically left with 2 options.

A) God is not really there <- Current conclusion.
B) God is not adhering to his promise (yet).

[POI]

[Replying to OneJack in post #350]

"Presuppositional apologetics is a Christian defense method that assumes the truth of the Bible and the triune God as the necessary starting point for all knowledge, logic, and morality. It argues that without this biblical foundation, human reasoning and experience are ultimately incoherent. Rather than using evidence neutrally, this approach argues that all evidence implies a Christian worldview and that non-Christian worldviews "borrow" capital from it to make sense of reality."

Aside from applying blind faith alone, for which I could instead apply to virtually anything, how do you actually know that your presupposition is the ultimate precondition for knowledge?

[OneJack]

[Replying to OneJack in post #350]

"Presuppositional apologetics is a Christian defense method that assumes the truth of the Bible

Truth resides only in the real and living Christ Jesus alone, who is always beside you/me/them on a 24/7 watch mode. I don’t hold anything essential in the bible since it is not the truth or the Almighty God.

and the triune God as the necessary starting point for all knowledge, logic, and morality.

God is only one, not triune. True, all knowledge, logic, morality, and all things emanate only from God. You can’t mention/think of anyone from whom all things emanate, except the Almighty God.

Thus saith the Lord God:

“God is the Almighty. To Him, nothing is impossible. From Him comes all things and the life that all people possess. From Him also comes good and evil, light and darkness. No one can live in the world except through Him. It is Him who came in the flesh and will return on the judgement. He is the life and the death, the beginning and the end, the way, the truth, the salvation, the forgiveness, and He is everything.”

It argues that without this biblical foundation, human reasoning and experience are ultimately incoherent.

The Christians’ foundation of [their] faith in God is not the Bible, but the real and eternally living Christ Jesus Himself. He is the real and true foundation of their faith in God.

Rather than using evidence neutrally, this approach argues that all evidence implies a Christian worldview and that non-Christian worldviews "borrow" capital from it to make sense of reality."

Christians do not use the bible to defend their faith against skeptics, and the more that they don’t in testifying to the reality of God.

Aside from applying blind faith alone, for which I could instead apply to virtually anything,

You’ve heard nothing yet from God; hence, your judgment on testimonies to God in a discussion like this is nothing but blind faith.

how do you actually know that your presupposition is the ultimate precondition for knowledge?

We’ve heard and learned them from the Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate source of all knowledge, in this world, and in the spiritual world, which is Heaven. Without God, there would be nothing at all.

Everybody is given the last chance to turn to and acknowledge the reality of the Almighty God before crossing the Great Divide. You’ll surely witness this POI when your time comes, and that’s the time when there is no way that you can’t deny its existence.

[BruceLeiter]

[Replying to OneJack in post #349]

God chooses to use the preachers and witnesses of the Bible's truths to share the good news about the Triune God as well as Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. I do not "have trust in" the Bible as my Savior but in the God who inspired it, @OneJack.

Rom 10:14  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 
Rom 10:15  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 
Rom 10:16  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 
Rom 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 
Rom 10:18  But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 

[POI]

[Replying to OneJack in post #352]

Presuppositional Christian apologists, (which is clearly you in this case), starts with the Bible as THE given foundation, and are committing question begging and/or circular reasoning, where the conclusion is assumed in the premise.

You are also presenting a false dilemma or dichotomy fallacy, in arguing that only Christianity or chaos exists.

And while we are at it, you are also invoking special pleading, by way of exempting your own belief system from standard logical scrutiny.

When so much fallacious reasoning is presented, it would be ludicrous to actually engage it....

Thank you for your time though

[BruceLeiter]

[Replying to POI in post #354]

You're welcome, I think, @POI. If the Bible depicts or teaches it, I believe it.

[POI]

If the Bible depicts or teaches it, I believe it.

Why?

[OneJack]

[Replying to OneJack in post #349]

God chooses to use the preachers and witnesses of the Bible's truths to share the good news about the Triune God as well as Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Wake up, Bruce, you're putting your own words and opinion in God's mouth by your narrative here. Where in the bible can we read that God chooses preachers and witnesses of the bible's truth to share the good news about the Triune God, as well as Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, verbatim?

I do not "have trust in" the Bible as my Savior but in the God who inspired it, @OneJack.

You are absolutely lying, Bruce, because you're always coming from the bible with what you are saying about God, whom you mistook to be Triune when in truth and in fact, God is only one. You've heard nothing yet from the Lord; hence, your claim of 'not having trust in the bible as your Savior but in God' is absolutely lip service to God to whom you always make the bible His anchor on everything.

Rom 10:14  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

Do you understand what Paul was saying in his letter to the Romans in this part? How are you to believe in the Lord Jesus of whom you have never heard, Bruce?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 

Who preached Jesus to you, Bruce?

Rom 10:15  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Who sent the one who preached Jesus to you, Bruce?

As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 
Rom 10:16  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 
Rom 10:17  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 
Rom 10:18  But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 

All these things are done with, Bruce. Paul can no longer teach you; hence, you need to come to and call on the Lord Jesus now that you have read and studied the bible, the book of testimonies to JESUS that He is real and eternally living. Wait for the Lord to respond to your call so that you may hear from the Lord the things that you have to put into practice until the end.

[OneJack]

[Replying to OneJack in post #352]

Presuppositional Christian apologists, (which is clearly you in this case), starts with the Bible as THE given foundation,

Since you've heard nothing yet from the Lord God, the Lord Jesus Christ, you now seem to run out of reasons, knowing that I absolutely deny the bible as the foundation of my faith in God. The phrase 'Presuppositional Christian apologists' does not exist in the flock of the Lord Jesus Christ because the Lord is real and eternally living, and His sheep hear and learn from Him absolute and definitive things about Him and what they have to put into practice until the end.

and are committing question begging and/or circular reasoning, where the conclusion is assumed in the premise.

Say whatever you want to say, but you have no absolute basis for what you accuse me of since you've heard nothing yet from the Almighty God.

You are also presenting a false dilemma or dichotomy fallacy, in arguing that only Christianity or chaos exists.

Could you copy and paste the part in my post where I claim only Christianity or chaos exists, verbatim?

And while we are at it, you are also invoking special pleading, by way of exempting your own belief system from standard logical scrutiny.

By all means, what I'm saying can be subjected to all kinds of scrutiny you want to apply.

When so much fallacious reasoning is presented, it would be ludicrous to actually engage it....

Thank you for your time though

Since you've heard nothing yet from God, it's no wonder that everything I say comes across as ludicrous and fallacious reasoning to you.

[POI]

Could you copy and paste the part in my post where I claim only Christianity or chaos exists, verbatim?

And now you are adding a fourth level of fallacious argumentation, in the (exact word fallacy). The exact word fallacy is a flawed argumentative tactic that ignores the overall context, meaning, or intent of a statement, demanding instead that specific words be used to prove a point.

The rest of my observations still stand uncontested.

[OneJack]

Could you copy and paste the part in my post where I claim only Christianity or chaos exists, verbatim?

And now you are adding a fourth level of fallacious argumentation, in the (exact word fallacy). The exact word fallacy is a flawed argumentative tactic that ignores the overall context, meaning, or intent of a statement, demanding instead that specific words be used to prove a point.

The rest of my observations still stand uncontested.

Nothing more to say, POI. May you find lasting peace and tranquility with your observation.