World Events
Topic: Non-believers: What would change your mind?

#	Author	Message
1	Mr X Wed 4/23/2008 4:43a	For those folks who consider themselves atheist or agnostic... What would cause you to admit that your lack of faith was incorrect? Here are a few examples I thought about, along with a few I found while searching around, which would make me possibly convert on the spot, OR seriously re-examine my lack of belief in a particular religion... 1) Aliens from another world visit Earth who subscribe to the same religion as exists already here. 2) Through new advances in medicine, doctors are able to revive an un-tampered with group of corpses which have been deceased for a matter of weeks (I'd say longer but that gets gross, not to mention less possible to be un-tampered with), such formerly dead people having never been informed of the idea or purpose of the experiment...and yet all or most of them return to life and testify to the fact that there is, in fact, life after death. 3) A prophecy, written explicitly in a religious text, indicating that a particular event will occur in the future...and the event occurs. This one is tricky, cause it has to be *real* and not Nostradamus style hypothetical stuff. In other words, if it was written in the bible that "On March the first, 2009, a great earthquake will occur and plunge Los Angeles into the sea", and it happens...I'm in. I'd repent, etc., and sign up to that religion. 4) A genuine miracle is performed, under scientific conditions where it is verified and repeated and signed off on by a large number of experts. If some guy can actually change water into wine (oil might be more useful these days lol), and prove it, I'm in. 5) Some impossible to be known fact is proffered in a religious text. For example, if Jesus had said "and I say unto you that E=MC2", something that could NOT have been known or even conceived of in those ancient times (or, for that matter, something in a religious text of modern times that later becomes proven), I'd switch. Would any of these events cause you to convert to a faith? Re-examine your skepticism? Or would you reject such events wholeheartedly as fraudulent, impossible, or just some sort of trickery? Are there any other examples you could offer that would cause you to change your viewpoint on god and the afterlife? If so, please throw that in here (I'd love to hear some better examples). If not, would you say that absolutely NOTHING in the way of events or proof could possibly cause you to reconsider your anti-religious viewpoints?
2	teddibubbles Wed 4/23/2008 8:57a	lol I see no posts in this topic. people sometimes don't want to believe in anything.. because they don't want to change their life stile. or admit ANYTHING / ANYONE is more in control than their self!
3	Ursula Wed 4/23/2008 9:18a	I pick number 4. I would really have to SEE this miracle myself, darn the experts. And it would have to be something that wasn't slight of hand. Example: let ME walk on water. I'd love to also see number 5. Number 1 doesn't do it for me. The aliens could be just like us, so it wouldn't matter to me if aliens say they also believe. I mean, look at Jerry Falwell. And I think I'd have to die and see the afterlife before I'd believe anyone else who says they did, unless it was someone I knew who has the same viewpoints as me. I guess God forgot to give me faith, or I was standing behind the dorr when he handed it out.
4	ecdc Wed 4/23/2008 9:20a	If I had a personal experience, I could certainly be convinced. I don't need it to be a powerful vision of God, either. If one of my children was ill, or even died, and I found an inexplicable peace from believing in an afterlife or the comfort of God, I could see "converting." I wouldn't consider this "knowing" that there's a god, but rather, I'd consider this a positive value in believing that trumps the value of unbelief. That said, I think it'd be mighty tough for me to accept one kind of faith over another. Such an experience would not convince me that one dogma was better than another.
5	Ursula Wed 4/23/2008 9:21a	And on this whole miracle thing. Why aren't there miracles now but they had them back in the biblical times? Sure, you say that there are miracles around us every day. Really? Like the ones back then? See, I didn't think so. Feeding a large group of people on small provisions, walking on water, raising the dead (and not just the mostly dead), etc. This is what I want to see, not the miracle of life or the wonders of nature.
6	plpeters70 Wed 4/23/2008 9:23a	"because they don't want to change their life stile. or admit ANYTHING / ANYONE is more in control than their self!" This sort of response always perplexes me. It seems to imply that non-believers actually do believe in religion, but don't want to admit it because they don't want to "change their lifestyles" or something similar. Is it really so hard to believe that some people just don't see the "logic" behind the Christian faith?
7	plpeters70 Wed 4/23/2008 9:28a	"Aliens from another world visit Earth who subscribe to the same religion as exists already here." What would be really interesting is if they ended up looking just like human beings. That would really make me think twice about the "created in God's image" thing. Great topics, Mr. X!!
8	plpeters70 Wed 4/23/2008 9:31a	"And on this whole miracle thing. Why aren't there miracles now but they had them back in the biblical times?" Uh oh - a Doubting Tomas!! ;-) But seriously, this has always bothered me too - why is it such a virtue to believe in something that we cannot see. If there is a God, what is the point of his being so secretive and mysterious? What good does it do to keep your people "guessing" all the time? It really shouldn't be seen as such a good thing to just take something "on faith". I would think we should be encouraged to use our brains a little bit more...
9	utahjosh Wed 4/23/2008 9:37a	<What would be really interesting is if they ended up looking just like human beings. That would really make me think twice about the "created in God's image" thing.> That would support my believe in "created in God's image" thing. I believe God created the whole known universe..and I have no problem with other people on other planets, and I presume they look like us.
10	plpeters70 Wed 4/23/2008 9:41a	I should point out that when we do actually find aliens, and if they don't look like us or share our religions, that doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't any god. It will just give more proof to the idea that none of our current concepts of god are correct.

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