Bridging the Parallel
I am Laurence, a dedicated student at Liberty University studying Religion with a focus on Global Studies.
๐บ๐ธ โ ๐ฏ๐ต
โก๏ธ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=751505287121210&set=a.405775835027492
โก๏ธ ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=692498749688531&set=a.405775825027493 Residing in Atlanta, I have a profound interest in the intersection of spirituality and physics, exploring connections between the ethereal and the physical. As a missionary-in-training,
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
"Holy! God is the Truth!"
"Holy! God is the Truth!"
"Holy! God is the Truth!"
I say, "God is the Truth" and people may not grasp instantly. They may believe I am saying, "A higher-presence, subjective diety, is the Truth, or they may even believe I am saying, "An abstract idea, construct of the mind, or a lie is the Truth." And then attempt to challenge my intellect with their on "presumptions". "God is the [Absolute] Truth" is the most truthful statement in reality. That is all.
Truth is not an abstract principle but a Person that relates to all existences. Every time you read the word โGodโ in the Bible,
let your soul translate:
โThe [Ultimate] Truthโ
Then ask: Why is that true? And let the Spirit whisper: "Because nothing else can be the [eternal] Truth." The first question is, "Why is 'God' and 'the [living] Truth' the One and the same Being that many cannot grasp?" The second question to research is, "How does the ultimate Truth create everything but Himself?" To me, it just seems people cannot take in the Truth, which God is, because they are too full of other untrue existences in their mind.
๐น๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐โ๐๐๐, ๐๐ข๐ก โ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐โ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ก ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ , ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐กโ ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ๐กโ๐ .
โ 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Here is a dialogue that shows a common behavior:
๐๐๐๐: Unfortunately there is no solution to death
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, "death" is being disconnected from what is true. Perishing is losing relationships with the truth of creation. Truth is life. To be "true" means to have a relationship with truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf., John 14:6). Eternal life is not an infinite duration of survival. The eternal life is God Himself. To have eternal life is to live in coherence/love with the Truth of the Purpose of the Way of the Life (cf., John 3:16). The Father is the purpose that sent the Truth into creation (cf., John 7:18).
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, we agree on one thing. The truth is important. And the truth comports to REALITY not magic
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, indeed, because the Truth is related to all thingsโeven if we believe in Him or not. Truth never changes, even when our understanding does. Truth is eternal. Christ is the Truth, the Word made flesh, the revelation sent into creation so that we might build our faith through love (cf. John 1:1โ5; 3:16; 7:18). Without the foundation of the Truth, no existence could stand, for all that exists finds its coherence in Him. Christ, being the Truth, is the Creator; thus, Truth is the relational thread that binds all existences. Without the love that expresses the relationship with Truth, no faith could grow to guide us toward God, the Absolute Truth of the Way of Life of the Spirit/Himself (cf. Matthew 22:34-40; John 14:15 Romans 10:14).
Magic, then, is the misapprehension of that Truthโa distortion of reality cloaked in illusion. It often finds its voice in those who masquerade as righteous, wolves in sheepโs clothing, who seek their own glory rather than glorifying the One who is Truth. Rather than sharing the life-giving Word that reveals the purpose of our realityโto glorify Godโthey twist truth for self-exaltation. But true righteousness is not found in spectacle or self-justification; it is found in humbly reflecting the Truth, who alone gives purpose, coherence, and life to all creation.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, what do you think โ truthโ isโฆโฆ my definition was that which comports to reality
Miracles cannot be truth by my definition. What is your definition of truth?
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, I donโt believe in a personal truth because somethings true must be true for everyone. Faith is not a path to truth because faith is the excuse that all religions must employ and 2000 religions cannot all be true
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, to define the Truth; God is the Truth: He is the Life of reality. He is eternal. He is the only uncreated existence that sustains all other existences. He defines all existences. He is the foundation of all existences because without a foundation, all existences could not stand true. He is the one being that all things are relative to despite space and time. For the Christians, He is revealed in creation as the Way of the Life (i.e., culture) of His Spirit (i.e., essence) for morality. He is the uncreated standard of how to commune with the Life of realiy. If He is the Way to fulfill our purposes, then we must place our glory upon what is relative to all existences. He has an objective presence, whether you have a subjective belief of His presence or not. He is not affected or created by human beliefs.
Now, replace all the "He" with "the Truth" to notice they are interchangeable.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, to explain faith: God is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (reality; John 14:6). Faith is not the belief of what has no evidence. Faith is the pursuit of what you have placed glory upon to fulfill your purpose within the Life, which is Him, the reality. If you put glory upon your knowledge, you have faith to lead you to have a relationship with your knowledge. If you place glory upon the understanding of God, you have faith in following God, who is the reality you are in. Life is not about enduring creation; life is being communal with what is true. If you put faith in understanding Truth, you follow the Truth. If you put glory upon magic you are tempted to have faith in what is not Truth. To put glory on the understanding of a being is to glorify that being. Glorify the Truth. That is why the Truth is the creator of all existence for the truth defines all things. Without the Truth, nothing can be true for being "true" is to be in a relationship with the Truth. The Truth is revealed, never created, for the Truth is eternal. Religions are not the Truth; they are understandings. Religions may change, but the Truth is eternal. Religions may engage with the Truth, but they may lose their engagements.
Science is the discovery of truth. Religion is the interpretation of the discovered truth. Faith is the glorification of what we believe is the interpreted truth so that we may obey to pursue the Truth. Temptation is following what is deceiving us as the truth to place glory upon itself. The Truth never changes, but scientific understandings, religious interpretations, and faithful obedience may change because they are subjective creations, while the Truth is never created; He is only discovered. It is epistemic humility to know the Truth has an understanding that never changes. Follow what you believe is the Truth, for the Truth has the understanding that never changes. Your God is the Truth, not magic. Worship the Truth who gives you the true Way to fulfill your purpose in reality, which is the relationship with Life.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, when you said, "I donโt believe in a personal truth," what you're actually rejecting is personal understanding, not Truth itself. Understandings are subjective and vary from person to person, but the Truth is not. Truth is constant. It exists independently of our belief, recognition, or comprehension.
Take gravity, for example. Even if someone denies the law of gravity, their disbelief wonโt suspend its effectโthey will still be drawn toward other masses. Likewise, while I am typing, even if you donโt believe my book was currently beside my laptop, its presence remains true at this moment, regardless of your awareness or when you read this statement.
Truth transcends perception. It exists beyond space and time. It is not created by belief; it simply is.
And soโeven if you do not believe in Godโyou are still drawn, by your very existence, to fulfill the purpose for which you were created. That purpose is found in Life, and Life is found in the Truth.
Jesus said, โI am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.โ (John 14:6)
To reject faith because many religions exist is like rejecting music because there are thousands of melodies. But the Truth is not found in the count of claimsโit is found in the consistency with the foundation of reality.
God is not one of many truthsโHe is the Truth, the source of all that is real. He is the uncreated foundation upon which all else depends. He is the eternal reference point for existence, morality, and meaning. Whether we acknowledge Him or not, everything finds coherence in Him.
So when we speak of faith, we are not speaking of blind acceptance without evidence. Faith is a response to the weight of glory, placing trust in what we recognize as worthy to fulfill our purpose. Faith in God is faith in the One to whom all reality points. ๐
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, you canโt just pronounce that God is the truth because God is not remotely reality. Itโs a construct of the mind which no one has ever proved to have existed. You are just substituting God for existence and truth.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, I hear youโand I understand why you'd see God as a construct if your frame for knowing truth is limited to what the mind perceives or constructs.
But thatโs the heart of our difference: I donโt see God as a projection of the mind; I see the mind as a reflection of God's image.
Just like we donโt invent gravityโwe discover it because it was always thereโtruth is not something we make up. Itโs something we encounter, and sometimes, it confronts us. The mind can build beliefs, yesโbut beliefs arenโt the same as Truth. One is finite and shaped by perspective; the other is eternal and shapes everything else.
God isnโt just a placeholder for truthโHe is the reason truth exists at all. Without something eternal, everything collapses into opinion, including your belief that God is imaginary.
This isnโt about theology vs. reason. This is epistemologyโwhat foundation can truly explain why anything is trustworthy at all? And I believe only something eternal, unchanging, and beyond us can do that. Thatโs not a construct. Thatโs reality. Thatโs God.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, if the mind is a reflection of Godโs image that says exactly the same as God is a construct of the mind. You have just cleverly switched the words but the meaning is the same.
I agree beliefs are not the same as truth. The truth is proved by evidence not personal perspectives.
Why do you assert that everything is your personal God. That is not possible. You can say it but that doesnโt make it true
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, thank you for continuing this discussion.
Let me clarify, gently but firmly: I am not saying that โeverything is my personal God.โ That would indeed be a belief centered on myself. Rather, I am asserting that the objective Truthโthe foundation of all that existsโis not a construct of my mind, nor yours, nor anyone else's. Truth exists independently of our awareness or acceptance.
When I say that the mind reflects God's image, I donโt mean that God is created by the mind. That would make Him an illusion. I mean that the mind has been created by God, who is the uncreated, eternal standard of Truthโnot something subjective, but the very structure behind reality itself. This mirrors whatโs said in Genesis 1:27โthat humanity is created in the image of God. It doesn't mean God is made in the image of humanity.
To say that the Truth is proved by evidence is partly rightโbut only if we understand that evidence is interpreted within frameworks. A purely material framework will always rule out spiritual evidence by default, just as a closed box cannot reveal what is outside it. But the Truth is not trapped in our frameworks.
Belief does not make something true, but truth rightly causes belief. I do not believe in God because He fits my preferenceโI believe in Him because He is the Truth (John 14:6), and He is discoverable through revelation, reason, creation, conscience, and above all, Christ. If I misinterpret Him, that doesnโt change who He isโit shows my limitation.
So, noโI am not asserting that โeverything is my God.โ Iโm testifying that the Truthโwho is Godโis the only One who sustains everything, and that remains true whether or not I believe it. Reality is not magic, but it is not materialism either. God is reality and creation is revelation; creation reflects the glory of the One who is before it, within it, and beyond it (Romans 1:20).
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, I agree with you on this point: everything is not God. That would be pantheism, which I do not believe. I believe in the Christian God, who is distinct from creation but actively sustains it (cf. Colossians 1:17). To say โeverything is Godโ would mean the Creator is the same as the creation, which the Bible rejects. Instead, I affirm that: God is not creation, He is the Absolute Truth, which is why He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent while He is not a projection of the mind.
Why is He omnipresent? Because He is the foundation of all existence; nothing can truly exist without being aligned with Truth, and therefore, being true.
Why is He omniscient? Because He is the source of all truthโthe Absolute Truth itself, the perfect and unchanging โform of truth.โ Do you understand the "Theory of Forms"?
Why is He omnipotent? Because He defines the purpose of all creation. Without His definition, no creation has reason to existโfor purpose is the reason for existence, and He alone is the Author of that purpose.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, but you do keep asserting that the Christian God is the truth. How do you know that ?
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, thatโs a deep and important question, and I appreciate you asking it.
When I say the Christian God is the Truth, Iโm not just referring to belief in a religionโIโm speaking about Truth as a perfect, unchanging reality, which in Christian understanding, is not a concept but a Person: God Himself. โGodโs Truthโ is Godโs very identityโeternal, perfect, and unchanging. He does not become truer over time; He simply is, always.
Thatโs different from us. Human knowing is limitedโour thoughts shift, our understanding evolves. This is where epistemic humility comes in: we must admit that, as created beings, we donโt possess perfect knowledge. But the Christian conviction is that God has revealed Himself, not only through Scripture and through Jesus Christ, but even through creation itself.
Hereโs how I โknowโ thisโnot in the way we know a math formula, but in the way you know something has been revealed to you:
Before the Big Bang, before time and space existed, Truth already was. There was no matter, no moments ticking byโbut there was God. And within Godโs eternal will, there was already the truth that the universe would exist, and that it would be true in time and space.
In the same way, before you were born, Anne, the Truth already existed, expressing that you would be created. That you would live, breathe, think, question, and exist. Your life isnโt just something that happened by chanceโitโs part of a Truth that was spoken before time began.
And even more beautifully: after your life in this universe ends, the Truth will always remain that you did live. Your existence becomes a permanent part of the story reality tells. And thatโs the mark of a Truth that doesnโt change.
So, I believe the Christian God is the Truth because only an eternal, perfect, unchanging being can be the foundation and sustenance of all existence. I believe because Iโve encountered that Truth not just intellectually, but spirituallyโin creation, in Scripture, in the person of Jesus, and in the Spiritโs confirmation within.
Itโs not a claim of superiority. Itโs a confession of trust in the One who was, is, and will always be.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, Sorry I see far too many presumptions. You weave word around these presumptions because you are intellectually very good with abstract ideas and words to make private meaning for yourself but not for anyone else.
Do you know that itโs quite possible that further back in time, before the Big Bang, there might be infinite universes and big bangs happening all the time.
Do you believe in Evolution and Abiogenesis? These are the best explanations for life, not God or specifically the Christian God. That is what is true, the most likely truth.
Where and when were you taught about Christianity?
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, I appreciate that youโre engaging these deep questions. I also notice something in what you're saying that I think is worth pointing out with respect: when you speak about what might have existed โbeforeโ the Big Bang โ like infinite universes or endless cycles โ youโre stepping into metaphysical reflection, not just scientific explanation.
Science, by its nature, investigates how things work within the observable universe. But asking what may have existed before time, space, or causality as we know them โ that is no longer within scienceโs measuring instruments. Thatโs metaphysics: asking about existence itself, and what ultimate reality could lie behind or beneath all phenomena.
I believe science is powerful because it reveals how God expresses Himself through the order and beauty of His creation. But science canโt answer the deepest questions of why anything exists at all โ or why this universe is intelligible to minds like ours. Religion, especially faith in the Christian God, addresses that why โ not merely the mechanical patterns, but the purposeful intention of a personal, loving, uncreated Being I call the Truth.
You asked where and when I was taught about Christianity. I first encountered it seriously when I was 19, just before I could finish fulfilling my rate in the U.S. Navy due to seizures that occurred after enlistment; it was when I began studying physics at university that my faith deepened. The more I learned about the cosmos โ its elegance, its fine-tuning, its logic โ the more I realized that Truth isnโt an abstract idea or equation. The Truth is a Person, and nothing is impossible for Him (cf. Luke 1:37-38).
That includes the possibility that He created not just this universe, but a multiverse โ or that He used mechanisms like evolution and abiogenesis as part of His creative genius. Denying those possibilities for fear of conflicting with traditional views may be, in itself, a subtle way of limiting the infinite perfection of the Truth. My faith isnโt shaken by those possibilities โ itโs strengthened, because my belief is not in how God must have worked, but in who He is.
You mentioned that I might be weaving abstract ideas and words into private meaning for myself. Thatโs not my aim. I share these thoughts not to confuse or isolate, but because I believe the Truth is not private โ He is real life, and I donโt want anyone to be disconnected from Him. In fact, Iโve been glad to share with you this very definition of the Truth: He is the uncreated reality who knows all things, and each moment reveals His presence.
Time, to me, is not merely a physical dimension, but a way God graciously gives us to unwrap His revelation. While He knows all things in one eternal moment, we must walk moment by moment, humbly. And the space between any two moments โ the potential, the depth, the revelation โ is infinitely rich with His voice.
So again, thank you for these questions. Iโm not trying to build a private system โ Iโm offering what Iโve come to believe through experience, study, and prayer. If you see presumptions in my words, I welcome your challenge. But please also know that what may sound abstract is actually a deep longing to share the Truth that is not mine alone, but who invites all of us into real, eternal relationship.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, thank you. Why the Christian god as opposed to any of the other 2000 gods ? Because that is how you have been indoctrinated or another reason
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Thank you. I love these questions.
To be clear, Christianity itself is not a god, but a body of witnesses of the Truth. Many mistake Christianity as a religion made up of traditions and rituals, but at its core, Christianity is the pursuit of the Truth. Christian understanding may change over time, but the God Christians ought to worship is the unchanging Truth.
If a belief system does not worship the Truth (e.g., animals, forces, self-knowledge or human reasoning known as epistemic pride), then it is not Christianity. The God that Christianity worships is the Godโand that God is the Truth. This is often overlooked, even by those who "believe" they are Christians. Unlike the many gods formed by human hands, imagined by the mind (cf. Romans 1:20โ25), or represented by any created objectโeven one created by Godโnone of these can be the God. Only the God who creates all things except the Truth is truly God. He is not a creation or construct. He is eternal and uncreated.
The Bible, then, is not the Truth in every perspective, but a testimonyโrecords of those who have encountered the Truth. It may change in form, becoming a translation of the Truth that adapts to the perspectives of people, so they may hear and receive the Truth.
This belief is not the result of indoctrination, but a response to encountering the living Truth. The Truth does not make us selfish; rather, it draws us into realityโshowing us who we truly are and where we belong in existence. The Truth is the foundation of our being through creation and remains eternally engaged with all things, transcending time and space.
Because of this, worship belongs to the Truth aloneโnot to lies or to temporary, flawed creations (e.g., created objects or knowledge) that require improvement. For instance, if you worship your own knowledge, you are not aligned with the perfect Truth.
This is why I follow this God: not because of cultural expectations or inherited tradition, but because He alone is the unchanging, eternal Reality behind all existence. The Truth reveals itself and calls us to Himself. I continue to witness the Truth [of the Purpose of the Way of the Life of the Holy Spirit] in order to understand how to fulfill the purpose of existence in the correct wayโwith a moral understanding that gives me a clear path toward reality. Heaven is not an infinite vacation following our existence in creation. Heaven is about being at peace with the Truth. Eternal life is God; to have eternal life is to be in communion with the Truthโengaging with Him continuously and fully.
Hell, by contrast, is not just a fiery inferno. It is the condition of being troubled, disoriented by the absence of Truthโunable to pursue it or fulfill the purpose of existence. To be in a suffered death is to be separated from the reality of the Truth, estranged from the very Life that gives meaning to being. If you had the wisdom of the Truth of the correct Way of the Life of God (i.e., the Holy Spirit), then you would not be in trouble with Him.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, you love these questions ๐ You like writing essays and thatโs OK. But you are still making far too many presumptions.
You claim that this is the truth and that is the truth. How do you know that anything is the truth? Why do you have to depend on โ Faith โ when you could depend on evidence and be far more secure. Why do you need him to tell you thatIt is wrong to kill your fellow man. Donโt you intuitively know that itโs wrong ? If all religions disappeared the world would just carry on the same way because the universe is not God it is just the universe that we happen to live in for a brief time. The universe does not care for us. You have presumed that the universe is your personal God. You just keep saying that God is the truth. Why ?
If you had not been indoctrinated how would you know that the Christian God was the truth. Remember nothing can exist outside of time or space. You are guilty of worshipping your personal knowledge and beliefs. What is the Holy Spirit? You have your very own interpretation of heaven and hell. How do you know that?
I cannot see a connection between love and truth but you probably can write another essay on that one
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, I understand it may seem like Iโm making presumptions, but Iโm not claiming that my statements come from my own authority or intellect. Iโm responding to what Iโve encountered as revealed truth, not invented ideas. What I call โthe Truthโ is not just a preferred belief, but what Iโve come to recognize through experience, reflection, and engagement with reality as it reveals itselfโnot just through scripture or religion, but in existence itself. Iโm not starting with faith and then trying to justify reality. Iโm starting with reality and discovering that faith becomes necessary as a response to it.
I donโt believe faith is opposed to evidence. Faith, as I see it, is not blind beliefโitโs a trust in what the evidence points to when reason alone cannot reach the whole. Evidence always requires interpretation, and interpretation is shaped by the lens through which we view existence. I simply recognize that the material world doesnโt fully explain itselfโit points beyond itself, and I believe the Truth is what it points to.
As for morality, yesโmany people feel that killing is wrong. But feelings vary, and so does cultural consensus. Some societies have justified slavery, genocide, or oppression based on their own moral reasoning. So the deeper question is not just what we feel, but why something is truly right or wrong beyond our feelings. Thatโs why I ground morality in the unchanging nature of the Truth, which I believe is Godโnot in fluctuating intuitions.
When I say โGod is the Truth,โ Iโm not projecting a personal god onto the universe. Iโm saying that the Truth is not a concept or principle but a personal Beingโthe One who is uncreated, eternal, and the foundation of all that exists. I did not invent this. I discovered it through a relationship that began not with indoctrination, but with wrestling, doubt, questions, and what I would now call spiritual encounter.
The Holy Spirit, to me, is the way the Truth becomes known personallyโGod's living presence making the invisible visible in love, conviction, and peace. Thatโs not just theology; thatโs testimony.
Heaven and hell, as I described them, are not physical locations as much as they are relational realitiesโeither union or separation from the Truth. My โinterpretationโ comes from aligning what scripture reveals with what reality confirms. Iโm not worshipping my knowledge; Iโm submitting my limited understanding to what I believe is eternal and trustworthy.
Lastly, about love and truthโyes, I could write much more. But simply this: Love without truth becomes sentimentality. Truth without love becomes cruelty. In God, they are oneโinseparable. Love is the character of Truth when it reaches out to what is broken. Thatโs why I trust Him.
Iโm not asking you to agreeโjust to understand Iโm not presuming; Iโm responding.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne. I'll give you my essay about love and truth together to explain how people can believe God is Love and I can believe God is Truth with them.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, no I don't believe that the universe is our God. That is pantheism and idolatry, which I am trying to explain. The universe is sustained by God as a true existence, it is not the Truth but it is a "true" existence that relates to God. Only the Truth exists out of all dimensions (e.g., time and space) that are created. Know this Truth is eternal.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, if you didnโt start with faith you wouldnโt believe any of this. You presume there is a God then the rest follows. What would you think if a God did not exist ?
Reality exists, OK Then why is a belief in God a response to that ?
That is presumptiousโฆ.. you presume God caused existence
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, the idea that belief in God must start with faith alone isnโt necessarily correct. Itโs possibleโand historically commonโto reason toward the existence of God through observing reality itself. That is a point in epistemology. The very fact that something exists rather than nothing points to a cause beyond the universe. This is a philosophical and logical starting point, not mere presumption. Itโs called the โcosmological argument,โ which doesnโt begin by assuming God but begins with the reality of existence. From there, reason leads to the conclusion of a necessary, uncaused causeโwhat we understand as God. So, faith often follows this reasoning, but it doesnโt have to start with blind faith. In fact, reason and observation of the world can lead one naturally to trust in God as the foundation of all that is.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, so the universe is separate from God. โฆโฆ.. what is the difference between a true existence and a non truthful existenceโฆโฆ too many words and ideas doesnโt make anything true
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, no, the universe is not separate from God. It is in relation with God because it exists. All existences are true because the Truth is related to them. False existences do not exist at all. Untrue existences are lies.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, now you are contradicting yourself because your ideas are all tied up in knots. Truth and God are separate IDEAS and the universe is the only real true thing.
What is God without saying it/ he is the truth because that doesnโt make any sense
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, Iโm not contradicting myself โ it only seems that way if we treat Truth and existence as separate from their Source. When I say the universe is not separate from God, I mean it exists in relationship to Him, because God is the foundation of all existence as Truth. God isnโt just someone who tells the truth โ He is Truth itself. Everything that truly exists does so because it is rightly related to Him. The universe is real, but it is not true on its own; it is true because it reflects and depends on the eternal Truth, who is God. For example, if a woman is falsely charged with a crime and everyone believes she is guilty, her innocence remains true for God, the Truth, who knows her innocenceโeven if all created records are erased and her name in creation is forgotten. Truth doesnโt depend on belief or perception; it simply is. Likewise, even if the universe disappears, as Scripture and some science suggest, Godโwho is Truthโstill remains. So no, the universe is not the only true thing. It is true only because it is grounded in the One who is Truth. What may seem like abstract โideasโโGod and Truthโare, to me, the reason anything exists at all, and why we care about love, justice, and meaning. They are not even abstract because God, the Truth, is the omnipresent foundation that sustains all existence. The universe and human understanding are temporary; do not worship what cannot eternally carry the glory of creating your true well-being in His (i.e., the Truth's) engagement with you.
๐๐๐๐: Laurence, far too many presumptions woven into truth, half truths and things you cannot ever prove. If you could just answerโ How do you know God ( your specific God ) exists at all, we could talk further otherwise none of this makes any sense
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, my proof response is simple, but not shallow: If there were no Godโwho is Truth itselfโthen the truth of your own existence could neither be truly known nor carry any true meaning. Iโm not asking you to accept a blind assertion; Iโm inviting you to consider that without the eternal, unchanging Truth, every "truth-claim"โincluding your ownโis left suspended in uncertainty. Is that difficult to understand? Or does it perhaps challenge assumptions you may not have fully examined yet?
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Anne, very well... I'll respect your engagement, and I hear the skepticism in your question. But Iโd like to point out something that often goes unnoticed in conversations like this: you, too, are working from assumptions โ and in fact, your whole response is filled with them. The difference is that Iโm simply making mine explicit, while you are calling mine presumptions without recognizing your own.
For instance, when you say the universe is โthe only true existence,โ thatโs not a conclusion from science or logic โ itโs a metaphysical assertion. One that canโt be proven in any empirical sense. Itโs a faith claim about what reality is. When you separate โGodโ and โTruthโ as if theyโre distinct ideas โ and reduce โGodโ to something like magic or superstition โ youโre assuming a definition of both terms that Iโve never claimed.
I do not believe in โa godโ floating around somewhere doing magic tricks. I do not believe in โa truthโ the way someone believes in a preferred opinion. What I believe is that only the God who is the Truth can be good alone. In other words, Truth is not a concept detached from being. God is not a being among other beings. God is Being Itself โ the One in whom all reality, reason, and goodness are grounded.
Your question โ โHow do you know God exists?โ โ assumes God is something like a hypothesis to be proven, or a superstition to be disproven. But what Iโm saying is far more fundamental than that. I am not adding God to the universe; I am saying the universe cannot exist, nor can any truth be coherent, without the uncreated Truth who gives it structure, meaning, and purpose. Without God, not only is there no โmagicโ โ thereโs no logic, no love, no reason for the question youโre asking to even matter.
The real presumption is imagining that โtruthโ can be grounded in a purely material universe. That logic, morality, purpose, and consciousness can arise from chaos without any transcendent anchor. To say โonly the universe existsโ is to assume the very thing in question โ that existence can sustain itself, and that โtruthโ can be something other than a personal, eternal source who reveals, defines, and fulfills all meaning.
So no, Iโm not being presumptuous. Iโm being honest. Iโm naming the foundational claim that makes all other claims meaningful: that God is the Truth โ not in competition with reality, but its Source. Not outside existence, but its Essence. Not merely a being, but Being. And unless thatโs true, even your objections to me collapse into dust.
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