Trying to discover God on my Own...

[sstohru]

Lately I've been feeling the Lord pressing it on my heart to reach out to people and help shine His light. My plan is to start with friends and wait for the right opportunity if they're open to the idea of not religion but an intimate relationship with God. I want to be the example I'm supposed to be, but I'm scared.

I've been praying about how to go about doing so without forcing my beliefs down other people's throats and thus pushing them away. After praying about it, I thought I should discover for myself proof that God does exist because that's been bugging me lately for some reason. I want to do so without using the Bible.

I've never tried talking to atheists or agnostic friends about this sort of thing, so I'm gonna spend a lot of time reading books about their arguments against God and discovering for myself whether or not He exists. I know it doesn't make sense that I'd question the existence of a God who placed it on my heart to do so before witnessing to people, but hopefully I'll still be a believer after this whole thing is done but I don't know. It's probably also weird that I'm asking for prayer on this sort of thing, but I want to know the truth so I'm going to seek it. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[LadyRushia]

I know it doesn't make sense that I'd question the existence of a God who placed it on my heart to do so before witnessing to people, but hopefully I'll still be a believer after this whole thing is done but I don't know.

Actually, this makes a lot of sense. Faith cannot exist without doubt and challenge. I took a class last spring where we studied a number of existentialist writers, both Christian and non-Christian, and my faith was actually strengthened. I recommend Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, if you haven't already read it. It takes a very logical look at faith and goes from discussing God in general to specifically talking about Christianity. The Myth of Certainty by Daniel Taylor is also a good read (and short). Its focus is on the tension involved with being a Christian in the world of academia and being an academic among Christians. The points he makes are very interesting. Lastly, you should take a look at Christian Doctrine by Shirley Guthrie. I used it in my Theology class last semester and even though it's a pretty big book, all of the points are outlined neatly and clearly. It's a pretty good starter book that details how Christianity deals with the basic yet tough questions both Christians and non-Christians have.

Oh, there's also A Pocket History of Theology by Robert Olson. It's a short little book that briefly covers the history of Christianity after the first century. Learning what the early church fathers had to deal with is very helpful in answering questions that most people have today.

Hope this helped.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

You be the example by simply loving. =) I don't think any argumentation or logic towards God is really valid.

So you just love them. Love them when they deal with hardships. =)

[SeraphicCharm]

Josh McDowell is a great author to look into for this. He started out as an atheist who was going to prove that God didn't exist and that everything about Christianity was false. The more he looked, though, the move evidence he found of the Truth. He has become one of the greatest testimonies for Christianity by using rock-hard evidence and statistics. For example, he backs up the statement that the Bible is true by listing the evidence that it was written over a period of 1500 years by 40+ authors, on three different continents, in three different languages, each with totally different backgrounds and education, yet the Bible still has unity. It can only be an act of God!

Some of his books I would recommend are:
Answers to Tough Questions: Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith
More Than A Carpenter
Evidence That Demands a Verdict and MORE Evidence That Demands a Verdict
A Ready Defense (this book is pretty big, but it's like a comprehensive anthology of possible questions and criticisms arranged by topic for convenience)

Hope these help too! I'll be praying for you as you seek after the Lord in this area! Aside from stating facts, you can also share Christ without beating them over the head with the Bible by just sharing your personal experiences. No matter what someone believes, he or she can definitely respect and appreciate a person who is real and authentic. May God bless your efforts! Take Him at His word; He will never leave you or forsake you in this!!!!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

The most complete collection of philosophical arguments/apologetics would be Peter Kreeft's Hand Book of Apologetics. Anthony Flew's There Is A God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (Flew was the heir to the legacy of Hume and Russell before he became a deist due to cosmological evidence). A couple of good websites are [url=reasonablefaith.org]William Lane Craig's site[/url] and [url=bethinking.org]Be Thinking[/url].

I believe that developing a rational basis for your faith is a healthy, useful and good exercise for any Christian. I want to emphasize two points though: first, if you are able, get a mentor. It can be easy to be discouraged or even lead astray by bad philosophy. Second, remember that you are finding a basis for your faith, not a substitute for it. It is faith, not knowledge that is salvivic, according to scripture. Arguments can show that faith in God (this is different from belief in Christ's divinity or the trinity) is rational, that it is not blind. In short, philosophy can take you far (very far in the cases of some atheists) but at some point, faith is necessary.

As far as being an example: MSP got it right. Love is the answer.

[freerock1]

Lifting you up in prayer. And I would pretty much echo what TheSubtleDoctor said. I've found in my own life that my faith is strengthened when I find that it's backed by history. But be extremely cautious when doing this type of research, or you could easily be led astray. I would strongly recommend reading the works of those who have researched the arguments and come to the conclusion that God exists, such as those mentioned in this thread. You're probably not going to find a book that speaks about the topic without some sort of inherent bias. As TheSubtleDoctor suggested, having a mentor who has researched the arguments but is also strong in his/her faith will probably be of great help, and may even be essential. Also, don't allow this research to become a substitute for your faith or for your own reading of the Bible. At some point, your own faith in God becomes necessary, above what philosophy or history alone can show you.

[Tsukuyomi]

I'll be praying as well

Just keep praying that when the time does come, you'll be able to find the right words ^__^

[sstohru]

Thanks for the prayers. Today at church I found a strong Christian who would help me out through this journey. Also another problem reared its ugly head the other day. I had to go get some blood work done, and I might have Diabetes. Won't find out till earlier this week. Sheesh, there's always something isn't there?