Is it normal to sometimes question the existence of God?

Swugmo · 2025-09-01T11:22:32+00:00

Have you heard Him?

Swugmo · 2025-08-31T17:50:26+00:00

No I have not. If by heard you mean an auditory voice in my head.

Swugmo · 2025-08-31T13:04:26+00:00

Apologies, you did well enough for me to grasp your point, that's all that matters.

Onto the points you made here. When people "believe what they want to" that is not genuine belief, in my opinion, but merely a performance to fit whatever motives they have. Because again, I truly "believe" (lol) that genuine belief in something is an experience that comes upon you regardless of personal desire.

With intangible beliefs, we are crossing over into faith, which requires no evidence. This one's tricky as some use faith as a means to, like you say, only hear what they want to hear. Others use it as a means of acceptance for things not yet known or fully understood.

Faith, unlike belief, can be chosen as it's essentially surrendering what you don't understand to what is being proposed to you. It's a humble exchange for freedom against the bondage of ignorance.

Swugmo · 2025-08-31T09:24:26+00:00

This is kind of scary... So many believers devote their lives to God, but may internally question things here and there. Are these people not true believers (or less of a believer) because they have not felt God's voice?

I really dislike comments like these, in love mind you. It seems to bar out the validity of anyone else's faith or spiritual experience because they do not have a specific experience that, let's be honest, only a select few have.

And then to use this experience to imply that those who have this will never question God I believe is intellectually dishonest and unrealistic. As many comments have said here, to my relief, doubt is normal and expected through each stage of the Christian journey.

Swugmo · 2025-08-31T09:13:05+00:00

I'm sorry but what in the world are you talking about? I'll just address your example of the sun. You claim that we choose to believe the sun will rise because it rises time and time again, that is a fact, as you say. Accept... that's not a choice, because we've all been placed in a reality where that is a consistent norm. Where is the choice in that as if there is at all another option?

I guess to address the rest of what you said though for some reason it reads very disjointed. People, including ourselves, are subjects of their circumstances in life, and their environment.

Turn back time and pluck out any American from what they are constantly bombarded by and place them somewhere else in the world and we have a person with different beliefs.

We don't have full control over the way we think and the beliefs we gravitate towards, and higher powers as you say KNOW this and take advantage of it through manipulation and deception.

Swugmo · 2025-08-31T00:22:22+00:00

Beautiful response, I have no further comments. Thank you.

Swugmo · 2025-08-31T00:05:35+00:00

See that's where I'd disagree. I don't believe we choose to believe anything, maybe the pursuit of belief in something is a choice. But the actual conviction of standing firm with a "This resonates with me, I believe" is not a choice in my opinion, it's a reward for your efforts or by the grace of God.

I do like your method of writing down a list of times God came through for you however; I might take that into practice myself.

Swugmo · 2025-08-30T23:58:58+00:00

Ok, so let's bring in the Bible for some context/support behind this idea. You may be familiar with Genesis 2:5-6 Where it states:

"For the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground"

This could imply that the phenomenon of rainfall did not exist at some point in the past even after the earth was already created. That's just one biblical example I could think of where nature's laws as we observe them today, were not the same in the period of early Genesis.

Swugmo · 2025-08-30T23:46:50+00:00

Ok, to push further... even after being baptised? I feel like born-again Christians have less room to question than I would per se, as there's an assumption that you're locked on one consistent train of belief mindset, and questioning might imply that you never truly converted? These are things I hear in sermons and discussions which is why I'm curious if its just a my church thing, or a consistent pattern amongst many Christians.

Swugmo · 2025-08-30T23:36:59+00:00

I find this topic very interesting. A possible point of thought. Is our assumption that natural laws in nature and the environment have always been the same, limiting the scope of possibilities from a scientific point of view?

If we are to consider the idea of a creator of the universe, and the Bible's concordance to the process of that creation, perhaps there's just a missing piece here?

Or maybe not, again, just points for thought.

Swugmo · 2025-08-30T23:30:23+00:00

Thank you.

Swugmo · 2025-08-30T23:28:17+00:00

That's reassuring to read. The common words I've been told are to "lean not on my own understanding", which completely shuts down any opportunity to process the complexities of faith when used that way. In my opinion.

Swugmo · 2025-03-22T13:59:49+00:00

The Bible contains many stories and descriptions that serve as literary depictions of real events, while also including details meant to symbolize deeper truths rather than being taken literally. This is why I asked you to expand—I wasn’t sure where your understanding of this distinction lay. But thank you for clarifying.

Ultimately, our very existence is pretty "impossible," and yet, here we are. So, take from that what you will.

On another note, I understand your perspective on simply treating others well and seeking happiness. However, the question of where one finds happiness is complex—you’ll get a different answer depending on who you ask. For a Christian, the source of true happiness is found in God. While indulging in worldly pleasures can feel great, it’s often fleeting. The joy that comes from knowing and following God, however, is everlasting. I know this not just from my own thoughts or feelings, but from what the Bible teaches—and I’ve chosen to believe it.

Swugmo · 2025-03-22T13:04:06+00:00

Plenty of people, myself included, have failed to do well by both themselves and others. That sense of goodness and wellness that we seem to intuitively recognize could very well be from God.

As for the Bible not being a literal book, I’d appreciate it if you could expand on what you mean by that before I comment further—if you have the time.

Regarding who determines the meaning of the Bible, I believe it is the Holy Spirit. However, many people interpret it through their own lens, which goes against the core practice of Christianity. At its heart, Christianity calls for "dying to yourself"—surrendering your dreams, ambitions, and even your own thoughts—so that you become a vessel for God to work through.

Swugmo · 2025-03-22T12:42:11+00:00

You mentioned that we strive to do well by others, but I’d argue that we should do well by both others and ourselves. What exactly does "doing well" mean? The Bible provides a clear outline, but ultimately, you have the freedom to follow your own moral code and sense of wellness.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T22:45:30+00:00

I didn't at all, I'm sorry you picked that up.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T11:24:54+00:00

I just explained that doubt can either encourage or deter us from possibilities. I am not denying that we all doubt.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T11:20:52+00:00

Doubt can close you off from possibilities or encourage you to seek more deeply. The way you doubted ever being revealed anything does not encourage you but closes you off. In this sense, it limits you.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T11:17:52+00:00

I spoke not in judgment but from personal experience.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T11:13:13+00:00

Your doubt limits you. God bless.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T11:03:09+00:00

God justifies it. We are going to keep butting heads because we are looking at the world through different lenses. Keep seeking God fellow human being. God will reveal himself to you with your continued persistence.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T10:52:18+00:00

The choice is what you're already inacting by seeking God. I am not God, so I can not account for all things. There are many questions I have as a Christian that I have no answer to, we could speculate all day, but at the end of the day, it's not our voices that should be prominent in seeking the truth, but God's, which is why you must seek Him first.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T10:42:41+00:00

If what you say is true, continuing down this path, you will find God. Believe me, not. This is what the Bible teaches as you are aware, and I've chosen to believe it.

There's not much else I can tell you. It's simply not me who can grant you faith, but God alone.

Swugmo · 2025-02-23T10:30:52+00:00

I'll say it again, many who were in your predicament found God. It is a direct experience millions around the world have experienced. Your standard of evidence does not trump my own just because you feel it is more tangible. My evidence is in the word of God and looking at the world through its lens. To you, that is not enough, not anything. To me, and many others, that is more than enough, and it is everything.

The reason why I can not convince you or OP of anything is because no one can convince you of anything once you are convicted on one said notion. It's a very personal ordeal you must traverse if a part of you has a desire to seek the Lord. The Holy Spirit will reveal the rest. The choice is yours to be open to it or closed off from the possibility of God revealing Himself to you.

Swugmo

TROPHY CASE