Expert: Austin Cline - 2/17/2008

Question
Do you belive in a higher power than ourselves? I personally have felt a power surge in my body compared to the feeling of sticking ones finger in a light socket. Maybe crazy, but true, I use to do this when I was a kid. Some have called this power of God, Holy Spirit, annointing etc. I only know its real. The mysterious thing is I dont control it myself. What is your take on this mysterious power? I believe it comes from a bigger source than ourselves the same source that supplies electricity to this whole world to make it function for us humans. While I respect everyones opinions on spiritual matters I feel like it would take greater faith to be an athiest than anything else we could choose to believe. We are too m-y-s-t-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y and w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l-l-y made for me to ever belive we dont have a creator. People want to talk about natural, why dont we talk about common sense. Example, we cant see electricity, wind, the air but nevertheless these things are real. A quote "Sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we cant see." Deep in every humans heart is a longing for something more than what this world can offer which in alot of peoples lives has been more pain and heartache than happiness, that longing is there for a reason, there has to be something more meaningful to life than just our short sometimes miserable time we spend on this little earth, its still and always will be a matter of FAITH, whether we simply die and dont exist anymore or whether we go back to our creator is one thing I cant know, but I will never be convinced that we didnt have a creator, that is just to hard to believe. Ive always heard that atheist choose there faith as not to have to answer for there immoral lifestyle if they so choose. Makes sense to me and Im just a common sense kind of lady.

Answer
"Do you belive in a higher power than ourselves?"

No.

"I only know its real."

Drug-induced experiences feel real, too.

"What is your take on this mysterious power?"

No, the question is, what is my take on an alleged "power" that some anonymous person claims exist. I have not "take" because I see nothing to explain, yet.

"While I respect everyones opinions on spiritual matters I feel like it would take greater faith to be an athiest than anything else we could choose to believe. "

That makes about as much sense as saying that it takes more faith to not believe in Apollo or elves than to believe in them.

"We are too m-y-s-t-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y and w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l-l-y made for me to ever belive we dont have a creator."

No, we're not more mysterious or wonderful than the rest of the natural world.

"Example, we cant see electricity, wind, the air but nevertheless these things are real."

We can make testable predictions about them and testable predictions about the effects. The same isn't true about this alleged power you report, is it?

"Deep in every humans heart is a longing for something more than what this world can offer which in alot of peoples lives has been more pain and heartache than happiness, that longing is there for a reason, there has to be something more meaningful to life than just our short sometimes miserable time we spend on this little earth,"

1. Speak for yourself.

2. The presence of a desire is not evidence that what is desired is necessarily real.

"I will never be convinced that we didnt have a creator, that is just to hard to believe."

So, you're closed-minded and immune to any possible argument. If there is no possible evidence that could prove you wrong, then your belief is unfalisialble. This makes it unscientific, irrational, and unreasonable.

"Ive always heard that atheist choose there faith as not to have to answer for there immoral lifestyle if they so choose. "

That's as bigoted as saying that Jews choose not to believe in Jesus to justify an immoral lifestyle.

"Makes sense to me and Im just a common sense kind of lady."

No, you're a hateful, bigoted lady who believes without reason.