In fact, reason only dilutes an unequivocal belief and faith in God. ….
God says, you can’t reason faith, but man still wants to. It just his nature. To know God, he must be an overcomer and overcome that nature.
I don’t fault anyone because of this, it’s a daily battle for many Christians to overcome.
I disagree with your post on so many levels. Faith and reason are not mutally exclusive. God gave us brains to use. Intelllect is not something to becovercome. Just because I have a brain and use it does not mean it is a battle for me to overcome. I have used my intellect to study the Bible, theology and religion as a result my faith is stronger.

I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean when you say that “things to do with faith… are clearly feelings.” To me, a feeling is something visceral and wordless. A particular feeling, say anger, fear, excitement or ardour, refers to some complex of physiological responses.
A feeling will usually be associated with some trigger, maybe a thought or imagining – such as a belief, something you have faith in. I contend that it is a bad choice to conflate the trigger with the response.
Exactly. An emotional response is just that, even when accompanied by a physical reaction. Most of the current emphasis on emotional responses in religion are based on emotional reactions. And these reactions are heightened in faith sitiuations when emotional investment is proportionately large.

So you’re supposed to divorce your brain to believe, eh? Take it out and put it in a pickle jar. God gave it to you, but it’s really an impediment.
And, of course, when God said, “Come let us reason together.” He was only kidding.

And if you’ve divorced your reason in favor of blind “faith”, what is it that makes you better than a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist, or a Mormon, or a Shamanist, or………… who did the same?

Jesus said to Thomas, “You believe because you’ve seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t … Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Reason accompanies doubt. Scripture clearly teaches that man, through increased knowledge would come to this place and place his own knowledge above that of God.

Reasoning is knowledge. It’s in the mind. It’s when it drops down into your heart and becomes a reality that it becomes something no man can shake.

If you’ve never had it drop down there in your heart and received the Holy Spirit, it’s not difficult to reason away.

You will never know God through knowledge. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, how many degrees you have or how well you can quote and argue scripture. That’s not Gods way. You can only know Him through faith. If you can’t accept that you’ll never know him and it’s senseless to debate.

God says, you can’t reason faith, but man still wants to. It just his nature. To know God, he must be an overcomer and overcome that nature.

I don’t fault anyone because of this, it’s a daily battle for many Christians to overcome.

I am happy and content with my choice.

Congratulations, Lu! I’m very glad you’re happy and content.

I never experienced any supernational feelings. I never received an answer to my prayers. I remember how many nights I stood outside under the African sky, looking towards the stars and begging God to show him to me. It never happened. Not once did I get the feeling that there was a God anywhere, answering my prayers or caring about me.

I had faith – I had faith that there was a God and that he cared; even though I never experienced any proof.

I prayed, I tithed, I begged, I tried to live a clean and good life – but not once did I feel any supernatural forces near me.

I was alone.

Since I became an atheist, I am at peace. I don’t feel I am not good enough any more, I don’t feel guilty for Eve’s sin any more.

I did not become an atheist because I am cross with God or with believers.

I became an atheist after years of studying the Bible and religions.

I came to the conclusion there is no God. It’s a very personal, conscious choice I made.

I am happy and content with my choice.

Lu

I think basing one’s faith on a certian “high” type feeling is unstable. It is impossble to maintain. Faith must be mixed with reason as well.

DH

But the price paid for this certainty and reassurance and disavowing of responsibility for ones life, is a rather desparate concern over identity. I.e., who is and who is not in the club, so to speak. The same split mentality (what psychiatrists call splitting) the divides their selves, into formerly-lost/now-saved, formerly-corrupt/now-regenerate, also is projected onto the world in the form of elect-vs-lost. The vehemence with which these boundaries are maintained points to the power of their need to reaffirm and maintain their identity, their specialness. If what CHristians claim is not true, as you mention, then they arent special, or at least no more special than anyone else, and thats intolerable.

DeeZone- Thanks for the clarification. I agree with you. I think an emphasis on feeling saved can create a lot of anxiety in some believers. What if you lose that feeling? What does that mean? From what I understand historically, the main problem Calvin and other predestinationists had was not justifying the fairness of that doctrine, but rather reassuring their flock as to how one could tell if one was one of the elect!

Richard