God. - Page 3

goldensrbest · ‎03-10-2010

Do you,or he have a bible? I would want to try and find a bible believing person to talk to him,some one he perhaps already knows.

When you lose some one you L~O~V~E, that Memory of them, becomes a TREASURE.

ChynnaBlue · ‎05-22-2012

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@house_cat wrote:
I'm sincerely hoping that this thread doesn't go awry.
I'm also hoping that the QVC moderators will see its value.
I don't know where else to bring up this topic, as it's not a good one for the workplace. I value the opinion of the participants in this forum.

My dad is 92 years old and in ill health. Yesterday, he said to me that he wishes he could believe in God. He said that it would make him less anxious. He was raised Catholic, but I've never seen him in church except for funerals and weddings. My mom was also raised Catholic, but has rarely gone to church and doesn't follow Catholic doctrine.

Dad said that he wishes he could believe, but being the educated person he is, he can't reconcile the science with the spirituality. I know there are millions of educated people, who are strong believers in God.

Can someone please suggest something I can say to him?

Thank you in advance for not making your responses judgmental or divisive.

There's a huge difference between being religious and being spiritual ...... and I honestly believe a lot of religions are off track. Many educated people cannot "blindly" follow a religion because of questionable their (religions) teachings, knowing that centuries ago many corrupt religious "leaders" fought to exert power over governments and people ... and even went so far as to chenge religious texts. How can anyone ignore that?

For instance, a religion that will remain nameless tells their followers that if you blow yourself up in a suicide bombing, you'll be rewarded with 72 virgins in the afterlife! Does any THINKING person believe this to be true? You can see my point.

If your father is a science-oriented person, my only suggestion is to take a walk in nature and point out all the everyday miracles ...... a large, beautiful tree .... baby birdies ..... the beauty of sunsets ...... all that went into creating our earth, solar system and universe certainly can't be random accidents!

That's my two cents ..... hope it helps.

I think that's a wonderful response. I don't think it's about God and it's okay not to believe in God. There are beautiful things in the universe and people accomplishing amazing things and you don't have to believe in God to believe in those things.

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IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

As my own father, who never attended church in his life and had no known (to us) relationship with God, lay dying, I whispered to him that God loved him and begged him to allow himself to accept it (Dad never felt worthy.).

I was raised in a hellfire and brimstone church. God was the bogey man to this little girl, and, as an adult, I’ve joked that I became a Christian only because our church scared the h3ll out of me. It wasn’t until I was a grown woman with my own child that I learned about the depths of Love.

I was totally, completely, utterly in love with our infant son. When it crossed my mind that I would gladly die for him, it suddenly dawned on me, that if I, in my human limitation could love this much, how much more does God love us. The bogey man perception dissolved.

House_Cat, ask your father if he believes in Love. If he answers affirmatively, then he has his answer. Organized religion has a tendency to forget that God is Love.

"My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love." --I John 4:7-8.

@ QVC Moderators: This is an Important Thread. Please, moderate it closely to prevent it from being steered off course, but, please, allow it to continue.

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.

Bird mama · ‎03-12-2010

HouseCat, it's by my experience with older family members on the decline (heathwise) that even the most devoted Catholic (most of my family is Catholic - not saying this applies to only Catholics) gets anxious about the unknown. I think it's natural to feel some anxiety as we near the end of the journey (not suggesting that your Dad is going anywhere soon).

I looked up a site (American Humanist Association). I specifically was looking for words of comfort for humanists (don't believe in God) who are ill, suffering or coping with a loss.

In a nutshell, let your Dad know that you are there for him. I know you already 'do' for him, but remind him by asking what can I do for you?

Let him direct the conversation. I wish I had more advice for you.

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise

Hooty · ‎03-09-2010

First of all, how lucky you are to have had your father so long, my father died at 58 yrs. old!

That being said, I believe his salvation is between him and God and no one else, and I would leave it at that, JMHO!

Oostende · ‎03-14-2010

I justy wanted to pop back in and clarify my suggestion.

Ward deals with the subject of God from a scientific standpoint. I inferred that your father ascribed to a materialsim philosophy, i.e. that humans are just little bundles of chemicals and that we are just the sum of our bodily processes.

Ward talks a little about the physical universe. Are we made up of quarks, or superstrings, or dark energy?

Quantum physicists speak of "imaginary time" as being more real than "real time". Do we live in a ten or eleven dimensional curved space-time or are we made up of electrons travelling in Hilbert space?

Ward speaks to the problems with treating science as being incompatible with God. He does not promote a specfic theology, his concern in this book is just the existence of God, and the limits of our scientific understanding of the world.

The questions above are paraphrased from the "Look Inside" part of the book. I've loaned my own copy to a dear friend, but if you are interested, have a look.

Libbylady · ‎03-09-2010

I think you need to back off trying to convince your father that whatever beliefs you hold should also apply to him. He has lived quite a long time without them and apparently done fine.

He may not be able to articulate to you what his view of life is at this point in his life, but if he doesn't have your faith, let him be.

This may be more about you needing to fortify your own faith.

It has been said that we are all athiests when it comes to all the gods that most of humanity has believed in. You telling him that he needs to put faith in your selected god makes about as much sense to him as me telling you to believe in Ra, the Sun god.

He either has your faith or not. All the praying won't change this and you may end up cutting off your commumnication with him when you both really need it. If he wants to talk about what comes ater death then listen, don't lectutre.

qualitygal · ‎10-04-2010

At that age he may be searching for peace of mind knowing where he's at. Has he seen a beautiful sunrise and sunset. A man of science, has he seen and learned about the planets?

I just think the beauty of the earth says a lot. My dad at 90, passed about a year ago. He was at peace, he was a believer in God. For us and our beliefs it brings peace. Not all goes on in the world that I understand and although it is beyond me, the beauty of earth I know inside where I feel the credit goes to.

If others choose to believe or not, any other way, that's up to them.

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@house_cat wrote:
I'm sincerely hoping that this thread doesn't go awry.
I'm also hoping that the QVC moderators will see its value.
I don't know where else to bring up this topic, as it's not a good one for the workplace. I value the opinion of the participants in this forum.

My dad is 92 years old and in ill health. Yesterday, he said to me that he wishes he could believe in God. He said that it would make him less anxious. He was raised Catholic, but I've never seen him in church except for funerals and weddings. My mom was also raised Catholic, but has rarely gone to church and doesn't follow Catholic doctrine.

Dad said that he wishes he could believe, but being the educated person he is, he can't reconcile the science with the spirituality. I know there are millions of educated people, who are strong believers in God.

Can someone please suggest something I can say to him?

Thank you in advance for not making your responses judgmental or divisive.

There's a huge difference between being religious and being spiritual ...... and I honestly believe a lot of religions are off track. Many educated people cannot "blindly" follow a religion because of questionable their (religions) teachings, knowing that centuries ago many corrupt religious "leaders" fought to exert power over governments and people ... and even went so far as to chenge religious texts. How can anyone ignore that?

For instance, a religion that will remain nameless tells their followers that if you blow yourself up in a suicide bombing, you'll be rewarded with 72 virgins in the afterlife! Does any THINKING person believe this to be true? You can see my point.

If your father is a science-oriented person, my only suggestion is to take a walk in nature and point out all the everyday miracles ...... a large, beautiful tree .... baby birdies ..... the beauty of sunsets ...... all that went into creating our earth, solar system and universe certainly can't be random accidents!

That's my two cents ..... hope it helps.

This comes closest to what I would have said. I have a large family and although no one goes to any church or espouses any religion, there are quite a few who believe in God and an afterlife. Tnkrbl44 is right, IMO, that there is a huge difference between the two. I would place only a few of us in the atheist category, including myself.

My children know what I would not want at my memorial service, and that is any kind of religious presence. I have made my peace with death as much as I fear it, as I believe most people do. The last thing in the world I would want is hypocrisy at the end.

My ex-MIL based her entire life serving her church (she was ordained to administer holy communion). Yet when her time came, she nearly had a nervous breakdown from fear. What happened to her faith in God and heaven?

I believe that our existence changes the lives of everyone we knew in some way, even if it was just something we might have simply said to someone. I also believe that our lives continue in the hearts and minds of those who loved us which, after a few generations, ends, and we become part of the ages.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986