Is God real?

God is really nothing more than a conceptual label. God is a word that every human being can individually fill with personal meaning. For some, God is the "big guy in the sky." For others, God is nothing more than a fairytale. As for myself, I resonate with the words of Cynthia Bourgeault, in that God entails a more mystical quality of life. She states that “God is all over the place. . . . God is the web, the energy, the space, the light ... revealed in that singular, vast net of relationships that animates everything that is.” We know that which is God, not in logical conceptual reasoning, but in feeling and experiencing God in ourselves, in others, and in all creation.

As the very first verse of the Tao Te Ching states: "The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The NAMELESS is the origin of Heaven and Earth." The original conception of Tao was simply the observation that reality has a certain way about it. This "way" encompasses all of existence: life, the universe — everything! Both concepts of God and Tao point to this "nameless" way that can be called by many names.

The word God is like a finger pointing to the moon. It is a tool of the conceptual mind to help us actualize that which is beyond our conceptual understanding. Father Thomas Keating writes about this fact as well, saying that "whatever we say about God is more unlike God than saying nothing. If we do say something, it can only be a pointer toward the Mystery that can never be articulated in words.” God points to the ultimate truth of reality, to the divine nature of all created phenomena that is far beyond what our limited conceptual minds can possibly know.

I know the Bible is not physical proof of God, but it can be a tool that guides us to explore who or what God truly is. According to the Scriptures, God is . . .

Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge & strength”
Psalm 73:26 NRSV — “God is the strength of my heart"
** The two Hebrew words translated as "strength" are tsuwr and 'oz. Tsuwr literally means rock, as in a rock cliff, but metaphorically is means the rock of God. 'Oz implies that which is our personal strength.

Psalm 115:3 — “God is in the heavens”
** The Hebrew word translated as heavens is shamayim, defined as the visible heavens — sky, atmosphere, stars, visible universe, etc.; the abode of God.

John 4:24 — "God is Spirit"
** Spirit is the translation of the Greek word pneuma, which is defined as "the vital principal by which the body is animated", in other words the breath. God is the life giving air that we breath each and every moment.

Romans 14:17 NRSV — “God is . . . peace and joy in the Holy Sprit”
1 Corinthians 14:33 — “God is . . . peace”
** Peace is the translation of the Greek word eirēnē, "an internal sense of well-being". In the words of St. Paul, “God’s peace . . . exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds” (Phil 4:7). Even Paul recognized God’s ineffable nature that transcends all words and logical understanding. Yet, he still felt and knew the God that is profound peace and well-being.

1 John 1:5 — “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”
** Phōs is the Greek word for light. It is a metaphor for the "Light of Christ" that dwells in all of us (Col 3:11). "God is light" reflects an OT background where "light" symbolizes both knowledge and purity; in other words, the light of wisdom. It points to perfect purity, the naturally luminous quality of our hearts and minds.

1 John 4:16 NRSV — "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."
** Greek noun, agapē: affection, good will, love, benevolence. When feelings and sensations of love are present, then God is present. The more love that is present in the world, the more God will also be present with all of us.

If we know our breath is real, peace is real, wisdom is real, and love is real -- then we know God is real. If anything, let us contemplate the following verse from Romans 1:20: "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

I hope this is a valid answer to make you consider why some believe God is real. It is just a matter of how we decide to define God. Then to know God as God truly is, we must possess the ability to let go of those definitions and tune into the true "way" of existence. If we can do that, then we will feel and know that which can be called "God."

Thanks for the question. May God's spirit, peace, light, and love be forever and always with you :)

Let me tell you just a few scientific facts about our awesomely designed earth and then see if you still wonder whether God exists.
Earth is a living planet with so many different species of living things that can only be explained by someone with awesome intelligence. Yet, life on earth could never exist were it not for a series of very fortunate "coincidences," some of which were unknown or poorly understood until the 20th century. Those coincidences include the following:
(1) Earth's location in the Milky Way galaxy and the solar system, as well as the planet's orbit, tilt, rotational speed, and unusual moon
(2) A magnetic field and an atmosphere that serve as a dual shield; (3) Natural cycles that replenish and cleanse the planet's air and water supply; (3) The distance the earth is from the sun is perfect. If the earth were just a slight closer, we would burn up so no life could exist. If the earth were just a slight farther away we would freeze, again no life could exist on earth. As you consider each of these topics, ask yourself, 'Are earth's features a product of blind chance or of purposeful design? Unlike animals, humans can think and reason on things and they look forward to future events. The very first book of the Bible and the very first verse says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." You can read in your Bible how Jesus felt as he worked with his Father in creating things. Proverbs 8:22-31 These Scriptures make me appreciate all the more God's word the Bible. Come to know our Creator from the international website that takes you to your Bible. Go to www.jw.org and Bible Teachings > Bible Questions Answered. See videos such as "Why Study the Bible" and "Walk by Faith not by Sight." If you like what you learn, you can request your FREE personal Bible study, even at a time and place convenient for you.

If you mean god as described in the bible, and real to mean existing in nature, then the answer is no.

Yes - just as textbooks are real.

However if you have developped neither the education or discipline to read a textbook. It doesn't matter if it's real or not to you.

No credible evidence any gods exist

Yes God is real.

Jesus is God.

Surah Al-Fatiha
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful (1)
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, (2) The Beneficent, the Merciful. (3) Owner of the Day of Judgment, (4) Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. (5) Show us the straight path, (6) The path of those whom Thou hast favoured. Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. (7)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX2Mm_s4pdQ&list=PLDlYG2RiwY6lh5wT2DwpMxLFwWc6RI1SQ&index=1

Yes, He is real and very large. God is love and the Bible also says He is a consuming fire. He created the sun which is millions of degrees hot.

To some - yes and while others doesn't believe in God. And some doesn't know what to believe.

Personally I don't really know if I believe in God. I don't really think about it and I don't really care.

What I do know there is something between heaven and earth, what it is...I can only imagine.

God is real to me--and if He is not real to some people that is their issue.

If a god did exist it could not just always have been god. The term god implies certain attributes. These attributes are meaningless without something for them to apply too. example - Superman has attributes but if there are no other men he is no longer superman. If there is nothing for him to bend with his bare hands how does the strength attribute apply? If there is nothing for him to see through x ray vision is meaningless. A God before the creation had nothing to be god to. A king without a kingdom is not a king. A god without the creation is the god of nothing.

So for any god to exist before the creation is senseless. It would know all of nothing (omniscience), it has power over nothing (omnipotence), has nothing to be good to (benevolence) and nothing to love so how could it love? The 'god' is meaningless.

The only way a god could exist is with the creation but, theist extrapolate god and put it outside the creation. It's like trying to remove the forest from the trees. God could only exist with the creation if it existed at all.

I do not claim god exist. I do try to conceive if a god existed how could it? The problem with religion is it keeps people with in the box or book (scriptures). They then can't think outside of it.

If a god did exist wouldn't it make more sense to reveal itself always and from the beginning? The gestalt universe could be regarded as one body. We are like protons or neutrons within an atom something in something else in an expanding universe. If the creation was the manifestation of god then god is everything that is. In that way it could be everywhere, is in everything and is infinite and it is one. I think of space, matter/energy and time as a universal recycling bin and perpetual motion machine. It's constantly morphing itself. Perhaps so that all parts may come to know that it is. Think of a new born that is learning it's body. The eyes follow the hands and it learns this is part of me. It learns to control it. It comes to self awareness. Because everything is of the universe and everything will surrender all the atoms it gained from it back to it, the cycle of matter to energy back to matter is completed. So time moves on. The arrangement of atoms is infinite. When we gaze into the vastness of space we can not help but, to be awed. If you have ever been to Niagara Falls you would know the feeling of the falls pulling you in. Is it gravity, is it hypnotic or is it your mind has found union. Much like the babe discovering a body part belongs to it. Do you belong to the tide your mind follows looking out to sea or to the stars in the night sky? Does the treed mountain or barren canyon grip you and pull you to it? Is this how a real god would speak? In silence to all life forms from the beginning of time. Not by proxy in one mans tongue left for others to translate. As the creation god would not be in hiding it would be exposed all the time. Like plants it speaks in silence. Like music it speaks in notes. Not in one tongue but universally. It would not matter that you honored it. Like the apple tree it gives unconditionally. If you stone the tree or worship it, it bares its fruit to all who would have it. Any god would require the creation to be relevant. Without the creation it would be but a singularity.

To assume a god is to assume the need for it. In the theist religions they make god having needs. Why would the god that can do anything have needs? You have to ask yourself this in the pursuit of saying everything had to come from somewhere. How could god exist without energy or matter and if god is energy/matter and it (energy/matter) always was then why the need for god?

YES, God exists!

God is real and Atheism is unreal

No. 'God' is non existent. It has not shown itself.

my god and goddess is

'God' is real to those who believe.

God is a role model for many people, whether he is real or not no one knowns. I believe personally that it is good to have someone to aspire to and teach you what is moral and what isn't. You can also have your own perception of god and what he is.

Which god?

He is to all who admit their sinfulness, Make a conscious decision to turn from it (Repent) and by Faith committ their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When you do this He put's a new desire in your heart and you know He is real. God bless.

yes it is real. live in good life while you are on earth

God is not real. God is fictitious.
I repeat! GOD IS FICTITIOUS!!!!

Nah

All creations are existing because God the Creator made them beautifully and perfectly. Thank the Creator for our existence in this world created after His image. Denying the Creator is denying the future existence, denying the Son of God the lord Yeshwah is denying the true salvation.let us believe in Holy God, let us believe in his Son the Lord Yeshuwah, let us believe that Holy Spirit is our light and guide and true life.ameyn.

Absolutely, he real!

There's no evidence, but if you have faith you can belive in him.

Yes, there are interdimensional beings that made the earth.

It appears though that they are just hideous assholes though to be honest. Im gonna be shocked if they actually knew what they were doing and this was for a reason, totally ******* shocked if they turned out to be of a good nature.

You know what they did? Trapped us. They made damn sure we'd be having children. See how they set it all up so people would have to have kids? They aren't going to take no for an answer on that issue.

People ask this same question thousands of times here. When are people going to get there's no way of knowing!?

Someone or something caused us to exist; we call it God.

god = love

HE is very real. HE is realer than real can get.

The God of the Bible,Jehovah is very real.He wants us to get to know him-John 17:3.

http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201503/is-there-a-god-exist/

yes we are all the One son of God.

Absolutely. Hebrews 3:4 provides logical reasoning,..

Hebrews 3:4
4 Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but the one who constructed all things is God.

Yes. Try making a cell in a body, if you think it happened by 'accident' trillions upon trillions upon a trillion times trillions over millions of years without intelligent design. For every living thing, plant, or animal.

No

yes, dear.

No

Cookoo!

Yes and a person can know this with certainty by practicing the Devotion to the Head of Jesus.

Leviticus gives you the most direct answer of what God is- existence itself. Definitions of what 'gods' are go from chiefs to what we'd describe as angels. There can only be one God because throughout the Bible it states there can only be a single power capable for all of creation.

I doubt it. It's possible that there was something which influenced the development of life but it seems absent now.

I know Him, but for you to really know Him you will have to seek Him on your own.

yes god is real

As real as you want to believe.

Yes sir....100%

Yes

You mean if spiritual experiences people have all around the world are real, compared to people who haven't had such experiences and who would tell you that such experiences can't exist?

An Eskimo would tell you that Copacabana is not real...

me!!!!!

He is real, pray to him and ask for something
in his time he will let you know what if
he shold give it or no,
in his time he makes all things new in his time lyrics).

Still an unproven hypothesis

I am a Muslim, and I don't think I have the knowledge, wisdom, or eloquence to answer your question in a way that will actually be convincing. And so, I would like to refer you to a book called "The Qur'anic Foundations and Structure of Musim Society" by Dr. MUHAMMAD FAZL-UR-RAHMAN ANSARI; It's a two-volume book. What you're interested in is in Volume 1 Book 1. In Volume 1 Book 1, which is divided into parts, there's a part called "PART 2:
THE NECESSITY OF DIVINE REVELATION"

If you care enough about the answer to your question, I recommend this book (I myself am in the middle of reading it). And don't worry, the book discusses more than just the Islamic philosophy; I think the book is comprehensive and talks about many other philosophies. And while you could skip to Part 2, I would suggest not doing so and reading Pat 1 as well, just so you don't 'miss' anything.

The book can be downloaded online (in PDF) very easily (there's most likely no copyright issues involved, since even archive.org has the book available [I'll post the link below] - on the right side, there's a 'box' with "Download Options" written on, just download your most preferred format (I prefer PDF) and just read it)

Sincerely,
This Guy

GOD’S ETERNAL EXISTENCE: The Bible teaches that God exists “from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 90:2) In other words, God had no beginning and will have no end. From a human point of view, “the number of his years is beyond comprehension.”—Job 36:26.

How you benefit: God promises you everlasting life if you truly come to know him. (John 17:3) How reliable would such a promise be if God himself did not live forever? Only “the King of eternity” could fulfill such a promise.—1 Timothy 1:17.

GOD’S MIND: The Bible teaches that God’s “understanding is unsearchable” because his thoughts are so much higher than ours. (Isaiah 40:28; 55:9) Appropriately, the Bible asks the rhetorical question: “Who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”—1 Corinthians 2:16, English Standard Version.

How you benefit: God is able to listen to millions of prayers at the same time. (Psalm 65:2) He even notices every sparrow that falls to the ground. Will God’s mind ever be overloaded, preventing him from noticing you and listening to your prayers? No, because his mind is not limited. What is more, “you are worth more than many sparrows” to him.—Matthew 10:29, 31.

GOD’S WAYS: The Bible teaches that man can “never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Hence we will never know everything about God. The wisdom behind God’s ways is “beyond tracing out.” (Romans 11:33) However, God is willing to reveal his ways to those who want to please him.—Amos 3:7.

The first person to produce a single tiny little piece of verifiable evidence for any god will become world famous and mega rich!

Academia states that in the absence of any sort of evidence of the existence of something it must be deemed not to exist until verifiable evidence is found - thus god is held not to exist pending some sort of verifiable evidence.

The bible is what is called "Faction” A fictional story set in a factual time and place. Thus the time, place and real historical characters are all correct but the fictional characters and stories are not!

There is not one single mention of Jesus in the entire Roman record - that is right - not one! At the same time as he was supposed to have been around there were a number of Jews claiming to be the messiah - all of whom are well recorded!

There is not a single contemporary record from any source and even the bible mentions of him like all other references were not written until many years after his supposed death!

He was supposed to have been a huge problem to the Romans and produced wonderful miracles but still not one contemporary record?

Even the bible mentions of him like all other references were not written until many years after his supposed death!

Pilate is recorded in the Roman record as a somewhat lack luster man but no mention of a Jesus, a trial or crucifixion that would surely have been used to make him look brighter!

At best he was an amalgam of those others but almost certainly never existed!

Not one word of it is contemporary with the period and was not written until several hundred years after the period the story is set in!! How did the apostles write their books more than a hundred years after they would have been dead?

Christianity is an invention of the Italians and that is why it came from the Holy ROMAN Catholic church!

Please realize that those claims for the Old historians are worthless since they were not even born until long after everyone in the stories would have been so long dead!

Josephus AD 37 – AD 100
Tacitus AD 56 – AD 120
Suetonius - 69 – 130 AD
Pliny the Younger, 61 AD – 112 AD
Justin Martyr (Saint Justin) AD103–165 AD
Lucian - AD 120 -180 AD but he was hostile to Christianity and openly mocked it.
Pamphilius AD 240-309 AD
Eusebius AD 263 – 339 AD
Photius AD 877 – 886 AD

Thallus - But there are no actual record of him except a fragment of writing which mentions the sack of Troy [109 BC] Showing that he was clearly not alive in biblical times.

Some even try to use Seneca. 4 BCE – 65 CE but as a Stoic Philosopher he opposed religion yet made not a single mention of a Jesus or Christianity!

Even funnier is trying to claim Celsus AD ? – 177 AD Who said that Jesus was a Jew who’se mother was a poor Jewish girl whose husband, who was a carpenter, drove her away because of her adultery with a Roman soldier named Panthera. She gave birth to an illegitimate child named Jesus. In Egypt, Jesus became learned in sorcery and upon his return presented himself as a god.