Peter Kreeft The Existence of God part 5 of 8 apologetics

[Davotheledge]

Larger than life, Peter Kreeft.

[curiosityversusfaith]

Jesus makes specific promises in the Bible about how prayer is supposed to work. Jesus says in many places that he and God will answer your prayers (Matthew 21:21, 11:24, Matthew 18:19); in John chapter 14 vers 12-14

explicitly ' ... You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it'

If that were true, why don't christians kneel down and pray to God to cure every case of cancer on this planet today!

Will anything happen? No. Of course not.

Why - because God is imaginary!

[TimmyValentine]

You take one verse out of Scripture, throw it at believers, and expect to spread that "truth". Could I take any one line of dialogue out of your favorite movie and project it throughout the movie to explain the entire movie? Of course not. Line by line in Scripture, or scene by scene in a movie, the facts need to be regarded in turn. You skip the verse right before John 14:14. "...he who believes in me will also do the works I do." It is not only, "ask anything", but also, "do my will."

[malilu100]

@TimmyValentine

John 14:12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works ...'

Jesus does not place a single condition in verse 12. Also there is no conditinal link made to verses 13 and 14!

These verses do not even nearly say something like: Jesus will do anything for us only if we believe or do something.

It clearly states 'You may ask me ... and I will do it'

[leakim26]

How can you be so confident that it won't happen? God has His ways and reasons for doing things. About the curing cancer.. God has given us minds and intelligence for this precise purpose, for us to come up with a cure. What sense would it make for Him to give us intelligence if He won't allow us to use it? If any cure comes about which I'm sure it will, will only be through His revelation. Who are we to test God anyway? He is INFACT GOD!

[Purushadasa]

You have failed to provide any evidence for your belief claim that nothing will happen as a result of that prayer.

Therefore, your conclusion is premature and illogical.

[01inChrististruelife]

That's interesting that we desire something amazing after death. God does put eternity in the hearts of men but also we want more because we believers know Jesus and know that we will put on immortality and will share in His glory, in the measure that we share in His sufferings is something to also consider. Some will have more exulted positions in Heaven and this is good incentive to run the race with patience as we know that every thought and moment counts because of God the rewarder.

[kmatzukaze]

What if you don't want to live forever?

What if immortality is not a reward for a person?

[grandconjunct]

you will get what you want in the end wether it is good for you or not, kind of like this world.

[jirace]

You say, if what we all desire exists, such as with inate things, then heaven must exist because we all want it.

Heaven is "built in" instinct, a manifestation of the mind of a place or time when we no longer have to struggle to survive. The idea to persue such a place evolutionarily leads us to work harder to gain protection and security from having to struggle as hard to survive and propogate. Less struggle equals more happiness, so naturally, no struggle (death) equals heaven to the mind.

[braino2000]

Your dodging the issue, not dealing with it. Hell, a growing number of scientists/neurologists are beginning to ditch the idea that "mind is matter" anyways.

[bigbohn001]

Kreeft is the man. God Bless him.

[julzabro]

The notion that a person can be their own worst enemy is a pyschological fact that is not any more elusive to atheists than to those who believe in a god. Just beceause the nonbeliever realizes that ideas like "evil" and "sin" are part of the god illusion does NOT mean that they are unable to believe that they are fallible.

[outtaker]

Are you scared of something, then? If choose to believe they're fallible? Are you afraid, that if they're infallible, that you'll be judged and face eternal torment? That's what our God promises if you're foolish enough. Remember, even Satan and his demons know God exists...

[julzabro]

This burning desire we all have is simply the desire to know where we came from and why. We are natural beings who have evolved/grown to the point of being able to question our own existence. It is because of this state that we are plagued with suspense. This does NOT prove a god as it is a result of our own self conscienceness.

[outtaker]

I don't think we've grown in that regard. I think that because we can question existence, there is a God. For that very notion, of whether or not things exist, does not come from us, but was provoked by various evidence in nature: both in its design and its beauty. Such things were not made by us, because we arrived after it all was, even in the evolutionary theory! Not just creationism!

[cheesemonkey1990]

How is a desire for sleep a quest for my existence: I doubt it will come to me in a dream

[julzabro]

we feel like orphans because we have no one, no parent, co creator here with us giving us the answers for our conscience inquiries. And humans prefering certain things whereas nature doesn't give a damn does NOT indicate that we are stll, no less, nature! If we are pickier than nature...then nature is picky too!!!

[outtaker]

The world's human population all over has given us many explanations for how we came to be! Just pick up a Bible, for one, as that is probably what you'll be aiming for first...