A question to all people who believe in a theistic God

[CapCrack]

For reference, I'm a Christian who believes in the trinity, which might make my statement make more sense.

I don't experience God the father through sight, sound or feel. I know him through seeing his hand in my life experience. I hated Christianity until I had my conversion experience, which (to me) God basically came into my life and changed it from a core level. He put people, illness, and even situations onto my life at the exact time I needed them. Psalm 23 perfectly describes how I view God the Father working in my life when it says: "The Lord is my shepherd"

I DO feel God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave me my heart change, and that was an extreme 180 degree change from what my heart was. I also feel the Holy spirit urging me to do certain things (this I have only felt a few times since I became Christian, so it's not like my regular urges to do things) It is a clear and distinct feeling that I HAVE to do something that radiates throughout my whole being. This happened when I first shared my testimony(to strangers) and when I was baptized.

God the Son is a bit different. He is my Savior, and the aspect of God I am building relationship with. It is because of him I am able to have God in my life, and it is because of him I had a heart change. I learn more about Jesus every day.

[Norgath9]

Gonecrazy12345

Now that we have all that covered, I'd like to ask the question. My question is "What do you mean when you say you experience God?". I know not all believers in God claim to experience God, but many believers do claim that they experience God, mostly it has been Christians in my life. In fact, many Christians I've talked to over the years have indicated that a large reason why they are a follower of Christ is because they experience and in some cases even communicate with Jesus/God. If you are a believer and you don't experience this, unfortunately this thread isn't relevant to you. If you do experience this, I would like it if you explained specifically what you mean when you say you experience God. Do you feel certain feelings that you associate with God? Does God communicate to you in some fashion when you pray to him? What exactly is this form of communication? Is it an actual literal voice, or is it something else?

I don't want to sound cold, but I'm not looking for a typical answer like "I feel God's presence in me" or "I feel Jesus in my heart" those are not specific explanations, they aren't even explanations. What exactly do you mean by those statements if you accept them? Please be as specific as you possibly can.

First off, I am not a Christian, I have my own view on God. Basically, whenever I feel myself experiencing God, I feel a connection to an element of God. In my opinion everything, in this dimension and in other dimensions, in this lifetime and others, is a part of God. God is not a separate entity from us. I am an infinitely small element of God (mind you, this does not work the other way around, I am not God in it's wholeness - yes, God is an it, not a he).

The most dramatic type of experiencing God that I've had was the connection to what I've dubbed the "Moment of Glory (based on the Scorpions song)." Basically this is a part of God that is absolute peace, serenity, and love. Every element of God is destined to at some point experience this "Moment of Glory" of God because these positive vibrations of love is what the entire universe is constructed on: loving, creative energy. They are the fabric that builds everything else. The very nature of God is infinite, so the "Moment of Glory" is also infinite, and so is its power. Because of the nature of time, when one is experiencing the "Moment of Glory," they are connecting to every other being that is a part of God instantaneously (from our perspective in the past, present, and future).

Thus, one is connected to the wholeness that is God. It is during such an experience that one is able to better understand the nature of what they are and what they are a part of, as well as the nature of all around them.

[the enlightenment]

When people caim to experience "God," what they really are trying to get across is the supposed altered state of consciousness. They engage in communal reinforcement and self-deception, as this goes a long way to explain their 'experience with god.'

Not only is their faith in 'god' irrational, but their claims of experiencing god is irrational too!

[Light Kazeko]

I am a Christian Just to let you know.

I would say the way i experiance God is through things that have happened with my family.
My dad had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, this kind of cancer is either in the upper body, lower body or all over(which is the worst) My dad had it in the lower part of the body except for this one lump on the back of his neck, which is in the upper part of the body. I know that was God saying there was something wrong, because of the lump we caught the cancer early and he got better.

My grandpa has had 3 different cancers and has survived it. Prostate cancer, lymphoma in the neck, and cancer in his Esophagus, this one he had surgery to take out his esophogus and they made a new one out of his stomach. The only reason they found out about the cancer is because he had a hook in his finger(he never went to the dr until then) there was something wierd with his bloodwork, because of this they kept an eye on him, then they found his first cancer, by the time he was done with his second cancer he was at his last appointment with the dr and they found the last cancer he had, he is healthy and happy today.

there were too many things that worked out just right to say it was just a coincidence, there are many other things like these two stories that have happened, its all part of his plan.

[vampireheart44]

I am a Christian and I am happy to answer this.

My most prominent experience (which I truly believe God as the cause of) was the day I walked to the graveyard near my home. My dad was buried there just a day before and I had walked to his grave, crying there and back again. It had just started raining and I was almost to my house when I looked down at the ground. There was a small, but colorful piece of paper that said "Feeling down? Just look up." Now most people would say that it must have blown there in the wind or fell out of someone's car. I really didn't care where it came from because it comforted me. I looked into the sky at the rain and it was as if someone somewhere was telling me it was all going to be okay. I felt in my heart that it had to be God. I kept it, and I still have it to this day.

Sometimes I even feel like God indirectly tells people stuff with little signs. When I was at one of my lowest points I found EXACTLY what I needed to hear in the Bible, like it was custom made to what I was feeling.

In conclusion, I honestly believe God/Jesus are out there and that they have little ways of comforting people and making things work out for the best. That is my belief (which I will never force, but highly recommend). We all have the right to believe as we wish and not be judged for it. I've heard so many people say "Christian are so judgmental", when in reality that is a judgement in itself. Not ALL Christians shove things down your throat, and not ALL of us are the same. So the people that choose to think this was a wrong in that regard.

[vampireheart44]

the enlightenment

When people caim to experience "God," what they really are trying to get across is the supposed altered state of consciousness. They engage in communal reinforcement and self-deception, as this goes a long way to explain their 'experience with god.'

Not only is their faith in 'god' irrational, but their claims of experiencing god is irrational too!

Not all people feel that way, but you have the right to believe that. From the bottom of my heart I believe that it is completely rational, but like I said we all have the right to believe differently.

[Elizabeth of York]

tl;dr. Wrong forum.