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From: planting@rsch.WISC.EDU (W. Harry Plantinga)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Tim Maroney's questions!! (Why do people belive in God)
Message-ID: <2759@rsch.WISC.EDU>
Date: Thu, 25-Sep-86 12:35:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: rsch.2759
Posted: Thu Sep 25 12:35:17 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Sep-86 02:38:27 EDT
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Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
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Xref: linus talk.religion.misc:281 net.religion.christian:4755

> Xref: uwvax talk.religion.misc:240 net.religion.christian:4967
> 
> 	I contend that many Christians believe God from experience. That is 
> the Bible tells of a testable method to find Him (no blind faith just be 
> determined). Such experience is what I contend is the reason for yet more 
> 'faith'.  Just as we understand that the sun will rise (because we know why).
> That is the sort of faith you should understand Christians in general to 
> have. 
> 
> # Mike Gore 
> # Institute for Computer Research.

Mike makes a good point here.  Let me expand it a bit.

When a person sees another person, he (or she) assumes or "knows" 
that there is another person near him.  In fact, however, he cannot 
*prove* the existance of the other person--he cannot prove that the 
appearance is not an illusion.  The point is that he has had an 
experience from which he concludes that there is another person 
nearby.  

In the same way, most (many?) Christians believe in God because 
they experience Him.  For many Christians, the experience is just as
compelling as the appearance of another person nearby.  It's not a
mental defect that causes the person to believe in God, it's a correct
and natural response to experience.  Many Christians *don't have a
choice* about believing in God any more than a person has a choice
about believing there's another person in the room when he sees him.

I sometimes even wonder if *everyone* experiences God, and either
accepts him or rejects him.  It would certainly explain the venom I
see in this newsgroup . . .

Harry Plantinga
planting@colby.wisc.edu
{allegra,seismo,ihnp4}!uwvax!planting