
Originally Posted by
Falconer360
I understand the point you're trying to make. I also want to just state that I respect your beliefs, in case I sounded rude earlier. However, the problem with this "experiment" is that it has no way to actually pinpoint whether or not it was effective. For all we know advanced aliens could be observing Astro and decide to answer his prayers while remaining anonymous. I have a hypothetical for you Robitty: Lets assume I am depressed, my life is seeming to fall to pieces. My parents are getting divorce, and the motor on my car blows. I pray an open prayer for things to get better (like you mentioned that could apply to any diety). Within a few weeks of repeating this prayer, things start to get better, my parents work things out, I find a replacement motor for an affordable price, etc. Was this the result of praying, and if so which deity do I turn to? Do I assume it was the christian God, or the Olympians? Or is it not more likely that things snowballed all at once deepening my despair and making me see things as worse than what they really were and that given time these problems would have gotten resolved anyways? My point is that there is no way to discern whether the prayer really had any effect at all.
As a side note, I used to be an extremely religious Catholic. I used to think any hardships or suffering that I endured was penance for sins that I may have committed or that they were tests. As I learned and read more, I found inconsistencies in the Bible and when I asked my local priest, he offered that the Bible wasn't meant to be taken literally and that most of the stories were probably exaggerated or never happened at all and that they were only there to draw lessons from. At this time I also started to question these "tests" that God was giving me and came to the conclusion that I had done nothing to warrant them as penance and that no loving God would allow that to happen to his "children." So for a while I became angry with God, then I realized that the more likely scenario is that God either doesn't exist or that he is incapable/unwilling to interact with the world. I decided to shape my own future and to live life as a good person because that's how I wanted to be known. I figure that if there is a God/Goddess(s) and he/she is going to condemn me because I didn't join his/her fan club, then he/she is not worthy of my worship anyways.
Sorry for the rambling post.
Actually, your post is very interesting.
I recently saw a video by a You Tuber named Father Barron on evangelization. Father Barron's point was that Catholics need to have an effective argument to the false perception of God as "the bully in the sky". I did not realize that this perception is actually a major reason why people leave the faith.
On a religious forum, the last former atheist post I saw was about how distressed he was about his previous testimony against religion, and whether he could be "forgiven". He must also have previously subscribed to the "bully in the sky" myth.
Father Barron's point was that the correct perception of God should be that of a loving father who helps his creation become the best version of themselves to the extent people will allow Him to act in their lives. Thus, God is not an observing judge, but a Father / friend / mother who walks along side us, aids us in our growth, and protects us from harm.
The second perception of God has been my experience.
What I am wondering if there is an experiment to test this hypothesis among atheist volunteers. The hypothesis is that the perception of God can change with religious practice from "complete denial of God's existence" to "God exists and is a benevolent God".
The experiment would require some theologically correct instruction for the volunteers to follow in seeking God. The study would use Christian theology since the only two groups represented here are Christians and nonbelievers.
The volunteers keep a journal of their activity, and perception.
What we would be looking for is: Is there a change in perception among the study group?
Did any of the volunteers come to believe in God? What is the perception of the volunteers about the nature of God? Specifically, do the volunteers perceive God as the "bully in the sky", or the "benevolent, forgiving, protecting, savior?
Now, this experiment would not conclusively prove that God exists; however, it could create interesting data.