Guest OSO Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Hypothetical question: let’s say that someone on the street came up to you and told you that they were God. What would it take for that individual to convince you that they truly are God? Is it a miracle or some sort of knowledge of the world? Please explain what would be the deciding factor that this individual is really God? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouisvilleFan Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Tell me every sin committed since my last Confession. I started to include the date of my last Confession, but that's irrelevant since the Devil also knows that. And that's the trick: eliminating the possibility that this person isn't evil. But only God knows our hearts, so I'd simply ask him to pull a Padre Pio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkwright Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 [quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1519056' date='May 4 2008, 11:35 PM']Tell me every sin committed since my last Confession. I started to include the date of my last Confession, but that's irrelevant since the Devil also knows that. And that's the trick: eliminating the possibility that this person isn't evil. But only God knows our hearts, so I'd simply ask him to pull a Padre Pio. [/quote] um... if Padre Pio could do it... then maybe that question can be answered by someone whose not God? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picchick Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 I don't know... On one hand I would be skeptical. But then I have Thomas in my head and Jesus saying, "Blessed are those who believe but who have not seen." So I don't know... Wait, yes I do know. God would not come up to you and say, "I am God." He would instead come to you as a beggar or humblier form as He did the saints. But to answer your question: I think I would know it was God because He'd come up to me like, "Hey....Meg....long time no see.....literally!" I'd be like, "Hey God, I went to Church Sunday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah but that was Sunday." I'd be like, "Yeah, but God, that was yesterday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah, Meg but with me there is no time." And then I'd say, "Aw, God I love you." And He would reply: "Meg, I love you too." Then we'd do a super cool hand shake (that would be the deciding factor) and then I would fall to my knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionseeker Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 [quote name='picchick' post='1519070' date='May 4 2008, 11:55 PM']I don't know... On one hand I would be skeptical. But then I have Thomas in my head and Jesus saying, "Blessed are those who believe but who have not seen." So I don't know... Wait, yes I do know. God would not come up to you and say, "I am God." He would instead come to you as a beggar or humblier form as He did the saints. But to answer your question: I think I would know it was God because He'd come up to me like, "Hey....Meg....long time no see.....literally!" I'd be like, "Hey God, I went to Church Sunday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah but that was Sunday." I'd be like, "Yeah, but God, that was yesterday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah, Meg but with me there is no time." And then I'd say, "Aw, God I love you." And He would reply: "Meg, I love you too." Then we'd do a super cool hand shake (that would be the deciding factor) and then I would fall to my knees. [/quote] you. are. awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 [quote name='picchick' post='1519070' date='May 5 2008, 01:55 AM']I don't know... On one hand I would be skeptical. But then I have Thomas in my head and Jesus saying, "Blessed are those who believe but who have not seen." So I don't know... Wait, yes I do know. God would not come up to you and say, "I am God." He would instead come to you as a beggar or humblier form as He did the saints. But to answer your question: I think I would know it was God because He'd come up to me like, "Hey....Meg....long time no see.....literally!" I'd be like, "Hey God, I went to Church Sunday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah but that was Sunday." I'd be like, "Yeah, but God, that was yesterday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah, Meg but with me there is no time." And then I'd say, "Aw, God I love you." And He would reply: "Meg, I love you too." Then we'd do a super cool hand shake (that would be the deciding factor) and then I would fall to my knees. [/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OSO Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Louisvillefan, first of all it is interesting and a normal response to this sort of question, if the person claiming to be God then most people would state prove it on some sort of higher level than what is perceived that man can do. So in your case you wanted some sort of knowledge, yet knowing individuals past does not prove that they are a God, it merely shows that this individual may have higher capacity for knowledge and/or understanding yet does not prove that this individual is actually what you may consider God. As for the person proving that they are God by having stigmata, like Padre Pio, does not make that person God, mainly because man already has done that, which is what rkwright pointed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesusIsMySuperHero Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 [quote name='picchick' post='1519070' date='May 4 2008, 11:55 PM']I don't know... On one hand I would be skeptical. But then I have Thomas in my head and Jesus saying, "Blessed are those who believe but who have not seen." So I don't know... Wait, yes I do know. God would not come up to you and say, "I am God." He would instead come to you as a beggar or humblier form as He did the saints. But to answer your question: I think I would know it was God because He'd come up to me like, "Hey....Meg....long time no see.....literally!" I'd be like, "Hey God, I went to Church Sunday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah but that was Sunday." I'd be like, "Yeah, but God, that was yesterday!" And He'd be like, "Yeah, Meg but with me there is no time." And then I'd say, "Aw, God I love you." And He would reply: "Meg, I love you too." Then we'd do a super cool hand shake (that would be the deciding factor) and then I would fall to my knees. [/quote] You're Great Meg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OSO Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Meg your response is also very interesting yet a few of the points need to have a little bit more light shed on them. For the aspect that God would not come to man and let man know that they were speaking to God is not looking at some of the texts that influence many around the world. For instance, the burning bush, Gods word being spread by angels, or any other example of the divine speaking with man. But however, I am still glad that you answered the question at hand. It seems that for you if you saw God you would just know, sort of like john the Baptist recognizing Jesus as the son of God. This is a response that really leaves out any rational explanation, it’s a mere feeling and you cannot really create a point for or against. Not that this would be considered an incorrect response, but it is a feeling, and a persons feelings can be manipulated to make them believe in what ever. How can it be that this feeling alone is the deciding factor, is it a gut response? Sort of ‘I just know?’ Again this is a fine response, but it leaves out any sort of deeper understanding of God, it seems it is like ‘neh, I cannot think of some way to proving it I’m just saying I would know just because I would know.’ Yet it is not backed up by a rational explanation of what would convince you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossCuT Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 [size=1]Well, first I would stab him to see if he would die...then if he didnt, i would take some of his blood for testing. Rationality all the way. [/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OSO Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 First instinct is a stabbing. yes,lets stab God for validation of existence. Well if we are referring to some sort healing ability, their are many people that live through stabbings, and medical science has done wonders with helping individuals, yet these individuals are not considered divine. So now then, do you need lots of stab wounds just to make really sure it truly is God? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 [quote]My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me[/quote] There you go. You are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Cat Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 (edited) In Catholicism we understand that there exists God through reason, also that faith and reason cannot truly contradict but rather mutually reaffirm each other for they are different gifts from the same God. Through reason and revelation it is possible to know not only that God exists but we can start to grasp who He is. All cultures and civilizations has developed under the admission of the existence of the Divine, at times stronger and more defined than others, but nonetheless this is even still true today even if governmental authorities refuse to actively make this admission. We know that our Blessed Lord is Divine not merely because He claimed He was but by looking to those prophecies before Him, looking to those good works that He performed, and seeing how what He proposed has spread. For someone to approach in a completely ambiguous and unknown context proposing to be “God” would be rather extreme compared to how our Divine Lord approached humanity. We would identify the True God through faith and reason, in reason even the pagan philosophers came to knowledge of the “Logos”, which Saint Justin Martyr ( [url="http://saints.sqpn.com/saintj29.htm"]http://saints.sqpn.com/saintj29.htm[/url] ) seems to suggest that in a subjective manner is indeed the True God. In a subjective manner all of humanity knew of the True God, even if limited and distorted because they likewise had use of reason. There is a pious story of a Bishop in England that I heard once before. The Bishop being a very saintly man was one day caught in a very real vision of an image of Christ in glorious splendor. Immediately this saintly Bishop cursed the image and spat at it, the image became darkened letting out a shrilling scream exclaiming, “How did you know it was me!” The Bishop calmly responded that despite its appearances there was missing the wounds of our Lord, explaining that it a devil would suffer for no man but his God and Lord would suffer for his salvation. The Church in the examination of any apparition looks to the fruits of the apparition, looks to what the apparition proposes compared to what faith and reason offers us, and likewise expects that the apparition prove in some manner that it is authentic. That even these steps are subjected to great scrutiny. Saint Bernadette of Lourdes ( [url="http://saints.sqpn.com/saintb06.htm"]http://saints.sqpn.com/saintb06.htm[/url] ) refused to even admit that it was our Lady since she was uncertain. Saint Faustina Kowalska ( [url="http://saints.sqpn.com/saintf28.htm"]http://saints.sqpn.com/saintf28.htm[/url] ) was skeptical that it was our Lord and demanded proof. Which in all of this the doubt and the seeking of evidence for these visions claims or origins never seem to offend our Lord or our Lady, but rather it seemed more welcomed and encouraged than anything else. I hope this helps... Edited May 5, 2008 by Mr.CatholicCat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galloglasses Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 (edited) Guy says to me: "I'm God!" Me: "So's every other nutjob in the insane asylum. What makes you different?" /\ Silly Answer Serious answer. Said person could not be God, for in the Bible when Jesus, (who is God), comes back it'd be so obvious to everyone it would be like, "Lightening flashing from the East through to the West", ergo, as a Christian, i'm obligated not to believe this person claiming to be God. Sides, Jesus did leave alot of references not to believe anyone claiming to be God/Him, or anyone saying He is here or there. Now if the person was claiming to be a Prophet, it would be harder to debunk, but Everyone who is a Saint has at least two or more miracles. And believe me, the Chruch has seen every excuse and trick in the book, (and then some), over the past 1500 years so it would not be fooled. Edited May 5, 2008 by Galloglasses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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