What best convinced you that Hashem exists?

amother

Thu, Mar 15 2007, 4:11 pm

Motek wrote:

GR wrote:

Quote:

Children KNOW Hashem is real. We have to make sure not to take this away from them.

Scary thought.

Maybe all the lectures about proof are counterproductive. It makes kids think it's really a question when intuitively, they know the answer. The Chassidic approach is that the fact that G-d exists is obvious. The question is: do WE exist? and what's the proof? Smile

New thread: What best convinced you that you exist? Tongue Out

I look in the mirror, I see myself, and I look in the sky and I don't see
G-D. I don't understand your statement.

Ruchel

Fri, Mar 16 2007, 6:25 am

ssbarnes wrote:

My secular public school education. The more I studied science, the more it proved to me that Hashem is in everything.

I agree. Some things are just too complex or too well done.
"Un peu de science éloigne de D.ieu, beaucoup y ramène" (a bit of science takes you away from believing in G-d, a lot of science brings u back)

Motek

Sat, Mar 17 2007, 8:18 pm

amother wrote:

I look in the mirror, I see myself, and I look in the sky and I don't see G-D. I don't understand your statement.

If, when looking at yourself, you saw the Tzelem Elokim, you would understand.

Unfortunately, we look around the world and don't see G-d, yet the G-dliness in everything in creation is what sustains creation, "something out of nothing." G-d is the only True Reality. The only way to look at the world this way, to constantly remind ourselves of the truth, is to study this in Torah.

rachel19977

Sun, Oct 28 2007, 1:50 pm

Show them how something grows. How can that be, besides "the natural way"?

THe daily life. Soul comes back into body. Or how is it that a soul leaves a persons body - and then the body dies? There was a soul, no? That means there is a HaShem directing that. There are videos online that I can find for you if you want that shows life and HaShem, mabye that will help?

Motek

Sun, Aug 24 2008, 3:25 pm

Rabbi Nachman taught that you should beware of someone who can prove to you that G-d exists. "If he can prove that G-d exists, he can also prove that G-d doesn't exist!"

When we believe something, it means that based on what we already know, we believe a certain thing to be true. If someone comes with new information to the contrary, we now believe the opposite. True faith is beyond the intellect. It is something the Soul knows.

Motek

Tue, Sep 09 2008, 3:07 pm

The Chofetz Chaim's emuna was pure and natural. Because of his temimus, he could not comprehend how it was possible for one not to believe. How could anyone doubt? Everything is so obvious. Why spend time investigating and analyzing?

R' Leib, his son, relates that as a young man, he (R' Leib) used to read books on philosophy, but his father opposed this and reprimanded him for it. Once, the Chofetz Chaim found him reading Rambam's "Moreh Nevuchim" (Guide for the Perplexed) and took it away. R' Leib couldn't understand this. He protested, "Are we greater than Rambam? As great as he was he continued studying philosophy! They even say that Avrohom Avinu attained his exalted level of emuna through philosophical analysis."

The Chofetz Chaim answered, "When someone looks for proof of his emuna in philosophy books, it is a sign that his understanding is flawed and that he has doubts and second thoughts. As for the Rambam and Avrohom Avinu, you can't bring any proof from them. The Rambam wrote his book for the perplexed of his generation, while Avrohom lived in a generation of idolators and needed to attain his emuna through study and analysis.

"Among us, however, everything is clear. Hashem revealed Himself to our forefathers at Har Sinai where millions of people observed the event. They all heard the Divine voice speaking to them. Why do we have to start all over again from alef-beis?"

octopus

Tue, Sep 09 2008, 3:14 pm

I have not read through posts.

I once read this and it has affected me forever. If you study the universe, everything has an order.

If you break a mug and throw the pieces into the air, what are the chances it will all come together again and form a cup.

The same way that the mug didn't just "happen", it had a creator, so too the world didn't just hap-hazardly fall into place "by accident."

The order of the universe is my convincing factor.