Does God speak with us?

[DisgruntledGoat]

First things first, it is my hope that this thread can exist without anyone insulting people. Especially certain people (I'm looking at you Ferrets) insulting those that actually believe god has spoken to them. Now to the meat of it all.

I was flipping through my breakfast morning TV today when I happened upon some show about a stripper that found God. Thats really not that strange, but what I thought was interesting was that she claimed God speaks to her on a regular basis and that it started while she was a stripper. One night a shy man tipped her but wouldn't look at her and she claims God said to her "he will be your husband." They got married, had kids and have become devoutly religious. So I asked myself if God exists why would he single out this stripper and give her guidance? Whats so special about her. That got me thinking, do theists actually have a reason or explanation for why god doesn't intervene in the great catastrophes of our world, the genocides and the mass murders, but would speak to a lonely stripper to help find her husband and become a born again Christian? Do other religious people (any religion has claims that God has spoken to someone) believe someone that God has spoken to them?

I suppose it is on the same level as prayer, when I think of people praying for God to intervene I have to ask myself "why do you think you're so special out of all the billions of his so called creation that he will answer your prayer." So when some say that God has spoken to them or Jesus came to them in a dream etc etc I think the same thing. Why do you think God thought you were special enough to reveal himself to you?

I know thats a lot of questions and I doubt anyone has all the answers but I was hoping I could spark a discussion that would at least let me understand what some people are believing and what drives them to believe that God has spoken to them.

Remember, I don't want this to become a thread about mocking people that claim they have heard God. I am sure they believe wholeheartedly that they spoke with God and its not for me to try and take that away from them. What I guess I am really after is if it is generally believed that it is possible and why a God would single out specific people.

[Curtana]

I would have to say the outlined problem is related to omnipotence and omnicognisance. If God is all powerful he can change anything. If he knows everything he must know what is going to happen. If he changes it it doesn't happen any more so he has lost his omnicognisance – that would be impossible.
In other words God is frozen in the headlights of the fate which he himself created. Thus he had to be nice to the nice stripper lady because he preordained it at the dawn of time. He also has to let bad things happen to good people because he is powerless to change the process he started when he started everything.
He is not ignoring people he doesn't speak to he is logically and philosophically incapable of intervening on their behalf to help or hinder them.
This is one reason why being an atheist is a lot simpler.

[Poisoner]

I don't question God, I simply try to see the big picture he wants me to see.

[DisgruntledGoat]

I don't question God, I simply try to see the big picture he wants me to see.

I don't think I am questioning god or asking anyone to question God. Well maybe I am. I am questioning if, from a dogmatic view point does god speak with random people. Is it acceptable in any of the Abrahamic religions for people to claim that God singled out and helped inconsequential people?

[chapman104]

Ok heres my view on god
God is a human construct to explain the unexplainable (natural disasters people being smarter than animals and where we come from) and provide hope that death isnt the end.
God is also used when people think of the beggining of the universe as peoples brains dont like to think about things that may always have been there having no beggining or end. Because on earth all things come to an end

[DisgruntledGoat]

Ok heres my view on god
God is a human construct to explain the unexplainable (natural disasters people being smarter than animals and where we come from) and provide hope that death isnt the end.
God is also used when people think of the beggining of the universe as peoples brains dont like to think about things that may always have been there having no beggining or end. Because on earth all things come to an end

Alright maybe I should phrase things better. Lets, instead of trying to explain God, (like two posters have tried now) lets just assume he exists in the abrahamic form. I know, I know its tough for us atheists to do that, but I think if we make that assumption and go from there we'll get less "this is what I think god is" and more "God can/cannot talk to us because."

[iudas]

Yes he has, through prophets.

But maybe this is not true. Maybe Jesus wasn't Son of God... there is a possibility. Some would say a more than 50% chance. In any case, people like Jesus were special, IMO still touched by the Divine.

That got me thinking, do theists actually have a reason or explanation for why god doesn't intervene in the great catastrophes of our world, the genocides and the mass murders

He brought Jesus to save us, Jesus tried, but didn't succeed. So what you said is not true.

[DisgruntledGoat]

Yes he has, through prophets.

Aye but prophets are a little different than a stripper from Jersey aren't they. And there haven't been to many prophets lately either...

[mocker]

What's new?
God talks to me all the time.
I wish he could keep quiet, it's starting to ruin my sleep...

[Hephaistos]

Well, I don't think God in any form is directly speaking to anyone. It just is not logical, that an omnipotent God would be intrested in speaking to a single person. Why should he do this? But on the other side I do not deny the possibility she had godly insights. Let me explain.

Many scientist for example do report, that they had short moments, when "suddenly everything was clear" when they "suddenly were able to understand everything". (Maybe some of you had such expierences, too.) Those moments do appear, when you don't push anything, very suddenly you do fully understand the problem you bothered your head about a long time. This moment is very short, even sometimes to short to capture it and later to remember all of it.

Buddhists for example do actively search for such moment by meditation, they call this moments enlightenment. This meditations (in different religions) can be quite, without moving, can be accompained by music or Mantras, or can consist out of forms of movement (for example some african religions do dance wildly to achieve enlightment).

Now, lets come back to that stripper girl, and please don't laugh to loud, if I am asking: "Can't stripping be a form of meditation, too?" She does dance while stripping, her heard is running wildly because of the stress. She won't think about much exept thinking repetitively about her movements. So, is it impossible she had suddenly an enlighting insight into her own mind, what she really do want in her life?

Somebody who never engaged oneself with this topic, will propably be overwhelmed whith this impression and might call this: "God just spoke to me."

[Curtana]

Taking this rather less flippantly than I did before this is adapted from something I posted earlier.
Most animals have 1st and sometimes 2nd order intentionality. “I want that. I'm hungry. Go away or I'll bite you...” They see other individuals / animals as objects, they do not conceive that other individuals have intentions also.
The other apes appear to have higher orders of intentionality still to accommodate their more complex social groups. Some people might profitably argue about where various animals come on the intentionality scale, elephants for example.
One thing is clear, as far as we know, only humans have the highest capacity for intentionality. "I think that so-and-so should do what what's-his-name told him to because it is the will of thingumybob etc...." The more people's intentions you can conceive of the higher the levels of intentionality. The capacity for a brain to conceive of a higher-beings intentions and will is only achieved with human levels of intentionality.
The point I'm edging towards here is that humans would invent religion even if it did not exist because that is how our brains are programmed. Cognitive determination. You think the way you think because the brain you do the thinking with works a certain way. I am not saying the way the brain is made determines the specifics of those thoughts, merely the general outlines.
If you hear the voice of God it could be a by-product of the cognitive processes of your brain or ... it could be God. That you are capable of hearing / conceiving the 'voice of God' is a cognitive by-product, by natural selection or design is a semantic choice.

[Mathias]

My sig should provide the answer for my views on this matter.
Nonetheless I'm curious about just how god speaks to this people. Do they hear his voice clearly in their head saying this and that with words? In that case I wonder what the voice of god sounds like. Or do they just get a "feeling" which clearly tells them to do something, but not with words.

[Blau&Gruen]

@DisgruntledGoat
Who is us?
What means 'to speak with'?
What does this question to you, if the answer was yes?
What, if the answer was no?

[DisgruntledGoat]

@DisgruntledGoat
Who is us?
What means 'to speak with'?
What does this question to you, if the answer was yes?
What, if the answer was no?

Us? I think its obvious I was just using a generalization of 'us' to mean people. I suppose a better title would have been "Can God speak with us." I really don't know what you are driving at with this question though maybe you are just trying to seem deeply philosophical with your questions?

What does it mean "to speak with?" Again I think its painfully obvious what I mean. Just as my story in the first post says god conversed with a stripper telling her she had just met her future husband. So we are looking at direct conversation with a deity. Is it possible that an omnipotent being would speak with anyone, even a down on her luck stripper from Jersey?

If yes it would would mean theres a theological reason and acceptance behind anyone saying they have spoken with god. If no then all it would do is help me (and maybe others) understand a little more the thought processes of those that are deeply religious. Why they believe God can speak with them and why he would answer their prayers or even interact with them.

I'm really not looking for any deep meaning of god or a reason for why my prayers etc have not been answered, as I don't believe in god and I don't pray to god. This is just me trying to get a deeper understanding of those that are religious.

[Blau&Gruen]

This is just me trying to get a deeper understanding of those that are religious.

Well, maybe, but what if these are just all metaphors, or something else? What would this mean for the question?

[DisgruntledGoat]

Well, maybe, but what if these are just all metaphors?

All of what are just metaphors.

[Blau&Gruen]

All of what are just metaphors.

This is a possible way to look on it.

[Mangalore]

Remember, I don't want this to become a thread about mocking people that claim they have heard God. I am sure they believe wholeheartedly that they spoke with God and its not for me to try and take that away from them. What I guess I am really after is if it is generally believed that it is possible and why a God would single out specific people.

The question is - and this is not meant to mock- why do we value people who claim to hear god higher than people who hear Elvis, Hitler, Stalin or their cat? I mean, anyone would lock up the later in a mental institute but if it's god then it is suddenly any different? We at least know that Elvis once existed. We have no such hint about god.
It's just strange to discern some kind of privilege for people hearing god based on their sole claim. Does anyone believe his child when it claims to have talked with faeries? Well, it all boils down to faith I guess.

[Kiki52]

I think it is very dangerous if you 'hear God'. How do you not know if it may be an evil spirit? Some people who claim to hear God and have synchronicities where 'God' shows them stuff and they end up comitting murder or doing some type of evil thing. I think the spirit world is real and is very dangerous for people to dabble in it.

[MasterAdnin]

Let me take a shot at this.

I feel that God speaks to individuals for certain reasons we may not understand, but I feel like I should say something to maybe try and clear it up.

Ever heard the saying "one person can make difference."? Well, basically it is that in this case. He spoke to this woman who will spread her story and people will gain faith in God. It has a chain reaction of sorts in terms of faith.

Another thing is that this woman may have desperately needed guidance from God, and look what happened. She married someone, had children, and now is devoutly religious and this will spread to others and will bring hope and faith to others.

I hope that this clears some stuff up.

Salaam,
Adnan