The Question of Signs

[Dragon*of*Heaven]

To a theist it is that their God talks to them all the time. how ever if you ask them they will usually tell you that one of the "Many ways that their God talks to them is by sending them signs. Now these signs, if you ask they can be any thing from the trivial to the interestingly complex. Now then my question what is it that make the theist make the jump that states that something goes from being a intesting working of the world to be a sign from God?

[snafui]

When someone sat down and evaluated a noted "psychic" that talks to the dead they found that he was wrong 90% of the time. But anyone they interviewed thought he was magnificeint for being so accurate. People see what they want; signs, I feel, fall under the same category.

Have a story for you. When I was in the church, at one service, this lady stood up and said, "thank God for saving me! I lost control of my car and when I let go of the wheel and said, 'God take over,' He did so and it saved my life! The wheels straightened out and the car got in control by God's hand." I was sitting there thinking, should I tell her that's what wheels can do on a moving car when you let go of the steering wheel? The church erupted in praising God for "saving" her life. I was just grinning at the stupidity.

[dan]

snafui said:

When someone sat down and evaluated a noted "psychic" that talks to the dead they found that he was wrong 90% of the time. But anyone they interviewed thought he was magnificeint for being so accurate. People see what they want; signs, I feel, fall under the same category.

I disagree with this assessment. Just because some people "see what they want," it doesn't follow that therefore all supernatural signs are invalid.

Have a story for you. When I was in the church, at one service, this lady stood up and said, "thank God for saving me! I lost control of my car and when I let go of the wheel and said, 'God take over,' He did so and it saved my life! The wheels straightened out and the car got in control by God's hand." I was sitting there thinking, should I tell her that's what wheels can do on a moving car when you let go of the steering wheel? The church erupted in praising God for "saving" her life. I was just grinning at the stupidity.

I would say you're right on this one! Besides, it isn't Biblical to purposely endanger yourself solely to test God's willingness to protect you. Jesus pointed out, "It is written, `Do not test the Lord your God,' " so that woman's story is not consistent with Christian theism anyway.