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What if I received a sign but I don't know what it means? This question is for believers. Ever happened to any of you? I hope my sign will be explained eventually.
Thanks.
Yes, though I am not a "believer" the way you think of.
About 4 mths back, I was on my way to work. Hitting SW512 off HWY167, there is a long curved onramp. I was in the left lane, going the usual 60 or so. My left side was wide open field.
Out of nowhere, there appears a white dove. Snow white. Flies about maybe 8-10 feet next to my side window - stays with my car for another maybe half a mile, pretty much, my head level.
That's as a sign, as it gets as white dove is considered a bird of sign in many faiths.
I'm still not sure, what it meant. But, it had one effect for sure - it enforced my faith into what I believe.
I have such "signs" through my life. Kind of like gentle taps on the shoulder - stay on course, stay on course.
Never forget. God acts in mysterious ways. Be glad, you were chosen to see a sign. And say - thank you! Thank you for encouragement!
Yes, though I am not a "believer" the way you think of.
About 4 mths back, I was on my way to work. Hitting SW512 off HWY167, there is a long curved onramp. I was in the left lane, going the usual 60 or so. My left side was wide open field.
Out of nowhere, there appears a white dove. Snow white. Flies about maybe 8-10 feet next to my side window - stays with my car for another maybe half a mile, pretty much, my head level.
That's as a sign, as it gets as white dove is considered a bird of sign in many faiths.
I'm still not sure, what it meant. But, it had one effect for sure - it enforced my faith into what I believe.
I have such "signs" through my life. Kind of like gentle taps on the shoulder - stay on course, stay on course.
Never forget. God acts in mysterious ways. Be glad, you were chosen to see a sign. And say - thank you! Thank you for encouragement!
Thank you for all your comments. T, m and u.
I think I understand.
The white dove sign story is beautiful. It's a sign of good luck in many cultures. A blessing.
...
In my case it was a form of encouragement, indeed. I thought about this but was not sure. I am glad. I'll say thank you for the encouragement, yes.
Harry, you only cite Long — not any of the other researchers and studies. Did you even read the article?
As much as you spend time trying to dumb down and ridicule the belief in God or SIGNS that there’s a God with your intellectual superiority — I guess you must then feel profoundly SUPERIOR to the likes of these Nobel Laureates and scientists below who all felt there were SIGNS pointing to a God or an intelligent creator.
[
But to you they were pretty stupid and misdirected……
The more I study science, the more I am amazed by the complexity of the universe and the more I believe in the existence of a creator."
—Albert Einstein
God created everything." Sir Isaac Newton.
“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” —ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630), one of the greatest astronomers: "God is great. Great is his power, infinite his wisdom. Praise him, heaven and earth, sun, moon, and stars in your own language. My Lord and my Creator! I would like to proclaim the magnificence of your works to men to the extent that my limited intelligence can understand."
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543), astronomer and the first in-depth proponent of heliocentrism: "Who could live in close contact with the most consummate order and divine wisdom and not feel drawn to the loftiest aspirations? Who could not adore the architect of all these things?"
Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727), founder of classical theoretical physics: "What we know is a drop, what we do not know is a vast ocean. The admirable arrangement and harmony of the universe*could only have come from the plan of an omniscient and omnipotent Being."
Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), founder of systematic botany: "I have seen the eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipotent God pass close by, and I knelt prostrate in adoration."
Alessandro Volta (1745 – 1827), discovered the basic notions of electricity:* "I confess the holy, apostolic, and Roman Catholic faith. I thank God who has given me this faith, in which I have the firm intention to live and die."
Andre-Marie Ampere (1775 – 1836), discovered the fundamental laws of electricity: "How great is God, and our science is just a trifle!"
Augustin Louis Cauchy (1789 – 1857), a distinguished mathematician, founder of complex analysis: "I am a Christian, that is, I believe in the divinity of Christ, like all the great astronomers and all the great mathematicians of the past."
Carl Friedrich*Gauss (1777-1855), dubbed the "Prince of Mathematicians," because his insights contributed to many fields of mathematics and science: "When our last hour sounds, we will have the great and ineffable joy of seeing the one whom we could only glimpse in all our work."
Justus von*Liebig (1803 – 1873), a celebrated chemist: "The greatness and infinite wisdom of the Creator will be recognized only by those who really endeavor to draw their ideas from the great book we call nature."
Robert Mayer (1814 – 1878), natural scientist (Law of the Conservation of Energy): "I am ending my life with a conviction that comes from the depths of my heart: true science and true philosophy can not be anything but a[n introductory study] of the Christian religion."
Angelo Secchi (1803 – 1895), famous astronomer: "From contemplating the heavens to God, there is only a short distance."
Charles*Darwin (1809 – 1882), Theory of Evolution: "I have never denied the existence of God. I think the theory of evolution is fully compatible with faith in God. I think the greatest argument for the existence of God is the impossibility of demonstrating and understanding that the immense universe, sublime above all measure, and man were the result of chance."
Thomas A.*Edison (1847 – 1931), the prolific inventor who held 1200 patents: "My utmost respect and admiration to all the engineers, especially the greatest of them all: God."
Carl Ludwig Schleich (1859 – 1922), famous surgeon, pioneer of *local anesthesia: "I became a believer in my own way through the microscope and observation of nature, and I want to contribute, insofar as I can, to the full harmony between science and religion."
Guglielmo*Marconi (1874 – 1937), inventor of wireless telegraphy, Nobel Prize 1909: "I declare it proudly: I am a believer. I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe not only as a Catholic, but also as a scientist."
Robert Millikan (1868 – 1953), great American physicist, Nobel Prize 1923: "I can assert most definitely that the denial of faith lacks any scientific basis. In my view, there will never be a true contradiction between faith and science."
Arthur Eddingtong (1882 – 1946), English Astronomer Royal, mathematician and astrophysicist: "None of the inventors of atheism was a naturalist. All of them were very mediocre philosophers."
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955), founder of modern physics (Theory of Relativity inter alia) and 1921 Nobel prize: "Everyone who is seriously committed to the cultivation of science becomes convinced that in all the laws of the universe is manifest a spirit vastly superior to man, and to which we with our powers must feel humble."
Max Planck (1858 – 1947), founder of quantum physics, Nobel Prize 1918: "Nothing prevents us, and the momentum of our knowledge requires it… to interrelate the order of the universe and the God of religion. For the believer, God stands at the beginning of their speeches; for the physicist, at the end of them."
Erwin Schrödinger (1887 – 1961), discoverer of wave mechanics, Nobel Prize 1933: "The finest masterpiece is the one made by God, according to the principles of quantum mechanics…"
Howard H. Aiken (1900-1973), computer pioneer: "Modern physics teaches me that nature is not capable of ordering itself. The universe presupposes a huge mass of order. It therefore requires a great "First Cause" that is not subject to the second law of transformation of energy and that is therefore Supernatural."
Wernher von Braun (1912 – 1977), German-American, foremost rocket engineer and space architect: "Above everything is the glory of God, who created the great universe, which man and science discover and research day after day in profound adoration."
Charles Townes (1915), physicist who shared the 1964 Nobel Prize for discovering the principles of the laser: "As a religious man, I feel the presence and intervention of a Creator beyond myself, but who is always nearby… intelligence had something to do with the creation of the laws of the universe."
Allan Sandage (1926-2010) American astronomer, calculated the rate at which the universe expands and its age by observing distant stars: "I was practically an atheist in my childhood. Science was what led me to the conclusion that the world is much more complex than we can explain. I can only explain the mystery of existence to myself by the Supernatural."
……. Do you have a comparable list of celebrated and highly intelligent and accomplished atheists with positive values?
Are these famous atheists your proof and confidence in atheism ———-> Dawkins, Hitchens, Kim Jong il, Pol Pot, Stalin, Lenin, Castro, Nicolás Maduro , Trotsky, Milosevic, Charles Manson, Mao, Karl Marx, etc, etc etc etc etc etc??
…
This is quite the list here, rose, and quite a good question, but the problem is that we are in the very early stages of a time when theologists didn't pretty well rule the land and the day, so the list of atheists or religious "nons" who are now helping us to make progress in this area is very short by comparison.
However, I always refer people to this great book I read about this history and the people who promoted our better understanding about all this and/or science. I think if you read it you would have a better balanced perspective and understanding about the "who's who" in this arena going back to the first people who began to question the nature of things outside of the religious approach to do so. Many of them religious at the time, because, well, everyone who could even read or write tended to be religious.
Again the book is ""A Brief History of Creation - Science and the Search for the Origin of Life" by Bill Mesler and H. James Cleaves II
I found the book not only very informative, educational but fascinating as well. I would think no matter what anyone's perspective or opinion about all this would find the book worth reading as well.
Admirable effort you put into this post Mountainrose, I have to give you credit.
Actually think you should take all this info and start a new thread with it.
It's a hard one for us atheists to argue, I have to say. We will have fun trying though.
After reading my last comment, I'm reading the others that immediately follow the one posted by rose, and I agree with you, but I didn't find it so hard to respond to rose about this. Not to argue but to offer more information that I think helps to fill out the picture. That was fun though! As it gave me another chance to recommend that book that is among one of my favorite books to recommend in this forum.
Thanks, but I don’t have the time or intellectual stamina to manage a thread like that right now — (kudos to LearnMe) but this thread is about SIGNS and all of those people I found above had experienced some internal SIGN pointing them to an intelligent creator of this universe.
I and others are comfortable calling that creator God….
Off to pick my asparagus and plant more raspberries
The first of my veggie seeds are beginning to sprout in my veggie garden...
What if I received a sign but I don't know what it means? This question is for believers. Ever happened to any of you? I hope my sign will be explained eventually.
Thanks.
I really have to wonder why your question is only for believers...
I wonder how many times I have been given a "sign" or had some experience that caused me to ask the same question. What does it mean? Sure seems to mean something. Can't just be coincidence or random or without some meaning or purpose. Or can it?
Sometimes no matter our plans or efforts or intentions, "the universe" decides otherwise, and sometimes if not often, we've just got to go with it. Sometimes even including accepting when the answers to our questions are not answered as we wish they would be answered.
I really have to wonder why your question is only for believers...I wonder how many times I have been given a "sign" or had some experience that caused me to ask the same question. What does it mean? Sure seems to mean something. Can't just be coincidence or random or without some meaning or purpose. Or can it? Sometimes no matter our plans or efforts or intentions, "the universe" decides otherwise, and sometimes if not often, we've just got to go with it. Sometimes even including accepting when the answers to our questions are not answered as we wish they would be answered. Right?
the bold above indicates a belief that the universe makes decisions
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