There is a God, but . . . "

[abelisle]

I have quite a few friends who are agnostics (and in the self-defined "unsure" category) who tell me that they believe there is a God but not the God of the Bible.

What suggestions do you have for dealing with this issue and does it matter if they are very good friends versus just people you associate with?

Alex (let's see if there's any common ground?

[Gerr]

I'd like to know what kind of God they have in mind.

[abelisle]

In response to your question which is a good one I must say, they basically agree that a God created what we know as "existence" (creatio ex nihilo) but He wasn't the God in the narratives of the Bible. In further conversations with them, they quite rightly raise issues of theodicy (existence of sin), God as a man (Jesus), God being directly or indirectly responsible for historical holocausts etc.

What I do find charming is that when there are literary references (Biblical allusions) or when we visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they ask me to explain the Biblical references and take pleasure in listening to the stories.

I've always believed that the archetypal nature of Bible stories appeal to all of us - even those who don't believe. There's something mysterious and powerful in Bible stories that I think the human race has been hardwired for. You can call it the Holy Spirit or like Jung, aspects of our "collective unconscious" or sophisticated memes embedded in simple stories set up as moral object lessons but they work.

As friends we still love each other and respect our personal beliefs and I firmly believe that my life is the best testimony I can present for what I believe.

Alex

[Gail]

As friends we still love each other and respect our personal beliefs and I firmly believe that my life is the best testimony I can present for what I believe.

Good for you! I try to do the same with my non-SDA friends.

I knew a Native lady who is SDA who used to say after telling the story of the birth of Christ, "Isn't that a nice story?" in a way to say, "God's love is an awesome thing."

I think that in instances like what you have mentioned your testimony might do what mere facts cannot.

To have a testimony, though, one has to have a living relationship with God in order to have something to witness about!