Archbisop Doubts Presence Of God

[jomifl]

/'Paris attacks made me doubt God's presence' - archbishop



The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the terror attacks in Paris made him "doubt" the presence of God.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby told Aled Jones during an interview for the BBC's Songs Of Praise that the killings had put a "chink in his armour".

The Paris gun and suicide bomb attacks on 13 November, carried out by so-called Islamic State, left 130 people dead. /

But the previous countless millions of victims of religious persecution didn't ..how strange.

[Zacs-Master]

i suppose by 'armour' he means faith. A psychologist might have a field day with a reference to combat dress within a religious context. Especially as his references are to the new crusade.

[mikey4444]

He didn't say that previous terrorist attacks didn't make him doubt the existence of God.

[naomi24]

Perhaps as he grows older the realities of life are becoming clearer to him.

[Mamyalynne]

Whether you have faith or not at some point we all doubt and question.

[jomifl]

Question yes, doubt ..never..

[Mosaic]

Jomifl isn't there a chapter in the gospels that deals with doubt? More or less about those who believe in any case are really really tops, whereas those who doubt are alright but are ..... doubting Thomases

I think it's brave of this gent in his position to openly admit his human nature under the strenuous demands of his religion.

[jomifl]

Can't have human nature getting in the way of belief can we..

[Mosaic]

I rather thought it was the acceptance of human nature and the need to acknowledge personal weaknesses that was at the core of the Christian message? Was when I used to listen to it, anyroad.

[Mamyalynne]

Well if you have never had doubt Jomifl, you are the first person I have met who hasn't.


I almost want to say 'well done' but that feels wrong.

[Mosaic]

According to the gospels, didn't Jesus also have doubts eg 'look God the Father mate I really can't take this.....crumbs, well if you really insist'....again, the message being about human nature and the nature of humans. The point being that god became a human? So had human doubts?

[mibn2cweus]

Oh 'God' was there alright . . . in the deluded minds of the terrorists.

[modeller]

Why does JW need a terrorist attack to doubt the existence of God ?
Every day bad events occur which God , if he existed, could have stopped.

We are born with five senses, some or all of which , enables us to prove the existence of anything unknown .
Can we See ,Hear, Touch , Smell, or Taste God ? No ! He/It fails the lot .

If God existed it should be easy to prove . After all millions of prayers are offered up , every day. There should be countless proven success stories .

As it is human beings have been trying to prove the existence of a God for thousands of years . There are, and have been thousands of religions throughout history and all they have succeeded in , is to prove their inherent evil.

[vascop]

Notice that he chose his words carefully: he said 'presence' not 'existence'. I think he meant that it seemed to him as though god had kept out of the way, for some reason that he, the archbishop, could not explain.

[jomifl]

But Vascop, god is supposed to be omnipresent so if he isnt present near the archbishop then he can't be present anywhere.

[jomifl]

Mamya, I don't doubt that if god existed he would have made himself known to us..

[Mamyalynne]

Fair enough.

[Peter Pedant]

church of England - whaddya expect from a latitudinarian religion

Remember The Bishop of Durham who called the resurrection a trick with a bag of bones ? The good people of Durham were asked who they wanted as his successor when the time came for him to hang up his dog-collar - one said "a bishop who believes in God would be a good idea"

I dont think he was thinking god doesnt exist but someone who was previously Omnipresent ( God that is, not your mother in law) was not. It is a trope from the second world war when Jews said at Auschwitz God had turned away

[Khandro]

jomifl;//god is supposed to be omnipresent so if he isnt present near the archbishop then he can't be present anywhere.//

Flawed reasoning here; a frog may be unaware of God's presence, but that doesn't mean that he isn't there. I may be unaware that it is snowing outside, but that doesn't mean that it isn't.

[Peter Pedant]

hi modeller

After all millions of prayers are offered up , every day. There should be countless proven success stories .

paper in the New England Journal - worked half and half
Huxley [Grey Eminence] mentions that Richelieu used convents as supplication machines and the success was .... half and half.
I suppose his eminence in his humility got used to asking for things which were .... possible

But surely - prayers being granted.... wont show God Exists
bit of a non sequitur there

[Peter Pedant]

No Khandro omnipresence is in the job-spec

God if he were not present everywhere - we would be able to imagine a greater thing present everywhere and so the thing we call God would not be God ( but the greater thing may be nearer it )

no not my own argument - Modeller will be able to say if I have cadged it from Aquinas 1250 or Anselm 1150