I don't see how anyone can claim to have a "relationship" with god. They describe this "relationship" as god giving them what they need (even though they are the one at work earning money to pay for all the stuff they thank god for) And they pray, sing songs to and about god, talk about god, and read his book. ... Okay. If I were to treat another human that way, read a book they wrote or about them, sing songs about or to this person and thanked them for all the stuff I bought with money I earned while working. ... Well, folks would call me crazy. and say "That is not a relationship!"

Let's establish something here. First, all the attributes given to the Big Guy in the Sky and his Kid came from the minds of the folks writing the books and the ideas in the NT are not new. They originated long before writing came on the scene. Then, when folks learned how to record their ideas, they started putting together stories that bubbled up through the OT to the NT. So, whatever we find in the books has already been adjusted, massaged, and juggled for a few hundred years (maybe even a few thousand).

Now we have all these stories defining the character of the Heavenly Honcho and later his bastard son that came from the minds of men. Naturally, everything we discover about these characters is strangely familiar to us. Somehow this seems magical to us. The folks who were scribbling these ideas down said something on the order of, "Hey, this mystical man of ours has to have super powers, ya know?"

Anyway, all this tinkering around and imagining and puffing up made it so that no one could even begin to relate to these bigger than life, more perfect than perfect critters who can wipe us all out on a whim and have a couple of times. Now we're supposed to have a 'real' personal relationship with them? First they rely on scaring us to death and now they want us to be all lovey dovey.

A lot of messing with the statements in the holy books has transpired to get to that one. In the old days, say back about 70 or 80 years ago and before there was no talk about warm fuzzy relationships. There was a lot of fire and brimstone and spare the rod, spoil the child going on, but cozy relationships were of the world stuff. The most they had managed to do was avoid the stoning stuff. This love and serve is all new from the apologists who have been doing their thing with the writings to suit softer folk.

I'm sorry, what was your question again?

David, you have an oxymoron here. <<<personal relationship with God/Jesus really>>> How can a personal relationship with Jesus be real?

It is akin to the personal relationship you could form from believing that something that does not exist becomes real in your mind, and you then wallow in this non existent being, and sing crawling songs about him to piss in his pocket, give him at least 10% of your income, get down on your knees and worship this
egotistical fairy tale ghost, and waste the rest of your life in a fantasy dream world.

I have a personal relationship with Geoffrey, my teddy bear. I talk to him, he communicates with me (in his own way). I take him with me, most of the time and he brings me joy.

Of course I can also see Geoffrey! He's not invisible!!

Here is the video that I ended up making, I hope you folks like it!

A personal relationship with God is simply a fantasy -- like Jimmy Stewart's relationship with the fantasy bunny "Harvey." It enables true believers to feel personal support and security that is simply false.

To me a personal relationship with God is a reason not to have to define the relationship and the only working definition anyone can have If it was anything else, there would be a way for others to share it and there's no indication that is possible.

I can't have a proper relationship with myself and other existing people, let alone if I can have it with someone who, probably, doesn't exist...

I feel bad for those people. They're solving there own problems. The ones they ask for help through prayer. They find solutions. But instead of giving themselves credit, they thank god. They cheat themselves.

Most individuals who are sane cannot have a relationship with any thing they have never seen, touched, or have personal first hand provable knowledge of!

I find it amazing you can have a relationship with something you have never seen, touched, or actual factual proof of!

Faith is an oxymoron!

The Germans who followed the National socialist Workers Party had faith beyond self and religious beliefs! Hence faith has many faces from Fascism to god(s), their offspring and the faith in mankind!

So having a relationship with a any thing you have never had or experience first hand is faith!

A relationship that in reality has no real basis in fact or truth!

Hence faith like Fascism, religion, and death does not have a true reason to exist, it just does!

If only we could have faith without religion and political influence could we as a species be human?

You can't have a "personal relationship" with imaginary entities, unless you have schizophrenia, or have dropped some pretty good acid! But if you could, I imagine it would be like getting repeatedly sodomized/lobotimized by the Demons of your own creation!

A personal relationship with God/Jesus is the same as having a personal relationship with Humpty-Dumpty -- it takes place entirely in one's imagination. It's like a child playing with an imaginary friend. that they insist is real.

I don't have one. I have a personal relationship with myself. I'm not saying I'm a god but I'm saying to know one's self is the key.

I would comparebit to having a personal relationship with an imaginary unexisting friend that some children have but eventually abandon when they realuze it ain't real and it ain't there for you at all.

I remember reading the Amityville Horror back in the 80's. One of the children in the story had a 'special friend', Jodi, that only she could see or communicate with. I imagine this personal relationship would have all the creepiness without the physical manifestations.

ROFLMAO...this is sarcasm, right?

The same as having a relationship with a tin of Altoids only the Altoids are better.

unlike most other mammals we have a very long childhood.
due to this we expect that there are powerful controlling beings that will provide for our every need. of course is our parents, as we get older we realize that our parents are flawed people like ourselves. the need is great the god-shaped vacuum is there, so we create a all powerful parent without human frailties. we can assign the attributes to the God as we see fit. the Roman assigned to their gods based on the values of their society.
the Jews and Hindus selected gods with attributes that reflected their society.
clearly if horses had a god it would look like them and reflect the values of their society.
knowing this does not free us from the god-shaped vacuum, it's still there.
it is my belief we will fill it with something, science, or The voices in your head.

Why ?. It seems that more than a few people on this site although calling themselves atheists are obsessed by religion

A false safety net? The illusion of safety and protection, which isn't real, and could cause real danger if one thinks that belief in God/Jesus is the only hope, since it prevents one from trying to solve problems on their own?

When I was a child I was told that God was "omniscient" and I was so impressed! Surely God would know what was going on in my house and save me and my siblings. But no. Either God didn't care, didn't think abuse was worth intervening for or wasn't really there. Got me questioning the whole biblical story, since it really didn't make sense to me anyway.

After asking the nuns several questions during catechism, which they couldn't answer for me satisfactorily, I began disbelieving what they were saying altogether. That put me in a category of an infidel and I wasn't made to go to catechism or church any more.

If God was real, he was so far away from me, out of my reach, and what language did God speak anyway? Oh yeah, "omniscient" so he knows all, or does he... Things didn't add up from what I was told.

If God was real, couldn't he have intervened in my life and helped my brothers and me or somehow proven himself to me? If God doesn't intervene or care, then why pray to him and lavish him with praise and worship?

So, now my relationship with God/Jesus is as a nemesis. He/They get all the credit for things that either just happen naturally, or that have been figured out and solved by human ingenuity, compassion, perseverance, courage and so many wonderful human attributes.

As a Humanist, believing in human values and reasoning, this God of the past which so many people continue to believe in, is like "fake news" that keeps jumping in to take away from the real message and true reality.

Me and God play games.. fucker idiot he always loses the game but wins the crowd.
Ah well.. I guess the crowd prefere idiots

I don't have relationships with imaginary creatures -- except of course my unicorn.

Pain God for all the wonderful things he does not

you're asking atheists this?

a personal relationship with god is like... wait, it's hard to type with this strait-jacket on.

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