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.

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.

g

I don't think it is possible to have any kind of relationship with something that is invisible and imaginary, personal or otherwise.

I compare it to my relationship with Santa, minus the bonus of getting presents.

The less time you spend with this subject, the better your life and life of others will be. God is not useful for anything.

I don’t know.

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!"

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 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?

ROFLMAO...this is sarcasm, right?

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.

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

Very interesting question! I was raised in the church. This was a popular topic - having a personal relationship with God or Jesus, and feeling the holy spirit. I tried, boy how I tried. It was fully expected of me as a PK. However, NEVER did I ever once feel like there was a god or his son or his spirit around me, helping me, or protecting me from a goddamn thing. My father was a minister who said "goddamn", which was very confusing for a child. He beat his wife and kids. Where was god then? When I divorced, 2000 people at Aloma United Methodist Church turned their backs on me, even though the choir director also got divorced. But they loved me singing in the contatas, building the courtyard, volunteering on the building committee (coz I'm an engineer), etc. My girlfriend killed herself in 2011 and while at that time I was already seriously questioning the existence of a god, I used to do what I called my "grief walk" up and down my street ( it's secluded so nobody saw me). I would look up in the sky and beg for relief from the pain of losing the woman I was in love with. Nothing. I claim to be agnostic because I can't prove there's not a god. Although, I have seen two UFOs! When Jesus stops by and puts my fingers in the hole in his palm, I'll believe again. Not holding my breath.

Delusional thinking bordering on psychosis. Basically it's when someone has bullshitted themselves into being able to release dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin through very specific stimuli in such quantities that produce a distinct chemical high that is percieved as a "spiritual experience", much in the same way that LSD or Psilocybin would, but to a much lesser (usually) extent.