Religion as allegory can be illuminating. Religion as inner peace can be beautiful. Religion as community can be socially cohesive, and/or tribal and divisive. Religion as obedience can keep sociopaths in line, and/or empower them to control and abuse others. Religion as anti-reason I see no upside in.
Everyone has a religion, religion can be any imaginable set of 'belief constructs' of the human mind used to govern ones 'personal actions'.
The physical sound of anyone speaking is received mentally. There is really not much difference between God "physically" speaking and any man. The sounds are but vibrations which the ears pick up and the brain translates into words.
Do you hear an actual voice of God in your head? I thought it was supposed to be some sort of feeling or something.
I can see the jokes coming if I said I hear voices in my head. It would be said I'm suffering from a mental illness. But think of this, what is taking place whenever someone speaks to you. Don't the words enter your brain by way of vibrations which in turn are translated into words? If that's true, then all of us are hearing voices in our heads. I see no reason why God cannot cause sound vibrations which our minds pick up as words which we are familiar with. That would not be limited to just a few languages, but all languages. He knows all the sound vibrations necessary to produce words -- in our head.
I actually wonder more why people would follow the voices in somebody ELSE'S head if they wouldn't follow the voices in their own.
Anything God speaks would have to be profitable to the listener or those he shares revelation with. I always analyze what the profit is.
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Not to mention all that Jesus spoke in this lifetime, all of which were the words of his Father.
So, the OP says why religion? 'Cos it's a great business, that's why. Keeps the masses under control, so they do what they're told, work away and pay their taxes, don't throw out the elites. Too, makes a lot of money so the priest class can live well. What's not to like? The Catholics get to rape children too, a bit of a bonus if you're that way inclined. If this stuff wasn't pumped into kids' heads before thay could think, it would have already died out, like it's dying out in the more civilised parts of the world.
Let's not forget 2 Peter 1:18 . . . when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. Jesus wasn't the only one that heard the voice of God.
no there is a statement confirming God would have had to do something physical which I said earlier that is no account anywhere that God has physically conveyed info to man.
If you cause the air to vibrate is that not a physical thing being done? You reject the testimony of the Bible and the personal experience of those who believe. I'm not sure anything would convince you, even if God was to speak to you. Most likely if you started hearing voices in your head you would seek professional help. If that's true, then why would God waste His time speaking to you?
As I explained, and you were incapable of responding to: Genesis said Man knew of God's commands, but that they didn't know good from evil, hence there must be a difference between the two.
1 Kings 19:12 "And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” That's where the challenge lies. Separating our own thoughts from that of God's still small voice. Humans like the flash of a booming voice from God, and rarely does He accommodate man. Men who don't believe in God will figure out a way to rationalize what they are hearing and/or seeing because they start out rejecting the existence of God. Why would God waste His time trying to reach someone He knows will never accept Him? There is one simple requirement God expects -- meekness. Yet, God has been known to speak to unbelievers whenever there's a reason and profit to doing so. At times it would come across as your own thoughts because you're not in tune with the voice of God. It takes time to develop the ability to know the difference. I've made many mistakes because I questioned whether it was God speaking to me, or just my own thoughts.
Jesus is part of the Trinity, fully God and fully man. Jesus said a lot of things that many people heard.
