In times like these, I pray to the lord for a suitor to guard me from the apocalypse

true
the western world needs god

Why?

But why do we need god?

God created everything, and keeps everything in order. He is the infinite antecedent to all that has happened. The Big Bang was His distinguishing between matter and void. When creating the first sentient beings, He made known to them what was pleasing unto Him (moral), as well as the consequences that will follow their actions, while also giving them free will. He created them not out of sheer boredom, but out of love, that His creations may enjoy happiness in His midst.

One of His angels, whose name was Lucifer, which means "bearer of light", was the most intelligent, beautiful, and powerful in His fleet. However, he had the desire to overcome God and ascend to His throne. God, upon creating the angels, gave them a choice: Stay with Him and serve Him, or leave His presence to serve themselves.

Lucifer, amongst many other angels, chose to serve themselves. God is a Being of Love and Creation, and anything outside of Him is of hatred and destruction. And so, Lucifer and the other angels banished themselves to hell, the polar opposite of the place of happiness God promised to His angels at their creation.

God eventually created humanity, whom He also promised happiness, should they obey His simple command to not eat of the forbidden fruit. At this point, humanity, was bestowed rulership over the animal kingdom, just as much as the angels were given purposes of their own, which are, but not limited to protecting the planets and stars, singing God's praises forever, protecting humanity, etc.

However, humanity was oblivious to iniquity. Eating the forbidden fruit would provide humanity the distinguishment between good and evil, something that God did not intend humanity to know about. One day, satan, Hebrew for "the enemy", the former bearer of light, came to the first two members of humanity, Adam and Eve, and convinced them to eat the forbidden fruit.

God was displeased with Adam and Eve's disobedience, but gave them a second chance for a few reasons: 1. They were oblivious to the effects of sin (evil). 2. They didn't desire to overcome Him, but merely become as powerful as Him. 3. Now that they realized the difference between good and evil, they could make the decision to recommit to God or continue to stray from him in their disobedience.

This Second Chance would be the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, who would dwell among humanity and die for its sins. However, as any parent would punish his or her child on account of disobedience, so did God punish Adam and Eve by letting them endure mortality, banishment from the Garden of Eden, and dwelling in Limbo, Heaven's former waiting room, until Jesus had fulfilled His mission.

The Second Chance would not come for many centuries. In humanity's waiting, God revealed all that we needed to know to follow Him through the prophets of old. He made it very clear to everyone what exactly made sin was, and how to live a life pleasing to His service.

When Jesus died for our sins, He reopened the Gates of Heaven. He could have very well taken away the gravity of all sin for generations to come, but it was not God's will.

If a parent forgives his or her child for disobeying them, they will not be exempt from receiving due punishment for their next sin.

Another example is God saving the Israelites from the Egyptians: God could have gotten them to the Promised Land without them having to work for it. However, He wanted them to truly come to Him through their own works and wills, while also relying on Him to guide them out of the depths of evil.

So, you may be wondering when I'm going to answer your question. The thing is, I already have, from the first sentence in my previous comment, to everything I have just stated now. Just to he sure, I'll say one more thing to put a cap on my argument of why we need God.

God is the Embodiement of Creation, Love, Happiness, and All that is Good. We are products of His creation, love, happiness, and all that is good, but have been given free will, so that we may come to God willingly than of being purely programmed to do so, without sincerity. Humanity let sin in, but God gave us the chance to know the difference between good and evil, that we may still join Him in Heaven in eternity. God's plan is infallible, since He creates without failing. Thus, we need God, in order to follow His plan to obtaining the salvation He has destined us for. Any questions, thoughts, concerns, or counterarguments?

I appreciate your respectful reply. You said a lot there, and in response I would point out that you're making many claims. Where is your evidence that any of that is true? I understand that the Bible says those things, but it doesn't mean they're true just because the Bible says it.

What you said to me was thought-provoking. If I'm going to continue down this path I'm currently taking, I need to know what I'm getting into. Generally, I see many Catholics (mainly those on the web) avoiding questions to answer "better" ones.

I recently saw a video on Instagram that had someone saying, "Protestants will ask you where the Rosary is in Scripture, but a better question to ask is where Scripture is in the Rosary."

As you mentioned earlier, the Bible said what I argued previously, granted, how do I know it's true? Of course, as you can see, I've already posted two other comments explaining how I use evidence to support my belief in the Bible. One thing that frustrates me is the fact that people believe that anything outside the Bible is a lie. If it's proven true in thorough investigations, then it can't be denied unless someone takes the time to counterargue instead of whining about it.

THAT all being said, I'm going to let you take the floor again. I've been doing a lot of the talking, so it's about time I pass the torch to you! Again, have you any questions, thoughts, concerns, or counterarguments? If you want to point out any of the claims you previously hinted on, I'd be happy to elaborate on anything you're curious about!

To say that I'm making claims is a very fair statement, since many (if not, all) are rooted in my Faith. I, too, appreciate your respectful reply, and the questions you're asking are valid.

Now, to answer your question regarding the evidence I use to support my beliefs, I'm going to point to a couple different things: 1. The history book method. 2. Miracles. The two of these things go hand-in-hand with each other, so prepare thine eyes to read once more!

History books are collections of recorded events throughout the timespan of given persons, places, and things. Through word of mouth and tradition, the writings in a notebook, and the surviving objects of the yesteryear, history is (often) carefully studied so as to properly provide the accurate antecedents to how the world formed today to present and future generations.

The Bible, in that sense, is no different. Through many generations, the Word of God has been passed down through the prophets of old, in order to preserve the history of God working through His people for present and future generations. Evidence of the Word's historical and spiritual value lies not only in the people who continue to maintain it, but also in ancient artifacts and relics spread throughout the world.

This brings me to miracles. Like history, miracles are recorded through the methods mentioned previously. However, even today, they continue to occur. Miracles occur in three ways: Apparitions, physical events, and combinations of the two.

To name a few examples of miracles, there's the Staircase of St. Joseph at the Loretto Chapel, the Fatima Apparitions, the Veil of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Eucharistic miracles. The latter of these is a common occurrence.

In the event that a Host falls to the ground during the dispensing of Holy Communion, that is, in the Catholic rite, one of two actions must be taken: 1. Consume the Host immediately. 2. Place the Host in a dish full of water to dissolve it. There have been many reports in the past that, following this, the Host(s) bled, and even formed into human flesh. While this is not the only form of Eucharistic miracle in existence it is a common event.

Before claiming it to be a miracle, churches will have their miraculous Hosts taken by their respective archdioceses to be given thorough scientific study. In these cases, the blood is either found to belong to a young male Nazarien, or a young male sheep. (I'm not quite sure about the latter, but the former is the main case.)

You might be wondering when I'll get to how this is all my evidence. It's a bit of a read, needless to say! Again, I'm sorry for the lengthiness, but I want to make sure I cover all the bases before resolving my claims.

I last want to speak of saintly relics, this time in more detail. Over the course of many decades, faithful persons of God have been found to be incorrupt, even after death. Sometimes, only fragments of their bodies are left in tact, whether they be finger bones or hearts. Other times, their entire bodies are preserved. Blessed Carlos Acutis, a millennial whose works were influential in the early 2000s before his death, is one of many examples of miraculously preserved bodies in the Catholic Church.

So, to summarize it all, the evidence behind all that I've said and believe in lies in the events that have been passed through many generations and the events of today. While many Christians have experienced miracles of God in their lives, none have been so undeniably proven as that of the Catholic Church's. Many denominations doubt the integrity of the Catholic Church, due to how we "worship" (or, as we actually do, "honor") the Blessed Mother, Mary and the Saints, and how we take the Eucharist too seriously (i.e, we look at it as the true presence of God instead of a mere symbol).

And yet, miracles around Mary, the Saints, and the Eucharist have occurred, miracles that have been studied and proven true throughout the ages, with many surviving examples in Churches and Basilicas. If, then, all of these things are happening within the Catholic Church, whose teaching, according to tradition, is infallible since it derives directly from God, these "anomalies," combined with the researched history of the events in the Bible, are the evidence that back my previous statements.

And the same goes for you. If you have any questions for me I'd be happy to answer them.

Thank you! I appreciate it! Hmmm...I may ask you some questions down the road, but first, I'll let you read my...uh, let's call it an "essay". 😅

It'll take some time to reply but I will, for sure. Thanks.

I think the growing poverty and inequalties is a more clear signal but okay

Upvoted but slowly is wrong, we are speeding towards our end

Oh lord, someone say a prayer ...

Are you saying atheists are bad people?

They are not inherently beyond salvation just by being atheist, I will tell you that much.

I'm just wondering if you think they're bad people just because they don't believe in god

I'll take that as a yes

Maybe they are bad. 😂

Why?

Because, without God we are nothing. And nothing is bad. We're all something. So if you're nothing, get outta here. We're all something, even the atheists

i'm sorry if you feel your life is meaningless without God, but I don't know any atheists who feel that way

I'm not saying I'm atheist BRO. I said even atheists aren't bad, because we're all something in the eyes of God. And I'm Catholic btw

I understand you're a Christian. My point is that it sounded like you were saying that life is meaningless if God doesn't exist, and I don't agree with that.

Jesus said, "There are none good, no not one." He also said, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We have not lived up to the standards He has set. By myself, I'm unable to reach the level of perfection He requires to get into heaven or to abide with Him for eternity. We all are. God offers mercy, undeserved grace for each of us. It is available to all, up until we die or Jesus returns. I am not better than anyone else on the planet. Not more deserving of this grace either. But I trust and follow the One that is, and hold to his promises to me and for me.

I, myself, believe and know that God is the reason we live our lives. However, I'm not going to hate anyone who disagrees with me, nor am I going to paint them as villains. While I disagree with what you've said about God being an unnecessary addition to one's life, I commend you for saying so respectfully.

If you're curious to learn more about my belief, I'd be happy to share it with you. In fact, I've already replied to another comment with long paragraphs, making an argument for the question, "Why do we need God?" Of course, if you're not interested, I'll respectfully take my bow, but know that I'll be here, should you change your mind.