How I Know that God Exists

Рет қаралды 1,613

9 ай бұрын

I stated in a video about 2 years ago that I know that God exists. In this video, I share one of the experiences that gave me that certain knowledge.
The videos I referenced:
• The World isn't Fair (...
• Best, Worst-Case Scena...
I will not monetize this video.

Пікірлер: 66

@zakgault4209 9 ай бұрын

Not the video for me, but I admire your courage. Hope you're alright man! ❤

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

Thanks man! The picture is old, and actually related to a different experience. Hope you're alright too! JB

@AdrianHiggins83 9 ай бұрын

Jesus loves you bruz

@clemensbock7434 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing something that is so personal to you. I have spent a year abroad in Utah as an exchange student (from Germany) and during that time I met a lot of wonderful people that are active in the LDS church. This experience made me restle with my catholic faith, and this faith journey ultimately turned me atheist. For me, the philosophical arguments for the existence of God weren't convincing. I often encountered stories of miracles, but they were ultimately not convincing aswell. There are many cognitive biases that influence how we come to determine that things are miracles (confirmation bias, agent detection bias, clustering illusion, etc.). For example, unlikely events are often brought forth as miracles, because we humans fail to recognize that unlikely events aren't impossible. To me, it seems that in these stories the divine intervention is brought up even though it's not necessary to explain the outcome of the story. In your case, maybe there wasn't a demon in the room, but you and your companion were really stressed out from being out all day on the mission, talking to disinterested people and only having each others company. This can really put you in a vulnerable state. Perhaps your mission companion just had a panic attack, because the radio and lights acted weird for some reason. Another thing that LDS people often brought up is confirmation of truth claims through prayer. The thing is, that a lot of religions seek spiritual confirmation through meditation or prayer. There are solid psychological explanations why people feel "the spirit" (like elevation emotion). People have felt these feelings in the worst dictatorships and cults. And even if these miracles and feelings were supernatural, they wouldn't prove any specific religion (which you also didn't set out to do in this video).

@RubixB0y 9 ай бұрын

I don't doubt something happened to you that you personally can't explain, but I do doubt there's a supernatural component. Our brain does weird things in stressful/emotional moments and confirmation bias is very strong. People having panic attacks often feel something uncontrollable happening(hence the "attack") and feel impending doom like they're going to die. We can't help but see the world through the lens of our established worldview and we rewrite events by remembering them, changing little details each time. "The fish I caught was THIS big" This and all personal testimony should absolutely not be a reason for anyone else to believe.

@VeraTR909 9 ай бұрын

“I don’t know [why we're here]. People sometimes say to me, ‘Why don’t you admit that the humming bird, the butterfly, the Bird of Paradise are proof of the wonderful things produced by Creation?’ And I always say, well, when you say that, you’ve also got to think of a little boy sitting on a river bank, like here, in West Africa, that’s got a little worm, a living organism, in his eye and boring through the eyeball and is slowly turning him blind. The Creator God that you believe in, presumably, also made that little worm. Now I personally find that difficult to accommodate…” -Attenborough

@jerrywhidby. 9 ай бұрын

I am agnostic, but if there is a God, then I don't expect that God is perfect or all powerful. Why would there be a war in heaven, demons, or us for that matter if God was perfect. If God exists, then I think of him as an advanced scientist. Not some magical being. Genesis lays out creation as evolution says it happens. I used to get hung up on birds, but then scientist said that dinosaurs may have had feathers. So Big Bang or whatever, the planets form, the sun, water in the oceans, fish, birds, plants, beasts, and then man. That is a strange coincidence for a sequence of events. Personally I think that science could just be the study of how God did it all. Evolution could have had unforseen consequences. So that worm may have taken an evolutionary path that wasn't expected. Or maybe there is no one minding the experiment anymore. Or maybe he moved on to another experiment. Hubble has shown how massive space is. I doubt that it is just for show if it was created. The fact is that we know science is real, so it would stand to reason that God has a mastery of it beyond our current reach. But then again we have radios that he could use to communicate with the entire world. Things an agnostic ponders.

@wobblysauce 9 ай бұрын

Nothing wrong with believing in something greater then yourself, but some do use it like a crutch for their actions, similar to others that only partake during holidays. Discourse is good, and you don’t need to think the same as another, and don’t need to hate with the differences, but some do, which I have never understood. I don’t follow any faith, but am one that try’s to do good, but we all die and some people have a long time with us and others short, so make the most of it.

@riuphane 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing and being open to share. I hope the fallout from this vulnerability is not bad, but I know first hand how it can be.

@virtualfather4117 9 ай бұрын

I rarely comment on people’s believe systems because it maybe the only thing that is holding their life together at this time. The reason I am taking the time to share with you is that you are proselytizing and when you do it in a public space I take it as a cry for support. When I look into your face I see an imbalance. When I listen to your voice I heard uncertainty. You have lived in a very narrow perspective of life. The Book of Mormon is not even 200 years old. As you stated you were a deacon by 12 which tells me that you were very diligent in your studies. It also tells me that you very likely had little if any exposure to life outside of the church. Belief systems can be very powerful especially when fully immersed. I lived in Idaho for a while and have a layman understanding of your church. If there was divine inspiration in the writings of the Book of Mormon, then why would these writings change over time. A quick example is the churches governance of marriage. I praise you for sharing your knowledge of skills like making yarn. This kind of sharing is what I believe is what keeps us alive as a species. One of the differences between the wisdom of youth and that of the wisdom of elders is the quantity of experience . That was difficult to understand when I was young but now passing my 7 th decade things are clearer and in a way much simpler. May the universal spirit that is in all of us be your guide to inner peace.

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for adding your perspective. If you detected a hesitation in my voice it was not uncertainty about the underlying content, but of the prudence of sharing it. JB

@kkuhn 9 ай бұрын

Those who seek God shall find him, not through divine intervention but by lunacy and confirmation bias.

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

Have you tried the experiment? This hypothesis explaining the universally present human experience of revelation is one that you express with a great deal of confidence. Does your data set include Newton? I doubt you've run the tests yourself. JB

@scripter13 9 ай бұрын

I am impressed and inspired by this video. Thank you for taking the time and gathering the strength to share.

@edde4213 9 ай бұрын

Im sorry youre stuck in such a horrible situation. I dont know how to help you but i kow for certain that this kind of magical thinking can be really dangerous. I hope you find your way out of this situation. All you need to live is inside of you, you dont need a God! youre strong

@ieshi23 9 ай бұрын

As an Israeli jew I've had problems with religion for years, there are a lot of extremists here giving religions a bad reputation. Seeing someone like you who gains happiness (not necessarily in the simpler interpretation of the word, but in a more long-term way) from religion and tries to give it back and improve his environment is very heartwarming

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for adding your perspective. Shalom. JB

@occamraiser 7 ай бұрын

Religions are ALL social constructions - Humans made religion not some invisible super being up there in the sky. From the moment the first caveman wondered why a tree goes through a cycle budding and shedding leaves each year and wondered if there was a person inside doing it, or in the case of Japan, whether there was a spirit in every rock they encountered we have been building up a world of mythology and superstition that lead to ISIS and the destruction of Palmira. /sigh - religions! The scourge of mankind.

@JSEvans-or5xe 9 ай бұрын

Hi JB. I don't share your religious beliefs. I have my own devout beliefs. However, I wanted to tell you that I needed this. I respect another man who is true to what he believes and what he believes, he believes fervently.

@natecus4926 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing this.

@lameware 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing. I want to preface by saying - I watched all the way through. I don't really have much to say, I just wanted to commend you for being brave enough to put yourself out there like this. These days, it's especially hard to be open and public with one's beliefs. Judgment is everywhere these days. I, myself, am not a religious person. I consider myself agnostic. I know a lot of people consider agnosticism to be synonymous with atheism, but I see them as separate things. That being said, I will always refuse to cast judgment on people's religious preferences, even if it's not a view that necessarily aligns with my own. I like to be willing to listen to people's stories, and keep an open mind because part of being agnostic is not knowing. I don't actively look for answers, but I like to think that keeping an open mind also grants opportunity to know, should it present itself. I enjoyed this video, and respect you for having the courage to brave the internet with your personal views.

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

Thank you. There's a lot of value in being honest about the limits of one's knowledge. Confucius has a great line about his definition of a well educated person being one who knows what he knows with confidence and is very clear about and willing to admit what he does not know. JB

@jacywilson 9 ай бұрын

Thank you sooo much for making this video. I am the same way. Faith means something a bit different when you've seen without a doubt that there are super natural forces in this world and there is good and evil. And they are much more powerful than us. But of course, like you said, the Creator, God, is much more powerful than the devil. Video really puts into your perspective of who you are and I'll carry that with me when I watch your videos in the future...

@TrentGudmundsen 9 ай бұрын

If you bring one soul closer to Christ, how great shall be your (and his or her) joy. Scary but very cool experience that you shared! Thanks for sharing!

@jerrywhidby. 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing. I have a very logical mind and little faith in mankind. I have always wished that God would give me proof of his existence. I cannot accept it just on faith. There are a lot of religions filled with faith. I need something tangible. Pray that God gives me what I need one day, because I cannot force myself to believe.

@enchanted_golden_apple 9 ай бұрын

may the lord work thru you and may he bless you

@espenschjelderup426 9 ай бұрын

I actually found out that I'm what most people would call a atheist after many discussions with a friend that has a very strong faith in Jesus. Even though I'm a atheist I find religion a interesting subject because of history. One of the histories consern my family name, thats the same as I use on KZfaq. Because of all the church records I know very much of that linage for the last 13 generations. Aroundt christmas my father found some old documents from my grandfather, and we foundt out that one of the first priests of our linage went to the same school at the same time as Luther did. Other things we discovered in the records proved that several of my ancestors where not very nice people. By the time of writing this I would choose to not support it if any god was proven to exist. But as long as people don't use a belife or lack of belife in a god to harm other people I don't care if you belive in any god. I try my best to not judge people based on religion. If somone try very hard to convert me I don't appreciate it. But if we can agree that we don't agree in every thing that can be a base for very interesting discussions 🙂

@ashleyhamman 9 ай бұрын

I've always had a strained relation to Religion, seeing how it is utilized by some (as with any group the bad apples are the loudest) to try to control others towards their own goals or ideals at the detriment of others. Yet superstition (that's what I'm going to call it since many Supersitions have parallels with religion while having a less defined from, so fits better as a catch-all) seems to be a nearly universal human experience. I don't find myself bound by any Religion, yet even something as basic as hope, where you feel that your wishfulness or little flair in how you do something can tip the scales, defintely could be considered superstitious. Even just the terminology of talking about it has superstitious connotations, "wish" and "hope", ideas with no real connection to the physical unlike the more scientific "chance". Maybe one day science will determine that superstition is some quirk of human physiology or something, but at present it's unknowable yet seemingly a human constant, the "hidden and unseen" as a story I recently read described it, and so it's difficult to discard entirely, even if some such as myself are happy to be distanced from it.

@MrBushman123 2 ай бұрын

I appreciate the video. Since you asked your viewers to explain their beliefs i will gladly oblige. I believe "God/Jesus/Allah/Buddha etc" essentially symbolise Love (=God). And i know the idea of reincarnation can be interpreted in a way that is in line with science and logic. Let me explain: Matter never leaves the system, meaning all life form reincarnate/dissipate into the ecosystem. Creatures die, decompose, feed a myriad of other life forms, classic Lion King Cyrcle of Life. This understanding can be scaled up to incorporate the whole universe, meaning when solar systems die, all matter speads into the universe, sometimes, somewhere this cosmic dust "condensates" again and forms a new type of order or even life. Of course nearly all religions and spiritual beliefs place humanity/human conciousness in the center, like its the pinnacle of "creation". Makes sense, since realising or insignificance would frighten ALOT of people. So the "miracle" of life was practically inevitable in the history of time and space. I am sure there is a bigger system than the Universe, incomprehensibly large. To me it makes sense that the human conciousnerss is incapable of understanding the true origin. The driving forces are love and hate (heaven an hell). The meaning is LOVE, love EVERYBODY !!! (sorry for spelling errors-English is not my 1st language)

@pineberry212 9 ай бұрын

The whole point of suffering, and living, is to grow as people, and to choose. You choose if you want to become bitter after something happens, or you choose to become a better person. Will you choose to be happy even when its inconvenient to do so? I've chosen to love everyone at a platonic level as a baseline, and I have to stick to that choice even when its inconvenient. I can still be disappointed in someone and love them. Love ain't black and white logic like alot of people treat others or subjects. (Some of you seem to be mad that he's shared his beliefs, and you know what, who cares, thats his beliefs, not yours. I am disappointed in you for being mad when he made it clear what the video is about) God isn't flawed for letting us suffer. You cant grow or make choices to become something bigger and better then you were before by being idle in a perfect world. I am also apart of Joseph's church, and if you know the basics of its teachings, then you should know that you choose to go through suffering in order to grow and become more then we were.

@fishstix4209 9 ай бұрын

Interesting,,,,but why would a god give my uncle 5 heart attacks while on a church mission to build wells for drinking water in a country in need??? Does that same god believe that children in need are unworthy of fresh drinking water???

@lizicadumitru9683 9 ай бұрын

Who's to say God gave your uncle those heart attacks..?

@fishstix4209 9 ай бұрын

@lizicadumitru9683 The church that ran the mission,,,,that's who....the same church that got him to go there to "do gods work" bringing drinking water to children and families in need....but hey, keep worshiping a god who's own book makes him out to be a cold blooded murder who has to make rainbows to remind himself not to drowned the whole world again only to restart it all with 1 family....

@fishstix4209 9 ай бұрын

@lizicadumitru9683 but hey, go slap a Bible and tell me "you read it wrong" or "you're misinterpreting the stories".....

@floramew 9 ай бұрын

I appreciate self reflection and thinking about theology without trying to proselytize. My own philosophy and theology is very different from yours, but this was still an interesting listen -- not to judge, but to understand a bit better. Just because I disagree doesn't mean I think you're wrong -- I don't think that's possible, from a purely belief standpoint. So, congrats I guess, on your firmly held convictions? I think I'm getting redundant but I wish everyone were free to talk about their faith (or lack thereof, for me) without judgement, regardless of what it is.

@janjoska2549 9 ай бұрын

Which one?

@jacobyoung7018 9 ай бұрын

Thank you

@TheKopakah 9 ай бұрын

Do you think Rhett and Link are going to burn in heck?

@lizicadumitru9683 9 ай бұрын

If they wish to be separated from God then they will be

@jameter21 9 ай бұрын

I respect you for sharing your story. Honesty and transparency is a necessary condition for social harmony, and I'm always interested to know more about the source of my information. My odd experience happened about 25 years ago. I awoke in early predawn hours and saw an apparition beside my bed. It looked like a young girl dressed in a white gown floating for a few minutes before fading away. When I turned on the news later, I found that a SwissAir flight had crashed into the ocean nearby, killing everyone on board. I never had another vision like that before or since. I'm not particularly religious, and although I remain curious about why that happened, I haven't found any reason to select one explanation over any other. Have you picked your explanation for your experience from among several options? Why were you drawn to the one you chose? As always, thanks for making this video and provoking thoughtful reflections.

@joshsk8erx1 9 ай бұрын

Amen. I appreciate your testimony. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

@MrDavidlfields 9 ай бұрын

No fear when you share your truth. Respect and love is what you have coming from me. Along with prayers. Stay Gold

@toddellner5283 9 ай бұрын

Nice try, but other people's experience including my own has given them very different certainties. And it is always very ... convenient ... that those personal experiences are always about a god or gods that the person has been trained to believe in or at least be familiar with. If you had had experiences about gods you had never heard of which mirrored those of people within cultures where those gods are known it might move the needle. But, alas, we are left with uncertainty and the need for faith. Doubt is the default state even for Believers.

@SotS1689 9 ай бұрын

I know you don't know me from Adam, but I love your channel. I also know that one of the most unloving things you can do for a person is to withhold the truth from them. The LDS church is not biblical Christianity and has a different Christ than the one revealed in the Bible - the Jesus revealed in the Bible is the eternal, self-existent second person of the triune God. I know you enjoy C. S. Lewis, let him lead you away from the LDS church.

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

Hi Taylor, I deeply appreciate your concern for my welfare, but I must question your information. I love c s Lewis. The great divorce, surprised by joy, a grief observed, the abolition of man, mere Christianity, the screwtape letters, and the Narnia books are all favorites of mine. Contrary to your information, I'm a Christian like yourself. Just with more scripture and some more questions answered. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. JB

@SotS1689 9 ай бұрын

@@GoodandBasic Thanks for the reply. I know KZfaq comments are just about the worst medium for having substantive discussion so I'll just leave it with a few words: I'd recommend reading (if you haven't) On the Incarnation by Athanasius and really comparing that exposition of early Christianity to what Joseph Smith taught. There's a great edition with an intro by Lewis. Second, if you do want to talk and dialogue about this more there are many of us (myself included) who would be more than wiling to do that (though my guess is you already have close relationships with some of those people instead of a random KZfaq commenter, still, I'd be willing).

@sevenarchers5953 9 ай бұрын

Hey JB, I've enjoyed watching your channel for some time and really enjoy your content and I agree this isnt the best format for these types of discussions, at least not for me. I am a 59 yr old Bible believing Christian who came to know Christ at the age of 15 and like yourself my faith is the center of my life. I have to agree with Taylor's comments, The Jesus presented by the teachings of the LDS church is not the same Jesus of historical, biblical, mainline, Christianity. They are very different. Also the tenants of Biblical, historical, Christianity and the tenants of the Church of Latter day Saints are very different, we are not of "One Lord, one faith , one baptism " Please note that I say this with all due respect and heart felt sincerity. I think that you are a very genuine, honest, deep thinking man who truly cares about society, and who's trying to live out his faith to the best of his abilities. I have prayed for you and your family (I'm father of 5 myself) especially after you shared about the health issues of your son. Even though we are both sincere "men of faith" and my seem to share many of the same "terms" between our belief systems they have very different definitions. I thought it was pretty brave sharing something so personal and "sacred" on KZfaq in this video. Definitely a "..pearls before swine.." moment. Even though I myself and people very close to me have had similar experiences you have to be careful with "experiences" satan is a great conterfeiter and deceiver. One of Christ's most severe warnings was that when all humanity stands before Him for judgment some will say "..LORD LORD we have even cast out demons and done miracles in Your name...." and His answer will be "..depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you..." I felt led to comment, which is something I normally don't do so I hope I didn't come across wrong, or too long winded. WRA

@OneElkCrew 9 ай бұрын

What you are telling is at least thoughtful and considering, which many religious people I met or watched don't care to do. If you were brought up in an environment where belief is normal, you will naturally tend to be a believer in whatever religion you were immersed in. People tend to fall for the sunk cost fallacy, this includes religion - if you were deep in the rituals, you will live them out. This probably includes your feelings of Jesus. Your mind was adapted to religious thinking then it is Jesus who was the source. Don't get me started on the book of Mormon... Not even a canonical American religious invention.

@DHD- 9 ай бұрын

I'm not going to argue against your religion or your experiences and what you attribute them to, because I have respect for everyone's beliefs, and it wouldn't change your mind anyway, but from my perspective your deductions are a fallacy in logic.

@jeanetteswalberg6166 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! ❤ From personal experience I know God exists. This knowledge has seen me through the everyday challenges of life as well as devastating experiences such as divorce and loss of a child to suicide. Terrible things happen. God doesn't prevent them. Instead he helps us through them.

@gingermaney3809 9 ай бұрын

Got cold chills my friend

@occamraiser 7 ай бұрын

I got as far as 3 minutes in. And then the comment 'Jesus says don't cast your pearls before swine' got me thinking. It is said in the context of how to proselytise and basically says - only preach to the people who are receptive to the message...... Well, that says it all. No self-sustaining world view that relies on reinforcement from the rest of the group, which has a closed loop mindset and where faith is more important than truth can survive exposure to people who aren't already inclined to buy into that cult. Jesus got it right, but it shows that Christianity is a cult based on getting vulnerable people (like children) and managing their thought processes into accepting the 'truth' that the group has chosen to propagate. I am afraid that this makes religion no better than MAGA. I'm sorry to rain on your parade, and I realise that this particular (excuse the term but from outside it seems valid) fantasy offers people a lot of comfort by telling them that nothing is their fault and everything has meaning, and the big one - you will live forever. But Priest-kings, Popes and Pastors have been making a very good living off everyone else for 7000 years, since the foundation of Ur and Uruk in Mesopotamia and the first time a temple was built. If you believe that only 1 of these thousands of Gods are real, please let me know which one and WHY that one?

@StillbornSloth 9 ай бұрын

the truth is important but theres so many people who know that their god is real but not the correct one. do u have any advice regarding how to explain to other people who believe in different gods that the existence of theirs isnt true

@hannesssss 9 ай бұрын

its highly egotistical to divide the world in good (for you) and evil (for you). without division we are back in paradise/ with god so to speak, is how i understand the paradise story in the bible. so dont be so egotistical about everything! how can it be that there is a god if there is "bad stuff"? because its just stuff, not inherently "bad" or "good". but i am not happy either, so maybe dont listen to me...

@GoodandBasic 9 ай бұрын

We did a couple of videos on this topic. There's one with a lightsaber fight, one about yin and yang, and one about good and evil as described in Tolkein. All likely worth your time. JB

@magnuswootton6181 9 ай бұрын

such a silly story, but I guess its true we do die, and god is real anyway. but will he save me? its not that im not a sickening loser, let me tell you.

@canadiangemstones7636 9 ай бұрын

Just HAD to preach, eh? Too bad. Unsubscribed.

@jameter21 9 ай бұрын

I didn't see this as preaching, just a person sharing their views on what obviously is a very touchy subject for some. Where is the hope for mutual understanding if we unsubscribe?

@lizicadumitru9683 9 ай бұрын

I'm not sure what's wrong with your hearing but I didn't hear no preach