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Response to comment [from pagan regarding Buddhist's prayer]: "I see the divine (for lack of a better word) in nature and not separate of it."

God is the creator. He is separate from his creation. When man rejects God, he worships something else (e.g. the planet, animals, etc.).

It is a positive step to inquire of the real Jesus. Wickwoman's prayer was to the creator of the heavens and the earth. That is not a tree or a force. That is a real prayer to a real person who can hear you. God will not hear the prayer of the wicked (Pr 15:29); but if a man is interested in righteousness and repentance (Lk 15:10), God will make himself known (Ac 17:27). Even the creation knows who to praise (Ps 96:12)...

Response to comment [from an atheist]: "Doctrinally speaking, this leaves me confused. Would the Christians here say that this shows that wickwoman was once a true Christian, despite leaving the faith? Or is this merely that supposedly innate sense by virtue of which Paul wrote that "men are without excuse"?"

The apostle Paul spoke about men's responsibility before God (Ro 1:20). We go to heaven or hell based on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Only God knows the heart of a person. As Christians, our only measure is fruit.

God is living, personal, relational, good and loving. Is he remote and uninterested in the goings on in our lives? No. He cares for us. He is active and present in the lives of believers. Does he hold all of the universe together? Yes (for now 2 Pe 3:10). God is not a "force". He is a spirit (Jn 4:24).

God knows our thoughts and heart toward him (Ps 139:23). He is all-knowing, all-powerful and present everywhere.

Response to comment [from other]: "God is not separate from His creation, God is more than His creation."

God is the creator. We are the creation. God cares for his creation like a shepherd cares for sheep. Greek pagans believed things like: "God is over creation," and "God is over time." No, his creation is real and time is real (Re 8:1). We don't live in some Star Trek alternate quantum reality.

"[Y]ou've decided that a certain set of perceptions constitute reality and that anything not included in that set is fantasy or illusion. There was a time when the vast majority of people on this planet believed that the perception of an essentially flat Earth constituted reality. We should, in my opinion, be extremely wary of "common sense" when it comes to confidently defining reality."

I believe we were given the correct perceptions for where we live. Anything beyond the existence we know is theory. There is a physical world and a spiritual world (which we are forbidden to attempt to communicate with (Ge 41:8, 24, Ex 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18-19, Le 19:26, Deut 18:10, 2 Ki 17:17, 21:6, 2 Chr 33:6, Isa 47:9,12, Jer 27:9, Ac 8:9-11; 18-21; 13:6-12; 19:19, Re 9:20, 21, 18:23, 21:8, 22:15).

It is a myth to believe that the Bible ever stated that the earth is flat. Job settled the debate long ago (Job 26:7). When men depart from God's word (e.g. evolution), they get it wrong. God's word stands the test of time after thousands of years of attacks.

"Are angels beyond the existence we know? Are they theoretical?"

God's word makes it clear that angels are real (Ge 2:1). Men should seek God and his righteousness first (Mt 6:33) and worry about angels later. Secular scientists have a bias to exclude the possibility of anything supernatural.

[Not participate in the occult] "Better not listen to Jesus then! All this praying, 'Our Father, Who art in heaven...'"

God is the creator. Angels are the creation. When men rebel against their creator, they invariably worship the creation (e.g. self, dirt, etc.).

"[Roman Catholic Church] in positions of power - were ready to condemn and persecute those pioneering scientists who put forward crazy ideas about the earth going round the sun."

When an individual or church organization departs from the word of God, trouble and violence follow (Ac 21:35, 2 Sam. 22:3, He 11:34). I do not defend the Roman Catholic Church.

"You clearly do not believe angels are theoretical, so do you consciously commune with angels?"

No.

[Worshiping self and/or dirt] "Yes, and that includes the creations of the fearful carnal mind."

What fearful creation of the human mind would you be referring to?

"And what exactly does the phrase, "the word of God", mean?"

The 66 books of the Bible.

See:

Why Isn't the Apocrypha in the Bible?

Did Constantine Decide What Books Belonged in the Bible?

[Eccl 1:5-7]

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again [Eccl. 1:5–7]

It is very interesting that these accurate observations come from the days of Solomon. Dr. Arthur T. Pierson comments on this fact:

There is a danger in pressing the words in the Bible into a positive announcement of scientific fact, so marvellous are some of these correspondencies. But it is certainly a curious fact that Solomon should use language entirely consistent with discoveries such as evaporation and storm currents (vv. 6–7). Some have boldly said that Redfield’s theory of storms is here explicitly stated. Without taking such ground, we ask, who taught Solomon to use terms that readily accommodate facts that the movement of the winds which seem to be so lawless and uncertain, are ruled by laws as positive as those which rule the growth of the plant; and that by evaporation, the waters that fall on the earth are continually rising again, so that the sea never overflows. Ecclesiastes 12:6 is a poetic description of death. How the “silver cord” describes the spinal marrow, the “golden bowl” the basin which holds the brain, the “pitcher” the lungs, and the “wheel” the heart. Without claiming that Solomon was inspired to foretell the circulation of the blood, twenty-six centuries before Harvey announced it, is it not remarkable that the language he uses exactly suits the facts—a wheel pumping up through one pipe to discharge through another?

There are three very interesting statements in verses 5–7.

1. “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down.” There is a monotony in nature, but also that which you can depend upon. You can count on the sun coming up and you can depend on it going down—we still use that terminology although we know that the coming up and going down of the sun really is caused by the rotation of the earth. We are standing on a pretty solid piece of earth, and it looks to us as if the sun comes up and the sun goes down. The terminology has accommodated man in all ages. The amazing thing is the precise, regular way that the sun appears and disappears; it is obeying certain laws.

2. “The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north.” Today we know that the wind follows certain patterns. Even with our modern gadgets we are not able to predict it well enough to forecast the weather as we would like to. Here in Southern California where we have a monotony of good weather, the weatherman misses the exact prediction about half the time. I have watched this very carefully over the years. The Lord Jesus said, “The wind bloweth where it listeth”—that is, where it wants to blow. It is blowing according to laws. “And thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth …” (John 3:8)—we can’t tell where it is coming from and where it is going. As I am making this study of Ecclesiastes, we have had quite a bit of disturbance across the country. Here in Southern California we never get rain in June or July or August—but we’ve been having showers! I couldn’t believe it when I got in my car the other night and had to use the windshield wipers. The weatherman tells us that there is a low pressure here and a high pressure there. There is movement; winds are blowing. “The wind bloweth where it listeth.” Or, as Solomon put it, “The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north.” At one place the wind is moving south, and in another place it is moving north. In Arizona they even had flooding in desert communities, all because of the wind. It is obeying certain laws as it is blowing. How did Solomon know that? He didn’t have the gadgets which we have nor the background on which to base his conclusions.

3. “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full.” Solomon is tacitly speaking of the law of evaporation, of the elevation of moisture into the air. Then the wind comes along, blows that moisture over the land, and it pours out on the earth. The whole process follows certain definite, specific laws. There is nothing haphazard happening, although we may think so. Including verse 4, we have four remarkable statements concerning the laws of nature that make sense and fit right into what men know today. Compare this with other writings that come from one thousand years before Christ. You will find a great deal of false conclusions and superstitions in contrast to the accuracy you find in the Word of God.

McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. 3:108-109

"[H]ow is it that you believe without a doubt that angels are real if you also assert that, 'Anything beyond the existence we know is theory'?"

I believe that angels are real because the Bible says that angels are real. What the Bible says, God says. Our perceptions are real. God's word is real. Anything beyond what the Bible reveals about our world and the spirit world are man's best guess.

"Why does the Bible have unique authority?"

The Bible has authority because it is God's word. It is inerrant and infallible. The Bible provides all that we need to live the Christian life.

"[The word of God] is indeed where God truly communicates with you. You don't need the external stuff from self-appointed theological authorities who insist a certain interpretation is the only one God approves."

I believe that the word of God is primarily how God speaks with his followers. Do we need an interpreter? No (1 Ti 2:5). The Holy Spirit is our teacher (Jn 16:13). Is it wise to go to wise elders for guidance? Yes, but I would go to one who has a worn out Bible. There are plenty of false teachers, even in the church. Also, we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together with like-minded believers, especially considering the times that we live in (Heb 10:25).

"[Others] who insist a certain interpretation is the only one God approves..."

We are commanded to agree (1 Pe 3:8). If we differ in our interpretations, I think it is because of our fallen natures. I believe that if we ask God for wisdom with a sincere heart, he'll give it to us (Jas 1:5).

Response to comment [from a Hindu]: "[Bible inerrant and infallible] That is a 'belief' held by some, refuted by others. Because it was written through men, it cannot be wholly inerrant and infallible. To believe such is a pipedream, and really not even necessary."

Christians believe that the Bible is God-breathed. It would be easy for God to dictate to a man what to say and write it down. But the Holy Spirit, the author of scripture, spoke through men with their personalities in tact. We believe that the Bible is true. People can be sincere. But they can be sincerely wrong. Jesus said he was the one and only way to heaven (Jn 14:6) all other ways lead to death (Mt 7:13). It is a bold claim that he can back up by rising from the dead--that is his proof.

[Holy Spirit makes the Word of God real] "Sure, all inspired writings that have some truth in them will bear an 'inner witness', but saying that only one compile of books is 'God's Only Word', is an incredible assumption. Those of us who have studied and made ourselves available to other religious writings and inspired records know otherwise,......by our own discovery."

When we are indwelled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can know for certain that we are saved (1 Jn 5:13). We can share the good news (Mk 16:15)--that Christ died, that he was raised and that because of his payment for our sin, we can live with him forever. No other god has proven love for man (Ro 5:8). The God who created the heavens and the earth has (Ac 17:24).