(This isn't directed at Sky, but to anyone... and all the examples are hypothetical)

People say (obviously) that God exists and that the Bible is His word.

I know people have been trying to answer this, but still, how *do* you know that God exists? A person might say, 'Well, I have faith that God is there, and I trust in Him.' But still, how do you know that trust is real? How do you know that that feeling of warmth in your soul is just not imagined because you need support? And how about answers to prayers... people have been saying that God answers their prayers. How do they know that is so? If they hear a voice in their head saying, 'It'll work out for the best' or something similar, how can they be certain that it is God saying that? Might it not be their own mind answering them and reassuring them that they can go on? Imagine that say, a person has a dying friend, and might pray to God that the friend be saved. And the friend does indeed recover. A believer might put this down to God interceding and saving the life of the friend. But perhaps the friend just recovered anyway? How could one know?

Also, people talk about there being a loving, benign God. It's said that God *wants* to love us. If there is such a Being, why should God want to love us? Why should he love everyone? Isn't it enough, if He did so, that He made the Universe? And what is the point of making the Universe anyway? People tend to think that, if God made the Universe, that they are the centre of it and they are also at the centre of God's Will, but isn't that just fulfilling their own need to feel loved and secure in a world which is totally meaningless if there is no cause for them to be there? Why should a God want devotees anyway? Why should he want to create a Universe and have people venerate Him? Isn't it a bit scary to think that a God wishes millions to worship him? The Bible claims that people have free will, but might that not be so that people don't think they are slaves and so rebel?

I know there are a lot of questions and I don't expect them all to be answered, if even they can be... but I have been thinking over them for a while, and answers would be useful, as long as it doesn't start a conflict...