Do you believe in God?

[Darth Ultor]

Well, through talking with people of several faiths, by reading the Torah, and from my favorite video game, I deduced that God is an intelligent Force intertwined and united with all things both physical and spiritual through the whole realm of existence, and that has direct and complete control of everything at every time. Kinda like karma on steroids. My faith in God is unquestionable after a few experiences I had in life (I don't believe in luck), but whether I believe the God is something to be worshiped, I don't know. I think simple awareness is adequate.

 

[Nilladar]

Religion is a funny thing, Religion can be a saving grace to a lot of people but why do most people believe? Is it for the fact that they want some answer to one of lifes mysteries, what happens when i die? Or is it to have someone to look towards when things are not working out for them? "It is Gods will." one of my favorite quotes, and also answers if i believe in God is such:

Religion convinced the world that there's an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there's 10 things he doesn't want you to do or else you'll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! ...And he needs money! He's all powerful, but he can't handle money! [George Carlin, fromalbum "You Are All Diseased" (it can also be found in the book "Napalm and Silly Putty".]

Its a really funny thing when you think about it. People create wars over religion and its really sad that this happens. Everyone always wants people to convert or they will burn in hell and will not be saved. Is that really how an "All loving Creator" would see the world?

Also what happens in todays society if someone says "I am the son of God." we laugh and persecute them for saying such things. But didnt Jesus say the same thing and now its one of the largest religions? I know what your going to say, "yes, but Jesus performed miracles so thats how we know." My answer to you is but were you there did you see these? no we read about such things in a book. I can write a book saying i performed miracles and in a couple thousand years no one would know.

I dont mean to criticize anyone and what they believe in, this is simply how i feel and it makes a bunch of since to me.

 

[der Astronom]

Well, through talking with people of several faiths, by reading the Torah, and from my favorite video game, I deduced that God is an intelligent Force intertwined and united with all things both physical and spiritual through the whole realm of existence, and that has direct and complete control of everything at every time.

Is that not what a man calls a metaphor?

I find the explanation of scientific theories such as the thermodynamic laws, evolution and physics in general adequate enough to explain what we see. It doesn't answer everything, but a man does not need to invent a metaphor to know these things; he still does not know, but chooses not to admit it.

There is no control involved; that is just what a man perceives.

 

[.Ted]

Religion convinced the world that there's an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there's 10 things he doesn't want you to do or else you'll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! ...And he needs money! He's all powerful, but he can't handle money! [George Carlin, fromalbum "You Are All Diseased" (it can also be found in the book "Napalm and Silly Putty".].

That is just an excuse from them so they can get money. Sadly, many people fall for it. I can see how wrong that logic is. They could be greedy, and a really devout Christian would know that greed is not good. So, in case there is a heaven and hell, these people are just digging their own graves.

Its a really funny thing when you think about it. People create wars over religion and its really sad that this happens. Everyone always wants people to convert or they will burn in hell and will not be saved. Is that really how an "All loving Creator" would see the world?.

Sad when it happens, indeed. God usually never mentions why he does what he does. Even if the whole world believed in Him, he's not going to give a direct explanation. Heck, I want to know why there's religion wars and such just as much as you do.

As for the whole concept in hell, I really never approve they should scare people into believing. People should be able to enjoy their lives. If they want to explain about hell, they should do so when no one believes it exists. And I mean if devout Christians themselves don't believe it exists. Chances are, most people have already heard of hell, and no one should delve into details.

Also what happens in todays society if someone says "I am the son of God." we laugh and persecute them for saying such things. But didnt Jesus say the same thing and now its one of the largest religions? I know what your going to say, "yes, but Jesus performed miracles so thats how we know." My answer to you is but were you there did you see these? no we read about such things in a book. I can write a book saying i performed miracles and in a couple thousand years no one would know..

Not surprisingly, the Bible mentions something about that. Christ mentions no one should listen if someone claims to be Him.

Jesus just preached in Israel. A lot of the Jews didn't believe Him, died because of that. To answer your question, a lot of people just chose to believe. Not everybody believed Jesus was the Messiah or our Savior. The fact that people believed means SOMEthing, though probably not a lot in people's eyes.

I dont mean to criticize anyone and what they believe in, this is simply how i feel and it makes a bunch of since to me.

No harm done. You made some excellent points. I know your reasons for believing what you believe and I have mine. I'm not going to go biblical on you.

 

[Tmoo]

EDIT: agnostic atheist as far as i'm concerned. whether or not god exists i could care less about, though, so i might also be called an apatheist. 'god' can be a number of things depending on what people define it as.

 

[Nilladar]

No harm done. You made some excellent points. I know your reasons for believing what you believe and I have mine. I'm not going to go biblical on you.

I believe we can be friends, because your not up all in my face about it

 

[GBJoker]

No, I don't accept the idea of a god or versions or interpretations of any deity or god like figure. In fact, I don't believe anything. There's no reason to.

There's no evidence of a god or gods or versions of god, much less proof. Yes, evidence and proof are different.

PS: I loathe agnostics... Talk about EVIDENCE, not proof, of people having serious mental problems by not wanting to take sides and make others look down on them, even though most people wouldn't care in the long run.

 

[Tmoo]

I loathe agnostics... Talk about EVIDENCE, not proof, of people having serious mental problems by not wanting to take sides and make others look down on them, even though most people wouldn't care in the long run.

Aw, i'm hurt just 'cause i choose not to care if god exists or not, doesn't mean i'm trying to please anyone. Agnostics have a right to not care just as much as atheists have a right to not believe.

 

[GBJoker]

Aw, i'm hurt just 'cause i choose not to care if god exists or not, doesn't mean i'm trying to please anyone. Agnostics have a right to not care just as much as atheists have a right to not believe.

I'm sorry, but... Okay, I'm not, but, it's not something you can just say "I dunno" to. Do you believe in Santa Claus? Yes/No? Do you believe in aliens? Yes/No? Do you believe in the fact that I am actually the summon Titan from FFVII and have been responsible personally for all the earthquakes these past ten years? Yes/No?

Do you believe in a supposed being whether male or female or non-sex, who has created the whole of the universe, including all physical laws to dictate how the universe interacts within itself, but who some how exists out side the universe, and therefore, according to it's own creation of laws, is physically unable to interact with anything inside the universe? Yes or No? Nothing in between.

Same as second paragraph but, god lives inside universe, and is therefore limited to it's own laws of creation? Yes or No?

Same as above, but God is the universe (nature, etc), who is/are the laws of the universe, yes or no?

Lookit, you can be iffy or in between on opinions. Who is your favourite actor, or what is your favourite FF game. "Eh, Will Smith is pretty good, but he's nothing compared to FFVI." But beliefs are black and white. No grey. Or gray.

 

[der Astronom]

I think Richard Dawkins answered this best. We don't know if there are actually fairies at the bottom of the garden. So we are agnostic with respect to the fairies. But we don't have to believe in things we don't know about, so it's perfectly fine to say we don't believe in them. Which is what I believe to be the same about god; I don't know if god exists; he probably doesn't, judging by the huge library of scientific information we have now, but I can at least say I don't believe in things I don't know to exist.

If that's not the kind of agnosticism you were thinking of, then I'm afraid I can't defend your taking offense to someone pointing out that it's cowardly for a man not to have any beliefs.

 

[Tmoo]

cowardly for a man not to have beliefs, you say? i have my priorities and my morals, those are my personal beliefs at any rate. on the topic of god, i have no clue, and don't care. i can see where you're coming from, and i can safely say i don't believe in god as long as i don't see him around, but i'm not going to shut my proverbial door to the possibility that a being like that can exist. however, is it cowardly if i were to refuse to answer? cowardly in what way? what is it that i would be scared of?

I'm sorry, but... Okay, I'm not, but, it's not something you can just say "I dunno" to. Do you believe in Santa Claus? Yes/No? Do you believe in aliens? Yes/No? Do you believe in the fact that I am actually the summon Titan from FFVII and have been responsible personally for all the earthquakes these past ten years? Yes/No?

santa claus - nope
aliens - who knows? i don't care
ghosts - who knows? i don't care
you're the titan - i've never met you, so i wouldn't know

Do you believe in a supposed being whether male or female or non-sex, who has created the whole of the universe, including all physical laws to dictate how the universe interacts within itself, but who some how exists out side the universe, and therefore, according to it's own creation of laws, is physically unable to interact with anything inside the universe? Yes or No? Nothing in between.

Oh? Are you referencing religion? I don't associate the concept of god with religion. My definition of a god is not one who has created the universe and rules all humans, rather it is a self-aware being with properties (physical, mental) that surpasses our level of understanding and ability to comprehend. I also believe that in all likelihood if this being exists they probably don't know about us and don't give a hoot. You might say it's an alien. But for all we know, it could be that an alien possesses the powers of what you would classify as 'godly'. And in the end, it still doesn't matter to me. So, to answer this part of your interrogation, no.

Same as second paragraph but, god lives inside universe, and is therefore limited to it's own laws of creation? Yes or No?

I don't define god as the ruler of all creation, so no.

Same as above, but God is the universe (nature, etc), who is/are the laws of the universe, yes or no?

No.

But beliefs are black and white. No grey. Or gray.

On the contrary, i'm allowed to believe whatever I want. I base my beliefs off my experiences and science, but I'm fully open to the idea of a 'god'. Does that satisfy you?

In the definition that God is the ruler of all creation, I don't believe in it. I define God as being a life-form/conscience that can do things/is beyond our ability to comprehend, and simply that. It is not the ruler of all creation (it could be, but i doubt it). I am not one who believes in an absolute ruler but doesn't know what to do about it (which i believe is the type of agnostic you're referring to). And, finally, as to whether a god (my definition of god) exists, I cannot say. If you really want me to answer, I would say the same as I did earlier in this post, I don't believe in one as long as I don't see it. That is, however, a very dull and unimaginative conclusion.

 

[Makuta Teredax]

My belief in religion is valid to the point of origin it is simply impossible for there to be a god that claims to be almighty because.
a) If he simply was, why weren't we simply beacuse as well.
b) There is no proof of him ever existing.
c) Ten Commandments you say? i say ten great ways of keeping people in line.

But then again my belief in science is also flawed at the point of origin.
a) I cant believe that evolution occurs when there was nothing to evolve from, like god an atom cannot simply exist and create an explosion.
b) Science cannot make a person come to life.

 

[Nocturne]

Honestly, Im not sure anymore.

I can honestly believe there is a God from a religious or a scientific standpoint. It wouldnt surprise me. I am brought up Catholic, so I have that background. But besides that, I could see God existing. It doesnt have to be the Catholic God, but it wouldnt be too hard to believe.

Even scientifically like I said. Who is to say a being didnt evolve and then somehow gain the power to create things. Our view on science is extremely limited since we dont know how far things go, so I dont think science can prove nor disprove existence of a God.

Personally, I chose to believe there is something that has created everything. But at the same time, Im not so steadfast in that belief. But thats also normal. Everyone has doubts on things they believe at one time or another.

 

[Stoic Hero]

Regardless of the countless, unending arguments, God is still the only legitimate answer for the creation of the world. No scientist anywhere can show you how the world was created. They can only provide you with theories, and theories aren't facts.

I, personally, refuse to believe that our gigantic universe was made by chance. Everything, from the entire universe to the smallest molecule, was made with precision and care. The earth is exactly where it needs to be and on the exact axis with the exact amount of gravitational pull to sustain life. Quite possibly we came from smaller beings, but those beings had to start somewhere. There had to be a beginning, as science disproves spontaneous generation. I'm not going to argue with anyone, I'm simply giving my knowledge. Counter-arguments to my observations would be "Science just doesn't know yet", "God is only a theory", and "This is only your opinion."

To the first, I would ask "Are you willing to wait until you die for science to find out?"

To the second, of course I can't prove the existence of God. I would think it would be obvious a higher being exists, but it appears others don't see the world as I do. Remember that gods don't play by the rules, they create the rules, so really you won't get anywhere asking me to show you God or prove my faith or anything. That's just not how he operates.

To the third, yes I suppose so. But the facts speak for themselves. We really do exist in a universe filled to the brim with artistic expertise. Science is so consistent, so exact and absolute, that it would be almost impossible for all that we are to be just random chance.

 

[der Astronom]

Regardless of the countless, unending arguments, God is still the only legitimate answer for the creation of the world. No scientist anywhere can show you how the world was created. They can only provide you with theories, and theories aren't facts.

A man should not expect a scientist to know everything. If he does, he has completely missed the point of science.

I, personally, refuse to believe that our gigantic universe was made by chance. Everything, from the entire universe to the smallest molecule, was made with precision and care. The earth is exactly where it needs to be and on the exact axis with the exact amount of gravitational pull to sustain life.

The exactness with which the Earth exists need not be the only option; it is one of many that is necessary for life. It just had to happen once, and it did. I do not see so much of chance in it; there may be a chance of a man winning the lottery, and it isn't much; but at least one person wins it. In comparison, there are trillions and trillions of planets on which this could have happened.

Quite possibly we came from smaller beings, but those beings had to start somewhere. There had to be a beginning, as science disproves spontaneous generation. I'm not going to argue with anyone, I'm simply giving my knowledge. Counter-arguments to my observations would be "Science just doesn't know yet", "God is only a theory", and "This is only your opinion."

To the first, I would ask "Are you willing to wait until you die for science to find out?"

I am just as content not knowing, or knowing that I won't know, so I don't see the point of that question. I may be the same as Plato, who believed that everything was made of four basic elements, and then be completely wrong, and never figure that out by the end of my life.

To the second, of course I can't prove the existence of God. I would think it would be obvious a higher being exists, but it appears others don't see the world as I do. Remember that gods don't play by the rules, they create the rules, so really you won't get anywhere asking me to show you God or prove my faith or anything. That's just not how he operates.

Then how is it not more obvious that a world that can operate without these rules with rules is simpler and more likely than one that is created by some being on whim, and arbitrarily?

To the third, yes I suppose so. But the facts speak for themselves. We really do exist in a universe filled to the brim with artistic expertise. Science is so consistent, so exact and absolute, that it would be almost impossible for all that we are to be just random chance.

Isn't that a bit subjective?

 

[Icarus]

Of course I do. Someone's gotta be watching the world, thinking, "Crap, what a mess." I love going to activities at my church, and the fact that even the most smart scientists cannot come up with a 100% solid theory of how the world began further reinforces my belief.

 

[Stoic Hero]

Isn't that a bit subjective?

Eh, perhaps, but I challenge you to find anyone who can create realism as realistic as, well, reality.

 

[Tmoo]

that's akin to asking a person to create art as artistic as art. or asking a god to not believe in god. it's redundant...

 

[der Astronom]

Eh, perhaps, but I challenge you to find anyone who can create realism as realistic as, well, reality.

A man should not claim to know what the universe is, if he really does not know.

Or else it should be obvious it's just your opinion.

 

[lost4life]

i dont. I believe in good and bad energy. And our energy goes somewhere after death, like recycled or something. And certain energy gets stuck here, creating what people call ghosts. But god, no. I mean, where does god live? what created him? What is god exactly?