Do you believe in God?

Terrible Terry Tate said:
Is that you, Fox Mulder? "I want to believe." It sounds like you're having to convince yourself that Christianity is correct, and thus, that God exists.
Click to expand...

No, it's not that at all. The universe is 13 billion years old, and we know this by how fast and far light has traveled, among other things.
Goes directly against Genesis, even if you consider a day in Heaven to be a 1000 years.
No, I'm simply suggesting that something cannot come from nothing, and since reality had a beginning, it was caused by something outside or realm of existence. And such a thing must have certain properties, which I described.
Anyways, I made a new thread on it, which I have actually yet to check :D

I do, however, have my own reasons for Christianity, which I probably will not discuss unless it becomes necessary in lieu of this subject.
 
no i dont believe in god.

Sum1sgruj said:
No, it's not that at all. The universe is 13 billion years old, and we know this by how fast and far light has traveled, among other things.
Goes directly against Genesis, even if you consider a day in Heaven to be a 1000 years.
No, I'm simply suggesting that something cannot come from nothing, and since reality had a beginning, it was caused by something outside or realm of existence. And such a thing must have certain properties, which I described.
Anyways, I made a new thread on it, which I have actually yet to check :D

I do, however, have my own reasons for Christianity, which I probably will not discuss unless it becomes necessary in lieu of this subject.
Click to expand...

im curious. youve said in other posts that people blindly follow science, and here you are doing what youve accused other people of. what happened there?

something can definitely come from nothing. especially

 
I cannot say that I "believe" anything quite adamantly without a form of proof. I do, however, have faith that we are not alone in the universe and that someone or something out there is more 'advanced' than us in all definitions of the word.

I've only just begun reading the Christian NIV bible. I haven't yet began the Qur'an, and hope to indulge quite a bit into world theology. Unfortunately, it's hard to gather the true essence of religion or history based on books that have been translated multiple times. D:
 
I used to believe in God. Then I used to deny it. Nowadays, I'm not certain.
I spent so many days trying to hate religion, and now I battle myself to don't hate... but I know I shouldn't blame on 'God' the hypocrisy of believers and the fanatism. I despise religion, I guess, but I can't hate God, I don't even know if God exists and I might spend the rest of life trying to understand that question.
 
I want to believe God is real, but so far, I haven't seen proof that He exists. If he is real, then he'd do something about the disasters we've been having.
 
I'm fairly indifferent on the matter tbh. Until someone can prove me otherwise god is as good as non-existent to me but you know what? At the end of the day does it really matter? Life goes on regardless if you believe one way or the other so you're better of just learning to kick back, relax and focus your energy on things that are you know, more productive than debating whether or not someone nobody can prove exists is actually here or not. Or I could just be laid-back to a fault but that's just how I see it.
 
If any god was real then why havn't they ansered back our payers?
Also there are too many gods that go by different names like Romans call the sun god Apollo and Greeks call him Helios (Or is it the otherway round?)

I don't even think there is a god now. There might be one who created all but nothing I have heard of.
 
Born and raised Catholic, I have to say I do.
For a period in my life I was Atheist, and then to an Agnostic. I have to say I have gone through many periods of being an Agnostic, and then switching back to Catholicism. Either way, I do believe in God. It's a hard thing to believe in something you've never seen, and that's why don't pester people or disagree with them if they don't believe.

However, I find myself annoyed many times when people have reasons not to believe that are caused by questions that are very easily answered. Many people have questions like, "Well why can't I see him?" or "Why is there evil in the world?" or "Why aren't my prayers granted?" (that was not referenced to the post above ^_^) or the most famous one, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" All of these questions are easily answered. Surprisingly, even I can answer them. (And that's saying something hahaha!) Many people don't look for answers. They simply think of a question, can't think of an answer off the top of their heads, and then throw it away altogether.

 
I'm an atheist, always have been. I was raised Catholic but never believed any of it, found it all rather farfetched. But that's just me. Each to their own.


Ichigo said:
Until someone can prove me otherwise god is as good as non-existent to me but you know what? At the end of the day does it really matter? Life goes on regardless if you believe one way or the other so you're better of just learning to kick back, relax and focus your energy on things that are you know, more productive than debating whether or not someone nobody can prove exists is actually here or not.
Click to expand...
^That, pretty much
 
I do not believe in god. The first time I could coherently think it through, I thought the idea of him was absolutely primitive. A single entity decides to create a universe with struggles, death, happiness, and all the general brilliance life has to offer. What (and I'm sure a lot of you have a biblical reference to answer this) universe did he come from? If the universe did not exist, that would suggest the theory of multiple universe's. And if his universe was already there, who created that?

I think the idea of this supernatural, super-moral being is insane. If he created us, something created him.(or her) I think God was created by man to give voice to their inner need for purpose, or answers. No one knows what happens when they die, and religion helps to fill that void of literally endless possibility's.

I mean no disrespect for people with faith, but I personally find the idea outrageous. And being part of a religion can put extreme boundaries on your life. I couldn't imagine not being able to do what I wanted to in fear of being damned.

I have no idea how or why we are on the earth, but I don't need to know. If there is a purpose, I think it will eventually come to me. And if I die, and find that there is a god waiting for me, then excellent. I don't feel the need to pretend I know the answers. And it works for me. Same as religion does for others.
 
I follow a god of justice. A god who cares for the orphans and the widows. A god who stands up against unrighteousness. A god who loves the loveless and defends the defenseless. I believe in a god who is a master, a friend, a father, and a hero. My god is infinitely powerful, infinitely loving, and infinitely just. He comforts me on the worst days and laughs with me on the best. He was there when I needed him most; I'm certain he's still here.

Do I believe in God? Yes. My God is the Lord, and I trust him. He has been and always will be my greatest ally. And my greatest friend, who is forever faithful and never leaves me, even though I've given him every reason to go.
 
I believe in God, however it is my firm belief that their isn't a single church or organization that knows a single thing about him. Outside of perhaps the barest, most obvious principles.
 
I don't believe there is a god, I believe evolution created us, not a god. I do have religious beliefs, but they do not include a god.

Xx..xX
 
Starburst said:
Born and raised Catholic, I have to say I do.
For a period in my life I was Atheist, and then to an Agnostic. I have to say I have gone through many periods of being an Agnostic, and then switching back to Catholicism. Either way, I do believe in God. It's a hard thing to believe in something you've never seen, and that's why don't pester people or disagree with them if they don't believe.

However, I find myself annoyed many times when people have reasons not to believe that are caused by questions that are very easily answered. Many people have questions like, "Well why can't I see him?" or "Why is there evil in the world?" or "Why aren't my prayers granted?" (that was not referenced to the post above ^_^) or the most famous one, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" All of these questions are easily answered. Surprisingly, even I can answer them. (And that's saying something hahaha!) Many people don't look for answers. They simply think of a question, can't think of an answer off the top of their heads, and then throw it away altogether.
Click to expand...

What are the answers to these things?
 
Nomnomnom, I forgot about this post :hmmm:

Why can't I see him? Well, you could come up with a whole bunch of strange answers, like we can see him and he's all around us or/ we can only see him once we've proved ourselves/yadayaydadyayda. Really though, it makes sense that with all the spiritual and religious teaching, God is a spiritual being that can't be seen. What would he look like if he were physical? :hmmm: Also, many people believe God lives in a different dimension, so it makes sense that we can't see him. All things of our world perish, and God can't. All physical things are vulnerable to harm and decay and other bad stuff that God can't do :rage:

Why aren't my prayers always granted? Well here we have a very vast answer, you know, God isn't a magic genie guru dude guy who grants all wishes. :-)wacky:) God has a plan, he doesn't control your life, but he does have a plan that he wishes for you. Another thing, God may not always do it in the right way, or the way you expect it. I know this creepily religious dude who prayed in all the hardest times in his life; once he didn't have enough money for rent and he prayed and the next day an anonymous envelope was left to him on his desk with the exact amount he needed. So I think God sometimes straight out helps us, or waits for the best time, or thinks that it's best that that prayer don't be granted. My old teacher always said Delay don't mean denial :wacky:
-But, that's different than prayers just being answered. My answer to that would be that we as people are flawed, and can't really hear God's answer, which goes back to my first point. God is spiritual, he's not just gonna talk to us.

Why is there evil? God made us with free will, and we therefore have the free will to do wrong. We always do wrong things, and we don't blame it on God. It's our fault. While yes, ultimately God could stop it, he then would have to stop our free will which is the whole reason behind us being made in God's Image.

My answers aren't that great, but they are answers. And if I can answer them, even this briefly, someone out there can do it loads better. These are just simple apologetics :hmmm: I suppose whether you like the answer or not is up to you, but they are answers, so that's why I don't think some people can say "There are no answers! rararara"

:star:
 
I think I've posted in this topic before, but perspectives change over time.

It really depends on what you mean by God. If you mean a God as given by any of the religions that exist today or has in the past, then the definitive answer for me is no.

But if you mean God in the abstract sense of some higher order that works beyond our current capacity to conceive its existence, then yes. And just to clarify, this higher order doesn't mean an all-powerful deity nor does it mean any deity exists at all. This higher order doesn't need to have a consciousness nor does it even care about morality either. Actually God in this sense isn't really a God at all.

After learning so about this world, you can't just help but notice the elegance of the universe and everything else natural. And our human creations pale in comparison. If you take a look at the substantive nature of mathematics, physics, biology, etc… the natural world holds a complexity that comes together into a cohesive working order. The more I learn about these subjects through my uni courses, the more I can't help but be awed by it all. It is just too elegant. (I don't want to confuse people in thinking that this is an "intelligent designer" argument. Because I don't necessarily mean that it was created by a God. Nor do I mean that there was a purpose in its creation all. It could possibly even have never been "created", in the traditional sense of the word. Just that there is something out there that we have yet to understand or possibly will never understand given the limitations in our human capacity. That there must be more in the universe than what we can even conceive of at this moment in time…beyond anything given by religion, morality, or even scientific language itself. Some might still say "wait, but that's God!" Sorry, but God's the superficial take on my meaning which is one of my driving points.)

Then when you look at man-made creations of morality, law, and society (and even science the theory, not to be confused with nature reflected by science), it's really child's play in comparison. There is a lot of waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary complexity. It gets the job done in helping us go from A to B, but it's pretty pathetic when compared to the working order of nature. (I'm not saying humans are not capable of creating great things that approach elegance. But it's a rarity.) This is actually one of the main reasons why I don't believe in any religions nor their conception of God. All religions give off the telling odor of being man-made. Of course this doesn't necessarily mean that any religion isn't true, but I personally find it compelling evidence that its origin and creator stems from man than anything else.
 
I consider myself, what I call, semi-Agnostic. I was raised Lutheran, and it's allowed me to develop a well-rounded moral foundation; so yes, religion has its "uses", per se. I also completely respect others' beliefs, because it's not my place to preach about the matter anyway. It's rude.

What I find difficult to do is praise something/someone that/whom may not exist. I need the physical evidence behind any claims, not words, and that includes the Bible, holy writings, religion of any type, etc. That's always how I am.
 
Stoic Hero said:
I follow a god of justice.
Click to expand...

So you follow Kira? :P Just kidding.

Yeah, I believe in a high power. But my idea of god is pretty much different from other's view of god. Mine is a mix of the Christian trinity, and the Wiccan one (yeah, it's a weird mix...right?). Basically I believe in a trio-male god, and a trio-female goddess. So I guess I'm polytheistic. I also believe in the possibility of other gods.

Do I actually know there's a god? No. So in that way I could be considered agnostic. It's just what I like to believe.
 
I don't believe in a God. Nor do I believe in Angels, Demons, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. I've never heard a strong, unbiased argument for the existence of a deity. I'd consider myself a strong atheist in that I believe the world would be a better place without religion, but I don't see religion dying off anytime soon.

The funny thing is that my best friend recently confided in me that he believes he has 'met and felt Jesus.' I'm dubious about the very existence of Jesus and find it difficult to even take my friends beliefs serious, but I try my best.

I guess I'm scientifically inclined and probably the most irritating thing about this is the common rebuke of the religiously minded which is "you're looking at things through the scientific perspective." There is no "scientific perspective" unless you mean looking at something rationally and without any prejudgement or expectation of a particular answer. You simply observe and test the available evidence and decide what you 'believe' based upon this premise. As far as I'm concerned anything else is wishful thinking or abstract nonsense.

I'm a hardliner sure, but lets face facts here. There is far more evidence in this Universe that points to a 'cold, uncaring Universe' than a 'God created, loving Universe.' If I were to believe in any deities at all it would most likely be ones similar to the Ancient Greeks as they at least admitted that the Gods were likely jealous and capricious.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top