Do you believe in God and why

[giddyup]

19 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Definitely they can be compared to the  spanish inquisition in the middle age.

Do you mean torturing people to confess their sins?

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It's more that we get upset about people who believe in something irrational and people who ignore science.

If they would do that only at home then fine.

The problem are those believers who are in charge all over the world. It's like waiting for St Claus to bring presents and then being surprised when he does not show up.

But why do they care so much about other people -  live and let live

[fredwiggy]

22 minutes ago, giddyup said:

How does "free will" have anything to do with when you die, other than those who choose suicide? Does a 5 year old child choose to die from leukemia? How do you know what "god" decides? Pure fiction, all of it.

Free will puts you in daily situations, some of which are hazardous to your health and future. Some choose to take drugs because others have said it makes you feel good. Some drink too much, to escape the reality of everyday life, and that can shorten your life in many ways. Some go in the armed forces, work as policemen, or drive for a living, all putting you at more risk than other jobs. I don't know why God does or allows things to happen. He's God. He made everything and he's in charge. Of you, me and everything else alive. Some go with that and honor him, and some rebel, because "No one tells me what I can or can't do". That's free will. like we all have. Some are foolish with it, some are more protective of their lives. Doesn't really matter, we all die. How you live is what matters, and if you believe in the afterlife, like most do, you prepare yourself for it. If you don't believe, you live your life any way you want, and unlike a Christian who knows there's a place after this short life, an atheist doesn't care, because they believe we all just "happened", and when they die, they go nowhere.

[giddyup]

Just now, fredwiggy said:

Free will puts you in daily situations, some of which are hazardous to your health and future. Some choose to take drugs because others have said it makes you feel good. Some drink too much, to escape the reality of everyday life, and that can shorten your life 

I don't need an explanation of what free will is, I was responding to the poster who said we choose when we die. Wrong, most of us don't. I really am sick of the expression that "god moves in mysterious ways".

[teatime101]

10 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

If you don't believe, you live your life any way you want, and unlike a Christian who knows there's a place after this short life, an atheist doesn't care, because they believe we all just "happened", and when they die, they go nowhere.

What an absurd thing to say.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, teatime101 said:

What an absurd thing to say.

I don't say absurd things. Not being a Christian, you can't understand the feeling we have, nor the faith. You, like myself, wants answers because you personally have to see it to believe it. I go on faith, believing what I have only heard about and not seen, by small miracles that have happened, and the fact that the universe and everything in it had to have a creator, because it's "absurd" to think otherwise. That this life is short for a reason, that 80 or so years can't compare to forever. You think when you die you'll just cease to exist, that you have no soul? I know I do,and when you see God for the first time, you'll know.

[mauGR1]

4 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I don't say absurd things. Not being a Christian, you can't understand the feeling we have, nor the faith. You, like myself, wants answers because you personally have to see it to believe it. I go on faith, believing what I have only heard about and not seen, by small miracles that have happened, and the fact that the universe and everything in it had to have a creator, because it's "absurd" to think otherwise. That this life is short for a reason, that 80 or so years can't compare to forever. You think when you die you'll just cease to exist, that you have no soul? I know I do,and when you see God for the first time, you'll know.

Although i would say it in a different way, i fully agree with your principles.

[BritManToo]

53 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I don't say absurd things. Not being a Christian, you can't understand the feeling we have, nor the faith. You, like myself, wants answers because you personally have to see it to believe it. I go on faith, believing what I have only heard about and not seen, by small miracles that have happened, and the fact that the universe and everything in it had to have a creator, because it's "absurd" to think otherwise. That this life is short for a reason, that 80 or so years can't compare to forever. You think when you die you'll just cease to exist, that you have no soul? I know I do,and when you see God for the first time, you'll know.

Have you ever considered that other people just don't really care one way or the other?

I don't care if there's a god, I don't want answers, I don't care about forever.

And if there is a god, I'll never see him, 'cos I'd be batting for the opposition.

[fredwiggy]

27 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Have you ever considered that other people just don't really care one way or the other?

I don't care if there's a god, I don't want answers, I don't care about forever.

And if there is a god, I'll never see him, 'cos I'd be batting for the opposition.

I know people don't care. Some have been hurt in their lives or seen loved ones hurt, and they blame God. Some can't fathom that God can be so powerful, and some fear him. When you battle for the opposition, you're on Satan's side, and he of all people does not care about you, and it's a losing proposition.

[teatime101]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

Not being a Christian, you can't understand the feeling we have, nor the faith.

Again, you are spouting rubbish. I was a Christian as a young man for about ten years or so. I understand how it feels to have religious feelings and experiences. I called out your absurd generalisations about atheists, not your own beliefs, which you're perfectly entitled to.

 

Making fewer assumptions certainly won't hurt your faith. It may even help with your attitude to your fellow man, as a bonus.

[mauGR1]

6 minutes ago, teatime101 said:

Again, you are spouting rubbish.

 

7 minutes ago, teatime101 said:

your attitude to your fellow man,

[fredwiggy]

How do you know about other atheists? All you know is how you feel yourself. The definition..................a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods. What generalization are you referring to? That definition is what I go by. My attitudes towards my fellow man are generally honorable. I honor a man that takes care of his family and is good to others, who respects life and animals. What a man believes in is his personal business. I can't save anyone's soul besides my own. This topic is Do you believe in God and why. That I believe is what I and every other Christian has been posting.

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

When you battle for the opposition, you're on Satan's side, and he of all people does not care about you, and it's a losing proposition.

So same as being on god's side then.

Edited May 8, 2020 by BritManToo

[fredwiggy]

Just now, BritManToo said:

So same as being on god's side then.

One is pure evil. Satan tempts people to do hurtful things,and when you go to be with him in hell, from what the Bible says about it, ...............But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ...............And about Heaven.............................He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The Bible also tells us that heaven is the dwelling place of God. His throne is there, the angels are there, and the Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven. Philippians 3:20 says very plainly that "our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." That's why Jesus told the thief on the Cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43)..............................I know where I want to go.

[WhereIsMyRyeBread]

On 4/14/2019 at 9:25 PM, ivor bigun said:

It has fasinated me for years that people can believe in god and that Jesus was born to his virgin mother .

When you realize that there are so many billions of planets across hundreds of billions of light years.

It must be great to believe in a God and that one day you will be reunited with your loved ones a lady once said to me that she knows she will meet Jesus when she dies,i thought gosh he must be busy sitting down with the billions of people who die.

Do you really believe in him or any of the other Gods ?

 

Who the heck knows,  but one interesting things often brought up is the occurrence of the Fionacci sequence in nature.

Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it.  The Fibonacci sequence appears in the smallest, to the largest objects in nature allowing symmetrical shapes in leaves and that famous 'spiral' 

If you as a programmer sit infront of a computer with a programming language available to you, no matter how long you wait, the program won't evolve and start write itself infront of your eyes without someone programming it.

 

One thing I do know, many people who grapple with the big questions gets sucked into a whirlpool of depression. 

If 'God' existed in the biblical sense, it's a complete sadist - needless to say. 

 

 

 

 

 

[mauGR1]

38 minutes ago, WhereIsMyRyeBread said:

If you as a programmer sit infront of a computer with a programming language available to you, no matter how long you wait, the program won't evolve and start write itself infront of your eyes without someone programming it.

So in fact you clearly have a few clues that intelligent design must exist, but you last reference to God, implies that you'd never admit it "officially".

It seems a contradiction to me, although i am ready to admit that contradictions are signs of intelligence.

 

[WhereIsMyRyeBread]

1 hour ago, mauGR1 said:

So in fact you clearly have a few clues that intelligent design must exist, but you last reference to God, implies that you'd never admit it "officially".

It seems a contradiction to me, although i am ready to admit that contradictions are signs of intelligence.

Paradox is the name of the game, I'd be weary of anyone who argues in absolute terms either way as all we have are our thoughts.

There definitely  seems to be a design behind it and therefore an intelligence, call it God or call it some force or underlying laws of the realm of reality we're yet to understand.
There's an increasing number of people who believe we live inside a computer program!  A guess good as any.

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by WhereIsMyRyeBread

[mauGR1]

7 minutes ago, WhereIsMyRyeBread said:

Paradox is the name of the game, I'd be weary of anyone who argues in absolute terms either way as all we have are our thoughts.

There definitely  seems to be a design behind it and therefore an intelligence, call it God or call it some force or underlying laws of the realm of reality we're yet to understand.
There's an increasing number of people who believe we live inside a computer program!  A guess good as any.

 

I absolutely love paradoxes, as much as good music or art.

Perhaps the whole existence is a paradox in itself, as your post reminds me of the apparent reality that we have a sort of "unity of intents" and in the same time a "conflict of interests" between one's physical body and his inner selves.

[Sunmaster]

3 hours ago, WhereIsMyRyeBread said:

One thing I do know, many people who grapple with the big questions gets sucked into a whirlpool of depression. 

What is this depression? Don't we all go through some sort of depression or existential crisis, when our old world view becomes too restrictive and too small to make sense of the world around us? These are moments of great confusion when we have more questions than answers. Until something happens within...something just clicks...and we can order the troublesome ideas into a new system, a new paradigm, a new world view that can make sense of and effortlessly integrate 2 previously opposing forces.
I see this depression you talk about as something to be welcomed, as it is a sign of change. How long one wallows in that depression depends on how eager he is to accept change. Only change can bring forth true growth and evolution. 

Edited May 8, 2020 by Sunmaster

[mauGR1]

8 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

What is this depression?

Every person with a heart would feel depressed just looking at the material, ruthless world we are living in.

When i am really tired, i imagine sitting on the sunny side of the moon, and look at our planet. Having a good laugh at how some people think they are so important. Legends in their own mind.

Thanks God there are many ways to look at the "reality".

[Sunmaster]

59 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Every person with a heart would feel depressed just looking at the material, ruthless world we are living in.

Maybe not depressed, at least not in my case. I do get very frustrated when I'm confronted with world events and blatant injustices that seem so common in our society. For that reason I prefer not to taint my consciousness with the negative news. Reality though, is that I don't try to find news, but the news find me...unfortunately.
I don't think it means I'm sticking my head in the sand. I consider it as selecting the quality of information that enters my brain. Getting all worked up about some act of police brutality in Detroit for example, does absolutely nothing for my own peace of mind, nor can I change or do anything to right the wrong. I rather work in my garage, garden or read a good book. I recently distanced myself from a couple of friends on facebook who were spreading some conspiracy theories (5G and vaccines). I really couldn't stand the whining anymore.

Perhaps that is also one of the reasons I can keep my optimism alive. Or maybe I'm just a selfish and naive <deleted>. LOL
I do believe that in the grand scheme of things, the best and the worst things that happen to us, are relatively irrelevant, and that in the end, everything will turn out in the best way possible. After all, we're all headed towards the "Omega point", the point of cosmic perfection. 
 

[mauGR1]

2 minutes ago, Sunmaster said:

Maybe not depressed, at least not in my case. I do get very frustrated when I'm confronted with world events and blatant injustices that seem so common in our society. For that reason I prefer not to taint my consciousness with the negative news. Reality though, is that I don't try to find news, but the news find me...unfortunately.
I don't think it means I'm sticking my head in the sand. I consider it as selecting the quality of information that enters my brain. Getting all worked up about some act of police brutality in Detroit for example, does absolutely nothing for my own peace of mind, nor can I change or do anything to right the wrong. I rather work in my garage, garden or read a good book. I recently distanced myself from a couple of friends on facebook who were spreading some conspiracy theories (5G and vaccines). I really couldn't stand the whining anymore.

Perhaps that is also one of the reasons I can keep my optimism alive. Or maybe I'm just a selfish and naive <deleted>. LOL
I do believe that in the grand scheme of things, the best and the worst things that happen to us, are relatively irrelevant, and that in the end, everything will turn out in the best way possible. After all, we're all headed towards the "Omega point", the point of cosmic perfection. 
 

Fair enough mate, we are all part of the "one" so it's ok to accept and celebrate our diversity.

In fact i am in part involved with the physical world, and in the same time constantly connected to the spiritual realms.

Whatever, keep up the good work.

[Skeptic7]

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Those who appear to believe in science are just as irrational IMHO.

I'd prefer to have someone who 'trusts in God', than someone that thinks 'wearing a face mask and staying at home'.

I'd rather have neither...

[Skeptic7]

7 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I don't say absurd things. Not being a Christian, you can't understand the feeling we have, nor the faith. You, like myself, wants answers because you personally have to see it to believe it. I go on faith, believing what I have only heard about and not seen, by small miracles that have happened, and the fact that the universe and everything in it had to have a creator, because it's "absurd" to think otherwise. That this life is short for a reason, that 80 or so years can't compare to forever. You think when you die you'll just cease to exist, that you have no soul? I know I do,and when you see God for the first time, you'll know.

Yes you do say absurd things. You just proved it...again. Totally absurd. 

[mauGR1]

2 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Yes you do say absurd things. You just proved it...again. Totally absurd. 

12 words. Twice "you" and twice "absurd". And 1 emoji.

Masterclass.

As Goebbels used to say : "Repeat a lie a 1000 times, until people will believe it".

 

[Skeptic7]

6 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I know people don't care. Some have been hurt in their lives or seen loved ones hurt, and they blame God. Some can't fathom that God can be so powerful, and some fear him. When you battle for the opposition, you're on Satan's side, and he of all people does not care about you, and it's a losing proposition.

Absurd. 

 

Prove your god claim. Prove Satan. Prove any afterlife. 

 

If they bring you comfort and help you cope...fine. But it's just superstitious beliefs. 

[Skeptic7]

7 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

12 words. Twice "you" and twice "absurd". And 1 emoji.

Masterclass.

As Goebbels used to say : "Repeat a lie a 1000 times, until people will believe it".

 

You can count AND read! 

[mauGR1]

Just now, Skeptic7 said:

You can count AND read! 

As Oscar Wilde used to say : "Every time i see a cabbage, i think of you ".

[DaRoadrunner]

8 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

when you see God for the first time, you'll know.

There are upwards of 7 billion of us. I doubt the man upstairs has the time and probably would not even bother to meet most of us. You might meet some Angel at the pearly gates who will assess what you achieved on Earth and (in my case) dispatch me to Hell.

 

Ah Roadrunner... you're on the list. Ex car salesman and whore monger.... take him down!

[Sunmaster]

1 minute ago, DaRoadrunner said:

There are upwards of 7 billion of us. I doubt the man upstairs has the time and probably would not even bother to meet most of us. You might meet some Angel at the pearly gates who will assess what you achieved on Earth and (in my case) dispatch me to Hell.

 

Ah Roadrunner... you're on the list. Ex car salesman and whore monger.... take him down!

Yep, selling cars has definitely sealed your fate, mate. I'm sure there's a special place in hell where you'll have to sell Trabants to millionaires. ????????????