Do you believe in God and why

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, Elad said:

If God exists then he's a rubbish planet builder! - he's placed our planet at a nice distance from the sun for life to flourish, but why the hell did he build the crust on tectonic plates. We get earthquakes, Tsunami, death and destruction with innocent people dying. He should be ashamed of himself. ???? 

Experimental stage.

 

God repents..

 

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists in the Universe is that nobody has ever tried to contact us"

 

Sam Waterson.

[bendejo]

God and sports are 2 things that there is no place for in my life for.  I went through the Catholic thing when I was a kid: they tell you all this stuff that may not be logical, and they really don't like it when you ask questions.  I had to show some feigned enthusiasm for soccer when I lived in Brazil for the sake of socializing.

But in all sports when a team wins it's because god was on their side.  You have to wonder what he had against the other team.

But it sure makes for an easy answer for why ANYTHING turned out the way it did: it is god's will.

 

People can pray, that's their business, and I don't call people out on it.  My exception is for hypocrite Christians and such who do things like claim they love "all god's creatures" while attending segregated churches, or justify doing nasty things with bible quotes.  E.g. a former attorney general of the USA claimed that the bible says to keep Latins out of the country.

It's the people who who claim god talks back to them that scare me.  A few years ago I ran into this Norwegian guy in Cambodia who made such claims.

 

But remember, if there was no Jesus there would be no US Constitution.

 

 

[55Jay]

1 hour ago, mauGR1 said:

Ok, i am with you in mocking the imposters, who use god and religion for personal gain, and the fanatic, ignorant followers who hate followers of other cults.

In fact i'm not religious at all, but i am curious about the origins and developments of various cults.

I'm not religious either and while I'm curios, I'm not driven to entertaining the suggestion that there's a superior being out/up there "somewhere".  A designer, intelligent or otherwise.  That's mainstream, organized religion and they don't know anymore about Origins than I do.  Many of them admit they would persist with their religious/biblical explanations even in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary.  That's why they are mocked, and they are worthy of it. 

[Credo]

4 hours ago, quandow said:

I believe life had some sort of intelligent design, and as I've pulled human remains out of a submerged plane crash and observed the lack of life, there is something about humans having a soul. It's even been weighed. As much as the method used to weigh the soul was sloppy science, I think the bible is sloppy narrative. Jesus was a short dark guy, not the European with flowing brown hair currently selling His book. It's been rewritten so many times with so many inconsistencies that it's difficult to fathom anyone taking it 100% seriously. There ARE many good parables, the lessons are good standards to apply to your walk through life. Do I believe we were created? Yes. Do I believe in the Judeo-Christian interpretation of God? No.

I am curious about that 'soul'.   Is it in our DNA?   Is it individually given by God?   Did our ancient ancestors, like Neanderthal Man have one or did it start later?   Why don't animals have 'souls'?   Is that just a handy excuse for humans to exploit, kill and mistreat them because they don't have a soul?

 

[Elad]

I think we are in period of the universe's evolution where life can exist, not just on this planet but anywhere in the cosmos. The matter we see today that makes up the galaxies, stars, planets and life are made up of the same elements (atoms). In fact all the elements heavier than hydrogen within our bodies are forged in the heart of stars through nuclear fusion and when stars die the heavy elements are ejected into the cosmos.

So basically we owe our existence to the stars because life wouldn't be here without them.   

[gunderhill]

6 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

That's because your education on the subject is severely lacking.

Try watching nature, it will give you answers.

nice and vague

[Puchaiyank]

I have tried to wrap my mind around the creation...scientist have their big-bang theory...theologians look to their god as the creator...science can not create anything...only fashion things from materials already present.

 

Man's desire to understand creation has resulted in numerous world religions...their gods must be amused at their infantile attempt to explain the infinite with finite minds...

 

Is there a God or gods?...God only knows!   ????

[ThaiBunny]

Look at this from the perspective of eye-witness testimony in court. Is it credible? Yes and no. It's known that eye witnesses over-think what they've seen, going over and over it in their minds, reconciling all the inconsistencies, until their testimony is what they believe they saw that makes sense to them, not what they actually saw.  The origins of the "god" aspect of religion are the same, and we've arrived at different outcomes because there are different witnesses with different perspectives.  That doesn't take away from the role of religion in human society, which has among other things traditionally been a form of bonding, a way to delineate between those who belong to "us" and those who are outsiders, "them". 

[canuckamuck]

It is the trend of these times for folks to display how woke they are, how their very average intellect has devised that there is no God. But this is certainly not logical or critical thinking.

If you could even try to imagine what would be necessary for a being to create, not only matter, but the natural laws that this matter must obey, and then not only chaotic matter but systems and order and billions of unique galaxies. Each thing under the control of his will.

And then the earth with its life forms which are endlessly fascinating and interrelated. They interact on so many levels from the single-celled to the colonies of creatures that work as one entity.  

This being, who was able to not only able to comprehend the complexity of the universe, down to the last detail and to endow it with physics and chemistry and mathematics, sentience, philosophy, and emotion. This being would have to be able to suspend scientific law at will and observe it all from a multidimensional view at all points in time.

How absurd that one of these resulting organisms, with many magnitudes less intelligence, can at some point decide that a being like that is impossible, based on their experience and study.

It is one thing to not follow a religion or a world view, but it is quite another to assume no God exists. The only honest approach would be to say that one does not know enough to make that decision.

[Aforek]

7 hours ago, 55Jay said:

As to the voice in your head, possibly attributed to your brain and a strong survival instinct providing you a burst of energy/adrenaline.  I don't believe this is limited to humans.  I'm no expert so I stop there.

It's what a friend of mine told me, maybe it's survival instinct … 

but does survival instinct calmly gives advice in a moment of panic ? 

 

[mauGR1]

5 hours ago, 55Jay said:

I'm not religious either and while I'm curios, I'm not driven to entertaining the suggestion that there's a superior being out/up there "somewhere".  A designer, intelligent or otherwise.  That's mainstream, organized religion and they don't know anymore about Origins than I do.  Many of them admit they would persist with their religious/biblical explanations even in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary.  That's why they are mocked, and they are worthy of it. 

Well, the debate between 'believers' and 'atheists' has been going on for ages, without any conclusive proof of one theory or the other.

Darwin theory of evolution seemed to answer everything, until the discovery of the DNA showed that a monkey cannot become a human.

So, the ones who put all their faith in the scientists are deserving some good mocking, just as much as the ones who blindly believe the explanations of religion.

[marcusarelus]

Many people have PhD's in religion of different kinds and have studied all of their lives to understand the nature of god and religion.  Many of those people are Catholics.  I find it difficult to discuss religion with people who aren't Catholics kind of like discussing prostitution with people who don't live in Thailand - little expertise.  Catholics make angry atheists because they spent so much time discussing religion in comparison to other churches.  I was taught religion by professionals.  When you disagreed with them they beat you till you stopped.  Although that was better than burning at the stake for mouthing off about common sense and easily recognizable physical phenomena.  Maybe we could have another ThaiVisa dark ages. 

 

[marcusarelus]

6 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Well, the debate between 'believers' and 'atheists' has been going on for ages, without any conclusive proof of one theory or the other.

Darwin theory of evolution seemed to answer everything, until the discovery of the DNA showed that a monkey cannot become a human.

So, the ones who put all their faith in the scientists are deserving some good mocking, just as much as the ones who blindly believe the explanations of religion.

It is the teapot thing.  You propose a loony idea like there is a 3000 foot tall gorilla running the world from a place so far out in space that I will never see him and ask me to disprove it and say your argument is as good as mine. 

[marcusarelus]

Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse.[1][2][3] Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called Christian apologists.[4] In 21st-century usage, apologetics is often identified with debates over religion and theology.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics

 

I was through all of this stuff by the time I was a freshman in college. It's all nonsense cloaked in big words to make dirty old men and ladies money. 

 

Without a god you can't have religion so ..... people who tout the existence of a god are supporting religion of all kinds whether they know it or not. 

[mauGR1]

5 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

It is the teapot thing. 

No, it's not.

Many scientists know that "intelligent design" is quite likely, only there is no way , so far, to prove it, or disprove it.

[marcusarelus]

15 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

No, it's not.

Many scientists know that "intelligent design" is quite likely, only there is no way , so far, to prove it, or disprove it.

No they don't. 

[55Jay]

51 minutes ago, Aforek said:

It's what a friend of mine told me, maybe it's survival instinct … 

but does survival instinct calmly gives advice in a moment of panic ?

If you had resigned yourself to give up and relaxed, possibly.

 

Similar dynamic often reported by people during dangerous/stressful situations, is they perceived events and communication slowing down (slow motion) when, in reality, that wasn't the case at all.

 

Have you ever carried on a conversation with actors in a dream?  Some of them seem very real, it can take you a moment to realize it was just a dream.  Dogs and cats can be very animated and vocal during vivid dreams.

 

Again, I'm no brain scientist or rocket surgeon, but have heard about these things over the years, and most of us have experienced our brain playing "tricks" on us.

[stevemac]

When I asked my friend to prove there was a god, he came up with the standard "you prove there is not". Followed closely by I dont have to prove it, that's why it's called faith.
Well I choose to disbelieve. I dont have to prove it that's why its called scepticism.


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[stevemac]

We are the highest form of intelligent life on the planet, yet we did not create everything we see around us, so who did? There has to be a creator. Take a look at the human genome, it’s too complex to have just happened by accident.
 
Having said that, I look at life and consider that perhaps God has a sick sense of humour…. as do many who post here!
 
Guru Rajneesh said... "Life is a lemon, squeeze the whole juice."… Not bad advice that.
 
(Looking at some people’s behavior, - I use the words “intelligent life” with considerable reservation!)

Study the science, from enzymes in the environment to single cell animals and onward.

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[GinBoy2]

I'm always and have been for most of my adult life confused about belief.

 

I'm one of those tortured Catholics.

 

Intellectually, I know it's ridiculous, but I always know I'll be heading off to Easter Sunday Mass next week.

 

Go figure......cos I can't!

[Pilotman]

10 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

We can't understand the concept of infinite, we can't understand lots of other things.

I think it's logical to think there are superior beings, and an intelligent design.

You don't throw around randomly screws and bolts and metal planks to build an airplane, right ?

People who mock God, mock something they don't understand.

have you heard of the B737 Max, they sure did it to that bag of bolts. Sxxt happens.  

[Lacessit]

Every religion claims to be superior to all others. Because Islam post-dates all other major religions, it asserts the claim it is the last word of Allah to mankind.

Roman Catholics subscribe to the concept of original sin, the only religion to do so. Say what?

Do I believe in God? No. Do I believe there are phenomena that cannot be explained by science alone? Yes.

I am wondering when true AI is created, whether it will develop an interest in religion. I think not.

Religion IMHO is a form of mental cancer. To me, its worst aspect is the brainwashing of children.

[Tagged]

10 hours ago, mauGR1 said:

We can't understand the concept of infinite, we can't understand lots of other things.

I think it's logical to think there are superior beings, and an intelligent design.

You don't throw around randomly screws and bolts and metal planks to build an airplane, right ?

People who mock God, mock something they don't understand.

And people who believe in God, mocking people for something they just believe ???? 

 

It is a confusing world isnt? 

[GinBoy2]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Every religion claims to be superior to all others. Because Islam post-dates all other major religions, it asserts the claim it is the last word of Allah to mankind.

Roman Catholics subscribe to the concept of original sin, the only religion to do so. Say what?

Do I believe in God? No. Do I believe there are phenomena that cannot be explained by science alone? Yes.

Religion IMHO is a form of mental cancer. To me, its worst aspect is the brainwashing of children.

I struggle with this

 

What I would say however, that religion, whether or not you believe as an adult, as a child it provides you with a moral compass, which at least for me, has served me well through my life

[bert bloggs]

I would love to believe ,but i dont , as one poster said you have to have faith , well thats always been the "cop out" of believers and the church , you cant prove it , so just do as your told and hand over your money , I love "the confessional" it was so that God could forgive you your sins , or maybe it was so the priest knew all your secrets and could hold them over you .

well as much as i dont have faith that i will win the lottery ,i dont have faith in something you cannot prove exists,

shame it would be so nice.

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, Tagged said:

And people who believe in God, mocking people for something they just believe ???? 

 

It is a confusing world isnt? 

Not really. People who believe in God can look down on non-believers with a sense of moral superiority, however unwarranted that is.

[Pilotman]

Humans are a biological accident.  Physics, chemistry, biology, natural selection, all working to modify, create, destroy, re build, We humans are just the latest manifestation of those processes on a insignificant lump of temporary rock in Space, none of which we understand at all. Because we can think feel, experience,  remember,  we invented a God, well lots of them, to try to explain the unexplained and to give us comfort that we are special, different to other animals and live after death.  It's all rubbish. Humans will not last as a species.  We are too dangerous to the natural order of things and too destructive to ourselves and those around us. 

What gets my hackles raising is the people who say that God is looking out for them and thanking 'God' for some nice thing that has happened to them.  We have all heard them use that phrase on a TV report after a sporting event.  Like God singles them out for glory while leaving young kids to die horrible deaths in other parts of the World.  It truly is cringing to hear.

No, there is no God or Gods.  Organised religion is an evil that causes misery and pain the world over. Believe in a God if you wish, but don't try to foist it on others. 

[ivor bigun]

Wow,i just finished my breakfast and came on to the internet,i never dreamed there would be such a response. Glad to see that so many have faith,it must be such a comfort( thats a genuine thought not sarcasm)
Trouble is i cannott dee how anyone can believe as there are so many Gods and everyone of that faith has believed theirs is the real one

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[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I struggle with this

 

What I would say however, that religion, whether or not you believe as an adult, as a child it provides you with a moral compass, which at least for me, has served me well through my life

It's quite possible to develop a moral compass without religion. My parents were not religious. They gave me values which have served me well through my life as well.

The claim of a moral compass is looking very shaky for the Roman Catholic Church, when you have several of its most senior figures convicted of active pedophilia, or concealing the actions of others in the fold.

[AGareth2]

11 hours ago, villagefarang said:

Hellllll No????

so you believe in the Devil then?