Do you believe in God and why

[GinBoy2]

Thing is, we're all gonna be long gone, before they discover life on earth was seeded by some alien race, or that we are really just existing within some computer simulation running on someone's desktop.

 

So a bit of a belief in something greater than ourselves, aint that bad

[Skeptic7]

9 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I don't denigrate those who don't believe.

 

I struggle with it myself.

 

I don't try to force any of my conflicted Catholic ideas on anyone. In point of fact I only go to Mass on Christmas & Easter, that's about it.

 

What I do object to, are those that seem to feel and able to completely ridicule anyone that does have, as in my case a fallen Catholics' viewpoint as ridiculous.

 

We all believe in many things, and we should be able to express those beliefs whether or not you agree with them

Depends on how that "expression" is expressed. Force is unacceptable. Violence is unacceptable. Fear is unacceptable. Denying science and facts and teaching kids nonsense is unacceptable. Denying health care and limiting choices of those that don't share the same beliefs is unacceptable. And legislating/law making based on subjective superstitious beliefs is unacceptable. 

 

Peaceful expression, tolerance and good deeds...Acceptable. 

[mauGR1]

7 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Calling his God every nasty expletive I could and daring IT to strike me down. The usual nothing happened. 

That's not very nice, would you like somebody to insult your friends ?

But, i have to admit, i had very similar reactions for a while, when i was 5 , and going at pre-school at some sister convent.

[malibukid]

i believe in Charles Darwin

[digger70]

For me I say that one can only believe in something one can see, for the rest of an religion it's just an ongoing  brainwashing freight train to gather money and power , cause the lazy sods don't want to do a good honest day work. 

[Bangkok Barry]

On 4/14/2019 at 9:31 PM, CharlieH said:

No offence to those that do,  but for me, its just  "an invisible friend for adults".

 

A crutch for people who struggle to cope. If it helps them, fair enough. But it is also the greatest cause of war and conflict in the world, because one group believes that their invisible friend is better than your invisible friend. They all have their rituals - shaved heads, shoulder length hair, clean-shaven, long beards, a women's body must be hidden from view while others don't care etc etc etc. And all believe that theirs is the only right way.

I describe religion as mass insanity, suffered by most of the world. And mass insanity is a problem.

[Emdog]

"After all it is surely bizarre that despite an array of gods, I'm not aware of a country that doesn't have an 'official' one. The various stories can't all be correct!" Take a gander at US Constitution. No official religion, tho Pence & Co would like to change that.

The whole argument about tornado going through junkyard and coming up with 747 as proof is beyond absurd. Might as well ask "Why didn't Wright brothers build 747 instead of that flimsy biplane?" Because design of planes evolved over time. WWI "survival of fittest" in air combat prime example. Planes are not full of "junk DNA" unlike humans and other animals/plants, leftovers from earlier forms.

 Using God as fallback default when "I can't imagine blah blah" merely shows limit of imagination, not limit of reality. "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine".

 Folks might want to read Dr Lawrence Krauss book "A Universe from Nothing: Why there is something rather than nothing".

And idea bible is some sort of 100% true historically accurate guide to life might want to consult this fun site http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/index.htm

[andymon]

"Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe....and the vast majority will believe you!!

Tell them the paint is wet....and they have to touch it to be sure".

 

George Carlin

[animalmagic]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 9:32 AM, AGareth2 said:

so you believe in the Devil then?

Looking at the world around us there would appear to be more evidence to show he exists!

I vaguely recollect that I read Jesus wandered in the wilderness for ?? many days and nights subject to the temptations and enticements of the Devil.  From the world I see I cannot really believe that Jesus said no.????

[Bangkok Barry]

43 minutes ago, ThaiPauly said:

If there was why on earth did he create Hitler, Stalin, Attilla The Hun, and several other mass murderers?

 

A religious friend of mine says that kind of thing, along with cancer and kids being gunned down in school or buried in a mudslide and so on, is the work of the devil. A perfect cop-out.

[mauGR1]

11 minutes ago, malibukid said:

i believe in Charles Darwin

A popular comedian, once being asked if he believed in god said :

"Believe is a bit over the top, let's say that i appreciate him."

[Jonnapat]

Ask Mike Pence ????????????????

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, kenk24 said:

I am never sure what people mean when they use the word God. It rarely sounds like the same thing, concept, being, idea. 

Even more importantly...Neither do THEY. Not one person I've ever asked to explain describe and tell me what IT is...not one has ever been successful. They have no clue. Sometimes they utter some nonsense. No clue. They have no idea what they are referring to, nor why they believe it...so much as why I should believe it.  

[jingjai9]

I think it is important you don't confuse the institution of religion with the personal belief in a God or creator. As Thomas Paine said, "My own mind is my own church." When George Carlin said, "Religion, that's the biggest load of bullshit I ever heard." he seemed to be talking more about the institution of the church and contradictions in the bible, than questioning the existence of a cosmic force or intelligent design. When Marx said, "Religion is the opium of the people.... the sigh of an opressed creature," he seems to be discussing how the institution of religion acts as an agent of social control. As scholars have pointed out, you could not provide enough evidence in a court of law to prove beyond a resonable doubt that God exists. Personally I find it hard to believe there is a God, creator, or agent of intelligent design,but I find it even more difficult to believe there is nothing.  

[Skeptic7]

13 hours ago, NotYourBusiness said:

You said you liked the scientific method right? Plenty of real science has been done on this object. The DNA (constriction) and archeological evidence (worldwide floods) is incontrovertible. Why the disbelief?

More utter nonsense. 

[CharlieH]

If someone said they were going to talk to their invisible friend "Bill" and he said I mustnt do this or that as Bill would get upset,  and if I was good I will be able to go meet him one day etc you would probably be referred for psychiatric assessment, but change the name to God .......no problem!

[yodsak]

[Skallywag]

23 hours ago, CMNightRider said:

The Bible is scientifically accurate (Joe 26:7) (Isaiah 40:22).

 

 The Bible is historically accurate (Daniel 5:29) as an example.

And how is it that "Joe, Isaiah, and Daniel" prove their "accuracy" ...through some sort of "divine" knowledge that came from an unseen being?  

No worries - as Lily Tomlin says, "when we talk to God we're said to be praying, but when God talks to us we're schizophrenic"

[ballpoint]

21 hours ago, CMNightRider said:

What is note worthy, is there are no atheist in hell.

That's correct.  And there are none in the fairy caves at the bottom of the garden either.  Because neither of these places exist.

[ballpoint]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

i believe in Charles Darwin

One doesn't have to believe in Charles Darwin.  It's a fact that he was a living human being.  You don't even have to believe in his theory of evolution.  That theory exists, whether you believe it or not.  You can, and should, however, believe Charles Darwin was correct.  In that regard, he is already one step ahead of religion, where first one must believe in a mythical being, and only then being able to believe what that being allegedly did was correct.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2019 by ballpoint

[Thingamabob]

God or not, the fact is that many humans and most animal species live in fear and die in terror and pain. Not a great design to say the least.

[transam]

1 minute ago, ballpoint said:

One doesn't have to believe in Charles Darwin.  It's a fact that he was a living human being.  You don't even have to believe in his theory of evolution.  That theory exists, it isn't some mythical legend.  You can, and should, however, believe Charles Darwin was correct, or believe that the theory of evolution is correct.  In that regard, he is already one step ahead of religion, where first one must believe in a mythical being, and only then being able to believe what that being allegedly did was correct.

But what about Adam and Eve......????..........I mean they look like a nice couple in the books.....Perhaps they took out the Dinosaurs...

[Skeptic7]

On 4/15/2019 at 7:57 AM, 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.

You seriously need to brush up on evolution. In a nutshell... 

 

While all are Primates, Humans have a common ancestry with the great apes (no tails, larger brains)...not monkeys.

 

Speciation occurs thru gradual changes over vast amounts of time, until 2 similar species are descended from previous, but cannot interbreed with each other. This cycle continues. Some succeed...many fail. And on it goes. 

 

No credible scientist today believes that a monkey (or ape for that matter) could become a human. It totally does not work that way. We evolved (diverged) a few million years ago from an ancient common ancestor and continued on different paths. One lineage evolved into gorillas and chimps, while the other into hominids, which are our early actual ancestors. 

[transam]

1 minute ago, Thingamabob said:

God or not, the fact is that many humans and most animal species live in fear and die in terror and pain. Not a great design to say the least.

Salmon don't....????

[yodsak]

[ancharee]

Don't you just love Catholicism, and how many of those nice priests are locked up for sex abuse, god works in mysterious ways.

[mauGR1]

9 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

You seriously need to brush up on evolution. In a nutshell... 

 

While all are Primates, Humans have a common ancestry with the great apes (no tails, larger brains)...not monkeys.

 

Speciation occurs thru gradual changes over vast amounts of time, until 2 similar species are descended from previous, but cannot interbreed with each other. This cycle continues. Some succeed...many fail. And on it goes. 

 

No credible scientist today believes that a monkey (or ape for that matter) could become a human. It totally does not work that way. We evolved (diverged) a few million years ago from an ancient common ancestor and continued on different paths. One lineage evolved into gorillas and chimps, while the other into hominids, which are our early actual ancestors. 

Sorry, you completely missed my point, and your parroting of some debatable evolution theory does add nothing to the discussion.

But i got that you don't believe in an intelligent design, and you have a blind faith in the ayatollahs of official science.

So, what came first, the egg or the chicken ?

[CMNightRider]

3 minutes ago, ancharee said:

Don't you just love Catholicism, and how many of those nice priests are locked up for sex abuse, god works in mysterious ways.

Satan is most active in the churches. The only person who walked the earth that was free of sin was Jesus Christ, and He died for our sins.  Those who reject Jesus, will have an eternity to regret it.   ????

[transam]

1 minute ago, CMNightRider said:

Satan is most active in the churches. The only person who walked the earth that was free of sin was Jesus Christ, and He died for our sins.  Those who reject Jesus, will have an eternity to regret it.   ????

Good grief man......Is it OK if I/we question it.....?

 

How do you know Jesus was free of sin....?

[marcusarelus]

14 minutes ago, mauGR1 said:

Sorry, you completely missed my point, and your parroting of some debatable evolution theory does add nothing to the discussion.

But i got that you don't believe in an intelligent design, and you have a blind faith in the ayatollahs of official science.

So, what came first, the egg or the chicken ?

Basically, many, many moons ago there was a chicken-like bird. It was genetically close to a chicken but wasn't a full-blown chicken yet. But when the genes from ma and pa almost-chicken fused, they combined in a new way, creating a mutation that accidentally made the baby different from its parents. Although it would take millennia for the difference to be noticed, that egg was different enough to become the official progenitor of a new species, now known as... the chicken! So two birds that weren't really chickens created a chicken egg, and hence, we have an answer: The egg came first, and then it hatched a chicken.