Does God exist? you decide...............

[binky]

Hold on a sec.
Which god are we talking about here?

Allah?
Yaweh?
Gaia?
Thor?
The Godess?

 

[Locky]

Yes

Fair enough

 

[perseus]

Although not an atheist let me have a go at this one.

Conscience and compassion come from within...they come from the heart.
Different people show different amounts, this I believe to be because they are either higher or lower evolved spirits.

The heart just pumps the blood around. Some metaphysical philosophers maintain their is a difference between essence and existence. I haven't the foggiest idea what they are talking about. God might be able to exist without you or I (I don't care) believing him or not, whatever it may be. Um ....

 

[bhaexpress]

Are you saying that people who believe in God are not average rational thinking humans ?

Yes I'm afraid I am. It's about as rational as me saying I've been abducted by aliens isn't it ? No tangeble proof.

If I was to start a religion that worshipped little Green men from Mars I'd be considered at the very best excentric but probably just plain mad. When you consider the crackpot thinking of the likes of the more extreme Christian sects alone, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Scientologists would honestly say that they make much sense ? And let us not forget those Bible Belt types who play with poisonous snakes as they believe that they won't get bitten ? They don't seem to et a whole lot of devine intervention whenthey get bitten (as they often do) do they ?

As I say, worship whoever and whatever you want if it makes you happy. I have two Born Again Christian relatives and finding Christ has done them the power of good so I am not anti religion except when it impacts on me. I am a relapsed catholic as it so happens but I have no problem accompianing my relatives to church if I visit them, it's doesn't hurt me and I go of my own free will as I know it makes them happy.

 

[maffew]

Let's face it, there is no tangeble proof that any 'higher authorirty' exists hence simple logic tell you that it's all a myth. Seeing as the majority of believers accept the words that were written thousands of years ago written for people who probably couldn't read anyway and with the very primative means of communication that were all that was available at that time it is very hard to convince the average rational thinking human being that any such entity exists.

But, as I said earlier believe what you want to believe as long as you don't bother me, it's your choice.

agree

 

[perseus]

Yes I'm afraid I am. It's about as rational as me saying I've been abducted by aliens isn't it ? No tangeble proof.

Anybody in touch (tangible) with God? Except George Bush that is.

 

[maffew]

I have had it proven to me...............
He came into my life and it was proof enough for me.

fair play Locky, each to their own and not knocking what you believe in, but that argument is not gonna stand up in court.

I just cant get my head round it, it seems to me like thousands of years ago people needed to be able to explain things and werent scientifically evolved enough to prove things so religion was born. Theres a lot of sense in a lot of what the bible though the 'god' stuff seems cult like to me

 

[Locky]

Yes I'm afraid I am. It's about as rational as me saying I've been abducted by aliens isn't it ? No tangeble proof.

If I was to start a religion that worshipped little Green men from Mars I'd be considered at the very best excentric but probably just plain mad. When you consider the crackpot thinking of the likes of the more extreme Christian sects alone, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Scientologists would honestly say that they make much sense ? And let us not forget those Bible Belt types who play with poisonous snakes as they believe that they won't get bitten ? They don't seem to et a whole lot of devine intervention whenthey get bitten (as they often do) do they ?

As I say, worship whoever and whatever you want if it makes you happy. I have two Born Again Christian relatives and finding Christ has done them the power of good so I am not anti religion except when it impacts on me. I am a relapsed catholic as it so happens but I have no problem accompianing my relatives to church if I visit them, it's doesn't hurt me and I go of my own free will as I know it makes them happy.

Religion has a lot to answer for and I agree with a few of your points.
I know a lot of non believers who are more christian than most christians.
However believeing in God is one thing actually worshipping is something else.

As regards to aliens and abduction, if someone told me it had happened to them I would keep an open mind and not immediately put them under the heading of crackpot.
After all the probability of Aliens exisisting is quite high, and who am i to immediately assume they are lieing

 

[Crawley 'Gull]

Not very christian this god then - love me or face the consequences!

It's not quite like that though.
Although God is a God of love(Jesus was proof of his love) He's also a God of justice.

IE If God exists should he allow Murderers into heaven? What about rapists, liars, thieves ETC. Where do we draw the line as to what God should punish or not. Isn't that setting our own standards for morality. All sin is sin to God and each one of us has deliberatley disobeyed God. (as we each have a conscience, Con-science means 'with knowledge').

'Religion' is just man's way of trying to earn their way to heaven whereas Jesus was God's way of reaching man. He was the only one who lived a perfect life and it's through putting our trust in him that we are saved.

 

[the full harris]

I thought the question was 'does God exist?', not 'is the bible true?'

Different questions, surely?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What a wonderful place NSC is.

I'm impressed that so many people have spent Friday afternoon considering the question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

Praise be to Bozza and the gifts he has brought us.

 

[Yorkie]

42

 

[brighton2win]

no

 

[Half Time Pies]

Does it really matter if God exists or not? I mean I find the idea of there being a God no more or less believable than the idea that everything around me now was created by chance.

What I cant believe though is that if there is a God and he is the great and pure entity that people say he is that he would create the world and everything in it and sit back and say:

"Im great for doing all this and I want people to tell me how great I am, and if they dont build me Temples and Churches and sing me songs once a week - then they are going to Hell the ungrateful Bastards!"

I mean if god is really like that then what a tosser!

I cant remember who said it but there is a famous saying that goes like this:

"the good man has nothing to fear both in life or in death"

I think the world would be a better place if more people started to concentrate on being 'good' rather than being obsessed with who's faith is correct or who has all the answers.

 

[dougdeep]

Man created god, and peace reigned. Another man created another god and there was never peace again!!!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

What I cant bear is that people assume as you must be a christian to lead a "good christian life"

I feel compassion and want to help others and be kind to my fellow human beings, because I am me, and due to my up bringing. I dont need a bible(self help manual) to tell me how to lead a good life.

I have been drunk in the pub, have I sinned? Will I go to hell if I do not beg forgiveness?

I remember a friend (born again) of my sisters prayed for the bus to be late as she was running late for her interview. Sure enough the bus was late and she later thanked god. To have the arrogance that a mythical being would make a bus late for you, yet not answer the prayers of people searching for their loved ones lost in the tsunami is beyond comprehension.

Whenever a conflict arises/war or something, the root of this is religious and I have no time for this sort of starry eyed view of the world.

We have evolved, we are here to reproduce and that is that.

Last summer, I was walking through Covent Garden and I spotted a religious man with a stall and banner. saying "Only Jesus can make the deaf hear". Now I lost most of my hearing when I was 19. I walked up to him and questioned him about his claim. He said "Let God into your life and you shall hear". The only thing I felt towards this man was sorrow, as he was foolish enough to believe that.

I shall not be praying tonight. I make my own destiny and do not rely on this myth.

 

[SK1NT]

My decision doesn't matter.

If God exists and I decide that He doesn't that doesn't prevent Him from existing does it?

I can decide that lions don't exist but it doesn't stop them existing.

Play on words? Yes, but that was what the thread asked....

why lions yorkie


seriously i odnt go to church, keepin a bible in my room is about as religious as ive got, but i do believe that their is a God. There sgot to be more than this shit hole

 

[perseus]

My decision doesn't matter.

If God exists and I decide that He doesn't that doesn't prevent Him from existing does it?

I can decide that lions don't exist but it doesn't stop them existing.

Play on words? Yes, but that was what the thread asked....

Semantics is a very posh word. Verbal abuse is not so posh.

semantics | smantks | n.pl. Treated as sing. or (now rare) pl. L19. [f. prec.: see -ICS.] 1 The branch of linguistics that deals with meaning; (the study or analysis of) the relationships between linguistic symbols and their meanings. L19. 2 transf. The interpretation of signs in general. M20.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia

Smilodon

 

[Lokki 7]

Even God can't force us to love him. Therefore his given us the choice to obey and love him. That choice is completely our but we have to live with the consequences.

So firstly, Billy no mates god creates us so that he has someone to love. But when we don't love him back the way he wants, he sends down famine, disease, floods disasters and the like. Not only a bunny boiler but a sadistic heartless prick if you ask me. I hope he doesn't exist, but if he does I'll have a few choice words for HIM come judgement day.

 

[stevenhawkinsfootballboot]

What I cant believe though is that if there is a God and he is the great and pure entity that people say he is that he would create the world and everything in it and sit back and say:

"Im great for doing all this and I want people to tell me how great I am, and if they dont build me Temples and Churches and sing me songs once a week - then they are going to Hell the ungrateful Bastards!"

I mean if god is really like that then what a tosser!

I agree that if God was like that he would be a bit of a tosser. Fortunately no one is saying he is. The general vibe from the pro God crew seems to be that we don't need to DO anything to get to know God. Accepting Jesus on the cross to pay for our wrongs is a free gift. Are you now going to tell me that none of you have ever done anything wrong? I couldn't say the same for myself.

As an extra straw poll:

Has anyone genuinely asked God to prove to them whether he exists? Perhaps its a bit too much of a scary thing to do...