GOD: How much do you believe in him?

[Bold Seagull]

You are getting closer and closer. I'm not at all a biblical person. Never read it. But consider that the Bible says God is everywhere. God is all the atoms, all the electrical charges, all the chemical reactions, every single physical thing. And God is every single thing that isn't physical, like our sense of smell, of taste, of touch, or sight, or hearing, like our consciences, like our emotions, like our sense that something is wrong with our child, like that feeling of deja vu, like being in love, like that feeling we get when someone puts our backs up and we don't know why. God is Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Elves, the Marshmallow planet. God is all of our ideas, good and bad, because God is all of us and all of everything, not a separate physical thing at all.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Not at all. It's a FACT that you cannot prove something which does not exist, doesn't exist. As I've said, give or take a few zeros I think the chances of there being a god is 1,00000000000000000000000000-1 Some would argue that is zero. So to say that counters my views, is as as everything else you are saying.

Which would then beg the question, why waste the precious time you have on this planet discussing something you don't believe in?

 

[seagullmouse]

I don't think it is. Pets seem to have instincts and affections for their human families which defy all logic. Think of the soldier's dog who would not leave his master's coffin. It is well-known that young children are capable of uncanny gifts which they lose by the time they leave primary school. Some have "imaginary" friends, which sometimes turn out not to be so imaginary.

So you don't think its unreasonable for me to believe in a giant invisible yellow jelly man who stands behind you?

So if pets and humans can do it, do bacteria sense the metaphysical world too? What means are we using?

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Surely its all just some big computer game ( that probably does have a God in it ), buts cruel and sadistic to entertain those playing it, hence things like Tsunamis, West Street and Crystal Palace.

 

[seagullmouse]

Western societies isn't the world.

An aboriginal tribe could walk out of a forest never having had contact with any other outside influences and without a doubt their cultural and belief systems would share common paralels with other belief systems around the planet.

That's nothing to do with faith or religion, its about recognizing that while these cultures are different in many ways their belief systems are often quite similar despite never having had contact with each other.

I am an orthodox toothfairy believer, there aren't many in my church at the moment and I am just working on the scriptures, its gonna be great.

These cultures will also notice that they have the same number of eyes, ears and teeth. Sure these cultures could work out that murder isn't a great thing to do without a god?

 

[bhaexpress]

So sad, still I guess it's not too surprising from somebody who believes in fantasies.

 

[MattBackHome]

And that is the possibilty in my opinion of there being a god. So minute, that its zero.

This is why I voted for the 6th option - In reality I'm tending towards the 7th.

All this shuffling about the nature of god is both futile and embarrassing. It's the long awaited death sigh of what was once religion, and as always it's come to the party dressed up as a something else.

 

[HovaGirl]

Sounds like you just love the world and call it 'god', awesome! I like the world too, its amazing but I don't call it god, its just the universe!

Not just the world, but all of the galaxies and the nothingness beyond them. We cannot conceive of nothingness and we cannot conceive how this universe cannot end and yet we cannot conceive of how it can end. So, there is something fundamental which we humans just cannot grasp. Just as there are many other things we cannot grasp, such as the concept of how time itself does not exist, that everything that ever happened, is happening at the same "time". Or that huge stars can disappear into black holes of nothingness. There are wonders out there that our little brains just cannot grasp. One of them, is God, the interlinking mechanism between all things, physical and non-physical, perhaps the Creator but also part of the Creation.

 

[MattBackHome]

There are certainly things which go on for which science has no explanation therefore, there is another side to our existence than the merely physical. The physical world is what science disects and examines. No one can examine the metaphysical world, because we can't hear it or see it, we can only sense it is there.

Faux humble (whilst simultaneously being conceited) flat-earthed tosh

 

[HovaGirl]

So you don't think its unreasonable for me to believe in a giant invisible yellow jelly man who stands behind you?

So if pets and humans can do it, do bacteria sense the metaphysical world too? What means are we using?

Instinct.

 

[HovaGirl]

Anyone who chose either of the FACT options is a dimwit. If it was fact either way these debates wouldn't continue til the end of time, as they always do. A GOD of any sort cannot be proved nor disproved.

Exactly. That is why it is a philosphical question, not a religious one.

 

[seagullmouse]

Not just the world, but all of the galaxies and the nothingness beyond them. We cannot conceive of nothingness and we cannot conceive how this universe cannot end and yet we cannot conceive of how it can end. So, there is something fundamental which we humans just cannot grasp. Just as there are many other things we cannot grasp, such as the concept of how time itself does not exist, that everything that ever happened, is happening at the same "time". Or that huge stars can disappear into black holes of nothingness. There are wonders out there that our little brains just cannot grasp. One of them, is God, the interlinking mechanism between all things, physical and non-physical, perhaps the Creator but also part of the Creation.

teehee

Lets take a look at your logic

1: Yep the universe is awesome, and all the nothingness - yep
2: There are things we don't understand - yep

Here is where it gets exciting... drum roll please...

3: There is a god that links physical and non-physical things - mmmm, how the devil did you leap from 1/2 to 3?

 

[Mr Burns]

Which would then beg the question, why waste the precious time you have on this planet discussing something you don't believe in?

And I could ask that straight back at you, because as the original question is about how much you believe in god, and you said that you don't, when you understand why you are wasting time discussing it, you will understand why I am.

 

[seagullmouse]

Instinct.

Do bacteria have this 'instinct'?

Does your instinct tell you that my giant invisible yellow jelly man is likely?

 

[Mr Burns]

I don't think it is. Pets seem to have instincts and affections for their human families which defy all logic. Think of the soldier's dog who would not leave his master's coffin. It is well-known that young children are capable of uncanny gifts which they lose by the time they leave primary school. Some have "imaginary" friends, which sometimes turn out not to be so imaginary.

But we don't fully understand all species yet. When we do, there will be cures for everything. That's not "GOD" giving us the cure, thats people working out why some animals behave like they do, and why some animals can survive or hear or see things we, human beings, can't.

And as for the quote about childrens imaginary friends turning out to be not so imaginary, I think you've been watching too many films. Are we taking ghosts here? That is an unbelivable thing to say.

 

[NMH]

I worry about the concept that God might perform miracles. Not that by several linked occurrences, the unlikely can be manifested, but actual miracles.

For a perfect universe, everything has to work and react in accordance with the nature of everything. Planets have inherent gravity, therefore another mass will respond with a planet in accordance to that.
A perfectly created 'system' will not allow you to defy gravity by attempting to fly. Not even if you prayed every day many times, led a devout existence and maintained a good profile with righteousness.
Nope, in a perfect world, 'you dead pal.

Now whether by coincidence you land on another person and kill them, might be down to small decisions made along the way that conspire to bring the twain together in unfortunate harmony. That might be something to do with another energy, be it one put out by the victim

 

[NMH]

Do bacteria have this 'instinct'?

Does your instinct tell you that my giant invisible yellow jelly man is likely?

Perhaps God IS that instinct.
Bacteria are moved to behave naturally, as they are living organisms.
Consider God as nature, and nature as God - to consider God as a bearded man in the sky (wearing a hi-viz jacket, of course), is to have made up some concept more akin to the fairy stories.
Now there are many different books describing varieties of God, but these too become interpreted by the reader into their fairy story.

We have all said "well they can't ALL be right" when considering the religions - and it would certainly be a safer belief to follow that none are right.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

I don't believe in god in the SLIGHTEST.

I find marriages/christenings all uncomfortable when they WHEEL OUT all that god TOSH but just go along with it.

Am i right in thinking that if you believe in god and himbeing the creator of the world, then by default you must believe that dinosaurs didnt exist? Is that right or have i got myself REALLY CONFUSED.

 

[DerbyGull]

If you're going to read the Hebrew version, you should try and learn Hebrew first. More seriously though, can you give any examples of what you have read that makes you feel that there has to be a god?

I'm reading the ESV because it's in plane English unlike the KJV and others. My main belief of why God definitely exists or more over why the devil exists is because of all the corruption, greed, worship of money, war and many other bad things and evil that goes on in this world. It is said that the devil is the prince of this world and it's pretty easy to see why when so much suffering goes on unnoticed. We have been given the bible and all the teachings of Jesus on a plate and all we have to do is follow the commandments and the teachings of jesus to enter heaven. And yet how many people can put there hands up and say they follow all these things, not many i'm sure, not even the most devout. But to come close is on the right path. But the devil puts so much temptation in the world it is easier to follow the devil than it is God. So to answer your question I believe there is a god, devil, heaven and hell because this world is a testing ground for 80 yrs (average human years) to see if you are good enough to go to heaven or like the many you will indeed not be worthy to get to heaven. God created us and gave us souls (which are eternal). Because he made us eternal, we have to go somewhere after we die. Also as we are mostly sinners (yes including chrisitans), we are not going directly to heaven, very few will go direct to heaven as god cannot be in the presence of sinners. Many of those not worthy for heaven (those who kept some of the commandments MOST of the time) will go to purgatory. Those who chose to worship other gods, like money, will go to hell.

I'm going off on a bit of a tangent but basically the bible says those who know of gods/jesus's word and reject it are destined for hell, however those who through complete ignorance and lack of education are not condemned as jesus said as he was dying on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).

 

[Mr Burns]

Am i right in thinking that if you believe in god and himbeing the creator of the world, then by default you must believe that dinosaurs didnt exist? Is that right or have i got myself REALLY CONFUSED.

That's how you used to have to think.

But as science has shown a lot of the dribble written in the bible to be wrong, regilion has "evolved" over the years..... which is ironic really.