Crazy people

[Zombie]

are

!!

No really, do you think an internet forum could ever lead to someone else's epifone? Like, a heavily religious person could look at the posts made by some of our less faithful posters and start seriously reconsidering their stance on things? Their entire belief in things?

I talked to my photo teacher about religion, and at first I didn't think he was very religious at all (He encouraged me to lie to other people to gain their trust, lawl, dunno if that was a joke or not...) but after a while, I realized he was knee deep in his faith. He told me that he thought exactly the same way I did when he was younger (no god / lack of real interest in the whole thing), and that he went through a part of his life where he totally did a backflip in his religious thinking. I also talked to my writing teacher, and he's heavily religious too, and he told me almost exactly the same thing.

So ... I'm thinking, what kind of experiences am I going to be faced with that will want me to reaffirm my status with God and the Lord Jesus Christ? I guess I'm at a point in my life where I'm thinking most logically, and I just can't invision myself ever truly believing in a God or a divine figure.

But I might be a tad... silly at 4:22 AM in the morning. But this is serious!

 

[Ikerous]

Like, a heavily religious person could look at the posts made by some of our less faithful posters and start seriously reconsidering their stance on things? Their entire belief in things?

I used to be a strong Christian who was absolutely certain about the existing of the Biblical God. Hl2.net played a leading role in me becoming a devout athiest
(And that was in the first few months of me posting here, if that)

So ... I'm thinking, what kind of experiences am I going to be faced with that will want me to reaffirm my status with God and the Lord Jesus Christ?

If you continue to think logically... really nothing. Except bad logic. But being a christian is awesome. Hawt chicks and amazing music

 

[99.vikram]

Logic + God = Kablooey

 

[Azner]

Logic + God = Kablooey

99.vikram+post=Kablooey... I know India is bias in religion and sex(Gender)

 

[Beerdude26]

99.vikram+post=Kablooey... I know India is bias in religion and sex(Gender)

What in the bloody hell has that to do with this thread :|

On-topic: Maybe you could get hit by a car, get shot or something, and narrowly survive. You may have an "encounter with God" (white tunnel, that stuff) and BAM instant Christian.

I should really photoshop an instant coffeepad to "Instant Christian, just add water".

 

[Steven]

99.vikram+post=Kablooey... I know India is bias in religion and sex(Gender)

You don't even know what that word means.

 

[99.vikram]

99.vikram+post=Kablooey... I know India is bias in religion and sex(Gender)

I know every American is a redneck with four guns, three ex-wives, a cowboy hat and below average IQ.

 

[Beerdude26]

I know every American is a redneck with four guns, three ex-wives, a cowboy hat and below average IQ.

He lives in Singapore :|

 

[99.vikram]

I was just telling him not to generalize. ;(

 

[Shippi]

.

 

[Ennui]

Like, a heavily religious person could look at the posts made by some of our less faithful posters and start seriously reconsidering their stance on things? Their entire belief in things?

Yes. If you are not willing to change your opinion, you shouldn't be discussing it.

 

[Kamikazie]

I used to be a strong Christian who was absolutely certain about the existing of the Biblical God. Hl2.net played a leading role in me becoming a devout athiest
(And that was in the first few months of me posting here, if that)

* thinks about it...

Me too. :O

 

[CptStern]

people who find faith after personal tragedy are weak and just use it as a crutch imho

 

[lePobz]

During periods of deep, deep, seriously complicated and philosophical thought, I often come to the conclusion that everything, from the negatively charged electrons to the positively charged protons, and even the chargeless neutrons, did not just appear one day from the blankness of inexistence. Come on people, the whole system was designed, perfectly. Evolution, was designed. Perfectly. Time, space, gravity - you think these things just 'be' perfect?

I'm not a religious person, I just believe in an eternal force that created, and overlooks, everything. Call it ... no, not gabe.

Call it pobgod ... you can worship pobgod by sending me a cheque for $39.95 ... remember, you won't get into heaven if you don't have faith in the all-seeing pobgod.

 

[Stigmata]

I used to be a strong Christian who was absolutely certain about the existing of the Biblical God. Hl2.net played a leading role in me becoming a devout athiest
(And that was in the first few months of me posting here, if that)

So what you're saying is... Halflife2.net is the Antichrist?

D:

[edit] Pobz, everything appears to be perfect because we were created out of those systems, and we perceive them to be perfect because we have always existed within them. Yes, evolution worked perfectly... on one out of 300 gajillion planets in the universe

 

[ComradeBadger]

people who find faith after personal tragedy are weak and just use it as a crutch imho

Everyone copes with tragedy differently.

 

[CptStern]

I agree ...however I've seen a few cases where it becomes the focus of their life ..it's usually based on personal guilt brought on by not doing enough etc ..I find it especially true of people who've suddenly lost their parents

 

[lePobz]

Pobz, everything appears to be perfect because we were created out of those systems, and we perceive them to be perfect because we have always existed within them. Yes, evolution worked perfectly... on one out of 300 gajillion planets in the universe

But I meant there is an origin, a start. I'm not one for believing in eternity in terms of everything just 'being' for the sake of it being an easy answer. Also, the voices in my head tell me so.

 

[JNightshade]

Originally Posted by Badger
Everyone copes with tragedy differently.

Exactly what I was going to say. My grandmother is one of the strongest people I've ever known- hell, she raised seven girls on a low budget. But when her husband (my gramps) died several years ago, she turned to the church. Does that make her weak? Hardly :|


EDIT: lawl at pobz

 

[Stigmata]

But I meant there is an origin, a start. I'm not one for believing in eternity in terms of everything just 'being' for the sake of it being an easy answer. Also, the voices in my head tell me so.

Ahh, well that's different. But the only viable answer to that is an endless logical cycle. What created the universe? Perhaps it was created by a god, or some unexplained "forces". But where did that god/those forces come from? My personal belief, as it stands right now, is that we can't know the truth behind the real origins of the universe, simply because we perceive the universe, and our perceptions are inherently flawed.

 

[lePobz]

Ahh, well that's different. But the only viable answer to that is an endless logical cycle. What created the universe? Perhaps it was created by a god, or some unexplained "forces". But where did that god/those forces come from? My personal belief, as it stands right now, is that we can't know the truth behind the real origins of the universe, simply because we perceive the universe, and our perceptions are inherently flawed.

I agree with that, but it's not a nice place to be... not knowing

 

[Stigmata]

I agree with that, but it's not a nice place to be... not knowing

Yeah, it's actually a little depressing at times, to think about how uncertain the universe really is, and how insignificant we all are. A species of a mere seven billion occupying a single planet out of hundreds of trillions of other planets in the vastness of outer space.

As weird as it may seem, sometimes I think that maybe Futurama got it right.

"If you do things right, people won't know you've done anything at all."

 

[kirovman]

During periods of deep, deep, seriously complicated and philosophical thought, I often come to the conclusion that everything, from the negatively charged electrons to the positively charged protons, and even the chargeless neutrons, did not just appear one day from the blankness of inexistence. Come on people, the whole system was designed, perfectly. Evolution, was designed. Perfectly. Time, space, gravity - you think these things just 'be' perfect?

Well, if it wasn't "perfect" then we wouldn't be available today to comment on it not being "perfect"

(perfect in heavy quotation marks as I believe everything is far from perfect).

 

[lePobz]

Well, if it wasn't "perfect" then we wouldn't be available today to comment on it not being "perfect"

(perfect in heavy quotation marks as I believe everything is far from perfect).

That's like eating a random cake you find, then saying 'im glad that wasnt poisoned' instead of saying 'i wonder who made that cake'

 

[kirovman]

How so?

 

[lePobz]

It just is. Forums and cakes have a lot in common. Now, move along!

 

[kirovman]

:O

FYI, I think what I'm refering to is the Anthropic Principle

 

[lePobz]

So, like the evolution theory, applied to 'universes' ... basically, there is an infinite number (or a very, very high number) of universes, each with completely different 'systems' eg. laws of physics, different attributes of atoms, or no atoms at all, etc. ... and the only reason the way things are in our universe, is because we are able to exist in it because the conditions are just right to allow it.... and observe it ...

... Well thats one very holy theory. Utter tosh, but then nobody can prove or disprove anything ...

 

[kirovman]

Well, I'm not sure if I agree about the infinite universes part, but I am in agreement with the "we observe that we exist only because we do exist".

 

[lePobz]

Well, I'm not sure if I agree about the infinite universes part, but I am in agreement with the "we observe that we exist only because we do exist".

Well you can't exactly disagree with that. We're here, we're observing. Saying a cake is nice doesn't inherently state that there are other cakes that aren't nice. Or that there are other cakes at all.

Apologies for the cake references, but I really really want a cake right now.

 

[kirovman]

Apologies for the cake references, but I really really want a cake right now.

Damn right.

 

[Laivasse]

Not really sure what the OP is asking. You feel like you're becoming less religious because you like to think logically? Contrary to what many people both religious and scientific would have you believe, religion and logic/science are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Much of the dogma about creation myths, denial of evolution, or about hating gays can be easily dismissed, but core issues about whether or not there's an intelligent creator is much harder to fathom. The discovery that a lot of religious people are stupid or believe stupid, easily disproven things, is not the same as discovering that there is no god.

Maybe there was a god who was the 'first cause' of this universe, and maybe the universe just popped into existence as part of some principle which we will discover in the future. Maybe the universe exists in an endless string of time, starting, expanding and collapsing and renewing. This theory also allows for a god, since an endlessly existing universe theoretically allows for the development of an entity so advanced that it could create another race or universe, or master the laws of existence to the point where it becomes a MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE. Both of these restrict the idea of a god to something that more or less is restricted by the laws of causality, yet a god-figure might not be; that is to say, there is also the possibility of a truly omnipotent creator who could, for example, create in an instant something that has existed for a billion years.

Believing the specifics of a certain religion, like eg the Christian idea that Christ died and rose for your sins, is a bit more problematic and starts to slip into the realm of the irrational. Nevertheless, maybe you can find something valuable enough in the teachings of Christianity - selflessness, humility, charity and all that - to make you want to suspend your rational preconceptions and believe that Jesus is your saviour. As long as you don't deny any objective facts, get in anyone's way, or foster ignorance and discrimination then I suppose it's as good a way of looking at life as any other. I doubt anyone is going to get around to disproving the whole deal any time soon, and if they do all you need to do is readjust *shrug*

/end god's advocate

 

[Azner]

I know every American is a redneck with four guns, three ex-wives, a cowboy hat and below average IQ.

Makes lots of Shens
Anyway i take back what i said, i was unsensitive and had no idea and was confused at that time ok?;(

 

[99.vikram]

<3

lePobz: Don't you think that out of the billions of planets that exist in the cosmos, it is inevitable that life has to start on a few?

 

[DrDevin]

No really, do you think an internet forum could ever lead to someone else's epifone? Like, a heavily religious person could look at the posts made by some of our less faithful posters and start seriously reconsidering their stance on things? Their entire belief in things?

It is entirely possible for this to happen, although the frequency of it happening would be highly dependent on the person. Someone who views things more logically could consider posters views, think about their stance on the subject and then change their views.

I talked to my photo teacher about religion, and at first I didn't think he was very religious at all (He encouraged me to lie to other people to gain their trust, lawl, dunno if that was a joke or not...) but after a while, I realized he was knee deep in his faith. He told me that he thought exactly the same way I did when he was younger (no god / lack of real interest in the whole thing), and that he went through a part of his life where he totally did a backflip in his religious thinking. I also talked to my writing teacher, and he's heavily religious too, and he told me almost exactly the same thing.

That is also entirely possible. An event in someones life could draw them to or from religion. I seldom find a real atheist who has taken up religion. I would think that your teacher was either an agnostic or simply didnt think about the issue in their youth.

So ... I'm thinking, what kind of experiences am I going to be faced with that will want me to reaffirm my status with God and the Lord Jesus Christ? I guess I'm at a point in my life where I'm thinking most logically, and I just can't invision myself ever truly believing in a God or a divine figure.

First I would ask for you to actually prove there was a "god" or "jesus." Since atheism is a default state, the burden of proof lies on theists, they must prove that their idols actually exist, if they cannot, then they are wrong. By believing either to be true you will lose a portion of your life worshipping these figures which cannot be recovered, so your decision has consequences.

Second, what makes you think that you have a "status" with these characters? How do you know that they care more about some people then others? If they do have a criteria to rank humans do you think that you can ever have a status among them, seeing as you are currently doing something they do not like (from the christian perspective). Why would you ever be looked on with favor, if you decide to worship them in the future? People spend hours in church from the time they are children. How can you possibly compare, after not believing in them, doing things they do not approve of and even turning people away from them?

 

[tehsolace]

It's weird and seems to happen to a lot of people... like, my old chemistry teacher wasn't christian, until he saw something sciency that "proved" god existed when he first became a teacher (though he never explained to us what it was...). Bam! Instant Super-Christian. Almost every lesson turned into a debate, usually over evolution. It was fun, because he couldn't back up his statements properly but refused to admit it

I hope it never happens to me D:

lol @ "super-christian"

im agnostic, because I believe that the existance (or lack thereof) of god or any omnipotent being is beyond our abilities to prove or disprove, and i certainly dont want to try figuring it out.

ive always believed religion is essiential to humanity as of right now though... without it, i think this world would be worse off, but thats argueable.