Is there a god?

[Uriel]

Do you believe in a higher power?

yes, no or undecided

this is for educational and research purposes please help me out here.

feel free to give me your thoughts on this.

Thankyou

Yes, yes there is.

 

[Absinthe]

- The idea of there being a higher power is a somewhat comforting one. If there is a God, then I'm right. If there isn't any God at all, then it won't matter that I'm wrong and I'm better off with that comforting view anyway?

Read up on Pascal's Wager. It's a pretty common fallacy.

To quickly answer this: No. You are as equally likely to be screwed over as any atheist.

 

[Gui!]

Id like to think that when i die there will be something their. But who knows, im very realistic so im always thinking that science is the reason why we are here. Would be pretty shite to think that when we die thats it...i cant imagine for nothing to happen afterwards...argh this subject is a wind up

 

[Dan]

well the question is then, can your consciousness exist independent of its environment and input. Is a thoeretical brain equal to a physical brain? Or is consciousness simply a complicated reaction generator that takes input A and creates output B that will simply stop if you stop giving it inputs. I'd like to believe the former, but it seems more likely that it's the later.

 

[Absinthe]

Iuld be pretty shite to think that when we die thats it...

Why do people think like this? What's the big problem? Is life so agonizing that people need the comfort of an afterlife?

You get one life. Make the most out of it. Have few regrets. Your time is fleeting and when you're dead, you're not going to be able to look back at any of it. You won't exist.

 

[Steve]

Is this an opinion poll, or a poll that will actually mandate?

 

[TheSomeone]

Yup. Everything just seems a little too orderly to have just happened.

No. Everything just seems a little too perfect to have just been created.

 

[Steve]

No. Everything just seems a little too perfect to have just been created.

Your opponents would say that the perfection is in the nature of the creator.

 

[JNightshade]

here's what I think:

We are humans. We are people, we are animals, we are made up of billions and billions of tiny cells. As amazingly complex as we are, we aren't infinite in any way. There's only so much one person can understand or comprehend. The definition of "god" as I've heard it is of one being (thing? entity? whatever) who is both infinite and finite, all-powerful and powerless, a conundrum and an enigma. He's (she's? it's?)all-powerful, yet god has no control over the choices we make. God made everything, but who made god? What I'm saying is, based on the definition of god I hear the most, he/she/it is completely impossible to truly comprehend. There's no possible way to know what it is, or what it wants, or if it actually wants anything, or whatever. Nevermind whether it even EXISTS. The only proof we have for its existance is several ancient documents, numerous happenings (almost all of which can be explained by science) and the fact that the VAST majority of cultures out there have their own concept of a higher intelligence that governs over us all. There's no way of proving or disproving any of this (as far as I can see) so I say: forget about it. Go about your daily lives, and understand that maybe he exists, or maybe he doesn't. Maybe she influences everything, maybe she doesn't. Understand that there's no way we could possibly understand anything about this higher entity, so it's really rather futile to try, when we could be thinking about how to block the spread of AIDS in Africa, or alleviate poverty around the world, or whatever. Understand that when we die, MAYBE we'll discover the truth behind this, or maybe we'll just rot in the ground. But until then, there's no point in paying it any thought.

 

[Gui!]

Why do people think like this? What's the big problem? Is life so agonizing that people need the comfort of an afterlife?

You get one life. Make the most out of it. Have few regrets. Your time is fleeting and when you're dead, you're not going to be able to look back at any of it. You won't exist.

Not once did i mention my life was shit, just a nice thought thats all..sheesh. I no what you mean..people shouldnt think..'Oh i have a crap life, i wish i could die so i can enjoy a happy afterlife' type thing, but thats not what im sayin here. I think it sad for people to actually think that they die and thats the end of it..all that makes me think is..'well what was the point in that life then??' But that could just be me being brought up with religion

 

[Absinthe]

Not once did i mention my life was shit

Oh, I didn't say you did. I was only speaking in general terms. I just don't understand why some people place so much hope in an afterlife. I can only think that there must be something fundamentally screwed up with their lives if they think such things.

 

[Beerdude26]

What's the big problem? Is life so agonizing that people need the comfort of an afterlife?

Yesh. :|

 

[Pauly]

No There's no god, why is there suffering/poverty? A ballance maybe?

But déjà vu. Ha, i seem to get that alot. A sence of knowing what just happend had actualy happend before. Like you had dreamed about what just happen (have i lost you yet, good) the day before.

Because of free will there is suffering/poverty................


but God? Yes.... but some of you guys need to know that God gives us free will.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Well, my opinion of it is that God's given us free will and short lives. He doesn't really want us to waste it on worshipping him, or avoiding things because they are unholy, or something. Live for the moment.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Steve]

Well, my opinion of it is that God's given us free will and short lives. He doesn't really want us to waste it on worshipping him, or avoiding things because they are unholy, or something. Live for the moment.

-Angry Lawyer

Titties and beer. :cheers:

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

I rest my case.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Steve]

Lawyer, you should try to find a book that recently came out here in the US. It's called "Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History and Consumption of All Manner of Booze." We interviewed the author on my talk show, so I got a free copy. It's really cool and quite funny.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

SEND IT TO ME! I GAVE YOU ZOMBIEMASTER!

*ahem*

Yeah, if you can find a stockist that sells to the UK for a good price, I'll buy it.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Steve]

Commence frantic search mode!

Used and new on Amazon.co.uk from a little over 5 pounds.

 

[Absinthe]

but God? Yes.... but some of you guys need to know that God gives us free will.

Debatable.

 

[DrDevin]

Because of free will there is suffering/poverty................


but God? Yes.... but some of you guys need to know that God gives us free will.

Actually it is your brain that gives you free will.

 

[GhostBoi]

Because of free will there is suffering/poverty................

What ignorance. To think that everyone could live in a perfect utopia if only they made the rights choices...

 

[DeusExMachina]

Oh jeez, just had to start this thread didn't ya...

Anyway, I do not know if there is a God or not. My search continues.

 

[Dog--]

Well if there is (I beleive there is) your going to Hell for questoning His existance


Seriously though, I think there is, organisms just don't pop out of no where..

 

[GhostBoi]

Well if there is (I beleive there is) your going to Hell for questoning His existance


Seriously though, I think there is, organisms just don't pop out of no where..

...Or god could reward logical thinking and questioning his existence. You don't know all the answers.

 

[DeusExMachina]

...Or god could reward logical thinking and questioning his existence. You don't know all the answers.

He was joking.

 

[Alan Freeman]

I believe in god. and Jesus will return agian someday , soon i hope this world needs a serious beat down. read the bible to find answers. It will change your life.

 

[Absinthe]

I believe in god. and Jesus will return agian someday , soon i hope this world needs a serious beat down. read the bible to find answers. It will change your life.

GOD DAMNIT M&$@Y$*@EU()$@($*j8942

I think that's the best I can do in reflecting my reaction to that post.

 

[SpArKs]

I believe in god. and Jesus will return agian someday , soon i hope this world needs a serious beat down. read the bible to find answers. It will change your life.

No offence, but i think the bible is just the old-skool version of the laws we have today.

 

[JNightshade]

I think that the bible actually embodies all that is WRONG with religion. Well, that and the church itself. I mean, I'm not religious at all, but if the people who are just forgot about the rules and worshipped in there own ways, we could avoid all this crap.

 

[Uriel]

Your signature is sick Nightshade.

 

[Absinthe]

His sig rules me. My favorite joke.

 

[Nat Turner]

His sig rules me. My favorite joke.

"What do you do if your kids don't want to share" ??

 

[Sparta]

I believe in god. and Jesus will return agian someday , soon i hope this world needs a serious beat down. read the bible to find answers. It will change your life.

It totally contradicts itself though. I mean, take some of the basics.
It states "An eye for an eye" in one part and then lists one of the ten commandments as "Thou Shalt Not Kill". And why is it that God decides who lives and dies anyway? I mean, he's wiped more people than anything else in existance according to the Bible. Why's he free of guilt?

While i do believe in some form of higher being, call it what you may (God seems to do just fine for me), i think organised religion is just another form of politics and conformity for particular groups to gain power over how we live our lives.

Besides, organised religion needs more Ninjas. That's a fact.

 

[Raziaar]

LOL. I don't see how anybody could garner some sense of power over how I live my life, with my religion. Its not like it serves them in any way.

 

[Absinthe]

I mean, he's wiped more people than anything else in existance according to the Bible. Why's he free of guilt?

God works in mysterious ways. Or something.

I personally think he just rolls dice and acts accordingly.

 

[Cooper]

I believe in God.

I also think most of you know so little about any certain religion that you see the general descrepancies involved and conclude from their. Kinda like the average American citizen voting for whatever party they belong to or voting a certain way because someone else told them to. In either case very few people actually go out and research the Bible (or candidate) or any other religion (political party) they just hear the word god (Kerry/Bush) and automatically shut their ears.

I respect a person a lot more who can come to me and discuss the Bible and why Christianity is wrong because they have read the Bible, they understand the origin of it and have their own arguements against it.

Most of these posts are uneducated hate against another group with little logic, reasoning, or 'open-mind' displayed. Many of you are the same thing as what you claim to hate, religious zealots, believing in one thing with no restraint and listening to no one but yourself. No, you haven't blown anyone up but some of you have laughed at a Pastor being electrocuted in church and dying. I bet the terrorists laugh when their enemies are harmed also.

 

[Gorgon]

yes I believe in God.!!!

 

[Ikerous]

I respect a person a lot more who can come to me and discuss the Bible and why Christianity is wrong because they have read the Bible, they understand the origin of it and have their own arguements against it.

Why i stopped reading the Bible:
1.) God kept killing people

 

[Adabiviak]

Maybe the bible was a little more relevant a couple thousand years ago, when we didn't have a lot of experience (history, science, theology, technology, Half Life 2, etc.) to enlighten us towards a better existence, but now it's a bucket of carp. Even the building codes in Deuteronomy are out of date, and some of them are good ideas.

I have read the Bible, and several other "divine scriptures" and they typically say the same thing, in one way or another: life is not good and will be worse unless you adhere to these rules, and only these rules - everyone else is bunk. Textbook marketing.

People don't believe in the spaghetti monster do they? Why don't people apply the same critical thinking to why they don't believe in this as they do to their religion? (Yes, I know the answer - the question is rhetorical.)