Well, no one really knows! People can say "OH YEAH! NO QUESTION!" or "No! What made you think that?!"
When really, it's all up to you as a person, yes there are a lot of things that can back up the bible, and what not, Like the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Pharaohs chariot found late last year, but there are other things that mite DISPROVE if a "God" is/has been around. There are things that just seem.. Right.. To some people, like Christmas, and other Christan type holidays.
My advice to you is to read the bibles, not just the "Holy" bible, but all of them, everyone believes something different and shouldn't be hated for what they believe. Now there are a lot.. and I mean A LOT of people who would love to start all kinds of wars over this, and have! But the truth is, we've got one earth, and one life. Spending all of it trying to find the answers to me, is just a waste of time when I could be the one asking the questions.
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:32 pm
I do think a god exists but I'm a Catholic and was raised as one so all the information and things I've been taught when I was a young child until now have influenced why I believe God exists. I believe he exists because of my faith and from the Bible. I believe that God sent his only son to save man from sin and to deliver eternal life to humankind. I think I firmly believe in God because of how passionate and how powerful the sacrifice was that Jesus did. The quote "God so loved the world that he gave his only son" has such an impact on me. Over the years, I have questioned whether God exists or not. And I have come to strongly believe that He does. I also believe that people have to right to believe in anything they choose to believe in.
I,personally believe God exists. When I look at the creatures if this earth and see an egg hatching or a baby calf being born(yes I have seen calves,chicks,kittens being born) it is simply amazing how something can develop inside of another and grow and come out with perfect,with all its tiny parts. To see a little baby grow into a thing that walks,talks, and loses its teeth WOW It's not magic,ya know. I am not judgmental of those who do not believe,although I can not understand why one wouldn't. Humans,in general and the way we work, our eyes....how they function for us to see. How everything in our body serves a purpose. The human brain,,,still so many things unknown to man about that. Who other than God could create such a masterpiece. I do not want a debate so please this is only me telling how I see it. Oh and have you ever had a feeling to take a different route somewhere and do it ,only to find out there was a wreck or something horrible happened on the normal route? Someone had to be watching over you.
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:02 pm
Thank you for such a thoughtful and generous thread!
I definitely believe God exists, although there are many conflicting theories as to the details. But when I look at the miracle of a sunrise, a newborn, the careful balance of nature and the universe, I just don't see a way that could all work without an incredibly intelligent and meticulous higher power.
And a higher power with no concern for what has been created is just too depressing to consider seriously. The only way to reconcile the tragedies that hurt the good and the triumphs that crown the wicked is to believe that this higher power also has a careful plan for each creation according to what and who it is that reaches beyond our current understanding of reality. Call it heaven or limbo or whatever, I don't claim to fully understand it. But I do trust that in the end God has a plan for me, and for every creature, that will work for the best.
So my personal belief: God exists, and loves us, and has a plan for us that goes beyond the reality we can see.
I need to apologize for this massive wall of text, as philosophy and existentialism is very dear to me. But, I have taken the courtesy to place it under a spoiler as not to disrupt the whole forum and annoy the heck out of everyone.
My parents tried to raise me "Christian," but I wasn't taken to church except on a few rare occasions when I was a bit older, and I was not told biblical stories. Eventually once I reached an even older age I asked them why we were Christians. And they responded, "Because it is easy."
Now that did not settle well in my gut. In fact I found it very rude (considering the Christian faith is upheld by the "community" of followers), the idea that the path to enlightenment could be chosen by how easy it is was distasteful.
So I began to search for my religion, I studied the basic principles of Hindu and Buddhism, I shadowed my friends who were Mormon, Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Jehovah's Witness, but I did not feel compelled by their beliefs, and I did not feel touched or spoken out to.
But, I was not atheist. I saw god in the improbability of existence that only grew with my education.
And then I learned about Deism, and my world changed. All of these different beliefs I had held merged together. Complex scientific issues and religion could make sense of each other and I felt complete.
Deism is an unorganized religion, and in part that its role is discovery means that it can not be easily taught and grown into. Deism as I have come to know it is the belief in God through the sheer improbability of existence. And existence is not to be defined by human life, or even life in general. Our complex bodies are formed by compartmentalized organs and tissues, common to the majority of Earth's species even when specialized for different environments. Our tissues are further broken down into cells, these are individual units of life, compartmentalized to just like our bodies and organs, for their function and environment. Then we have macromolecules, and molecules, composed of layers and connections of elements. Somewhere along the line organisms and cells developed through the process of acquiring a nucleus, which contains DNA/RNA. We hold controversy over whether viruses can be considered living if they do not have a nucleus, rather they hijack cells injecting them with their free floating RNA, so that they can be mass produced.
During some time before there was life on Earth the first cell was created from inorganic substances, a spontaneous reaction. It is highly likely that this occurred multiple times before the cell was made in good form and was capable of reproduction. That means that spontaneously molecules merged together, and came to the conclusion to form some genetic blueprint for this cell. But that is not why I believe in God, it is only a matter with which I am amazed. There are these rules of nature and physics that are imposed on the universe, which have only been attempted to be discovered by our scientific founders. The existence of elements of gravity of these forces are fascinating. Where did they come from? That is nearly an important question as how did we get here. We only exist through these imposed rules that can not just be random occurrence.
I do not believe in God in the conventional circumstance. My deity lacks form or body, and rather assumes the role of these rules and principles. Because foundation and structure is required for creation to occur. And respecting God takes form in respecting and appreciating the improbability of existence.
But then we take it a step further, and ask how does the origin of the universe and the Big Bang come into theory? When we think of the universe coming from nothing, not only can it make you feel small but you begin to be afraid, you are grasping at straws when you are trying to provide a scientific explanation for the concept that something can literally come from nothing. Which we have previously conceived to be impossible. Scientists follow the understanding that energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed, that all the components of the universe exist and have always existed, although in other forms, and that a catalyst is required to alter that form. That would hint that the "creation" of our universe really isn't any creation at all that it is only another piece of a bigger picture that we have yet developed a way to comprehend.
And, I will step back from the pessimistic concepts of existentialism and bring up life and death because that is a major component of any religion.
All units of life live off of the conversion of other life forms into energy for life. Even plant matter is living being with cellular metabolism. But without plant material or animal we cannot have existence. Even plants take the leftover matter of things that once lived in order to thrive. I believe that the conscious mind or spark of life, soul, whichever we fancy calling it is present in the majority of existence. That is because under the principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, that it only assumes different forms applies to the conscious as well in order for it to exist. And when we pass, our consciousness assumes a different form of energy, maybe heat, or goes to another being. That is not something that has been studied, or even could be studied for the time being, because we are unaware of the true rules and restrictions placed on our universe we can only guess.
Then we go back to the bigger picture and see how life works together in a large ecosystem, we have animals and humans living in packs. Species are compartmentalized. In our groups, we have naturally occurring classes or groups. All of these work in homeostasis to retain the integrity of the planet. And the solar system works similarly in conjunction to the other galaxies.
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:20 pm
Personally, I believe God isnt "real", but as a form of reassurance. People MUST have a faith and reassurance, we are all bound by fatal flaws and insecurities to a degree.
Religion itself parallel's cults alarmingly. Yet, our society endorses it. It's just, religion will always thrive under humanities need of self-assurance. We live in a world of doubt, what ifs, and second guessing.
Think about it. Hospitals are filled with bibles, prayer requests, chapels... because a hospital is filled with the sick, and doubting/worried families. Can they turn to the doctor or a deity? Most choose the deity, praying and religion itself is a confidence booster as well as a way of instilling hope.
Well. That is my perception on it.
-Fancy R
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:03 pm
Topic: Do you think a god exists, and if you do explain everything you feel like explaining about why you believe he,she,it exists and how do you think you became to think that way about the god.
Yes and no. I was bought up to believe that there is. However as i have grown up.. now i do not really care as such. i mean i still pray, but i more so beileve that it is up to us what we do with our lives and i do believe that if we want things bad enough it will happen. I believe there is a heaven as i have had so many people pass away, and i believe they can look after you from heaven. though for there being a 1 god no. i really do not think i do.
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:13 pm
I don't think that believing in god/gods or not believing in them is what matters. It cannot be proven or disproved. Plain and simple, no one no matter how much they believe in god can be 100% sure. Everyone questions their own faith and beliefs at some point in time. I think that people get too caught up on judging others based on what they believe that they don't get a clear image of who a person really is. I believe that people should but more focus on being a better person, helping others, and generally getting along with them no matter what their beliefs are. It does not matter if one person is wrong or right. By the time we find out the truth FOR SURE it is too late to change anything in this life, and no one to say "I told you" to anyway. What we do here and now is what matters. Maybe they are all right and the faith you believe in decides what happens to you after death; ex. Christians go to Heaven while Odinists go to Valhalla and Hindus are reincarnated. I don't know. What I do know is what I believe in makes sense to me. It fits my lifestyle and who I am as a person. I believe that everyone should find that and hold onto it and be accepted for it.
Our knowledge is primarily based on our individually unique apperception of the world, where our past experiences, schemas, and believes allow us to reason, and to make judgements. Therefore some may argue that God does not exist due to logic, such as the statement in the bible - "for those who believe in God shall not perish but have eternal life," seems to be scientifically impossible as all living things wither and die. Perhaps it can be explained by the myriad number of tragedies happening everyday, where if there really is a God who loves us why do all these absurdities happen to the good. However some may argue that God exists, because there must be a higher power that keeps the orders of the universe, or maybe an incredible miracle has happened in their life.
Well personally I find all these explanations unimportant and irrelevant, as our claimed knowledge is just a mere reflection of our own subjectivity. For instance let's talk about logic using inductive syllogism with this example: Potatoes have skin, humans have skin, therefore humans are potatoes. That's just bs. Well that is the ways we tend to think all the time, it is just that we are unable to see the falsities in our knowledge because we intuitively believe them to be true. We often do not realize that “we are prepared to see things for which our [experience] hand us ready-made labels. When those labels are lacking, even though the phenomena may be all around us, we may quite easily fail to see them at all.” Again looking from the perspective of the "believers" who are emotionally tied up to their faith. Emotions contain biases, ambiguities, and falsities; for example most children believe that their Xmas gifts are from Santa, and they "know so," however we know they're actually just from their parents.
So, refocus on your question, why do you believe he,she,it exists, I really don't know, I just do, and there is no reason or explanations for it. Despite the testimonies that I may have, I can just feel the presence of God, thus in conclusion, my personal belief is that there is a God who loves us and has a plan for us.
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:35 pm
I don't think any specific god actually exists, but I do believe that everything that exists comes from a certain source. What the source is, nobody knows and it's hard to define. Which is why there are so many different religions, philosophies, ideologies, etc on our planet, that are all roughly fairly similar.
To me, every religion is valid because it is an interpretation of that which we cannot understand, so it is transformed into an easier to grasp set of ideas and beliefs based on many different factors, including spatial location, heritage, environment, etc.
I don't, however, believe they are actually correct. To me, there is no way that any human being can understand completely where/what we come from because it is just way beyond our comprehension.
Also, most humans are hardwired to act and react in ways that satisfy a certain form of personal gain. Which makes it very hard for me to trust something that comes from another human as an absolute truth because of the fact that it's almost impossible to tell if they have some sort of ulterior motive for what they are saying or doing.
I can only take portions of those things and apply them to my life and mental viewpoint in a way that makes sense to me, and that is what I do.
I personally don't feel as if there is a ruling deity, because so much of what goes on can be reasonably explained through probability and science. If there is a god, though, I believe that they would be far larger than the universe itself and therefore unknowable by us.
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 12:16 am
I am a Buddhist. The existence or non-existence of a Deity or Deities isn't something I feel I need an opinion on, as it is irrelevant to my path. While I do subscribe to the metaphysics of Buddhism, I am not attached to it. It dawned on me during a discussion with an Atheist friend about my Buddhism that you could disprove things like Reincarnation and I would still be Buddhist because it works for me as a way of being. Both the practice and the Ethics are good for me, I think. I like who I am and part of that is the meditation, the Compassion, the practice of mindfulness, the basic acceptance of the Transience of all things. I like the rest of it, but like a God or Gods/esses, I don't actually need the rest to be content.
Do you think a god exists, and if you do explain everything you feel like explaining about why you believe he,she,it exists and how do you think you became to think that way about the god.
When I got my back up against the wall! Don't need no one to rescue me!
Hmmm... that's a complex question. I like to say that I don't believe in God or a higher power, but that I believe in the possibility that there might be one. Basically what I'm saying is that I don't believe in God, but I would if I was given definite proof of his existence (Why is God considered a male? Shouldn't he be an "it"?). At the moment, I do not think there is definitive proof that God exists. On the other hand, there isn't definite proof that he doesn't exist either. I guess the reason I lean towards not believing in God is that I like to believe in things I can actually see/hear/touch/etc. The concept of God is very abstract and provides no concrete examples. Most reasons people provide for the existence of a higher power are so abstract that they can't be proven. If one day a giant man (or genderless higher power) appeared in the sky and started granting miracles, I'd believe. Faith just isn't for me; I prefer proven facts.
'Cause I ain't waiting up for no miracle! Yeah, tonight I'm running free!
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:21 am
Read up on Plato's Theory of Forms. Great insight. Check out Aristotle's thoughts on metaphysics; maybe summary of his Nicomachean Ethics. Finally, check out Aquinas.
I have no interest in biblical studies. The Bible(s) have been rewritten countless times over many years. I could never believe those scrawlings to be the word of God. No one should.
However, I do believe in Pascals Wager. It's simple. I also believe in my own version of god. He's the Universe; All around us. We are God. We are the Universe.
Morals are a totally different thing, but I do believe in The Golden Rule.
Check out Jean-Paul Sartre and his view on existentialism and the human experience. "Being and Nothingness" might make you feel... well, read it.
the cow of chatterbox feels and fears that something god-ish surely exists, where despite mysteriously seems that material psychical world is godless wasteland full of cooperate companies that suck..... inwardly there are many feelings and forces some even nightmarish that paint a picture all there own, some these theological concepts maybe been discovered more than invented by endless thousands years of people just being psychonauts letting there feelings paint a picture by themselves, no mistaking that psychically at hand does not seem be much if any evidence of weird, yet with in people's hearts there are forces especially disturbing ones strongly mirror lot such things described
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