GOD: How much do you believe in him?

[HovaGirl]

The Crusades finished 800 years ago. What relevance do they have on todays society?

Actually, quite a bit. 9/11 was said to be part of the Jihad in retaliation for The Crusades. Saladin's social and religious descendants have waited a long time for their revenge.

 

[HovaGirl]

rome and the pope are in fact 666

No, there are far worse devils than that.

 

[Norman Potting]

Old Jewish saying (allegedly). "There may be no afterlife but the world would be a better place if everyone behaved as though there was".

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

If God does exist, then why did a boy I played football with who is only a year older than me die in a car crash at 19?
I really would like to have thought that there was a God, but if there was how can that be justified.
It can't.

 

[HovaGirl]

and the evidence for this is...?

Did you notice the word "COULD"? If you want my thoughts on the nature of what God COULD be, then please read back through the earlier part of the thread.

 

[bhaexpress]

They did when they trooped off on The Crusades.

Ahh but according to Tyrone as it happened a long time ago it's not relevant.

 

[beorhthelm]

Did you notice the word "COULD"?

yes i did notice this, i also noticed the lack of any qualification or reasoning for the possibility.

i COULD be a teapot, short and stout.

 

[HovaGirl]

yes i did notice this, i also noticed the lack of any qualification or reasoning for the possibility.

i COULD be a teapot, short and stout.

If you are talking philosophically, you don't need reasoning.

 

[HovaGirl]

Ahh but according to Tyrone as it happened a long time ago it's not relevant.

In another post, I said (revenge for) the Crusades was very relevant today.

 

[readingstockport]

Because readingstockport can only conceive of God within a religious context and not outside of it or separate from it.

How on earth can god exist outside of a religious context. The entire precept of god is religious. Do you even understand what the term god means?

And despite what some of you 'think' I am not uncalm. I do however find willfull ignorance and rejection of science and logic somewhat frustrating.

Imaginary experiences are still imaginary no matter how real they felt to the person experiencing them at the time. A person who feels 'phantom pain' in a limb that has been amputated feels imaginary pain, no matter how real it seems to them. The limb does not exist and can feel no pain. Whatever one love 'experienced' does not change the fact they were imaginary. There can be no proof of them at all ever outside of his/her personal experience so they can quite frankly be discarded as proof. They are not.

 

[Brighton_Rose]

I believe in God with all my heart and soul - my life and outlook are completely different now. I have great strength and reassurance from my faith in daily life, highs and lows. I am in awe each day at creation all around me and how amazingly planned and detailed it all is and how it is continually sustained.

 

[readingstockport]

I believe in God with all my heart and soul - my life and outlook are completely different now. I have great strength and reassurance from my faith in daily life, highs and lows. I am in awe each day at creation all around me and how amazingly planned and detailed it all is and how it is continually sustained.

Good for you. However there was no creation. Absolutely everything you can see and experience has a naturalistic explanation. And evey one of those naturalistic explanations are far far more likely than the claim that some magic man jujed everything into existance.

I hope you enjoy life and watching the beauty of nature and evolution as it unfolds around you and I sincerely hope one day you will come to reject primitive superstitions and begin to understand the TRUE beauty of nature.

If not then I hope you live happy in your belief in your friend.

 

[HovaGirl]

How on earth can god exist outside of a religious context. The entire precept of god is religious. Do you even understand what the term god means?

Do you? As youngsters, we are taught to believe in God as part of our religious studies, thus, we assume that God is a religious concept. As children, some of us even thought of God as an old man with white hair and a beard sitting on top of the clouds, smiling benevolently at us all.

But conceptions of God are far more personal than that and can exist outside of religion and faith, because it is up to each of us how we perceive God, and whether we believe in God at all. While much can be explained by science, not everything can. We all have experiences which cannot be explained by science, such as deja-vu, or sensing when something is wrong without evidence for it. Some of us can read our partner's minds, or finish their sentences for them. Identical twins are known to have uncanny bouts of psychic occurrences. Many people believe in the mysticism of hand-reading, tarot cards or even astrology. As I said, previously in the thread, we know our minds exist, but no scientist can ever find it, cut it up and examine it, because our minds are not physical things. Others believe in the soul. The body dies, but what of the soul? Does it move on, to another body? Does it join all the other souls? Is that why some people claim to be able to read minds, because the human soul is simply one soul, compartmentalised into individual ones? Who knows? And don't ask for proof because these are only philosophical thoughts, as I keep saying.

 

[BadFish]

72 pages on God is interesting.

I don't believe in God, but I don't understand why so many people need everyone to believe the same as them. To me this is the cause of so much trouble through the centuries. I have read The God Delusion (well half of it) and although I found it reflected my beliefs I hated the tone of it. It sounded to me like preaching, it took the very worst parts of religion and put an atheist slant on it. I am right and you are all wrong, and if you are all wrong you are stupid/evil/deserve to die (obviously it didn't go this far).

We can all live our lives based on our own belief systems (much of it crosses over anyway) without arguing and fighting over who is right. Surely this kind of harmony would be an indication of a truly enlightened society.

 

[beorhthelm]

If you are talking philosophically, you don't need reasoning.

i'd have thought, talking philosophically, you only have reasoning.

Do you? As youngsters, we are taught to believe in God as part of our religious studies, thus, we assume that God is a religious concept. As children, some of us even thought of God as an old man with white hair and a beard sitting on top of the clouds, smiling benevolently at us all.

But conceptions of God are far more personal than that and can exist outside of religion and faith...

and everytime you write God as a proper noun, you are talking about that chap, so not outside religion and faith. sure gods can be discussed outside strict religious contexts, but then do so, provide your definiton and explaination. evidence, though observation or reasoning, is usfull here to demonstrate your point, otherwise you might as well believe in elfs and unicorns. (maybe you do).

btw all those other things you talk about are mysticism, they are not and do not involve a god (as far i know)

 

[perseus]

Jesus Christ: its a composition fallacy

 

[HovaGirl]

i'd have thought, talking philosophically, you only have reasoning.




and everytime you write God as a proper noun, you are talking about that chap, so not outside religion and faith. sure gods can be discussed outside strict religious contexts, but then do so, provide your definiton and explaination. evidence, though observation or reasoning, is usfull here to demonstrate your point, otherwise you might as well believe in elfs and unicorns. (maybe you do).

btw all those other things you talk about are mysticism, they are not and do not involve a god (as far i know)

No, they do not involve a god, but neither do they involve science. Nor are they proved or disproved. It's all just the part of our existence which we don't understand. I don't know if I'm a theist because I don't have the answer, but I'm certainly not a multi-theist, thus, I don't talk about gods, lower-case c. I talk about God, upper-case C, because that is what he/she/it is called. God has a name - God. And I do mean God outside of religion. People associate God with religion, because that is what they have been taught. Neither do I see God as creator, but as created, like us, and the rest of creation. And, as the Bible says, God hath no beginning and he hath no end, because both creation and the entire universe have no beginning and no end, regardless of Big Bangs.

 

[beorhthelm]

And I do mean God outside of religion. ... And, as the Bible says, God hath no beginning and he hath no end,

you are one confused bunny.

 

[Mr Burns]

No, they do not involve a god, but neither do they involve science. Nor are they proved or disproved. It's all just the part of our existence which we don't understand. I don't know if I'm a theist because I don't have the answer, but I'm certainly not a multi-theist, thus, I don't talk about gods, lower-case c. I talk about God, upper-case C, because that is what he/she/it is called. God has a name - God. And I do mean God outside of religion. People associate God with religion, because that is what they have been taught. Neither do I see God as creator, but as created, like us, and the rest of creation. And, as the Bible says, God hath no beginning and he hath no end, because both creation and the entire universe have no beginning and no end, regardless of Big Bangs.

You wanna lay of the drugs for a while girl!

 

[Triggaaar]

While much can be explained by science, not everything can.

Yes it can. The fact that our grasp of science is in its infancy does not mean that science itself cannot explain everything.

We all have experiences which cannot be explained by science, such as deja-vu

That can be explained by science.

or sensing when something is wrong without evidence for it. Some of us can read our partner's minds, or finish their sentences for them. Identical twins are known to have uncanny bouts of psychic occurrences.

Poppycock.

Many people believe in the mysticism of hand-reading, tarot cards or even astrology.

Muppets.

we know our minds exist, but no scientist can ever find it, cut it up and examine it, because our minds are not physical things.

You need to go to school. I'm sorry but you are talking nonsense.