What religion are you?

[Siggie]

Re: What religion are you?

I don't have time to reply now and I only looked at the proof of god briefly, skipping mostly to the end and I'd like to point out that Einstein was an atheist.
Your argument about the big questions of life and all that has already been addressed. Read the prior posts.

[jgk3]

Re: What religion are you?

Guys, let's imagine for a second that God doesn't exist! Let's imagine that all we do is just wake up everyday, take a shower (some do at least), and go to school, work, or whatever. Doesn't it seem a bit pointless ? How much? How much sex, how much sleep, how much fun, how long can we just go on and then one day just die? Do you really think that's the point of this life? Eat and sleep, that's it? This world would be the saddest place ever if that was true. Anything that doesn't have a point is useless and anyone who wants to prove me wrong should be able to explain me how the mind, heart, and time work’s.

The best moments in life are when they are pointless. The trick is to find pointlessness in everything.

What's useful to me at a given time and place, may be useless to you.

Breathing takes precedence over eating and sleeping. I breathe way more times than I eat, sleep, have sex, take showers or have fun. It's just this habit of mine that doesn't seem to go away. I'd feel like it was a disease if I noticed that other people or animals did not share my habit, but alas, this is not the case, we all breathe. Lizards breathe too. Actually, I like breathing, it's pleasant whenever there's some good air around.

The most useful idea for God that I've ever heard is the one where he is in everything and that he is everywhere, even though I fail to see the masculinity of mother nature. Still, it is convenient and reassuring to just consider everything you experience as God, instead of regarding him as a creator and law giver. It also makes me feel at ease to consider myself as God based on this idea of God being everywhere, including in my vocabulary bank.

Our perception of reality is limited to an ecologically viable perspective. Epistemology doesn't seem to be concerned with this fact. Epistemology also does not account for the human language faculty's ability to use negation in sentences, for example, to produce clauses like [does not exist] by applying negation to [does exist], even though these clauses are used quite extensively in epistemological inquiry. It thus treats "stances" of believing or denying the existence of things too seriously, ignoring that much of these stances are modeled on grammaticality and attempts to sound logically coherent to a given audience. The emphasis of discussion is pervasively shifted from conveying actual information or news about anything relevant and instead becomes an incessant mind game preoccupied with using words to construct arguments that exist solely to challenge the arguments of others. For some reason, this is fun to some people, including myself, though it doesn't excuse this pastime from being rather pointless. Apparently, some people make money off of writing philosophy books filled with argumentation, maybe it's relatively "useful" afterall.

[Siggie]

Re: What religion are you?

There are a few things I'd like to share, if I may , and I hope I don't offend anyone.

First, whether you believe in a teapot, a dog, a noodle monster, or the green lantern is truly your choice but saying that something DOESN'T exist is as compelling as saying something DOES. Let's remember that before I go on.

Here are my views on Religion. There is only one God, we perceive him in different ways. I've lived in many countries, not to be bragging or anything, and have seen many different religions, have had friends who believed in different God's, who had different perceptions of life, who had different ways of living, and many who didn't even want to hear the name "God". I've seen many religions not even mentioned in your pole. Before one can accuse someone though, he must respect everyone for who they are and their opinion(s), remembering that we will all have to die one day and talk for ourselves, ALSO remembering that everyone is right in their own way. This world is based on truth and lies or bad and good, 50/50, so seeing a truth in almost everything is inevitable. Next, religion isn't a light subject matter which can be talked about in any way a person fancies so respect is vital, EVEN if you are an atheist or whatever.

I believe that any religion that accuses any other religion is not my religion. Anyone who says his God is better then another God is lost already. I can prove any accuser wrong quoting their own religion. For example, tons of Christians don’t do what Jesus told them to. They don’t oblige with the religion but instead, they make the religion oblige with them. God is one, period, end of conversation. There aren't millions of God's. In different cultures, the word Demigod is significantly used but they are like Angels basically serving a higher God so that proves that there is only one God so don’t bring that excuse up.

I've seen good and bad in all religions and have realized that it’s the word RELIGION that has messed the world up. Me? My Religion? My religion is to be a good person, to be supportive, to help out as much as I can, to fight when needed, to remember that I'm not in this world to just drink six-packs and have fun all day, and to never forget that everything has a master, EVERYTHING. Guys, let's imagine for a second that God doesn't exist! Let's imagine that all we do is just wake up everyday, take a shower (some do at least), and go to school, work, or whatever. Doesn't it seem a bit pointless ? How much? How much sex, how much sleep, how much fun, how long can we just go on and then one day just die? Do you really think that's the point of this life? Eat and sleep, that's it? This world would be the saddest place ever if that was true. Anything that doesn't have a point is useless and anyone who wants to prove me wrong should be able to explain me how the mind, heart, and time work’s. If you can't, stop saying a higher power doesn't exist. Who the hell are we then? Why the hell are we here? How does nature work? How does time work? How does this universe work? You may not believe in a certain God but saying GOD DOESN'T EXIST is not equal or even close to saying he does exist because at least then, we have an answer, big or small. So many atheists don’t even want to go deep into a religion because they don’t WANT TO not because it’s wrong. If a person shuts his eyes and ears, of course he’ll think nothing exists. So many don’t take up any religion because it’s too “difficult” or strict. The right path ain’t always easy. Many go with the American dream BS, being free and sh!t. The truth is, there is no freedom in this world, get used to it. I can't stop laughing when people say God doesn't exist! It's hysterical . But like I said, I respect everyone's views and anyways, we just have a few decades to live, we'll find out soon enough!

I could go in great detail but I think that's enough. Sorry if I mixed up anything. I wrote this pretty fast, don't have much time. I’m attaching a few files, check em out. I think you’ll have a much better idea of what I’m talking about. Seriously, just take five minutes to go through them, their interesting, especially "The Chat With God" "PROOF OF GOD" and "Do Barbers Exist".

You haven't posted an argument here. You've just said that it seems uncomfortable to you to think there isn't a god. That's not an argument for existence.

Now your posted files

1 - says that we might be predisposed to believing. Belief is not truth. So irrelevant.

2 - No one's made an argument that stupid here, so IMO irrelevant too.

3 - "Proof of God" is incorrect. I don't want to get into evolution, but saying if you haven't seen it happen w/ your own eyes it doesn't happen doesn't hold water. I think part of what even gives weight to the lame argument in that is the claim that Einstein said that and I already said that Einstein was an atheist and got quite a bit of grief for declaring it publicly to clear things up when believers get citing him as one of their own.

4 - As far as scientists and believers go... If you actually look at the TOP scientists (or nobel winners including those in literature), over 90% are atheists. Incidentally, there's also a correlation w/ IQ.

5 - I don't even know what that's supposed to add..

[Anush]

Re: What religion are you?

Sounds yummy.

Anyways google images told me that the helix nebula was god, or at least one of his eyes, which leads me to wonder where the rest of him is. I was really disappointed that he wasn't french toast.

[Stark Evade]

Re: What religion are you?

Dog is a word. The word "dog" in itself doesn't look like any dog in particular, as you can have a doberman or a poodle and they will be two types of dogs. Thus, there is no archetype dog that you can point to, you can only have variations of this agreed upon concept called dog. You can refer to species of dogs, dogs in general, dogs that belong to specific people, etc... But you can never talk to "dog", nor can you talk about "dog", that is, until you name something or someone as "dog".

So if you can't engage "dog" as first, second or third person unless you name someone or something as "dog" (in an effort to do away with the word's abstract nature), can you prove that "dog" exists?

And to you, Stark Evade, can you prove that "dog" doesn't exist?

Regardless of which question applies to you, how can you justify your stance?

p.s. inquiring on semantics can at times make you come off as heretical.

I'm sorry but did you even read my post?

[Inthemood]

Re: What religion are you?

Agnostic, leaning toward atheist. I've swung back and forth in the past and this time I think it's final.

What happened to your Christian beliefs? Gosh, you're a swinger! What made you reconsider?

[Stark Evade]

Re: What religion are you?

I used to consider myself an agnostic but my definition of an agnostic would have been considered atheism by Dawkins. Though I disagree with him on that, I no longer label myself as being either one. I'm not really interested in the differences between the two labels.

[Inthemood]

Re: What religion are you?

Me two. I've abandoned religious self-branding a while ago. I am interested in taunting super religious converts by asking them probing and vulgar questions. Is it wrong for me to enjoy this little pleasure?

[Sako]

Re: What religion are you?

I have to admit that I didn't read all the posts so forgive me if I missed anything but you got me wrong. And JGK3, you just said what I said in more detail. Breathing, of course we breathe, but even then, is that what this life is all about, just breathing, living, and then dying one day? What happens then? I know what happens; I'm asking those who are atheistic. To me, a life believing that God doesn't exist pretty much makes everything else, YES, pointless and not only what I see as pointless but what you see as useful, my friend. Eventually, you will die and all that you have learned is just material, stuff people have created with their minds. There are many things that have a lasting effect and go with you and hence comes the saying, “In the end, you just take all you have learned with you”. And Siggi, everything I just said was an argument, you just didn’t think of it that way. This was to all those who don’t believe in their being a more powerful force then themselves or human beings.

And no offense, JGK3, but you are not God. I know what you mean but that's the impersonalist approach. We are all different souls or different leaves on the branches of a tree. We're all just parts and parcels of something much bigger, much greater, something materialists and those who go with an atheistic approach could never dream of understanding. We are small sparks of a greater energy just like the rays of the sun are parts of the sun but not the sun itself. That’s like saying you are the son of your parents but you are your parents. You have their energies flowing in you, their blood but you aren’t them. Every thing moves and happens because God decides it should and we shouldn't imagine him the way we want or do what we like instead of what we should but what we are supposed to and its not just living everyday that gives this life a point, there is much more. We get closer to dying every second. In the end though, we have free will and there are millions of ways to climb the mountain. You can go zigzag, you can walk straight up, you can twirl around it, but eventually, you will end up at the top. This isn't the first or the last life. If it was, then half of the people in the world all would have to go to hell. All rivers end up in the ocean and people don't understand what GOD means. They think he's this big bearded man who can't judge properly. This world is worse then hell because we don't even know why we're here. I hope you get my point. Anything without reason, ANYTHING, is pointless. For example, a nice computer is great and useful but if you can't use it properly then it’s useless. In the same way, everything we do usually is just material. This life isn’t being used properly. Spirituality is like a secondary thing and as long as this takes place, I hate to break it to you, bro, but EVERYTHING is pointless if materialism comes first, EVERYTHING.

They say you have a nice car, that’s one zero. You have a beautiful wife, that’s another zero; you have a nice house, that’s another zero, so on and so forth. When God comes into the picture or into your life, then a one is placed at the beginning of all those pointless zeros, creating a big number otherwise you’ll just have a lot of zeros in a horizontal line going for miles.

Here’s something I’d like to quote.

Anyone that is absolutely sure of anything spiritual can't be right because being "correct" is impossible. But their need to have something to believe in is also what makes them human.

You know what the beauty of belief and faith is??? Anyone??? It’s that you believe in it even though you don’t see it. There are people who don’t believe in other worlds, heaven, etc. claiming they can’t see it. The same is in the case of God. They say they can’t see him. Well, just because you can’t see the sun sometimes because of the clouds, doesn’t mean the Sun doesn’t exist. There are countries I have never been to. I know people who have never gone ten miles from their village. Now, America, India, etc. are so far away but can people say it doesn’t exist? They still have faith that it probably exists because so many people talk about it and many have gone through a lot, claiming it exists. Saying it doesn’t is childish and immoral. Now, how many of you know people who have gone through clinical deaths? How many of you have seen people feel great inside just by the thought of God? How many of you have seen miracles? I can go on and on! My point is, there is sufficient proof to prove anything almost but its THOSE WHO WANT TO BELIEVE IN GOD, who truly want to, that get somewhere. Otherwise? Your all on a scale. No one can prove God doesn’t exist and just because there are so many that don’t believe in him or are envious of him, there are many, throughout the world because of this material world, doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. This world was built by someone, everything has a master, and saying this world has magically come together is like saying you were just born out of thin air. I can prove any of you scientifically wrong in every way possible because I didn’t exactly read any arguments that could get me thinking. Just simply saying God doesn’t exist doesn’t count as an argument, it’s just a dry statement. The point of life is to believe till the end and not waver because this world was built for us to give up and waver A LOT. God gave us a choice and there are those who use it properly and those who don’t. Which side are you on??? Living everyday and simply living doesn’t count as using your life properly.

Me two. I've abandoned religious self-branding a while ago. I am interested in taunting super religious converts by asking them probing and vulgar questions. Is it wrong for me to enjoy this little pleasure?

No, your just wasting your time though.

[Siggie]

Re: What religion are you?

I have to admit that I didn't read all the posts so forgive me if I missed anything but you got me wrong. And JGK3, you just said what I said in more detail. Breathing, of course we breathe, but even then, is that what this life is all about, just breathing, living, and then dying one day? What happens then? I know what happens; I'm asking those who are atheistic. To me, a life believing that God doesn't exist pretty much makes everything else, YES, pointless and not only what I see as pointless but what you see as useful, my friend. Eventually, you will die and all that you have learned is just material, stuff people have created with their minds. There are many things that have a lasting effect and go with you and hence comes the saying, “In the end, you just take all you have learned with you”. And Siggi, everything I just said was an argument, you just didn’t think of it that way. This was to all those who don’t believe in their being a more powerful force then themselves or human beings.

And no offense, JGK3, but you are not God. I know what you mean but that's the impersonalist approach. We are all different souls or different leaves on the branches of a tree. We're all just parts and parcels of something much bigger, much greater, something materialists and those who go with an atheistic approach could never dream of understanding. We are small sparks of a greater energy just like the rays of the sun are parts of the sun but not the sun itself. That’s like saying you are the son of your parents but you are your parents. You have their energies flowing in you, their blood but you aren’t them. Every thing moves and happens because God decides it should and we shouldn't imagine him the way we want or do what we like instead of what we should but what we are supposed to and its not just living everyday that gives this life a point, there is much more. We get closer to dying every second. In the end though, we have free will and there are millions of ways to climb the mountain. You can go zigzag, you can walk straight up, you can twirl around it, but eventually, you will end up at the top. This isn't the first or the last life. If it was, then half of the people in the world all would have to go to hell. All rivers end up in the ocean and people don't understand what GOD means. They think he's this big bearded man who can't judge properly. This world is worse then hell because we don't even know why we're here. I hope you get my point. Anything without reason, ANYTHING, is pointless. For example, a nice computer is great and useful but if you can't use it properly then it’s useless. In the same way, everything we do usually is just material. This life isn’t being used properly. Spirituality is like a secondary thing and as long as this takes place, I hate to break it to you, bro, but EVERYTHING is pointless if materialism comes first, EVERYTHING.

They say you have a nice car, that’s one zero. You have a beautiful wife, that’s another zero; you have a nice house, that’s another zero, so on and so forth. When God comes into the picture or into your life, then a one is placed at the beginning of all those pointless zeros, creating a big number otherwise you’ll just have a lot of zeros in a horizontal line going for miles.

Here’s something I’d like to quote.

Anyone that is absolutely sure of anything spiritual can't be right because being "correct" is impossible. But their need to have something to believe in is also what makes them human.

You know what the beauty of belief and faith is??? Anyone??? It’s that you believe in it even though you don’t see it. There are people who don’t believe in other worlds, heaven, etc. claiming they can’t see it. The same is in the case of God. They say they can’t see him. Well, just because you can’t see the sun sometimes because of the clouds, doesn’t mean the Sun doesn’t exist. There are countries I have never been to. I know people who have never gone ten miles from their village. Now, America, India, etc. are so far away but can people say it doesn’t exist? They still have faith that it probably exists because so many people talk about it and many have gone through a lot, claiming it exists. Saying it doesn’t is childish and immoral. Now, how many of you know people who have gone through clinical deaths? How many of you have seen people feel great inside just by the thought of God? How many of you have seen miracles? I can go on and on! My point is, there is sufficient proof to prove anything almost but its THOSE WHO WANT TO BELIEVE IN GOD, who truly want to, that get somewhere. Otherwise? Your all on a scale. No one can prove God doesn’t exist and just because there are so many that don’t believe in him or are envious of him, there are many, throughout the world because of this material world, doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. This world was built by someone, everything has a master, and saying this world has magically come together is like saying you were just born out of thin air. I can prove any of you scientifically wrong in every way possible because I didn’t exactly read any arguments that could get me thinking. Just simply saying God doesn’t exist doesn’t count as an argument, it’s just a dry statement. The point of life is to believe till the end and not waver because this world was built for us to give up and waver A LOT. God gave us a choice and there are those who use it properly and those who don’t. Which side are you on??? Living everyday and simply living doesn’t count as using your life properly.



No, your just wasting your time though.

Wow, the sun behind the clouds is the worst analogy ever. We know the sun exists because we can still see it's light from behind the clouds and because we have seen it before. There is plenty of evidence for the sun.

Believing in something there's no evidence for is a beautiful thing? How is that not a glorified imaginary friend?

No one said the world as we know it appeared out of thin air (though there wouldn't be that either I suppose). There are explanations for how the universe and the Earth, and the life on Earth came to be. You just choose not to educate yourself about that.
Those explanations currently supported by heaps of scientific evidence provide a more probable and parsimonious explanation than does the belief that some conscious supernatural being created it all.

Those who choose to understand the universe are making better use of their time than those that shrug away their lack of understanding by saying we're just human we're not meant to understand or attributing it all to "God."