So yeah, our threads on religion have long since died out, so I figured it would be time to start afresh here!
Do you believe God exists (I know almost all of you don't)? Do you feel religion is important today? Is it a force for good? Discuss everything related to that here!
I'm going to start the ball rolling:
We all know about the rise of ISIS and the terrible acts it perpetuates. Does that show that Islam and religion in general is an awful concept? Is it the people who twist it? Or is it fundamentally an evil force?
Slightly complex one, as there is no single...Church or Islamic Sect to compare with. Too many schools of Buddhism, and many have diffused and merged into local culture. E.g In Japan, they merged Buddhism and Emperor worship and worship of their older gods. (At least in the past). In China, they have often merged Buddhism with folk-lore gods. (Lots of Chinese people worship the martial characters in the Three Kingdoms saga!) Same in Thailand. So essentially, Buddhism is too diverse today...but overall many Buddhists do believe in some pantheon of gods. I don't think there are many left that believe only in what the original Buddha taught.
Not that relevant to topic on hand though, just abit more information...at least what I know.
1 So you're saying you don't know what the big bang is even about.
2 An existing god would be a thing. In nothing, there is no god to create something. Therefore, the rule defies even that exception.
Incorrect for both of those. The big bang was pretty much a massive explosion which created our universe.
An existing god would be a thing
Not exactly. Imagine not actually being part of the universe, but still managing it at the same time.
In nothing, there is no god to create something
God would’ve been created long before this universe was born, or maybe has been here forever and will be here forever. For all you know, there has been several universes before ours.
I have to agree with Fish on this one. An omnipotent and omniscient being can pretty much do this in a million other ways without letting anyone suffer. That's the very definition of omnipotence. And combined with OMNI-science (I want you to imagine the word Omni being underlined...and in Big big letters... and bolded), it means the possibilities are limitless, so many we can't even fathom the number. So, nice story you've written there but it is just a story.
Cool story bro, but not exactly. He'd probably be managing the universe and it's infinity with most of His omni-powers, and the rest of His attention would be on us. Also, maybe He doesn't want to interfere with us too much.
That just runs into the problem of evil. What kind of almightly omniscient entity allows that kind of unjustified suffering? What sort of divine creator orchestrates that suffering?
Souls are immortal, which is why they go to heaven as opposed to the body. Those who go to Hell are "spiritually dead" to God, so He put them in there because of a lack of other places to put them. Think of Hell as a trash can.
Cool story bro, but not exactly. He'd probably be managing the universe and it's infinity with most of His omni-powers, and the rest of His attention would be on us. Also, maybe He doesn't want to interfere with us too much.
Then he isn't as benevolent and kind as depicted in the texts now, is he? Also, if he takes a passive role and doesn't interfere, it brings us back to nicho's point. There is no reason to praise Him or even pray. So what nicho said is true, basically, our parents did more for us than god, if that's the case.
Souls are immortal, which is why they go to heaven as opposed to the body. Those who go to Hell are "spiritually dead" to God, so He put them in there because of a lack of other places to put them. Think of Hell as a trash can.
Please excuse me, but I don't understand how this is supposed to explain why God would allow evil to happen in the first place. You just said how he handles it once it happened.
Besides, I am probably getting this wrong, but then do those who go to Hell not have a soul at all? I mean, are they born soulless and thence evil, is this what you mean?
Please excuse me, but I don't understand how this is supposed to explain why God would allow evil to happen in the first place. You just said how he handles it once it happened.
God allows all men to choose. He gives them the freedom of choice according to the texts. A 'dead' person is one who has severed his spiritual connection with god, with which we are all born supposedly. Our purpose in life is to 'search' for God and through our actions attempt to protect that form of 'communication' with him, attempt to come closer to him. 'Paradise' in a sense is when the human has succeeded in becoming one with God. So, God allows men to choose whether to follow Him and love him or to disassociate themselves with Him. Of course, that doesn't explain why he lets actual harm befall the faithful and the innocent, which is one of my doubts as well...
I have spoken to my religious friends about it, and one of the answers they offered was that....God wants to test the faith of his followers. The other reason they offered was that Satan is ingrained in much of the Earth and causing lots of disruption to God's work. As to why God, if he is all powerful, cannot solve this problem, I think the answer they gave was that God's power is in decline(?) or waning(?) or that it wasn't infinite, given that Mankind messed up or something. Something like that.
i cant bear to talk about this any more. people who dont love god should NOT be on here. I love him but im sorry some of the world doesnt cause they should. goodbye.
