Obviously my screen name says what I believe but I encourage all ( Buddhist, Atheist, Christians, Taoist, Muslims, etc) to give me a good clear cut answer on if god really does exist. I would sincerely love to know what all of you think. That does not mean I won't argue with your idea or belief.
But you're making a gamble there, a gamble founded on faith and not fact, by 'informing' people - you're usually just bugging them. Let people go their own way and believe what they want to believe. Anyway, what's so great about the idea of Heaven? Eternity is an awful long time and you'd be spending most of that praising some insecure and jealous deity. If life just ends then you won't even know that you're dead seeing as all brain activity ceases upon death.
Informing people doesn't necessarily mean bugging them. I don't mean knocking door to "spread the good news". It could be telling our friend about it. Maybe inviting him or her to church just to try it out, or a christian camp or something. It could be in a passive way like a poster. But sure people can believe what they want in my opinion. Those who are christian won't think as you do about the "raising some insecure and jealous deity" part. For you who don't believe in God that would be a pain praising him because you don't know why. We who already does it can see a reason in doing it and therefor it wouldn't bother us.
I don't live to die, unlike what you seem to be suggesting you do. And why, exactly, would you "cherish" this time when you could end up in your afterlife without this unnecessary test? And if you need to tell people about the afterlife for them to take part in it, does that mean your god sends people to hell for not knowing about the religion at all?
I understand that you don't live to die as I don't live waiting for heaven. But I was trying to make a point that heaven is better than just ceasing to exist. The thing is that it isn't unnecessary. We have a plan in life, whatever it is suicide is not it. It says that god will inform everybody about heaven before they die, it says that everybody will get a fair chance. But we are the ones who can reach them and tell them.
Informing people doesn't necessarily mean bugging them. I don't mean knocking door to "spread the good news". It could be telling our friend about it. Maybe inviting him or her to church just to try it out, or a christian camp or something. It could be in a passive way like a poster.
In my neighborhood we have a Christian youth scheme every summer. It's just a youth group where teenagers can go to play computer games and meet new people, it's free and fun. They run the scheme with Christian values but they don't force you to be religious. The then offer Bible groups to inform, not indoctrinate kids who have questions. I think this fits to what you're saying? Introduction isn't a forceful "We are real !!!" trying to prove God stance, it's just a passive introduction.
I guess in the end, it doesn't matter if it's passive or a forced opinion, some people are so stubborn and rooted into their beliefs (this is on both sides) that no matter what happens, there will be no sway. the only way to truly know if god is real is to test it by temporarily off-ing yourself. I'm sure none of you guys have done it, so there will be no headway until this happens. if somebody does it, you have my respect because you were crazy enough to do it willingly.
the only way to truly know if god is real is to test it by temporarily off-ing yourself.
Considering many gods are claimed to have real effects on the living we don't have to off ourselves to find out if that god is real or not. We can simply examine and test those claims.
I do believe god exists because if i did'nt then that would mean I belive in the big bang theory which simply is nothing became somthing, this "somthing spun really fast and exploded. Then gravity which just happend to be there attracted this stuff together and over time and eventually we just showed up.Poof, here we are! This theory is messed up ideas protected by numbers and epuations.
I do believe god exists because if i did'nt then that would mean I belive in the big bang theory which simply is nothing became somthing, this "somthing spun really fast and exploded. Then gravity which just happend to be there attracted this stuff together and over time and eventually we just showed up.Poof, here we are! This theory is messed up ideas protected by numbers and epuations.
A scientific theory is based on observable evidence, unlike God. So your basically saying you believe something that has no objective evidence over something that does. Second you description of the Big Bang is out right wrong. It doesn't state that nothing become something, a singularity is something. second it wasn't an explosion but the expansion of the universe. Gravity is one of the four fundamental forces of the universe. So saying gravity just happened to be here is like saying magnetism just happens to be here. We didn't just show up either, it was a process taking billions of years. Really your description of something from nothing is really more in line with religious thinking than science.
I wish I could believe. I really do, it would make life so much easier. Think of it like this: with a firm belief in God, the reason for your existence is to reproduce and feed your beliefs into your child. You believe you are "rotected" and that God has a plan for you, and whatever you do, that plan will come true.
When you open your eyes and see the truth of the matter, you actually have to take care of yourself and your kids (should you choose to have them) and things that happen, good or bad, are your fault.
Its a matter of whether or not you choose to believe, not if he/she/it/they exist or not. If I firmly and unshakably believe that there is an invisible pink unicorn in the sky that is watching over me, the power of my mind will not allow me to think differently. Its as if someone suddenly told you, "Everything you know is wrong. Things don't fall down, they fall up. Girls are actually men and Bill Gates is actually a burrito with a top hat." Its impossible to believe or comprehend that your parents taught you wrong and that what you believe in is incorrect.
I am agnostic. I don't want to pretend that I know he's out there/isn't out there, because it works for some people and it doesn't work for others.
For example, extremists shouldn't be given evidence that God doesn't exist because they wouldn't understand. Their upbringing wouldn't allow them.
Likewise, extreme atheists shouldn't be given evidence that God does exist because its incomprehensible.
In essence, whether or not it(they) exists only depends on if they will have a positive effect. God seems to have a lot of both, so I think we shouldn't try to disprove him. Just leave the theists be.
f I firmly and unshakably believe that there is an invisible pink unicorn in the sky that is watching over me, the power of my mind will not allow me to think differently. Its as if someone suddenly told you, "Everything you know is wrong. Things don't fall down, they fall up. Girls are actually men and Bill Gates is actually a burrito with a top hat." Its impossible to believe or comprehend that your parents taught you wrong and that what you believe in is incorrect.
This isn't really true even. Nothing, not one thing, changes physically when you see that religion makes no sense what so ever. Everything you have always seen and felt, smelled, tasted, is still there. The only thing that changes is that you see that magic sky fairy doesn't add up.
Just leave the theists be.
I have no problem with that, when they stick to themselves. When you have door to door people trying to convert you, them passing laws based on their religious standards, religion covering up abuse and spouting hatred, causing wars, ignorance, and many, many more problems, that's what I have a problem with.
I don't believe in god. That is simply my opinion.
If I look on a broad look though. This topic will be debated for eternity because there is no way you can prove that God exists. And no. The bible does not give 100% proof. Because you know what. If I had a time machine and I went back 2000 years and made a bible style book, everyone would believe that too
