Is there a God? / Plagiarism in the forum

[c| Spetsnaz.]

Religion has been the cause of pain and strife for humankind since the beginning of time. People faithfully kill in the name of their religious beliefs. If there is a God, why did he create a world filled with atrocity and intolerance? Why has religion been used as a tool for oppression? Why did he not leave that one shred of evidence that would prove his existence?

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."     - Thomas Paine, (1737-1809)

[bronto]

i am an athiest, but from time to time i contemplate the possibility of there being a higher power of some kind. if there were a god, and he did create this world filled with atrocity and intolerance, i'm sure that since we play such a small part in the big image, we won't live to see the answer. i have alot to say about religion itself, but it's hard to put into words without offending anyone, seeing as its such a sensitive subject to some. i'll keep it to myself. all i can say is that with the help of meditation and [optional] strong psychedelic mind altering substances and a good memory, things will begin to make sense.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Yes, there is a God, and there is Jesus.  Read the Bible to learn more.

-GhostSniper Out.

[c| Spetsnaz.]

Ghost, I beleive in Jesus, and Jesus talks to me, or at least the name i've given to one of these voices in my head.

[Mr. Lothario]

     "Why is it that when we're talking to God, we're praying, but when God talks to us, we're insane?"

     It's always seemed to me that to believe in the Christian God because of the Bible and to believe in the Bible because of God is a logical infinite loop, and therefore meaningless. An external source of verification is required for truth to be established.

     I hold that the question of the existence or nonexistence of a supernatural entity, god, gods, etc. is unresolvable. On the other hand, my stance on religion is not so ambiguous. Organized religion is the single greatest evil (to use an unfortunate word for lack of a more accurate one) in all human history. Belief in the god or gods of your choice is not harmful, and for most people is a positive thing. Belief in an organization which purports to be the one true source for the word of your deity is unquestionably harmful. Middlemen are parasites, contributing nothing, in business and in belief. Worse, once belief is transferred from the deity to the organization, the believer is simply a commodity and a tool for the use of the rulers of the organization.

     To quote Mr. Horse from "Ren & Stimpy", "No sir, I don't like it!"

[jn.loudnotes]

The whole system of organized religion just sounds like a wonderful conspiracy theory anyway.

Metaphorical texts are interpreted only by those in power (i.e. the church, liturgical officials of the Middle Ages, etc) and the illiterate or uneducated masses have to take them literally.  Ultimately, since the principle question of existence is obscured by time (which erases any direct evidence of biblical characters) and cannot be in any case verified by the living - it rests solely on faith.

There are good sides to faith (and church) and bad sides, as Lothario clarified.  However, the overall important point is that no one can know God with certainty (without being the prophet of yet another religion!) and thus he believes, for whatever reason compels him to - fear, social instinct, rationalized decision, culture. . .

In any case, God can be said then to represent all that is unknown and uncertain.  Countless civilizations have had their creation myths to explain the world; deities factor in nicely.  In my personal opinion at least, God is the embodiment of everything that is to the human mind unfathomable.

What happens after death?  How did the universe begin?  What causes "miracles"?  

How easy to explain them all as God, Allah, YHWH, or however else one chooses to name it (Him).

Again personally, with so much uncertainty in existence, why is an omnipotent being not a reasonable solution?  Thus I reject atheism, because I feel no greater proof in it than in any religion, even as I reject the religions themselves.  At the same time, I enjoy some cultural traditions:  I enjoy a Passover seder and I find Amazing Grace exceedingly moving  (mixed faith household).  Yet if I ever seek comfort in faith, it'd be nice to have the presence of mind to illogically invest my emotions in divinity.

Still, I too find organized religion distasteful.  I can say to someone, "I believe in God" and it carries personal significance.  It does not mean I have any desire of attending church.  It might, however, communicate a completely different message to others.  My God is not necessarily the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. . .it is rather simply a name for what I do not understand.

Finally, to add a further tangent, the most abhorrent picture to me is the idea of evangelism.  I have had people tell me, on explanation of my beliefs (or lack thereof), that I am damned to an eternity in a fiery hell.  How nice.  Not only do I disbelieve in their theories, but why the goddamned (forgive the expression) determination to force their incipient, inchoate musings on myself?

It is the height of arrogance to demand converts to one's cause.  I can respect religion, but I have little or no tolerance for those that cannot show the same respect to others.
------

Ghost - Do you believe that Jesus was literally resurrected from the dead, a metaphysical feat that defies human comprehension?  Or do you consider the story of his rebirth a parable for modern existence?  In either case, I respect your opinion, so long as you don't darn me to heck for mine.
------

Why quote dilbert?  Then again, why not?

[Jeb]

I'm an atheist,
However accepting the fact that there could be a God (definition of the word) isn't that hard. You can argue that logically there must be something to start a chain reaction of everything, however just as valid arguments can work the other way. Refer to the age old question of what came first the chicken or the egg.

Religion is just a way to form answers, like myths. However unlike myth, religion is based on sacred teachings and scriptures. According to an interesting debate on The O'Rilley Factor, there have been over 2,400 Gods/Supreme Beings worshiped over the course of human history that we know about. People don't know things, and still don't know things. If anyone here would call the Greeks (or any religious belief) crazy for thinking there were gods on top of a big mountain... they should reevaluate what they believe in. Since it takes some big brass balls for anyone to say that their religion is the right religion and everyone else is crazy. I'll just accept religion along the same lines as i accept Bigfoot.

i'd talk about why religion is evil, but loth did that already.
-jeb
ps.  ?Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord.? Colossians 3:18
ITS NOT ALL BAD! write that down bucc  

[alaric]

?Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord.? Colossians 3:18

Shit, looks like he's got you now Ace...

[Cossack]

YOU WHO QUESTION THE FAITH AND THE EXISTENCE OF GOD ARE ALL BLASPHEMS AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE CHAINED TO A STAKE AND BURNED! Now that I have (purposfuly) made an ass of myself I will tell you why I think there is a god.

I have always taken an interest in astro-physics and the such. I note down the nature of the universe and from my observations and the many physics classes that I have taken. The universe is just too brilliant to be something random, it seems like it has been constructed and designed by some higher being or some mysterious entity. Everything from the black holes to atoms are connected by mathmatical equations and theorems. Sure there is still an attempt to make a unified theory between General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics (they may succeed using this new string theory) but the cosmos are too elegant and too orginized that I beleive something had to create it.
   As for a Jesus, I am sure he is a son of god. Arent we all sons and daughters of god. As for the many gods worshiped, I see many of them as the same god with different names. Ra is Jupiter, Jupiter is Zeus. All these main gods just seem like the same god but a different name to different people.

[Cutter]

religion=seperatism=racism=war=death
more wars have been fought and more people have died throughout history "in the name of god" than from any other thing i can think of. little more than half a century ago before tv and radio there were only books. us humans need entertanment, always have. it's just another book. i respect other peoples beliefs but i find it amazing that some people (millions upon millions) still live their life based on a book written so long ago. noah took two of each species on his ark huh? even two of each of the 250,000 something species of insects? pff...that couldn't even be done today.
can you learn some things about human history and life from the bible or kuran etc. yes. should you live your life based on the bible and the things in it? that's your problem. i gotta go back to work. double shifts for the next couple months. so pray for me all of you.

[Casper]

Cossack ur right about being the same... i think that the jewish, christian and islam all have the same god... (i think thats how it is not possitive im just kinda out of it so)

[cO.Kuza]

The whole system of organized religion just sounds like a wonderful conspiracy theory anyway.

I totaly agree I think the whole religion thing was set up as a form of control.

Kuza

[Cossack]

GS, a word of wisdom from drunk old uncle Cossack (I have been having fun with that ever since my sister had a kid). Now I mean this in the most respectful tone possible. No one gives a flying shit about what wars your family members have been in, and in this context what wars they have served in contribute nothing to the religious views you have put before us. I dont know what purpose you tried to fufill by telling us what your ancestors did. One could assume you are trying add credibility to your views.
Using that logic (not saying you were using it) I could state, "I beleive the Jews should be castrated so they wont spoil the Earth. By the way my father fought in Afghanistan, grandfather in the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Great Grandfather was the personal body guard to Czar Nicholas II." It adds nothing.

Now look what you have done, you made me go off on a tangent.

[cO.Kuza]

GS, a word of wisdom from drunk old uncle Cossack (I have been having fun with that ever since my sister had a kid). Now I mean this in the most respectful tone possible. No one gives a flying shit about what wars your family members have been in, and in this context what wars they have served in contribute nothing to the religious views you have put before us. I dont know what purpose you tried to fufill by telling us what your ancestors did. One could assume you are trying add credibility to your views.
Using that logic (not saying you were using it) I could state, "I beleive the Jews should be castrated so they wont spoil the Earth. By the way my father fought in Afghanistan, grandfather in the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Great Grandfather was the personal body guard to Czar Nicholas II." It adds nothing.

Now look what you have done, you made me go off on a tangent.

***turns his head to Ghost          

[Toxic::Joka]

I like the part in simpsons where someone is trying to make bart belive in god and repent his sins so he can go to heaven. And bart says "Why can't I sin my whole life and repent at the last second and still go to heaven" That dosent really have anything to do with this though...  

If god dosent excist...then who made the big bang, not the "big" bang that made the earth i mean the big one that made everything   (thats a funny question to think about when your wasted   )

[PLOPje]

yeah and if god made the bigbang who made god then?
you can think about that also.
Well everything is here to serve only one and that needs to be me  
thats how i think about and maybe I change my opinion on that after I am dead but I first need to know what comes after dead.
i think it cannot end there. otherwise theres just nothing
we are living just for nothing for nihil rien niets aah.
So I give you something to live form and thats for me

[*NADS Lo$eMoney]

If god dosent excist...then who made the big bang, not the "big" bang that made the earth i mean the big one that made everything   (thats a funny question to think about when your wasted   )

Well that question is impossible to answer because time didn't exist before the big bang, so technically there was never a "before the big bang".  Time not existing is a pretty hard concept to think about though.

Maybe when you die you do just no longer exist.  I mean have you ever been knocked out?  You have no memory of what happened in those moments it is just as if one point you're standing, and the next point you're somewhere else.  Isn't our memory what defines us anyway? When you can't remember something it's as if it never happened and when you die you have no more brain activity, and when you have no brain activity you can no longer remember anything.  I always wondered why humans are naturally afraid of death, it must be something bad if instinct makes us fear it.  

The movie "waking life" posed an interesting theory.  It is well known that dreams only last a few minutes but to the dreamer it feels as if it lasts for hours.  And basically they said that the brain still has 12 minutes of activity after the heart has stopped beating and 12 minutes of real time could be an eternity of dream time, and the afterlife could be all just a seemingly  everlasting dream.

Anyway this is tripping me out I'm out.

[BTs_FahQ2]

I just don't feel that I should have blind faith in something that has purposefully caused just as much pain in life as good.  Should I be thankful and praise a creator that causes strife in the majority of existence.  Maybe I should curse the bastard and not thank him.

It's funny how if you read scriptures it states that the pain is due to man and nothing else.  Well, the weaver of such wisdom and infallable inventions has therefore fucked up and is fallable. Basically we were created to praise a higher being that usually does nothing to help ease the pain, but we should be so thankful for the creation itself.

That's like thanking a doctor for not helping you when you have been shot, and not only does he not help you, he gives you no morphine.  He just watches knowing he could help.  Now that's one sadistic bastard right there.  That is why Serial Killers usually have the God complex.  They feel they are God because they can choose whether people live or die.  They get off on it.  So in a sense, is God the serial mastermind who likes to watch.

These are the question along with many, many other problems that have made me lose my faith.  I would get into specifics, but then I would have to paste my 100pg Thesis on this one.

[c| Hathcock]

My views on religion is that it is simply an explanation.  The Greeks, Romans, basically every ancient culture, had many gods to explain the way things were.  The Native Americans had stories that they passed on to their children to explain the world.  My belief in the Bible is that it was created to explain existence.  And what better explanation that a supreme being like everyone else had come up with?  

Not until very recently in human history have we developed the means to understand things scientifically.  I tend to believe in what I see.  So until I see God standing here in front of my face what physical proof is there of a supreme being other than a mere book?  

If you beleive in a merciful God in this world I have a quote for you.

To quote Vin Diesel in Dark Black. "I absolutely believe in God.  And I hate the  
                                                    motherfucker."

[jn.loudnotes]

I always wondered why humans are naturally afraid of death, it must be something bad if instinct makes us fear it.  

Kind of ties in with the meaning of life, another nice question.  But that one on the most basic level has a pretty straitforward answer:  survive and reproduce.

Instinctually, as animals, we fear death because we need to survive in order to pass on our genes and continue the species.  Who knows why we want so badly to continue to exist, but in any case what meaning does existence have if it's not to be perpetuated?