does god really exist?

[Karasu]

this is one subject that i think i better keep my mouth shut on O_O *walks back out*

[♥DIVA♥]

This post was made before I saw the one above. ^

Too right mate.

For ATOMOSK: (i wanted to make sure i got your attention [made a new post too] to discuss this one.)
I'm not having a go at you either, I just want to know(if you'll be so kind as to tell) why do you believe in God? I'm interested in other peoples' opinions(especially the educated/informed who can make admissible decisions), because i want to learn.

To me, I think that humans have outgrown our need for God. As humans we are afraid of the unknown. God explained a lot and accounted for the unknown. Now that we can explain a lot (with science) there isn't a need for him anymore(in my opinion).

So yup, why do you believe in God?

i believe in God because that's the most scientific answer to me. However, unlike many people, i don't see God as some enigmatic being that lives up in heaven, far out of our reach. God is the energy that surrounds us, slowly developing our world as time changes.
Buddhism teaches that all things are connected. The Jedi teach that the Force binds us and connects us. Hinduism (at least the ancient one) teaches that all animals have souls inside them.

God is what you make of him. I seriously doubt that He gives a flop how you perceive him or worship him.

As far as science is concerned, God's direct participatoin in natural events may have been disproved, but that doesn't make it any less magnificent, nor does it mean God is no longer necessary. God is, in fact, the one great scientist. He created the Earth, designed not just our body, but billions of different bodies for each animal. he designed the landscapes, the weather, and propelled evolution. then designed a way to reproduce sexually, instead of assexually like a cell. Science doesn't disprove the existence of God, it reinforces his existence. look at the world around you, and tell me there couldn't have been some greater power at work.

Hope that answers your question, locke.

Puffster, you need to respect other's opinions. your kind are the reason i don't go to church. we need to tolerate all opinions and beliefs. you don't need to like them, nor do you need to listen. if you can't post in this discussion without insulting people, then by all means, don't feel obligated to post. And we're not going to lock the post just because you're upsetting people. even if it does happen, we'll just start another thread. This is a good debate we have, and damned if you're going to ruin it for us.

every thing that atomosk said is what i beleive in
exactly. forgive me if i misunderstood your transaction, but i kinda think that god uses science and the forces of life to do what he dose.
like the big bang. i dont think that god snaped his fingers and there were butiful trees and such.
i beleive that he used the big bang and all that to creat the world. beside the whole adam and eve thing kinda grosses me out. if incest is a huge sin and we go by the adam and eve theory, then there is a giant plothole in his disign...

[Atomosk]

every thing that atomosk said is what i beleive in
exactly. forgive me if i misunderstood your transaction, but i kinda think that god uses science and the forces of life to do what he dose.
like the big bang. i dont think that god snaped his fingers and there were butiful trees and such.
i beleive that he used the big bang and all that to creat the world. beside the whole adam and eve thing kinda grosses me out. if incest is a huge sin and we go by the adam and eve theory, then there is a giant plothole in his disign...

nope, that's exactly what i think happened. adam and eve is a creation myth, not a truth. even the church gives people the option between Adam and Eve, or a semi-evolutionist theory that states God took gorillas and gave them souls, who then evolved to people. if anyone's read the New American Bible, it shows the ancoent Jewish perception of the Earth. the earth is a big, mountanous slab of land, with big walls in the sky holding back rain, which is released in floodgates. now that we know what it's really like, our views have changed.

However, while Adam and Eve is higly unlikely, it remains...somewhat...possible. Adam and Eve were the first humans, and probably as close to perfection physically as possible. If Adam and Eve did end up having to resort to inbreeding, i could serve to explain why people are so messed up nowadays. i don't consider it a valid scientific theory, but it makes you think...

note that i believe in evolution. i just think it's only fair to admit the possibility, however slim, of Adam and Eve's creation myth.

Also, if there are any jewish people on AA, i would appreciate it if you could contribute. as far as i can tell, the debate's been carried along by either Athesists or some sort of Christian. i'm curious as to what a jewish person would feel about the topic at hand.

Puffster, just out of curiosity, what , if any, church do you belong to?

[Hige]

Stallsville methodist church, o.O Why?

[Raoul Duke]

Adam and Eve were the first humans, and probably as close to perfection physically as possible.

Your argument is just getting silly and losing merit. How could they be close to perfection back in the days when breast implants, botox, or even the bare necessities like mascara weren't invented?! Hm?

Jokes aside...I really don't see any possibility of adam and eve...

We slowly evolved into what we are today from gorillas or whatev.

[soulanubis666]

i agree w/locke...

[Atomosk]

Adam and Eve were the first humans, and probably as close to perfection physically as possible.

Your argument is just getting silly and losing merit. How could they be close to perfection back in the days when breast implants, botox, or even the bare necessities like mascara weren't invented?! Hm?

Jokes aside...I really don't see any possibility of adam and eve...

We slowly evolved into what we are today from gorillas or whatev.

i know, the adam and eve theory i made was a half-joke. i didn't intend for it to be taken seriously, just a thought.

puffster- i was just curious, is all. My dad's side of the family is methodist, my mom's is catholic, i was raised catholic, then left because i started to think for myself (OMFG! ).

yet more literature recommendations! i suggest reading the most recent issue of time, where they extensively research evelution's battle for acceptance and the facts for and against it. i had an hour long discussion with my dad about it. he seems to be cool with my beliefs. the problem's gonna be my mom...

still awaiting a jew view (hey, it rhymes!)

[Raoul Duke]

I don't think the current issue of time will be the same one in Australia.

Does it have a more specific name or heading i van look for? If not the issue number or something to identify it would be much appreciated.

[J.Kudo]

just to throw another concept of discussion out there, I don't nececerally think that the discussion of weather God (or gods) really exist, because anything that even one person believes in exists in their reality, as our reality is what we percieve and choose to believe is correct. I think a better question to ask may be what is/are God/gods as opposed to weather they exist or not.

[Mugen-Sama]

I myself don't buy the whole God&science combined thing.

That practice is only trying to bring God down to human level, which is impossible. Maybe, try considering God to ACTUALLY be supernatural, eh?

What a concept.

[Atomosk]

time magazine- Evolution Wars, August 15, 2005.

just to throw another concept of discussion out there, I don't nececerally think that the discussion of weather God (or gods) really exist, because anything that even one person believes in exists in their reality, as our reality is what we percieve and choose to believe is correct. I think a better question to ask may be what is/are God/gods as opposed to weather they exist or not.

As i stated earlier, God is what you make of him/she/it.

that brings up another question...whta's God's gender, if any?

[Karasu]

me being wiccan...i have different beliefs than alot of people....

Wiccan beliefs include:
Wiccan Deities: Beliefs differ:

Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called "The One" or " The All". Little can be known of this force.

Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not "out there somewhere;" they are immanent in the world.

Many regard various pagan Gods and Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc.) as representing various aspects of the God and Goddess. The term "Wicca" normally implies that the person's religion is based upon Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wiccans include beliefs, practices and symbols from ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions, Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality, Shamanism).

Some Wiccans are actually agnostics, who take no position on the existence of a supreme being or beings. They look upon the Goddess and the God as archetypes, based on myth.

It cannot be stressed enough that Wiccans have no supernatural being in their pantheon of deities who resembles the Christian-Muslim Satan.

Respect for Nature: Wicca is a natural religion, grounded in the earth. All living things (including stars, planets, humans, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having a spirit. Many Wiccan rituals deal with bringing harmony and healing to nature. Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment.

Gender equality: Wiccans celebrate the sexual polarity of nature. For example, the fertilizing rain is one manifestation of the male principle; the nurturing earth symbolizes the female. Females are respected as equal (and sometimes at a slightly higher rank) to males. A priestess is often the most senior person among coven -- a local group of Wiccans. They aim for a female-male balance in most of their covens (local groups), although men are typically in the minority.

Human sexuality: Sexuality is valued, and regarded as a gift of the Goddess and God, to be engaged in with joy and responsibility, and without manipulation. Wiccans generally accept the findings of human sexuality researchers that there are three normal, natural, and unchosen sexual orientations: heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. Some Wiccans celebrate "the Great Rite" which involves ritual sexual intercourse. However, it is consensually performed by a committed couple in private.

Afterlife: Wiccans have a wide range of beliefs.

Some believe in ancient legends of a Summerland where souls go after death. Here, they meet with others who have gone before, review and integrate their previous lives on earth, and are eventually reincarnated into the body of a new born. Some believe that after many such cycles -- perhaps some as female and others as male; some lives with a high standard of living and others in poverty; some in positions of power and others suffering oppression -- that the individual accumulates sufficient experience to go on to another level of existence about which we know nothing.

Some see an individual's personality, memory, abilities, talents, etc. as functions of the human brain, which degrades and disintegrates at death. They no not anticipate any form of continuity after death.

Other Wiccans anticipate continuity after death in some very narrow senses:

That the molecules that go to make up our bodies may in turn be incorporated in other living entities;

That our influences on children, friends, and society in general will continue to have influences on the next generations.

Three-fold Law (a.k.a. the Law of Return) The law states that:

"All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold."

This belief strongly motivates each Wiccan to avoid attempting to dominate, manipulate, control, or harm another person.

[soulanubis666]

there is no way in hell that im going 2 read all that...

[Karasu]

it looks long but it really is not ^^

[Raoul Duke]

Cool stuff Ravensblood, I'm really impressed.

[Eiri Yuki]

I thought i'd post my opinion in this.

-I am an atheist. What i believe in is really my own theories (ive spent many sleepless nights thinking on religion). I believe that everyone in the world is right. Their religion is a personal way to believe in different things in life. The idea of god/s or other omnipotent beings are just a way to explain what happens daily. The Heaven/hell ideas are ways to understand and cope with death and the loss of life.

Theres more, but if i continued id start repeating a little to much and i hate repeating.