Maybe a stupid question, but I realy would like to know this:

Why do you believe in god? (if you believe)
or if you don't: Why not??

lots of hugs and kisses!!

Dylan

Because I just do

No seariously I would have to say that there has to be a force controling the universe, and something had to create it. Plus theres got to be more to death than what we know.

If you want to talk more about this you can make this the topic of your next message to me.

Golden Retrievers Rock!

Well for me G-D is an explanation science cannot give; people believe in the Big Bang but no one has seen it.

Its mearly a theory, yet millions if not billions believe it. My father thinks the world is around 6000 years based on the Hebrew tradition, while I believe that the time of Heaven is different then time on Earth (Therefor he may be right) and Earth is billions of years old created from colliding bodies that destroy then recreate life again and again.

That being said, again my father and my own beliefs are basically theories based on scriptures and/or science (Both of which can be faulty)

Religion and G-D binds people together, giving them hope, structure and a way of thinking that is meant to mean the love and compassion of humanity (Even though it has been twisted to mean the elimination of differentness and the condemtion of those seen as sinners). G-D is what you make it basically; some folks worship computers, cows, and rocks as G-D. Does that mean there wrong, no simply there theories are differnt and make since to them

I DO believe in God from a Deist perspective.

The only thing that makes me believe that there was/is a Creator to the universe is this:

Everything in the universe has to come from something preceding it (i.e, cause and effect). Now, I believe in the Big Bang theory. So, where did the Big Bang come from? Well, even if it was caused by a process of a previous universe which had expanded and then reached singularity and then started this one by expanding again, you eventually reach a logical point where something had to have started this whole process. This thing would have to transcend being created, time, and have to have the ability to literally make something out of nothing. I choose to call this thing beyond comprehension God.

I don't believe that God directly interacts in the universe (but that's not to say that God has abandoned it), and I don't claim to know the nature of God.

I personally don't believe in God(no offense to the people that do believe in God). I have just never believed in God. when I was younger, my mom made me go to religious ed., and I just never believed in God. I constantly questioned the whole God thing. Even now, I can't possibly believe in God with all the bad things going on in the world. If there be a God, he should help us, not watch this planet get destroyed. Also, if God created all people, why would he make so many people that were evil a-holes. My mom told me this story of something that she witnessed when she was working in a hospital and it horrified me greatly. A gay guy had to be taken to the hospital because someone broke a broom in the gay guy's ass. If that wasn't bad enough, my mom told me that a bunch of the doctors and nurses were actually LAUGHING about it! No god would create people like that.

To all those who are theists, I challenge you with the request of empirical proof.

I have personally established that the concept of omnipotence -(and thus an omnipotent God)- is logically impossible.

I'd essentially question whether God can create a rock SO HEAVY that he cannot lift it.

If he can, he isn't omnipotent.
If he can't, he isn't omnipotent.

Personally there are too many Gods in this world to actually even depict who is really God and if a so called superpower exists.
Some say Jesus is God. Others say Allah or Krishna or Buddh or Zeus or Ra or Vishnu or even the local cow down the street is God.
And each one of them has different viewpoints in aspects of everything.
So who is the real one? It's impossible to prove whose beliefs are right and whose are wrong.

Mississippi Goddam

QUOTE:
To all those who are theists, I challenge you with the request of empirical proof.

I have personally established that the concept of omnipotence -(and thus an omnipotent God)- is logically impossible.

I'd essentially question whether God can create a rock SO HEAVY that he cannot lift it.

If he can, he isn't omnipotent.
If he can't, he isn't omnipotent.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; first of all G-D is not a he or she; G-D is G-D, human logic cannot be truely applied to a omipresent, omnipotent; being(s). Faith and logic don't generally mix so while I don't believe anyone should blindly follow a religion; I don't think you should completely deny or believe without questioning in the existence of the divine.

Chrisfx wrote:

QUOTE:
Personally there are too many Gods in this world to actually even depict who is really God and if a so called superpower exists.
Some say Jesus is God. Others say Allah or Krishna or Buddh or Zeus or Ra or Vishnu or even the local cow down the street is God.
And each one of them has different viewpoints in aspects of everything.
So who is the real one? It's impossible to prove whose beliefs are right and whose are wrong.

I'll give you the answer they're all right. The individuals belief in what ever deity(ites) or even philosiphy (Because buddah is not a god; well atleast in traditional Buddhism) are real to the practioner, its the Arahmaic Culture's religions(Judaism/Islam/Christianity) are the first to say only their religion is right; all the other cultures eithier added various religious rites, rituals, and gods (Romans, Greeks, Eygptians, Hatians; etc...) or simply accepted them as a regional or cultural diety(ties); (most Indigenous folks of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Australasia, the Pacific; etc...).

Gayjaydog
People are evil because they have a belief of superiority; that makes them make fun of someone in pain, that the person is less important and shouldn't be seen as someone hurt but someone who "got what was coming to him".
Its bullshit; its no excuse but you gotta see all people dude; not that many are that bad. Its like looking at a giant bowl of apples; you look into it and out of all these apples there are a few rotten one, the other ones look fine even bright and glowing but because a few are bad you don't want any of them. Well to me thats kinda wasteful and abit ignorant.
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I used to hate religion; I hated what it did to people, I hated church, the various books and all the shit taht comes along with it. But I found religion of any kind (Even Scientology) gives a person inner-peace and a clear mind; only a few folks I personally believe can be at peace and truely function and be a atheist.

Most folks who are really atheist; are either theists but their beliefs don't match with any faith out there; do it to seem "enlightened" and humanity uses it as a crutch or as a oppressor. But what I truely dislike is the snobby Atheist, you know the ones who call my beliefs fairytales and will tell me that I'm wrong and the Big-Bang theory is right; even though we have no proof.

QUOTE:
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

Absolutely. However, belief - and devoting your life to the strict moral codes - of religions due to an arbitrary belief which has not been empirically proven is extremely foolish.

QUOTE:
first of all G-D is not a he or she

Proof?

QUOTE:
human logic cannot be truely applied to a omipresent, omnipotent; being(s).

Logic is universal. You could claim 4+4 = 9, but 4+4 would always equal 8.

QUOTE:
I don't think you should completely deny or believe without questioning in the existence of the divine.

Watch me.

God does not exist. Omnipotence is logically impossible.

Can an omnipotent God create a rock SO HEAVY that he cannot lift it?

The belief of judaism was for the preserverance of the Hebrew people; pig weren't allowed because they foul the water, camels couldn't be eaten because they were a means of transportation and beast-of-burden; shaving and tattooing were prohibited because of the connontation of the heathen societys (Heathen is reclaimed within the Pagan community; used to discribe tribal peoples, Romans, Eygptians, Sumerians, Greeks, Assirians, etc...) rites of a funeral; in which cutting yourself then appling ashes made tattoos.

Sadly though the male homosexual prohibition was because the lack of numbers and because heathens did it. (Though female Homosexuality wasn't put down for some reason not known to me personally)

Those beliefs and moral codes were used to proctect those people; though they aren't really needed today which is why there is the Reform movement and the Conservative movement; liberal sects of Judaism.
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Proof? G-D was around before the creation of he and she; G-D created that (and other genders/sexes) later on.

Your rock question is what I was talking about logic and faith not always meshing. Because it give me only two answers, either one making my beliefs invalid. G-D can create any rock but G-D does not lift like a human, it is a divine body without arms or legs; the personifaction of G-D however cannot create a rock that G-D cannot lift, for G-D can lift anything because G-D created it (or atleast was created from a natural process that was first started at the very beginning by G-D).