God Delusions
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I. The Development of the God-idea
To trace the origin and development of the God-idea, one must go back to the time when civilisation was still in its infancy and science was still unknown. Primitive people, out of fear and admiration towards the natural phenomena, had believed in different spirits and gods. They used their spirits and gods to form religions of their own. According to their respective circumstances and understanding capacity, different people founded different gods and different faiths.
In the beginning of the God-idea, people worshipped many gods -- gods of trees, streams, lightning, storm, winds, the sun, and all other terrestrial phenomena. These gods were related to each and every act of nature. Then gradually man began to transfer to these gods, sex and form as well as the physical and mental characteristics of human beings. Human attributes were given to the gods: love, hate, jealousy, fear, pride, envy and other emotions found among human beings. From all these gods, there slowly grew a realisation that the phenomena of the Universe were not many but were One. This understanding gave rise to the monotheistic God of recent ages.
In the process of developing, the God-idea went through a variety of changing social and intellectual climates. It was regarded by different men in different ways. Some idealised God as the King of heaven and earth; they had a conception of God as a person. Others thought of God as an abstract principle. Some raised the ideal of Supreme deity to the highest heaven, while others brought it down to the lowest depths of the earth. Some pictured God in a paradise while others made an idol and worshipped it. Some went so far as to say that there is no salvation without God -- no matter how much good you do, you will not receive the fruits of your actions unless you act out of a faith in God. The Theists said, 'Yes' and went on to affirm that God really did exist. The Atheists said, 'No' and went on to affirm that God did not really exist at all. The Sceptics or Agnostics said, 'We do not or we cannot know.' The positivists said that the God-idea is a meaningless problem since the idea of the term 'God' is not clear. Thus there grew a variety of ideas and beliefs and names for the God-idea: pantheism, idolatry, belief in a formless God, belief in many gods and goddesses, etc.
Even the monotheistic God of recent times has gone through a variety of changes as it passed through different nations and people. The Hindu God is quite different from the Christian God. The Christian God is again different from other Gods of other faiths. Thus numerous religions came into existence; each one differed greatly from the other and each one said that 'God is One.'
II. The God-idea and Creation
As each religion came into existence and developed around the God-idea, the religion developed its own particular explanation of creation. Thus as the God-idea evolved within different religious systems, this idea became associated with various myths. People used the God-idea as a vehicle for their explanations of the existence of man and the nature of the life.
Today, intelligent men who have carefully reviewed all the available facts, have come to the conclusion that, like the God-idea, the creation myths must be regarded as an evolution of the human imagination which began by the misunderstanding of the phenomena of nature. These misunderstandings were rooted in the fear and ignorance of primitive man. Even today, man still retains his primitive interpretations of creation. In the light of recent, scientific thinking, the theological definition of God is vague and hence has no place in the recent, creation theories or myths.
If man is created by an external source, then he must belong to that source and not to himself. Buddhists believe that man does belong to himself and that he is responsible for everything he does. Thus Buddhists have no reason to believe that man came into existence in the human form through any external sources. They believe that man is here today because of his own actions. He is neither punished nor rewarded by anyone but himself according to his own good and bad actions. In the process of evolution, the human being came into existence. However, there are no Buddha-words to support the belief that the world was created by anybody. The scientific discovery of gradual development of the world-system conforms with the Buddha's teachings.
III. Human Weakness and the God-Religions
Both he God-idea and its associated creation myths have been protected and defended by the God-religions which need these ideas to justify their existence and usefulness to human society. All the God-religions claim to have received their respective scriptures as Revelation; in other words, they all profess to come directly from the one God. Each claims that their religion stands for Universal Peace and Universal Brotherhood and other such high ideals.
However great the ideals of the religions might be, the history of the world shows that the religions up to the present day have also helped in spreading superstitions. Some have stood against science and the advancement of knowledge, leading to quarrels, ill-feelings, murders, and wars. In this respect, the God-religions have failed in their attempt to enlighten mankind. For example, in certain countries when people pray for mercy, their hands are stained with blood of the morbid sacrifices of innocent animals and, sometimes, even fellow human beings. These poor and helpless creatures are slaughtered at the desecrated altars of imaginary and imperceptible gods. It has taken a long time for people to understand the futility of such cruel practices in the name of religion. When will they realise that the path of real purification is by love and understanding?
Another weakness of the God-religions is that they offer no salvation without God. Thus a man might conceivably have climbed to the highest pinnacle of virtue, and he might have led a righteous way of life, and he might even have climbed to the highest level of holiness. Yet he is to be condemned to eternal hell just because he did not believe in the existence of God. On the other hand, a man might have sinned deeply and yet, having made a late repentance, he can be forgiven and therefore 'saved' for God's sake. From the Buddhist point of view, there is no justification in this kind of doctrine.
Despite the weaknesses of the God-religions, it is not deemed advisable to preach a Godless doctrine since the belief in God has also done a tremendous service to mankind especially in times of places when where the God concept was desirable. This belief in God has helped mankind to control his animal nature. And so much help has been granted to others in the name of God. At the same time, man feels insecure without the belief in God. He finds protection and inspiration when that belief is in his mind. The reality or validity of such a belief is based on man's understanding capacity and spiritual maturity.
The basic cause for the failure of religion is when the people are made to look upon their religion as an object of mere worship. This means that the religion of essential living is given over to dead functions and ceremonials. When a religion allows these conditions to exist, the religion has ceased to be of value but becomes an actual hindrance.
However, it is not the religion, but the people who profess the religion and who create the demand for a blind faith in their religion. This blind faith in turn creates party-feelings and other forms of partisanship within and among religions. Thus religions, in spite of their high ideals, have failed to enlighten mankind.
Religion should concern our practical life. It is to be used as a guide to regulate our conduct in the world. Religion tells us what to do and what to know. If we do not do or know accordingly, religion is no good and no use to us in our daily life.
On the other hand, if the follower's of various religions are going to fight and to condemn other beliefs and practices -- specially to prove or disprove the existence of God -- and if they are going to spread anger and hatred towards other religions because of the different religious views, then they are creating enormous disharmony amongst the various religious communities. Whatever religious differences we have, it is our duty to practise tolerance, patience and understanding. It is our duty to respect the other man's religious belief even if we cannot accommodate it; tolerance is necessary for the sake of harmonious and peaceful living.
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There is no scientific evidence indicating that God exists. We all know that. For example:
- God has never left any physical evidence of his existence on earth.
- None of Jesus' "miracles" left any physical evidence either.
- God has never spoken to modern man, for example by taking over all the television stations and broadcasting a rational message to everyone.
- The resurrected Jesus has never appeared to anyone. The Bible we have is Let's agree that there is no empirical evidence showing that God exists.
If you think about it as a rational person, this lack of evidence is startling. There is not one bit of empirical evidence indicating that today's "God", nor any other contemporary god, nor any god of the past, exists. In addition we know that:
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- If we had scientific proof of God's existence, we would talk about the "science of God" rather than "faith in God".
- If we had scientific proof of God's existence, the study of God would be a scientific endeavor rather than a theological one.
- If we had scientific proof of God's existence, all religious people would be aligning on the God that had been scientifically proven to exist. Instead there are thousands of gods and religions.
- If we had scientific proof of God's existence, we would talk about the "science of God" rather than "faith in God".
- The reason for this lack of evidence is easy for any unbiased observer to see. The reason why there is no empirical evidence for God is because God is imaginary.provably incorrect and is obviously the work of primitive men rather than God.
- God has never left any physical evidence of his existence on earth.
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Because ancient men cannot explain what was a phenomena to them then, they invented a god [in his own image]. But now we know what causes earthquakes,typhoons (hurricanes) volcanic eruption, lightning and thunder, tsunamis, famine/drought, so the domain of god is getting small, and smaller, smallest and pretty soon, there won't be anywhere for the concept of god to hide.
In nature matter can not be made or destroyed but it can be altered. God is beyond nature or a great mystery beyond imagination. Man creates god in his own imagination to suit his own needs in order to find a grand purpose for life. No creature comes close to human behavior if you include wars education cities industry and religion to name a few so one thing is for sure and that is this physical world that we are aware of Man is far removed from any other creature. Lets face it man created God and man wrote the bibles If God could create the universe out of no air then would it be too tough to create a book in his own words. Life is a mystery there are no answers and some need faith so we have religion of all kinds.
The concept of god was created by man or I could say a group of men, wise men. I believe that this concept was generated for the good. Just that some really got into it, and some(like me understood it)...its like a movie, many watch a movie, some get involved in it and start believing everything, imagining themselves as a cast and some watch the movie for a mere enjoyment and some like me watch the movie and understand the concept behind it..so its simple for the harmony of world there exist a god, if you can be harmony without that concept its good, but if you need a strong support for you to be, believe in GOD else believe in yourself... May GOD(the concept) bless you.
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"He who has eyes can see the sickening sight;
Why does not god set his creatures right?
If his wide power no limit can restrain,
Why is his hand so rarely spread to bless?
Why are all his creatures condemned to pain?
Why does he not to all give happiness?
Why do fraud, lies, and ignorance prevail? -
Rooney alert
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Many Christians have good karma. That explains why many Christians, whether as individuals or as nations, are still better off than Buddhist individuals or nations.
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Originally posted by googoomuck:
Many Christians have good karma. That explains why many Christians, whether as individuals or as nations, are still better off than Buddhist individuals or nations.
Troll alert
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Cut n Paste power ?
Wait.. let me too ; use the power of google.
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Does God exist? Here are six straight-forward reasons to believe that God is really there.
By Marilyn Adamson
Just once
wouldn't you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God's
existence? No arm-twisting. No statements of, "You just have to
believe." Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons
which suggest that God exists.But first consider this. If a person opposes even the possibility of there being a God, then any evidence can be rationalized or explained away. It is like if someone refuses to believe that people have walked on the moon, then no amount of information is going to change their thinking. Photographs of astronauts walking on the moon, interviews with the astronauts, moon rocks...all the evidence would be worthless, because the person has already concluded that people cannot go to the moon.
When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God.1 On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, "You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you."2 Before you look at the facts surrounding God's existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know him? Here then, are some reasons to consider...
1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.
Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:
The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.3 Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.
The
Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the
temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If
the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any
closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's
position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth
remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the
sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis,
allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and
cooled every day.And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.4
Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:
It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.
Water is a
universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of
chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies
and into the smallest blood vessels.5Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.
Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.
Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.6
The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.
The
human brain processes more than a million messages a second.7 Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the
relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to
focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions
differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the
ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take
action, and relate to other people.The eye...can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages -- simultaneously.8 Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.
2. Does God exist? The universe had a start - what caused it?
Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself.
Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, "The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion...The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen."9
Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, "the universe was about a hundred thousands million degrees Centigrade...and the universe was filled with light."10
The universe has not always existed. It had a start...what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.
3. Does God exist? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it?
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us.
How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?
"The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn't have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence."11
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery...The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."12
4. Does God exist? The DNA code informs, programs a cell's behavior.
All
instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who
writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in
every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code,
much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer
program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The
way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code
in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals
that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the
human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three
billion of these letters in every human cell!!Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.13
Why
is this so amazing? One has to ask....how did this information program
wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are
chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how
the person's body should develop.Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.
5. Does God exist? We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.
I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don't believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people...to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.
I didn't realize
that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was
because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God
wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know
him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the
question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn't
escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose
to acknowledge God's existence, my prayer began with, "Ok, you win..."
It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people
believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, "I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued." C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England."
Lewis went on to write a book titled, "Surprised by Joy" as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God's existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me.
6. Does God exist? Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing himself to us.
Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you'll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you're looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father.
He said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."14 He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, "follow my words and you will find truth." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me."15
What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can't do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people...blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects...created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature...walked on top of a lake, commanding a raging storm to stop for some friends. People everywhere followed Jesus, because he constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I'm telling you, you should at least believe in me based on the miracles you're seeing.16
Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centeredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although God views us as sinners, worthy of his punishment, his love for us ruled and God came up with a different plan. God himself took on the form of man and accepted the punishment for our sin on our behalf. Sounds ludicrous? Perhaps, but many loving fathers would gladly trade places with their child in a cancer ward if they could. The Bible says that the reason we would love God is because he first loved us.
Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus will you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to himself. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, he offers us a new life today. We can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. He says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."17 This is God, in action.
Does God exist? If you want to know, investigate Jesus Christ. We're told that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."18
God does not force us to believe in him, though he could. Instead, he has provided sufficient proof of his existence for us to willingly respond to him. The earth's perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ. If you need to know more about Jesus and reasons to believe in him, please see: Beyond Blind Faith.
If you want to begin a relationship with God now, you can.
This is your decision, no coercion here. But if you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with him, you can do so right now by asking him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her]."19 If you want to do this, but aren't sure how to put it into words, this may help: "Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. I want to know you in a real way. Come into my life now. Thank you that you wanted a relationship with me. Amen."
God views your relationship with him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in him, Jesus Christ said of us, "I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand."20
So, does God exist? Looking at all these facts, one can conclude that a loving God does exist and can be known in an intimate, personal way.
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Boom Pow man !
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One thing I dislike about people trying to prove God is that they just have to bring in religions...Why can't anyone prove God is there without using any religions?
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BadzMaro.............
so everything you credit to God lah............LOL..............
if that's the case, then God is one utterly lazy fella................the universe is so big and only 1 planet got life....................and Man is so screwed up some more.....................
cannot say got Aliens, eh ?.................LOL
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Originally posted by RoyFang:
One thing I dislike about people trying to prove God is that they just have to bring in religions...Why can't anyone prove God is there without using any religions?
Ronald Nash -->
“ … when I used to teach philosophy to undergraduate college students, I would sometimes ask them to tell me what the number one is. They would usually reply by writing some of the many symbols we use such as ‘1’ or ‘I’. I would then explain that such symbols are not really the number we are seeking but are only convenient ways we use to refer to the real number one. No wise person should ever confuse a symbol for something with the thing itself.
So what then is the number one? The first step is to recognize that the number one is a concept.
What is a concept? The short answer is that it is an idea.The next step is to ask where the concept of oneness exists. The idea of oneness, like all ideas, exists in minds.
The third step is to note that the number one is eternal. If someone has trouble with this claim, ask when the number one began to exist.
Not only has the number one always existed, it is impossible for the number one ever to change. If the number one were ever changed, it would cease to be the number one. After all, if the idea of oneness changed, let us say, into the number two, then it would no longer be the number one.
So where are we? I believe we can show many people that the concept of oneness is an eternal and unchanging idea that exists in some mind. And, the only kind of mind in which this kind of eternal and unchanging idea could exist must be an eternal and unchanging mind. When I reach this point in my little example, some student in the back of the classroom usually raises his hand and asks if I am talking about God.”
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Originally posted by RoyFang:
One thing I dislike about people trying to prove God is that they just have to bring in religions...Why can't anyone prove God is there without using any religions?
There is diest. Albert Einstein was a deist who believed in Spinoza's God. For people who don't understand, it is a theory that there exists a divine being that does not interfere with humans or perform miracles or any of these sort of shit. The divine being is only concerned with preserving the natural order of the world.
In this thread, the debate is about the christian God, which performed miracles in the bible. -
so many contradictions, fallacies and paradoxes, so obvious to the outsiders.but I dun blame them for believing in god, cos generations after generations, millenniums after millenniums, this has been like that and they have been brought up to believe in god.
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The gods are all eternal scoundrels
Incapable of dissolving the suffering of impermanence.
Those who serve them and venerate them
May even in this world sink into a sea of sorrow.
We know the gods are false and have no concrete being;
Therefore the wise man believes them not
The fate of the world depends on causes and conditions
Therefore the wise man many not rely on gods.If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why does he order such misfortune
And not create concord?If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why prevail deceit, lies and ignorance
And he such inequity and injustice create?If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Then an evil master is he,
Knowing what's right did let wrong prevail! -
"If God after making the world puts Himself outside it, He is no longer God. If He separates Himself from the world or wants to separate Himself, He is not God. The world is not the world when it is separated from God. God must be in the world and the world in God."- Dr Suzuki
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Originally posted by Rooney9:
"If God after making the world puts Himself outside it, He is no longer God. If He separates Himself from the world or wants to separate Himself, He is not God. The world is not the world when it is separated from God. God must be in the world and the world in God."- Dr Suzuki
Acts 17:28, "In him we live and move and have our being"
Verses earlier (v24-27), Paul says, "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him."
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Originally posted by googoomuck:
Many Christians have good karma. That explains why many Christians, whether as individuals or as nations, are still better off than Buddhist individuals or nations.
i hope not all the christians are like you who are so shallow. you might as well tell us that there have never been any world wars because you don't see them during your era.
have you heard of black death which killed one third of the european populations and there are more recent ones which i cannot remember. do some research before you comment. disasters strike regardless of your religion.
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Originally posted by As romanista2001:
BadzMaro.............
so everything you credit to God lah............LOL..............
if that's the case, then God is one utterly lazy fella................the universe is so big and only 1 planet got life....................and Man is so screwed up some more.....................
cannot say got Aliens, eh ?.................LOL
If u want to believe Aliens u can man. Never say u cant.
But what is an Alien ? Does single cell organism count ? or anything that is Alien to this planet Alien.
May God 就是 only created man. And see us fools trying to use probabilities to prove that there is life out there with the billions of stars available out there.
But since we can use probabilities and possibilities, why cannot there be a probability and possibility that there is intelligent design going on.
So it pretty much means, when a person dont want to believe, he just wont believe even with proof in your face. Really. even with proof that the woman is using and abusing u, but man is good at self-deception that sometimes, they just only want to see what they want to see.
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Originally posted by TTFU:
There is diest. Albert Einstein was a deist who believed in Spinoza's God. For people who don't understand, it is a theory that there exists a divine being that does not interfere with humans or perform miracles or any of these sort of shit. The divine being is only concerned with preserving the natural order of the world.
In this thread, the debate is about the christian God, which performed miracles in the bible.Well, instead of a personal god, Einstein believes in an impersonal god. But the gist of it is that there is someone, something out there. From nothing to something.
if u read his book Einstein and Religion, Physics and Theology, its very very clear on his views on that. Definately not Atheist as he clearly distanced himself from that view, nor does he believe in a personal god. Max Jammer did a good job interpretating the spiritual views by Einstein.
In summary, man of science such as himself, until the very end, with all his limited knowledge and understanding in his lifetime on earth. Came to his own conclusion. And that is, he was not strictly an atheist, although not a theist either. His views are probably more closely pantheistic, but he's even spoken against pantheism. His comment about the insufficiency of the human mind suggests that he was agnostic, but I think Einstein had a God all his own.
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I'm not an atheist and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.—Albert Einstein[85]Anyways , good book. Highly recommended. -
Belief in God is still no1 in our world.
Many religions believe in one God.
The views of God differs.
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Originally posted by BadzMaro:
If u want to believe Aliens u can man. Never say u cant.
But what is an Alien ? Does single cell organism count ? or anything that is Alien to this planet Alien.
May God 就是 only created man. And see us fools trying to use probabilities to prove that there is life out there with the billions of stars available out there.
But since we can use probabilities and possibilities, why cannot there be a probability and possibility that there is intelligent design going on.
So it pretty much means, when a person dont want to believe, he just wont believe even with proof in your face. Really. even with proof that the woman is using and abusing u, but man is good at self-deception that sometimes, they just only want to see what they want to see.
god only created man, then someone else must had created dinosaurs ! don't tell me you don't believe dinosaurs existed on earth before. earth is not the only planets in the universe and it is not special compare with the other planets, thus i also believe there are lifes in other planets. time will tell.
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if i recall correctly when dinosaur bones were discovered and people ask the church people about it, these church people gave such a phony explanation that even the most naive mindless christian knew they were bullshitting...................as usual...........
HEY ! maybe all the dinosaur bones are a giant hoax too eh ??? just like aliens............
people believe in angels but not in aliens.................LOL