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Sun 18 Mar, 2007 07:36 pm
Well this is my first post, and i hope that it hasn't already been debated on elsewhere.
What i wanted to discuss was this, I do not belive in god in any religous way, however i do belive that there is, for a lack of a better phrase, "afterlife". I obviously have no evidence to back up my statement.
But if science is right then the whole universe and everything in it is a fluke, a massive coincidence. I don't know if it just my brain not functioning properly but i cant get to grips with that.Also i am not a hundred percent but i am pretty sure they can jump start a heart, how come they cant give a dying brain a reboost? is it because they cant simulate the energy that controls it? i heard somewhere that it might be kinetic energy, if this is true then it has to go somewhere right? (sorry for the choice of words im not as articulate as some people.)
At the same time i cant belive that there is a all seeing all powerful entity that gorverns over us, running the risk of insulting some people, i think religion is just a tool to try and govern over the population. I mean in the bible,in the second part it says to love your neighbor and care for others, when the first part is incest and murder, plauges and floods. Im sorry but this is coming from a god who said something along the lines of "Because you ate the apple im going to give you and all your daughters and their daughters (and so on) pains in their belly once a month for a week. (That is, IF you belive it.)From what i can gather IF the christian god is a real entity,hes not a peaceful loving creator, hes probably the opposite.
The quote that says "God made man in his own image" i think can be taken one of two ways.
1. He made us how he wanted us to be.
2. We are of HIS image, a mirror of him. That makes him like man i mean is he man-like or a great big ray of light?
Also one other thing, i see people everyday and they are all so confident that what they belive is IT, nothing else is going to sway them, to be fair im kinda envious of them because im constantly struggling with the "is there? isn't there?" it just something i cant get a fix on, but reading a earlier post discusing wether life was pointless or not a lot of people have one hundred percent, one way or the other, got a grip on their morality or spitiuality or whatever, im just curious as to how and why that their so sure they are right.
I really don't want to upset anybody i just want to ask others opinions on these thoughts. i understand that the beauty of this planet we live on is that we are all born free, free to belive what we want and live our lives the way we see fit. I have full respect for others opinions and beliefs.
The universe by science would not be a fluke at all, quite inversely, it could be argued that the universe was inevitable.
Your post is riddled with a theme of being helpless, or perhaps more apporiately a notion that seraching externally (as opposed to intenally) will get you the answers you desire.
Helpless? no but sometimes i do feel like im just along for the ride, are you saying that sometimes in this (i cant think of a word to describe how big) universe that you dont feel tiny and insignificant?
But that wasnt the point,the point was, how and why are you so sure that what you belive in is fact?
"I know enough to know that im suitably confused"
(Darren King 2006)
Welcome to A2K Ghost
You seem well on your way to seeing that we made all the gods long before they made us.
You do, however, seem to have some of the "residue" of religious thought rattling around in your head! Can I recommend some Carl Sagan, or perhaps:
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html
Thanks for the welcome Eorl.
Well i guess you'd be right, i was taught in a convent school by nuns for the first four years of school.So i guess that could have something to do with it.
Religion is a big part of so many peoples lives, and it kinda fasinates me that people can honestly they say that they have a hundred percent faith in something that in reality is only a 50-50.
I have little faith in anything, i have hope, but faith in the world around me? the world is going belly up and im sorry but if god was watching his marvelous creation going down the toilet im sure he would do something about it.
Also, thanks for the link, looks like im going to be busy for a while.
In all the matter in the universe, humans represent such a miniscule fraction. Religion, not nature leads us to believe we have...
privilage
inheritance
universal significance
I'm not saying that it's all pointless, I'm just saying that if you're looking to the stars for the answers, you'd be better off making your own.
"What do I want ot do when I grow up?" --> "Anything I choose."
We certainly hold a gret local significance, we can definiatly affect our fellow man, but in the grand(est) scheme of things, I don't think that we are not the catalyst, we are the system.
To answer your question, I believe what I do because of rationale, logic, and reason. That must come with a grain of salt because what I think and believe about the universe is not so rigid.
I'd prefere to define what questions intrest me, as opposed to what answers I want. For example, the arguement of creation/evolution is certainly provacative, but I find it less than profound ultimately.
Ghost with the most wrote:
I have little faith in anything, i have hope.
Go with that! Hope is a wonderful positive useful power, faith is just jumping to conclusions.
hi ghost welcome to a2k....if you hadn't noticed by my name, Im a christian.....I have been a born again christian since i was eight.......I know many may scoff at my beliefs but its ok...I truly believe the bible is Gods word and i believe that Christ lives in me......I believe that when i die i will go to heaven......God has always been there for me when i have needed him......He is my comfort and my anchor......
Hi kate.
Im happy that you have so much dedication to god, and im happy that you have found something that you have faith in.
My original question was How and Why do you have faith in your beliefs?
Part of my faith comes from my parents. I was raised in a strong christian family. The other part, from God. He called me when i was a kid and i made Christ my Savior and have been a born again christian now for 17 yrs.
Ghost, you seem very undecided therefore very vulnerable.
I like your questions btw.
My advice is to think for yourself, which you are clearly doing but it seems to be confusing you, which in an odd way is good as you have independant thought.
I used to believe in God and i tried to be nice in all ways only to find nice things didnt happen in return so, I changed, not a major effort, it just happened.
I have my own idea of God, I try to be nice when i can but I wont let myself be ignored in the process.
Plenty of people live without religion in their lives and are perfectly happy, others have it and find it a big comfort.
You could try 'part time' religion, use it when it suits you, or 'pick n mix' religion,get the best bits of each religion and make up your own.
Either way, be proud that you can think for yourself.
PS. I stopped reading the Bible when the incest kicked in.
Ghost wrote:How and Why do you have faith in your beliefs?
For myself, I look inward, not outward.
But I rally do not have faith in my beliefs. I put my stock in experience. I place my faith in what I hope for and try to deal with things that matter to me. Things I am powerless to change I try to learn to accept, and focus my attention on those things that I can do something about.
In the end it's all about finding peace and happiness
in this life, and thus it is not so important what you believe. It is what your beliefs do for you. You focus determines your reality.
kate4christ03 wrote:hi ghost welcome to a2k....if you hadn't noticed by my name, Im a christian.....I have been a born again christian since i was eight.......I know many may scoff at my beliefs but its ok...I truly believe the bible is Gods word and i believe that Christ lives in me......I believe that when i die i will go to heaven......God has always been there for me when i have needed him......He is my comfort and my anchor......
Hey kate, you know that other people who enjoyed his comfort, later realised he wasn't
actually there?
Your need for a an anchor and for comfort may have created your god, rather than him creating you.
I don't ask that you agree that this is true, just that you acknowledge that it
may be true.
1john 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
I understand what your saying Eorl, but i have to respectfully disagree. This verse pretty much says it all for me. Yes, i know that there are people that have totally rejected the christian faith. But statistically that is a small number. Christianity is still a very large and growing religion. I truly believe these people weren't born again christians to begin with. I know i have the Holy Spirit in me, I cant deny him or walk away. He is not a work of fiction i created because of something lacking within myself. And anyone who has him, won't just walk away.
So you are saying that those who do walk away, must be lying about ever having had him in the first place?
Atheists may be rare where you live, but most people on the planet don't believe in your god. Not that it would matter.
(Although I must admit, there were times when I was in the Church of The Flying Spagetti Monster, when I felt very close to the Sauce.)
Kate
Are you saying that there is no chance that what you are experiencing is your imagination compensating for something missing or unfulfilled?
I do not mean to be rude with my question, I just wish to understand.
Quote:So you are saying that those who do walk away, must be lying about ever having had him in the first place?
Actually most that walk away, openly admit that they never had the Holy Spirit in them. Just ask...
Quote:Atheists may be rare where you live, but most people on the planet don't believe in your god. Not that it would matter.
Yes, very rare. But when we do spot one, we usually clutch our children to our chest and run screaming the other way.
lol......that's just a joke...
Cyracuz i don't think your being rude. I don't mind answering.
i have no doubts that God is in me. It's not my imagination, feelings, or overcompensation for something. I love him and i cant deny him.
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