Does God exist?

[Dgan]

Or someone who believes in a different god....

[Katiebee]

Or someone who believes in a different god....

That is the same thing. You can even believe in the same God and still have Belivers and non-Believers, and religious conflict. For example, the French Wars of Religion 1562 - 1598. The persecution of Catholics in England under Henry VIII and then under Cromwell.

Or the Arian Heresy in the 4th Century.

[horny guy]

So.. with that said.. what DID come first.. the chicken or the egg.

neither, the dinosaur came first.

Thanks Katie.

[Lostforkate]

But now that got me thinking about this, How can one be an aethiest, yet have soul? Or is there a different defintion of what a soul is to fit the aethist worldview?

The belief in the existence what most people would term a soul of some type does not require the existence of God.  What's more to the point, though, is that if Christians believe humans have souls, how could simply being an atheist cause someone to not have one?  If such a person were converted to Christianity, they would not suddenly thereby *poof* acquire a soul. If you don't see that, I don't know how I could explain it to you.

Al B.  
[/quote]""  - sorry deleted the formatting, need more practice,  

Very good.

The poem itself was simple expression written in about 1 minute as a reaction to mocking other peoples viewpoints in this thread. It questioned whether an good atheist was good at all, and questions if the atheist has a soul, so yes it is about a soul. It ends with the author simply accepting a spiritual view point despite what the atheist thinks. Within the mocking in the thread there is a smugness, and superiority of view point, it is meant present a counter view.

When completed, I thought it fitting about as good as square peg in a round hole, and fitting for 1408.

The existence of a soul cannot be seen, cannot be proven scientifically.

[Lostforkate]

The argument is moot.

This is not science, there are no thesis statements, no proof is asked for or provided. This is the antithesis of science, it is belief.

Nothing, other than your belief is required. Belief, a personal feeling about something which requires no proof or substantial physical manifestation.

Under that definition ANY belief system is valid.

You guys need to spend some time in an anthropology comparative religions and belief systems class.

I agree with your statement.

I am curious what you think of Carl Jung's research on archetypes? Granted it is old, and may be deemed irrelevant, I do find it an interesting read.

I guess may also be asking if psychology is actually a science?

[Gina Marie]

[Grm]

But now that got me thinking about this, How can one be an aethiest, yet have soul? Or is there a different defintion of what a soul is to fit the aethist worldview?
The belief in the existence what most people would term a soul of some type does not require the existence of God.  What's more to the point, though, is that if Christians believe humans have souls, how could simply being an atheist cause someone to not have one?  If such a person were converted to Christianity, they would not suddenly thereby *poof* acquire a soul. If you don't see that, I don't know how I could explain it to you.

Al B.  

 - sorry deleted the formatting, need more practice,  

Very good.

The poem itself was simple expression written in about 1 minute as a reaction to mocking other peoples viewpoints in this thread. It questioned whether an good atheist was good at all, and questions if the atheist has a soul, so yes it is about a soul. It ends with the author simply accepting a spiritual view point despite what the atheist thinks. Within the mocking in the thread there is a smugness, and superiority of view point, it is meant present a counter view.

I have to say that mocking someone's faith, whatever it may be, is something I find distasteful and lazy.

I am an atheist/agnostic, that is to say I have no belief in supernatural entities that,
a/ Created the universe and everything in it.
b/ Have the ability to sit in judgement on human affairs.
c/ Set down a code of conduct that humans must adhere to.

And most importantly that there is another place after we die.

Science has and continues to explain the world around us, it does so using tested evidence which gives it the credibility that pure faith can never do.

It seems to me that death is at the heart of all religious belief, once humans could predict their own mortality, the fear of death drove us to create something that comes after we die. At first it was just keeping the bones of our fathers in a cairn where we could visit and talk to them (we still do it don't we?) Later we left them with a few worldly goods to use in their afterlife. But once other humans saw they could exploit those fears and feelings of loss, organised religions were born. These fears of the after life are still exploited today by ruthless leaders of religion, to rob, deceive and enslave millions.

Finally back to my opening statement, I have many friends who have faith, it comforts them and can steer them to try and lead better lives, I respect them and their beliefs and would never mock their choices, because its a personal choice.

[horny guy]

Well said grm

[Janus]

I agree also.

[Elizabeth]

Dead On Grm...
I agree......
Love,
Liz

[Katiebee]

Now if we could get the fundamentalists to agree...

[MissBarbara]

I have to say that mocking someone's faith, whatever it may be, is something I find distasteful and lazy.

I am an atheist/agnostic, that is to say I have no belief in supernatural entities that,
a/ Created the universe and everything in it.
b/ Have the ability to sit in judgement on human affairs.
c/ Set down a code of conduct that humans must adhere to.

And most importantly that there is another place after we die.

Science has and continues to explain the world around us, it does so using tested evidence which gives it the credibility that pure faith can never do.

It seems to me that death is at the heart of all religious belief, once humans could predict their own mortality, the fear of death drove us to create something that comes after we die. At first it was just keeping the bones of our fathers in a cairn where we could visit and talk to them (we still do it don't we?) Later we left them with a few worldly goods to use in their afterlife. But once other humans saw they could exploit those fears and feelings of loss, organised religions were born. These fears of the after life are still exploited today by ruthless leaders of religion, to rob, deceive and enslave millions.

Finally back to my opening statement, I have many friends who have faith, it comforts them and can steer them to try and lead better lives, I respect them and their beliefs and would never mock their choices, because its a personal choice.

I find myself agreeing with both Grm and Farmer Miles.

If religion, or belief in God/god/gods, is viewed strictly in terms of a developed system of stories geared toward explaining the unknown, then science has indeed served to provide adequate explanations for virtually all of these hitherto unknowns. Starting with the biggest question of all: How did we get here? Geology, biology, anthropology, and other hard and soft sciences provide demonstrable answers -- answers that are dismissed only irrationally. Evolution explains what happened.

And yet, to Galaxynbounce's point, I also believe that a false dichotomy has been set up -- and, in many quarters, rigidly adhered to -- between science and religion, and between reason and faith.

I believe in God, and I don't see the slightest contradiction between that personal belief and science. I believe that God created the universe, but I don't feel that counters or is countered by the preponderance of scientific evidence -- from evolution to the Big Bang Theory to the Higgs boson (though I do find it amusing that scientists have chosen to name the Higgs boson "the God particle").

Farmer Miles puts it perfectly: "Science is concerned with what we can know and spirituality with what we can never know." Or, to look at it another way, religion will never be able to prove that God exists, and science will never be able to prove that God does not exist. As Farmer Miles puts it, "In that sense belief and lack of belief is merely a personal choice." And with that I wholeheartedly degree.

Finally, I agree with both Grm and Farmer Miles that denigrating someone for holding religious beliefs -- and strictly for holding them -- is extremely distasteful. I'm always first in line to criticize Evangelical Christians and other Fundamentalists for clinging to antiquated and, by now, thoroughly disproven notions relating to the universe and how it got here. But those notions, especially in the face of 250 years of scientific discovery, are scientific notions, and not religious ones.

[insatiable]

Since I can't stop my nitpicking habits, so pointing out a minor fault MissBarabara's post above:

It wasn't the scientist who named the Higgs boson, as "God's particle", it was the media.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson#Nickname

[MissBarbara]

Since I can't stop my nitpicking habits, so pointing out a minor fault MissBarabara's post above:

It wasn't the scientist who named the Higgs boson, as "God's particle", it was the media.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson#Nickname

Thanks for pointing that out. it seems I've been -- once again! -- hoodwinked by the mainstream media.

I haven't the slightest idea what the Higgs boson is. This article explained it to me in terms even I can understand:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/07/04/156221787/cern-says-its-detected-a-new-particle-likely-the-higgs-boson

[Katiebee]

I thought it was self-evident. Higgs lost his boson. Higgs must be a ship captain, 'cause a boson is rank on a ship who signals and stuff.

[Elizabeth]

Bosun's Mate..??
LOL....
Love,
Liz

[Katiebee]

Can I put that post in the annoy Gia thread?

[Rufus Lee King]

I know where everyone goes after they die.
They go exactly where they believe they will go.
I believe I am going on the back of giant flying turtle
 to a village east of here over those dark mountains.
The village is where everyone I loved or loved me lives.
Plenty to eat. Clean cool water. Dogs are there. Good
places to live in. I don't care for Jesus or a christian god.
The cross divides. The circle unites. I'd rather do a bear
dance then celebrate baby jesus birthday.  The european
pilgrim invaders should have been slaughtered at Plymouth
Rock and sent back to England headless in their wooden ships.
Manifest destiny is an evil thing..like imperialism or colonialism.
The europeans were evil greedy people who ruined a perfectly
good hemisphere. The red and black holocausts were far greater
than the one the Jews complain of. Who financed slavery?Who
writes the history of the USA?

[buddyChrist]

I am not really mocking anyone's beliefs when I say certain things, but I am mocking stupidity and willful ignorance. When my cousin posts "God is awesome!" on Facebook, I immediately think of the picture of the starving child in Africa looking at the camera, with the caption "Go fuck yourself!"
If there is a god, he is far from fucking awesome! Either he is not all powerful, or he is a prick. So, even if there is a god, he does not deserve to be worshiped, and he can suck my sweaty nut sack.
Since there is no evidence to support a god, I guess there is no real point in arguing the subject.

[coacheric]

I knew there was a reason I missed buddyChrist!!