Does God exist?

[alistair.blankley]

Yes, God exists. I know a guy whose cousin actually saw him, so I know it's true.

This is from a friend of a friend who made me promise I wouldn't use his name, so I can't provide proof that it's legit, but... It seems God got kinda freaked out with the dramatic acceleration of human killing and despoiling of his favorite planet in the last 150 years, and decided to get away from it all and take a little vay-cay on Earth to chillax, until he decides just what to do.  With all the extra work he put into humans, to make them so hilarious and paradoxical, he's trying to find a reason not to smite the whole species from the planet, but with all the killing, violence, injustice, hypocrisy and fucking up the planet for all the other species, it's a tough sell.

His Earthside locale, as one would expect, has always proven hard to pin down, but the latest word is that he's currently hanging out in a small village outside Oaxaca, fixing old Fords and Chevys and shacking up with an underage Mexican girl named Maria Magdalena who, if anyone asks, just washes his feet with her hair (wink! ). Anyway, that's what I heard.  Within the whole scheme of Christian dogma, it seems perfectly believable to me...


Al B.

[UmmOkay]

What If You're Wrong?

[Lostforkate]

a good atheist is he,
what can he contribute?
mocking maybe,
soul is gone,
empty spirit,
limited plain,
give food,
give jobs,
be nice,
what is nice?
but for what?
to live like an animal,

sentient is spirit,
paradox is grand,
existence is fruit,
God is alive

[alistair.blankley]

a good atheist is he,
what can he contribute?
mocking maybe,
soul is gone,
empty spirit,
limited plain,
give food,
give jobs,
be nice,
what is nice?
but for what?
to live like an animal,

sentient is spirit,
paradox is grand,
existence is fruit,
God is alive

Is the gist of this that without God, there would be no point to existence and no basis for morality, or that atheists have no soul? I take issue with both. If believing in God makes you feel special, good for you. But those who don't share your view are no less human, moral or worthwhile simply because of that fact, and we most certainly have something to contribute to society.

Al B.

[cltlicr]

God is sitting in a Bar in Trinidad drinking a "Dark and Stormy" and laughing his ass off.

[alistair.blankley]

God is sitting in a Bar in Trinidad drinking a "Dark and Stormy" and laughing his ass off.

Mexico. I'm tellin' ya.



Al B.

[Katiebee]

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.

[cltlicr]

I believe I'll join God in that bar, be it in Mexico or Trinidad.  Machs nix

[Lostforkate]

Just being contrary to all the mocking in this thread. I find a greater belief to believe in evolution, a process many scientist believe to be true.

Al B,

Concerning taking issue with being call souless, ur simply being too sensitive, or trying to put words in my mouth. I know we have souls.

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?

[UmmOkay]

Just being contrary to all the mocking in this thread. I find a greater belief to believe in evolution, a process many scientist believe to be true.

I don't see how it is a greater belief to agree with evolution. There is a lot of hard evidence for evolution such as the fossil record, analogous structures, homologous structures, DNA evidence, and so on and so forth. The problem people run into with evolution is that it is the Theory of Evolution and many people don't understand the definition of theory in a scientific sense. The common usage of the word is something we believe but don't know for sure, but a theory in science is almost the exact opposite. In science a theory is an idea that has been tested in the same conditions over and over again to yield the same result. So when a scientific theory is proposed it means we are almost 100% certain it is the case, until someone can disprove it.

I find it hard to believe in a higher power we have no evidence for. If you watch the video earlier in this thread Charles Dawkins makes the point that say you were brought up in the Christian faith you know what it is like not to believe in something because you aren't a Hindu who believes in Siva or a Muslim who believes in Allah. The God you believe in is based on your birth by chance into a Christian household. In my opinion the Judeo-Christian God is no more real than Zeus, Thor, or Anubis.

[MissBarbara]

In my opinion the Judeo-Christian God is no more real than Zeus, Thor, or Anubis.

WTF?!? Are you saying Thor isn't real?

[Katiebee]

My dear, Miss B, he is casting doubt upon Thor.

[MissBarbara]

My dear, Miss B, he is casting doubt upon Thor.

I know, right?

I mean, I'm all for freedom of belief and freedom of speech and all that, but: Thou Shalt Not Doubt The Existence of The Mighty Thor.

[Elizabeth]

Every Time I Yell "Jesus Christ"........Nothing Happens, Why Is That?
Love,
Liz

[Katiebee]

Because Jesus, called the Christ, never claimed godhead. He only said he was a child of God, as are each of us. It was the Council of Nicea, were men decided to change that because their tiny little minds couldn't grasp the concept of one God. Thus was born the Trinity. Jesus won't answer because he isn't God. God won't answer because he doesn't do house calls.

[Lostforkate]

I do not argue against adaption. Sure the giraffe gets taller over generations to adapt to food sources. But the giraffe does not mutate. The vertebrae simply get longer. That is scientific fact.

I can not accept evolution when considering the complexity of biological life. For the eye evolve from nothing, means a cornia, retina, lense all mutate and work together for each item to bring benefit to its host to move to next step in complexity. There are hundreds of examples. To believe that requires faith greater faith than believing God.

Also our education systems teaches evolutionary belief, and usually people that grow up a society that teaches the theory of evolution, u will probably grow up in believing in evolution. (For those that didn't get that, that was sarcasm)

For me evolution and adaptation are separate, one is true and repeatable, the other is not. Adaptation makes use of DNA material  material already present in the host; evolution requires mutation to create new and useful DNA. Time and time again, mutation prove to harm the creature, that is repeatable and scientific.

[horny guy]

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

[alistair.blankley]

Just being contrary to all the mocking in this thread. I find a greater belief to believe in evolution, a process many scientist believe to be true.

It's a free country, I, for one, have not questioned your (or anybody's) right to believe what you want, and haven't mocked anyone's beliefs. My first post was merely silly absurdist humor that I would think Christians could appreciate as much as anyone. If they had a sense of humor.

Al B,

Concerning taking issue with being call souless, ur simply being too sensitive, or trying to put words in my mouth. I know we have souls.

I'm not being too sensitive, I'm just trying to understand what the message is in the poem you posted. I assumed you intended some message, and the two interpretations I offered were the only ones that seemed plausible from the wording.  If those are incorrect, I'd be interested to hear what you really meant. Since this isn't a poetry thread where such words might be appreciated on a purely aesthetic level, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask what you meant to convey by the post.

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.

[Katiebee]

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

neither, the dinosaur came first.

[Katiebee]

You don't have to have a point to have a religious conflict. You only need believers and non-believers.