God

[ali benarbia's studs]

After wine and weed, God exists - he just doesn't make it known and it's all a test. Well thats what I was taught.

As a catholic, growing up having to take religious studies as a mandatory qualification (rather than something that actually makes a difference to what the world wants) I can categorically state that if there is a God, what with the wars and disputes that goes on in 'their' name, it's a load of bollocks.

Sister Anne will probably rap me knuckles, but I think even she was in doubt.

What kind of God let's countries fued? What kind of God let's a fellow man fight with another man for the same religious views?

It's bollocks.

said it before ... god see s no nations!!!!!! just people

 

[mammutly]

After wine and weed, God exists - he just doesn't make it known and it's all a test. Well thats what I was taught.

As a catholic, growing up having to take religious studies as a mandatory qualification (rather than something that actually makes a difference to what the world wants) I can categorically state that if there is a God, what with the wars and disputes that goes on in 'their' name, it's a load of bollocks.

Sister Anne will probably rap me knuckles, but I think even she was in doubt.

What kind of God let's countries fued? What kind of God let's a fellow man fight with another man for the same religious views?

It's bollocks.

said it before ... god see s no nations!!!!!! just people

problem is that too many people think God is on their side

 

[Joycee Banercheck]

said it before ... god see s no nations!!!!!! just people

problem is that too many people think God is on their side

Probably don't.

 

[blueju]

I am not walking over your believes, nor do i have intentions of changing them.

So you are saying there are consequences for not believing? Why would that be the case?
It just does not make many logical sense. God, creates us, he then punishes us for not believing? If that was the case, how sure are you that Christianity is the right religion, or have you read over every other religious text?

What my little mind can't comprehend is: why would God treat me any different than you or ElanJo or anyone who doesn't believe if he loves us all the same? Are we discriminated based on believe?

Skashion is making a very good point in his post.
Christianity has existed for 2010 years , hundreds of years before, there were many gods.
Who's to say we are believing in a right one?

One more thing. Who created God?


-- Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:08 pm --







I don't know.That last quote is kind of a threat...

Well, if I have made the right choice, and if the Bible is true, and what it says is going to happen, then it's not a threat, it's a fact...something that will happen rather than might if it's true. Threats are things that might happen.

On the flipside, if the Bible is a lie and absolutely nothing happens when I die, then nothing good or bad can happen to anyone...because it's nothing. That's not a threat either, that's a statement. But what on earth are we living for if at the end of our lives there is nothing. If it's true, then we are in a truly hopeless existence...we live for 70-80 years, pay some bills and some taxes, maybe be nice to people, love someone if we're lucky, and then fall into nothing. How depressing!

Why is it depressing? We are just animals, we live for the same reason as all the other animals and even plants, to procreate. The only difference is that we have an awareness of being, and have developed ways of filling our time on earth other than just surviving and mating. This awareness has led to some peoples need to have some sort of higher being......bag of shite IMO

Also ,if there is a God, what if he has changed his views since he originally sat down with the author of that new best seller 'The Bible'? What if he now believes that snakes are ok and that we should actually listen to them when they start going on about their favourite apples? What if he starts turning people to pillars of salt again ( after all the research our modern day scientists have done to show how harmful it can be to your health) ? What if he decides adultery is ok and actually encourages it? Then surely all the people who follow the teachings of the Bible are going to head south when they pass away? How ironic would that be?

 

[Challenger1978]

After wine and weed, God exists - he just doesn't make it known and it's all a test. Well thats what I was taught.

As a catholic, growing up having to take religious studies as a mandatory qualification (rather than something that actually makes a difference to what the world wants) I can categorically state that if there is a God, what with the wars and disputes that goes on in 'their' name, it's a load of bollocks.

Sister Anne will probably rap me knuckles, but I think even she was in doubt.

What kind of God let's countries fued? What kind of God let's a fellow man fight with another man for the same religious views?

It's bollocks.

I though that shit was covered under freedom of will and the devil just fucking with us.

 

[pee dubya]

There was once a pair of brothers, one of the brothers lived a perfect life, was kind and generous and forgiving to all, sinned not once and was devoted to his chosen faith. The other brother had given up on religion, and lived a life full of glorious sin, he wasn't a bad person, he just enjoyed the finer things in life perhaps a bit too much.

Anyway, one day both brothers were were in the back of a cab, having a long, in depth philosophical discussion above the presence and morality of God, when suddenly the cab was smashed up by a 10 tonne dumper truck on the motorway, and so both brothers ceased to exist (the cab driver was fine).

However, it turns out the pious brother was right all along, God and heaven and all that shebang existed! So both the brothers floated up to the gates of heaven together, and were greeted by a rather bored looking security angel.

'Ah, pious brother, you have lived a life of perfection in the eyes of God, you are admitted to spend an eternity in the glory of heaven'

Get in! thinks the pious brother, and he enters heaven.

'Ah sinning brother, you have lived a happy life of joyful indulgence, now you shall pay and spend all of eternity in the dark depths of Hell'

Oh no! thinks the sinning brother, as he falls through a hidden trapdoor into hell.

Many weeks pass and the pious brother spends much time contemplating the fate of his sinning brother, thinking how much he misses his happy-go lucky ways. He decides to ask one of the bored looking receptionist angels if he could use the phone to call his brother down in hell.

'Whatever' says the receptionist angel.

So the pious brother calls the sinning brother who answers the phone.

'Hello sinning brother!'

'Ah, hello pious brother!'

'I can stop thinking about what it must be like in hell, i feel really bad that i let you stray from the path of righteousness and stuff, what's it like down there?'

'It's actually not that bad' replied the sinning brother 'We have amazing parties with booze and strippers, pizza and Wii Tennis, i've met loads of cool people, we're actually having a great time, i've got an awesome tan too. If you ignore the occasional bit of mind numbingly excruciating torture that the devil's fiends are supposed to inflict upon us, they're generally alright as well. How's things up there?'

'Oh, it's beautiful and tranquil up here, full of immaculate angels and fluffy clouds, but if i'm honest, it's a bit boring and i'm tired all the time. The angels make us do all this work, polishing their halo's, cleaning their robes, sweeping the floors of moulted feathers. In fact, i basically spend all day working and don't really get to enjoy the whole paradise bit, i'm a touch miffed'

'But, why do you have to do so much work all the time? I mean, it can't take long?'

'Ah well' Says the pious brother. 'There's only 2 of us up here'.

 

[Joycee Banercheck]

After wine and weed, God exists - he just doesn't make it known and it's all a test. Well thats what I was taught.

As a catholic, growing up having to take religious studies as a mandatory qualification (rather than something that actually makes a difference to what the world wants) I can categorically state that if there is a God, what with the wars and disputes that goes on in 'their' name, it's a load of bollocks.

Sister Anne will probably rap me knuckles, but I think even she was in doubt.

What kind of God let's countries fued? What kind of God let's a fellow man fight with another man for the same religious views?

It's bollocks.

I though that shit was covered under freedom of will and the devil just fucking with us.

Did you go to St Joseph's too?

 

[Bigga]

problem is that too many people think God is on their side

Probably don't.

No war mongers really see God as 'on their side'. This is a power tool to get people doing what they want. Having God 'on your side' when you are amongst a frightened people is an all consuming power.

Who is going to doubt you if the masses believe?

Very few.

 

[Challenger1978]

I though that shit was covered under freedom of will and the devil just fucking with us.

Did you go to St Joseph's too?

Did i fuck, im about as religouse as a xxx porno about the pope and an alien goat (lmao the shit you can find on the internet) .

 

[ElanJo]

Apologies, I meant to ask you for the specific passages you were referring to.

You've actually got a stronger faith than most people mate, because in what you're saying, you believe that when we die there is nothing, because humans have no power over death. To hedge your bets on no afterlife whatsoever is an extremely brave move, and if you'll forgive me, slightly foolish. What I mean by this is if I am wrong with my belief and you are right, then the same thing will happen to both of us...nothingness. However, if you are wrong and I am right, then the consequences for you are a lot more serious. Logic tells me that my faith is actually a safer option. But I hope I've conveyed that this isn't the reason why I'm a Christian : ).

I actually missed this. It's obviously not the first time I've heard Pascals wager before. It's a frankly ridiculous and underhanded argument.

First of all if it's not a reason why you're a Christian why bring it up? I find that, as a general rule, you can tell why people believe what they do by the way they try and convince others. If Christians use fear of damnation with those they argue with then it's pretty obvious that they are a Christian because they are scared of the supposed consequences of not being one.
Perhaps Pascal's wager didn't convince you to become a Christian, probablity tells me that it's far more likely that you were brought up to be a Christian, but it's very likely part of why you are still a Christian. The same goes for your apologist arguments here, I highly doubt that you were an atheist who was won over to Christianity by the Cosmological argument for instance. These kinds of things act to reinforce or bolster a prior indoctrinated commitment to the religion, not persuade (they're very weak to boot)
Anyway, no, there is no faith on my part. I don't know what happens when we die but reason and evidence tends to suggest that we return to the state that 'we' were in before we were born. Do you remember that state? me neither.

On to the wager,
1) if there is an afterlife it doesn't automatically mean that Christianity is true. So me not believing in Christianity doesn't automatically send me to Hell in this scenario.
2) if there is an afterlife and there is a God it doesn't automatically mean that you're going to Heaven. There are plenty of Gods in our history that would send a Christian to hell. God's tend to not like those who worship false gods...
3) If it is foolish not to believe in a God, due to potential punishment, why is it not foolish to believe in just 1? You really should believe in every single God to properly "hedge your bets"
4) What if there is an afterlife and a God but this God, who endowed us with the capablity to reason, only rewarded(or didn't punish at least) those who didn't believe in things without evidence or reason?
I could go on but I don't want to beat a dead horse. Pascal's wager is probably the worst apologetic argument going - and that is really saying something!

In the end tho, why on earth would you worship a God that would send people into eternal torment for simply not being convinced of his existence?