So, we are to accept your interpretation of God?Interesting. Why don't you not believe in God?
Oh my, take a number.
The Bible. Myth or Reality?
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Oh my, take a number.
Maybe you are just another troll.Interesting. Why don't you not believe in God?
Bye.
Since I do not believe in a supernatural being that controls everything I really don't care but for people like yourself I always ask questions to better understand how those like you believe in such a being.
Watch.......
I think that is probably a good place to be. It's certainly fair and reasoned. I remember as a child listening to my mother explain God and heaven and I remember thinking, that doesn't make sense. If heaven is this great place were everyone is happy and every want is filled, that sounds like a very boring place. For some folks God is very important and very real in their lives, for others not so much. If the belief in God makes people feel better and provides value in their lives and others are not harmed, who cares? There is nothing wrong with believing in a God, providing that belief doesn't harm others.
Myself, I believe in a godhead. But I really don't think it, whatever it is, cares much about us or how we live our lives or what we believe or don't believe. God created everything. God knows everything. We are just living out God's will whatever that might be for some unknown divine reason. I'm not even certain we have free will. I'm thinking we have no truly free will because we have so little information. And that enslaves us to circumstance and genetics.
I think of God more as a connection, something that connects the universe and everything in it and we are all actors on a grand stage which spans the universe and maybe beyond. And in a way, we are all part of God. We are all connected, fulfilling our small part in this life and in this world which God has created for an unknown divine purpose. Whatever God is, it certainly isn't the kind of God my mother taught me about in my childhood, the kind of God most religions teach to this day.
I'm quite positive I don't believe in the being you posit.
I really don't find George Carlin funny.
You didn't ask any questions.
jan.
It is an intellectual position.
You seem to think you have a choice as to whether God exists or not.
Then what is this godhead that you believe in?
You seem to think that we create our own little bubble type reality where we all get to decide what is real and what isn't.
So what IS the connection?
Why do you think God is a connection?
jan.
If we are all part of God, and connected to each other via God, why is His divine purpose unknown?
Do you believe all the scriptures, bible, koran, bhagavad gita, etc... have nothing, whatsoever to do with God?
jan.
Every religious tradition is transmitted either orally or in writing. Let us take Christianity as an example.
The only reasons that people today know about Christianity today are (a) because the bible and other religious writings have been copied and otherwise preserved for the past 2000 years, and (b) because there is an oral tradition of passing along beliefs about the Christian religion that has existed for the past 2000 years.
Nobody comes to believe in the Christian God or in Jesus Christ without (a) having access to written information about Christianity or (b) being told about Christian beliefs by another person.
There is nothing in this argument that this specific to Christianity, by the way. Substitute any religious tradition you like, and any "scripture" of that tradition you want to refer to and the the same thing applies.
Now, I know that when you, Jan, talk about "God" with your capital G, you insist that you don't mean any of the Gods of the established religions - or rather that you mean all of them at once. That is because your religious beliefs are made up of a hodge-podge of selections from various different religious traditions, and you have selected certain preferred "scriptures" that you regard as authoritative concerning your private belief system.
Did you believe in your God before you had access to your favorite scriptures? No, you did not. You have formed your belief in your private version of God based on your personal history and what you have read.
Moving on, I know you will also claim that when you say "God" with your capital G you really mean the vague idea of a universal supernatural Creator being or force and not the God of any particular religion. Do people believe in your vague Creator without access to religious instruction? In general, they do not. A few might from time to time wonder why there is something rather than nothing and invent myths or legends to account for that (assuming they are uneducated in science). Over time, the catchiest myths turn into fully-fledged religions, like Christianity, while other myths are forgotten.
George isn't meant to be funny but instead to enlighten humans about the supernatural being that doesn't exist.
How can I ask questions about something that does not exist?
Does an epithelial (i.e. skin) cell know the intent of the body of which is is a part? Is the epithelial cell even aware of the body, how it looks or how it works? The answer is no, and so it is with humans and the notion of God. And epithelial cell can no more perceive the body to which is is a part than a human perceive and comprehend the universe of which it is a part or this notion of a divine omnipotent, omniscient being. Whatever God is or isn't, it is certainly beyond human capacity to understand.
I believe scriptures contain words of wisdom and can and have been useful to humans. The scriptures are attempts by man to explain God and in some instances to control people. Don't get me wrong, there are some aspects of religion I love. Some of the greatest buildings and greatest music have been created by man to honor God. There can be and often is much good in religion. But there is also an ugly side to religion. It has also been an instrument of abuse.
There are too many gaping holes and inconsistencies in this notion of God. So unless and until those holes can be filled and explained, I think we need to be honest with ourselves to the degree we are able to do so.
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Why don't you believe in flying pigs?
Do you see anything wrong with that ? Here is a parallel ; In Europe was not known about a large land mass between Europe and India , even the Vikings and others might have been here ( American continent )
but it was necessary to be put in writing and publicised.
By the way there is no other God but one which different names have been given in different cultures . Go back to the early American ( indians ) They named a Great spirit, I am sure your aborigines had a specific name in their culture
For a self described enlightened person you seem awfully mean, hateful and petty. Apparently being enlighted is a terrible thing...[shrug]
I have seen God's creation, and pigs don't fly in this particular section.
Why don't you believe in God?
jan.
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Good question, maybe because there is no such thing?
Does the skin cell have the ability to know things? No?
Do humans? Yes?
So as far as you're concerned scriptures are nothing more than the thoughts of man, and man alone?
I like the way how this type of statement is simply accepted as true without having to explain it in any detailed way.
Can you elaborate on this?
jan.
I think you missed the point.
I think they are what you want them to be. Some people value them as the word of God, others don't. They were written by men. I don't think there is any question about that. It question is were they written under the influence of divine inspiration? I don't think they should be accepted as literal truths. And if people find value in them, it's a good thing as long as they are not used to inflict harm on others.
Are you sure you are ready for this? Some people cannot handle it. If your religion works for you and it isn't harming others, what's the problem? As I said before, for some religion is a very powerful and useful force in their lives and there is nothing wrong with that (e.g. Mother Teresa).
Didn't Jesus say he came not to change the law, but to fulfill it? Then why was the Sabbath changed to Sunday from Friday? Isn't honoring the Sabbath one of the 10 Commandments?
Matthew 5:17-20King James Version (KJV)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
And then there is the creation contradiction:
"The biblical book of Genesis contains two contradictory accounts of humanity’s creation. The first account is known as the Priestly version and appears in Genesis 1:26-27.
Here God fashions man and woman simultaneously when the text reads: “So God created mankind in the divine image, male and female God created them.”
The second account of Creation is known as the Yahwistic version and is found in Genesis 2. This is the version of Creation that most people are familiar with. God creates Adam, then places him in the Garden of Eden. Not long afterwards, God decides to make a companion for Adam and creates the animals of the land and sky to see if any of them are suitable partners for the man. God brings each animal to Adam, who names it before ultimately deciding that it is not a “suitable helper.” God then causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and while the man is sleeping God fashions Eve from his side.
When Adam awakes he recognizes Eve as part of himself and accepts her as his companion.
Not surprisingly, the ancient rabbis noticed that two contradictory versions of Creation appear in the book of Genesis (which is called Bereisheet in Hebrew). They solved the discrepancy in two ways:
- One was to explain that the first version of Creation actually referred to Adam’s first wife, a 'first Eve.' But Adam was displeased with her, so God replaced her with a 'second Eve' that met Adam's needs.
- Another interpretation is that the Priestly account describes the creation of an androgyne – a creature that was both male and female (Genesis Rabbah 8:1, Leviticus Rabbah 14:1). This creature was then split into a man and a woman in the Yahwistic account. Learn more about this explanation in: What Was the Androgyne?
If God is all powerful and all knowing, and God loves us, then why has he not destroyed the Devil? Why has he not given us some evidence of his existence, appear in the sky and make his divine nature known?
And here are some more:
http://ffrf.org/legacy/books/lfif/?t=contra
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Wow. If you are an example of what religion does to someone, then I'd much rather spend time with atheists.
You have seen only a tiny part of God's creation. You must admit that it is possible that flying pigs exist. And yet, you don't believe in them. Why not? Is it because there's no old tradition you're aware of in which people believed in flying pigs?
Suppose somebody were to dig up an ancient scripture tomorrow that told stories of the wondrous flying pigs that used to be prevalent throughout the known world. Would you believe in them then?
That's what I meant.
I believe it's not impossible that flying pigs exist.
I didn't say I don't believe in them.
I neither believe or disbelieve. It is of no real consequence to me.
I'd accept that they used to exist.
What's your point?
jan.