Is there a god?

[LeedsRhinos]

Is there a god? I mean look at all the different relgions around the world who all believe that THEY are right & the others are wrong. They can't all be right can they. Which is why in my opion it all rubbish.

[blythkeith]

Errgghhh... the idea that to be religious is to be good and vice-versa is utterly repugnant. I'm a good, decent man because I choose to be - not because it's dictated that I should be by some arbitary belief system. If more people thought for themselves and stopped relying on "God" as their reason or excuse for everything, the world would surely be a better place than it is. And the state it's in is all the evidence I need that there is no GOd - or is there is, he.she is not the kind of individual I'd want to follow...

[Louis]

Read the bible - Then answer the question!

[cheyenne]

using the god of the gaps theory (the idea that god is only needed for what we cant explain) you realize as time goes past and science answers more, the bible is becoming less needed, therefore in the end when we know all we need to we will not need to use god. i belive that people use god as a safety blanket from fear of death but we are all brought to what we belive through the experiences we gain and for someone to have an opinion is fine!

[Raydude]

Yes. We are not here by some silly accident, or freak of mathematics. G-d exists, otherwise you would not be reading this reply. Your conciousness is a result of G-d.

[jimmer]

God? no. apart from all the inconsistencies in the story, the plethora of different "gods" worshipped throughout history and the basic, childlike arguments put forward for the existence of a god ( i.e. there is a god coz i said so), the framework of belief is a control mechanism. It is used to strengthen or increase the power base of those in authority. Through religion, people are conditioned to accept poverty, war and social injustice on the ruling of an unaccountable, unquestionable higher order. In return they get an i.o.u. for a better life when they die (sic). To argue that there is a god because so many people believe in one makes no sense. If you think about it, people have evolved over a long time from an originally small group of people. Superstitions are a part of most peoples lives and these too would evolve and be formalized. As groups of people spread out and formed new groups the formalised "religion" would evolve based on the needs of that group. As trading started to occur some people became mobile between groups and took with them their superstitions and beliefs, at times these were, and still are, adopted into the group. Ergo similar but different belief systems. One last thing. If there is a god who is perfect and knows everything and is all powerful and is benevolent, then why oh why would he make the earth with all the disease, famine, war and the haves and have nots? sounds like a cock up to me. jim

[Wraith]

To those that believe yes, to those that don't no!

[FelixtheDog]

Right on blythkeith! you have reflected my sentiments almost exactly. I would refer you all to the movie Bad Boy Bubby for an amazingly astute piece of dialogue delivered by a priest towards the end....but I warn you, the first part of the movie is a real eye-popper. Anyway, just for the record. No, of course there is no God

[aloha]

Man created god in his own image. In a sense, if you look at a "god" as an abstract idea, then it/they will becomes a noun. Therefore real enough.[to cause trouble] Whether or not there is an organized intelligence with a ready supply of lightening rods in his rucksack can hardly matter. The genocides,raizing and and hipocrisy that persist generation after generation in the name of one or other of these gods is real enough. And many find comfort in having all of the answers. Hey, if it works for you.. Religion is social organization. Spirituality is personal. Gods give hope and comfort to the weary, and gods are excuses for the rabid to justify their acts. Jeez though, aren't some religions KINKY? How about eating the [metaphorical]flesh, and drinking the blood of a religous figure. Who came up with that one?

[AngloScot]

If 'God' created us, who or what the hell created 'God'. Surely 'God' couldn't have just appeared from non-existence.

[Lee_c]

If God exists (which I don't believe for one minute he does BTW) and thousands of people die every year, in either wars in his name, or acts of terrorism in his name, or even the so-called acts-of-god which wreak havoc and destruction on this planet... what exactly is the Devil guilty of? (apparently, there has to be a balance of good and evil) Surely, God is inadvertantly responsible for the majority of deaths and destruction on this planet, so is the Devil trying to balance things out by doing good deeds? Although, according to the bible (so I have been told) god made us in his own image. Does that mean that after creating us, he instilled his own desire to kill his own species for needless causes. Was he some kind of massochist who created a species with the sole intent of wiping it out in various entertaining ways for his own pleasure? I became an atheist at the age of 6 and have seen nothing since to convince me I was wrong.

[aceizace]

I've got a few things to say on this... first of all, look at it like this. A christian dies, if he was right then he goes to heaven and gets eternal joy, if he was wrong, well then it's just neutral. An atheist dies, if he was right it's just neutral, if he was wrong, he suffers eternally in hell. Which does it make more sense to be? And also this: i was talking to a friend at a christian youth club about people who live in middle-of-nowhere countries that havn't heard of God or christianity. He told me about some missionaries that went to one of these countries, and when they got there they found that these people had already discovered God on their own, and that they'd even worked out that his son's name was Jesus, and these were people who'd never had contact with the outside world before. Kinda makes you think doesn't it? Oh and i think i'll add this as well, to all you people who don't believe in God, do you believe that there could be life elsewhere in the universe? You've never seen them, nor seen any proof of them, yet you still believe it's possible, but when it comes to God and there's more than enough proof, you still deny it... why? Why can't it be possible?

[Wraith]

Aceizace, your very good at repeating what other people say. What is important is what you believe yourself, not what others tell you. You quote urban legends of missionaries meeting tribes that know the name of Jesus, why? Considering your belief in god should be one of faith, why do you need proof or other peoples words to inspire you. I am an aethiest myself and have looked at all sorts of suggested proofs of his/hers existence, none of which I believe. I have no problem with other people believing in a god or gods, but so long as an individual believes why do they find the need for proof. After all they should have faith.

[pbrankin]

I believe that the closer I get to "God", ( for me that means trying to eliminate the Ego ), the happier a person I am. The further away from this position I get, the more depressed, neurotic, tired and anxious I get. Of course, just because there is a God, doesn't neccessarily mean that there is an eternal life. So, in a nutshell, "God" does exist, even if it is only while you are alive !

[BAZZA100]

I myself do not believe that there is a, or any need for, a greater being than "man". Andy Hughes better hope that he doesn't fall of that fence

[number8]

The idea of a greater being is just simply absurd - it is a crutch for the feeble minded. What next...believing in fairies at the bottom of the garden, the troll under the bridge, Nadia is a woman? It's just silliness.

[tramcar]

aceizace: do you believe in the gods of the Romans or the ancient Greeks or Egyptians? Are you terrified that unless you worship these deities you will spend eternity in Hell? How many insurance policies do you need? Religion is essentially politics under a subtle disguise. People are subjected to starvation, discrimination, death and torture, in the cause of belief in some higher entity. In particular, the promise that things will be infinitely better in an afterlfe, provided you toe the line in this life. Mankind was not invented by God: God is the creation of ignorant and/or evil humans. Tramcar

[pickula]

" No religions can't all be right. So therefore, there must be one which is the Truth" Not so, Badriyah; there is another possibility, which is that they are ALL wrong. That seems to be much more likely to me. It is not necessary to have religious faith to lead a good and moral life; similarly just because someone does have faith, it doesn't follow that they will lead such a life. In that context, belief in God is a kind of "get out" clause, an insurance policy - a cop-out, in other words, so that people don't ultimately take responsibility for their own actions. Here's another thought - if, for the sake of argument, I accept the existence of God - why should I worship him? I see no reason for it. The whole idea of religion is primitive and superstitious, and it's time to move on and forget it, except as some kind of historical curiosity.

[Azimov]

I have to agree with blythkeith. I believe there is no god but even if there was (based on the Bible anyway) I'd reject him. I certainly wouldn't want to follow a god who condemns all but a tiny fraction of his children to eternal damnation. Think about it, giving us free will then making all that is interesting and attractive to us forbidden on pain of eternal damnation, isn't that something akin to placing a toddler naked in a circle of matches, broken glass, power tools, poisonous substances etc, and then saying in a stern voice "Don't touch!"? If my Father did that he'd expect to be locked up, not worshipped! Sorry, I can't believe in any god but I'd surely be crazy to believe in a god like that! Great story though, crap ending!

[sprogglin]

There is. His name be Morrissey. other than that i would say that religion is a way that culture has developed to explain that which cannot be explained. This has been shown in the past by christianity's defensive reaction to scientific development. for example evolution, space, geology. the bible gives an age of the Earth of around 6000 years. not really true is it?