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.

[sismitch]

God is the Supreme Being. He is self-existing, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing and present everywhere. He is a pure spirit and has no limitations of a body. God is also personal. He is no mere force or power. In fact He is a communion of Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three Persons possess the one divine nature. God's omnipotence is beyond our human comprehension. We believe that you have to see something to believe it exists. Can you see the wind? NO, but you can feel it. Same with God, only some choose not to feel Him, which is very unfornate.

[sismitch]

Hey Raydude! If you want more then one person who has proved there is a God, try the Catholic faith. There are many saints that have seen or talked to God, and the way God proves it to the world is by making their bodies incorrupt (Scientists can't explain). There are perfectly perserved saints all around the world on display. It's pretty cool! Check it out!

[Deanna]

Sismitch's post is typical of religious people: they offer no proof, only a pronouncement, furthermore as if they possess the authority to speak for "god." To compare god with the "invisible" wind makes no sense. The wind shows great and measurable evidence of itself. Where is the evidence that the god of the bible exists? There is none. If god existed, why would it need this monumental hide-and-seek game-playing with people, to the exent of even losing lives over whose version of god is better? Why not make himself/herself/itself more transparent? I couldn't care less if people want to worship, but let's call it like it is: nothing more than faith, and stop trying to control and dominate, through law and otherwise, something based on faith and not fact. My main beef is the mixing of church and state, esp. when the church's teachings are offered as a factual rationale for translating into law. Disgraceful, and the historical consequences are clear: over and over again.

[Azimov]

I can'thelp fut feel that the arguments supporting a God are somewhat comical! The simple fact is that those who believe do so out of a deep seated desire to believe. No amount of rational discussion will ever sway that believe and for LR to talk of "reading with an open mind" is nothing short of hilarious. I am sorry but I cannot respect those who "choose" to believe something simply because it is the most comfortable position to take. What is it they love to say? "There are no athiests in the trenches"?? Again I apologise but that makes me so sick I can't tell you! If I am wrong, and I seriously do not think so, then I reject your God LR. Your God can make a spectacular sunset but he can't make it rain in Ethiopia? Give me a break!

[el duerino]

yes its the same old story. rational aetheistic arguments are refuted by wild statements which the follower has been indoctrinated into believing despite the huge weight of evidence against their position. Excellent posts Deanna. Sismitch - very good now stop repeating your sunday school teacher and focus on the argument at hand. By your particular position, relying on inner 'feelings' for proof, it makes me just as valid to say there is no god because i cannot feel him. i feel the wind. I hope that one day you will at least question the beliefs which have doubtless been fed to you since an early age and break free of your oppressive religion. But I have little faith this will happen while you are content to repeat arguments of such limited power by rote.

[Tweed]

The whole God/religious thing. It's a control mechanism. Like Santa Clause, parents tell their children that Santa won't leave presents to naughty children so as they behave during the rest of the year.

[irbrian]

There is only one way to know the answer to this question. No other person can answer it for you, although like many aspects of life, someone can show you how to get there. The truth is born through direct, personal revelation. That revelation will come to one who asks in sincere faith, that is, believing that their question will be answered. The revelation most likely won't come as a vision or miraculous dream, although it has happened -- for the vast majority of people, this personal revelation will come as a simple reassurance, felt in the heart and soul. And you receive this revelation, this gentle reassurance, How do I know this? Because on several separate occasions I have personally received this revelation in my life in exactly the way I've described. I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ is His Son. I have no doubt of this, but I don't ask you to take my word for it. Instead, try it for yourself.

[Captions]

Has anyone noticed that man is the only animal who does not fit? All have to make their own shelters,and alter their food,and find something to worship. We don't belong here-this is not home. Why is that?

[el duerino]

irbrian - I too have had revelations to teh exact opposite effect. It comes as cold knowledge in my heart that there is no god. I can't tell you, you will have to find your own way there. It will only be revealed once you embrace your humanity and corporeal existence. I know there is no god. I know that a man called jesus was not his son. I know there is no redemption, or miracles, or eternal paradise. Does it scare me? not any more. Am I a better person for realising this? yes, I have no doubt. Consider the possibility you are wrong. try it yourself.

[crazy chick]

yea moog how do you know that? that's just your opinion on the matter

[I.R.]

What is your purpose in life, Azimov? Same question goes to Moog, Deanna, & el duerino. Is it just to be born, grow up, get an education, get a job? Spend a lousy 70 odd years on earth, then die? And after that, what else? And for how long is this life-death cycle supposed to continue? But, hey, you believe in evolution! Perhaps the human race will evolve into some over-sized monster with time!

[el duerino]

perhaps, perhaps not. it may kill itself off. we may still be around when the sun dies. who knows. my purpose in life is to enjoy it and live by guidelines which benefit me and the people I love in the real world, not according to some ridiculous cosmic reward scheme. If you think 70 years of living on earth is lousy no wonder you're religious. For someone who should be embracing the life you supposedly got given by the supreme being, you're being a bit of an ungrateful fool aren't you? I can see why you would buy into some eternal reward scheme, but get this: life is great, you get 70 years to enjoy yourself and be around people who make you happy. Death is rubbish in comparison. I fail to see the need to inject a fairy story into this picture.

[I.R.]

"Ungrateful fool"??? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase! I ENJOY life! I live it to the fullest. But I also know that this life is not all there is. 70 years IS lousy when you consider the fact that humans were meant to live forever. Ever wondered why people like Methuselah lived to be over 900 years, but you can only hope for 70, perhaps 100 if you're lucky? Or perhaps he never existed? I suppose your evolution theory has no place for such?

[el duerino]

if humans were meant to live forever then why do we need a heaven? no, methuselah might have existed, I doubt it very much though. There is no proof whatsoever for any human being living past 120 or whatever it is nowadays. What was his secret then IR? I'm dying to know. pun intended.

[I.R.]

Well, I don't believe all righteous humans go to heaven, life everlasting on this earth is what I believe in. But then, that's another topic entirely. As to why humans at the beginning of time(?) lived longer than we do today, the answer is in the Bible. God decided man was getting more wicked (really, the word "wickeder ought to exist!) and reduced man's life-span from 900+ to 120 max (Gen 5:3)

[el duerino]

so gods answer to man becoming more wicked was to let him be wicked for a shorter lifespan. oh the genius behind that one. and presumably it doesn't matter how good we will ever be, this will never be reversed. how convenient. Do you seriously never question these things IR?

[I.R.]

Of course I have questioned all these. I'm not just parroting what some priest tells me from a pulpit, but these are things I've pondered on, and I've come to the conclusion that this is the truth. I listen when people give contrasting opinions, and actually consider the possibility that they could have a point or two. Even the bible says we have to worship God with our "powers of reasoning" intact. When I was younger, I used to drive myself crazy wondering about the concept of time. I mean, before creation, WHAT?! "In the beginning", yeah, but when? At what point did it all start? Was there any "pre-beginning"??!!! And what about God, surely He must have had a beginning too?? But I got to realize that you cannot use the wisdom of mortal man to explain away things which are clearly beyond our scope. As the bible says, "the wisdom of man is foolishness with God"! Just contemplating the universe tells you that there's a mastermind at work, and your "big-bang" theory just doesn't cut it.

[el duerino]

ahaha - yes I thought that might be you. Can't explain it so we will never manage it and lets not bother. It's a good thing people like you don't run the world IR because we would still be in the Dark Ages and I would have been burnt long ago. It's a very childlike mentality born through fear of the unknown.

[I.R.]

But there IS an explanation, El duerino. God. As simple as that. Or as complex as that, whatever!

[el duerino]

which you came to how?