How do people still belive in God?

bluecatmorgana

MagicMarker wrote: »

Well we'll never know really. Imagine there never was a Judeo-Christian God, erase him from the history of the world. It's beyond comprehension. It's impossible to say what you or anyone else would believe now if that were the case.

ah yes, the what if question......

only God knows what would be

caseyann

storm2811 wrote: »

I try to respect other people's views aswell, even if I don't agree, I'll debate it though..:)

Like you though, I don't see the point in mocking others personal beliefs.

Thats what makes us individuals would be boring other wise,we all have to have our own views and ideas what makes the world go around

Completely agree with you there:)

AudreyHepburn

gbee wrote: »

It's called the paedophile fallout syndrome.

:rolleyes:

Sigh......there are paedophiles in all walks of life, not just the church. Being religious has nothing to do with it all. Please let that argument go.

MagicMarker

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Not me personally, I was just talking in general.

If you want to see what I'm taking about read through the thread again.

Well no, I'm asking you to link to them. You're the one making the accusations about us woefully ignorant and intolerable atheists.

I'm not denying someone said any of those things, but I going to go out on a limb and say that it's probably only mentioned in 1 or 2 posts, if any!

As far as I can see, most of us are engaging in a mature conversation?

ScissorPaperRock

InTheTrees wrote: »

Unfounded? how so? Everything you're saying is taoist.

Because there's a lot more to Taoism than I've said, or ever even thought about. To claim I'm a Taoist after reading a few posts of mine; that's unfounded.

Taoism itself contains ideas of spirituality, and other concepts (e.g. De, Wu Wei, and Pu - looking at Wikipedia here) that I don't understand, or see or feel.

So you can't simply brand me a Taoist.

gbee

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

:rolleyes: Sigh......there are paedophiles in all walks of life, not just the church. Being religious has nothing to do with it all. Please let that argument go.

Like hell I will and I'm totally aghast with your flippant reply. Religious organisations and institutions have been covers for sexual practices for thousand of years.

Convents were brothels, orphanages and schools set up to initially cater for their offspring ~ GRRRRRRR :mad:

MagicMarker

caseyann wrote: »

I dont believe in hell,i believe we create that hell in our own minds and souls and torrment ourselves.No better hell then conscience.Heaven i cant in all honesty tell you what it will be.But yes i believe there is something after death.

I'm just trying to believe where your beliefs stem from. As far as I can see, you don't follow any particular religion or 'rule book'. You don't come across as a pantheist.

You believe God is the creator?
You believe he is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient?
Do you believe he intervenes in our lives to help us?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

storm2811

MagicMarker wrote: »

I'm just trying to believe where your beliefs stem from. As far as I can see, you don't follow any particular religion or 'rule book'. You don't come across as a pantheist.

You believe God is the creator?
You believe he is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient?
Do you believe he intervenes in our lives to help us?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

No
No
No
Yes

I believe Jesus was real,maybe not the son of god but a great teacher and leader none the less.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Why do Atheists give a shít, get on with your own lives, tbh. Don't worry about who believes in God and stop trying to prove that you're right all the time, it gets very fcuking annoying.

Pace2008

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I
Why should there be anymore onus on me to prove he does exist than there is on you to prove he doesn't? Some-one said if you make a claim you have to have be able to back it up with evidence. If that's the case then those who claim he doesn't exist can be expected to give their proof too.

Have you not read anything that's been said on this thread?

How do you prove Russell's teapot doesn't exist?
How do you prove dragons don't exist?
How do you prove mole people don't exist?
Ho do you prove 50-meter-long golden lobsters don't exist?
How do you prove skull-headed tyrannosaurus turtles don't exist?
How do you prove anything my drug****ed mind can concoct doesn't exist?
Practically speaking, you can't prove a negative, and the burden of proof is always on theists in this case.

I'm not getting into this argument; it's been done to death and in more detail on the Christianity and A&A forums, but what you're saying here genuinely is ignorant.

InTheTrees

ScissorPaperRoc wrote: »

Because there's a lot more to Taoism than I've said, or ever even thought about. To claim I'm a Taoist after reading a few posts of mine; that's unfounded.

Taoism itself contains ideas of spirituality, and other concepts (e.g. De, Wu Wei, and Pu - looking at Wikipedia here) that I don't understand, or see or feel.

So you can't simply brand me a Taoist.

No need to be offended, i never said you were "a taoist".

I congratulated you on discovering it. The lack of a diety, The interconnectedness of all things, the presence of "god" (or whatever) in all things. Harmony with nature, oneness with nature. The energy that binds us all together. These are all taoist ideas.

MagicMarker

storm2811 wrote: »

No
No
No
Yes

I believe Jesus was real,maybe not the son of god but a great teacher and leader none the less.

Well, I don't recall from your previous posts if you're an atheist or not, but going by this post alone I assume you are? And if you aren't, well then wtf DO you believe in!!? :pac:

AudreyHepburn

gbee wrote: »

Like hell I will and I'm totally aghast with your flippant reply. Religious organisations and institutions have been covers for sexual practices for thousand of years.

Convents were brothels, orphanages and schools set up to initially cater for their offspring ~ GRRRRRRR :mad:

I'm Catholic so in your eyes I am either a paedophile or am prepared to cover for one.......is that what you're saying.

Religion has nothing to do with the Laundries or Brothels or Industrial Schools or Abuse cover-ups, it's an excuse used by a minority of egotistical sick individuals more concerned with their own wealth and position than being good Christians.

gbee

baz2009 wrote: »

Why do Atheists give a shít, get on with your own lives, tbh. Don't worry about who believes in God and stop trying to prove that you're right all the time, it gets very fcuking annoying.

Ultimately it gets a little more than that. Whilst I know 911 was an inside job, it still manipulated the religious beliefs of some who more than give a dam and are prepared die and take you [everyone] to Allah.

genericguy

baz2009 wrote: »

Why do Atheists give a shít, get on with your own lives, tbh. Don't worry about who believes in God and stop trying to prove that you're right all the time, it gets very fcuking annoying.

we'd stop trying to get our message across if people would stop killing each other in the name of god, and attempting to govern countries based on the teachings of the poxy holy books.

MagicMarker

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I'm Catholic so in your eyes I am either a paedophile or am prepared to cover for one.......is that what you're saying.

*cough*WTF*cough*

Indeed.

Pace2008

genericguy wrote: »

we'd stop trying to get our message across if people would stop killing each other in the name of god, and attempting to govern countries based on the teachings of the poxy holy books.

Or on a more local level, when my future child's choice of school isn't limited by the fact that a man in a frock never poured water over his/her head.

ScissorPaperRock

InTheTrees wrote: »

No need to be offended, i never said you were "a taoist".

I congratulated you on discovering it. The lack of a diety, The interconnectedness of all things, the presence of "god" (or whatever) in all things. Harmony with nature, oneness with nature. The energy that binds us all together. These are all taoist ideas.

Sorry, I came across a bit snappy there. I thought you were just trying to group me in with another "religion".

Still, while I can agree that these ideas my bear similarity with those of Taoists, there are other which I have not thought about.

And I suppose I'm disputing the fact the I discovered it, as these are just my own revelations and understandings.

But yeah thanks, for pointing out the similarities, it's interesting stuff!

AudreyHepburn

Well no, I'm asking you to link to them. You're the one making the accusations about us woefully ignorant and intolerable atheists.

I'm not denying someone said any of those things, but I going to go out on a limb and say that it's probably only mentioned in 1 or 2 posts, if any!

As far as I can see, most of us are engaging in a mature conversation

Well lets see shall we.................................

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

there is no god, only the catholic cult and its demonic followers have destroyed peoples beliefs

kjl wrote: »

Whats reasonable about saying that there is some egotistical prick up in la la land who will make you burn in hell because you sleep with the same sex, while at the same time lets rapist into heaven because they marry there victim.

Mike 1972 wrote: »

People are taught from an early age to believe it and never really give it much serious thought. coupled with not being exposed to other ideas which challenge their own very often.

Its amazing how one can get apparently intelligent adults to believe in the most ridiculous things (not just in the field of religion) in this way.

Mind you it must be said in all fairness that people who embrace atheism/non-theism (particularly in their teenage years) do not always do so for the best of reasons either.

Hank_Jones wrote: »

People still believe in God because they want to believe in God.
They want to believe that the human race is not just the creation of chance and that there was some being who created us.
They want to have a reason why they are here, they want to think that if they live a good life, they will go somewhere when they die.

Personally, I think that is just weakness and that the majority of atheists who I have met in real life seem to be much smarter than those that put forward a belief in God.

krudler wrote: »

But he speaks logically, which is more than most religous types can say about themselves. I'll sleep happily knowing there isnt some boogeyman deity watching over me in case I touch myself (thats a priests job) and you can worry if you're doing the right thing to please your invisible overseer, everybody wins

Yea some very mature conversations there.......;)

gbee

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Religion has nothing to do with the Laundries or Brothels or Industrial Schools or Abuse cover-ups, it's an excuse used by a minority of egotistical sick individuals more concerned with their own wealth and position than being good Christians.

Right, I'm a little calmer now and thanks for this reply. But unfortunately religions have been used as the cloak, and its not just a few stray individual priests.

We know that now and its really been that way from the beginning of the Roman Church, it has been kept a male only organisation for good reasons.

If we are to accept some of the Gnostic gospels, then it suggests that Mary Magdalene was to be sent to Rome [to set up the church], but St. Peter set her adrift [presumably out of jealousy].

Instead it was not St Peter's Church that caught on but the Roman Catholic Church

Pace2008

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I'm Catholic so in your eyes I am either a paedophile or am prepared to cover for one.......is that what you're saying.

You can't prove to us you're not a paedophile.

ravendude

Davidius wrote: »

Science largely isn't motivated by the wish to disprove the existence of a God.

The challenge to "disprove the existence" of god is the really frustrating one for me. In no scientific, academic or learned circles is it acceptable to back up your standpoint with the nonsensical "disprove it" retort.

If you are taking a positive standpoint as to the state of something (lets say the earth revolving around the sun, or the existence of a particular god) the burden of proof is firmly on you. If Galileo, Newton or any other such luminaries based their assertions on nothing else other than "disprove it" argument no one would take them seriously and rightly so.

I can make the assertion that a variety of blue leprechauns exist and ask you to disprove it. It is only right not to be taken seriously.

AudreyHepburn

Pace2008 wrote: »

You can't prove to us you're not a paedophile.

Oh god is this level this thread has stooped to?

I'm not even going to try to discuss this one with you, it's just not worth the effort.

MagicMarker

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Well lets see shall we.................................














Yea some very mature conversations there.......;)

Oh I see, we've changed the criteria from calling people stupid, ignorant, intolerable and delusional to just general maturity? And you've quoted 5 posts out of approx 600.

Well don't I feel pwned.

storm2811

MagicMarker wrote: »

Well, I don't recall from your previous posts if you're an atheist or not, but going by this post alone I assume you are? And if you aren't, well then wtf DO you believe in!!? :pac:

I am indeed an atheist.

genericguy

Pace2008 wrote: »

Or on a more local level, when my future child's choice of school isn't limited by the fact that a man in a frock never poured water over his/her head.

you can fcuking sing that. imagine myself and yourself started a soccer course for kids in the local park and said "no redheads allowed".

Pace2008

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Oh god is this level this thread has stooped to?

I'm not even going to try to discuss this one with you, it's just not worth the effort.

You dragged it down there:

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Why should there be anymore onus on me to prove he does exist than there is on you to prove he doesn't? Some-one said if you make a claim you have to have be able to back it up with evidence. If that's the case then those who claim he doesn't exist can be expected to give their proof too.

MagicMarker

Pace2008 wrote: »

You dragged it down there:

You can't use her own argument against her! That's not allowed in religion. DUH!

InTheTrees

ScissorPaperRoc wrote: »

Sorry, I came across a bit snappy there. I thought you were just trying to group me in with another "religion".

Still, while I can agree that these ideas my bear similarity with those of Taoists, there are other which I have not thought about.

And I suppose I'm disputing the fact the I discovered it, as these are just my own revelations and understandings.

But yeah thanks, for pointing out the similarities, it's interesting stuff!

No prob. I came to it from kind of thinking it out by myself and then someone pointing me at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching

AudreyHepburn

Ok I am going to cut my losses and run. I've had enough of the narrow minded attitudes on here.

I am sorry for dragging the thread down and offending people with my silly beliefs but I won't change them just because they seem to go against the tolerated accepted ideals or because they are unreasonable and irrational.

It's sad really.....I was actually enjoying this discussion for a while.