prepare ye the way for those who come again,

You're not the messiah, you're just a very naughty girl

 

Shut ya face

Goddess has spoken

 

I believe in God, I just don't believe in Christianity.

 

We're all descended from Africa fella, get over it!

TX.

 

Define 'God'. I think that 'god' represents a better explanation than science will ever be able to offer. Religion came about out of fear though, not a search for the truth about creation. Fear of the unknown, fear of what you cant understand and fear of death.

 

If this is the case, how did the native Americans/Australians get there?

 

No one knows for sure but I believe the most popular theory is that the Native Americans walked over a land bridge from Siberia. Not sure about Aboriginals.

 

I used to think that everything just appeared just like that until someone asked me once, grab 10 small ***** number them 1-10 put them in a bag. Once you've done that pull them all out starting with 1 and work your way up to 10 I said that would take forever he said do you know what the properbilty of that I guessed and said 10000-1 he replied wrong it's 24million to one. So think about how many organs you have in your body, everything the lives in earth even the galaxy there's billions of things that work in harmony.

He also said u have good and bad would it be fair if the bad didn't get punished and the good was opressed?? Made me think so I thank god for everything I have every day and very time I remeber.

If you don't believe in god then god luck, but as for me he has helped and I appretaite everthing his done for me. And I pray and hope I would go to heaven one day. Books that were made 2000 years ago weather it's the bible the Koran or Torah have all predicted things that scientist have just figuered out.

Peace

 

I'm not sure what you're getting at here, are you saying that pulling the ***** out in order of 1-10 is unlikely? So what? The odds of pulling them out in any order are exactly the same. I fail to see why this has any relevance at all .

The odds of any event are infintesimile if you really think about it, but are you honestly saying that there is a god who can simultaneously control every particle in the known universe at the same time to bring about the harmony you speak of? .

What on earth are you talking about? What exactly did that statement do to make you think about god? It's utterly meaningless! Are you advocating that without god no good goes unrewarded and no bad unpunished?

No, you think he has helped. You help yourself possibly through belief, and whilst that is no bad thing, it proves nothing.

None of the books you mention have predicted anything.

Geezer

 

It isn't selective, I just understand how people all have a different opinion, and I respect that. I do not beleive in a god or any religion in any true form. BUT I do understand that it is used by some people to have some form of control in their lives, or to be controlled.
I understand that the bible is a fictional book, written sometimes in third hand, and in some cases decades after the 'actual events' (debatable?) even happened. I cannot and would not follow that!

I have not had my children christened, I will simply allow them to become mature enough to make their own choices about faith and religion.
Hopefully when they are old enough to respect other people regardless of what they do or do not beleive, they can also decide what they want to belieive in.

 

No amount of belief makes something a fact, and maybe in the beginning, man created God

 

I think everyone would agree with that.

 

Thats one of the standard questions NDL, and you have to consider why God might have set up the world on the first place.

Let us say that he did do that and that he exists in Heaven which is a nice place and that there is an opposing being called the Devil who is keen on feeding his furnaces with as many as possible. It is a representation of good and evil if you think about it. We know that exists alright!

Below in an example of the thinking by the religious.

Having done all that it is likely that he wanted a way to test us all to see whether we deserve to join him or go to the flames after we pass on. Our lives on Earth are a test to see what we deserve eventually. We all have the choice in our behaviour on Earth and if you choose to be an evil person then you presumably deserve the worse result. Your conscience is very much tied up in all that too. There is said to be a halfway house called Purgatory where you could be sent to for a time to make up for some bad behaviour should you not deserve to go straight to Hell! The point is that afterlife is everlasting so its pretty important really. Our lives on Earth are very much less important when you think along those lines and we are basically set a test during our lives to work out which way we should go after death. It that respect, life on Earth is not guaranteed to be a top experience and very often it goes the other way. The test is how we deal with all that. The richer you are, the more difficult it can be to live a good life as we see often enough. Of course there are bad people in all walks of life.

I have laid all that out just as an illustration to you of the thinking when it comes to the question you asked. The basic question is, if there is a God, why did he create us and put us on this planet? The above is an answer of sorts to that. Does not mean a guarantee of an idyllic life. Thats the best answer I can give to your questions.

Les

 

You're all nutters!

 

Les - do you believe what you wrote there or is that just an example of someone elses thinking?

 

There are several things that don't sit right with that though, Les. As I pointed out earlier, evil can only have come from God as he (supposedly) made us. Whether by design or by accident, he has allowed that evil to nurture. Itself an evil thing to do.

If we are punished for doing evil things, then we are being punished for something that is not our fault. Hardly fair.

Also, one of the things you go to hell for is not believing in God. So, you live a massively altruisitc life, but are an atheist, so you burn in hell for eternity, whereas someone who believes but just jogs along doing nothing in particular gets an eternity of heaven!

Sinners also get the chance to repent their sins, so what exactly is the motivation to lead a good life?

My motivation is that it's just a good thing to do, that I will have friendds etc. etc. The threat of going to hell to be good hardly seems like a model way to promote good behaviour "Be good or I'll beat you!!!!!"

I don't see how that is an answer as to why God would have created us? Why create something, then allow it to behave any way it likes, but if it misbehaves give it an eternity of suffering, for possibly the smallest of crimes. Seems rather OTT! After all, if we are wrong and there is a God, then eternity really does mean eternity. Trillions and trillions and trillions of years of suffering? Where exactly is the justice in that?

This sounds like the cruellest of experiments ever. God is indeed a sadisitc person.

My children, like Adam and Eve, were born with no concept of right or wrong. They learn, they make mistakes, they get a minor punishment for the things they do wrong so hopefully they won't do it again. Is it right, by God's moral logic, that for the minor misdemeanours they commit they should be beaten, stoned, damned? That is the equivalent. Most unpleasant!

Geezer

 

1. Why does god hate amputees? - There has never been a case of a single amputee growing back an arm or a leg yet god (supposedly) sees fit to regularly cure cancer sufferers and the blind.

2. Biblical Law - In Matthew 5:17-18 it states that Jesus wants Christians to follow the old testament word for word. Why don't they? And why do they actively disregard the parts of the old testament which they don't agree with or which are socially unacceptable these day, Like child slavery?

3. Eye of a needle - If Jesus said it's difficult, Even impossible, For a rich man to get in to the kingdom of heaven why do so many rich people believe in Jesus? why is it the goal of nearly every single christian to become rich? And why do TV evangelists always want your money?

4. Did god create Cancer and aids - Did he? If so why? And why do good Christians also get them? Or was it a mistake? And if it was, Why not do something about it now?

5. Bible Revisions - The bible read by Christians of today differs by many chapters and thousand of paragraphs from the original. Which one is the word of god and why does man edit it?

6. Second Commandment - If the 2Nd Commandment is "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" why do Christians wear crosses, Have statues and make films with Jesus' graven image on them?

7. Jesus Loves? - If Jesus loves why did he say "I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds." in Revelation 2:23. Is Jesus really a child killer?

8. Allegory - The bible states that the Earth is between 6,000 and 8,000 years old, that it was created in 7 days, and that Man is made of dirt and Woman a piece of Man. The modern church says this is allegory. Where does it say in the bible that it is allegory?

9. Witch trials, Inquisitions and crusades - Historians estimate the total number of people executed in the name of Jesus is as high as 15 million (mostly Jews, "witches" and pagans). How does it feel knowing that Jesus is responsible for 3 times as many deaths as Hitler?

10. The only real SIN. - In Mark 3:29 it says "but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin". Is it true that paedophiles and child killers can be forgiven and get in to heaven but disbelievers can't?

10 questions to ask the bible bashers

 

So this life is just about deciding where you go after?

you want locking up if you believe that. The fact it's even given credence shows what a fuked up world this is.

 

Unfortunately, it's more about peer pressure. Everyone believes it, so I must. The pressure to do as others around you do is intense, even in front of complete strangers.

Stuidies have been run where actors join a group and deliberately give the 'wrong' answer (response / whatever) and it was demonstrated that the people being tested were influenced by the actions of those around them.

The concepts of Heaven and Hell were introduced by the Church to exert control over the uneducated masses in earlier times. After all it was a huge political power game over wealth and taxes.

Who are you going to listen to? Your feudal lord who says he will beat you now, or the Priest who says you will burn for all eternity? This is why not going to Church was made a mortal sin - get them in the Church and you have a captive audience.

This has unfortunately carried on to Modern times, and the strength of convention forces people to comply.

 

I agree Kieran. It's brainwashing as I've said numerous times.

 

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=009_1198085630

 

Les, so if you'd dropped an A bomb a killed thousands would that have been a good act or bad act in the view of your god and where would you end up heaven or hell as a consequence?

That question in itself is ludicrous but lets humour the fact you're delusion makes you believe in such things.

 

It is an example I was given some years ago and I thought I would post it purely for NDL's information.

It would of course require complete acceptance of religious teachings to believe it.

Les

 

It was quoted as an example, see my answer to Kieran.

Les

 

Can we not have implied personal attacks on this thread?

While I fundamentally disagree with Les, and genuinely think he is wrong - these comments don't help.

For the record: as a society we need a moral compass and having people able to provide it (and please let's not start on the Catholic Churches recent shameful revelations) is fundamentally a VERY good thing. I just wish we didn't have to bring an Omnipotent being and threats of eternal damnation into it.

Speaknig of which - Les: your point about living this life only for next is flawed. We MUST make the most of THIS life. It's the only shot we get (even if there IS an afterlife, or reincarnation or whatever)... this is the time that WE as the people we are now have a chance to do something good, or make a difference.

We should live our lives to benefit now and the future for others (and ourselves) not pass by so much in the hope of some supposed glorious future

 

It's not a personal attack. I think anybody who believes in a god to be deluded and brainwashed.

As for a moral compass. I'm certain that we could figure out that killing each other, doing harm or stealing is wrong.

 

Yes, I realised that Les, I was just answering the comments, regardless of who they were from

Geezer

 

There's more than just the extremes to worry about. Think of it in terms of a support structure: we have groups to help with all aspactes of our life - so why not one for moral guidance?

How do you know that killing or stealing or doing harm is wrong? You were taught by your parents / teachers / peers. Like I said earlier: it's all about education allowing for freedom of choice. Something that (IMHO) the (established) Church is against. As soon as you organise a religion you put artificial restraints upon individual choice; something to which I am opposed.

However - having that support from people (call them Holy if you want) to help you when you need it... Spiritual guidance as it were, well that's a good thing.

 

But, the the bible does not provide a moral compass. Christians do not live their lives by the morals of the bible, and neither do I, so where are our they coming from? Clearly not the bible!

Absolutely.

Geezer

 

Les, thanks for standing up to be counted (or ridiculed as some people prefer), I respect you having the courage of your convictions if nothing else.

I do find it hard to reconcile this part though

I think what you're saying is that, although I stated that I wasn't happy with the 'dress-rehearsal' line that 'some people' see it that way. Fair enough.

You mention that 'Our lives are a test to see what we deserve eventually' and also the possibility of a 'Purgatory', do you think it fair to test people who didn't ask to be tested in the first place? If we exist and are being tested without volunteering to be tested then does that mean that we existed in some form before being born and were then born into this life, this life being the 'Purgatory' that you speak of?

Please don't think that I'm ridiculing your beliefs, I think you're entitled to believe or accept whatever you like, most of my family and some of my friends are as firm in their own beliefs as you are in yours.