A 'God' Thread

[Shadows]

For those who believe in god, why do you PERSONALLY think god is real?

I don't mean from what you read in religious texts.

PERSONALLY.

 

[yak pac fatal]

hard to explain imo. its more of a feeling.

 

[Sebastian]

Try to read his question once again.

He said nothing about proving anything to anybody.

 

[Euphanasia]

they think god is real because they need solace or comfort. they need to believe in something so they don't feel empty inside.

 

[Cooper]

I believe in God because he helps me deal with things I am scared of facing up to the reality of, such as death.

 

[Jokerman]

Because God is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt, beyond doubt God is a fact. It is the plain truth that we were made in God's image. We know this because a rising flood of evidence supports it. God is within us, around us, between us, and his workings are embedded in the rocks of eons past. The aids to inference that lead us to the fact of God are far more numerous, more convincing, more incontrovertible, than any eye-witness reports that have ever been used, in any court of law, in any century, to establish the guilt in any crime.

 

[Mr Marz]

i dont have a lot of faith but i do have some. i personally believe in god because without some higher power i feel like its kinda hard to find any real meaning in life. i really think that everything happens for a reason, and everything you do, good or bad, comes back full circle sooner or later. if i didnt have some small hope in a god, its like- whats the point of living a good honest life.

 

[Stred]

I use to believe in God, Then I visited Streethop.com

 

[Euphanasia]

i dont have a lot of faith but i do have some. i personally believe in god because without some higher power i feel like its kinda hard to find any real meaning in life. i really think that everything happens for a reason, and everything you do, good or bad, comes back full circle sooner or later. if i didnt have some small hope in a god, its like- whats the point of living a good honest life.

lol no offense but i cant stand when people say everything happens for a reason. i have countless friends that say it and it drives me insane. things do not happen for a reason. this world is not all about us. things happen because they happen. sadly, that's all.

 

[Casey]

lol no offense but i cant stand when people say everything happens for a reason. i have countless friends that say it and it drives me insane. things do not happen for a reason. this world is not all about us. things happen because they happen. sadly, that's all.

Don't say 'no offense'. You have a very valid and correct point, it doesn't fucking matter if you offend someone that doesn't agree with it.

I hate when people say that too, but as not as much as I hate when people say shit like "it's part of god's plan and we humans can't understand it'.....FUCKKKKKKK OFFFFFFFF

 

[Chronic]

whats the point of living a good honest life.

The positive effect you'll have on your surroundings.

 

[Preach]

Don't say 'no offense'. You have a very valid and correct point, it doesn't fucking matter if you offend someone that doesn't agree with it.

This kind of logic scares me.

Other points that are valid:
- Fat people are fat
- Ugly people are ugly
- That girl over there has big tits
- Black people should get over the word "******", it's just a word

But I don't walk up to a fat person saying "hey, you're fat." I wouldn't tell an ugly person I think they are ugly. I don't walk up to a girl with big tits and tell her they are big, and I don't realistically think it's as simple as "the n-word is just a word". I have a head to think for myself, and I have compassion, so I am able to logically understand why it's a bad idea. You don't say things just because they are true. There's supposed to be other factors like how it will affect the person you say it to, and why you're even saying it in the first place.

Let's stop fooling eachother. This anti religious vs. religious debate is as much about cocks and balls as it is about the existance of a God. Everyone has an opinion that stands in a direct relation to the size of their penis, and everyone has a desire to spread their opinion everywhere, because humans were made in such a way that we enjoy attention. So when I utter a thought it is only because I think I've had the thought of the year, way better than everybody else's thoughts. When I let you tell me a story it's only cause I wanna use that as leverage to get you to listen to my story. Etc. Anyone that disagrees that this is true can fuck themselves because their opinion doesn't matter anyway.

I think it's disrespectful to assume that someone's opinion doesn't matter because you disagree with it. I actually find it hilariously ironic how you say fuck them if they don't agree with it because the point is valid, yet you yourself often try to challenge points that to others might seem valid, and apply a similar kind of "cocky attitude". It is already implied in your statement that you will never back down from the argument that might ensue. There's a cockiness there that's almost challenging. It's hilarious because whoever that statement was directed to, they could return it right back.

I guess my point is, you should have a softer side to fall back on some times. Do you really believe that religious people's feelings and perception is less important than your own? That's a kind of racism, or culturism, you know. And I don't think you're a racist. I think that was a combination of you underlining a point by being edgy, and you not 100% considering the impact of what you were saying. Or do you actually think you are on a level above those that believe in God, lol?

 

[Preach]

Btw, I realize you didn't actually say "fuck them if they don't agree with it". I pulled that one out of my ass. Read them as "their feelings/they don't matter if you disagree with their opinion".

 

[Casey]

You read WAYYYYYYYY too much into that Preach.

My point with what you quoted was simply this: Nobody should have to "apologize" for their opinion. Compassion comes into play when you choose whether to express the opinion in the first place or not.

If you're compassionate enough to care about, to use your example, a fat person, then don't call them fat. Don't say "no offense but you're fat". Clearly, in that situation, you didn't really care if you caused offence, because if you cared that much you wouldn't have said it in the first place, or found a compassionate way of saying it.

If you're assertive enough to express potentially controversial opinions, then you should have the balls to not try and sugar coat it. Saying "no offense" is just pointless because 99/100 you probably are going to offend them and prefixing it with that statement isn't going to change that. Express your opinions and stand by them.

 

[ill-matic]

You read WAYYYYYYYY too much into that Preach.

My point with what you quoted was simply this: Nobody should have to "apologize" for their opinion. Compassion comes into play when you choose whether to express the opinion in the first place or not.

If you're compassionate enough to care about, to use your example, a fat person, then don't call them fat. Don't say "no offense but you're fat". Clearly, in that situation, you didn't really care if you caused offence, because if you cared that much you wouldn't have said it in the first place, or found a compassionate way of saying it.

If you're assertive enough to express potentially controversial opinions, then you should have the balls to not try and sugar coat it. Saying "no offense" is just pointless because 99/100 you probably are going to offend them and prefixing it with that statement isn't going to change that. Express your opinions and stand by them.

I actually agree with this. Saying "no offence" is quite redundant and pointless in my opinion. Obviously, if you're saying that, you're aware of the implications of what you're about to say - you already know it may cause offence. To say "no offence" in front of it as a means to somehow reduce its degree of offensiveness is just silly.

Anyway, with regards to religion. Religion itself is something that I wholeheartedly am opposed to. It's become too institutionalised and corrupted by humans. It's become self serving and the Catholic Church's opulence disgusts me. Everything Jesus preached is essentially contradicted with the institution of Catholicism. The grand temples, the billions of dollars they have in their coffers, the extravagent crowns, rings and all that other shit they wear. In the end, regardless of whether you believe Jesus existed or not, everything he preached was AGAINST all of that shit. The whole story about him 'destroying' this grand temple and 'rebuilding' it within 3 days. The moral of the story is that you don't need these big extravagent things to worship.. All you need is the basics. The simple shit. Anyway i'm going off on a tangent.

 

[S O F I]

I actually agree with this. Saying "no offence" is quite redundant and pointless in my opinion. Obviously, if you're saying that, you're aware of the implications of what you're about to say - you already know it may cause offence. To say "no offence" in front of it as a means to somehow reduce its degree of offensiveness is just silly.

It functions as a disclaimer. From a social-psychological perspective, it functions to help reduce tension by straying away from personal attacks and focusing on the actual purpose of what you're trying to say. It has benefits because since you acknowledge that the person can get offended BUT you don't want them to, the person on the other side is less likely to be distracted by your tone and more likely to focus on what you're actually trying to say. It makes the person hate you less for saying it, basically.

 

[_carmi]

^Exactly. Casey you seem to think that by saying no offense one devalues their point to avoid confrontation. It's not about devaluation one's point, it's just trying to be more I guess "nice" about it. Maybe you meant that but the way you put it sounded like "fuck what other people think, I'm entitled to my opinion and fuck others' opinions". Which btw seems to be the way you act toward meat, god, apple, and anything else that is not what you believe in.

This being said. People need something to believe in. Whether it's God, a higher being, destiny, life sucks, put pink glasses, etc. Everyone has faith in some higher power or some perspective that helps them face death and other things that are out of our control as human beings. That's ultimately why people believe in something/someone. The more desperate ones end up in sects where they are abused financially, physically and psychologically.

 

[Cooper]

No offence, but fuck god.

 

[Casey]

Casey you seem to think that by saying no offense one devalues their point to avoid confrontation.

You're putting words into my mouth. That isn't what I said at all. Read again - nobody should have to apologize for their opinion.

I understand why it happens. However, you're saying the same thing regardless of whether you tack on that prefix or not. Sometimes, people NEED to feel that you are attacking them in order to get the message across. If you were truly passionate about the point, you wouldn't say it. I haven't said that phrase ONCE in my life, ever.

It's not about devaluation one's point, it's just trying to be more I guess "nice" about it.

If you REALLY wanted to be nice about an opinion that could offend someone, you would not say it in the first place.

Maybe you meant that but the way you put it sounded like "fuck what other people think, I'm entitled to my opinion and fuck others' opinions". Which btw seems to be the way you act toward meat, god, apple, and anything else that is not what you believe in.

Hmm, judgemental much? You've just showed that you skim over most of what I write as opposed to reading it and letting it sink in.

When I post about meat, god, apple, etc, I'm generally not expressing opinions, I'm expressing FACTS. That's the difference between the way I debate and the way 99% of people on this board do. Every debate I've ever been in, I can back it up with evidence and facts, and there's no way that anyone debating against me will be able to pull out more evidence or facts than I do, because I don't debate topics that I'm not passionate enough about to know everything about them. The only person that can do that shit better than me on this board is Jokerman, and 99% of the time we see eye-to-eye on everything.

If you think I'm simply expressing opinions in my debates, you have not been reading them properly, and if you haven't been reading them properly, then it seems fruitless to discuss them forthwith.

People need something to believe in.

You're generalizing. I believe in myself. I don't "need" anything else to believe in.

Everyone has faith in some higher power or some perspective that helps them face death and other things that are out of our control as human beings.

I don't and I have no issue facing death or anything beyond my control. My mother died when I was 4 years old, and not once have I needed any sort of faith or belief in anything to "help me". People live, people die. That's it. It sucks when people die, but everyone else's lives go on.

To believe in something else having any sort of measure of control over your life is doing yourself a disservice as human being and preventing you from being all that you can be. I dislike when actors and musicians win awards and spout some nonsense about being thankful to god, when really they should be thanking the huge team of people that busted their asses in order for that person to be winning that award. The actor that wins an Oscar shouldn't be thanking a non-existent deity, he should be thanking the director, screenwriter, cameramen, producers, editors, other actors, crewmember, runners, etc .The singer that wins a Grammy should be thanking their producer, management and the marketing staff at their record label.

The more desperate ones end up in sects where they are abused financially, physically and psychologically.

All religions, but more specifically cults and sects prey on the vulnerable. It's why you see Scientologists setting up tents at tragedy scenes.

Prince, for example, was brainwashed into the Jehovah's Witness cult at a time when he had lost his infant son, his mother, and had just been divorced and experienced a disappointing return on an album that he had put a lot of effort into, but was ultimately ruined by misguided interference by Clive Davis and Arista Records. A string of tragedies and misfortune like this would test most people's resolve, even if they are only slightly religious.

On some level, this happens to most people. People become more religious at hard times. It would never happen to me though, because I'm an atheist. The worst of events isn't going to convince me that there is a god, because my reasonings are based on factual evidence, or lack of it.

 

[Shadows]

You're putting words into my mouth. That isn't what I said at all. Read again - nobody should have to apologize for their opinion.

I understand why it happens. However, you're saying the same thing regardless of whether you tack on that prefix or not. Sometimes, people NEED to feel that you are attacking them in order to get the message across. If you were truly passionate about the point, you wouldn't say it. I haven't said that phrase ONCE in my life, ever.




If you REALLY wanted to be nice about an opinion that could offend someone, you would not say it in the first place.



Hmm, judgemental much? You've just showed that you skim over most of what I write as opposed to reading it and letting it sink in.

When I post about meat, god, apple, etc, I'm generally not expressing opinions, I'm expressing FACTS. That's the difference between the way I debate and the way 99% of people on this board do. Every debate I've ever been in, I can back it up with evidence and facts, and there's no way that anyone debating against me will be able to pull out more evidence or facts than I do, because I don't debate topics that I'm not passionate enough about to know everything about them. The only person that can do that shit better than me on this board is Jokerman, and 99% of the time we see eye-to-eye on everything.

If you think I'm simply expressing opinions in my debates, you have not been reading them properly, and if you haven't been reading them properly, then it seems fruitless to discuss them forthwith.



You're generalizing. I believe in myself. I don't "need" anything else to believe in.



I don't and I have no issue facing death or anything beyond my control. My mother died when I was 4 years old, and not once have I needed any sort of faith or belief in anything to "help me". People live, people die. That's it. It sucks when people die, but everyone else's lives go on.

To believe in something else having any sort of measure of control over your life is doing yourself a disservice as human being and preventing you from being all that you can be. I dislike when actors and musicians win awards and spout some nonsense about being thankful to god, when really they should be thanking the huge team of people that busted their asses in order for that person to be winning that award. The actor that wins an Oscar shouldn't be thanking a non-existent deity, he should be thanking the director, screenwriter, cameramen, producers, editors, other actors, crewmember, runners, etc .The singer that wins a Grammy should be thanking their producer, management and the marketing staff at their record label.




All religions, but more specifically cults and sects prey on the vulnerable. It's why you see Scientologists setting up tents at tragedy scenes.

Prince, for example, was brainwashed into the Jehovah's Witness cult at a time when he had lost his infant son, his mother, and had just been divorced and experienced a disappointing return on an album that he had put a lot of effort into, but was ultimately ruined by misguided interference by Clive Davis and Arista Records. A string of tragedies and misfortune like this would test most people's resolve, even if they are only slightly religious.

On some level, this happens to most people. People become more religious at hard times. It would never happen to me though, because I'm an atheist. The worst of events isn't going to convince me that there is a god, because my reasonings are based on factual evidence, or lack of it.

I am open to opinion. It's why I never really argue with you Casey.

But I dunno about that underlined sentence.

To this day, I am not sure if I believe in god.
I feel as though he 'created a miracle' for me that changed my life, but it could have been coincidence.

There has been nothing that was very concrete for me to believe in god.

I prayed for SiGh once. A week later his life improves. Coincidence?

I dunno.

But to say that you will NEVER believe in God b/c you are atheist is in my opinion a little overboard.

I once read this story (I WISH I remembered the guy that wrote it).

But he was an Art professor and was Atheist his whole life. "Atheist as fuck" if you will.

Anyway, he somehow died and came back to life. Claiming that he THEN believed in god.

He had a 'talk with him' and saw colors in 'the light' that were the most beautiful he had ever seen. Some colors that are not even known to man. (he brings it up b/c he is an art teacher). It helped make him believe.

How do you feel about Atheist that felt the same way about it like you, but had their mind changed b/c of a very personal reason.