Despite being kinda religious, I'm actually a science person, and I think that science proves that things actually don't just happen. For every action there's a reaction. You don't breathe because you just do, but because there's a series of biological processes that lead to you breathing and they're all governed by laws of physics and chemistry and are not at all random. And universe if far from imperfect. When did anything in the universe just happen randomly? When did a star explode all of a sudden without going through all the phases of a dying star. The moons revolve around planets, planets revolve around stars, stars revolve around the centres of their galaxies that further revolve around something.. That's order, that's law, it may just seem random like your breathing seems random. For all I know, the universe is the perfection itself. And God is the ultimate force. And don't get me wrong, I know this was a long post, but I'm not trying to convince you to change your mind or anything, just trying to show you where I'm coming from.
I just really hate how when people don't have the answers they revert back to their age-old answer God did it. Not talking about anyone specifically but just in general, I've known a lot of people like that.
I don't like getting into topics like this. It drastically sways my views on other people. But, since I already started, I might as well add something. I'm atheist, and nothing in the world makes me feel religious. I believe in science and making calculations about what we observe in the universe. This seems much more feasible an option than just taking other peoples' word (the bible) that we are run by something we can't observe in reality. Like, what? Why would we just believe that and run with it being the intelligent race that we are? We need to be questioning everything we see, which I think we are. For some, this leads to science. These people try and figure out why everything is the way it is. If they can't figure it out, they keep trying and chalk it up to not knowing enough yet. For some others, it leads to believing in God. These people don't need to figure things out, because they just chalk it up to "God did it", and they praise him for making life the way it is. They give tons of money to the churches to continue spreading the word of fairy tales and to touch little boys. I don't even want to think of how much money has been wasted over the thousands of years. What I find most disturbing about that is that there are probably a vast number of religious people who do wonder, and don't simply equate everything to "God made it that way", yet they keep believing in God because they don't know what else to do, or because everyone else is doing it. When I get into it like this, I know I come down pretty hard on people who believe, but I'm not trying to offensively single them out, nor am I trying to convert anyone haha. I'm ok with them, I just wish things were differently in the world.
Well yeah, I believe in causality. There's a difference between that and saying that everything was decided by God and so on though. As for imperfections, you just have to look here on Earth. Why are there birds that have wings but can't actually fly? Why are parts of the human body like the gut not protected naturally? Why does the platypus even exist? There's still order in the universe but to me it's so big and random that sometimes that just happens to occur. And there's still beauty in that so I guess on that level I'm kind of spiritual in a way. Like Carl Sagan. [youtube]wupToqz1e2g[/youtube] [youtube]AUF38eHqdxs[/youtube] To me, that's just it. That's sincerely what I believe and it sums up my worldview better than I ever could.
Yeah, the word "God" can be interpreted in different ways. Is it the laws of the universe? Old dude who banishes you to hell for too much fapping?
I can change the title to be more inclusive if people want. So far I've got God, Gods, Brahman, Stephen Fry, Cthulu, tree spirits... what else?
The universe is randomly perfect at times, and randomly imperfect at times. That's what randomness does. It covers all extremes and everything in between. Of course there are laws that govern its existence, but everything else just goes with the flow and is randomness at its finest. Most people don't like thinking of life as one big clusterfuck of randomness, which is where God comes in. Then there are other people who think we just got lucky to be alive. We defied a lot of odds to make it here, but that's what randomness does. Somewhere in the universe, there will always be something defying the odds, even if it has to win a coinflip a million times in a row. If it's not impossible by the laws of the universe, it's more than likely going to happen or has already happened. Those triforce goddesses.
I'm borderline antitheist. Gotta remind myself to chill sometimes. Can't be too negative, it's polarizing.
Yes I believe in God, but you would have to define 'religious'. I go to baptist and non-denominational churches (depends if I'm at home or school) and try to read the Bible everyday, which is pretty easy now with my phone. I'm not perfect, I don't follow all of the 'rules' perfectly, but that is my aim. My parents both went to church yes, and still do, but even in college I realized that the best path to take as the one closest to Christ, and that my way is only gonna make things harder. I've seen some people in this thread, and on the LPU when I was there say they're waiting for proof, or are unsure, which is totally cool, but Christianity is a faith, not a religion. There will never be any 'proof' for or against God, that's why its faith, you believe. Do I know all the answers? No. Am I perfect? No, in fact i'm sure there are plenty of non-Christians who follow basic religious moral codes than I do, but I strive to be more like Christ. edit: and I saw dumbledore's post, God loves gay people as much as anyone. It makes me mad that anyone would say God hates f--s, because that is just totally inaccurate and the opposite of what the whole New Testament preaches. God hates sin, homosexuality is a sin, just as heterosexual premarital sex is a sin, God doesn't hate anyone...he created us. It's really unfortunate that some people twist the Word to fit their own, i don't know assumptions, but in a world where the media covers every little thing those people get national exposure :/
I want to know how many times the bible will be edited to fit in with scientific findings. What version are they on now? 2.8? At least? The bible clearly speaks the truth. And Earth is, what, like 6,000 years old?
I totally agree. I don't like how people condemn religions by saying "its the cause of wars blah blah". No. We exploit religion and wage wars. We use it as an excuse to cause violence. What some seem to forget is that staying under the moral and religious codes, millions are leading peaceful and happy lives. Something which, in the absence of religion, might not have been there.
It makes even less sense that way. It's kind of like saying having blue eyes is a sin, but God creates people with blue eyes anyway. Not saying religion should be gotten rid of, but it'd be one less excuse to go to war I guess. I agree with what Tim said but when it comes down to it you can't have it just one way, and you can't say that if something good happens it's because of religion but if something bad happens it can't be. It's done good things and continues to. It's done bad things and continues to. Sometimes it's incidental and sometimes it's actually in the scriptures.
They were found to be almost identical to existing modern translations of the Bible. The Bible hasn't been changed, its been translated yes, but not changed.
Yes and no. I believe in god, and I believe god is up there to help me guide my life. When something bad happens in my life, I think that god is making me go through it for a better future; or a lesson I learn for the future. It has really made me become a positive person. But I'm not religious. I'm not a Christian, Muslim, Jew, or any religion for the matter. I dislike going to churches (I had to when I was young). I don't believe God created the universe, etc. And It pisses me off when people use god as an excuse for homophobia. I hate it so much. That's just evil. That is all I have to say. P.S. Funny thing is, Michael Jackson is the person who made me convinced that believing in god is a right thing to do (Hey, if you don't believe in god, that's not wrong. You can believe in anything you want and I don't care. But believing in god isn't wrong either). I saw interviews of him and he kept mentioning god, and how God gave him the strength to move on in life. So I tried doing that, and although it was very difficult at first, It was definitely worth it.
I like hearing about people that are positively motivated by religion. Most of the people I hear from are religious either because they were brought up that way and haven't thought for themselves yet, or because everyone else is religious... so why not join the party?