Is there a god?

[ding]

God is like a teddy bear for the feeble minded. It makes you feel safe and warm and loved, but it's not caring at all what you do one way or the other, and has no other effect on you except maybe a placebo effect.

And yet science and common sense tell us that there is a morality progression in men. That finding meaning in one's life leads to happiness and happiness leads to success.

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

 

[Taz]

God is like a teddy bear for the feeble minded. It makes you feel safe and warm and loved, but it's not caring at all what you do one way or the other, and has no other effect on you except maybe a placebo effect.

And yet science and common sense tell us that there is a morality progression in men. That finding meaning in one's life leads to happiness and happiness leads to success.

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

 

[ding]

God is like a teddy bear for the feeble minded. It makes you feel safe and warm and loved, but it's not caring at all what you do one way or the other, and has no other effect on you except maybe a placebo effect.

And yet science and common sense tell us that there is a morality progression in men. That finding meaning in one's life leads to happiness and happiness leads to success.

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

No you don't and no you're not.

 

[Taz]

God is like a teddy bear for the feeble minded. It makes you feel safe and warm and loved, but it's not caring at all what you do one way or the other, and has no other effect on you except maybe a placebo effect.

And yet science and common sense tell us that there is a morality progression in men. That finding meaning in one's life leads to happiness and happiness leads to success.

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

No you don't and no you're not.

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

 

[ding]

And yet science and common sense tell us that there is a morality progression in men. That finding meaning in one's life leads to happiness and happiness leads to success.

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

No you don't and no you're not.

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

 

[Taz]

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

No you don't and no you're not.

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

Hard answers like about anything that you can't prove, like the flood, is allegorical? Gee, such a hard answer, almost like having no answer!

 

[ding]

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

No you don't and no you're not.

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

Hard answers like about anything that you can't prove, like the flood, is allegorical? Gee, such a hard answer, almost like having no answer!

And this is why I know you are not serious, Taz.

 

[ding]

In fact, the only discussion that has ever been taken seriously in this forum by Taz is that children are best served by having a male and female role model in their lives.

 

[Taz]

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

No you don't and no you're not.

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

Hard answers like about anything that you can't prove, like the flood, is allegorical? Gee, such a hard answer, almost like having no answer!

And this is why I know you are not serious, Taz.

Because I question you're cherry picking? It's you who is not serious, anything you can't figure out is allegorical. It's comical.

 

[ding]

No you don't and no you're not.

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

Hard answers like about anything that you can't prove, like the flood, is allegorical? Gee, such a hard answer, almost like having no answer!

And this is why I know you are not serious, Taz.

Because I question you're cherry picking? It's you who is not serious, anything you can't figure out is allegorical. It's comical.

Thank you for proving my point.

 

[Taz]

You're just offended by hard questions. Your fantasy world can't stand up to them.

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

Hard answers like about anything that you can't prove, like the flood, is allegorical? Gee, such a hard answer, almost like having no answer!

And this is why I know you are not serious, Taz.

Because I question you're cherry picking? It's you who is not serious, anything you can't figure out is allegorical. It's comical.

Thank you for proving my point.

Your point was allegorical apparently. Again.

 

[ding]

Nothing wrong with hard questions. When are you going to get some?

Are you offended by hard answers? Because you keep asking the same questions after you get them.

Hard answers like about anything that you can't prove, like the flood, is allegorical? Gee, such a hard answer, almost like having no answer!

And this is why I know you are not serious, Taz.

Because I question you're cherry picking? It's you who is not serious, anything you can't figure out is allegorical. It's comical.

Thank you for proving my point.

Your point was allegorical apparently. Again.

I am glad I could make you happy.

You didn't learn your behaviors in a vacuum.

 

[Weatherman2020]

The God of Jacob or any of the gods of the many other religions? You need to be specific.

I refer to the concept of a god, any god. Be it the god of Jacob, or Allah, or the Great Spirit, whatever. WHAT god is unimportant, whether there IS a god is what I am getting at.

A lot of the Greek Gods were pretty evil, so it does matter which you choose to follow.

Point taken. Replace the word "god" with "higher power" if you prefer. I guess the specifics don't really matter in the context I am attempting (poorly apparently) to get at. So, let me reword:

• If you believe in a god, what does that mean to you in your daily life? What do your beliefs do for you? How does it affect your decisions?
• If you do not believe in a god, what meaning do you glean from that? How does that change the way you live?

If you believe in a god, what does that mean to you in your daily life? What do your beliefs do for you? How does it affect your decisions?

Christianity transforms believers.
Once a major narcistic a-hole, I am now a minor a-hole who spends a lot of time helping kids in extreme poverty around the world after acknowledging Christ.

 

[expat_panama]

...just like law proceedings --no proof--no nothing--no god

Of course in a court of law the level and nature of proof needed is also set by law. That's why I like Oldsoul's take that we first need two key answers:

...

1. If there is a god, what does that mean?
2. If there is not a god, what does that mean?

The approach that works for me is that since most people can state they individually see the existence of right and wrong, good and evil, truth and falsehood etc., and when they compare their observations w/ other people's independent observations they find that the existence of the absolutes is confirmed --they're not an individual fantasy.

Now, there are a lot of folks who can't see the difference between truth and lies and if you're one of them then we can stop here. On the other hand if you agree that the absolutes exist then we should be able to agree that they're there whether or not I choose to consider our ultimate goodness to be a God to be worshiped and served.

Pse let me know how you follow this so I can clarify; then again if you don't even agree how a court of law works then don't bother and we can part strangers.

 

[harmonica]

...just like law proceedings --no proof--no nothing--no god

Of course in a court of law the level and nature of proof needed is also set by law. That's why I like Oldsoul's take that we first need two key answers:

...

1. If there is a god, what does that mean?
2. If there is not a god, what does that mean?

The approach that works for me is that since most people can state they individually see the existence of right and wrong, good and evil, truth and falsehood etc., and when they compare their observations w/ other people's independent observations they find that the existence of the absolutes is confirmed --they're not an individual fantasy.

Now, there are a lot of folks who can't see the difference between truth and lies and if you're one of them then we can stop here. On the other hand if you agree that the absolutes exist then we should be able to agree that they're there whether or not I choose to consider our ultimate goodness to be a God to be worshiped and served.

Pse let me know how you follow this so I can clarify; then again if you don't even agree how a court of law works then don't bother and we can part strangers.

..prosecutors claim suspects steal/murder/etc...it's up to them to provide evidence --not the suspect
..there is no good and evil---humans are just that--humans
what are you saying? there is a god because the people that believe in god have their own beliefs of right/wrong/falsehoods/etc ??

 

[expat_panama]

...most people can state they individually see the existence of right and wrong, good and evil, truth and falsehood etc., and when they compare their observations w/ other people's independent observations they find that the existence of the absolutes is confirmed --they're not an individual fantasy...

....there is no good and evil---humans are just that--humans...

You're in good company, a lot of folks decide that anything they like is "good", that anything they say is "true" and never bother observing realty outside their imaginations. What happens is they end up having to constantly go back an forth between their inner reality and the outer reality that the rest of us share --like, they can't just tell the bank that their balance is anything other than what the hard number show.

What ends up happening as neuro-specialists point out, is that the inner/outer reality folks end up dedicating more and more of their brain function to muliple realities and less for well, thinking.

They become 'stupid'.

 

[oldsoul]

Nor is there proof that there is not. Therefore, simply put, goes back to faith. That is at the core of what I am attempting to get at.

..it's is up to those who claim there is a god to prove it--not the other way
..in court cases, the prosecution claims someone committed a crime--they have to prove it...
..I can claim all kinds of crap:
there are aliens kidnapping me
the bunny rabbit stole by homework
you can't prove these are not true

What do law proceedings have to do with spiritual faith? You can believe what you like, just don't go around saying I need to prove anything to you for you to believe.

It's about faith!!!!!
View attachment 187716

Faith has NO PLACE in a courtroom, and man's law has NO PLACE in faith.

the law proceedings is how we prove things
yes you have to prove there is a god or else it is pure speculation/fantasy
spec·u·la·tion
ˌspekyəˈlāSH(ə)n/
noun

1. 1.
   the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

not true
faith
fāTH/
noun

1. 1.
   complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
   "this restores one's faith in politicians"
   synonyms: trust, belief, confidence, conviction; More
   
   
2. 2.
   strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

just like law proceedings --no proof--no nothing--no god

yes you have to prove there is a god or else it is pure speculation/fantasy

That is the very essence of faith. I am truly sorry that you find it so difficult to believe in something that you cannot prove.

As for whether or not there is a god, simply because no one can prove the existence, would you say that there is proof that there is life outside of our planet? Does that mean it doesn't exist? Just because I cannot prove something, does not mean it is not true, it only means I cannot prove it.

it's easy--I live in reality....not in fairytale land
jesus as son of god/rising from the dead/born to a virgin---all impossible to humans
let's be real here
we die and that's it...there are no floating spirits/energy/etc ..no heaven or hell to go to

I, too, live in reality. Sadly it is a reality where some people, like you, refer to my beliefs as "fantasy" simply because you do not agree, or understand. Sad really. When one stops to really think about it, what do you really know, and what do you believe because of the "proof" you have be presented with? Take, for instance, any event that you did not personally witness. Did it happen? Well, one can show lots of "proof" that it did, one can also show "proof" that it did not, hence the abundance of "conspiracy theories".

I believe that this is an accurate depiction of the pyramids of giza:

However, as I have never been there, I have little choice but to either believe the evidence, or disbelieve it. All the photos I have ever seen may well be part of a huge "fake news" conspiracy, but the evidence is quite substantial that that is untrue, so I believe. How is that any different from faith in a higher power, or god? I cannot prove, nor disprove the existence, but I choose to believe the evidence that there is. You choose to disbelieve the evidence. How does that equate to one being the truth, and one being a "fantasy"?

 

[oldsoul]

I, personally, believe that there is a god. What that means, though, I have been struggling with for quite some time. Therefore, I pose the questions:

1. If there is a god, what does that mean?
2. If there is not a god, what does that mean?

I am looking for opinion, obviously, I do not believe there will ever be proof, or empirical evidence (at least not until rapture, assuming that there is a god). What I am looking for here is what people believe. What leads you to believe what you do? Why?

Let me be clear, I am NOT looking for evangelism of any kind here. I am looking for what the presence of god (or lack of a god) means to you. I know this is a pretty ambiguous thread, and I do that on purpose, because I do not ant to influence the way anyone responds. I want to open a discussion about what your beliefs (whatever they are) have shaped who you are, how you look at religion (in general), and how you look at the world.

It means that we were created for a purpose.
It means that we are being tested.
It means that we are being refined.
It means that life has meaning.

There is meaning in God.
There is meaning in Creation.
There is meaning in existence.
There is meaning in history.
There is meaning in morality.
There is meaning in justice.

Ok, but what IS that meaning? That is what I am getting at. Not that there IS meaning, rather WHAT that meaning is.

 

[oldsoul]

God is like a teddy bear for the feeble minded. It makes you feel safe and warm and loved, but it's not caring at all what you do one way or the other, and has no other effect on you except maybe a placebo effect.

And yet science and common sense tell us that there is a morality progression in men. That finding meaning in one's life leads to happiness and happiness leads to success.

I have morality, I'm happy and have meaning in my life. Plus I'm successful. No invisible Big Brother needed.

So happy and successful that you come here to make fun of the beliefs of others?

I come to ask questions about god because I'm curious, it's your answers that are funny.

When one calls someone "feeble minded" one is NOT looking for serious discussion. One is looking for a fight.

 

[harmonica]

..it's is up to those who claim there is a god to prove it--not the other way
..in court cases, the prosecution claims someone committed a crime--they have to prove it...
..I can claim all kinds of crap:
there are aliens kidnapping me
the bunny rabbit stole by homework
you can't prove these are not true

What do law proceedings have to do with spiritual faith? You can believe what you like, just don't go around saying I need to prove anything to you for you to believe.

It's about faith!!!!!
View attachment 187716

Faith has NO PLACE in a courtroom, and man's law has NO PLACE in faith.

the law proceedings is how we prove things
yes you have to prove there is a god or else it is pure speculation/fantasy
spec·u·la·tion
ˌspekyəˈlāSH(ə)n/
noun

1. 1.
   the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

not true
faith
fāTH/
noun

1. 1.
   complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
   "this restores one's faith in politicians"
   synonyms: trust, belief, confidence, conviction; More
   
   
2. 2.
   strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

just like law proceedings --no proof--no nothing--no god

yes you have to prove there is a god or else it is pure speculation/fantasy

That is the very essence of faith. I am truly sorry that you find it so difficult to believe in something that you cannot prove.

As for whether or not there is a god, simply because no one can prove the existence, would you say that there is proof that there is life outside of our planet? Does that mean it doesn't exist? Just because I cannot prove something, does not mean it is not true, it only means I cannot prove it.

it's easy--I live in reality....not in fairytale land
jesus as son of god/rising from the dead/born to a virgin---all impossible to humans
let's be real here
we die and that's it...there are no floating spirits/energy/etc ..no heaven or hell to go to

I, too, live in reality. Sadly it is a reality where some people, like you, refer to my beliefs as "fantasy" simply because you do not agree, or understand. Sad really. When one stops to really think about it, what do you really know, and what do you believe because of the "proof" you have be presented with? Take, for instance, any event that you did not personally witness. Did it happen? Well, one can show lots of "proof" that it did, one can also show "proof" that it did not, hence the abundance of "conspiracy theories".

I believe that this is an accurate depiction of the pyramids of giza:
View attachment 188383
However, as I have never been there, I have little choice but to either believe the evidence, or disbelieve it. All the photos I have ever seen may well be part of a huge "fake news" conspiracy, but the evidence is quite substantial that that is untrue, so I believe. How is that any different from faith in a higher power, or god? I cannot prove, nor disprove the existence, but I choose to believe the evidence that there is. You choose to disbelieve the evidence. How does that equate to one being the truth, and one being a "fantasy"?

sad??!! sad?? !!! what??? sad??
..no--you are wrong--we know the Twin Towers were destroyed on 9-11--there is video proof as well as chain of custody witnesses
...we know the A bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki
..we know the Titanic sank
..
fan·ta·sy
ˈfan(t)əsē/
noun

1. 1.
   the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable.

until you can prove there is a god, your beliefs are fantasy

the pyramid analogy is so ridiculous
the pyramids are REAL