Zone1 Why is it so tough to believe in God?

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Pathetically Childish Imaginary Father-Figures

Insulting other people's intelligence doesn't prove that you are smart. It only shows a desperate need to feel that you're superior to others by pretending that you are the right-hand man of some imaginary Omniscience.

I didn't insult anyone's intelligence. Atheism is an intellectual dead end because the only affirmative belief atheism has is that the only thing that exists is the material world. Everything else are arguments against the affirmative arguments of others. That's a dismal level of intellect and in reality requires more faith to accept than belief in God which has many affirmative beliefs. Atheists don't argue what they believe. They argue what they don't believe. That's an intellectual dead end and a sign of a dismal intellect especially since they can't see it.

 

[rightwinger]

Let's use murder as an analogy. You can prove it wasn't possible for you to commit the murder or you can prove someone else committed the murder.

How has your atheism enriched your life? I don't believe it has.

Since you rely on a belief in God to enrich your life, of course you wouldn’t understand.

Yes, people have enriched lives without believing in a supreme being

 

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We Won't Evolve If We Dissolve

Death Wishes and Inferiority Complexes are also part of human nature. Pride opposes illegitimate authority; tyranny magnifies certain human weaknesses. Not everything we're programmed with is good for us.

You are literally arguing against the principle of natural selection. It's not about good, it's about functional advantage. Developing weapons of mass destruction wasn't good for humanity but it did provide some humans with a functional advantage.

What functional advantages has YOUR atheism provided that people of faith don't have? Because I can name plenty of functional advantages that people of faith have that atheists don't have.

 

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Superstition Is a Drag on Evolution

How so? I've got a pretty good handle on evolution. How about you?

There have been 5 stages of evolution of space and time; cosmic evolution, stellar evolution, chemical evolution, biological evolution and evolution of consciousness.

In his book, "The Phenomenon of Man" Pierre Teilhard de Chardin describes evolution as a process that leads to increasing complexity, culminating in a Christ consciousness. He limited his observations to biological evolution but the same observation can be made about all stages of the evolution of space and time. The complexification of matter increased until it naturally and logically made the leap to the next stage. The last and final stage of evolution of space and time is consciousness. So it seems logical that consciousness would also increase in complexity until it to made the leap to the next stage which Chardin describes as Christ consciousness.

1. The universe began as a soup of subatomic particles and radiation and naturally and logically complexified into hydrogen and helium. This is what is called the cosmic stage of the evolution of space and time.
2. Hydrogen and helium then naturally and logically complexified into structures like stars and galaxies. This is what is called the stellar stage of the evolution of space and time.
3. From the life cycle of galaxies and stars all of the other elements and compounds were naturally and logically formed. This is what is called the chemical stage of the evolution of space and time.
4. As chemical evolution naturally and logically complexified the leap to biological life was made. This is what is called the biological stage of the evolution of space and time.
5. As life logically and naturally evolved and complexified the leap to consciousness was made. This is what is called the conscious stage of of the evolution of space and time.

So we can see that each successive stage of the evolution of space and time complexified until it made the leap to the next stage. And it did so naturally and logically. So Chardin's assumption that consciousness will make the leap to a Christ consciousness is logical because it presumes that consciousness will evolve and complexify and make the leap to the next level because every other stage of the evolution of space and time did so too before it.

 

[Hafar1014]

How so? I've got a pretty good handle on evolution. How about you?

There have been 5 stages of evolution of space and time; cosmic evolution, stellar evolution, chemical evolution, biological evolution and evolution of consciousness.

In his book, "The Phenomenon of Man" Pierre Teilhard de Chardin describes evolution as a process that leads to increasing complexity, culminating in a Christ consciousness. He limited his observations to biological evolution but the same observation can be made about all stages of the evolution of space and time. The complexification of matter increased until it naturally and logically made the leap to the next stage. The last and final stage of evolution of space and time is consciousness. So it seems logical that consciousness would also increase in complexity until it to made the leap to the next stage which Chardin describes as Christ consciousness.

1. The universe began as a soup of subatomic particles and radiation and naturally and logically complexified into hydrogen and helium. This is what is called the cosmic stage of the evolution of space and time.
2. Hydrogen and helium then naturally and logically complexified into structures like stars and galaxies. This is what is called the stellar stage of the evolution of space and time.
3. From the life cycle of galaxies and stars all of the other elements and compounds were naturally and logically formed. This is what is called the chemical stage of the evolution of space and time.
4. As chemical evolution naturally and logically complexified the leap to biological life was made. This is what is called the biological stage of the evolution of space and time.
5. As life logically and naturally evolved and complexified the leap to consciousness was made. This is what is called the conscious stage of of the evolution of space and time.

So we can see that each successive stage of the evolution of space and time complexified until it made the leap to the next stage. And it did so naturally and logically. So Chardin's assumption that consciousness will make the leap to a Christ consciousness is logical because it presumes that consciousness will evolve and complexify and make the leap to the next level because every other stage of the evolution of space and time did so too before it.

Genesis describes evolution. Christians are unable to understand that

 

[rightwinger]

I didn't insult anyone's intelligence. Atheism is an intellectual dead end because the only affirmative belief atheism has is that the only thing that exists is the material world.

Intellectually, Atheists look at the arguments for a supreme being and dismiss them.

Believing in a material world vs a mystical one is a show of intelligence

 

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Tree Falling in a Forest Riddle's Intentional Confusion

In a world where no thought exists, everything else would still exist. Beware of the puzzles Thought Control gives us.

You don't know that. Existence is stranger than you can imagine. "I think, therefore I am" is a philosophical argument by René Descartes that states that the act of thinking is undeniable proof of one's own existence. Because a person can doubt everything else—even the existence of their own body or the external world—the one thing that cannot be doubted is that they are the one doing the doubting and thinking.

We exist in the mind of God. It is God's thinking that makes reality manifest. Without it, everything would vanish because all that is exists is information and time. It's because we exist in the mind of God that his creation is imbued with his invisible attributes. It's literally why everyone makes moral arguments and can't abandon the concept of right and wrong even when they violate it.

 

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Proof That Religion Is a Weapon of Secular Tyranny

So no one has power over us? I can see where this is going.

I doubt you can see where this is going, I don't believe you understand the concept of locus of control.

You could put a gun to my head and tell me that if I don't kill a stranger standing in front of me that you will the stranger and then kill me and think that you have the power to make me kill the stranger, but you don't. I control what I do, not you or anyone else.

I feel sorry for people who transfer their control to others.

 

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Since you rely on a belief in God to enrich your life, of course you wouldn’t understand.

Yes, people have enriched lives without believing in a supreme being

Try me. Because you keep trying to alter the question. I'm not arguing you haven't lived an enriched life. I'm arguing your atheism hasn't enriched your life.

I'm capable of understanding quite a lot.

 

[Hafar1014]

Try me. Because you keep trying to alter the question. I'm not arguing you haven't lived an enriched life. I'm arguing your atheism hasn't enriched your life.

I'm capable of understanding quite a lot.

Belief or non belief doesnt define the quality of life. What ones life means does

 

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Intellectually, Atheists look at the arguments for a supreme being and dismiss them.

Maybe try responding to the whole post. Atheism is an intellectual dead end because the only affirmative belief atheism has is that the only thing that exists is the material world. Everything else are arguments against the affirmative arguments of others. That's a dismal level of intellect and in reality requires more faith to accept than belief in God which has many affirmative beliefs. Atheists don't argue what they believe. They argue what they don't believe. That's an intellectual dead end and a sign of a dismal intellect especially since they can't see it.

Believing in a material world vs a mystical one is a show of intelligence

I don't believe in a mystical world. I believe I am a spiritual being living a material existence.

I know you like to see yourself as superior, but you aren't. You'd be more successful and happier if you were less judgmental and more curious. Curiosity is my super power.

 

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Genesis describes evolution. Christians are unable to understand that

No. Some Christians are unable to understand that. Usually it's the fundamentalists/evangelicals who have a difficult time accepting that the creation account in Genesis describes events unfolding in a logical and sequential fashion over time.

But to be fair, I have encountered some Jews who read these accounts literally too.

 

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Belief or non belief doesnt define the quality of life. What ones life means does

My faith gives meaning to my life in a way that atheism can never do. I believe I am being pruned by God so when I get "tangled up in blues" I am at peace. I find joy in sacrifice. Atheists don't. The best they can ever hope for is to suffer without complaint.

 

[Hafar1014]

My faith gives meaning to my life in a way that atheism can never do. I believe I am being pruned by God so when I get "tangled up in blues" I am at peace. I find joy in sacrifice. Atheists don't. The best they can ever hope for is to suffer without complaint.

Thats not meaning. You have to define that yourself. Suffering isnt a virtue praising it is mental illness

 

[rightwinger]

That's a dismal level of intellect and in reality requires more faith to accept than belief in God which has many affirmative beliefs. Atheists don't argue what they believe. They argue what they don't believe. That's an intellectual dead end and a sign of a dismal intellect especially since they can't see it

We believe in many things…

Chemistry
Physics
Evolution

We just don’t believe a magical creature created them or guides our daily lives

 

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Thats not meaning. You have to define that yourself. Suffering isnt a virtue praising it is mental illness

Of course it's meaning. So much so that it makes it not suffering. William James said it best:

"When all is said and done, we are in the end absolutely dependent on the universe; and into sacrifices and surrenders of some sort, deliberately looked at and accepted, we are drawn and pressed into our only permanent positions of repose. Now in those states of mind which fall short of belief in a higher power, the surrender is submitted to as an imposition of necessity, and the sacrifice is undergone at the very best without complaint. In the life of a believer, on the contrary, surrender and sacrifice are positively espoused: even unnecessary givings-up are added in order that the happiness may increase. Belief in God thus makes easy and felicitous what in any case is necessary; and if it be the only agency that can accomplish this result, its vital importance as a human faculty stands vindicated beyond dispute. It becomes an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fulfill." William James

 

[Hafar1014]

Of course it's meaning. So much so that it makes it not suffering. William James said it best:

"When all is said and done, we are in the end absolutely dependent on the universe; and into sacrifices and surrenders of some sort, deliberately looked at and accepted, we are drawn and pressed into our only permanent positions of repose. Now in those states of mind which fall short of belief in a higher power, the surrender is submitted to as an imposition of necessity, and the sacrifice is undergone at the very best without complaint. In the life of a believer, on the contrary, surrender and sacrifice are positively espoused: even unnecessary givings-up are added in order that the happiness may increase. Belief in God thus makes easy and felicitous what in any case is necessary; and if it be the only agency that can accomplish this result, its vital importance as a human faculty stands vindicated beyond dispute. It becomes an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fulfill." William James

Meaning is what your individual life means. Suffering is not meaning.

 

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We believe in many things…

Chemistry
Physics
Evolution

I believe in Chemistry, Physics and Evolution too. So much so that I am considerably more knowledgeable in those subjects than you are.

We just don’t believe a magical creature created them or guides our daily lives

Neither do I. You must be thinking of polytheists. It's because you are so ignorant on this subject and lack curiosity that you are so judgmental towards it and its adherents.

 

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Meaning is what your individual life means. Suffering is not meaning.

I'm not going to argue with you about it especially since you need to take out of context what I wrote to make an argument. My faith gives meaning to my life. I am being pruned by God. My response to challenges in life is but one example of the benefits of faith. You want to be an atheist, be my guest. But don't kid yourself that your atheism offers you a functional advantage, because it doesn't.

My faith gives meaning to my life in a way that atheism can never do. I believe I am being pruned by God so when I get "tangled up in blues" I am at peace. I find joy in sacrifice. Atheists don't. The best they can ever hope for is to suffer without complaint.

 

[rightwinger]

Try me. Because you keep trying to alter the question. I'm not arguing you haven't lived an enriched life. I'm arguing your atheism hasn't enriched your life.

I'm capable of understanding quite a lot.

Don’t get your point

How does not believing something enrich your life?
Your life goes on without it …..fully enriched