Do you believe in God?

[Sam48]

I agree, except for this part:



This seems to be implying that religious folk are more likely to lend a helping hand than atheists. I'd be willing to bet that the kind-hearted Christians who do these positive things would be just as willing to do them if they weren't Christian.

I wouldn't be so sure. Not to say they wouldn't be nice people, but the thought that it's the will of God and they are pleasing him definitely boosts their strive to do right.

 

[Crowftw]

Well guys I don't believe in god tho I am scared of him if that make sence?

 

[Exorcet]

I wouldn't be so sure. Not to say they wouldn't be nice people, but the thought that it's the will of God and they are pleasing him definitely boosts their strive to do right.

Most people I know do good for the sake of doing good. I find the knowledge that I'm helping others to be one of the most powerful motivators.

 

[Encyclopedia]

Well guys I don't believe in god tho I am scared of him if that make sence?

Ehrm...no that doesn't make sense.

 

[dylansan]

I wouldn't be so sure. Not to say they wouldn't be nice people, but the thought that it's the will of God and they are pleasing him definitely boosts their strive to do right.

People have done a lot of things to please god, like persecuting gays, infanticide, genocide, slavery, etc. And of course not all Christians agree with these things or participate in them, but to say the Will of God makes you a better person is foolish.

When I do something, I don't care if I'm pleasing "God", I care if my actions are beneficial to the people around me, based on the moral standards I've grown to understand without guidance from the divine.

 

[Sam48]

People have done a lot of things to please god, like persecuting gays, infanticide, genocide, slavery, etc. And of course not all Christians agree with these things or participate in them, but to say the Will of God makes you a better person is foolish.

I did not say the will of God makes everyone a better person. I said it can make those who choose to do the right thing a better person.

When I do something, I don't care if I'm pleasing "God"...

Obviously, as you are an atheist. Christians view this differently.

...I care if my actions are beneficial to the people around me, based on the moral standards I've grown to understand without guidance from the divine.

Yes, however, a christian not only sees it as you stated, but also in such a way that he/she believes they are also pleasing God. (So it's a win win to them)

 

[Villain]

People have done a lot of things to please god, like persecuting gays, infanticide, genocide, slavery, etc. And of course not all Christians agree with these things or participate in them, but to say the Will of God makes you a better person is foolish.

Yeah, I don't think a single person on the forum will disagree with that point.

When I do something, I don't care if I'm pleasing "God", I care if my actions are beneficial to the people around me, based on the moral standards I've grown to understand without guidance from the divine.

As it should be. You are your actions and the world is better served when people are held personally accountable for their personal actions. Hiding behind ideas or any other sort of intangible just doesn't cut it.

 

[Mr. S]

I think we can agree on one thing, tho.

The world would be better off if everyone would keep their belief and faith to himself.

 

[Paul24 NASCAR]

God very much exists and is the key to life. There is no point to life if Christ isn't in you. I am a Christian but I wouldn't say I'm a really spiritual person. At the same time I don't hide Christ and try to share his message every chance I get. You see, God sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins. By his blood we are forgiven. We may not be able to see him but we can talk to him via prayer. Praying is very powerful in all times. Some people think that once you accept Christ life will be perfect with no problems. This isn't true we as Christians will probably go through more hard times but with The father, Son, and Holy Spirit we can succeed and reach our home is heaven.

 

[Sam48]

Oh dear, here we go again.

 

[Tic Tach]

Texas...........surprise!

 

[Danoff]

There is no point to life if Christ isn't in you.

Spoken like someone who has not given much thought to the matter.

(I'm from Texas too btw)

 

[Grand Prix]

 

[DK]

So, technically there's no point to living if you're Muslim/Buddhist/Jewish/Shintoist/Hindu etc.?

 

[theotherspongey]

God very much exists and is the key to life. There is no point to life if Christ isn't in you. I am a Christian but I wouldn't say I'm a really spiritual person. At the same time I don't hide Christ and try to share his message every chance I get. You see, God sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins. By his blood we are forgiven. We may not be able to see him but we can talk to him via prayer. Praying is very powerful in all times. Some people think that once you accept Christ life will be perfect with no problems. This isn't true we as Christians will probably go through more hard times but with The father, Son, and Holy Spirit we can succeed and reach our home is heaven.

One word: ugh

 

[Mr. S]

God very much exists and is the key to life. There is no point to life if Christ isn't in you. I am a Christian but I wouldn't say I'm a really spiritual person. At the same time I don't hide Christ and try to share his message every chance I get. You see, God sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins. By his blood we are forgiven. We may not be able to see him but we can talk to him via prayer. Praying is very powerful in all times. Some people think that once you accept Christ life will be perfect with no problems. This isn't true we as Christians will probably go through more hard times but with The father, Son, and Holy Spirit we can succeed and reach our home is heaven.

So you believe in all those things just because someone wrote a book saying it happened like that? "I simply know it's right." doesn't count btw.

 

[Joey D]

So you believe in all those things just because someone wrote a book saying it happened like that? "I simply know it's right." doesn't count btw.

What's so wrong about believing it? The only problem is when you try to force other to believe it, as long as you don't do that I can't see the harm in it, especially it drives you to be a better person.

 

[Mr. S]

What's so wrong about believing it? The only problem is when you try to force other to believe it, as long as you don't do that I can't see the harm in it, especially it drives you to be a better person.

I don't think religion is changing people - an honestly good and helping person would be good and helping without religion as well.

 

[theotherspongey]

What's so wrong about believing it? The only problem is when you try to force other to believe it, as long as you don't do that I can't see the harm in it, especially it drives you to be a better person.

Because there's so much evidence to prove it wrong, yet they refuse to believe the evidence.

 

[Joey D]

I don't think religion is changing people - an honestly good and helping person would be good and helping without religion as well.

Right, I haven't questioned that. However, if religion makes someone perform good deeds or perform more good deeds then they otherwise would have, I don't see a problem for it.

Because there's so much evidence to prove it wrong, yet they refuse to believe the evidence.

But who cares? If someone wants to live their life by the Bible and by the morals of Christianity then why not let them? There is a lot of good that comes out of the Bible and religion in general, which most atheist seem to completely ignore. And there is actually a ton of evidence to prove that actions in the Bible did actually happen, granted there isn't a way to prove miracles but there is a way to prove the stories...which true Biblical archaeology does.

 

[theotherspongey]

Right, I haven't questioned that. However, if religion makes someone perform good deeds or perform more good deeds then they otherwise would have, I don't see a problem for it.

But who cares? If someone wants to live their life by the Bible and by the morals of Christianity then why not let them? There is a lot of good that comes out of the Bible and religion in general, which most atheist seem to completely ignore. And there is actually a ton of evidence to prove that actions in the Bible did actually happen, granted there isn't a way to prove miracles but there is a way to prove the stories...which true Biblical archaeology does.

Where's Noahs ark?
Why have scientists not been able to successfully link "Jesus" to any biblical stories?
People choose what they want to believe, make it fake or true, and pretty much with the bible, people believe the stories in it because they don't want to feel different from the other believers in thinking that their not, and it gives them a false sense of happiness, so of course there going to believe it.

 

[Joey D]

Where's Noahs ark?
Why have scientists not been able to successfully link "Jesus" to any biblical stories?
People choose what they want to believe, make it fake or true, and pretty much with the bible, people believe the stories in it because they don't want to feel different from the other believers in thinking that their not, and it gives them a false sense of happiness, so of course there going to believe it.

Noah's ark is more than likely on top of Mount Ararat if it exists, however the Turkish government won't let anyone up there. I'm not saying that the whole world flooded killing everything but two of everything, however I wouldn't doubt there was a big ass flood and some guy built a boat. Christianity, Judaism and Islam aren't the only religions with flood stories...almost all of them have one. I'm guessing they came from some event that happen.

How can you scientifically link a man who lived over 2,000 years ago to a single event other then by text? We take the events of the Egyptians, the Romans, the Greeks, and other ancient cultures based solely on text so why can't we take those of Jesus? I'm not saying the man performed miracles, I'm not saying he was the son of God and I'm not saying he somehow rose from the dead. However, I do not doubt there was a man named Jesus who had a vast following of people based on what he said and did.

And I'm curious how you came to why people believe. There is way more to it then that, way more then you or I can ever understand since people believe in religion for thousands of different reasons. Everyone who believes in anything has their reasons for it. You seem to disbelieve in a supernatural power because you take science at face value, some people seem to believe in a supernatural power because of experiences in their life. I'm not a mind reader, I can't say for sure why people believe, but I do know it's none of my business as long as they don't try to force it on me.

Honestly I think atheists are often worse then evangelical Christian in pushing a belief onto people that don't want it. I've been there and I see what a jackass I was. A little self reflection was a good thing for me.

 

[Tic Tach]

Noah's ark is more than likely on top of Mount Ararat if it exists, however the Turkish government won't let anyone up there. I'm not saying that the whole world flooded killing everything but two of everything, however I wouldn't doubt there was a big ass flood and some guy built a boat. Christianity, Judaism and Islam aren't the only religions with flood stories...almost all of them have one. I'm guessing they came from some event that happen.

Some reading:

http://www.biblicalnonsense.com/chapter6.html

...and a video:

Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/user/Potholer54debunks?gl=GB&hl=en-GB#p/u/17/_sD_7rxYoZY

Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/user/Potholer54debunks?gl=GB&hl=en-GB#p/u/16/FfSvktyxVYA

How can you scientifically link a man who lived over 2,000 years ago to a single event other then by text?

With the same tools and methods that historians use for other people and events. It should give one pause to consider that at the time of this miracle-working character, there was not one word mentioned of him anywhere at the time. It all got cobbled together decades later in a time of many dying & rising hero figures, and in a time of staggering superstition, ignorance and illiteracy. The historicity of Jesus is worth looking at:


http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/jesus_myth_history.htm

http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/jesus_myth_followup.htm

http://www.bandoli.no/

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/

http://www.pocm.info/

http://www.pointofinquiry.org/robert_m_price_jesus_the_failed_hypothesis/

http://www.pointofinquiry.org/dm_murdock_the_christ_conspiracy/






Books:


http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591021219/?tag=gtplanet-20



http://www.amazon.com/dp/1573927589/?tag=gtplanet-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/096892591X/?tag=gtplanet-20



http://www.amazon.com/dp/0465085776/?tag=gtplanet-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982552807/?tag=gtplanet-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981631312/?tag=gtplanet-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0932813747/?tag=gtplanet-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802145396/?tag=gtplanet-20

Honestly I think atheists are often worse then evangelical Christian in pushing a belief onto people that don't want it.

WTF!? That's messed up. What "beliefs" would those be? Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make when in the presence of religious dogma.

 

[Hun200kmh]

LOL, it takes Faith to state that Jesus Christ, the man, didn't exist. Then again most conspiracy theories are faith-based, so there's nothing really new here.

 

[Tic Tach]

To say that atheism requires faith is as dim-witted as saying that disbelief in pixies or leprechauns takes faith. Even if Einstein himself told me there was an elf on my shoulder, I would still ask for proof and I wouldn’t be wrong to ask. (Geoff Mather)

 

[Vitzio]

Texas...........surprise!

Hmm?

 

[Tic Tach]

Hmm?

Part of the bible-belt.

 

[Villain]

[redacted]

 

[Vitzio]

Part of the bible-belt.

Even though I don't really believe in God.

 

[Villain]

Yeah Tic Tach must be from SF or at least the PNW. That sure is quite a lense to see the world through!