Jump to content

Is There A God?


Recommended Posts

And if so, which religion is right? Discuss. Show your work and use examples.If this has been discussed before, feel free to lock it up.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 217
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

And if so, which religion is right? Discuss. Show your work and use examples.If this has been discussed before, feel free to lock it up.
oh man I HATE when they say that.
Link to post
Share on other sites
do christians think that Buddhists are all going to hell for not believing?
I think you guys think Christians give more thought to others than we really do.Granted... some sects actually do spend a lot of time on this but not all Christians.In a nut shell... the only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus Christ as your savior. Those who do not... will not get to heaven.At the church I go to ... we rarely if ever even speak of Hell or try to decide who may go there. We accept that we are all sinners and use the scriptures to remind us of how we should conduct ourselves.Perhaps Buddhist get to go to a different heaven. I don't know. They at least appear to be at peace within themselves and with others. I like that. (I actually only know 3 buddhist so my pool of knowledge is shallow)Not trying to get under Crow's craw here... but I seriously think non-believers think we think about them more than we do. Now... Southern Baptist absolutely do. That's pretty much all they do... they feel the charge to convert the world and witness to everyone.But it wouldn't be fair to assume that although a Baptist is a Christian...not all Christians are Baptists and think about this often.Did I effectively avoid answering the question? lol
Link to post
Share on other sites

OK, another question for the Christians of the world.What happened to the Mayans, Native Americans, Indians, Tibetan, etc. over the past 2000 years when they died if they had never even heard of Jesus because of being secluded from information, did not have written language, etc.This is a serious question.My belief or lack there of I guess, is that if there is a God and a Heaven if your merits of how you spent your life will outweigh your sins then you will get to that special place. Now I know this does not say this anywhere, but I cannot believe that if I live my life to its fullest, honestly, helping others, being the best Husband and Father I can, that if I do not go through a ritualistic ceremony that I would be excluded from Heaven.For the most part I live my life as clean and honest or more so than most God fearing, go to Church every Sunday, people. I cannot grasp that they can do all these terrible things (adultry, cheating, swindling, :insert dishonest item:) but go to Church and it is forgiven and they will get to Heaven, but I, who have done those things, will not.This is actually a huge issue for my mother in law, who is very religious, even though she loves me and knows how good of a parent and father I am, thinks I will not go to Heaven.

Link to post
Share on other sites
OK, another question for the Christians of the world.What happened to the Mayans, Native Americans, Indians, Tibetan, etc. over the past 2000 years when they died if they had never even heard of Jesus because of being secluded from information, did not have written language, etc.This is a serious question.
I believe I've seen lois explain this before, and I'm paraphrasing here from what I remember, so I could be wrong, but I think he had said that the rule is that if you really have faith and want to believe in the proper god, then jesus, or god (I can't remember which one) will come to you and you will see the grace of god or what not. now to me, this is the most unbelievable thing I've ever heard (and I don't know of a single recorded instance of somebody spontaneously generating jesus without outside influence), but I believe that is the going explanation. please correct me if I'm wrong though.
Link to post
Share on other sites

There is no evidence of a God or Ultimate Creator. The most common argument is that since the earth is complex, there must be one. It is a huge fallacy since God would ultimately have to be very complex raising the question, "Who created God then?"Natural Selection explains everything perfectly.Use your own moral compass to guide your life.

Link to post
Share on other sites
I believe I've seen lois explain this before, and I'm paraphrasing here from what I remember, so I could be wrong, but I think he had said that the rule is that if you really have faith and want to believe in the proper god, then jesus, or god (I can't remember which one) will come to you and you will see the grace of god or what not. now to me, this is the most unbelievable thing I've ever heard (and I don't know of a single recorded instance of somebody spontaneously generating jesus without outside influence), but I believe that is the going explanation. please correct me if I'm wrong though.
Yeah I have heard this too. But I am completely discounting it, because there is no recorded proof that I know of that any of these civilizations having experienced this.Then if he came to them on their death bed, wouldn't that be the same for everyone then?
Link to post
Share on other sites
OK, another question for the Christians of the world.What happened to the Mayans, Native Americans, Indians, Tibetan, etc. over the past 2000 years when they died if they had never even heard of Jesus because of being secluded from information, did not have written language, etc.This is a serious question.My belief or lack there of I guess, is that if there is a God and a Heaven if your merits of how you spent your life will outweigh your sins then you will get to that special place. Now I know this does not say this anywhere, but I cannot believe that if I live my life to its fullest, honestly, helping others, being the best Husband and Father I can, that if I do not go through a ritualistic ceremony that I would be excluded from Heaven.For the most part I live my life as clean and honest or more so than most God fearing, go to Church every Sunday, people. I cannot grasp that they can do all these terrible things (adultry, cheating, swindling, :insert dishonest item:) but go to Church and it is forgiven and they will get to Heaven, but I, who have done those things, will not.This is actually a huge issue for my mother in law, who is very religious, even though she loves me and knows how good of a parent and father I am, thinks I will not go to Heaven.
Contemporary Chrisitan belief is that the people who died without the opportunity to accept Christ are still lost. This explains why we were given the commandment to preach to all the world the gospel.Some believe that God will judge people based on how they would have responded to the calling. Being God He would know, so His judgement would be right every single time. I tend to lean this way because that's the kind of God we serve. It fits better into His Character that He would look for reasons to forgive, over reasons to damn.It is interesting to note that in the 1800's the world's population was less than 1 billion, and now it's over 6 billion. So most people that have ever existed have been alive in the last 200 years. Unless you believe that hogwash that people have been around for 50,000 years.
Link to post
Share on other sites
And if so, which religion is right? Discuss. Show your work and use examples.If this has been discussed before, feel free to lock it up.
Is there a God: YesWhich religion is right: ChristianityDiscuss: It's pretty cool, God forgiving you and stuffShow your work and use examples: I was lost, and now I'm found. I was blind but now I see.Discussed before: Maybe, search function is your friend.Good luck uncovering the secrets of unifying theory, while trying not to destroy the earth.
Link to post
Share on other sites
Contemporary Chrisitan belief is that the people who died without the opportunity to accept Christ are still lost. This explains why we were given the commandment to preach to all the world the gospel.Some believe that God will judge people based on how they would have responded to the calling. Being God He would know, so His judgement would be right every single time. I tend to lean this way because that's the kind of God we serve. It fits better into His Character that He would look for reasons to forgive, over reasons to damn.It is interesting to note that in the 1800's the world's population was less than 1 billion, and now it's over 6 billion. So most people that have ever existed have been alive in the last 200 years. Unless you believe that hogwash that people have been around for 50,000 years.
is there anything biblical to back up the first part (or any other theories as to what happens for that matter)? I remember lois talking about what I said above, but I don't remember if it was biblical or just his belief, but I'm inclined to believe it was biblical given how literal he tends to be with it.
Link to post
Share on other sites
Some believe that God will judge people based on how they would have responded to the calling. Being God He would know, so His judgement would be right every single time. I tend to lean this way because that's the kind of God we serve. It fits better into His Character that He would look for reasons to forgive, over reasons to damn.
interesting, i didnt know you could just bend ideas about how god operates to better fit your beliefs.
Link to post
Share on other sites
interesting, i didnt know you could just bend ideas about how god operates to better fit your beliefs.
Why? You bend logic to fit yours.
Link to post
Share on other sites
is there anything biblical to back up the first part (or any other theories as to what happens for that matter)? I remember lois talking about what I said above, but I don't remember if it was biblical or just his belief, but I'm inclined to believe it was biblical given how literal he tends to be with it.
Some of the areas that are silent in the Bible are often attempted to be answered with similar problems and how they were dealt with.It is largely held that the 3 days Christ was in the tomb were spent in the place between heaven and hell where the Jewish faithful were waiting for their Messiah. This would have only applied to the Jews who held to the faith. This comes from parables Christ spoke about and other references. I believe this to be true.Catholics got purgatory from this. Something not supported because the Bible says :"Man is allotted once to die, then judgement" But it's not hard to see how they made the connection. It is pretty much discredited in the protestant camps because the whole point of Christ's blood was to cover your sins, not cover 'some' of your sins and you need to be punished for other ones.I have heard Lois' explanation before, and like I said I don't see where it is outside of Biblical possiblities, in other words it doesn't contridict what the Bible says, but it would be extra-Biblical in that the Bible is silent on the subject. Given that I wouldn't bet the farm, but if it turns out to be true,it won't change my faith either way. Kind of like UFOs.
Link to post
Share on other sites
if by hogwash you mean fossil records then the number is more like over 100,000 years ago.
300,000 if you believe Richard Leakey's son.
Link to post
Share on other sites
There is no evidence of a God or Ultimate Creator. The most common argument is that since the earth is complex, there must be one. It is a huge fallacy since God would ultimately have to be very complex raising the question, "Who created God then?"
I don't see how you can say that the watchmaker theory is invalid because of the Who made God question. Couldn't God have been made by something else, and we would still be subject to God as our creator?
Natural Selection explains everything perfectly.Use your own moral compass to guide your life.
I think perfectly would be a stretch since you need a beginning and you don't have one. Nor do you have any reason to obey part two of your statement.
Link to post
Share on other sites
I don't see how you can say that the watchmaker theory is invalid because of the Who made God question. Couldn't God have been made by something else, and we would still be subject to God as our creator?----------------------I think perfectly would be a stretch since you need a beginning and you don't have one. Nor do you have any reason to obey part two of your statement.
Part one. You make my point. If complexity is the argument for God, then it's a valid argument for God having a creator, and that one having a creator and so on. Do you see how ridiculous that is?Part two. I have a beginning. The big bang. Natural Selection has nothing to do with that. Believing the world is 6000 years old is plain stupid.As for part two about having a my own moral compass I'm confused. What morality do you have that I can't?Knowing that when I die that I'll turn into ant food I look at life a tad differently than you obviously. I think that what does carry on is how you conducted your life while you were alive and the influence you have on humanity after you're passing. Escpecially when it comes to kids. I have two great ones and knowing that I had an influence on them and that it will carry on is very comforting. I don't need visions of granduer and streets of gold to give me comfort in life.'You can call me faithless.I believe in hope and love.That's faith enough for me.
Link to post
Share on other sites
Part one. You make my point. If complexity is the argument for God, then it's a valid argument for God having a creator, and that one having a creator and so on. Do you see how ridiculous that is?
No because you are making the assumption that since we can look at creation and see the need for a creator, therefore we must have a need for a creator for that one etc. That is your conclusion. I don't see that at all. There is a perfectly balanced universe, chaos will never fall into balance, but balance will fall into chaos. Therefore there must be a reason for the balance. I don't have to have a reason for the reason, I just need a reason for the balance. You are making a straw man to try to get around the incredible complexity of the universe.
Part two. I have a beginning. The big bang. Natural Selection has nothing to do with that. Believing the world is 6000 years old is plain stupid.
But believing that from a great big empty space of nothing, there was an explosion that filled the universe with matter, energy and order...that's not plain stupid because...?
As for part two about having a my own moral compass I'm confused. What morality do you have that I can't?
I don't claim to have a morality you don't have. Many non-religious people I know are much more moral than some of the Christians I know.I'm asking where the value to any morality comes from. In some cultures it's perfectly moral to kill another man and take his wife as long as he's from another tribe. Morality that is relative isn't really morality, it's just social pressures.
Knowing that when I die that I'll turn into ant food I look at life a tad differently than you obviously. I think that what does carry on is how you conducted your life while you were alive and the influence you have on humanity after you're passing. Escpecially when it comes to kids. I have two great ones and knowing that I had an influence on them and that it will carry on is very comforting. I don't need visions of granduer and streets of gold to give me comfort in life.'You can call me faithless.I believe in hope and love.That's faith enough for me.
As stated earlier, I agree there are many people who are better humans when appyling a Biblical morality stick to their lives, than some Christians. If you are one than obviously you make the world a better place.
Link to post
Share on other sites

And as far as the age of the earth.How old was Adam when God made him?I think everyone agrees that he was a man, not a zygot flopping around the dust. He didn't gestate in a shoebox.How old was the first tree when God made it?It probably was fully formed, tall and if cut open would probably have rings.The first riverbed was probably fully eroded into the gorund to give it a direction, unless you think God was unable to make the riverbed while creating water.The first mountain was probably supported by underground magma displacement and teutonic plate shifts.So how old was the earth when God made it?

Link to post
Share on other sites
No because you are making the assumption that since we can look at creation and see the need for a creator, therefore we must have a need for a creator for that one etc. That is your conclusion. I don't see that at all. There is a perfectly balanced universe, chaos will never fall into balance, but balance will fall into chaos. Therefore there must be a reason for the balance. I don't have to have a reason for the reason, I just need a reason for the balance. You are making a straw man to try to get around the incredible complexity of the universe.But believing that from a great big empty space of nothing, there was an explosion that filled the universe with matter, energy and order...that's not plain stupid because...?I don't claim to have a morality you don't have. Many non-religious people I know are much more moral than some of the Christians I know.I'm asking where the value to any morality comes from. In some cultures it's perfectly moral to kill another man and take his wife as long as he's from another tribe. Morality that is relative isn't really morality, it's just social pressures.As stated earlier, I agree there are many people who are better humans when appyling a Biblical morality stick to their lives, than some Christians. If you are one than obviously you make the world a better place.
Red- You really make no sense whatsoever here but I'll still try to respond. You don't know how to follow a logical conclusion. If you read what I wrote and then re-read your post I think you'll see it. I was making a simple logical conclusion that complexity is a really bad argument for an Ultimate Creator.Blue- it's not stupid because it's logical and vastly believed by intelligent people instead of fairy tales.Yellow- Yeah but we're all still going to burn in hellGreen_I will agree that social pressures does influence morality, especially in children and that's a shame.
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

Announcements


×
×
  • Create New...