Split from Welcome FAQ thread - Is there a God? Discuss

[MarillionFan]

Long post... It'd be interesting to discuss but a)it's already been covered from every angle in hundreds of books on apologetics b)I don't think it's feasible to have a grown-up discussion here with the trolls ever-vigilant

Love it. The OP receives alternative viewpoints and gets challenged on his beliefs so everyone who answers is a troll.

Piss poor ad-hominem reply. Grow some balls. Or ask pray to God for some.

[d000hg]

It is okay to believe in God ( like I do) as long as this belief is nto imposed on others who want to not believe. What is wrong in a bit of god feary belief ?

Well that viewpoint is based on God not really existing, but being a construct of your mind. If God exists as an independent entity, who are you to say what the right course of action is

Love it. The OP receives alternative viewpoints and gets challenged on his beliefs so everyone who answers is a troll.

No, not really. I'm not calling him a troll, or anyone who disagrees and puts up an argument why, but those who go through posts without comprehending, looking for sound-bites to use in your next attack like a tabloid journalist.
I'm happy to discuss seriously, as you'll see reading the thread where I reply to serious posts, but not get into pointless point-scoring contests. No offence but I've done that before, it's boring.

Did you have any content to add, or just noise and insults? Please refer me to your reasoned argument in this thread that I may debate it and not hurt your feelings by dismissing your hard-thought questions as mindless trolling.

[MarillionFan]

I have provided two replies in this thread, which effectively end the argument.

[sasguru]

It's pretty clear to me that religion and belief in "God" or "Gods" are human artefacts. There is no credible evidence of any supernatural involvement in human affairs and as others have pointed out there does not need to be a reason for us to exist.
It is the height of ignorance to claim that one's particular religious belief system (Islam, Christianity) has a monopoly on the truth, when half the world's population have a completely different religious belief system.
So given the wide variety of beliefs through the centuries and across cultures, the only sensible conclusion ios that while humans have a deep need for religious comfort/explanation most of their beliefs are complete bollux, each version of bollux being conditioned by the society/culture it stemmed from.

HTH, But IKIW

[Gibbon]

Modern Christianity i.e. post Constantine from whom we get the New Testament is a manufactured religion that was designed to unite the Roman empire with one faith and so giving a feeling of unity; One God, One Empire, One Emperor. It appealed to the uneducated, disadvantaged and vulnerable with it’s absurd claim of a better afterlife if you are well behaved in this one. Aristocratic educated Romans thought it overly superstitious and it only made inroads in this sphere when Constantine made it a pre-condition of office.

It contorts itself with myth to try and explain untruths. For example James is the brother of Jesus, but how can this be so because Mary was a virgin and remained so throughout her life? Well what happened was that Joseph was a Widower with a son already therefore James was the stepbrother of Jesus, baloney!

Today, it gives comfort to those who can’t comprehend the illusion that is existence and that nothing really matters. Death is only the same as before birth, there is nothing to fear only the pain of passing. People do good because it feels good, being helpful helps the species survive.

Go tell a Cerebral Palsy sufferer that God made man in is own image…..

[sasguru]

Modern Christianity i.e. post Constantine from whom we get the New Testament is a manufactured religion that was designed to unite the Roman empire with one faith and so giving a feeling of unity; One God, One Empire, One Emperor. It appealed to the uneducated, disadvantaged and vulnerable with it’s absurd claim of a better afterlife if you are well behaved in this one. Aristocratic educated Romans thought it overly superstitious and it only made inroads in this sphere when Constantine made it a pre-condition of office.

It contorts itself with myth to try and explain untruths. For example James is the brother of Jesus, but how can this be so because Mary was a virgin and remained so throughout her life? Well what happened was that Joseph was a Widower with a son already therefore James was the stepbrother of Jesus, baloney!

Today, it gives comfort to those who can’t comprehend the illusion that is existence and that nothing really matters. Death is only the same as before birth, there is nothing to fear only the pain of passing. People do good because it feels good, being helpful helps the species survive.

Go tell a Cerebral Palsy sufferer that God made man in is own image…..

WHS. Frankly any educated person who believes in the nonsense that is religion is soft-headed. If it was legal, I'd only hire atheists on the basis that that I don't want anyone who can't think clearly working for me.

[fullyautomatix]

WHS. Frankly any educated person who believes in the nonsense that is religion is soft-headed. If it was legal, I'd only hire atheists on the basis that that I don't want anyone who can't think clearly working for me.

If it was legal, they would put you in chains and plonk you in a dark cellar with only a bible to keep you going.

[d000hg]

I have provided two replies in this thread, which effectively end the argument.

If your brain was 1% as big as your ego, you'd make Einstein look like SB.

It's pretty clear to me that religion and belief in "God" or "Gods" are human artefacts. There is no credible evidence of any supernatural involvement in human affairs and as others have pointed out there does not need to be a reason for us to exist.
It is the height of ignorance to claim that one's particular religious belief system (Islam, Christianity) has a monopoly on the truth, when half the world's population have a completely different religious belief system.
So given the wide variety of beliefs through the centuries and across cultures, the only sensible conclusion ios that while humans have a deep need for religious comfort/explanation most of their beliefs are complete bollux, each version of bollux being conditioned by the society/culture it stemmed from.

Decent argument. If there is no God then I think you are probably right. But it hinges on the question, is there such a thing as ultimate truth. The fact different groups have different thoughts does not in itself automatically mean none can be right though. Lots of people observing an event will have different stories, but that doesn't mean the original event didn't happen

See MF, this is how grown-ups talk. Though I'm sure SAS is only playing for the fun of it, of course.

[d000hg]

Modern Christianity i.e. post Constantine from whom we get the New Testament is a manufactured religion that was designed to unite the Roman empire with one faith and so giving a feeling of unity; One God, One Empire, One Emperor. It appealed to the uneducated, disadvantaged and vulnerable with it’s absurd claim of a better afterlife if you are well behaved in this one. Aristocratic educated Romans thought it overly superstitious and it only made inroads in this sphere when Constantine made it a pre-condition of office.

Roman Catholicism was founded as a bastardization of what had been going on (as described in Acts) for a couple of centuries, forcing the thing into hierarchies and power-structures. It's a completely different thing. So says my book on church history, written by non-Christian authors, anyway. I'd argue it (RC) was created to serve men, as many people say all religion is

It contorts itself with myth to try and explain untruths. For example James is the brother of Jesus, but how can this be so because Mary was a virgin and remained so throughout her life?

The bible never makes the claim Mary remained a virgin, to my memory. It might be RC mythology but RC has a lot of that.

[d000hg]

If it was legal, they would put you in chains and plonk you in a dark cellar with only a bible to keep you going.

I think a lot of us would not object to him being locked in a dark cellar.

Anyway before it eats my day, I'm signing out of this particular thread to do some work. Will read end of day, can hardly wait.