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Rather than posting my view in the other thread, I thought it best ask what is the general consensus.
So, over-ruling higher body or crock of......?
I don't believe [i]in[/i] him.
Which one?
WTF are you on about?
I AM GOD.
No, but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist.
I believe your spelling is letting you down.
Yeah,
there are higher powers at play.
Creator God ... errmm ... delusional.
Gods - Yes & perhaps Vulcan (the one in Star Trek) too. 
Roughly what RichPenny says. To believe in one means you've got to deny the existence of lots of others, which is just a bit disrespectful of the others really.
Yes I really do.
Don't believe, too much evidence against. I find it quite annoying how someone can preach religion on the street and people say oh well everyone's entitled to their opinion (which they are), but if then if someone was on the street preaching about atheism then people generally say it's disrespectful or offensive...
How can you believe in God when Its just Dog spelt backwards. 🙄
I don't believe in god... but where all of this 'stuff' came from to make the Universe and to allow for evolution is somewhat of a mystery.
Personally, I think naming something [i]beyond our comprehension[/i] is a tad arrogant, but I certainly don't believe all this came from *nothing*.
I spose the simplest answer I can honestly give is 'yes', although my own beliefs are a lot more complex than that really.
too much evidence against
Interesting. Care to provide said 'evidence'?
Where's Woppit?
Dunno really, maybe sometimes, other times not so sure
Yep
How can you believe in God when Its just Dog spelt backwards.
I guess he must be alright then, unless he/she/it takes the occasional crap on trail centre paths. 👿
I quite like the idea of pandeism.
[url] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandeism [/url]
My 'evidence' being evolution and common ancestors, thus destroying the argument of intelligent design. I agree the big bang is a singularity but even that doesn't conform to the story of the bible so therefore I cant believe in God as the rest doesn't hold up...
No.
No
Elfinsafety - MemberPersonally, I think naming something beyond our comprehension is a tad arrogant, but I certainly don't believe all this came from *nothing*.
One creator or many gods?
Even my Jewish mate said if there was one creator god then s/he must be rather cruel.
olympus - MemberI agree the big bang is a singularity but even that doesn't conform to the story of the bible so therefore incant believe in God as the rest doesn't hold up...
Big bang is a singularity? I think we are jumping to the conclusion too soon. Doubt our tiny minds are really that good to know that ...
Chicken or Egg?
It does not answer the unfathomable. If god made me/us/it who/what made god. Something came from nothing and at least we are here and have fairly good understanding of how that came to be that is far more credible than religious accounts.
Obviously you cant prove a negative.
LabMonkey - MemberChicken or Egg?
Is that important?
Free range or organic? I don't mind either 😆
No
Definitely no god(s), but definitely stuff we don't (yet) understand.
So, best get on with making the most of the time you've got (or at the very least, try not to complain about it too much without good reason).
Stuff happens.
Of course, as an atheist I DO understand that what I think is still as much just a BELIEF system as is Christianity or Islam or Hinduism or Physics or etc.
slainte 😀 rob
chewkw - Member
LabMonkey - Member
Chicken or Egg?Is that important?
Free range or organic? I don't mind either
It is very important... as Science can't tell us which came first... therefore where did the first 'common ancestor' come from...?
(I am a man of science, and I do not believe in god).
No. However, accepting that the big bang theory etc is right (and in an infinite universe, no way could be singular) the only question I have is how does anything exist? Not just humans, but the universe itself, and all it's component parts. That's a humdinger of a question for me
Pretending that we are in some way special is hugely arrogant. We're annoying, evil monkeys taking up a snapshot of existance on a bright little rock orbiting a small star at the edge of a small galaxy in a universe of infinate size.
SO I'd say no.
Plus, if there is a god, he's really messed things up. Not just 'oops I burned the lasagne' mess up but 'JESUS H CHRIST! - You created humans' sized cock up. What a knob!
If I met him I'd kick him in the chuff. And if Peter started, I'd chin him too.
Finally. If you do believe in god, how can you not spend your entire day grovelling around in the dirt worshipping him? I don't get it.
Either you believe in an almighty deity who can read your every thought and know your every feeling or you don't. The former could only have you prostrate for your entire life beating yourself silly with a cat O'nine tails for even looking sideways at a pretty girl. Unless of course you're choosing which bits you believe in. God can see that. And he will judge you, probably worse than the non-believers.
[b][i]I[/i][/b] believe that there was something more significant work in the creation of the universe than simply a vaguely explained explosion of sorts.
and I find that the suggestion that all life as we know it came from amoeba or other single-celled organisms via the rather 'random' process of evolution is somewhat demeaning and quite frankly ludicrous...
I [i]cannot[/i] believe in something so 'incidental'...
I have plenty of time and patience to discuss this matter so feel free to contratict me 8)
I couldn't care less if there's a god or not tbh. I'll just go on living my life as I've only got a finite amount of time to use, and sitting on my arse in a cold church seems an awful waste.
Or, to put it more succinctly... No.
My 'evidence' being evolution and common ancestors, thus destroying the argument of intelligent design.
I'm not a Christian. Intelligent Design is therefore irrelevant to me, although I do find it interesting, as I do all sorts of theories as to How and Why.
And evolutionary theory is just one tiny part of Humanity's attempts to understand stuff. Not the be all and end all.
In fact you jolly well have not actually disproved the existence of God at all, just postulated your own ideas rather than actual hard evidence.
So, have you actually got any real solid irrefutable evidence that God does not exist then?
Any evidence that s/he (God) does exist......?
LabMonkey - MemberIt is very important... as Science can't tell us which came first... therefore where did the first 'common ancestor' come from...?
(I am a man of science, and I do not believe in god).
How does knowing the 'common ancestor' of chicken important to our life?
Man of science ... hmmm ... to answer your question ... even until your turn carbon you will never find that answer of Chicken or Egg.
yes
I'm agnostic, I don't think the existence (or otherwise) of god is knowable. Atheism is just another belief system, whatever your view on the probability of god.
I believe in God.
Like a lot of things - conscience, guilt, love, fear etc. They all clearly exist - but only inside your head.
You can't easily prove a negative. You can usually prove a positive though, which we as the human race have singularly failed to do in th case of god(s). So for me, it's a no.
chewkw - Member
LabMonkey - Member
It is very important... as Science can't tell us which came first... therefore where did the first 'common ancestor' come from...?(I am a man of science, and I do not believe in god).
How does knowing the 'common ancestor' of chicken important to our life?
Man of science ... hmmm ... to answer your question ... even until your turn carbon you will never find that answer of Chicken or Egg.
I think you may* be missing my point.
I was not trying to prove or disprove the existence of god, quite the contrary in fact... I was implying that science does not have all the answers, and it is unlikely it ever will... humans will kill each other well before then.
Religion and/or greed will see to my latter point.
Why is the chicken important? If you go far enough back... to the 'primordial soup' - the synthesised amino acids (from water, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and ammonia) by the suns ultraviolet radiation, which created the first replicating chains of molecules... which would have been the 'common ancestors' to both the chicken and the human.
*if I am wrong I apologise
I believe, Don Simon got fed up with him sh1tting all over the trail at trail centres. [possibly already been done]
No, I don't believe in any God or Gods. The idea of a higher power sounds entirely ridiculous to me and beyond stating my belief I have no interest in entering into a pointless discussion with people who believe in anything based purely on faith.
P.S. My disbelief in God(s) does not automatically make me morally bankrupt and an agent of Satan as has been previously suggested by a two believers that arrived on my doorstep with the intention of spreading the word.
yunki - Memberyes
You called that music?
This is music ... and yes they can dance and are brilliant unlike those techno shite.
No. Its ridiculous to think otherwise.
Any evidence that s/he (God) does exist......?
Tum tee tum tee tum....in your own time. Anybody ?
No .......what a ridiculous idea.
Maybe we should have a simple YES or NO answer count up?
I guess the first common ancestor would be an RNA molecule...
This is music ... and yes they can dance and are brilliant [s]unlike those techno shite[/s]
s'all love innit 😀
There is no point, no purpose and never will be. Therefore any point or purpose you find in life is even more significant. There's nothing special about abundance, scarcity leads to value. The fact that you will die makes it all mean something.
Celebrate the fact that you are a conscious, finite being and use a much of that mush in your head as possible. Matter=energy=finite. We are recycled, will be recycled and have been recycled.
I believe religion to have been a metaphor for life's trials and tribulations which has been taken painfully literally. The similarity between the old testament based religions strongly indicates a bit of Chinese Whispers back in the day. I dislike how much corruption and control has been excused in the name of faith and belief, which continues at present.
Religious texts have been the excuse for murder, war, sexism, violence, abuse and a "nature's mine to consume" mentality. I believe that regardless of what you believe in, reflection and critical thinking is essential for a healthy society. Following what someone has said to you in an ornate building bypasses your own ability to think.
I also think that a lot of good has been done in the name of religion, however, I feel humans are capable of such things without the addition of a god figure or consequence after life.
Whatever you do, think. That's why the flying spaghetti monster gave you a brain.
I think you'll be waiting a good while Swelper... Oh hang on there was that time... No, that was just a fairy story.
EDIT; Herman +1million.
LabMonkey - MemberI think you may* be missing my point.
😆 I just want to "challenge" the scientific point of view. 
"I was not trying to prove or disprove the existence of god, quite the contrary in fact... I was implying that science does not have all the answers, and it is unlikely it ever will... humans will kill each other well before then."
God (creator) <----------> Science
Both are from the same coin but on the extreme end.
Religion and/or greed will see to my latter point.
Greed will kill all.
Why is the chicken important? If you go far enough back... to the 'primordial soup' (the synthesised amino acids (from water, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and ammonia) by the suns ultraviolet radiation, which created the first replicating chains of molecules... which would have been the 'common ancestors' to both the chicken and the human. *if I am wrong I apologise
Yes, yes, and perhaps even further back before amino acids ...

yunki - Members'all love innit

Wise words Herman shake.
That will do me for tonight. Happy [s]arguing[/s] discussions.
If God hatched from an egg. How did the egg come into being?
If God hatched from an egg. How did the egg come into being?
+1
(sorry, couldn't resist)
<3 the cream of darkness soup. It's condensed too!
Herman, +1 to 90% of your argument! 😉
I wonder if primordial soup tasted like chicken?
Taste like Chicken. Truly the beige of evolution.
So, have you actually got any real solid irrefutable evidence that God does not exist then?
1. You cannot prove a negative
2. If you postulate something you need to prove it not ask others to disprove it - see point 1
3. Occam's razor
It is a pointless debate.
No.
Any evidence that s/he (God) does exist......?
How about the Entire Universe?
Care to explain why it all exists?
See, what always happens on these kind of threads is that some atheists come along and pour scorn on any theories and ideas other than their own, yet don't actually really [i]prove[/i] anything.
See, you say 'prove God exists', in response to 'prove God [i]doesn't[/i] exist'.
If you are so sure, so clever, so enlightened, then surely proving what you claim will be a simple matter?
No?
Then, right, there's the bringing up of religion. No-one mentioned religion; the question was, 'do you belive in God?'. Not 'what religion do you follow/belong to?'.
See?
So instead of trying to prove how clever you are, why not have a think about what you're actually saying; maybe, God Forbid, even come up with some ideas of yer own, rather than regurgitating Dawkins or whoever?
And what if, right, if we're all trying to out-clever one another, I might suggest that those who don't believe in God simply lack the intellectual capability to get to grips with such an abstract concept? Would that seem very rude and insulting?
There is no point, no purpose and never will be.
Really?
So what was the point of you posting that comment?
Junkyard - MemberSo, have you actually got any real solid irrefutable evidence that God does not exist then?
1. You cannot prove a negative
2. If you postulate something you need to prove it not ask others to disprove it - see point 1
3. Occam's razorIt is a pointless debate.
Or you can find the answer yourself by seeing if an event can happen without prior cause? If your answer is yes then you have not looked far enough or simply ignore the answer in front of you.
You cannot prove a negative
Cobblers.
If I say 'there is no elephant in this room', and you say 'prove it', and I show you the room that has no elephant in it, then I have proven a negative.
😀
Elfinsafety - MemberAny evidence that s/he (God) does exist......?
How about the Entire Universe?
Care to explain why it all exists?
Similar to the man of science searching for the answer that cannot and will not be found.
Is knowing the entire universe important to how you live your life now?
🙄
God is a concept/construct that exists in the minds of billions of humans. Have you not noticed?
next.
What is the point of spending time on STW? Elfin, you're quite partial to a bit of it; why do you do it? The answer will probably be the same as my the motive for my comment...just for the sake of discussion/amusement/etc.
You cannot discuss God without religion. If you believe the social construct of religion results in a God belief, it makes sense to take a step back to why this God concept gets bandied about.
I'm not trying to out-clever anyone, the bastardisation of religion should annoy the religious too. It's more of a comment on a social problem than a jab at the believers. Unfortunately it continues and is disguised as faith.
My point about pointlessness is that it adds a lot to existing. You are the definer of your own purpose and the accidental nature of it all makes everything more special.
I am reluctant to start critiquing the existence of a God as that's a bit soapboxy and could be plain offensive. There's enough willy waving on STW already.
As long as; 1. you do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And 2. you are free to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's right to do the same. I think we'd all be quite happy. Unfortunately I think both of these rules are broken in the name of the big man in the sky (among others).
You state "Care to explain [b]why[/b] it all exists? This is the problem. Attempting to find validation in being here is an understandable stance. It does seem to bark up the wrong tree for me though. Why should there be a purpose?
I'm not having a poke, how as a believer do you console yourself with the atrocities present around the world today? I can't believe in an omnipresent being condoning the sheer quantity of abhorrent behaviour today. The corruption in biblical times doesn't really hold a candle to present day international politics. We've just become so good at destroying and manipulating one another!
The bottom line is that neither a God or lack of can be proven. However, the use of comparing and contrasting ideas can give you a sense of something that you agree or disagree with. The philosophical approach to reasoning out an empirical fact or statement helps. But ultimately we can't really prove anything, we can only suggest that something is probable or likely to be the case according to the evidence we have perceived.
It's fine to think different things, it keeps things interesting 😀
Not specifically. More or less with Herman here. I have my own way of thinking about how the universe kinda works, that it is itself a living organism, with everything it's cellular make-up, if you will. If that greater organism can be considered God, well, that's as good a name for creation and the growing universe as any, I guess.
[i]"I tried to find him on the Christian cross, but He was not there.
I went to the Temples of the Hindus and to the old pagodas but could not find a trace of Him anywhere.
I searched on the mountains and in the valleys but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him.
I went to the Caaba in Mecca, but He was not
there either.
I questioned the scholars and philosophers but He was beyond their understanding.
I then looked into my heart and it was there that He dwelled that I saw Him; He was nowhere else to be found."[/i]
- Jelaluddin Rumi
To me, those may be some of the greatest words ever written, and they sum up my belief more prettily than I can. God exists, if only in the hearts and minds of men. He doesn't exist in my own personal headspace, but I've no doubt that he does in other people's, nor any problem with letting those people believe whatever they want to believe.
I don't believe in God, if I did my major concern would be if he stays up late pondering how he came into being and what it all means.
my major, Major concern would be if he stays up late [i]on STW[/i] pondering how he came into being and what it all means.
Any evidence that s/he (God) does exist......?
Tum tee tum tee tum....in your own time. Anybody ?
I pose a slightly different question in response.
If I showed evidence of the existence of say "double entry book keeping" to my cat. Would it's inability to recognise this as evidence mean that double entry book keeping doesn't exist?
it's an idea! a concept! a solution! a construct! maybe it's time is over and we are evolving, but at least accept it's an [i]it[/i] at least! That exists. and that your own opinion does not exist in a vacuum.
Who gives a **** whether God exists or not? I’m being serious. I can’t begin to detail how supremely uninterested I am on the matter (apart from contributing to this thread!). We don’t need him to anchor our moral values or to be good. It isn’t god that gives meaning to life - we do that by deciding on how we choose to interact with other human beings. Why do we need him?
The universe is magnificent beyond adequate description. I’m happy to be a tiny insignificant speck amongst it. That will do me. My faith is in humans without the ludicrous attachments that come with a god and his religion on Earth.
No, I don't believe in any God or Gods. The idea of a higher power sounds entirely ridiculous to me and beyond stating my belief I have no interest in entering into a pointless discussion with people who believe in anything based purely on faith.
Agreed, load of bollocks innit 🙂
totally agree deluded. apart from your use of "him"
The word "god" for me is incredibly loaded and for me when I think of "god" I think of a transcendental being, separate to me, in the image of the Christian god.
For me, I am more of a Taoist I guess, and others who have read my writings describe me as being Spinozian, which is fair enough, but I have not read any of Spinoza directly, so am not too sure how his thoughts relate to the Tao.
I am also a fan of the late quantum physicist David Bohm, and find him very Taoist too, although he never made the connections himself as far as I am aware.
The eye is often used by creationists as an example of something so perfectly engineered, requiring so many components to interact harmoniously that it could no have been a production of chance. However there are many intermediate animals and fossils which exhibit rudimentary visual cells of increasing complexity suggesting otherwise.
Evolution is a fact with so much evidence that deniers are considered delusional.
I believe in evolution. I also believe in God (although not a religion as such) And the more I study the natural world, the more I am convinced of a higher being.
If you want to take it all the way down to a single atom and it's constituent parts, you have to wonder where did they come from? They are building blocks of everything, but where did they come from? What makes them? Even if we break it down to smaller parts with better technology we are still going to have the same conundrum. Nothing can come from nothing...Yet they unquestionably exist.
In the same way people ask well where did God come from? Nothing can come from nothing...right?
Yes energy is finite, yet regardless this energy must come from somewhere or something.
It's the similar to the classic question 'if the universe is expanding...what is it expanding into?'
Two months ago there was a documentary, think one of the BBC channel, on the history of Judaism with its origin where it explained the slow annihilation / amalgamation of many gods into one. Interestingly, the documentary argued that it might have something to do with territorial gains ... then it slowly evolved into "creator".
tyredbiker - MemberI believe in evolution. I also believe in God (although not a religion as such) [b]And the more I study the natural world, the more I am convinced of a higher being.[/b]
See the problem?
Have you actually looked at other explanations beyond that of the Abrahamic faith as your point of reference?


