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IS THERE A GOD?

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I guess we look at it differently. I view God's position more like a parent who is trying to get their older teenage kids off of crack. If you force them, they won't have really made up their own mind and may not actually be cured as much as they are just temporarily abstaining. If, OTOH, you tell them that you'll support them, you'll pay for a rehab center and warn them of what life will be like if they continue down the road they are on... then at least they are making a choice of where to go.

I see it the same with God... He's warning us about what's coming, but He's paid the price for us not to have to end up there... but He's not going to force us, we have to freely decide. If we choose not to, it's not so much that He is punishing us as much as it is that what He's told us about that path is true and now we are simply enduring the ramifications of the decisions we made.

Joe
 
Originally posted by: waldo
God isn't about punishment, or rewards...and if you think that, then we have very different understandings of god. I personally view God as more of a parental figure...someone who has your best in mind, and you don't have to worry about some ulterior motive. Follow what he says and miraculously you will be "blessed", or reap the rewards of your actions. Don't follow it, and wow, the opposite happens...a lot of religion isn't about punishment and blessings, but natural cause and effect, you just believe that the knowledge of what to do and what is the best choice in a given situation for the desired consequence is divinely inpsired!

That being said, I have had many an experience in my personal life to believe that there is a god
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Oops... I didn't see this post and Waldo had pretty much alread said what I said.

Joe
 
religion isn't about facts, its about faith
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Same with love! All sorts of people have been happily married to spouses only to find out later that their spouses had cheated since day one and never really loved them... yet before gaining this knowledge, they would have sworn as FACT that the other person loved them. We take a lot of things as FACT on evidense that can't even be shown as being valid. The Bible actually says that the faith is the evidense of the things we can't yet see... it is the reaction to an as yet immeasurable force.

Joe
 
Originally posted by: Fausto
Originally posted by: FoBoT
religion isn't about facts, its about faith
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Conversely, religion could be utter BS since there's really nothing to support it. 😉
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again, i think that is the point
if there was indisputable proof that religion was "X+Y=Z" ,then it would be easy

i don't believe it is supposed to be easy. it is supposed to be hard to have faith and believe in God, that is part of the plan, IMO
 
Moral values written in book(s) by man to keep people in line in times where controlling peoples actions was much harder.

People of faith can never answer the classic question "Why is your god the right god?" They will always dance around it. The classic cop out answer for this question was waldo: "How do you know if you have picked the right religion? Hehehehehhe.....that is just asking to start a flame war, which I won't enter.....but typically, most people just say ask God...he'll tell you where you are supposed to be and when." If that isn't avoiding the question then I'm not sure what is.

I wish religious people would just admit that we are still learning about our existence and there are unexplainable things that will some day be explained with facts. Just think about how much we have learned in the last 100 years. Religion will eventually be a thing of the past. Thank god! Instead they just claim the whole "the world is too perfect for there not to be a god" route. A perfect world eh? Hardly.

So answer the question already: How do you decide which religion is the right one?
 
Originally posted by: FoBoT
Originally posted by: Fausto
Originally posted by: FoBoT
religion isn't about facts, its about faith
Click to expand...
Conversely, religion could be utter BS since there's really nothing to support it. 😉
Click to expand...

again, i think that is the point
if there was indisputable proof that religion was "X+Y=Z" ,then it would be easy

i don't believe it is supposed to be easy. it is supposed to be hard to have faith and believe in God, that is part of the plan, IMO
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I don't see what that accomplishes, really. It just makes it easier for non-believers to poke holes in religion. (ie- suicide bombers daily in Israel.....where's God? Why is he allowing this?)

 

these people that you ask, do they still live in what a Christian consider sin?



Originally posted by: BroeBo
but typically, most people just say ask God...he'll tell you where you are supposed to be and when." If that isn't avoiding the question then I'm not sure what is.

I wish religious people would just admit that we are still learning about our existence and there are unexplainable things that will some day be explained with facts. Just think about how much we have learned in the last 100 years. Religion will eventually be a thing of the past. Thank god! Instead they just claim the whole "the world is too perfect for there not to be a god" route. A perfect world eh? Hardly.

So answer the question already: How do you decide which religion is the right one?
Click to expand...

 
Originally posted by: eno818

these people that you ask, do they still live in what a Christian consider sin?



Originally posted by: BroeBo
but typically, most people just say ask God...he'll tell you where you are supposed to be and when." If that isn't avoiding the question then I'm not sure what is.

I wish religious people would just admit that we are still learning about our existence and there are unexplainable things that will some day be explained with facts. Just think about how much we have learned in the last 100 years. Religion will eventually be a thing of the past. Thank god! Instead they just claim the whole "the world is too perfect for there not to be a god" route. A perfect world eh? Hardly.

So answer the question already: How do you decide which religion is the right one?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Im not sure exacly what your asking me.
 
Originally posted by: BroeBo
Originally posted by: eno818

these people that you ask, do they still live in what a Christian consider sin?



Originally posted by: BroeBo
but typically, most people just say ask God...he'll tell you where you are supposed to be and when." If that isn't avoiding the question then I'm not sure what is.

I wish religious people would just admit that we are still learning about our existence and there are unexplainable things that will some day be explained with facts. Just think about how much we have learned in the last 100 years. Religion will eventually be a thing of the past. Thank god! Instead they just claim the whole "the world is too perfect for there not to be a god" route. A perfect world eh? Hardly.

So answer the question already: How do you decide which religion is the right one?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Im not sure exacly what your asking me.
Click to expand...

Actually, he's asking a question to the same crowd of religious folk you are. 🙂 Paraphrasing:

BroeBo: Religious people - how do you decide which religion is the right one?
eno818: In addition, how many "religious people" are "living in sin" (unmarried but living together, premarital sex, etc)

At least that's what I gathered.

- M4H
 
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: BroeBo
Originally posted by: eno818

these people that you ask, do they still live in what a Christian consider sin?



Originally posted by: BroeBo
but typically, most people just say ask God...he'll tell you where you are supposed to be and when." If that isn't avoiding the question then I'm not sure what is.

I wish religious people would just admit that we are still learning about our existence and there are unexplainable things that will some day be explained with facts. Just think about how much we have learned in the last 100 years. Religion will eventually be a thing of the past. Thank god! Instead they just claim the whole "the world is too perfect for there not to be a god" route. A perfect world eh? Hardly.

So answer the question already: How do you decide which religion is the right one?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Im not sure exacly what your asking me.
Click to expand...

Actually, he's asking a question to the same crowd of religious folk you are. 🙂 Paraphrasing:

BroeBo: Religious people - how do you decide which religion is the right one?
eno818: In addition, how many "religious people" are "living in sin" (unmarried but living together, premarital sex, etc)

At least that's what I gathered.

- M4H
Click to expand...

Ahh yes...that was kind of implied with my original question but it clarifies it a bit.

*crickets*
 
Originally posted by: DougK62
Being agnostic, I think all three of those choices suck horribly.
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I was under the impression that the third choice WAS an agnostic stance.

Please tell me what you believe so that I can better understand.

Joe
 
Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Can we get Politics and News renamed to Politics, News and Religion?
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Without getting lengthy about it, THIS forum, the OT forum was created BECAUSE of a religious thread (Anand's direct involvement to have it created) AS A PLACE for religioius and other Off Topic things to be discussed! Don't bite the hand that fed you the forum!

Joe
 
So answer the question already: How do you decide which religion is the right one?
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You examine their writings for substance, historical accuracy, consistancy... what seems to be (as far as one can know) truth.

Were you looking for a scientific formula? Sorry... doesn't work like that.

Joe
 
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