Trying to figure out if I believe in g-d

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: TheBDB

Originally posted by: smokey7722

Originally posted by: TheBDB
What makes you believe in fate?

To tell you the truth, I really don't know. I have always believed the fact that all of us are here for a reason, and not just as humans. We are all here individually to do something. I have no proof but it is something that I have believed in as far as I can remember.

Well then you sound like a perfect candidate to believe in god too. It's all about blind faith in something that you can never disprove to make yourself feel better about what is truthfully a cruel universe.

Not cruel. Indifferent.

We as humans are collectively afraid of our lack of significance in a huge, indifferent universe. Hence the need for religion and for belief in something greater than we are that has designs for us.

 

[smokey7722]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
the way i see it, fate and god have nothing to do with each other. neither do fate and free will. We all control our own destinies, but our future control of them is written in stone the same way our past control of them was. basically the "slaughterhouse five" idea.

slaughterhouse five?

 

[edro]

Either you're an attention whore, or you have mental issues. Simply saying the word "God" is not a sin in any religion. If you were agnostic, you wouldn't have a problem saying any word.

 

[smokey7722]

Originally posted by: edro13
Either you're an attention whore, or you have mental issues. Simply saying the word "God" is not a sin in any religion. If you were agnostic, you wouldn't have a problem saying any word.

You are correct, simply saying it is not a sin. But writing it out in full, then destroying or abandoning it is.

 

[edro]

How is typing it in a forum destroying or abandoning it?

 

[TechBoyJK]

yes there is an all-knowing conciousness that governs the universe. Don't try and explain it. Every religion tells you that. Even the bible will say to not focus on what God is, because it is beyond us to fathom. Just have faith, and be at peace with yourself.

 

[GoingUp]

"There is not enough love and goodness in the word for us to be permitted to give any of it away to imaginary things."

-Nietzsche

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
"There is not enough love and goodness in the word for us to be permitted to give any of it away to imaginary things."

-Nietzsche

Nietzsche also said that he was ready to rule the world.

ZV

 

[edro]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
"There is not enough love and goodness in the word for us to be permitted to give any of it away to imaginary things."
-Nietzsche

Fredrick was the biggest Jew of them all...

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: edro13

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
"There is not enough love and goodness in the word for us to be permitted to give any of it away to imaginary things."
-Nietzsche

Fredrick was the biggest Jew of them all...

Nietzsche wrote many tracts regarding his high opinion of the Jewish people. A reading of Nietzsche's work reveals that he thought that the Jewish people were setting an example that should be followed by others.

Despite the popular association of Nietzsche with the nazi party, the simple fact is that Nietzsche's actual position, had he not been long dead at the time, would have been against the nazis and in favour of the Jewish people.

ZV

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: SWScorch
it seems to me that if you believe in fate, you must believe in some sort of force which governs the universe, vis a vis, god.

Point 1)
God != god
God is normally given as the term for the God of classical theism (ie: Christian/Jewish God).
god:
A being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people, especially a male deity thought to control some part of nature or reality.
The Egyptians had gods, the Romans had gods, Norse/Greeks etc.

This is the main issue of the ontological argument for the existence of God, it assumes that God is the definition for god, which it's not.

2)Also, if God gave people free will, how can you have fate, as fate suggests things are pre-determined, which suggests God did not give man free will, so the Bible is wrong. Or there is no such thing as fate.
Fate does not and in my opinion should not lead to belief in the God mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible.

3)And force that governs the universe !!= God or god either.

 

[sonambulo]

Do yourself a favor and read up on the origins of most popular religious texts, then when you're finished dig deeper and read up on how it's believed the notion of god came into existence. Then, make your decision.

 

[Cuda1447]

Didn't read thread just the OP.

This may be a bad place to look for advice, because there are ALOT of people here that don't believe in God, but beyond that will bash any christian they see, or anyone who defends their faith.


As for your belief. Im kinda in the same boat. I've been raised as a Christian my whole life, and went thru a phase where I was pretty religious. During that time I was around alot of other Christians, the thing that threw me off was this though: The Christians I was around claimed to have this feeling, something that made them know for sure God existed. Whatever you wanna call it, I think all religious people 'say' they have it. However, I think alot of people are doing it, because they want to believe in God, and so they act like they have it, hoping they will get it, assuming that everyone else really has it. If that makes sense. Ya, that feeling, I never had it. Never got it, tried pretty hard.


So I came to the conclusion that yes, God most likely does exist. And IMO there is probably a good portion of truth in the bible, whether it be literal or just the teachings behind the stories... but I don't think there is that feeling that you get. Who knows though, I could be way wrong.

 

[Tinkerhell]

Originally posted by: smokey7722
I'm not sure, generally i haven't capitallized g-d's name in years as I never really believed that there was one. But for some reason at the same time I believe that if I write g-d with the o, then erase/throw out/discard whatever i wrote it on, that it would be a sin...

That is correct, Jewish people don't spell out God for that reason.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Didn't read thread just the OP.

This may be a bad place to look for advice, because there are ALOT of people here that don't believe in God, but beyond that will bash any christian they see, or anyone who defends their faith.

Agreed. This place is a haven for militant atheists and definately the wrong place to seek any sort of spiritual advice.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: Tinkerhell

Originally posted by: smokey7722
I'm not sure, generally i haven't capitallized g-d's name in years as I never really believed that there was one. But for some reason at the same time I believe that if I write g-d with the o, then erase/throw out/discard whatever i wrote it on, that it would be a sin...

That is correct, Jewish people don't spell out God for that reason.

True to some extent. However there are many Jews who believe that you can write it on a computer screen, because it's just pixels not actual writing.

 

[Vanstorm]

I absolutely believe in god. I look at the world, the universe, everything around me... and there is absolutely no way that this all just happened... someone or something (god) with a great deal of intelligence had to have a part in the creation of it all. I have no doubt about that, a simple understanding of probability and all the conditions that have to be just right for life to be viable on this planet, and for all the interactions within the planet environment that sustain life... not to mention that life ever came to be in the first place...

I find it impossible to deny the existence of god. Whether that god is the God of the Bible, I do not know. That is my biggest pitfall so far in my quest for "Truth". Faith eludes me, and I'm not sure that the Bible is necessarily the truth... but to this point, I have no other conclusion to come to, so I act on that one for now, until further evidence convinces me otherwise.

 

[purepolly]

You are making it all to complex. You don't figure out god. Figuring is intellectual masturbation.

You just KNOW god. In your heart and soul.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: purepolly
You are making it all to complex. You don't figure out god. Figuring is intellectual masturbation.

You just KNOW god. In your heart and soul.

But intellectual masturbation is so fun and full of creamy goodness...

 

[Xionide]

god god god god god. IM GOING TO HELL! BWAHAHAHA!!!!

-Xionide

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: Vanstorm
I have no doubt about that, a simple understanding of probability and all the conditions that have to be just right for life to be viable on this planet, and for all the interactions within the planet environment that sustain life... not to mention that life ever came to be in the first place...

I have a simple understanding of probability and reached the opposite conclusion. There are billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars and billions of planets. It isn't that the odds were impossible of life randomly appearing on THIS planet, the odds were good of life appearing on A planet.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: smokey7722
Ok, so right off the bat, I'll give ya some info. I was raised Jewish, had a bar mitzvah and all that. However I always kinda figured myself as agnostic. Didn't tell my parents though. So now I am thinking bout stuff and it occurs to me, that with all that I believe in, I am contradicting myself. This is why:

1) I refuse to spell on g-d's name, hense putting a dash there. In the Jewish faith, if you write out g-d's full name, then erase/throw out/discard it, it is concidered a sin and for some reason I believe in this, even though I consider myself agnostic.
2) I do believe in fate. We are all born for a reason, not just because our parents were horny one night. That and everything happens for a reason. Everything I do/have done has some link to the reason I was born. I am not saying that every word I say, every thing I do, is planned. I feel that everything I do though links me to the reason I am who I am. Does that make sense to all of you?

To me, those two reasons are enough to make me realize that I actually DO believe in g-d. What do you all think? I really don't know if i do or not and I've been doing a lot of self reflecting lately.

Are you looking for people to affirm your faith or talk you out of it? If you are looking for advice here, it suggests to me that it's probably the later.

My advice is to follow your own heart.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I always deemed myself as 'questing'. Not atheist, or agnostic, or undecided. For 22+ years I've quested for what I can believe in, deeply studying most religions and philosophies along the way. Until last year I hadn't decided if there was any divinity whatsoever, be it monotheistic, eastern, collective-uncounscious, etc. Last year some things happened that clinched it for me...and now I know that there is a divinity, there is a responsive consciousness. I don't know enough yet to claim a particular religion as accurate, but I know that there is a God (or something equivalent) and it does want me to learn more about it and believe in it. That's good enough for me to focus my energies towards those pursuits.

What I'm saying is, no one could convince me...not with all the writings in the world. Watching my daughter be born didn't convince me, watching my mother die didn't make me need to fake a belief...it happened when it happened, and it had nothing to do with me trying to figure it out. It took more than two decades. I think that's ok. I think belief comes to each person in the way it has to for them to truly believe it, and understand it. And nothing we can do or say changes that. It's not between you and your parents, or your spouse, or your pastor (or rabbi)...it's between you and God, and he'll decide when and how you come to know him.

And I think, though others may disagree, that that's only the beginning. I have known very few people who's faiths didn't change somewhat over the years. I think that's the way it's supposed to be, constantly growing and evolving and looking for better understanding...just like a spouse struggles a lifetime for a better relationship with their significant other.

Just my feelings on it. Good luck to you.

You need to post more often. What was the reason for your extended hiatus anyway?

Or maybe I just need to step outside catid=38...

 

You have a better grasp on it than most.

Whatever you do, don't listen to what others have to say, unless they understand the flow.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
I always deemed myself as 'questing'. Not atheist, or agnostic, or undecided. For 22+ years I've quested for what I can believe in, deeply studying most religions and philosophies along the way. Until last year I hadn't decided if there was any divinity whatsoever, be it monotheistic, eastern, collective-uncounscious, etc. Last year some things happened that clinched it for me...and now I know that there is a divinity, there is a responsive consciousness. I don't know enough yet to claim a particular religion as accurate, but I know that there is a God (or something equivalent) and it does want me to learn more about it and believe in it. That's good enough for me to focus my energies towards those pursuits.

What I'm saying is, no one could convince me...not with all the writings in the world. Watching my daughter be born didn't convince me, watching my mother die didn't make me need to fake a belief...it happened when it happened, and it had nothing to do with me trying to figure it out. It took more than two decades. I think that's ok. I think belief comes to each person in the way it has to for them to truly believe it, and understand it. And nothing we can do or say changes that. It's not between you and your parents, or your spouse, or your pastor (or rabbi)...it's between you and God, and he'll decide when and how you come to know him.

And I think, though others may disagree, that that's only the beginning. I have known very few people who's faiths didn't change somewhat over the years. I think that's the way it's supposed to be, constantly growing and evolving and looking for better understanding...just like a spouse struggles a lifetime for a better relationship with their significant other.

Just my feelings on it. Good luck to you.

You need to post more often. What was the reason for your extended hiatus anyway?

Or maybe I just need to step outside catid=38...

I try to post as often as possible, but I'm often busy. Which extended hiatus are you referring to?

Kristin