Why God(s)? Why Not? Arguments for:

[MarkCharles]

"The idea of an all-controlling, caring supernatural god is a very attractive one. It can make our mortal lives seem less frightening, more comforting. Somebody’s in control and won’t let bad things happen to us. Many gods also promise that we can go to Heaven after we die, to live forever in some sort of bliss.

The idea of a god is also an easy answer to questions about the world around us. It satisfies a need that many people have where they would rather be certain than right. Where did the universe come from? A god created it. Where did life come from? A god created it, too. Where did humans come from? A god created us, and in his own image, to boot.

For almost all believers, it's not just “a god” that they believe in. They believe in a particular god (or set of gods).

Religious philosophers have tried for thousands of years to prove that there is a god or many gods. They have come up with many arguments. We will look at these arguments. Because I live in a largely Judeo-Christian society, when I refer to God with a capital ‘G’ I will be referring to the Judeo-Christian god Yahweh (a.k.a. Jehovah) and probably the Muslim god Allah. This god is male and is typically defined as having free will, and being omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), omnibenevolent (all-good), perfect, eternal, and unchanging. This god also created the universe and is separate from the physical world while still intervening in the physical world. After all, what good is a god that doesn’t do anything? "

http://tinyurl.com/2zftk

[truedelphi]

1. The main problem that I see many of us having with the idea of God

Is that the Fundamentalists have taken over the construction of the details of this God.

Before the Reformation, the Catholic notion of God at least created a side alter for God's very powerful Mother, Mary. And through that allowance, women had someone to focus on. A marvelous peak at what this meant comes about in the final pages of the book "The Mists of Avalon."

A Christian I deal with, who is very knowledgeable about Monsanto and its destructiveness, continually worries about my not becoming a "re-born Christian." Perhaps I would, were that movement not so focused on the words of a man named Paul, by which all manner of things are justified - the wars against Muslims (Who did not even exist at the time of Christ or Paul,) hatred and fear of gays. (These Christians always say there is no hatred involved, and that they are only "afraid" of Muslims and gays. But if a person ends up dead on account of fear, does it matter?)

"Christians" also focus on The Old Testament. Which is a book that if the other parts of their faith are in tact, would teach them that Jesus the Anointed One came to his life to upturn that book, and negate all its harsh notions of "an eye for an eye" "spare the rod and spoil the child," stoning women for adultery (but not any men!) and also its unconditional endorsement of slavery.

I see the whole problem of Christianity as being the fact that most Protestant Fundamentalists are stuck on Paul and the Old Testament - and only spend a mere eight percent of their time reflecting on Christ.

[elocs]

2. You're quite the busy thread starter here. Giving rug a run for the money? n/t

[rug]

5. Please, the difference is not quantity bu quality.

:)

[cleanhippie]

7. So which one are you striving for?

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rug]

4. Oh I know that site. It promotes a video that Christians are delusional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVuw1wEuaAQ&feature=related

[cleanhippie]

8. And?

Are you disagreeing with the premise?

[rug]

9. Yes. Anyone claiming that knows less about delusions than Christianity.

Not to mention psychotic episodes.

[cleanhippie]

10. uhm, if you say so, I guess.

I will defer to your personal expertise on the subject.

[truedelphi]

6. One other thing: the belief in any deity is a matter of faith.

People who have very advanced notions of science have been known to believe in the Deity.

As well as the simple minded.

And no logical argument can disturb someone of faith, nor is a belief based on faith required to pass some litmus test of logic.

My dad, who was one of the most moral and kinder people in my life, said this once, regarding his stance of agnosticism: "When I die, if the Big Guy is indeed up there, I certainly won't be wasting eternity arguing with him."

[trotsky]

11. That first paragraph is key.

The universe is, by all accounts, a very cold and uncaring place. I can't blame believers for wanting to cling to something to make things all better.

[MarkCharles]

13. Once you're above about 7700 feet, in the winter, or below ground a mile or two

it's a very cold place to be, unless you're below ground around some geologic intersection of fault lines.

One has to wonder if the concept of a hell didn't emerge from survivors' visions of volcanic eruptions, seeing a "hell" come out of the "underworld".

All of these myths about heaven and hell have logical explanations.......we actually DO see people descend to a hell, when a volcano erupts, we see them ascend to a "heaven" when we see their facial images in clouds, a much more common occurrance than seeing some guy fall into the ridge of a volcano.

[Silent3]

14. Only around 3°K on average.

That's pretty damned cold. I'm not sure what units to use to measure how little caring the universe contains, however. :)

[Major Nikon]

12. God didn't make man; man made gods

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/18/opinion/la-oe-thompson-atheism-20110718