God Isn't Real

If you are looking to find God in religion you may find impurities. Even the most positive inspiration can be misinterpreted. You will not find God under a microscope and you are not likely to find God with a telescope. I cannot see how a concrete physical being can find God at all. I believe that many who do not believe in a supreme being, believe in a conscience. What is the source of a conscience in a totally observable natural world?
How many of us are truly comfortable in a world of the survival of the fittest, void of spiritual compassion?

Survival of the fittest because so far, that's how everyone is performing.

So you believe a conscience is a social program?

Are you happy that society has programed some not to take from you what is yours?

Did your right to life begin when you left the womb or was it sometime before?

In my opinion, I do believe in a higher power, but I just don't know what it is..I guess you can say I'm agnostic, infact that's exactly what I am.

I'm not going to debate the validity of God, cause smarter people than anyone in here, myself included have tried and they always end up in the same place.

Faith has no logic and the history of religions thousands of years old can't accurately be proven enough one way or the other to stand up to a serious debate. You can see then I hope how 90% of these discussions end up.

What I would say is this. If Religion didn't exist, would you make it up? Would you invent the Catholic religion? Or how about this. If as a fully aware and intelligent adult you walked into a used book store, having never heard of the bible and you just picked it up. Would you really think it was the divine word of some God?

I don't know anyone who believes in Christianity who came to it as an adult who wasn't suffering from some serious life issues and still accepted it. They were either suffering from a marriage breakup, depression or some drug addition. I don't say that to be offensive, it's just my experience. It's either that or they had it hammered into them as children, which I think it morally wrong.

Children should not be taught about religion until they are at least 14, let them get some life experience and logical thinking to review anything you bring to them.

Although if I were totally against religion I would be looking for evidence that all religious people are irresponsible, I would not want to point out that many religions have amassed much power and property

I believe that humans are spiritual beings and are capable of having romantic ideas about things that you cannot measure in a laboratory such as faith hope and love.

If I write a good love poem it will get a great deal more attention that an explicit poem designed to arouse animal lust

Some would say that naming a club after a deceased poet could also attest to poet's admiration of the spirit that survives a physical death

Even if I believed religion was only the opiate of the people I would still maintain it is a healthy substitute for unnatural chemicals

I see the three choices as being; sobered up, locked up, or covered up.

So you believe a conscience is a social program?

Are you happy that society has programed some not to take from you what is yours?

Did your right to life begin when you left the womb or was it sometime before?

^^^^

A conscience is more related to manners. Something people are taught what's right and wrong and decides whats right and wrong so they dont do it.

Again, with the second question, it's more related to manners.

Last, my right to life is more of when i find my true purpose. Until then everyone might just be living. But a life always has a right and purpose so it should never be taken.

So do you think other social creatures such as ants evolve manners for goodness sake?

Is there a way to prove what is right and what is wrong?

You can say earth was created from the big bang, can you explain how all this universe was made? if nothing made it? think about all the galaxies...

how did they exist? where did they come from? there are sooo many questions...

im not judging you not coz u dont believe in God, you just cant understand it, thats why!

but you cant say God isnt real, if you don;t have REAL proof, coz the big bang is not real proof...

think about it, people that dont believe in something simply just dont undestand there consept... thats all...

i believe that God exist, coz if you think about it, how did all this happened if God didnt put it there?

just questioned ur self more, and try to find answers, about how everything was made, and question your self more about the big band, .... galaxies everything, try to find an answer to how all this was made... !!!

and besides u cant believe any book you read coz it was written by MAN right ? :)

Oh my goodness. -_-

My question is how come anyone has to believe in anything? Just because one chooses not to believe in God or religion doesn't mean they couldn't grasp it or prove it, because God cannot be proven, it just means it was not for them. It is easy to sit back and say there has to be some great creator who has a plan for us, to look beyond that, to your own truth takes courage and strength, especially when it lays outside the realm of the neat little box we like to shove life into.

"and besides u cant believe any book you read coz it was written by MAN right ? :)"

Depends on the man and their intentions.

"im not judging you not coz u dont believe in God, you just cant understand it, thats why!"

That's too funny.

Okay, now no one can show you an angel or prove that Jesus exists. But what we have is called FAITH, believing in something we can't see. Jesus said, blessed are those who don't see but believe. We live life for a purpose, not just to die after. Isn't wonderful to know there is a perfect life longer than a billion years waiting for us after we die, if we follow Jesus' ways? And our soul would rise up to Heaven, while our Earthly body is left behind. <My Beliefs, so please don't get at me saying, how do you know that for a fact?

I Have FAITH!!!!

Go Jesus, Almighty Creator Of Heaven And Earth!

I Love You Jesus With All My Heart And Place You Before Everything, For You Are The Way, The Truth, And The Life!!!

I Believe That You, Jesus, Will Grant Me Salvation And Eternity In Heaven If I Obey Your Commandments. Thank You For Creating Me!!!!!

Has anyone noticed, the more zealous and fervant a person gets, the less sense they make? Or is that just me.

For anyone who believes in God, you must feel that we, the non believers are missing something. We feel the same about you.

Here for me is the glaring difference.

God is a pretty amazing and fantastical concept, it's a paranormal,mystical idea that is soooo amazing, it requires amazing proof....not faith...proof or evidence that is not subjective.

Believers believe because they have faith. Faith means to believe in something despite lack of evidence, you use faith to cover the lack of reasons to believe,and once you do believe you find reasons to back it up. Like for example the complex eco system we have on earth.

Non believers look for evidence and facts before believing, and since there aren't alot of these things to suppport Christianity, we don't have the faith needed to make that leap.

Maybe if Religion hadn't held back Scientific advancement so much we'd all have the proof about God one way or another..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gxc0XEoQpQ

a very interesting documentary.

For anyone who believes in God, you must feel that we, the non believers are missing something. We feel the same about you."

I don't think so, I believe that you must have believed that somehow God hasn't answered your calls, therefore he does not exist.

I realized the neutrality of the situation, and funnily enough I understand that this life is all about the neutral. You cannot assert God's existance, yet you cannot discredit him as well. However once you look at the differing religions you'll understand that maybe all these similarities has some point to establish

As for scientific advancement hindered by science. I ask you look again...It is because of religion that science advanced the way it did... I mean even Darwin was a christian before he became an agnostic.

Non believers look for evidence and facts before believing, and since there aren't alot of these things to suppport Christianity, we don't have the faith needed to make that leap"

I mean if you believe in the essence of objectivity, why not read the multi-tudes of books devoted to each culture's religions and from it make a comparative study on the similarities. That way, you'll come to understand God. I mean its just a matter of where to look...I mean its arrogant to assume that God would suddenly show himself to you to make you take back all the malarky you said about him...

Assertion that God exists comes from thousands of years worth of books, mythologies, philosophy,ontology and theology. Nothing more, nothing less...

God is a scapegoat.

I don't know of any religious person who REALLY is 100% commited to The Lord through their actions."

Wouldn't they be called Saints if they actually commited a 100%?

Its funny how you're so hard on people who are relatively human?

Lighten up and leave them be...

I somehow feel from the reaction believers get from non-believers, that there is a stigma on God. Many believers believe that God is love and love is good. I have observed on this site that the "love poem" section gets the most attention. I wonder what kind of reaction this post would have gotten if it read Love is not real?

P.S. I guess you could call me a hypocrite because I was awarded a gold trophy on another site for a poem I wrote about Nephi, and I am not 100% sure Nephi was real.

"I somehow feel from the reaction believers get from non-believers, that there is a stigma on God."

lol Let's not pretend the same can't be said about the reaction non-believers get for having their own thoughts and feelings. I don't think anyone's problem is with God Himself, but those who claim to represent Him.

Well if by a miracle someone could find enough evidence to convict me of being a Christian you would have my apology of being a poor representative

^Excuse me, I am truly not a hypocrite, and I actually try to do my best as a Catholic, yes we mess up, we are only human. I'm not one to blame God or anything and I truly believe in him with all my heart. Really, not just saying that, believe me. So sometimes my faith might waver, Jesus never said it would be easy.

And you who called me that, please don't jump down my throat like that, you don't know me or know what I do, okay? Don't just say you people are hypocrites, you don't know, okay? You don't know those people's hearts and what's between them and God alright? So stop judging please! My faith is my life, I cherish it with all my heart. None of this life would be possible without God, don't believe me, well I know if I stopped believing in God and said I didn't need him, it would be hard. We truly do need Jesus in our daily lives, he helps us through life and shows us meaning and understanding. Please don't roll your eyes at my words, I am just trying to preach and teach as Jesus wanted all of us to, no matter what you call me, never will I give up believing in God.....

Lol Michael you're not the center of the universe, well not mine anyway, I wasn't calling you a bad representative of anything, if it was my comment you were responding to.

"Well I know if I stopped believing in God and said I didn't need him, it would be hard"

Life is hard regardless of ones beliefs.

I'm not??????????

I know it's shocking for us all when we come to that realization lol

Remember this is a discussion, stay calm.

Actually I think everyone is relatively calm and the responses have been nice for the most part. A change of pace for this kind of thread.

Noir, I'd love for you to show us all how Religion has done more to advance Science that is has holding it back.

Please go right ahead.

I assume all the believers in here also believe in Santa clause, AKA father Christmas?.

No? Cause clearly the idea of a man travelling around the whole world dropping presents into every house is ridiculous right?

BUt a devil who used to be an angel causing all the evil in the world whilst at the same time a God up in heaven who can hear all our thoughts...well that is very likely.

Noir, the reason most religions have striking similarities is because people keep making the same mistakes, and almost all religions came from sunworship.

Fact.

That is a fact. Very good one too.

However, I don't see how a fallen angel can create ALL the evil in the world. We create the evil or something that no one can explain. A spirit or some sort. When people think of evil, they would think of a horror movie, torture, a harmful spirit. These are all done with different ways. The unknown ways and what humans actually do themselves. Evil.

The BIGGEST thing to really think about is the person who might be up somewhere in a place called heaven, listening to each and every one of our thoughts. Sound possible? How? It would sound like a swarm of bee's. Sure, maybe he shuts off a voice at a time, but by then one is done the next prayer is done too. How can that be possible?

It can be done with many gods. One prayer being filtered to a different subject then another (im just riding out of the lines, free thinking btw).

My question is, how. How can ANY of these things be possible? Talking snakes, nohas ark and 2 of each animal, baby from a Virgin, the north star individually shining a bean of light on the baby jesus.....or any baby at all. How.

It seems more mysterious to think of myself as a randomly evolved ape trying to figure out why my ancestors were so hung up on the golden rule and a higher power while we only credit our existence to a big bang

Are possibilities finite?

Yes Santa Claus is a fictitious character than has been exaggerated form of Saint Nicholas of Myra... However the idea of him giving generous gifts to those who truly deserved it remains intact... The same can go for the idea of God, he may be exaggerated however his existence can be asserted...

The use of logic categories such as space, time, cause and force is at the base of scientific thinking and they originate from religion... I will say that religion has lost its intellectual function, since we try to explain the world not through the bible or any other holy book but through evolution...

Religion fostered the idea that there is an internal connection to all things...

Lol... There's a quote that I love by Fritz Shafer " Its very rare that a physical scientist is truly atheist" ... Case in point Robert Boyle father of science being Angelican...religion gave law, philosophy and science... I can accept your disbelief in God, your entitled to that, however don't mock something you're ignorant of...Lol

All we know is a big story. An old thing that might have happened, might of didn't. We can't look back in the past to see a jesus, 'cause all we can do is look in the book. To look to the future/now...well...what's happening now? Is the future repeating itself in any way..

Afterlife exists, but the dead do not speak of a god.

Well Tia, I would have to agree with you objectively, or scientifically nobody can prove or disprove anything by arranging words on a screen. The role of science is to prove by empirical evidence natural phenomenon. I believe that God does not fall into the category ,and is not limited to natural phenomenon although philosophy has pondered metaphysics for centuries. If we examine modern science we will find Greek and Roman gods and goddesses in astronomy, chemistry, biology and psychology. Mythology has come to mean not real even though the natural phenomenon such as planets, elements medical terms such as Achilles tendon and Narcissism are real. I can only testify to the spiritual healings I have observed. The only ones that can lose are those who reject healthy spiritualism.

I don't know how to respond to that...

Christians can't go back. With something like this, without the proper facts of history, they can't do anything other then look at the story they NEED to make up. If christians ever wanted 2 change the bible, they would just end up rearranging it, making it even more improper. That history is gone. A book by man is left, which no one in the world can fix it's mistakes.

I doubt if there is any other book that has had such a profound effect on history as the collection of books or scrolls that have been translated so many different times as skeptics point out. Many behavioral scientist, better known as psychiatrist, have adopted the basic standard of right and wrong. I have many friends that claim to be agnostic and atheist that have a strong sense of a moral compass including the age of accountability

In many countries there are human zoos for people who cannot live by the guidelines known as laws. The accuracy of when the laws were made seem less important to me than the source.

I know of more people that got in human zoos by rejecting many moral laws that have not changed for centuries

Why is this topic still open? You're not going to change each others minds.

My father read it to me when I was younger. I've read the stories and a lot of things...just strike me.

^ Your right that it won't change anyone's mind. But the point of the topic is to discuss it. No one has to change my mind and I won't pull anyone away from what they believe either.

My apologies, there was a really similar thread a while ago so when i saw the title i thought it was the same one. They weren't really discussing...as much as being inflammatory.

Oh. well its fine here =]

Okay I have read throught this whole thing pretty much and I back up both sides because they are fighting for what they believe in. I myself do not believe in one particular "God". Every religion I have researched are almost the same thing and I like key points in all of them. But with the Big Bang Theory, yeah people might say it happened but is there really proof? And with the God made everything theory, how do you know this? Where did God come from to begin with? Who knew he even existed? What did he do suddenly come down out of knowhere and whispered into someones ear saying "I am God, worship me?" This is what I don't understand. And I have read the Bible and I have also gone to a Catholic school, and I still don't totally believe.

I feel the only way we can discuss God is to understand the difference between God and church A church is an institution and institutions are prone to error

The first lesson I was taught is that God always was and always will be

Anyone that uses the bible solely as a scientific document, or translates it as such seems to be missing the point.