GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 21, 2005 11:24:05 GMT -5
I’ve pondered the existence of God to hell and gone. While the conclusions I’ve reached may be wrong, they seem as close to truth in my mind as I’ve been able to find from any external source.
I think that “God” is more of an event than a physical or existential being that’s omnipresent. “God” is what makes plants grow, what makes the sun shine, what makes beer taste good, etc…
I worry that religion, or any manner of theism, attempted a long time ago to try and explain things that are far beyond our scope of understanding in our current evolutionary state. By that I mean, have a look at “miracles.” You show pre-historic man a Bic lighter and he freaks. You show a bunch of superstitious folks any event beyond their scope of personal experience, and they’re more often than not flummoxed into genuflection.
I feel that all theism is nothing more than an easy answer to something we are just not capable of understanding yet. The vast schisms and endless interpretations of all manner of scriptures points to this.
The closest I’ve come to a satisfying answer is quantum physics. If you haven’t seen the film “What the Bleep Do We Know,” check it out. It does a fine job of tying reality and spirituality into a tangible whole that actually makes sense... sort of. In fact, I may attempt a thread on just that at some point when I have more time, (unless it’s been done, if so, let me know, and I apologize ahead of time for the redundancy).
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Post by vertigo on Apr 21, 2005 13:22:06 GMT -5
Morrie had a good saying: "When you're in bed, you're dead!". Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees, so they say. This endless searching and questioning and they can't see the obvious answer staring at them.
God is a figment. It's time to see life without the blinkers, and to start living it.
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 21, 2005 13:29:18 GMT -5
Morrie had a good saying: "When you're in bed, you're dead!". Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees, so they say. This endless searching and questioning and they can't see the obvious answer staring at them. God is a figment. It's time to see life without the blinkers, and to start living it. Ya. And I'll agree that my "theory" is more an exercise in semantics than anything else. I think the theists are looking for answers where there are either none, or they're so beyond their scope of thought as to be supernatural.
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Post by solidsquid on Apr 21, 2005 19:42:23 GMT -5
I think Aristotle beat ya to it.
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 21, 2005 20:18:04 GMT -5
I think Aristotle beat ya to it. Cool. I think I slept through that class.
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Post by Dragon*of*Heaven on Apr 23, 2005 0:48:50 GMT -5
Gods are us. Interesting name btw. It is a nice theory but alow me to give you another one. If you have not read any of my stuff then you may not know. I like to use imagination and charicterization.(ie I like to make people use there imagination to see another idea)
Lets try this idea out for size. You are the first man (as evolved as you and me or almost) now you look up to the sky and see the sun) it is bright and hurts your eyes. You walk in and out of the shade and find that it is warm. Then you reach out to touch it and grab air. Now because you dont have an understanding on the subject of astronomy not to mention distances and physical science you cant explain this phenominon. So that you can go on with life you say it is a God. You look up and see a blue sky you try to touch it becuase you think it is prity. Unfortunitly you again get air. so th is too must be a God this is not to mention a variety of other things. I must ask you now do you see where I am going? Now over time we have evolved further. We have even decresed the amount of Gods to one.
But still we pray to a being of our fathers fathers fathers etc creation. It is to suppress the feeling inside of us. That little feeling that says you are alone aside from these people that are with you in this lonly world (i dont undersatand how 4 billion people are on the earth and people have to dwell on being lonely. Get off your but and find some one if your lonely but dont ignore your own feelings. Just because you fear some thing or cant explain it dont Just put it off as being an act of God. Dont be afraid of knoledge for it is when man stops his will to learn that he stops matureing, and then becomes a shell of what he could be. DONT BE AFRAID OF KNOLEDGE.
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 23, 2005 9:30:52 GMT -5
DONT BE AFRAID OF KNOLEDGE. And I agree that’s the crux of it all (or at least the lion’s share). I can’t understand how someone would consciously choose to suspend their quest for knowledge. Stop learning, stop living. If you believe God has all the answers, it’s an easy leap to take. Like lemmings I guess.
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Sandy
Maverick's Chew Toy
Posts: 37
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Post by Sandy on Apr 23, 2005 10:49:43 GMT -5
I agree, "Gods R Us" Religion is a waste of time and was designed to keep tribal members mentally sedated. I believe the religous right wants to bring this crap into the schools to do the same thing; turn off their brains, keep them from wandering too far into another level of intelligence.
If Americans want this religious crap taught in the schools then I can only hope private secular schools will open that will focus on science, math and all forms of technology.
I feel we must not allow this mental sedation to be a part of our education curriculum or we will die as a species. Every 10 years or so, we get another message that the end is near. What is it now, some time in 2009? Masses of people will meet to pray in the millions while we continue to kill Muslims in the Middle East. Where is the outrage?
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 23, 2005 11:38:48 GMT -5
If you'd like to stare into the abyss, go to www.raptureready.com and look at their bulletin board. Alarmingly, it gets a hell of a lot of traffic.
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Post by Dragon*of*Heaven on Apr 24, 2005 22:43:42 GMT -5
To further answer your question Godsareus I found the answer when I figured it all out. You see my family is catholic on one side and I think methodist on the other. I was raised as a catholic but i have been questioning it since I was five. I have found that even to a reasonable person it is very frightening. Lets face it can any of us who dont belive in a God say that the accepting of this was not frightening. You see you should not rage and yell at those who are in religion but pitty them and keep thinking for your self. (at least till the day when we just through them all into a space ship and let them meet oblivion.) ~^!^~
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 25, 2005 9:13:17 GMT -5
To further answer your question Godsareus I found the answer when I figured it all out. You see my family is catholic on one side and I think methodist on the other. I was raised as a catholic but i have been questioning it since I was five. I have found that even to a reasonable person it is very frightening. Lets face it can any of us who dont belive in a God say that the accepting of this was not frightening. You see you should not rage and yell at those who are in religion but pitty them and keep thinking for your self. (at least till the day when we just through them all into a space ship and let them meet oblivion.) ~^!^~ I agree with the need for pity of those of blind faith. However, in my heart I feel they should just be left alone. Sadly, many religious folk don't share the same empathy with non-believers. My only sibling (sister) is convinced I'm going to hell, and has chastised me to that end. For years, the only Christmas/Birthday gifts from her were obviously purchased in a Christian book/music store. What a tremendous waste of commerce. I finally told her to knock it off. It’s pretty much strained our relationship to a point of talking to each other only on birthdays…. maybe. It’s representative of a larger issue I think; how can we possibly relate to those who would fear their relationship with us based solely what we do (or do not) hold in our hearts as truth. It’s a damn shame.
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Post by solidsquid on Apr 25, 2005 10:07:53 GMT -5
For years, the only Christmas/Birthday gifts from her were obviously purchased in a Christian book/music store. What a tremendous waste of commerce. Maybe you should start a Christian book store and cash in on the whole deal, turn it in your favor. Jesus sells, man, Jesus sells. It is quite an odd thing. I witnessed someone's idea of me completely change in an instant when they found out I was an atheist. Almost as if within that couple of seconds I transformed into some beastly monster...pretty weird.
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 25, 2005 10:55:32 GMT -5
It is quite an odd thing. I witnessed someone's idea of me completely change in an instant when they found out I was an atheist. Almost as if within that couple of seconds I transformed into some beastly monster...pretty weird. Ya, and what I find most alarming is how you can almost sense their skin breaking out in gooseflesh when you tell them. C’mon folks, we're not animals. I had a local pastor pester my wife and I to join his church for two years. (He was sicced on us by a missionary we met at a garage sale right after we moved). I invited the pastor to our home and we talked at length. I told him we were still "searching." When I finally told him we just couldn’t join his church, he said "Oh, so you've found another church?" I said “no, we can not subscribe to any form of Christianity. And it would be wrong to join your church just to socialize.” I haven’t heard from him since. I’m not stupid by a long shot, but I can not for the life of me understand why Christians are so incapable of seeing outside of their beliefs? Man, we could start a whole new thread or even message board on this.
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Post by solidsquid on Apr 25, 2005 11:26:21 GMT -5
I’m not stupid by a long shot, but I can not for the life of me understand why Christians are so incapable of seeing outside of their beliefs? Man, we could start a whole new thread or even message board on this. Many see it as what you're "suppose" to belief, a simple submission to authority without question (par for the course with the whole faith thing). Others see the threat of Hell as a deterrant sufficient enough to "keep them in line." As for us non-believers, some see it as their duty, advocated in the bible, to save us for the foolishness of "turning our backs on god". It's been likened to someone getting ready to jump off a cliff and they see themselves as saving us from jumping. That's just some of the thinking that goes on.
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GodsAreUs
Seasoned Citizen
If you fail to question anything, you may be had by everything.
Posts: 215
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Post by GodsAreUs on Apr 25, 2005 11:31:57 GMT -5
Sooooo Where does clear-headed cognition fit in? I guess there's no place.
*Please note rhetorical intent above*
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