Does God Exist?

[Belthus]

All the argument about "God" is about a word. Usually, the thing comes first, and then we come up with a name for it. Oh, look, there's a dog, there's a bird, there's a building, there's Sara Jones. We don't say, look, there is the wizard Harry Potter, unless it's a fantasy cosplay convention. Harry Potter is part of a story, so there is a name without a corresponding reality. Same with God. People didn't see a god and name it. They made up some stories to explain things they didn't understand, or to make them feel better about the shi-tty aspects of life. Just as it's useless to search for Harry Potter, it is useless to search for God.

That's not to say that stories can't be important. Good stories tell us about ourselves, about the world around us, about the human condition. To argue about whether Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker are real would be a waste because you would be overlooking what is really valuable in those stories.

[Daxx]

Socrdawg, thanks for answering (and putting in the effort). It's a fascinating topic to explore, so hopefully when I have a bit more time later we can discuss it further. There's plenty of interesting stuff down this rabbit hole yet.

[Demagog]

Everything has a +/- haha... but let's not get too far off topic... although I am considering just making a "culture" topic. Or something related... sociology, anthropology... *shrug*

[Demagog]

We live in a world with so many different cultures, there is bound to be clashes every now and then. I'd say the same is true for religion. Everyone believes so strongly (except agnostics lol) about their "religion," even atheists, that people are basically ethnocentric in regards to whatever they believe. But just like with all other cultural practices, we must realize that people who practice a certain faith are not stupid for believing in something they can not perceive, nor is their religion bad just because it is not our own. While the goal of the religions I know of is to convert everyone to that religion, I believe we should still have respect for those who believe something other than what we believe.

Assuming globalization continues, I feel the world will be at "peace" culturally.

This post is semi-off-topic, but I didn't think it was worthy of its own thread and since this is "my" thread, deal with it :-p

[Forfeit]

Agreed, but I think globalization might have negitive impacts too.

[Forfeit]

All the argument about "God" is about a word. Usually, the thing comes first, and then we come up with a name for it. Oh, look, there's a dog, there's a bird, there's a building, there's Sara Jones. We don't say, look, there is the wizard Harry Potter, unless it's a fantasy cosplay convention. Harry Potter is part of a story, so there is a name without a corresponding reality. Same with God. People didn't see a god and name it. They made up some stories to explain things they didn't understand, or to make them feel better about the shi-tty aspects of life. Just as it's useless to search for Harry Potter, it is useless to search for God.

That's not to say that stories can't be important. Good stories tell us about ourselves, about the world around us, about the human condition. To argue about whether Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker are real would be a waste because you would be overlooking what is really valuable in those stories.

: ) True

[Forfeit]

Everything has a +/- haha... but let's not get too far off topic... although I am considering just making a "culture" topic. Or something related... sociology, anthropology... *shrug*

Don't forget crazy people study, we have a big enough group of people to test that one with. xD Jk.

[CB!]

Firefox is free!

Wtf?! I want my 50 bucks back!

Ha... that made me laugh...

[Forfeit]

Lol, I have a sense of humor, I laughed before being concerned, and the concerned thing was just a joke anyway- wondering where youd go to pay 50 dollars when its suppose to be free. If the answer to that is really obvious, keep in mind I don't use firefox.

P.S. So, can I have a lollipop now?

[Forfeit]

Firefox is free!

Wtf?! I want my 50 bucks back!

Ha... that made me laugh...

Really, it made me concerned... after the laugh.

[Scaredgirl]

Firefox is free!

Wtf?! I want my 50 bucks back!

Ha... that made me laugh...

Really, it made me concerned... after the laugh.

If it did, then the only thing we should be concerned about is your lack a sense of humor.

But then again one guy on this forum believed that lollipops can come out of your disc-drive (no joke) so I guess anything is possible.

[Belthus]

There are some theories about what happened before the Big Bang, or what the larger context is. They are very speculative, so no one can say much with any degree of certainty on the subject. Maybe someday there will be some testable propositions.

Arguments from ignorance are invalid. There are many gaps in our knowledge, and they do not imply a god. There are many rocks under which we haven't looked, and I don't hold my breath in anticipation of God or a leprechaun or a hobbit hiding underneath the next rock we turn over.