[Debate] Is God real? [Religion] (445)

1 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-07-01 19:02 ID:4LYwyQQi

To start off on a debate since it is allowed, I am going to go with one of the main subjects that appear in most people's discussions. Is God real?

RULES
-No flaming or trolling. Emphasis on flaming. Keep the argument down to a mild level.

-Back up what you say. I know it's hard for this, but don't just say something like "God is fake". Tell WHY you think God is fake, and use science to back it up if you have to. If you want to say "God is real", then the same goes for you. If you are going to use sources, then make sure they are credible, not just from someones blog (unless they source on that, and THAT source is credible).

-Keep this as mature as possible. This is basically like repeating the first rule, but don't let your emotions/beliefs get in the way of your argument. It makes you and your whole case look childish.

STARTING ARGUMENT:
God is not real because there is no scientific proof that he ever existed and did what he did (create people, make the world, etc.).

231 Name: Not 226 : 2007-10-10 05:56 ID:Heaven

> timeline is spurious

Your post is a little hard to understand, but I'm guessing this is your main counterargument.

Why do you say the timeline of the fossil record is spurious? For the most part it's based on a very simple principle of geology, the law of superposition - in layman's terms, this law states "new dirt is deposited on top of older dirt." Extrapolated, the meaning is "new dirt containing new fossils is deposited on top of old dirt containing older fossils." Do you disagree with this?

There's a bit of radiometric dating involved, but carbon-14 decays to undetectable levels at around 60,000 years, and there are few other isotopes suitable for dating fossils and sediments. Geological evidence is the primary tool for constructing the timeline of the fossil record.

> Which new species are you talking about?

Those species that are present today, but are not present in the fossil record. Where did they come from?

232 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-10 07:50 ID:Heaven

>>225

Evidence:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6548719.stm

Will you say that god just happened to have recycled a protein from his protein database?

233 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-10 12:01 ID:Heaven

>>227

Oh, did that site have too much proof for you, so you had to ignore it? Ok, just pretend I copy-pasted all the contents on that site, and start refuting.

234 Name: proofthatgodexists.org : 2007-10-10 14:30 ID:Bdiw1dN3

>>231

My main counter-argument to your proof in my post (not my main counter-argument to evolution) would be #4. Your proof relies on the assumption that God DID NOT create the different species. This is 'question begging.'

As to your question - surely you are not suggesting that every species which goes extinct is fossilized somewhere? Fossilization requires very specific conditions. Otherwise people, like people in this forum, would say that we all evolved from less than one neanderthal man. Oh, and God created them.

235 Name: proofthatgodexists.org : 2007-10-10 14:33 ID:Bdiw1dN3

>>232

You are joking right? That is your proof for evolution??? How in any way does that prove that a dinosaur became a chicken?

236 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-10 21:39 ID:Heaven

>>235

It is more reliable than the belief of a cosmic Jewish zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as youy master so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.

237 Name: not an Athiest : 2007-10-11 01:41 ID:Heaven

> the god of atheism

Strawman. Atheism rejects all gods. This is the very definition of the atheism. Whether it's logical or scientific is up for debate. But we're not debating the validity of Atheism, we're debate the existence of God. (Yes, there is a large difference)
The comparison is invalid because time is not a god in any scientific sense. It's finite, limited in 'power', has no worshippers, and likely will one day cease to exist. We can also see it's effects, so we know it's real or 'real enough'.

You may be confusing atheism with science. They are not mutually exclusive, but are not the same.

> a dinosaur became a chicken?

Strawman. This is the same argument as monkeys 'becoming' humans. Not even creationists use this long-dead fallacious argument.

> Your proof relies on the assumption that God DID NOT create the different species. This is 'question begging.'

False. We also make the assumption that:

  • the world did not pop into existence spontaneously 15 minutes ago, with your fictional memories of it existing before then being fraudulent.
  • that other people do exist, have minds, and are not robotic shells
  • our nervous system (for the average person) reveals an reasonably accurate interpretation of the world around us

All these are reasonable assumptions. If any of these were true, we'd have to prove it was true. The same goes for any god(s) and/or goddess(es).
By making these assumptions, we have a foundation to base our beliefs on (all of science, religion, and philosophy). If you wish to reject these assumptions and invalidate all human knowledge, then we can further discuss our collective course of action here:
http://4-ch.net/general/kareha.pl/1165280951/

238 Name: Not 226 : 2007-10-11 03:18 ID:Heaven

In other words, the hypothesis that God is constantly creating new species without anyone noticing - like the other assumptions that >>237 listed - is (as far as I'm aware) completely devoid of factual evidence for and factual evidence against it, and thus beyond the domain of science altogether. It is not inherently false, but it's plain silly to try to disprove a scientific law by proposing it as an alternative.

Even if it were assumed to be true, I think it would be awfully curious how God created the various species in such a way that the fossil record shows us a clear evolutionary path of descent for nearly every one of them. Either that or He fabricated the fossil record completely. Is it all a divine joke, or some sort of test of our faith?

239 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-11 13:28 ID:Heaven

Once again, "proofthatgodexists.org" ignores arguments he can't answer. That's pretty immature.

You were given a list of proofs of macroevolution. Start refuting, or admit that you can't.

240 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-11 21:23 ID:Heaven

>>239
If you mean http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/, actually, it is a summary of evidence supporting macroevolution - not proofs of macroevolution. Many of the evidences are conveniently packaged with criticisms and alternate explanations, so proofthatgodexists.org wouldn't even have to do any extra research arguing against them; he can just parrot those which appeal to him most.

Not quite what we were looking for, I think. It's nice to see a fair, balanced and well-referenced webpage on the subject, though.

241 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-15 08:28 ID:d2mtC8lt

>Your proof relies on the assumption that God DID NOT create the different species. This is 'question begging

your proof relies on the assumption that the bible is completely true...yet you cant prove that either

242 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-15 23:38 ID:Heaven

I think ptgeorg has given up, let's not all pile-on and invite further recycled debate.

243 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-21 07:12 ID:m5Lt+BAw

more importantly why is god constantly proofing new species into existence only to kill them off a short time later

i can only think of 3 explanations

god doesn't exist

god does exist but doesn't actively maintain the universe and most of the scientific view of the universes origin is correct

the creationist view is correct and the Christian god is just one sick fuck

244 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-10-21 12:04 ID:Heaven

I vote for permasage

245 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-02 13:21 ID:PNNmabw2

what i believe is god only exist in your heart not any kind of physical form. i've read somewhere, that the power of thought of many people if they think as one, eventually can make it come true... so maybe thats the thing with god, he came true because many people believe he's exist.

246 Name: 43 : 2007-11-03 10:22 ID:Heaven

>>245

Heart is a muscle. If you have something living in there then it is an infection. See a doctor.

247 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-04 10:37 ID:4EQjmEFW

We created God, he didn't create us. He is the sum of all unknowns.

>>245
Whenever people have no Idea how something happened, like how universe was created, or how something which seems impossible becomes possible for no apparent reason, it is called God.
People and societies are flat out assholes who never admit that they are clueless of the workings of the universe and cling to God to give them meaning to what they can find no meaning in.
Religion is like this set of instruction on top of millions of people's minds. Of course this will have uncontrolled effects which looks like have been a miracle or someshit, but are actually are done by the people as a whole. Only because they are a mass that believe the same thing.
/245

Another thing: why is it that we believe that logic can explain everything. Logic can be inherently flawed. Its just a system of thought that we regard as perfect and follow it. In other words, you can prove god exists with logic, and you can prove that it doesn't exist, hell, you can probably prove anyshit to anyone using logic , but either side of the argument you wont know you are right or wrong.

248 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-05 12:13 ID:HvlEs/7S

>>246

maybe you need to read all the thing that i post before actually write something... i didnt meant that god actually exist in your heart... i did write "not in any physical form" its in the form of believe. like,
>>247
just said. thats exactly what im trying to said.

249 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-05 18:02 ID:aTNZL+ZM

God did not create humans, humans created god.

250 Name: 43 : 2007-11-05 20:23 ID:Heaven

>>248

If it's a belief then it is a thought. The organ you use for that is the brain. Therefore, not the heart. The heart pumps blood.

251 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 02:36 ID:G9i970BS

>The organ you use for that is the brain.

Some people use instead their gonads for that. :)

252 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 03:14 ID:HvlEs/7S

>>250
dude, you're not going to say to your girlfriend "i love you with all my brain". you're gonna say "i love you with all my heart", i want to see you said option no.1 to a girl, i want to see what she thinks about you.

the same with belief, if you "think" that you want to believe something then. you gonna say that "im gonna believe you with all my heart" not "im gonna belief you with all my brain"....

my friend just ask a similar question: which came first, chicken or egg?

253 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 05:29 ID:G9i970BS

254 Name: 43 : 2007-11-06 11:03 ID:Heaven

>>252

Egg of course, evolutionarily chicken was not the first egg-laying animal.

255 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 12:47 ID:G9i970BS

In the sentence "which came first, chicken or egg?", the word "chicken" comes first. :)

256 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 14:23 ID:HvlEs/7S

>>253>>254>>255
back to topic,(make another topic about this chicken and egg thing, seems interesting isnt it?)

will you still gonna ask a girl "i love you with all my brain" ??

257 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 14:56 ID:Heaven

>>252
That is a phrase left over from older times. It is obviously not correct in a biological sense, but it is so commonly used to convey a message that it is still being used.

Back on the topic though, I do not know whether God is real or not. I do not know what religion is the "proper" one to follow. No matter if God is real or not, I try to live my life in a morally positive way.

258 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-06 18:05 ID:G9i970BS

The whole thread "Is God real?" is flawed, because the OP has not defined "God".

259 Name: 43 : 2007-11-06 20:09 ID:Heaven

>>256

>will you still gonna ask a girl "i love you with all my brain" ??

It's none of your business but I'll reply anyway. I've never told anyone "love you". And if were to say it I'd say just "I love you" without any cliché attached to it.

Let this thread die already.

260 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-11 19:32 ID:TrGhIJV1

>>259

Language is but a collection of clichés,... So if you wand to express your love without clichés, keep your mouth shut and do things ;-)

261 Name: 43 : 2007-11-11 20:55 ID:Heaven

>>260

Sounds good to me, I'll do it as soon as I find the object of my love.

262 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-11 23:02 ID:G9i970BS

I said "I love you" to a few girls but I never felt the need to append anything to it. YMMV.

263 Name: 43 : 2007-11-12 19:36 ID:Heaven

>>262

So that's the answer to whose question?
How is that related to the main to topic?
Let this thread die already.

264 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-12 22:29 ID:G9i970BS

Bump.

265 Name: 43 : 2007-11-13 05:55 ID:Heaven

>>264 LOL, how puerile.

266 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-13 12:46 ID:hIAzx7KC

Is some sort of divine being real or not? I think it's safe to say that the existance of such a being cannot be proven in anything even resembling a scientificaly acceptable way.
I also think that it's pointless to try to convince another person of it's existance/non-existance. When has anyone who's ever really made up their mind about it changed their mind because f points raised in a debate over it? I think maybe never. So I say this debate = completely pointless.

267 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-13 13:07 ID:G9i970BS

Yeah it's pointless, but as I said several times already in this thread that's because "God" is undefined.
For example if we define "God" as Nature and/or the Universe, then "God" is real, yes.
If we define "God" as a money-making scheme created by some fat priests since immemorial times to exploit the superstitious mortal man, then yes it's real.
If we define "God" as 42 ID:Heaven, then lol no, it's completely unreal.

268 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-15 03:08 ID:GrE4MZ48

omg another stupid debate on a stupid subject. why bother arguing? all youpeople are doing is trying to force your beliefs onto others. cant we all just live together and forget about who follows what religion and who believes in god?

Its called faith for a reason. that reason is that there is no proof for or against a god.

/thread

269 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-16 06:59 ID:xAlZd/i9

I haven't been here in a long time (think a year or more) and this was on the top so I'll respond to it. I'll be simple so I can be understood.

I know God exists, I've proven that he exists. It's simple and it's an experiment others can perform as well, meaning it's repeatable. Millions of people have done the experiment and found it valid and I've met literally hundreds of people in my lifetime that have proven the existence of God themselves. They are witnesses, as I am, of the existence of God.

We prove the existence of God by first asking if he's there. Then we have faith enough to do as he asks and we receive answers in the form of his intervention in our behalf.

It always works.

For example. Let me imagine that I'm testing whether tithing is a real principle given by God. I need to have faith enough to pay tithing. As I pay tithing I'm rewarded for my efforts. As I continue through a cycle of paying my tithing and receiving blessings I have then proven that tithing is real and came from God.

I don't have faith. Faith is the belief in something that cannot be proven. I have proven the existence of God. I pray, I read scripture, I feel his spirit in my life, I obey his commandments, I receive blessings and I understand them as miracles in my life which bring me closer to God, the cycle continues.

I no many others that have done the same and they too can tell you this. If you don't yet have faith enough to believe in God, perhaps you can have faith enough to believe in me and others like me who have proven the existence of God. I can show you how you can find out for yourself and prove his existence as well.

Simple.

270 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-16 11:48 ID:Heaven

So in other words, you say "God, my main deity, you up there?" and drop a dime in the box, the next time something good happens in your life, God must have done it for you as a way of saying "Yep. Here I'm is"?

271 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-16 14:30 ID:kk36wO1f

>>270

In principle it could work. Not I obey and something good happens, but some thing much much more specific. For example, if a Diety says "Don't eat Lobster, or you'll break out in blue polkadots", then what you do is eat lobster and look for blue polkadots.

However there are other plausible tests. For one, if a deity created the universe, all statements that that diety makes about the universe must be true. So if you checked the Book, and found false statements of physical fact -- that diety isn't real.

Or if the diety is said to be outside of time, he should be able to predict the future -- very very specifically. Not "There will be a disease outbreak" but "There will be an outbreak of a diease that strikes the immune system. This disease will kill 40% of the population of Earth." Not "Wars and Rumours of Wars" but "The Germans will take over half of Europe and throw Jews in ovens". In other words, specifics, names, dates, locations, events. And not in the poetic symbolic form either. Symbols can be interpreted after the fact to mean anything.

272 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-16 20:32 ID:Heaven

There is no evidence for a god, other than people thinking there is one because they like the idea of it and re-affirming this to each other. Let's drop this.

273 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-16 22:28 ID:aAQqNSam

Hey, this is the Science board... how about some Science?

Intercessory prayer and cardiovascular disease progression in a coronary care unit population: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of intercessory prayer, a widely practiced complementary therapy, on cardiovascular disease progression after hospital discharge.

CONCLUSIONS: As delivered in this study, intercessory prayer had no significant effect on medical outcomes after hospitalization in a coronary care unit.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=11761499

274 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-18 08:30 ID:Heaven

>>273
Proof that God hates people with cardiovascular disease.

275 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-18 21:44 ID:xAlZd/i9

>>270

The simple answer is yes that is correct. However it seems that you're not understanding or at least not accepting it.

I'll give you an experiment that you can try yourself and you'll receive the proof you're looking for. Tithing is a good one and it's been mentioned already. Tithing, simply enough, is a tenth. In this case a tenth of your income.

For the next year each paycheck you get I'd like you to pay 1/10th of your income to a church. Choose a good one, I don't want you donating to the Church of Satan because you think it's funny. A decent, good church that teaches good principles. Whether it be Shinto or Muslim or Christian donate 1/10th of your income to that church for 1 year. Pray while you do this to know if God is real with a desire to know. After a year you will see the change in your life paying tithing will bring. Prove God, he will show you he's there.

276 Name: 43 : 2007-11-19 09:54 ID:Heaven

>>275

Let's assume for a second that god does exist, how do you know he relies on church to mediate his/her/its will? What makes you think he/she/it even listens?

Here is a good experiment to validate yours, get a good sample population and have part of them donating to cheesus and another part to donate to the church of satan (assuming it exists) and another part wont donate at all. After rone year evaluate the the rate of "success" in you sample population even if it's on an arbitrary value (let's say 0-10) then do some stats and make an analysis of variance. If your god relies on some human institution to mediate his/her/its will then one of the sample populations will be significantly more "successful" than the others.

Now, this is a good experiment because you have controls. Now, go back to high school and learn how to develop a good hypothesis and a good experiment.

Also, be aware that my experiment does not test the existance of a god but goes on the assumption that a exists and thus tests that deity's acceptance of people through an institution.

277 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-19 13:08 ID:G9i970BS

>>275 This experiment will only prove that giving money to some perceived-to-be-worthwhile cause may give someone a better feeling than hoarding money for oneself, not prove the existence of some invisible being. There is no causality in this experiment.

278 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-20 16:36 ID:xAlZd/i9

>>276
>>277

>I've met literally hundreds of people in my lifetime that have proven the existence of God themselves. They are witnesses, as I am, of the existence of God.

Look, seriously, DO the experiment. I'll tell you it works. Hundreds of others can tell you it works. Just because you THINK it doesn't work doesn't mean you know anything. If you choose not to try and find God you won't ever find him and you're the one that has chosen to live in ignorance.

279 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-20 16:43 ID:Heaven

Don't foget to do the other half of the experiment. Stop tithing for a year and see if you see no sign of God around. After both years, compare your results.

280 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-20 20:21 ID:G9i970BS

Sex scandal hits Atlanta-area megachurch

"At its peak in the early 1990s, it claimed about 10,000 members and 24 pastors and was a media powerhouse. By soliciting tithes of 10 percent from each member's income, the church was able to build a Bible college, two schools, a worldwide TV ministry and a $12 million sanctuary the size of a fortress.

Today, though, membership is down to about 1,500, the church has 18 pastors, most of them volunteers, and the Bible college and TV ministry have shuttered — a downturn blamed largely on complaints about the alleged sexual transgressions of the elder Paulks."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_re_us/preacher_paternity_8

281 Name: 43 : 2007-11-20 20:26 ID:Heaven

>>278

>Look, seriously, DO the experiment. I'll tell you it works. Hundreds of others can tell you it works. Just because you THINK it doesn't work doesn't mean you know anything. If you choose not to try and find God you won't ever find him and you're the one that has chosen to live in ignorance.

SERIOUSLY, learn how to make an experiment. You have to take into account all possibilities before you can assume the cause of an event. Also, I don't live in ignorance but I live in logic.

Anyway, I promise I will perform your experiment as soon as you finish/repeat high school.

282 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-21 00:00 ID:G9i970BS

>>278

>try and find God

And once again, the variable "God" is undefined.
Compilation cannot proceed. Program aborted.

283 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-21 04:26 ID:xAlx3eVj

284 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-21 13:30 ID:kk36wO1f

>>281

But you have another problem. You haven't really defined what a blessing is. This makes the experiment worthless even if you do the control.

What you need is something specific, something that an outside observer will agree is a "blessing". For example, if we had identical twins, inject both with a disease of our choosing (nonfatal of course), we could have one tithe and the other not. If tithing works, tithing twin should heal faster than nontithing twin. Then we have something.

But just having a vague "something good will happen" means nothing. It's too subjective. I like sushi, my brother hates it. So if we both get sushi, I record it as positive, my brother records it as negative. That won't work in an experiment. You need something objective and publicly observable.

285 Name: 43 : 2007-11-21 20:20 ID:Heaven

>>284

See

>>276

>After one year evaluate the the rate of "success" in you sample population even if it's on an arbitrary value (let's say 0-10) then do some stats and make an analysis of variance

286 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-22 00:46 ID:aAQqNSam

You might as well spend 10% of your income at the casino.

287 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-25 01:41 ID:kk36wO1f

>>285

But in >>276 the success isn't specific. You can't do statistics on people rating whether or not they feel blessed or not. You'd need something specific, because the observers are biased. Someone who believes in God will feel "blessed" by something an athiest would call "lucky". So the same feeling gets a different result based on the bias of the observer.

Check cure rates on a disease and at least you've got something that isn't going to be a hit for believers and a miss for unbelievers. Bias in this case is going to piss all over any results you get if you're going to allow participants to self-rate.

288 Name: 43 : 2007-11-25 04:39 ID:Heaven

>>287

Then let me define success (like it matters for an experiment I won't perform):

-Health
-Good income
-No problems
-Happiness
-Satisfaction with their own lives in whichever terms means for each single participant

Happy? let this thread die now.

289 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-11-25 11:41 ID:GX1N8pXU

>>288. that's a miserable definition of success.
Nope, not happy. How about you die now, and we keep the thread alive?

290 Name: 43 : 2007-11-25 21:25 ID:Heaven

>>289
See
>>285
Do you happen to know the definition of arbitrary?
Or you just rant because you feel compromised to defend your absurd point?

291 Name: And now, SCIENCE!!JJYYs87i : 2007-11-26 01:32 ID:aAQqNSam

'SUPERSTITION' IN THE PIGEON
B. F. Skinner

A pigeon...is put into an experimental cage for a few minutes each day. A food hopper attached to the cage may be swung into place so that the pigeon can eat from it. A solenoid and a timing relay hold the hopper in place for five sec. at each reinforcement.

If a clock is now arranged to present the food hopper at regular intervals with no reference whatsoever to the bird's behavior, operant conditioning usually takes place. In six out of eight cases the resulting responses were so clearly defined that two observers could agree perfectly in counting instances. One bird was conditioned to turn counter-clockwise about the cage, making two or three turns between reinforcements. Another repeatedly thrust its head into one of the upper corners of the cage. A third developed a 'tossing' response, as if placing its head beneath an invisible bar and lifting it repeatedly. Two birds developed a pendulum motion of the head and body, in which the head was extended forward and swung from right to left with a sharp movement followed by a somewhat slower return... None of these responses appeared in any noticeable strength during adaptation to the cage or until the food hopper was periodically presented...

The conditioning process is usually obvious. The bird happens to be executing some response as the hopper appears; as a result it tends to repeat this response.

http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Pigeon/

292 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-12-08 12:28 ID:Heaven

Why is a thread about god in science anyway. Don't we have a place for religious dweebery yet? Pfft.

293 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-12-20 08:45 ID:vCC4Cje8

My experiment:
1)I walked into my kitchen grabbed a plate and placed it on the table.
2)I ask in a clear and loud voice "Attention god if you are omnieverything make a ham and cheese sandwich appear on this here plate!".
3)I wait 5 minutes.
4)I go into the fridge make a sandwich.
Conclusion:God couldn't make a sandwich but I could so that means if I can make a samidge and god can't that I am vastly superior to god and therefore he isn't omnifantastic or that I am in fact god but if I am god then why did I do the experiment?If I was god shouldn't I have known then if I am god yet I didn't know that would mean i'm not omnispectacular but if god isn't omniamazing..............

294 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2007-12-20 22:31 ID:Heaven

>>293

> "Attention god if you are omnieverything make a ham and cheese sandwich appear on this here plate!".

I just felt I had to get a post in here before the inevitable equally ham-fisted anti-evolution counter argument showed up.

295 Name: Definitely Not Gene Ray : 2007-12-27 11:47 ID:yUINSCtv

FROM: Anonymous Scientist
TO: >>1-294, et al.
CC: Jimbo Wales
BCC: Gene Ray; Rev. Sun Myung Moon

SUBJECT: RE: Is God Real? (REAL PROOF)

Gentlemen!

I am proud to announce that I have not very recently stumbled upon indefatigable proof that god, or really cool aliens, who would be roughly equivalent for all pratical means and purposes; do, does, did, and may have in fact existed at one point in the future!

Such proof MUST be observed first hand at http://www.timecube.com/ in a most rigorously and professionally scienctiferiffical fashion.

Apparently there is no way something of this magnitude could have come into existence naturally, without presupposing a form of ribonucleic base bonded with four-helix single-sided simultaneously rotational cubes; obviously we have every expectction to reproducibly prooved this as soon as we come down.

Thusly as such &c, the erudite MUST entertain the notion that there is something, Ergot Gratis: supranatural, afeet!

296 Name: Gene Ray : 2007-12-28 23:42 ID:yUINSCtv

>>295

Sometimes I really crack myself up.

297 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-01-03 17:30 ID:Heaven

>>293
Silly atheist, you didn't say what kind of bread you wanted the sandwich made with! God can't read your mind!

298 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-01-20 17:40 ID:CgcdUHVe

This thread brings the lulz.

Let's start from first principles. What is a "god?" What do we mean when we say the word? How do we define it? What attributes does a "god" have?

299 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-16 15:32 ID:Heaven

     | \
     |Д`)   No one is here.
     |⊂     I can dance now !
     |

     ♪  ☆
   ♪   / \    RANTA TAN
      ヽ(´Д`;)ノ   RANTA TAN
         (  へ)    RANTA RANTA
          く       TAN

   ♪    ☆
     ♪  / \   RANTA RANTA
      ヽ(;´Д`)ノ  RANTA TAN
         (へ  )    RANTA TANTA
             >    TAN

300 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-23 10:15 ID:EgFUT2Co

>>294 "Thou shalt not test the Lord your God."

301 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-24 16:24 ID:gS+jR63N

is which god real?
the christian one? Alah? Zeus? Quetzalcoatl?
any/all of them?

302 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-24 16:25 ID:gS+jR63N

the existence of a divine being cannot be scientificaly proven, or disproven.

303 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-24 23:08 ID:Heaven

>>302
winner

304 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-26 00:21 ID:WKrtv39H

>>302
Actually it can be proven; we just don't know how or if or whatever but God or the aliens who created us could well just appear in Earth tomorrow and thus it's scientifically proven. It just cannot be disproven.

305 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-26 05:22 ID:aAQqNSam

>>304
The question is: How can you be convinced that the being has divine power and not highly advanced technology?

306 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-26 18:56 ID:KDsr1daN

>>305
No, the question is: what does "divine being" even mean in a human context?

307 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-27 07:17 ID:Heaven

this thread has been going around in circles with people rising the same arguments over and over again, why don't you all read the whole thing before even thinking that you have something worth to say?

308 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-27 07:17 ID:Heaven

this thread has been going around in circles with people rising the same arguments over and over again, why don't you all read the whole thing before even thinking that you have something worth to say?

309 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-29 08:16 ID:W6ZVZF8Q

>>266

it all only boils down to one thing: belief or unbelief.

310 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-29 11:18 ID:Heaven

Everyone who posts in threads like these deserves a long and painful death, including me.

311 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-02-29 16:25 ID:Heaven

And especially >>300 for bumping it.

312 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-05 07:21 ID:WMOM5B3v

God may be real but it is not in the way the bible says.

313 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-05 14:32 ID:Heaven

I notice that after 312 posts, still nobody has come up with a single definition for that "God" thingie.

314 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-06 05:38 ID:jBkzcQIv

God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipotent

it seems narcissistic of us humans to try to fully understand something like the concept of an all powerful being with the amount that we learned in our meager exisitance

315 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-06 10:51 ID:Heaven

You know... any good discussion about God should start with a list of definitions.

So, the question "Does God exist?" has to come up and narrow it down to the following definitions:

  • What's God? God as Creator? God as Supreme Being? God as Experience? God as Metaphor? God as Historical Idea? God as Philosophy? God as Energy Field? God as State of Mind?
  • What kind of Existence are we talking about here? Material Existence? Existence as a historical trend? Ideological Existence?

Starting the argument without actually defining the parameters is stupid. In the end all you get is a dozen idiots beating off their meats ideologically, to no benefit.

316 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-06 11:20 ID:z219nqPG

God is not a single concept, but has multiple incompatible meanings for different cultures. A god of rain would not at all be considered a god by certain cultures, if humans can also induce rain. Some people would consider an immortal a god, others not.

As for god being almighty, omniscient, etc,... There is a logical flaw there. An entity so complete can only be the full universe/reality. And if so, why not just call it reality, universe? And if it's not, then it can't be almighty.

Also, I can't imagine that there can be something which has a will, but is still infinite. Having a will implies a limit on which to exercise this will.

All in all, I find the concept of infinite almighty god the most broken there is. But hey, if it makes people happy to feel they have a strong father looking for them, why not?...

317 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-06 21:24 ID:jBkzcQIv

>>316

exactly, it's not possible for humans to try to perceive something that is infinite and shit like that and try to understand it with our finite knowledge. it's like trying to cram an entire ocean into a water cup, it's just not possible, at least for now

318 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-07 01:43 ID:nH46Oruu

>>317

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying that if you want a useful discussion, do it properly.

Because you can discuss about the nature and existence of God as a construct of intelligence.

You can discuss the existence of the experience of divinity, because if anything, there seems to be some kind of evidence of something happening when one meditates or experiences an ecstatic vision (what happens? Why, parts of the brain shuts down. Ha ha, I know right?).

You can discuss the effects of God as a historical reality, which not only was responsible for the Sistine Chapel and the poetry of Rumi, but also the Inquisition and pogroms.

You can even discuss the absurdity of a God who exists as a separate, material entity, and point out the philosophical and evidence-based holes, and conclude, quite rightly, that God has no material existence.

You can even point out that doctrines like fundamentalism are bad because they are ideologically and philosophically untenable. After all, what kind of God only allows a limited number of his creations access to paradise and damns the rest to eternal suffering? You can say these things, and you can make claims about it.

But to start the conversation saying, "So... does God exist?" You're trolling. Not only that, but it's old trolling.

319 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-07 09:51 ID:z219nqPG

>>317

>it's not possible for humans to try to perceive something that is infinite and shit like that and try to understand it with our finite knowledge.

If you are speaking about god, allow me to disagree,... Of course, one could say that god is by essence impossible to understand by humans, and then it would be impossible to discuss about it. But that's just a postulate. You can also assume that god is just an human construct and as so totally within reach of human understanding.

Basically, you can't postulate that god is outside of human understanding. It may well be that it's the case, but we don't know, and can't assume that.

320 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-07 09:58 ID:Heaven

Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: "I am looking for God! I am looking for God!"
As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances.

"Where has God gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him - you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us - for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto."

321 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-07 10:35 ID:z219nqPG

>>320

Amen and good riddance,...

322 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-08 06:19 ID:Heaven

>>320

In short: HA HA HA, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU'RE FUCKED NOW.

323 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-09 18:32 ID:+0NX+SW+

the only way i can think of to counter the assertion of, "if god is omni-all, why is there still evil?" is to present my fellow anonymous with Alvin Plantinga's line of reasoning towards the exisitance of evil:

  1. God is omni belevolent and omnipotent
  2. God created the world which contains evil and had a good reason for doing so(for the greater good)
  3. therefore, the world contains evil, but evil is consistant with the christian view of god

along with this line of reasoning:

  1. an omnibelevolent god would want to eliminate evil
  2. an omnipotent god would be able to eliminiate evil
  3. though evil exists now, god will eliminate it in the future

324 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-10 14:45 ID:Heaven

>>323

The second is a pathetic cop-out, and I can't imagine anyone taking that seriously. As for the first, I'd say that having a plan that involves massive suffering would preclude one from being "good". Especially if one is omnipotent and can create any outcome by just willing it into action, without the need for a plan of any kind.

325 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-10 17:56 ID:z219nqPG

>>323

The fact that god can't achieve a greater good without evil means he's not almighty,...

326 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-11 04:22 ID:kgtID0Xy

>>323-325

>>323's assumptions only apply some deities, and veiws of divinity, not all. I just wanted to point that out since it should be kept in mind.

327 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-11 17:26 ID:Heaven

Maybe you should also define omnipotence.

328 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-17 11:15 ID:Heaven

Able to do anything, even leave the toilet seat down.

329 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-20 04:21 ID:p/0RLTS5

God is real. nuff said. AND HE ROCKS!!!

330 Name: Anonymous Scientist : 2008-03-20 13:58 ID:Heaven

in before (and probably after but I'm too lazy to check) giant unmovable rock argument

This thread has been closed. You cannot post in this thread any longer.