Is there really a God?

Norton said:
To know God, study quantum physics, not the bible.
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This reminds me so much of my physicist younger brother. We were raised in evangelical denominations that was highly anit-intellectual and anti-scholarship. My brother was a flaming genius. He tried so much not to make waves when the church would bring in Creationists with their bad science and flawed reasoning. I think he couldn't wait to turn 18 so he wouldn't have to go to church anymore. However a curious thing happened to him when he entered his graduate classes in Physics. I remember the day he looked me in the eye and said, "Occums razor. It is simply an easier explanation to assume the design implies a designer. He is still not part of a religious community, but he basically concluded that it wasn't actually G-d he rejected, b ut the particular gods people propose. For Tim, G-d is almost unfathomable, but exists nonetheless.
 
It is important to give some sort of definition of "G-d" before answering the question. Many times people will reject a certain notioin of god, but embrace an idea of G-d that is too difficult for us to understand in our limited mortal mentality.
 
I'm not sure what all he believed but Einstein said, "A spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble", and, "Human beings, vegetables or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player".
 
Another argument worth investigating is Occam's Razor

[video=youtube;9XEA3k_QIKo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XEA3k_QIKo[/video]
 
I have strong faith built on solid evidence that proves God is just as real as you and me. I could spend countless hours typing about this particular question but I won
 
Meh. I have more faith in the spirit world that I do organized religion. I don't believe in god as defined by any organized religion.
 
Spiritual Leo said:
One can gain knowledge of an empirical reality because it is observable; therefore perceptible to the human senses. Realities which are transcendent are in the absence of evidence, logic, and reason; therefore they are imperceptible to the human-senses, so how can one understand this? .
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Are all things we perceive evident through logic and/or reason? Can we truly explain everything we feel with logic? We can reason into or out of existence most anything in our minds we may not fully understand, so is reason such an important indicator? I feel there are keys offered for our better understanding that must be used to open new(to each of us) doors. I also feel there may be very limited shortcuts, and those possibly through gifts, to better understanding. I also feel for one to expect full understanding for validity to be myopic. My answer is obviously "yes".
 
There are only two acceptable answers to this question.

1. There is no God.
2. There is a God, but such a being is beyond the rational capacities of human beings.

As such a belief is God is simply a matter of choice. There are those who try to make logical arguments for or against God, but any logical argument made against God would simply be seen as the limitation of human reasoning in understanding God and any argument made for God is typically based on circular logic.

The watchmaker's analogy, as demonstrated by Captain, argues that the complexity of something is a valid argument for the necessity of a designer. While it is a fun and colorful argument, it actually disproves itself. If complex things must have been intelligently designed by something more complex than themselves, then something more complex than God would have had to design God. As such, the reasoning breaks down and you are left once again with the reality that God either does not exist or is beyond the rational capacities of humans.
 
just me said:
Are all things we perceive evident through logic and/or reason?
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Yes.

By definition perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

God is not something people readily see, hear, smell, feel, or taste.

When people talk about hearing, seeing, or feeling God, they generally refer to an intuitive sense or hunch.

Your question would probably be better phrased, "Are there things that exist but cannot be perceived?"

Of course, that is also kind of a strange question since anything that you could imagine could then be considered potentially real.
 
just me said:
Are all things we perceive evident through logic and/or reason? Can we truly explain everything we feel with logic? We can reason into or out of existence most anything in our minds we may not fully understand, so is reason such an important indicator? I feel there are keys offered for our better understanding that must be used to open new(to each of us) doors. I also feel there may be very limited shortcuts, and those possibly through gifts, to better understanding. I also feel for one to expect full understanding for validity to be myopic. My answer is obviously "yes".
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Not all things we perceive are evident through logic and reason; nor can we describe everything that we feel. Our thoughts are limited by our language. I don't exactly know if there is a god, even though I come off as a stubborn atheist. . . I have just recently admitted to myself that I really just don't know. If there is such a thing in existence, then maybe he or she is indefferent; therefore not understandable to me. I really am trying to figure this thing out.

When it comes down to it, I was never really a believer of dogma because I can't believe in an all loving creator who would cast away millions of into a hell to burn for all of eternity. And when I did believe, I believed that we all go to the same place when we die- We are all born equally human, so we leave equally spiritual.

I am just a clueless INFJ
 
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Spiritual Leo said:
When it comes down to it, I was never really a believer of dogma because I can't believe in an all loving creator who would cast away millions of into a hell to burn for all of eternity. And when I did believe, I believed that we all go to the same place when we die- We are all born equally human, so we leave equally spiritual.

I am just a clueless INFJ
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Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

-Epicurus
 
Peace said:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

-Epicurus
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Although I enjoy Epicurus's philosophy, I don't think that it really answers much. The writing which you had sent me is very famous, but when you really break it down, only three things become clear: 1) God isn't omnipotent. (Omnipotence contradicts itself) (2) God may be malevolent, or 3) God doesn't care. All of which have nothing to do with the question: Does god exist? Moreover, how are we to understand him if he does exist? Epicurus couldn't do it....
 
Matariki said:
[video=youtube;MHsANALeHz8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHsANALeHz8&feature=channel_video_title[/video]
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I can't really disagree with the premise of this arguement. It seems plausible for the most part. I will continue my research on it and get back to you later on in the week.
 
Spiritual Leo said:
I can't really disagree with the premise of this arguement. It seems plausible for the most part. I will continue my research on it and get back to you later on in the week.
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Sure thing, though before coming to a consensus you need to hear both sides of the argument. Listen to the best of each, and then base you final opinion upon that. I suggest writing down points that you agree with and other points you find objections to.
 
Peace said:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

-Epicurus
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The answer is free choice and God does not interfere with this premise. Though thats not to say that God isn't incapable of reminding and individual of right and wrong, buts its ultimately up to us to how we respond. If God were to prevent moral evil as such, it would be a contradiction to the concept of freedom of choice. To remove apparent evil, we would have to be without the capabilities of morals and a sense of justice, whether it be subjective to the individual or objective to the whole of the human race. Murder would be classed as an act of the survival of the fittest, and rape would be classed as the insurance of the survival of the human species, natural evil as in disasters (I have no idea why some people call them evil) wouldn't be classed as anything, with no permanent emotional side effects (such as the death of a loved one). In other words we would be moral zombies or robots.

This statement implies that if God were a good, loving God, we would be God's pets. In a sense we would own God, and God would serve us, and either be considered our equal or lower in status.
And yes, why would you call that God, God?
 
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My uncle was a professor at Stanford Univeristy. anong other things he was involved in the scentific study of the beginning of life. He wrote book titled,"Life iin the Beginning". I made it through about the first 3 pages before I got hoepleesly lost in the science. his conclusion was that life was not possible by random chance. there had to be an external force involved.
what do we call that external force. . god. . or what he was called in the college course I took on this topic. . the "being greater than which can not be concieved"
it was lively debate, but as has been said already it ocmes down to your belief system. .
me personally. .
there is a mountain that is the god. . there are many paths to the top of the mountatin where you will encounter the god. .all paths lead to the top
all are equally valid. . .
 
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