God


Doesn’t it take god-like knowledge to be an atheist? 😀

Surely agnostic is the proper term for someone who doesn't believe in the gods of religions but can't be 100% sure that there isn't some sort of a higher force? I describe myself as an agnostic for that reason and would imagine most "atheists" to take a similar non-absolutist view.

Things don't work like that anymore, you have to be one or the other and argue your point refusing to listen to the other side's perspective. I'm with you though.
 
Doesn’t it take god-like knowledge to be an atheist? 😀

Surely agnostic is the proper term for someone who doesn't believe in the gods of religions but can't be 100% sure that there isn't some sort of a higher force? I describe myself as an agnostic for that reason and would imagine most "atheists" to take a similar non-absolutist view.

Surely "atheist" is for a lack of belief. This is the default term that every single human in history has been born into. In years gone by most have chosen to believe what they were told by elders and adopt a belief system. Since Darwin it has no longer been necessary to move from the default position, and especially in today's times.

It is not possible to prove that something does NOT exist. So that would kind of make the term "atheist" redundant if it is defined as you have done. There is no word for a lack of belief in ghosts, in Santa or in the Tooth Fairy. It's a shame that there needs to be a word for not having a belief in gods.

It is of course possible to wrap them all into one term - rational.
Probably a big correlation between a decline in belief in Christianity and decline in moral standards in society. Regardless of beliefs, guiding principles of Christianity are sound - love thy neighbour etc.
A correlation, yes. I don't think it is a cause but they are perhaps related.

Those that say they live their lives according to The Bible tend to cherry pick out the bits they want. Most UK believers of that ilk tend to ignore the dreadful goings on of their god in the Old Testament. In America the hard-Christian believers just tend to choose the bits they wish to adopt from both volumes.

I just think life is too short for such nonsense. It's indoctrination of children that I strongly object to. Religious authorities do this to propagate their religion, otherwise it would die out within a short time. If fully grown adults want to believe in a god then whose business is it to object, so long as they are not harming or killing others? People believe all kinds of things these days. It's all a bit sad, because we can do so much better than that, but that's the way some humans are.
 
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But by not having faith you're making the assumption that God doesn't exist by default. You either have faith or you don't.

Not really. Faith is a belief in the religious version of God. Yo can not have faith & still believe there was some kind of creator that has no impact on your life.
 
I think it’s easier to assume there’s always been a universe and before the Big Bang another universe before it.
Perhaps a universe that’s recycles itself and one where it all breaks down into nothing and then to start again
 
Not really. Faith is a belief in the religious version of God. Yo can not have faith & still believe there was some kind of creator that has no impact on your life.

I use "God" only really in the religious sense, ie as an extension of man's moral purpose. Otherwise you're just really talking about some material process that we don't know about.

That said I have been open to pantheistic notions at times, revealed via beauty and all that stuff. But again, it's just something that you buy into or not.
 
Doesn’t it take god-like knowledge to be an atheist? 😀

Surely agnostic is the proper term for someone who doesn't believe in the gods of religions but can't be 100% sure that there isn't some sort of a higher force? I describe myself as an agnostic for that reason and would imagine most "atheists" to take a similar non-absolutist view.

i have faith that there are no gods
 
Probably a big correlation between a decline in belief in Christianity and decline in moral standards in society. Regardless of beliefs, guiding principles of Christianity are sound - love thy neighbour etc.

I’m not sure, we only know the tip of the iceberg of what went on back in the day because it was all brushed under the carpet to save a family, priest, parish etc. from shame. Now we talk about things openly everything is out there. There can be no true picture of how moral standards have changed in my opinion, because we will never have a true picture of the what moral standards were really practiced back in the day.

Its a no from me, they say God moves in mysterious ways, he must be a down right sadist to oversee some of the stuff that has gone on in the world imho.
 
I think it’s easier to assume there’s always been a universe and before the Big Bang another universe before it.
Perhaps a universe that’s recycles itself and one where it all breaks down into nothing and then to start again
It’s easiest to say “God did X, Y and Z” then you don’t have to do any thinking at all.

But those that do say this also take care to ignore A (tsunami), B (earthquake) and C (childhood fatal diseases). God didn’t do those things apparently.
 
No. It’s utter bollocks
My Irish nana f***ing hated the church with a passion and thankfully religion was never forced on one side of my family
 
A huninoid sky fairy that judges beings based on a constantly changing set of moral instruction? That I don't believe in, no.

So I believe in a higher power, not so sure. It's probably above human comprehension to fully understand how the universe was created tbh, simply because there will always be a question of what was in the void before that creation. Which is something even the best scientific minds can't really offer any answers for.

That said I think looking at different religions in different timescales that Hinduism (or at least a sect of Hinduism) has probably hit nearest the mark.

A section of belief there is that everything is inter-connected. Essentially the universe is one single entity of which we are a part of so every individual, animal, plant, rock etc is as much a god as anything else in it.

When you die your energy is just recycled into the universe. The essence of you mind may be gone but you soul (energy/matter) becomes a part of something else.

This can be highlighted in that humans, and all things on this planet are made from stardust, the chaotic and brutal destruction of previous solar systems exploding into itself and the remains reforming into something new (extremely simplified btw) and the results of that being in our DNA.

In essence nothing dies but rather transforms.

We have a lot of proof of the ancients being very interested in astrology and I think modern humans often discredit how intelligent some of them were. I think modern religion stems from ancient religions whereby the religions have been put in relatable terms (using humans in parables to explain events to make it more understandable for the layman's) and from there it's either snowballed into what it is now and/or smart people have used it as a way to control/gain power.
 
No.

Is it possible a being beyond my comprehension created the universe? Yes.

Do I think for even a second some being beyond my comprehension is interested in every single life and how they should live their lives and has created an afterlife of good and bad to send them based on actions? No.

Especially when we are naked. Sam Harris.
 
Each to their own but I would never run my life on the basis of an invisible god being a driving force through speech and books and prayer.
I have no issue with people who have their belief in a god as that belief can bring many people some kind of comfort.

Many people believe their prayers get answered but when you look at the overall mass of people who do pray for help it's fairly nailed on that some will see help and immediately argue for it being from a god.

Pray to an orange or a teddy bear or make up your own invisible god and pray to those all your life and you're bound to get some of your prayers answered by those.

Many people seem to turn to a religion based on following family values or canvassed when at a low ebb.
Offer people free choice without any of those things and most people would simply get on with their lives in general, without offering any thoughts to a god.

The fact that we all know the story of higher entities, it will naturally always keep it within our minds and at times many of us would likely use a slack term of asking an invisible entity for help if we are ever in a very sticky predicament.

How many have asked for help when they don't believe it?
Please god, if you're there, help me and I'll never doubt you again. And so on.

The reality is, (if people are honest with themselves) most of us would like to think there is someone good watching over us. It's like a comfort blanket to life and eventual comfort after death.

My take is very simple. Those who can help us actually exist with us. Those who can hurt us also exist with us.

You can't create a good god without having an equally bad god/devil, otherwise, it doesn't work.
What I mean by this is, if you want to control people and keep them as generally good and obedient then you must have the big overseeing good god to threaten the good people into being good, or else they will be banished to hell fire.

It's like your mother threatening you with your father. The good creates the bad to exert control. Or is it the bad creates control by using the good to become the bad to oversee that control?

A tricky one but it generally works.
 
Each to their own but I would never run my life on the basis of an invisible god being a driving force through speech and books and prayer.
I have no issue with people who have their belief in a god as that belief can bring many people some kind of comfort.

Many people believe their prayers get answered but when you look at the overall mass of people who do pray for help it's fairly nailed on that some will see help and immediately argue for it being from a god.

Pray to an orange or a teddy bear or make up your own invisible god and pray to those all your life and you're bound to get some of your prayers answered by those.

Many people seem to turn to a religion based on following family values or canvassed when at a low ebb.
Offer people free choice without any of those things and most people would simply get on with their lives in general, without offering any thoughts to a god.

The fact that we all know the story of higher entities, it will naturally always keep it within our minds and at times many of us would likely use a slack term of asking an invisible entity for help if we are ever in a very sticky predicament.

How many have asked for help when they don't believe it?
Please god, if you're there, help me and I'll never doubt you again. And so on.

The reality is, (if people are honest with themselves) most of us would like to think there is someone good watching over us. It's like a comfort blanket to life and eventual comfort after death.

My take is very simple. Those who can help us actually exist with us. Those who can hurt us also exist with us.

You can't create a good god without having an equally bad god/devil, otherwise, it doesn't work.
What I mean by this is, if you want to control people and keep them as generally good and obedient then you must have the big overseeing good god to threaten the good people into being good, or else they will be banished to hell fire.

It's like your mother threatening you with your father. The good creates the bad to exert control. Or is it the bad creates control by using the good to become the bad to oversee that control?

A tricky one but it generally works.

What's the more probable of being real, God or flat earth ?
 
Social control framed as a story to play on our inherent fear of uncertainty, ignorance and desire to be part of the tribe.

I can understand people falling for it hundreds of years ago, but the fact that so many people still believe in something so ridiculous with all we know now is truly baffling to me.

I'm inclined to think we are the product of entirely natural forces and beneficiaries of being in an extremely fortunate place and time in the history of the universe, or we are in some sort of simulation that only appears real to us because the simulation has been designed that way.

Cease with the bafflementness. Childhood indoctrination. With out that, i suspect organised Religion would die out rapidly

God. Fantasy.

Some organised religion. In it for their own preservation and power. Evil, corrupt and hypocritical Paedophile protectors.

The bible. Written by people who didn't know where the Sun went at night. Think i first heard Bill Maher say that.
 

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