Do you believe in God? Simple question

[Incontt]

i agree with this:

That brings to mind the Stephen Roberts quote:

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."

Just in the context of dismissing all other mythology, but failing to apply the same reasoning to their own belief.

God doesnt need to change laws of nature to perform a miracle because He put those laws there for a reason. my aunt in law died in an accident when she was young. actually it was at the hospital but the accident caused it. the doctors pronounced her dead and wrote up her death certificate. about an hour went by and her father was there in the morgue praying when she came back to life. she has no brain damage nothing is wrong with her. she now has a birth certificate and death certificate. thats a miracle. as far as suffering in the world goes. each one of us will stand before God on judgement day these people that cause the suffering will be punishedEvil, pain and suffering are a part of life. God didn't promise us that we wouldn't have to endure these things, but He did promise to be there with us and strengthen us through them. We grow spiritually when we are faced with these things and find joy when we overcome them. Through our weakness we are made strong

[sport_122]

i agree with this:

That brings to mind the Stephen Roberts quote:

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."

Just in the context of dismissing all other mythology, but failing to apply the same reasoning to their own belief.

Do you realize that mythology is nowhere near the same thing as the christian faith. Jesus was not a myth. Even if men are worshiping Christ with wrong intent then it cannot be considered mythology because he has been historically experienced and evidence shows that he lived, died and resurrected. But you shouldn't even go there unless you are really willing to at least hear and try to understand the evidence. Even before its presented you give the perception that you are just waiting to dismiss it.

I have heard Dawkins and Hitchens use that quote as well. The major problem with it is that Richard Dawkins also says "we are somehow genetically wired to believe" In other words even this atheist biologist says that no matter how he looks at it, historically and scientifically the observations show that human beings are somehow wired to believe something. and he admits he cant explain that but because he is an atheist before he is a scientist he dismisses this anyway he can to support his book sales. Philosophy of science says that is a demonstration to us that we need to be looking at something greater to explain who and what we are because at the point that we have gone through so many evolutionary chains, and we are not shaking our ability to believe and this could easily be described if we understand that we have our existence on more than one plane.(in fact it can be argued that atheism strengthens the arguments made by believers) that

Also, to some of the people out there professing to be atheists, I think you are demonstrating what is called a denial of evidence or observational selection. Just so you know this is what the church did to bring itself into the dark ages and the inquisition...they ignored the evidence presented by some who said "Jesus, the Bible, and our very existence says this is wrong" basically anything that would tell you that you need to revisit your thought process is ignored, explain away, or mocked as if it has no place with you. So how are you better than them, because you dont have religion...but you do, atheism is your point of faith, its your world view, and everything that you learn about life is passing through this world view and you have faith that this world view is better because you have in a sense made yourself the authority or the god. I tell you now that historically this is mindset that has represented the MOST dangerous and destructive times in our histroy. When some men have denied God to the point were they have said that they are god. This has always been the first step toward cleansing and genocide.

It is never going to make your case and whenever you talk to people who have actually studied and gone through this. You have nothing because science does NOT say there is no God. History says there is one, we just have to learn to identify him, philosophy says their is one, we just have to learn to comprehend him, sociology says their is one, we just have to learn to live up to the standards that he has given us, science says there could be one, but we don't have the type of evidence required for study to prove it or in what plane he exists. Epistemology says there is one, we just don't know how he is keeping all this together....and so on. the only time you find someone who is absolutely positive that their is no God is when you find someone who ignores all of the other areas of study to focus on scientific principles that don't even say there is no God. Even the way Dawkins describes evolution is detailed in that he gives the process intention, he gives it reasoning and not randomization, if he is right that is more evidence that our universe is guided and working toward something.

But it is most disturbing that so many people could sit and act as if they have been awakened and the product was that they are so smart that they do not even need to take the texts or evidence seriously. That is a sign of the times, and I would be really careful about that because when cultures start ignoring those things that are historically at their foundation, those cultures start dying and really evil men start killing people. this is proven in history time and time again.