StitchInTime Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Believing in something bigger and badder than yourself is natural... Well, then I guess I am unnatural, but what do you expect from someone who's from Pluto and lives in Cyberspace? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GorunNova Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Believing in something bigger and badder than yourself is natural... *sigh* Another example of someone mistaking belief for general principle. You might find it natural, but unless you mean 'belief that something IS bigger and badder than me', then I do... My cousin is about five inches taller than me, and is more apt to do things that are 'bad'... so technically, you're right. If you mean the belief in a God-being is natural, I can't remember -ever- being able to believe that there was a God... it just didn't seem credible, even when I was a kid. Therefore, either I think unnaturally, or your definition of natural differs from mine... ^^' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDad Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 In a two dimensional universe, a three dimensional man would be a god. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchInTime Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 In a two dimensional universe' date=' a three dimensional man would be a god.[/quote'] Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest c4evap Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 I voted maybe as well... ...and if there is a GOD...I'll bet she's pissed (IMHO)! c4 B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GorunNova Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 Maybe instead of asking if there's a god, it should have been 'Is there a deity?'... as deity is gender-neutral, allowing for a male / female / neuter 'god'. ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruk Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 If people believe there is a god, doesn't that make it exist? After all, Santa Claus didn't exist until people made him up, and now one can see him everywhere from October - January, giving people a warm fuzzy feeling. Since God's primary power appear to be offering up "peace of mind" (removes fear of death, allows one to cope with everday worries, removes stress which promotes healing), then the *belief* in God is actually real, providing real tangible benefits, and thus making God real for those who do believe. My own belief of course is that the very same results can occur if one is mentally mature enought to cope with stresses on their own anyway in a positive fashion (don't dwell on worries - have a positive outlook, etc) - no diety necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchInTime Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 If people believe there is a god' date=' doesn't that make it exist?[/quote'] In what way? For example, believing the moon is made of green cheese doesn't make it so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahaha Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 In what way? In a different dimension maybe. Thought becomes real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahaha Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 After all' date=' Santa Claus didn't exist until people made him up, and now one can see him everywhere from October - January, giving people a warm fuzzy feeling[/quote'] Santa is based on a real person. And the traditions of x-mas are thought to deal with paganism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchInTime Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 In what way? In a different dimension maybe. Thought becomes real. Somebody's been watching TNG again lately. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahaha Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Actually from out of body experiences. Not sci fi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antipodean Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Looking at the stats on the poll is interesting! I would have thought that even in this forum the ratio of believers to non-believers would still reflect society at large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchInTime Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Actually from out of body experiences. Not sci fi Copycats. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchInTime Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Looking at the stats on the poll is interesting! I would have thought that even in this forum the ratio of believers to non-believers would still reflect society at large. And, what are the stats from society at large? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahaha Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 What I do find strange is that from my religion poll, most ppl responded they were christian. Yet this poll contradicts that. Actually from out of body experiences. Not sci fi Copycats. ;) I meant from my OBEs. So it is thought, so shall it be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antipodean Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Looking at the stats on the poll is interesting! I would have thought that even in this forum the ratio of believers to non-believers would still reflect society at large. And, what are the stats from society at large? Well here in Australia, in the last national census, it was only just over 25% of people that fell into the categories of not stating their religion properly and those who stated that they had no religion. That means that just under 75% percent of people believe in the supernatural or in a god. That's a WHOPPING figure, but I guess you'd have to factor in the cultural element, in that some people will state that they are of a particular religion or denomination because of a cultural identification. Take Catholicism for example - it's MORE than just a spin on Christianity. One of my best mates doesn't believe in any god, and yet he'd identify himself as an Irish Catholic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TetsuoShima Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 That's a WHOPPING figure' date=' but I guess you'd have to factor in the cultural element, in that some people will state that they are of a particular religion or denomination because of a cultural identification. Take Catholicism for example - it's MORE than just a spin on Christianity. One of my best mates doesn't believe in any god, and yet he'd identify himself as an Irish Catholic.[/quote'] That is it exactly I think. Because if I, in my immediate environment, ask those two questions (religion, God); and I just ask the first one without explanation to what the question is meant to be supporting (as it should be) and a few days later the second one, I get results fairly close to the ones we see on this board. So keeping that in mind, it could be that the results do reflect the population in general. Of course my test group was really small (only about 15 people), so it's nothing to base anything on really, but I wouldn't be surprised, if you stated the exact cause of the 'strange' results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZaphodiLe Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 No. I believed in Santa until I was 5, but that was because I saw him everywhere, and he came to our house giving out presents. Of course that was dad, and I figured that out when I saw Santa had our laundry bag. Anyway, I've never believed in something so (to me) unlogical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antipodean Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Without conclusive evidence one way or the other, I guess there's no definitave way to say that there is either a god or not - the agnostic creed. But personally, I reckon it's worth looking about at the 'design' of our bodies, for example our appendix's that do literally NOTHING, but which for about 1 in 5 people flares up and which without modern medicine is likely to kill you. As in, our bodies are built such that for most of human history, 1 in 5 people have died for no reason whatsoever besides crappy design. And this is only once case in point along with a few other questions I mentioned in the Evolution vs Creationism/Evolution Denial thread: Why do we have knees and backs that give out all the time, when it is easy to imagine better designs - even for us non-omnipotent beings? (Seriously, some people have already conceived of more ideal bone structures) Why are humans made so that without modern medicine, giving birth frequently kills the mother just when she is most needed? The answer I'm afraid is that if there is a god, then it appears to be a perverse one. A further case in point would be the earthquakes this year in Pakistan, which got going RIGHT WHEN all the infants and kids had just got into school. I mean that is MILLIONS of uneccesarily dead kids. Surely any sane god, would at least set the earthquakes a bit earlier to save the lives of these innocents? What's 30 minutes to a god? Now I've heard the line that all that sort of thing is all part of god's plan, and just to trust him. Well I'm sorry - any god whose plan for the future can't come to pass without spilling the blood of millions of children just isn't thinking creative enough. So yeah, it seems to me that we have a choice between the position on hand that there is no god at all, or on the other hand we have the possibility of a perverse god. ME - I'd rather go with the option of no god, than a sick one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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