939 replies to this topic

[-Dab-of-Oppo-]

Read a new term today. "Sky fairies"

Are they any relation to the celestial pixies or the cloud sprites?

[Seb.F]

You dont think the devil played a hand in causing much of the strife?    Oh I forgot. He dont exist does he. Cause science cant prove it.   

Would you believe it though, I found a damn leprechaun in my garden the other morning! When I came back there was a small bit of disturbed soil, I'm fairly certain it was the leprechaun and not the dog because I didn't actually see how it happened and nobody else has seen the leprechaun either.

[slindborg]

Relegion is indoctrination bases superstition. Didn't bring much except wars and terror.... And is persistently present in modern times. Drop it!

  You dont think the devil played a hand in causing much of the strife?    Oh I forgot. He dont exist does he. Cause science cant prove it.   

Again, and you seem to be avoiding it.... Exists or not, I do not care. Who told you that he does exist and that you shall believe? My daughter wouldn't believe in Father Christmas if my wife and I didn't tell her and play up the act with her. So someone must have told you about the idea and truth of god (and you to be in a state to truly believe in it). This isn't to mock or anything, its purely to understand how one person can believe and another could dismiss it.

[mbes2]

Father Christmas IS real !! 

 

[slindborg]

Father Christmas IS real !!   

You mean a fat old man in a red suit emptied his sack in your room one night? Is it your coping mechanism?

[Seb.F]

Again, and you seem to be avoiding it.... Exists or not, I do not care. Who told you that he does exist and that you shall believe? My daughter wouldn't believe in Father Christmas if my wife and I didn't tell her and play up the act with her. So someone must have told you about the idea and truth of god (and you to be in a state to truly believe in it). This isn't to mock or anything, its purely to understand how one person can believe and another could dismiss it.

This for me is exactly it. I can see how an engine works, I can understand the concept of quantum mechanics, I know how an aeroplane wing creates lift. What I do think is that for someone to believe so strongly in something that has no evidence, only "faith", is either weak (and looking for something/anything to believe in) , naive or has been severely misguided.

[slindborg]

see thats not going to help.....

[mbes2]

Father Christmas IS real !!   

You mean a fat old man in a red suit emptied his sack in your room one night? Is it your coping mechanism?

Don't take away my dreams :-p Or is that faith

Edited by mbes2, 24 February 2014 - 12:42 PM.

[casino]

 

Again, and you seem to be avoiding it.... Exists or not, I do not care. Who told you that he does exist and that you shall believe? My daughter wouldn't believe in Father Christmas if my wife and I didn't tell her and play up the act with her. So someone must have told you about the idea and truth of god (and you to be in a state to truly believe in it). This isn't to mock or anything, its purely to understand how one person can believe and another could dismiss it.

This for me is exactly it. I can see how an engine works, I can understand the concept of quantum mechanics, I know how an aeroplane wing creates lift. What I do think is that for someone to believe so strongly in something that has no evidence, only "faith", is either weak (and looking for something/anything to believe in) , naive or has been severely misguided.

 

 

So Im weak. Im misguided. Im naive?

You must know me very very well to come out with this assumption. 

Funny thing is I cant remember meeting you. Ever. All this coming from someone so assured of evidence. Yet you have no evidence Im any of these?

For someone so weak misguided and naive all be told I don't think I've done too bad for myself. And I recon the few folks here in .Org that really know me (beyond the odd tunnel run / meet) probably agree.

 

You see, this thread is all about believing in a God. So I've tried to explain why I believe in a God. And belief in God requires an level of faith based on not seeing, not having any scientific evidence. This doesnt make me 100% happy 100% of the time. But it doesnt make me weak, misguided or naive.

 

 

[slindborg]

Shall I just give up...?

[KurtVerbose]

You can't win slindborg. He believes in something he concedes there is no proof of its existance. To a believer that makes him strong. To a non-believer that makes him deluded, easily led, misguided naive, and weak. Doesn't mean he is that way in other things in life, he doesn't seem to be.

 

Casino, I've not met you but you don't seem weak, misguided or naive, but can you concede how about this specifically it can been seen so?

 

I read an article recently about Jonathan Edwards the athlete who no longer believes. It was full of this religious language that for some reason we still use. E.g. 'lost his faith'. It's like his faith exists, but he can't find it. And 'no longer believes in god', which is like, god exists, but he no longer believes in him. Why do people still use this language, even atheists?

[Seb.F]

You've not met me and neither have most religious people but according to their beliefs I will burn in hell for all eternity for not being a believer! Stupid, I gave up years ago!

[slindborg]

You can't win slindborg. He believes in something he concedes there is no proof of its existance. To a believer that makes him strong. To a non-believer that makes him deluded, easily led, misguided naive, and weak. Doesn't mean he is that way in other things in life, he doesn't seem to be.   Casino, I've not met you but you don't seem weak, misguided or naive, but can you concede how about this specifically it can been seen so?   I read an article recently about Jonathan Edwards the athlete who no longer believes. It was full of this religious language that for some reason we still use. E.g. 'lost his faith'. It's like his faith exists, but he can't find it. And 'no longer believes in god', which is like, god exists, but he no longer believes in him. Why do people still use this language, even atheists?

I don't want to win.. I want to find out when and who made him believe.... You can't believe in something (as popular and well defined as god) unless you are told of it or atleast the concept of it, so someone must have taught mr casino something of god for a faith and belief to bloom.

[KurtVerbose]

I think it's something intrinsic in some/many people. Plenty of religious people have just made their own stuff up regardless of what they are taught. It stems from a need to know the purpose of life (there isn't one), and that death isn't real (it is). Also some people need to belong.

 

I honestly think we've evolved this way. Because we congregate It has given us a natural advantage. Doesn't mean there's any logic to it, or that we should continue that way.

 

This was what Jonathan Edwards said: -

 

If there is no God, does that mean that life has no purpose? Does it mean that personal existence ends at death? They are thoughts that do my head in. One thing that I can say, however, is that even if I am unable to discover some fundamental purpose to life, this will not give me a reason to return to Christianity. Just because something is unpalatable does not mean that it is not true.

[techieboy]

Just because something is unpalatable does not mean that it is not true.

I think Alex Salmond needs to get to grips with that too. Just because it's unpalatable and also true, doesn't make it bullying.

[-Dab-of-Oppo-]

The answer is simple and best summed up with this -



In behavioral psychology it is well documented that conduct or beliefs spread among people, as fads clearly do, with the probability of any individual adopting it increasing with the proportion who have already done so. As more people come to believe in something, others also "hop on the bandwagon" regardless of the underlying evidence.

[Mangham54]

Is it not somewhat ironic that the non-believers actually feel the need to redress the issue of believers? Much like the preachers who stand in town trying to convert non-beleivers, non-beleivers feel the need to ask believers why they believe something they do not have evidence for. Therefore ultimately are we predisposed to try and unify all around us into our own beleif system (irrespective of whether it is race, religion, sexual preference etc etc), rather than simply accepting that someone may want to accept/believe something despite our own thoughts/beleifs. We are here (.org) becuase we have a belief that aligned with Colin Chapman, rather than the founders of Nissan or Volswagen. Or have I become too hippy?

Edited by Mangham54, 02 March 2014 - 11:53 AM.

[ghand]

I think non believers ask all the questions wanting some kind of proof or evidence from the believers rather than to convert them from what they believe in, well that's the case with me. I was brought up with religion and the more I questioned the believers as to why they believe the more stupid the whole thing became. Some believed because this happened and some because that happened and it was all random coincidences easily explained. Thing is if you believe in something then that's it you believe end of. I believe in aliens the reasons are simple, I saw a ufo that was photographed and videoed by someone else ( I have the news paper cuttings ) no one will ever convince me they do not exists just as I could never convince someone who thinks its a load of bollocks . It does not make you misguided or naive or stupid, well it may in my case .

[manus]

I believe my car will be quicker than any of yours. Other than that, strongly believe that reproduction and variation is the only purpose of life. Would be nice though if some god-like being could help me in my first aim so I wouldn't be dependant on some German tuner to make my faith in fast cars stronger....

[Harry Hornet]

so for lent have you

 

1 .stopped believing in God

2. stopped not believeing in God, but then why do you believe in Lent in the first place?

3. other

 

H

 

me..40 days of not swearing..ftw...