Is There a God?

Is There a God?

The existence - or lack of - a God is one of humanity's fundamental questions. Since the first birth, the first sunrise, the first death, humans have sought to explain the world around them. The whole of human existence, in the end, comes down to this: Is there a God?

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God is
  • bachfiend
    God is still a hypothesis not a theory

    Yes, but the null position should still be the atheist position, not the agnostic position. Fantastic claims, whether the Flying Spaghetti Monster (blessed be His name, amen) or a God, who created the Universe, exist, require fantastic evidence. Particularly when you claim that God created a Universe 14.5 billion years ago, to be at least 26 billion light years across 13 billion years ago (because the furthest galaxy we can see now is 13 billion light years away, and the light from there has therefore taken 13 billion years to get here), with about 10,000 billion billion stars, just for the benefit of humans on a tiny speck of rock orbiting a totally insignificant star. And yet this God is still around, listening to the prayers of his believers, and occasionally granting but usually ignoring them, without ever actually giving any proof of his existence. I expect that when I press the submit button, if there is a God, I will be instantly electrocuted for blasphemy.

    - bachfiendAU September 4, 2008 3:46AM

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    • jxzac
      well if..

      God created a earth with just 1 sun and no other stars, would it be a little lame? would you think it more likely or less likely that there be an intelligent creator? i'm thinking you're sugguesting that it would be more likely. now why would you think it more likely that a lame God exists?

      these arguments are illogical and nonsensical, and you should realize this. The fact is they are unintelligent, arrogant, and 'presumptions.'

      If you look at the Bible, what is stressed is wisdom, and honesty and humility.. here you lack all three.

      - jxzac April 3, 2009 2:14AM

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      • jxzac
        that's the point too.

        Athiest man is not profound wisdom. To say to a person that there is the here and now.. it needs not be said. To see if you are humble and honest, and wise. those are substantial. Those elements are profound. How they would not exist without the greater essence. that is profound. blessed are those who believed and did not see.

        - jxzac April 3, 2009 2:22AM

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      • bachfiend
        Pretty lame explanation

        Well, that's a pretty lame explanation. Who is god trying to impress, himself or us, by creating a universe with billions of galaxies. Just one, the Milky Way, with its 200 to 400 billion stars, would have been impressive enough, particularly since we only realised there were more than one galaxy only in the early 20th century, and we are most unlikely (what with Einstein's special theory of relativity, of even visiting the nearest star (other than the sun). Whatever good qualities you find in the bible (and I admit Proverbs generally is pretty good), it is still a pretty shoddy piece of fiction. I don't know how you can seriously claim your work of fiction is any truer that the sacred texts of any other religion that humans have made up.

        - bachfiendAU April 3, 2009 5:41AM

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    • james1951
      Yes, but the null position should still be the atheist position,


      Are you kidding me?

      Does that mean that PLuto did not exist until science discovered it?
      Come on that is just silly. Of course the agnostic position should be the null position, because we just don't know.
      But I am on the yes side because I have defined God in such a way as to be quite confident of Gods existence not as a physical entity but as a spirit of truth and righteousness

      - james1951CA June 28, 2009 11:28AM

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    • james1951
      Whats wrong with God being an hypothesis


      Science is an hypothesis as well. It is based on the perception that the universe is limited to what we can sense with our 5 senses and instrumentation designed to augment those five senses.

      Right now there are thousands of radio and tv and wireless signals going past my head but I cant see or hear or even feel them because i dont have the receiver turned on or tuned to the proper frequency. But regardless of that those signals are there. WHat else is there that I simply do not have a receiver for or am not tuned into. Is there a "spirit of truth and righteousness" that requires a mind that can receive it and a mind that is tuned into the frequency it broadcasts on?

      Many people have a "gut feeling" about what is right and wrong, where does it come from. Last nights Spaghetti :-)

      Or is there a "spirit of truth and righteousness" is there a concious or subconcious concience that is more than just what we have reasoned from our life experience to be the correct thing to do. We are really good at justifying what we some how know is wrong. IMHO

      - james1951CA June 28, 2009 11:42AM

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      • MrBook
        Testability

        To be a true hypothesis you have to be able to devise experiments by which you can demonstrate if it is correct or not.

        Radio waves (tv and wireless signals are all in the radio spectrum) cannot be seen, but can be detected and proven to exist.

        - MrBookUS July 7, 2009 6:15AM

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        • james1951
          Existence detection


          They cannot be proven to exist if
          1. You do not have instrumentation that can detect them and and relay that information in a manner that our 5 senses can sense them.
          2. If you do not have that instrumentation tuned into the frequency those energy signals are transmitting on.
          3. There may be many other energy waves than radio tv infra red ultra violet light rays. Thought waves for example, we cannot even read thought waves who, who knows what other energy signals are out there that we simply cannot detect withn our current detection facilities.

          Just because you don't know its there does not mean it doesn't exist.

          - james1951CA July 7, 2009 8:19AM

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          • MrBook
            que?

            "
            1. You do not have instrumentation that can detect them and and relay that information in a manner that our 5 senses can sense them.
            "

            yes, that is true... however considering that we know that there are radio broadcasts going on near by (even though I do not have my cell phone on me I know that it gets a signal where I am sitting) I don't think that it is unreasonable to assume that there are radio waves passing through me right now.

            "
            2. If you do not have that instrumentation tuned into the frequency those energy signals are transmitting on.
            "

            That is a strange way to put it... but again, yes.

            "
            3. There may be many other energy waves than radio tv infra red ultra violet light rays.
            "

            getting stranger now, but also true... there are sound waves to consider for one.

            "
            Thought waves for example, we cannot even read thought waves
            "

            Que? It depends on what you mean by 'Thought Waves'... if you are talking about the frequency of electrical signals traveling through the brain you are correct in that we cannot 'read' them. We can detect them but we cannot interpret them.

            "
            who knows what other energy signals are out there that we simply cannot detect withn our current detection facilities.
            "

            Also true, however that reasoning allows for an infinite number of possibilities... We 'could' be organic robots controlled by tachyon signals being projected from Saturn.

            "
            Just because you don't know its there does not mean it doesn't exist.
            "

            Can't the same thing be said for Unicorns and underwear gnomes?


            - MrBookUS July 9, 2009 6:43AM

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