Do you belive in God?

[The USOT]

Ask yourself why you believe in a mythical being that was written about by goat-herders and farmers.

I've heard it said that God cannot be "proven" to exist. Or else there would be no such thing as faith.

I did mention on a previous post how you can measure the "effects" of God.

The life values and goals of people before and after turning towards God/the idea of God full heartedly.

Hey, some people died for their belief. Having someone so commited to God that they lay their lives down? that is a huge effect!
I just remembered the story of a Saint who was a Roman comedian or actor.
Normally they'd put on plays that made fun of Christianity. On 1 particular day they were making fun of "Baptism". But while on stage this Man was suddenly struck with the Wisdom of it. He believed in Christianity right then and there on the spot and began to preach to the crowd, I believe. The following day he was martyred.

God can change people is the point I made, it made someone who was anti-Christian suddenly a martyr!
There are more stories such as these. I wasn't always a good little Catholic. I even had moments of anti-Christian moods.
But the story goes on, and 1 day I find God again, and my life was set on fire (In a most amazing good way) there were struggles, but I'm overwhelmed with a new flame now!

I like your story, and I dont neccesarily want to "put it down" as it where, but look at your post, and the bold part that I added in.

Simply put, the positive effects that you listed do not require your god to exist. Hell in Ancient Greece the Spartans were pushed to defy the limits of the human body by the simple ideals of Zues and Hercules his son on earth... It doesnt neccesarily mean they were real or not, but that people changing after they devote themselves to an ideal is not neccesarily a religious deal, nor is it proof of a God, but that posotive values embodied in an ideal can do wonders for people.

[TrueState]

I've heard it said that God cannot be "proven" to exist. Or else there would be no such thing as faith.

I did mention on a previous post how you can measure the "effects" of God.

The life values and goals of people before and after turning towards God/the idea of God full heartedly.

Hey, some people died for their belief. Having someone so commited to God that they lay their lives down? that is a huge effect!
I just remembered the story of a Saint who was a Roman comedian or actor.
Normally they'd put on plays that made fun of Christianity. On 1 particular day they were making fun of "Baptism". But while on stage this Man was suddenly struck with the Wisdom of it. He believed in Christianity right then and there on the spot and began to preach to the crowd, I believe. The following day he was martyred.

God can change people is the point I made, it made someone who was anti-Christian suddenly a martyr!
There are more stories such as these. I wasn't always a good little Catholic. I even had moments of anti-Christian moods.
But the story goes on, and 1 day I find God again, and my life was set on fire (In a most amazing good way) there were struggles, but I'm overwhelmed with a new flame now!

I like your story, and I dont neccesarily want to "put it down" as it where, but look at your post, and the bold part that I added in.

Simply put, the positive effects that you listed do not require your god to exist. Hell in Ancient Greece the Spartans were pushed to defy the limits of the human body by the simple ideals of Zues and Hercules his son on earth... It doesnt neccesarily mean they were real or not, but that people changing after they devote themselves to an ideal is not neccesarily a religious deal, nor is it proof of a God, but that posotive values embodied in an ideal can do wonders for people.

An interesting point.
But with there being low chance of proof (unless miracle stories like those occuring at Lourdes interest you?) Then maybe it all just comes down to Faith, and whether you believe or not. I wonder if man can "find" proof of God by himself. I believe God actualy "sought" us, and thus we have the Old Testament and then the New Testament. "His-story" of how God sought after us.

[Farnhamia]

Not the strangest thing to come out of Rome, you know.

I got the Vitus mixed up with Genesius I belieeve. but the Romans accused Vitus of sorcery or something like that i blieve.
So they boiled a rooster along with the assued sorcerer. Was this there practice? I may be wrong.

St. Vitus was an adolescent who converted in defiance of his father. He's the patron saint of dancers because when his father spied on him, he saw his son dancing with angels. Boiled in oil, some accounts say with a rooster.

Saint Genesius, yes. I think the mocking plays is made up, frankly. Beheaded.

The Romans usually chopped your head off, especially if you were a citizen. Slaves and pirates and the worse criminals were crucified. Torture in various forms was used, sad to say. Slaves were almost always tortured in court cases, the feeling being that they needed the incentive to tell the truth.

[Italiani a Roma]

I got the Vitus mixed up with Genesius I belieeve. but the Romans accused Vitus of sorcery or something like that i blieve.
So they boiled a rooster along with the assued sorcerer. Was this there practice? I may be wrong.

St. Vitus was an adolescent who converted in defiance of his father. He's the patron saint of dancers because when his father spied on him, he saw his son dancing with angels. Boiled in oil, some accounts say with a rooster.

Saint Genesius, yes. I think the mocking plays is made up, frankly. Beheaded.

The Romans usually chopped your head off, especially if you were a citizen. Slaves and pirates and the worse criminals were crucified. Torture in various forms was used, sad to say. Slaves were almost always tortured in court cases, the feeling being that they needed the incentive to tell the truth.

Now I thought that the most common form of execution for Christians in pre-Constantine Rome was crucifiction, often combined with having a lion released in fron of them. Was that even a thing or am I combining two differant things?

[Furious Grandmothers]

Actually, that would be a hypothesis.

Theories have some sort of evidence indicating their truth.

Well i would still like to know why, (while a black hole at the center of our universe is forever sucking in entire solar systems) our universe CONTINUES to expand at a accelerating rate.

Oh, so you've located the center of the universe now?? And even know a black hole to be there Source please.

[Galloism]

Oh, so you've located the center of the universe now??

I assure you that I am not a black hole.

[Furious Grandmothers]

I like your story, and I dont neccesarily want to "put it down" as it where, but look at your post, and the bold part that I added in.

Simply put, the positive effects that you listed do not require your god to exist. Hell in Ancient Greece the Spartans were pushed to defy the limits of the human body by the simple ideals of Zues and Hercules his son on earth... It doesnt neccesarily mean they were real or not, but that people changing after they devote themselves to an ideal is not neccesarily a religious deal, nor is it proof of a God, but that posotive values embodied in an ideal can do wonders for people.

An interesting point.
But with there being low chance of proof (unless miracle stories like those occuring at Lourdes interest you?) Then maybe it all just comes down to Faith, and whether you believe or not. I wonder if man can "find" proof of God by himself. I believe God actualy "sought" us, and thus we have the Old Testament and then the New Testament. "His-story" of how God sought after us.

I don't get how miracle stories are able to convince anyone of anything other than either the author's imagination or his/her ability to make a mountain out of a molehill.

[Avenio]

Now I thought that the most common form of execution for Christians in pre-Constantine Rome was crucifiction, often combined with having a lion released in fron of them. Was that even a thing or am I combining two differant things?

From what I remember, it really depended on who was doling out the punishment. If you had a nicer sort of Roman official who followed the 'laws' of the Roman state, crucifixion was reserved for people like traitors and usurpers, ie the worst of the worst. It was a very public form of execution that was first and foremost meant to send a message to other people, rather than simply executing prisoners. That's why, if Jesus of Nazareth existed, he was probably executed by crucifixion; the Roman authorities (On the behest of the Pharisees, if memory serves) wanted to make an example of him so that none of the populace of Judea would get any ideas about revolt or revolution. As another example, in the Third Servile War (Famously sparked by a gladiatorial uprising in which Spartacus took part), for example, the Roman officials crucified thousands of offending slaves and lined the Appian Way (The main highway of the Italian peninsula back then) with them on their crosses as a warning to any other slaves that got any ideas.

As to being fed to lions, I don't think that was very common for people to be executed via hungry lion at all, let alone used for Christians in particular. Again, from what I remember, I think that notion was born long after Rome fell, in the 17th and 18th centuries, if memory serves.

[Eaglehood]

Im a devout Catholic and I love it.

Do you love everything about the church and all its practices?

The Church looks at itself as a quilt ,as a quilt it needs some patches.it is run by humans so its not perfect.

[Fleelgis]

I don't believe in the gods of any established religions. I like to think that that puts me under the atheist label.

What I do believe is that "god" in the sense of "omniscient, omnipotent being" is just another way to describe the Universe. If god encompasses all information and all power over all things, then it must be all things, because information is a thing and you need things to have power over things. By the definition of the phrase, you cannot have god exist separate from "all things" (the way I have heard followers of Abrahamic religions interpret it before) because if it did, then the "all things" you are considering does not truly account for all things.

[Christmahanikwanzikah]

Oh, so you've located the center of the universe now??

I assure you that I am not a black hole.

You mean Nibblonian.

[Cameroi]

i believe in something that doesn't owe any belief anything, that is also mostly harmless, though it is also too big for anything else to arm wrestle over the seating arrangements.

god is as good a name for it as any, though whatever, if anything, it calls itself, is known only to itself, and not to anything human.

[Furious Grandmothers]

Mission success!! Trolled a Protestant evangelist in my college today. She couldn't manage to logically convince me that Heaven would be more desirable a place to end up in than Hell.

[Xercon]

I believe in the Eastwood.

I'm related to Clint Eastwood.

[Xercon]

Depends how you define God.

Yes, I believe in God but not an invisible man in the sky but something more like energy.

I have had reason in my life to believe in an interventionist God, however I am also aware that I can speak only for myself and not for anyone else thus making any former evangelical tendencies pointless.

I practice a rather liberal form of Christianity, but I fully admit that I only practice it in lieu of something better.
So far it has worked for me, but what works for me may not work for another person.

[Darqastan]

Yes, I believe in a God, or at least that there is some other higher being(s). Am I a devout follower, most certainly not.


I think it's because Liberals tend to be Atheist. I'm not stereotyping, but it seems to be the pattern, or something.

No. It's because people don't believe something they can't see. Why make the same distinction with god?

Can you see your brain? No? So does that mean you have no brain then?

[Soviet Haaregrad]

No. It's because people don't believe something they can't see. Why make the same distinction with god?

Can you see your brain? No? So does that mean you have no brain then?

I've seen my brain, it's called a CAT scan.

[Darqastan]

Can you see your brain? No? So does that mean you have no brain then?

I've seen my brain, it's called a CAT scan.

Well, if I slapped you, could you see pain?

[Grave_n_idle]

Now I thought that the most common form of execution for Christians in pre-Constantine Rome was crucifiction, often combined with having a lion released in fron of them. Was that even a thing or am I combining two differant things?

From what I remember, it really depended on who was doling out the punishment. If you had a nicer sort of Roman official who followed the 'laws' of the Roman state, crucifixion was reserved for people like traitors and usurpers, ie the worst of the worst. It was a very public form of execution that was first and foremost meant to send a message to other people, rather than simply executing prisoners. That's why, if Jesus of Nazareth existed, he was probably executed by crucifixion..

Unlikely. I Jesus existed, he'd have more likely have been stoned, him being a false prophet, and all.

[1000 Cats]

In God, as in the Abrahamic God? Not really. If he does exist, I don't think he really needs my belief. And he'd probably be insulted if I did believe in him.

Believe me, He'd be so happy to have you get to know Him again.

Well, I'm not sure why he would be. I've broken all but two of the Ten Commandments and pretty much every other law written in Biblical texts. He'd get, at the very least, a lot of contact embarrassment if I got chummy with him.

[Genivaria]

I've seen my brain, it's called a CAT scan.

Well, if I slapped you, could you see pain?

[Darqastan]

Well, if I slapped you, could you see pain?

Well can you?

[Genivaria]

Well can you?

No, you feel it.

[Darqastan]

Well can you?

No, you feel it.

And you can feel God too.

[1000 Cats]

Well can you?

Yes, using brain imaging. It can also be subjectively felt, heard, and in some cases smelled and tasted. Now perhaps you could tell me why you decided to ask such a ridiculous question.