Is There a God?

[Mavorpen]

Eh, I prefer not to linger over it. So your belief is based solely on how it makes you feel, or are there other reasons?

It is a lot of gut instinct, yes. Of course, gut instinct also tells me it is time to mate in the middle of the mall, so we all know how reliable that is.

Like I said with Tlaceceyaya about my Atheist phase, it's a lot like explaining a dream. While it might make perfect sense to me, it won't make a lick of sense to you. I'm not the type who has visions, or the kind of guy who subscribes to the Watchmaker Argument, but it inspires me. It feels a like a part of me. I do genuinely believe in God, even if I'm not a hundred percent sure and sometimes I'm not actually sure why but it's a feeling I can't seem to shake anymore. There are other crazy reasons, but in the end I figure I wouldn't regret me turning out to be wrong and having lived my life this way.

And if I keep going everything I say is slowly going to go all over the place

From what I'm reading, you would make a great Deist. But yeah, I understand, we all have our own experiences that shape what we believe, and how we react to things. It's hard to change when we feel like we've made the right choice. When you're happy, you're happy, and you can't help but think that you believe is right. Most people go through that.

[The Cummunist State]

Eh, I prefer not to linger over it. So your belief is based solely on how it makes you feel, or are there other reasons?

It is a lot of gut instinct, yes. Of course, gut instinct also tells me it is time to mate in the middle of the mall, so we all know how reliable that is.

Like I said with Tlaceceyaya about my Atheist phase, it's a lot like explaining a dream. While it might make perfect sense to me, it won't make a lick of sense to you. I'm not the type who has visions, or the kind of guy who subscribes to the Watchmaker Argument, but it inspires me. It feels a like a part of me. I do genuinely believe in God, even if I'm not a hundred percent sure and sometimes I'm not actually sure why but it's a feeling I can't seem to shake anymore. There are other crazy reasons, but in the end I figure I wouldn't regret me turning out to be wrong and having lived my life this way.

And if I keep going everything I say is slowly going to go all over the place.

I'm serious, there is something wrong with my thought processes to-- Ohhhh, I forgot to eat today, that's why.

No matter what your thought process is, you are one of the few theists that don't make me want to vomit and suck it back up into my eyesockets. And I respect that

[Austiana]

Do we really need to argue with each other here? Everyone knows you can't change the views of religious or atheist people.

Now, I will probably cop a slamming from the Christians here, but does it really matter what you believe in? Aso long as you are a good, kind person that accepts others, surely if there is an afterlife up there you might be lucky enough to get a spot?

And, reffering to Free Austiana's comments, please calm down!

[Desperate Measures]

I do not understand atheists! They are so ignorant, believing in nothing!
The fact is, there is a god. Have you ever read the bible people?
It is cold, hard PROOF! There is a holy spirit up there, and all u
retarted non-believers are going to fucking hell!

When you said retarted it made me think of this.

I don't want to be retarted. It sounds painful.

[Norstal]

Eh, I prefer not to linger over it. So your belief is based solely on how it makes you feel, or are there other reasons?

It is a lot of gut instinct, yes. Of course, gut instinct also tells me it is time to mate in the middle of the mall, so we all know how reliable that is.

Like I said with Tlaceceyaya about my Atheist phase, it's a lot like explaining a dream. While it might make perfect sense to me, it won't make a lick of sense to you. I'm not the type who has visions, or the kind of guy who subscribes to the Watchmaker Argument, but it inspires me. It feels a like a part of me. I do genuinely believe in God, even if I'm not a hundred percent sure and sometimes I'm not actually sure why but it's a feeling I can't seem to shake anymore. There are other crazy reasons, but in the end I figure I wouldn't regret me turning out to be wrong and having lived my life this way.

And if I keep going everything I say is slowly going to go all over the place.

I'm serious, there is something wrong with my thought processes to-- Ohhhh, I forgot to eat today, that's why.

So, what's preventing you from becoming a fundamentalist? A good number of prominent fundamentalists are highly intelligent so these are the people who do rationalize their religion and beliefs, like you, only to a certain point. It seems to me that you can't express your beliefs adequately yourself.

[Tlaceceyaya]

Eh, I prefer not to linger over it. So your belief is based solely on how it makes you feel, or are there other reasons?

It is a lot of gut instinct, yes. Of course, gut instinct also tells me it is time to mate in the middle of the mall, so we all know how reliable that is.

Like I said with Tlaceceyaya about my Atheist phase, it's a lot like explaining a dream. While it might make perfect sense to me, it won't make a lick of sense to you. I'm not the type who has visions, or the kind of guy who subscribes to the Watchmaker Argument, but it inspires me. It feels a like a part of me. I do genuinely believe in God, even if I'm not a hundred percent sure and sometimes I'm not actually sure why but it's a feeling I can't seem to shake anymore. There are other crazy reasons, but in the end I figure I wouldn't regret me turning out to be wrong and having lived my life this way.

And if I keep going everything I say is slowly going to go all over the place.

I'm serious, there is something wrong with my thought processes to-- Ohhhh, I forgot to eat today, that's why.

If it can't be explained at all, then how does it constitute any evidence of anything?

[1000 Cats]

Probably. Probably a lot of them. I like that idea.

*nods*

Yeah, I like the idea that there isn't just one god - that there are a bunch of them, all in charge of one particular thing.

That way, if you piss one off, you're not totally fucked.

[Ende]

You know, I was an atheist at one point. It was around a month or two.

It was possibly the worst month of my life. I turned into an incredibly existensial nihilist and stayed up to three in the mornings wondering if anything mattered and writing bad poetry. Then I fell into something similar to chronic depression. I spent the rest of the month like that. It was mainly gut instinct and my heart that brought me back to theism.

Needless to say, I don't think I want to go back to atheism again. Sometimes I wonder if God is real. In fact, I even find the concept somewhat doubtable. But I believe that that belief keeps me a better person. It's like a part of me. I've actually tried to shake it before. It's not possible, really. I figure that even if I am wrong in my beliefs though, even if I keep them, I won't end up regretting it. I've never tried to press theism on anyone because evangelizing is ridiculous.

Evangelizing in general is bad. I had an encounter with some Mormon bicycle priests once, and it was possibly the most annoying encounter in my life. Evangelism from any group is useless and annoying as hell, and serves as more of a turn-off from the belief than anything.

[Jerusalem and Damascus]

It is a lot of gut instinct, yes. Of course, gut instinct also tells me it is time to mate in the middle of the mall, so we all know how reliable that is.

Like I said with Tlaceceyaya about my Atheist phase, it's a lot like explaining a dream. While it might make perfect sense to me, it won't make a lick of sense to you. I'm not the type who has visions, or the kind of guy who subscribes to the Watchmaker Argument, but it inspires me. It feels a like a part of me. I do genuinely believe in God, even if I'm not a hundred percent sure and sometimes I'm not actually sure why but it's a feeling I can't seem to shake anymore. There are other crazy reasons, but in the end I figure I wouldn't regret me turning out to be wrong and having lived my life this way.

And if I keep going everything I say is slowly going to go all over the place.

I'm serious, there is something wrong with my thought processes to-- Ohhhh, I forgot to eat today, that's why.

So, what's preventing you from becoming a fundamentalist? A good number of prominent fundamentalists are highly intelligent so these are the people who do rationalize their religion and beliefs, like you, only to a certain point. It seems to me that you can't express your beliefs adequately yourself.

What prevents me from becoming a fundamentalist? Nothing. Nothing stops me. An even could occur in which I do end up becoming a fundamentalist, and I don't know what that event is. But if it happens, it happens. It also happens an event might occur in which I become a strong Anti-Theist or think I've seen the light and become a Muslim.

Lord only knows, and even then I think He is regretting giving me this malformed brain of mine.

[The Cummunist State]

You know, I was an atheist at one point. It was around a month or two.

It was possibly the worst month of my life. I turned into an incredibly existensial nihilist and stayed up to three in the mornings wondering if anything mattered and writing bad poetry. Then I fell into something similar to chronic depression. I spent the rest of the month like that. It was mainly gut instinct and my heart that brought me back to theism.

Needless to say, I don't think I want to go back to atheism again. Sometimes I wonder if God is real. In fact, I even find the concept somewhat doubtable. But I believe that that belief keeps me a better person. It's like a part of me. I've actually tried to shake it before. It's not possible, really. I figure that even if I am wrong in my beliefs though, even if I keep them, I won't end up regretting it.

Atheism =/= Nihilism. Sorry, that's the way it is. Nihilism is what you were in during depression. Atheism had nothing to do with it.

[Mavorpen]

You know, I was an atheist at one point. It was around a month or two.

It was possibly the worst month of my life. I turned into an incredibly existensial nihilist and stayed up to three in the mornings wondering if anything mattered and writing bad poetry. Then I fell into something similar to chronic depression. I spent the rest of the month like that. It was mainly gut instinct and my heart that brought me back to theism.

Protip: You were doing existentialism as well as atheism INCORRECTLY.

Needless to say, I don't think I want to go back to atheism again. Sometimes I wonder if God is real. In fact, I even find the concept somewhat doubtable. But I believe that that belief keeps me a better person. It's like a part of me. I've actually tried to shake it before. It's not possible, really. I figure that even if I am wrong in my beliefs though, even if I keep them, I won't end up regretting it.

Instead of wasting my Sundays or Wednesdays in church, I volunteer. Being an atheist makes me a better person.

[Norstal]

*nods*

Yeah, I like the idea that there isn't just one god - that there are a bunch of them, all in charge of one particular thing.

That way, if you piss one off, you're not totally fucked.

Besides that, most goddesses are pretty hot. Like Bast. *nods*

Oh god no what's happening to me.

[Seperates]

I don't really like the "higher plane of thought" concept that dwell within Buddism. And it still reeks of organization... Or maybe that's just me.

It's not just you. Everlasting peace and freedom from suffering, I don't believe in. I believe in nirvana in the sense that you become enlightened and thus suffering is reduced significantly, not completely degraded. I also don't believe in reincarnation, but then again the Buddha taught anatta or "no self" meaning that there is no such thing as a permanent you, that you are ever changing (basically there is no soul). I believe in rebirth in the sense that when you die, your karma doesn't disappear. The things you do in life persists even when you are dead.

So yeah, Buddhism isn't really about believing anything you are told. After all, Buddha said, “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

I like that last quote. I agree with you on everything but the concept of "Nirvana" (yes, even your limited one I'm afraid) and karma.

The reason I disagree with nirvana is because I don't believe in "enlightenment". Knowledge doesn't always bring joy. Many times it brings with it new hardships and challenges, sometimes even greater than the ones that were surmounted by the knowledge. Does that mean that we should be ignorant? No. But does that mean knowledge can bring an end to suffering? No.

Your version of karma is an odd concept. I agree with it, though I wouldn't call it karma. And even then, it isn't even your actions that are living on, but others actions for you.

[Ende]

You know, I was an atheist at one point. It was around a month or two.

It was possibly the worst month of my life. I turned into an incredibly existensial nihilist and stayed up to three in the mornings wondering if anything mattered and writing bad poetry. Then I fell into something similar to chronic depression. I spent the rest of the month like that. It was mainly gut instinct and my heart that brought me back to theism.

Needless to say, I don't think I want to go back to atheism again. Sometimes I wonder if God is real. In fact, I even find the concept somewhat doubtable. But I believe that that belief keeps me a better person. It's like a part of me. I've actually tried to shake it before. It's not possible, really. I figure that even if I am wrong in my beliefs though, even if I keep them, I won't end up regretting it.

Atheism =/= Nihilism. Sorry, that's the way it is. Nihilism is what you were in during depression. Atheism had nothing to do with it.

For some weird reason, they were inexplicably linked.

I have no idea the hell why, but I never found myself a nihilist at all before I turned atheist. I'm not saying all nihilists are atheists or vice-versa, but they seem to be linked in some way.

[Norstal]

So, what's preventing you from becoming a fundamentalist? A good number of prominent fundamentalists are highly intelligent so these are the people who do rationalize their religion and beliefs, like you, only to a certain point. It seems to me that you can't express your beliefs adequately yourself.

What prevents me from becoming a fundamentalist? Nothing. Nothing stops me. An even could occur in which I do end up becoming a fundamentalist, and I don't know what that event is. But if it happens, it happens. It also happens an event might occur in which I become a strong Anti-Theist or think I've seen the light and become a Muslim.

Lord only knows, and even then I think He is regretting giving me this malformed brain of mine.

Well...that's not reassuring at all.

I really am curious on how fundamentalists turn to terrorism though, which is why I brought it up. Though I suppose I'd do better if I ask real psychologists themselves.

[Jerusalem and Damascus]

That way, if you piss one off, you're not totally fucked.

Besides that, most goddesses are pretty hot. Like Bast. *nods*

Oh god no what's happening to me.

YOU'VE BECOME INFECTED!

ENACT CONTAINMENT PROCEDURE FOUR-OH-FIVE! GO! GO! GO!

[Austiana]

Do we really need to argue with each other here? Everyone knows you can't change the views of religious or atheist people.

Now, I will probably cop a slamming from the Christians here, but does it really matter what you believe in? Aso long as you are a good, kind person that accepts others, surely if there is an afterlife up there you might be lucky enough to get a spot?

And, reffering to Free Austiana's comments, please calm down!

[Mavorpen]

For some weird reason, they were inexplicably linked.

I have no idea the hell why, but I never found myself a nihilist at all before I turned atheist. I'm not saying all nihilists are atheists or vice-versa, but they seem to be linked in some way.

They aren't.

[1000 Cats]

That way, if you piss one off, you're not totally fucked.

Besides that, most goddesses are pretty hot. Like Bast. *nods*

Oh god no what's happening to me.

Bast is a fox. I mean, she's a cat. But she's a fox.

Is it just me, or is it getting really furry in here?

[The Cummunist State]

Atheism =/= Nihilism. Sorry, that's the way it is. Nihilism is what you were in during depression. Atheism had nothing to do with it.

For some weird reason, they were inexplicably linked.

I have no idea the hell why, but I never found myself a nihilist at all before I turned atheist. I'm not saying all nihilists are atheists or vice-versa, but they seem to be linked in some way.

They aren't linked other than being a Atheist means that there isn't a magical sky daddy interested in everything you do.

[Jerusalem and Damascus]

What prevents me from becoming a fundamentalist? Nothing. Nothing stops me. An even could occur in which I do end up becoming a fundamentalist, and I don't know what that event is. But if it happens, it happens. It also happens an event might occur in which I become a strong Anti-Theist or think I've seen the light and become a Muslim.

Lord only knows, and even then I think He is regretting giving me this malformed brain of mine.

Well...that's not reassuring at all.

I really am curious on how fundamentalists turn to terrorism though, which is why I brought it up. Though I suppose I'd do better if I ask real psychologists themselves.

I believe fundamentalists turn to terrorism out of desperation, for the most part. The large part of terrorists we see in groups like Al-Qaeda actually join because they have nowhere else to go and feel their way of life will be destroyed. For Christian Fundie Terrorists, I feel the same is true.

I personally believe anyone has the chance to end up like that, regardless of belief system. You can call it arrogance, or desperation or blind hate but there's something in all of us that pushes us to lengths that seem almost inhuman in nature. I am thankful every day I've never found what wakes that part up in me.

[The Cummunist State]

Besides that, most goddesses are pretty hot. Like Bast. *nods*

Oh god no what's happening to me.

Bast is a fox. I mean, she's a cat. But she's a fox.

Is it just me, or is it getting really furry in here?

AW HEELL YEEEE

[Ende]

For some weird reason, they were inexplicably linked.

I have no idea the hell why, but I never found myself a nihilist at all before I turned atheist. I'm not saying all nihilists are atheists or vice-versa, but they seem to be linked in some way.

They aren't linked other than being a Atheist means that there isn't a magical sky daddy interested in everything you do.

They're not really linked, but atheism led to nihilism. Atheism implied that if there was no purpose to life, that everything was purposeless and worthless and everything I would do would fade into history and that shooting myself in the head would produce little to no outcome in the world and that everything was utterly pointless.

So, no, they aren't really linked, but atheism led to nihilism for me. I'm assuming it's not the same for anybody else.

[Seperates]

Do we really need to argue with each other here? Everyone knows you can't change the views of religious or atheist people.

Now, I will probably cop a slamming from the Christians here, but does it really matter what you believe in? Aso long as you are a good, kind person that accepts others, surely if there is an afterlife up there you might be lucky enough to get a spot?

And, reffering to Free Austiana's comments, please calm down!

This is a debate forum. It's what we do. Go to F7 if you want jovial laughter and fun times. Now either make an arguement or piss off.

[Norstal]

Besides that, most goddesses are pretty hot. Like Bast. *nods*

Oh god no what's happening to me.

YOU'VE BECOME INFECTED!

ENACT CONTAINMENT PROCEDURE FOUR-OH-FIVE! GO! GO! GO!

*sigh*, I swear I'll never play with stray cats again. Ack ack ack-