Is there a God? What do YOU think???

[Boerseun]

I believe the Earth is round and that the sun is a star but I don't believe in God. of course, I may change my opinion.

 

For cash.

Seeing as modern religion is mostly a cash-driven institution, your proposal is not far off the mark.

[Guadalupe]

For now, I believe in the God of the Bible. It gives a beginning, middle and an end. It sounds like it has more substances. Everything else sounds very much like a theory. :circle:

[skidmarx]

It takes more faith to be an athiest than I will ever have. There is way to much complexity to believe it all "just happened". There is a God and one day we will bow before him.

[Guest loarevalo]

OK, do I repost it or try to find my extensive explanation that was posted before? I think you may have been on one of your continual vacations! lol

 

Basically, "Belief" is something that is used when you have no VALID reason to accept something. Do you BELIEVE in a refrigerator? No, you have no need to BELIEVE in one, you can ACCEPT that they exist because of the massive number of them that do exist.

 

e.g. Gravity. I do not need to "believe" in gravity. I can "accept as a matter of convenience" that it exists. If I did not accept it, I would be afraid to lift my foot as I might "beleive" that I could not put it down and make it stick again. I would just drift off the planet. And I do not need to "believe" that gravity is a curvature of space time. For my daily life it is irrelevant as to HOW it works. However it fits the details of what is happening around me better than any other explanation I have heard. Thus I do not BELIEVE in the Theory of Gravity, I "accept it" as a matter of convenience and knowledge.

 

I can't believe you don't believe on anything. I think belief or faith is necesary to actually exist, live, and move, and do any action, since we don't have absolute certainty of anything. Why would you go to college, if you didn't believe you would get a degree? You would say, 'because I have seen others do it' but you really don't know with certainty that you can do it, or that it will happen because it's in the future.

 

Scientists have belief when after doing calculations they test their mechanism, and "believe" it will work as the calculations indicate. If you, however, do not wish to believe on anything, but would wait until proof, what would be the point of doing the calculations? I think you would be too scare to test such mechanism, not believing in what it could do, or too impulsive and reckless doing whatever came to your mind.

 

Anyway, whatever type of "believing" you refer too I think all thinkers and philosophers have said that belief is necessary, if not unavoidable, in this life. Either I am confusing your "accept" with "believe" or you are confusing "believe" as an irrational mode of thinking called fantasizing.

[Dundasbro]

I can't believe you don't believe on anything. I think belief or faith is necesary to actually exist, live, and move, and do any action, since we don't have absolute certainty of anything. Why would you go to college, if you didn't believe you would get a degree? You would say, 'because I have seen others do it' but you really don't know with certainty that you can do it, or that it will happen because it's in the future.

When I go to college, I do it because I WANT to get a degree, this want for the degree will cause me to study and get a degree, it's that simple :lol:

[Linda Stolte]

It takes more faith to be an athiest than I will ever have. There is way to much complexity to believe it all "just happened". There is a God and one day we will bow before him.

 

AMEN!!! The Bible says "every knee shall bow". Every is all inclusive, even of the non-believers.

 

Rom 14:11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God." 12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

[Linda Stolte]

When I go to college, I do it because I WANT to get a degree, this want for the degree will cause me to study and get a degree, it's that simple :lol:

 

Dundasbro....when you go to college you may want to get a degree, and you may study for it but, that is no guarantee that you will achieve it. People want for a lot of things in this life and yet don't always obtain them, no matter how much they want them or how hard they work for them. So, to say it is that simple is totally in error. Nothing is simple, Everything in life is complex because it always has to take into account circumstances that we have no control over.

 

So, in essence, you would go to college because you "believe" you could study hard enough to obtain the degree you want. Since there is no guarantee, and you can't see into the future, it is only logical that you would be attending college on a form of faith or belief.

 

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

[Dundasbro]

AMEN!!! The Bible says "every knee shall bow". Every is all inclusive, even of the non-believers.

 

Rom 14:11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God." 12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Don't humans have the gift of free will as stated in the bible? Sounds like a contradiction to me...

[Linda Stolte]

Don't humans have the gift of free will as stated in the bible? Sounds like a contradiction to me...

 

Dundasbro: My previous comment was to say that you obviously "believe" in something, like wanting to earn a degree and "believing" in your ability to study hard enough to obtain it. Since you deny "believing" in anything, I was only trying to show you that your very thoughts prove to be a form of "belief". I was stating that you believe in "self", not in God.

 

There is no contradiction. You have the free will of choice. You can choose to believe in God, and gain life eternal with Him. You can choose to not believe in God, and gain eternal punishment. But the freedom of choice is definitely "yours".

[Dundasbro]

Rom 14:11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God." 12

Don't I have the choice to bow my knee or not?

Am I forced to give praise to god?

That was the contradiction I was refering to :lol:

[Dundasbro]

It takes more faith to be an athiest than I will ever have. There is way to much complexity to believe it all "just happened". There is a God and one day we will bow before him.

I believe there is too much complexity to believe that a giant man in the sky "made everything" and decided to boss us about using some giant book that has contradictions all over it. Then told us that if we don't do what he wants we will burn in a undiscovered place below the ground called "hell". Likewise, if we do what he says we will go to an undiscovered place in the sky called "heaven". It takes a lot more faith to believe in a book written 1000's of years ago than to believe in modern science :lol:

[Linda Stolte]

I believe there is too much complexity to believe that a giant man in the sky "made everything" and decided to boss us about using some giant book that has contradictions all over it. Then told us that if we don't do what he wants we will burn in a undiscovered place below the ground called "hell". Likewise, if we do what he says we will go to an undiscovered place in the sky called "heaven". It takes a lot more faith to believe in a book written 1000's of years ago than to believe in modern science :)

 

It is only complex if a person fights the truth, or doesn't take time to actually study to find the truth. You're right, it's much simpler to just believe what "man" tells you and let it go at that. It doesn't require any real effort on your part. I think they call that "follow the leader". Unfortunately the leader is merely a fallible man.

 

God is not a giant man in the sky. God is the creator of this universe, and all that is in it. God is spirit, not flesh. God is the beginning and end of all things. God is to be loved. God is to be feared. Therefore God is to be respected and not taken lightly.

 

The giant book you refer to is the holy Bible. It is God's message, written my men who were guided by the holy Spirit. There are absolultely no contradictions in the Bible. The only persons who make that claim are the ones who do not desire to take the time to study it for themselves to find that out. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith, the Son of the living God, the God of truth. Don't confuse that with Satan, who is the "author of confusion".

 

You refer to Heaven and Hell as "undiscoverd". These places are very real but I"m afraid no scientist will ever "discover" them (on earth or in space) but, all of us will know of their existance when our time is up on this earth. Personally, I don't have any desire to experience the existence of Hell. Therefore, I revere God and choose to live my life in a way acceptable to Him, so that I may experience Heaven and come face to face with God, my creator.

 

Why to you believe that it takes a lot more faith to believe in God over man? It is far easier to place my faith in a never changing God than it is to follow after the constantly changing whims of man. Gods words are written down once for all time. You can't say that about any man, as man is constantly disproving and changing their own theories time and time again. (God refers to that as being tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine....see Eph 4:14-15)

 

FAITH:

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

1 Cor 2:5 that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

 

These are long so, I won't take up the space to quote. You obviously have a Bible, since you sadly keep using it as your reference for contradictions. You can read these for yourself.

1 John 5:1-12

1 Peter 1:3-9

 

My faith is in God. My hope is an eternity with God. This world isn't my home, I'm only passing through for an alloted time. While here, I have respect for many men on this earth (for one reason or another) but not for those who presume themselves to be greater or wiser than God. They are lovers of self, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of "truth". (2 Timothy - chapter 3) For them I can only offer prayer, that they might come to the knowledge of truth before it is too late.

[Linda Stolte]

I believe there is too much complexity to believe that a giant man in the sky "made everything" and decided to boss us about using some giant book that has contradictions all over it. Then told us that if we don't do what he wants we will burn in a undiscovered place below the ground called "hell". Likewise, if we do what he says we will go to an undiscovered place in the sky called "heaven". It takes a lot more faith to believe in a book written 1000's of years ago than to believe in modern science :)

 

Please see post above. I inadvertantly double posted somehow? So, I've edited this one in order not to repeat the length of the first one.

[geokker]

Unfortunately the leader is merely a fallible man.

 

God is the creator of this universe, and all that is in it.

 

Taking into consideration the fact that everything you've been told about your faith has come from Man, the second quote must be your conjecture.

[Dundasbro]

It appears this is a subject which no-one will agree on, it's a question of faith and belief

[geokker]

Yep, so there isn't a God - let's leave it at that.

 

:)

[Linda Stolte]

Yep, so there isn't a God - let's leave it at that.

Can't leave it at that. By your statement you wish to leave no room for those who believe. At least those who believe will acknowledge that you have the free will to choose not to believe.

 

Taking into consideration the fact that everything you've been told about your faith has come from Man, the second quote must be your conjecture.

Everything concerning my faith has come through my belief in Christ as the Son of God. I believe in His death, burial and resurrection. He gave His life, so that I might (through Him) have the offer of salvation and the hope of life eternal. I learned this from no man but by the word of God. I'm sure your argument would be that it was merely men who wrote the Bible, but that is not accurate. The writers of the Bible were men of God, inspired by the holy Spirit to write down these things for many generations to come. 2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 

There is no conjecture on my part, for I am not guessing, nor theorizing, nor is my evidence uncertain. Luke 8:17 "For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.

 

Rom 1:18-23 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

 

It appears this is a subject which no-one will agree on, it's a question of faith and belief.

1 Tim 6:3-6 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words.............

 

I have done what was asked of me in this post. I voted, and I answered the question put before me, "Yes, there is a God!" I've taken the time to share my thoughts and I have done so with courtesy. Because the only respondants are those who obvioulsy do not believe or have faith in God, I find continuing this conversation to be like spitting into the wind, it goes nowhere. I have offered sincerity as a defender of the faith but, I have no desire to continue feeding into fruitless, endless controversy. For those who do not believe in God, it is your choice. My choice will be to remember you all in prayer. :)