questor Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 This is not a simple question. i have asked the non-believers why they do not believe and have received no sensible answers. they just don't believe because they don't believe. at least, that is my perception of their position.On the other hand, one must wonder why people DO believe in a deity. no one has seen God, talked with God, or received any first hand information from God, yet millions believe in a deity. how can an intelligent person believe in something or someone he hasn't seen, corresponded with, or heard from in any fashion? how can we reconcile a benevolent God with evil, war, accidents, genetic disfigurement, starvation, criminality and other forms ofhuman travail? Why do YOU believe in a deity? what reasons or observations have you encountered in your life that leads you to believe there is a supreme being?Are you just regurgitating teachings from your parents and pastors, or have you really spent some time thinking about this and reached a thoughtful conclusion? i would like to hear thoughtful answers with no preaching or BS. Quoting passages from Holy Books is NOT what i'm looking for! i'm looking for sensible reasons for believing in a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 the last words are....a supreme being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ughaibu Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 I suggest this thread be deleted. Questor posted a similar thread (http://hypography.com/forums/theology-forum/6013-atheism-faith.html) and received, so far, 243 replies. A limit should be set on how far Questor can pretend that he's being ignored when, in fact, he has received plenty of response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zythryn Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Not sure about that, of course it is up to the moderators.This is basically the oppisite question. Instead of why DONT you believe in a god, the question is why DO you. I personally have been curious about this. As I am not a believer, my only guess so far is a desire to explain the unknown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ughaibu Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 The other thread posed both questions, why and why not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Ugh, who do you think you are to request someone's post be deleted? do you think you are an arbiter of other's thoughts? just because you cannot discern the difference in the two posts, that does not mean that others cannot. why don't you mind your own business? if you want to quash free speech, why not start your own site? i have given atheists a chance to state their opinions, now i would like to give believers the same chance. you don't have to be a replier, in fact i invite you not to read the posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zythryn Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Ugh, who do you think you are to request someone's post be deleted? do you think you are an arbiter of other's thoughts? just because you cannot discern the difference in the two posts, that does not mean that others cannot. why don't you mind your own business? if you want to quash free speech, why not start your own site? i have given atheists a chance to state their opinions, now i would like to give believers the same chance. you don't have to be a replier, in fact i invite you not to read the posts. Now Questor, to be fair, the discusion is very close to your other post. Many believers took the oportunity to discuss their belief. While I think it is a worthy question, I don't think you need get so defensive.  If a thread is deemed redundant, that is not infringing on your free speach, it is simply saying, we already have a thread discusing this, please go there to continue the discussion. Less confusion and readers don't need to try to track multiple threads. Again, I am not saying this should be one way or another, just noting that the question is valid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctus Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 I speak now as an admin:Ughaibu you're right questor posed both questions in the other thread (see post 1), but I guess he was not happy with the answers he got from believers so I guess he thought to make a separate thread and he has all rights to do so. Anyway it is a good thing to start a new thread if the similar one got too long , so new people can join and the discussion can be re-focused. So if you think this thread as redundant just don't follow it, I mean there is no competition of who starts the most threads so why getting annoyed by this thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 This thread is different because it is specifically directed toward people who believe in a Deity as to what constitutes their basis of belief. the previous post was an open question to either side of the issue, and if you take the time to read the replies, you may agree with me that there were few answers of any depth. this whole issue of religion is redundant and we probably have more posts on this subject than any other, because it is an important issue in many lives and the US as a whole. i do not know of other posts where this particular question is posed, i don't think my post is redundant and i have specifically requested there be no scripture quoting or references to holy books, just a reason for personal belief. this is secondary to the affront from someone who obviously has never understood the issue and seems incapable of independent thought, preferring to use the words of others. this is a request for information, not a demand for participation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctus Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Now as a member:I think your question questor is a paradox, because you can't, by definition of the word belief, choose to believe: either you do or you don't that's it. Someone who chooses to believe is not a believer for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Sanctus, thanks for your wise and fair input. Questor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ughaibu Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Sanctus: Okay, your position in post 8 sounds fair. I'm not annoyed by the thread, I'm puzzled by Questor's insistence that he gets no response, when that is clearly not the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Sanctus, i think all of our beliefs are born of observation. you observe an event with one of your senses and you believe that event occurred. you can also describe that event and probably other people have also observed the same event. e.g. if someone tells you the sky is blue, you look up and sure enough, the sky is blue. this becomes a belief. if someone tells you there is an auto crash a block away, you must first observe the accident before you can believe it. observations lead to beliefs; this is part of the scientific method. there are also occasions or phenomena ( the wind) where you cannot detect the event with your senses, but you can see and possibly measure the results of the phenomena's activity. this observation is what convinces me there is ID present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ughaibu Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Wind can be felt on the skin, as you yourself have pointed out, in other words, wind can be perceived directly by sense of touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Ugh, you perceive the wind because it blows against your body or disturbs small sensory hairs on your body, or you can see it rustle tree leaves. it would have been more accurate to say you cannot SEE the wind, only its effects upon objects. why would you participate in a post that you wanted to delete? why not be consistent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ughaibu Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Questor: I'm not being inconsistent, had the thread been deleted, I wouldn't contribute to it. Is your concept of consistent behaviour to sulk if things dont turn out as suggested? Or are you suggesting that I pretend that the thread has been deleted in any case? Should I refuse to post on this thread as a demonstration of my faith in it's ultimate deletion? Perhaps, this time, you have pointed to a significant difference between the thinking and behaviour of religious and non-religious people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questor Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Ugh, first you wanted the post deleted. now you want to hang around and argue about inconsequential things. this post asks a specific question. since you have already disqualified yourself as a believer, what possible reason could you have for participating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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