Originally Posted By magnet Is there a God? Sure, Doobie exists and is out there somewhere. Oh, wait! You meant God as in God of the entire universe, right? I get it now. Well, the universe is kind of like a super big ultra complex messageboard, isn't it? So, yes.
Originally Posted By Mr X Oh no... That very idea just scared the crap out of me magnet. Seriously. Me and Jon...oh NO. We're in DEEP trouble if heaven works like laughingplace, that's for sure!
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight I don't know if there is.. BUT, IF there is a God and at the end of my life I stand befor him, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of love,compassion, zest or talent left and could say, "I used everything you gave me." I think he'd be pleased and perhaps let me in. If not, I'm sure it would give him a good chuckle at the very least
Originally Posted By mele No, I don’t believe in God in the traditional sense. I feel as if there is a spirit that runs through nature and through us, which joins us all together. I don't think of God as some man living in the sky, granting wishes and passing judgments. I think the power of God flows through us, and works through our works, although I don’t call that spirit “Godâ€. That doesn't mean I think I am a God (or the Devil), just that we, as humans, have the power to do good things and bad things. I've come to believe that our actions and thoughts are these spiritual energies. They are more abstract than a true God or Devil. Those names don’t really apply, for me, anymore. This belief humbles me and makes me want to be a kinder, better person. It isn’t about ego or rebellion for me. Love and hate are such powerful emotions and I think the more we focus on them, the more we change energy in the world. (This is why I believe in the power of prayer. I don't really believe that “God†picks and chooses which prayers to answer...but that it is the energy we spend, joined with others’ energy, that has power.) Our thoughts and actions are what matter the most. I sometimes get moments of clarity where the world seems so infinite and beautiful and I feel at one with the Earth and the people on it. It is a very spiritual feeling and I often think that the afterlife may just be a moment of total enlightenment before we become one with nature. Because I don’t believe there is a judging God, I don’t think there are a lot of rules and rituals I need to follow to feel spiritual. I think humans draw comfort from religious practices. Organized religion gives people a way to cope with life’s problems and inspires them to do good things. In this regard, religion is very good. Organized religions have done much good in the world but, sadly, also caused a lot of harm. I resent religions that use their dogma to deny people equal rights or keep women subjacent to men. I do rebel against those aspects of religion because it hurtful and wrong. The way we treat people defines who we are and defines the world. I don’t know that I believe each person has a destiny here on Earth but that we *are* here and we should learn to love people (and ourselves, often the hardest of all) no matter what our flaws are. I think that our spirits have paths they need to travel and the more we ignore our true path, the harder our lives become. I believe that our energies (either as souls or just as energy) go on after we die but I can’t say that I believe in reincarnation or not. I think there are many possibilities but I don't spend too much time worrying about the afterlife since it’s something that we can’t really know until we die. I just worry about the life I'm leading now. I try to do the right thing on Earth now and if there is no afterlife, it will still be okay. I try to feel gratitude for life and for the beauty of the Earth. That is what is most important to me.
Originally Posted By Ursula I lean towards no. I am certain I am agnostic, with atheistic touches. I want there to be a God, however. I just don't have faith. I envy my friends with faith, but I can't get past the fact that people created God to make their lives easier and have an escape clause. I studied Greek and Latin gods for a while. The people that worshipped them KNEW they existed...on faith. I am envy of this escape clause. I wish I could just say,"Oh, God will take care of that." But over and over in my life, it doesn't quite work out that way. When you push the issue in trying to find out more, I usually get a "well, you don't have faith." No, no I don't. I am never satisfied with answers. Like, why aren't there dinosaurs in the bible? Logically, the answer is because when man wrote the bible, he didn't know of dinosaurs back then. I also think that when the bible was written, it was written by those in power wanting to control the masses. But then, I try to live a good life. I follow the 10 commandments, not because they are in the bible, but because it makes for a nice person. I wish no one ill will, I give to charity, and I try to be generous with my family and friends.
Originally Posted By Ursula I also have a confession: I would really, really hate it if there isn't a God. I have too many friends with solid faiths, it would just crush me (and piss me off!) if they spent their entire lives having great conversations arguing with me for no reason.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 ^^LOL Ursula! I'll go with yes for similar reasons that Ursula stated much better than I can. I value the devotion some of my friends and relatives have, I hope for their sakes that their hopes and prayers are answered. For me, I do the same as Ursula stated, trying to live a good and meaningful life and hope for the best
Originally Posted By lilgoofymom Yes! I believe in God, I also know He believes in me. I also believe in Salvation through the Blood of Jesus. I know He answers my prayers, sometimes with a "No". I have seen too many of the things that I have prayed about settled not explainable any other way. I look back on some things I prayed for and did not get and see that I really did not need those things. I try to share my faith if possible, but recognise that some people do not want to believe the way I do. So those I leave the religion subject alone with them.
Originally Posted By a goofy guy Letting my yes be yes and my no be no I have to say ABSOLUTELY YES for God!
Originally Posted By beamerdog I'm a mix of davewasbaloo, mele and Ursula. I'd like to think that there is a God, but for me, the most important thing is to make an honorable, kind and measurable contribution to this life and those that follow.
Originally Posted By JohnS1 I always like to respond to the most intelligent, meaningful inquiries at this site, so I do intend to answer this, but first I need to deal with the In and Out Burger post.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros "evolution always made more sense to me then the Merlin the Magician approach to creation." Well, if you look at Genesis, it is all explained exactly the way that Darwin came up with less than 200 years ago. Just as with Darwin, first came the creation of the earth, then the various geography on the surface, followed by plants, animals, and finally humans. The only difference between the two is how much time is used for each of the steps. Darwin put his theories into a time frame that we know, years as observed on earth. Since before all this, there was no earth to count time from God had his own days to tell time. The time was measured this way, because it is the only time frame that He knew. It's sort of like making a phone call appointment with someone on the opposite coast, and telling them what time it is. It all depends on perspective, otherwise, somebody's going to call 3 hours early or late. While I know that some people want to take everything in the Bible very literally, but if it's looked at in a more metaphorical way, it all makes a lot more sense. While a lot of people say that science disagrees with the Bible, most of things that science is just now "discovering" has been documented in the Bible for a couple Millenia.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper FerretAfros...I like your analogy. That might be one I can actually explain to the kids.
