h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Aahh, Californian girls on wheels. Can't beat 'em (they go too fast).

actually... some of them like to be beat

maybe not in the best of taste, but then... this *is* a post from me... and I'm not in the best of taste (too much conformity in the world if you ask me)

Just realized - you *didn't* ask me!

Just realized too - I'm having another conversation all by myself!

lucky for me I need to leave now. Got to catch a plane back to philly.

I accept what you say, Jamie McCrimmon, but I obviously *do* accept the existence of God... It's a pity that there is no proof you could/would acept within your parameters. Interesting discussion on free will!

Della:

Didn't say there was no proof I could accept... simply that my expectations were that there is no proof possible given my understanding of meta-logic in terms of Godels incompleteness theorem.

Now I am definitely INCOMPLETE, and I am also woefully UNINFORMED, so I am always open to CONJECTURE and ENLIGHTENMENT, and to the broadening of my narrowly inadequate world view.

ps. Glad you likes the 'free-will' conjecture. That's been roaming around the cellblocks of my brain for quite a while.... Just took the right opportunity to afford it a parole!

pps. qui es "Jamie McCrimmon"

If God exists, why doesn't he/she/it appear to us so everyone can see that he/she/it exists.Why don't I throw my Nirvana CD into my plate of custard and then if it floats and doesn't go into the custard God exists because he would stop it. Even if I fixed the experiment, God being all powerful could still stop it! Hang on i'm going to try it. Somebody needs to pay me for a new Nirvana CD. Speaking of which isn't ironic that i have to PAY for an Anarchy pendant? If anyone sees the pope tell him he owes me 2 bottles of fanta. RULE ANARCHY.

Perhaps God doesn't like Nirvana.

"And you can't hear
What we're singing,
But who cares:
We're Nirvana!"

- Jordan

If there were a GOD, then G would have infinite patience, so although the big boy is unlikely to LIKE Nirvana... I'm certain G would find it easier than the rest of us to at least put up with them!

Not that I'm implying there's anything necessarily wrong with Nirvana, at least not in an existential sense...

Y dus god make me suffer? Emotionally.

I'm cracked up inside. If god doesn't have patiance with Nirvana try it with sumthin u think he'll like. Have i said god should show himself if he wants us 2 belive in him? or was that sum1 else? RULE ANARCHY.

You can't prove the existence or otherwise of god, The tooth fairy or Father Christmas. You can make an hypothesis that they exist (The complexity of the universe requires a creator ergo god, a sixpence replaced my tooth under the pilow ergo the Tooth Fairy, Christmas Presents appeared under the tree on Christmas day ergo Father Christmas). You may modify of abandon your hypothesis if later evidence comes to light to contradict it (the big bang, evolution, Catching your father replacing teeth with coins or in a Santa suit).

A good hypothesis that has supporting evidence and makes predictions about the future is a theory. Even the strongest of theories (The Big Bang, Evolution, Relativity etc.) may be overturned by new observations.

The theories of the origin and purpose of the Universe called religions make a virtue of faith. Faith is the belief in a hypothesis or theory despite any lack of supporting evidence (or often evidence to the contrary).

An atheist would say - "There is no god, no tooth fairy, no Santa Claus".
An agnostic would say - "There is no evidence for the existence of god, the tooth fairy or Sanata Claus, but evidence may overturn my current theories on all three subjects".
A belever would say - "I have faith in my God"

<quote from Tracing the Synapses of Our Spirituality @ http://www.maps.org/media/vedantam.html >
"The brain is set up in such a way as to have spiritual experiences and religious experiences," said Andrew Newberg, a Philadelphia scientist who wrote the book "Why God Won't Go Away." "Unless there is a fundamental change in the brain, religion and spirituality will be here for a very long time. The brain is predisposed to having those experiences and that is why so many people believe in God."


Alji the Magus (don't forget to record your sun sign @ A712595 ) Pastor of the Church of Spiritual Humanism.

'An atheist would say - "There is no god, no tooth fairy, no Santa Claus".
An agnostic would say - "There is no evidence for the existence of god, the tooth fairy or Sanata Claus, but evidence may overturn my current theories on all three subjects".
A belever would say - "I have faith in my God"'

Not quite. Atheism and agnosticism have nothing much to do with the tooth-fairy or Santa Claus. An atheist could simply say 'I don't believe in God, but I do believe in the tooth-fairy.' And atheism doesn't necessarily have anything to do with evidence - an atheist might believe in God because they've never really cared enough to think about it. And an agnostic doesn't need to say there's no evidence in God - that's like saying they're atheists by default, with the added premise that (in order to maintain the distinction between atheism and agnosticism) atheists wouldn't believe in God even if He appeared to them, in all his Nirvana-hating glory.

- Jordan

'An atheist would say - "There is no god, no tooth fairy, no Santa Claus".
An agnostic would say - "There is no evidence for the existence of god, the tooth fairy or Sanata Claus, but evidence may overturn my current theories on all three subjects".
A belever would say - "I have faith in my God"'

Not quite. Atheism and agnosticism have nothing much to do with the tooth-fairy or Santa Claus. An atheist could simply say 'I don't believe in God, but I do believe in the tooth-fairy.' And atheism doesn't necessarily have anything to do with evidence - an atheist might believe in God because they've never really cared enough to think about it. And an agnostic doesn't need to say there's no evidence in God - that's like saying they're atheists by default, with the added premise that (in order to maintain the distinction between atheism and agnosticism) atheists wouldn't believe in God even if He appeared to them, in all his Nirvana-hating glory.

- Jordan

'An atheist would say - "There is no god, no tooth fairy, no Santa Claus".
An agnostic would say - "There is no evidence for the existence of god, the tooth fairy or Sanata Claus, but evidence may overturn my current theories on all three subjects".
A belever would say - "I have faith in my God"'

Not quite. Atheism and agnosticism have nothing much to do with the tooth-fairy or Santa Claus. An atheist could simply say 'I don't believe in God, but I do believe in the tooth-fairy.' And atheism doesn't necessarily have anything to do with evidence - an atheist might believe in God because they've never really cared enough to think about it. And an agnostic doesn't need to say there's no evidence in God - that's like saying they're atheists by default, with the added premise that (in order to maintain the distinction between atheism and agnosticism) atheists wouldn't believe in God even if He appeared to them, in all his Nirvana-hating glory.

- Jordan

I don't need God and (if god exists which I am convinced he doesn't) God doesn't need me. If I needed God I would belive in God. If God needed me, he would tell me. Since he knows this, having infinite power, wisdom and kindness, and hasn't told me he needs me, I guess he doesn't need me. If the bible calls Satan, Satan the deciever, how do we know who's lying? God must be lying because in the revalation with the fall of Babylon, that was nothing to how it actually was! Howcome the bible contradicts itself? Just some thoughts for you to mull over. RULE ANARCHY.

I don't need God and (if god exists which I am convinced he doesn't) God doesn't need me. If I needed God I would belive in God. If God needed me, he would tell me. Since he knows this, having infinite power, wisdom and kindness, and hasn't told me he needs me, I guess he doesn't need me. If the bible calls Satan, Satan the deciever, how do we know who's lying? God must be lying because in the revalation with the fall of Babylon, that was nothing to how it actually was! Howcome the bible contradicts itself? Just some thoughts for you to mull over. RULE ANARCHY.

I don't need God and (if god exists which I am convinced he doesn't) God doesn't need me. If I needed God I would belive in God. If God needed me, he would tell me. Since he knows this, having infinite power, wisdom and kindness, and hasn't told me he needs me, I guess he doesn't need me. If the bible calls Satan, Satan the deciever, how do we know who's lying? God must be lying because in the revalation with the fall of Babylon, that was nothing to how it actually was! Howcome the bible contradicts itself? Just some thoughts for you to mull over. RULE ANARCHY.

He doesn't. But surely you don't believe he does anyway, seeing as you don't believe in him?


Is it worth pointing out that the big bang IS IRRELEVANT, for although it explains the existence of the universe it gives not the least explanation for its complex order? Or that, even avoiding the whole improbability-of-evolution-of-species argument, evolution in no way explains the existence of living things because they would have to exist already before they could start evolving?


This is not true, in fact it is about as far from the truth as you can get. I was ignored the first ten times I pointed out the definition of faith, and I probably will be again, so I won't waste time going into detail, I'll just refer you to Hebrews 11:1 - "Faith is the *assured* expectation of things hoped for, the *evident* *demonstration* of realities though not beheld."


What's this about? Can you be more specific?


Assumably then, you believe yourself not to need any of the things God offers? Reason for your existence, the purpose of life, guidance, and ultimately, perfect health and everlasting life? You must have things pretty good.


We've had good discussions on this in the past, but hey, why not have some more? Come on then, tell us which 'contradictions' you're referring to.