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

Yes, I must confess that I believe it is we who determine our fate. Although I wouldn't deny the existance of God, I would deny that he is in control. Looking around I see little evidence of a God that is in control.

As for the perception of right and wrong. To misuse a very well known phrase, it is in the eye of the beholder. Some of the time it would be nice if there was a definite right and wrong, but in reality there is no way that can be so. The only rights or wrongs that are defined, are the ones for which we have laws. Even the taking of life is not totally wrong anymore (and I am not condoning such an action).

We just need to use common sense to determine our own moral guidelines. There are loads of things that I think are wrong, but that is not to say I would expect everyone to agree with me.

God does exist, she lives in Canada. she just wants everything to be happy. she didn't create churches or religion, that was mankind. the animals have the right idea, it's time we took a lesson from them.@

Reserved !
Have you seen his programme on the porn industry.

I was probably misinterpreted by my last statement on my belief in a god. I do believe in god, but not believe in
all of religion. Religion is a mixture of people's ideas of what they think god(s) want them to do.
I believe some of it may be true, while some is rubish. You may say it is hipocritical of me to think of
religion like that, and still believe in a god.

Pascal's Wager (the proper term for the logical argument presented in the first post) comes with its own logical flaw. Pascal's Wager basically states that it is better to believe in god and be wrong, than to be right. However, if you throw away your entire life planning for an afterlife that doesn't exist, then you've thrown away what you had for what you couldn't. Seems to me the safest bet is to enjoy what you have, and what you know. If there is a god, and he created this world, and he runs it according to his wishes, than I don't want anything to do with him. He fails to measure up to my standards, so I have no desire to meet his.

"Either God cannot abolish evil, or he will not. If he cannot, he is not all powerful, but if he will not, he is not all good."

God is good and bad. she makes mistakes, learns from them, doesn't repeat them. everything has free will and is responsible for for their own life. they must also know that they are also responsible to each other. the goal is to live your life without having a negative effect on anything else. life is, therefore, heaven or hell, pain or pleasure, you decide.@

Here's one that's always perplexed me, personally...

Ok, so if this Judeo/Christian God-thing created us, then who created God? I mean, God didn't just spring up out of nothingness, right? That's the whole reason people believe in a god, because they can't imagine that we just appeared out of nowhere. So we've got god to solve that problem. That's all well and good, but then we've got an entirely new problem. Where the hell did god come from?

So here's a question for those who believe in a god:

Does God have a GOD?

I'm probably going to slaughter this reference, but I think it was Thomas More who wrote something called (paraphrased title) "Six Reasons We Know God Exists." He attempted to explain that away thusly (worse paraphrasing coming up):

"Everything has an ultimate...ultimate heat, ultimate cold, ultimate smallness, ultimate vastness. There has to be something that is just monstrously big, so gosh darned huge the might boggles, and that is God."

I'll give a prize to the researcher who can count the most logical fallacies in this argument.

God has always been there. Because he exists in another dimension, time does not exist to him, the whole framework of time is visible to Him (that is how He can know the future and yet still give us freedom of choice)

I had an aunt who was a school teacher
at a religious school and when asked by
a student who created God, for lack of
a real answer she replied Super God.

Now why should we believe in super God?

what gave you this incredible insight
praytell?

Really? Gosh! Oh, well that explains everything then.........

no one and I can't prove that it is true. But it is what I believe, and sorry for presenting it as fact. DOH.
actually i think i read something like that in a CS Lewis book

Every one is entitled to their opinion,
but is CS Lewis the best to turn to for
spiritual guidance

perhaps not,
but I found I generally agree with what he says.

It seems to me that most of what is 'known' about god was made up on the spot.

Ah, but whose spot and does it require "popping" (like a big zit!)?

i found your comments interesting. a lot of the old testament has a lot of sexism in it.. thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife. either there was a real problem with lesbianism back then or god could not have had a hand in the ten commmandments. more than likely some man was busy working on the ultimate law book when his wife popped in and offered to help to which he replied .. NOT NOW CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY WRITING THE BIBLE !!!!!! GET BACK TO WORK !!!! and so she got back to work and that was the end of that..

The term 'belief' is at issue here. Belief is an arrogant commitment
to a cosmological model which is incomplete. Think, consider, feel,
hope, want, discuss, prefer, imagine if you must. There are plenty of
ways to deal with mind-bending questions besides resorting to a position of belief. We believe things when we want them to be true, but can't say for sure that they are. You believe in God, the atheist believes there is no God, blah blah blah. I believe the sky is pink. The bottom line is, who gives a flying frood what you believe? You can't presume to know anything for sure. A much safer assumption, as any zen master will tell you, is that you know nothing.

I know that I know nothing.

Belief is the path to personal destruction. Free your mind of its prison and seek always greater understanding; personal and spiritual evoloution, the goal of any religious person, will follow.

i believe you're right. have you been in heaven yet?@