Xx-IAN-xX

I neither believe or disbelieve, I truly feel there is something out there, is it a man in a white dress with a beard? I honestly doubt it, but I do feel that there are certain things that can never be explained.


Which certain things

Hysteria1983

Just something as simple as when we die, do we just stop, and that is it, or is there a spirit within us, and where does it go?

That is why in part I am a spiritual person, but I do not think it is for the right reasons. I think that I only feel that way about it as I am scared that all I have on this planet is here and now, and then I have had my chips.

michaelro

I don't believe in god, but got married in a church and both my children will be christened.

Why? Because I agree with some of the values.

I don't have issue with any faith unless it affects me directly.

Many many people have died over the years in the name of faith and will continue to do so.

For those that are religious, can you justify those deaths?

Xx-IAN-xX

I would imagine its like being in the same place you were before you were conceived,although i may be wrong

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

When you die you go back to your mothers womb??

I might give religion a go after all, lol

Hysteria1983

No thanks! lol

Xx-IAN-xX

EFA

jef

iTrader: (13)

i absolutley hate any religion of anykind - brought too much suffereing, child rape and murders to ever be justified,

however looking a little deeper than a religous god - the answer to beginnings of universe and life, a creator really couldnt be ruled out no matter how likley/unlikley

Geezer

Except that a creator is as improbable and probelmatic as not having one. A creator must have evolved or been created by something else, and so it goes on.

Just because you can't prove something doesn't exist, doesn't mean that it does.

Geezer

LostUser

I think this is an interesting point. Of those people who aren't religious in any way, how many of you got married in a church, and why?

I'm not at all religious, and not married yet. My only desire to get married in a church is because of the tradition and it's a generally nice setting. I wouldn't enjoy the religious part of the ceremony, but then saying that I think the whole marriage thing probably stems from religion so maybe I shouldn't be interested in getting married at all.

At the moment I'm undecided as to what I'd do. I'd probably let the other half make the decision on venue to be honest.

But I do find it interesting when people make their non-believing viewpoint very clear and then want to get married in a church. Maybe I'm missing something

Xx-IAN-xX

I've lived in sin with Mrs Xx-IAN-xX for the last 16 years, although when they bury me I suppose I'll have to go into church

DCI Gene Hunt

at all the wannabe saints on Scoobynet

There is no god.... fact

There is no (and never has been any) evidence of him

He never answers any prayers, although there are some really delusional types that will say he does - but aren't able to prove it

He has never appeared or spoken to groups of people

No one know what he (if he exists) looks like

No one knows where he lives - heaven - yeah right

The only stories about him were written by primitive man - and have been proved to be inaccurate

Followers of God believe they'll live on forever, in heaven

They also claim there is a tailed demon called the devil who's really naughty

...... the strange thing is that these people should believe in Santa Claus as he's less of a stretch of the imagination than the other bloke that no ones ever heard, ever seen, lives in a place no one can see and has a plan for everyone that includes the untimely death of loved ones (including children)....

jef

iTrader: (13)

you not feel that a slightly niave point of veiw, its shows a bit narrowmindedness imo - no disrespect just what i think.

your logic there only makes sense in our point of veiw, in our dimension - which is all we can understand as its how we live and all we are exposed to, we can never know different due to lack of exposure.

thats where my feeling of narrow mindedness comes in, is it really so improabale, in this world fact is often stranger than fiction, nio reason to be different anywhere else.


now back to scoobies lol

Jamz3k

I installed a tv for an old lady thisevening. Her living room had ****loads of pictures of your new **** Pope fellow. That guy is one freaky looking ******! Near sure there was a few sneaky pics of Gerry too. I felt right a home to be honest!

Alg

If someone so resolutely believes in an omnipotent, omnipresent being that created everything and watches over everyone without so much as a shred of proof. Accepts a bunch of short stories/fables as fact.
Then why should I realistically be expected to take anything they ever say with any seriousness. Yet still I do.
To expand on a previous post. If someone announced to me that they believed Father Christmas existed and set up churches worshipping him then I'm certain I would think they had a few screws loose

Faith without proof is just a handy excuse.
Show me one shred of proof and I may reconsider. Until then, to me, any religion is just a handy way of controlling a large part of a country's population.
It's just a Government endorsed game in which supposedly those that win: play the game correctly, adhering to a set of morally correct rules get the prize of the promise of eternal life.

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

Why, and does it really matter to you?

You and many others go through life quite satisfied having no belief in anything more, beit god, a higher power or whatever. That's fine, it's your life to do with what you please. Just as it's the right of others to believe in something more, for whatever reasons they see fit. It might seem like madness to some, but whatever your opinion, they have the right to theirs. In this day and age, few people really force religion on others, so just get on with life, and leave others to their 'path'.

As for proof, SN has been there and done that and it's pointless. People come on and share their 'experiences' and others without faith just try and find some arguement to claim it is down to some normal explanation. What does it really matter? However mad it may seem to some, if people out there get some sort of comfort in their belief, leave them to it.

As for Gene, I'm quite surprised by your attack on folk with faith tbh. I remember not all that long ago, you were far more accepting of peoples right to believe what they wish, and you certainly didn't belittle people like this.

People, believe what you want, but respect the right for people to believe what they want.

Alg

People can believe in anything they want. It makes no difference to me. Nowhere did I say that anyone wasn't entitled to their opinion.

Proof doesn't matter to me in the slightest. It was written in relation to some of the previous posts.
However, in order to prove that God exists the question is key and relevant.

I don't think that the DCI is belittling people, he is in a more direct way than myself, just stating his opinion.

We are all as entitled to our opinion as we are all entitled to our beliefs.

RobJenks

I have to disagree with you regarding priests - I think they are equally guilty as the Catholic Church has done absolutely nothing to rid itself of these tormentors, either at the Vatican or at grass roots level .If anything concealment and silence appears to be the strategy

michaelro

Really? You believe that....?

I do, unless it affects me directly.

On a lighter note, when was the last time an Atheist knocked on your door asking you not to believe in god...

Jamie

I still believe in fraggle rock does that help ?

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

On a global scale I'd wager its a vast majority - and yes it affects us all unfortunately

Jamie

Last time i had a Jehovah knock on my door i just said no thanks and (THEY SAID COOL)will never bother you again it has worked or they both had a bad car crash and refused the blood.

Rapid17

I know I may be ridiculed, but the following is a reply I posted on a similar thread on TRO forum in March 2009.

Leslie

I don't believe that you even understood what I was saying in my post Paul. what on earth makes you say that I think it is alright if evil people commit acts of genocide or torture on children or anyone for that matter?
You must be crackers if you really believe that. How can you possibly believe that its is OK by me that those people are suffering because it is man who is doing it. Your arguments are just falling through the floor when you accuse me of such things! Why do you think I spent those years working in the defence of our country and the West?

You totally misunderstood what I meant when I said that life was a test of us all as people.

Lets imagine by the way what life would be like it everything was perfect and we had to do nothing for ourselves to enjoy a life where all our desires were fulfilled.

How would humans cope with that? We all need something to drive us and we need to feel a sense of achievement when we attain something worthwhile. Which country has the highest suicide rate? Is it the supremely socialist one where the government does everything and the people hardly even need to think for themselves.

We all have good and bad in us, and those who are overpoweringly bad have to be restrained in order to maintain a successful society and to uphold natural law. No question about that.

If we come back to religion, it teaches us that we should lead a good unselfish life. Tell me what is wrong with that! Why does that deserve the insulting criticism which is plain in this thread? If people want to believe that why should they be run down verbally and ridiculed?

Bad things which happen in the name of religion are caused by evil people who are not following the religion's teachings.

It seems plain to me that those who hammer religious believers do so because they are trying to bolster themselves up in what they want to believe. They might even be a bit worried about it!

I personally dont give a cat's connection what others think in that respect. We all have the right to take our own decisions in that respect. There is no way I would try to change a person's mind, he has to follow his own conscience.

By the same token, I also believe in fair play, and will always speak out against those who attack others unfairly and in such an unpleasant way, often to try to achieve cheap popularity.

Best really, as has been said so often before, is that we keep our beliefs to ourselves, it is after all a very personal affair, and not take it out on others in such a bullying fashion. It is not in the slightest bit clever and also gives an insight into such a person's character. That was not directed at you personally Paul but at those who will know well enough who they are.

Les

Leslie

Good post Timwinner, lot of good sense and very fair.

Les

GlesgaKiss

The thing is, Les, there's absolutely nothing to suggest a god exists other than opinion. That's nothing to base any belief on. For e.g., if I started to believe I could fly and then jumped off a cliff, what would happen? Or I could say I can fly but I don't need to prove it(that's basically what you've said above).

Each to their own and I realise believing in a religion can be a good thing at times, but surely it only really helps people who aren't strong enough to believe in themselves?

It's also the cause of a lot of trouble in the world.

Leslie

Well said Geoff, I am very happy that you have found peace in your life..

Les

Geezer

OK, without wishing to ridicule you, because you obviously believe something happened that day which helped you, and that's great, really. But does it not occur to you that you wanted help so desperately that you actually helped yourself?

Prayer is not only unlikely, it is statistically improbable and controlled experiments (which by the way, were funded by religious sources) showed that prayer had no effect whatsoever.

God doesn't listen, and do you know why? Because he doesn't exist.

For some odd reason, Napolean speaks to you, you're mad, God speaks to you, it's divine!


You're joking right? You cannot really be serious about what you said. It doesn't matter what dimension something may be in, or whether it's beyond our current understanding, it still stands, a creator has to come from somewhere, even in another dimension. It's like those idiots who try and push intelligent design, it doesn't seem to occur to them that the argument they use to 'prove' God is actually his undoing as well. Oh the irony!

God is not an answer, it's a lazy way out. Thankfully hordes of scientists over the years have not taken that view otherwise we wouldn't be communicating over the internet now about the (non)existence of some higher being.

Geezer

JTaylor

You can't prove a negative, Les.

Leslie

Yes you are right there, it really is a matter of opinion, some people call it faith.

Ian with all the X's says that he neither believes or disbelieves which is perfectly reasonable and I can understand just how he feels.

Basically when I think about the existence of the whole of Space which seems to be limitless with the immense numbers of systems, the billions of years involved with the whole business and the fact that we as a world are pretty small really, and also how life exists and has evolved over the years, I think somehow that there is likely to be some all powerful being who thought it all up in the first place.

There seems to be too much order in the laws of nature etc. and how so much fits together in order to enable our existence for it all to happen by accident.

Scientists may find the full answer one day, who can say, but so far what they do know is based on theory which as yet cannot be proved.

They aren't all that good on Global Warming either!

Religion is not the cause of the problems by the way, its the unprincipled people who deliberately use it to make trouble.

Les