Is God's existence necessary?

[Janardena]

Purpose wasn't "created". Evolution and natural selection evolved a survival instinct and an instinct to procreate which is why many people feel it's their purpose to help others survive or feel it's their purpose to have offspring.

Liebowde84 begs to differ. He/she says that we create our own purpose, and here you say purpose isn't created, that it just magically appeared. Which is it?

 

[ArtieE]

Purpose; When you do something with purpose,you do it with determination. When your activities have a purpose, you have an aim or intention in mind.

And since we evolved an instinct to procreate, you get pregnant on purpose and get offspring on purpose.

 

[Janardena]

I'll help out a bit. If you do a quick Google search on "evolution and the will to survive", you will get a pretty detailed explanation of how this will is absolutely necessary for any species to survive. Remember, over 99% of earth's species have gone extinct since life started, so not every organism/life form has this will to survive. We have many instincts programmed into our brains. We begin to breathe, our heart beats, our blood flows, our stomach digests. In the same way our will to survive is an inherent instinct. We panic and go into something called "survival mode" when faced with death, and there is an obvious reason for that. Those organisms that have this instinct have a better chance for survival and reproduction, which gives them the ability to pass this instinct onto the next generation.

I followed your instruction and found nothing on how purpose came to be.
Why don't you just give a simple explanation?

 

[Janardena]

And since we evolved an instinct to procreate, you get pregnant on purpose and get offspring on purpose.

Is it true that we evolved an instinct to procreate, or are you just citing it as if it is true?

 

[McBell]

Thing is your faith in atheism blinds you to real understanding.

Your transference is showing.
I have no faith in atheism.
atheist merely describes my lack of belief in a deity.

Quote from a blogger I know......"Faith is a device of self-delusion, a slight of hand done with words and emotions founded on any irrational notion that can be dreamed up. Faith is the attempt to coerce truth to surrender to whim.It is trying to breathe life into a lie by trying to outshine reality with the beauty of wishes. Faith is the refuge of fools, the ignorant, and the deluded, not of thinking, rational people. " lol....It is time for you to inquire deeper as to what and who you really are...

Yes,
You demonstrate the quote very well in this thread.

 

[McBell]

I see your post as an emotional denial.

I also see a reluctance to choose....
Spirit first?....or substance.

use your head.....it's not hard....

or maybe it is.

You see all manner of nonsense with your current rose coloured glasses.
You still have not defined "spirit" in a useful or meaningful way.

Interesting with all your self proclaimed "sight" you still have not dealt with the fact you only offer a dishonest dogmatic false dichotomy.

 

[leibowde84]

Purpose; When you do something with purpose,you do it with determination. When your activities have a purpose, you have an aim or intention in mind.

Then I understood you correctly. This purpose is, most likely, an evolutionary trait. Those with this "drive" to survive and provide for their families were more likely to survive and pass on their "drive" to the next generation. Now, since we don't have to worry so much about hunting and gathering, our "drive" is used to help us in our family life. This drive is certainly stronger in some than others, and is in no way dependant on belief in God and what not.

 

[ArtieE]

Is it true that we evolved an instinct to procreate, or are you just citing it as if it is true?

Logic, reason and common sense and all the evidence points to it being true so I will assume it is unless something more logical and rational shows up supported by more evidence.

 

[Janardena]

Logic, reason and common sense and all the evidence points to it being true so I will assume it is unless something more logical and rational shows up supported by more evidence.

Care to logically explain the reason for your conclusion?
If that's too much, try explain it with common sense.
Just simply asserting it as if it were true, is not enough.

 

[leibowde84]

I followed your instruction and found nothing on how purpose came to be.
Why don't you just give a simple explanation?

All you have to do is look at the evolutionary evidence for the will to survive. We don't have the need to worry so much about hunting and gathering, so that "will to survive" is centered now on careers and the betterment of society as a whole. We have a drive to make money to provide for ourselves and our families. We have a drive to better our community because we are social creatures who depend on the community in which we live. Without these things, we would not have been able to survive as a species.

 

[Janardena]

Then I understood you correctly. This purpose is, most likely, an evolutionary trait.

Why?

Those with this "drive" to survive and provide for their families were more likely to survive and pass on their "drive" to the next generation.

What about lil old attraction?

Now, since we don't have to worry so much about hunting and gathering, our "drive" is used to help us in our family life. This drive is certainly stronger in some than others, and is in no way dependant on belief in God and what not.

You really believe this stuff?

 

[leibowde84]

Why?



What about lil old attraction?



You really believe this stuff?

Why? I already explained how the will to survive has caused us to have a drive to contribute to the society in which we live and the drive to support our families. Attraction? Not sure how that is relevant. What does "attraction" have to do with supporting our families. Attraction, of course, can be explained by evolution as well, though. If we support and care for our children, there is a better chance those children will have children of their own and pass on the same genes. Do I really believe this stuff? Absolutely. It is clearly seen by the FACT that there are a plethora of successful, driven people who have to belief in the supernatural. Thus, it seems clear that God is not a necessary factor in this context.

 

[Janardena]

Why? I already explained how the will to survive has caused us to have a drive to contribute to the society in which we live and the drive to support our families. Attraction? Not sure how that is relevant. What does "attraction" have to do with supporting our families. Attraction, of course, can be explained by evolution as well, though. If we support and care for our children, there is a better chance those children will have children of their own and pass on the same genes. Do I really believe this stuff? Absolutely. It is clearly seen by the FACT that there are a plethora of successful, driven people who have to belief in the supernatural. Thus, it seems clear that God is not a necessary factor in this context.

So how does God fit into your world view?

 

[prometheus11]

Why?



What about lil old attraction?



You really believe this stuff?

Yes. Most people that understand biology just a tiny bit see the sense in this perspective. Because there are no other competing theories that connect the available evidence in so orderly a manner, it's assumed to be "fact." Of course, if a better theory comes along that better connects all the available evidence Ina more orderly manner, reasonable people will then assume that theory as "fact."

 

[leibowde84]

So how does God fit into your world view?

I think God gave up his power over our lives when he granted us free-will. We are here in this reality now for each other, not for God. I have a personal relationship with God, and I profit from that relationship tremendously. But, I don't think that God inputs purpose into our heads or anything like that. God wants the best for us, but it is up to us all here to achieve.

 

[Janardena]

Yes. Most people that understand biology just a tiny bit see the sense in this perspective. Because there are no other competing theories that connect the available evidence in so orderly a manner, it's assumed to be "fact." Of course, if a better theory comes along that better connects all the available evidence Ina more orderly manner, reasonable people will then assume that theory as "fact."

Asserting something as fact, doesn't make it so.

 

[prometheus11]

So how does God fit into your world view?

God is undetectable by any method of verifiable measurement exactly in the same way that fairies are undetectable by any method of verifiable measurement, so they are considered in the only way that they can be logically considered: imaginary.

 

[prometheus11]

Asserting something as fact, doesn't make it so.

Agreed.

So did you not understand the logic I presented that explained why reasonable people assume a proposition as fact?

 

[Janardena]

I think God gave up his power over our lives when he granted us free-will. We are here in this reality now for each other, not for God. I have a personal relationship with God, and I profit from that relationship tremendously. But, I don't think that God inputs purpose into our heads or anything like that. God wants the best for us, but it is up to us all here to achieve.

Interesting concept. What is the nature of your relationship with God?

 

[leibowde84]

Asserting something as fact, doesn't make it so.

Haven't you been arguing from ignorance this whole time, though. Asking where certain things came from and asserting that, without a natural explanation, God must be responsible? I mean, that is facially logically fallacious.