No FACTS = NO god !

[CincyJim]

I assert; No FACTS = NO god ! God / et cetera is a theory / thought, not a fact. Read the Oxford English Dictionary for what a 'fact' is. More, or less, it says a fact is a reality.

THE reason religion is called "theology" is; religion is the study of "the prime / most important thought." In the mīllenniums of monotheism* there have been many searching for the facts of god/devil/heaven/hell with no tangible results.

You "believe" in god? Good, but "belief" is not a statement of a tangible fact. IMO, the important part of Judaism / christianity is a version of an older rule "Do unto others ... " which was converted into "Love thy neighbor ... ".

IF god was tossed out of the window, and "Love thy neighbor ..." was fully practiced,what might be the outcome? Would we be executing criminals? Would we ignore the lesser ones? Practicing "Love thy neighbor ... " is one hell of a order / job, eh? I assert the job would be well worth it, both in the long, & short, run.

Just my thoughts.

CincyJim



*monotheism = single prime thought, not single prime fact.

 

[Riverwolf]

Just because we currently don't have facts about something doesn't automatically mean it doesn't exist; it just means it's a bad idea to assert it as factual.

I believe aliens exist, but I will not assert that as fact. (Aliens, by the way, as in life on other planets, not the pilots of the oft-spotted flying saucers, pyramids, and cigars; I'm not going to bother guessing what those are.)

By the way, monotheism means a belief in a single God, not an automatic assertion that said God is factual.

Also, you might want to use a bigger font so your posts are easier to read.

 

[SHANMAC]

I'm failing to see the point, here. It sounds like you're saying that our society has the death penalty and ignores small crimes because there is a God, and that we would not have the death penalty or ignore small crimes if we all loved thy neighbor. If this is what you're saying, I disagree. If I misunderstood your point, I apologize, and respectfully request that you elaborate a bit on your thought.

 

[ChristineES]

It must be great to be so sure of oneself. I wish I had that kind of confidence.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Facts are just shadows of a non-existent objective world.

 

[Atreyu]

One reply upon this forum struck me. If you belieive in God and he is not a fact then is that really believing. I myself think their may be Aliens but I have never seen one so I don't believe in them.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Disappointing.

 

[Cobblestones]

Hi CincyJim and welcome to the RF.

Just as a bit of warning from another fairly new member, be prepared for your head to spin with some of the responding posts. Even though you define "facts" in the OP, there will be some who will try to tell you that even though mankind has been searching for physical/tangible evidence of the "spiritual" realm pretty much since we as a species have been able to reason and has come away completely empty-handed, that doesn't mean that it does not in fact exist.

Basically, materialists like you and me only care about what can be proven whereas some here accept any cockamamie concept as entirely plausible and just because it hasn't been proven yet doesn't matter to them. It is the fact that they think it that makes it real. I am convinced that some of these people could build an entire religion around the Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings series and they would make the same arguments in favor of such a belief system as they do presently.

Such thinking is completely outside my realm of personal experience and I have a hard time understanding it. However, understanding that it does in fact happen has helped me to refrain from taking such people very seriously.

Good luck.

 

[Cobblestones]

Just because we currently don't have facts about something doesn't automatically mean it doesn't exist...

Ta da! Man! I was totally right!!

 

[Cobblestones]

It must be great to be so sure of oneself. I wish I had that kind of confidence.

Doubt in one's beliefs is the only rational response to an irrational concept. The absence of doubt is simply a result of only believing that which can be proven. If you truly wish for such confidence, you should, perhaps, heave any irrational beliefs to the rubbish heap.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I am convinced that some of these people could build an entire religion around the Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings series and they would make the same arguments in favor of such a belief system as they do presently.

Yes, and what facts did you use to convince yourself of this?

It seems to me that you have a much lower standard of proof for this conclusion than the arguments you reject for the existence of God.

 

[Cobblestones]

Yes, and what facts did you use to convince yourself of this?

It seems to me that you have a much lower standard of proof for this conclusion than the arguments you reject for the existence of God.

Straight logic my friend. Take any posts from the people I described and replace the word "God" with "Iluvatar" and the substance of the argument does not change one iota. If A=B and B=C then A=C. Call the variable "God" or anything else and the equation remains consistent.

 

[Storm]

Ta da! Man! I was totally right!!

Well, to my mind, it's just a matter of acknowledging our limitations. TBH, I don't get your perspective, either. I mean, if we just assumed that things don't exist because we don't have the tools to understand them yet, where would that leave science? Atoms and microbes would never have been proven, become facts, if no one had thought them worth looking for.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Straight logic my friend. Take any posts from the people I described and replace the word "God" with "Iluvatar" and the substance of the argument does not change one iota. If A=B and B=C then A=C. Call the variable "God" or anything else and the equation remains consistent.

 

[Bloomdido]

This is why we need faith. It is a test to try and trick us away from the kingdom of heaven. If there was proof of our lord jesus, then everyone would believe and there wouldn't be enough room in heaven.

Jesus does enough to let us know that he is there. We can feel him in our hearts and he answers our prayers. Do you really think I would have spent my life devoted to him if he didn't exist?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Straight logic my friend. Take any posts from the people I described and replace the word "God" with "Iluvatar" and the substance of the argument does not change one iota. If A=B and B=C then A=C. Call the variable "God" or anything else and the equation remains consistent.

:biglaugh:

 

[JustWondering]

Jesus does enough to let us know that he is there. We can feel him in our hearts and he answers our prayers. Do you really think I would have spent my life devoted to him if he didn't exist?

That's fine if that works for you but there are those of us who were once Christian that never felt anything in our hearts and never had any prayers answered that eventually lost faith and became agnostic or atheist. How do you explain that?

 

[Riverwolf]

One reply upon this forum struck me. If you belieive in God and he is not a fact then is that really believing. I myself think their may be Aliens but I have never seen one so I don't believe in them.

(Hit the quote button at the bottom of a post so we know who you're talking to.)

"Believe" doesn't mean "know;" it's closer to "think."

 

[Riverwolf]

Ta da! Man! I was totally right!!

And for the record, I do not believe the gods or any man-made concept of God literally exist.

 

[Storm]

This is why we need faith. It is a test to try and trick us away from the kingdom of heaven. If there was proof of our lord jesus, then everyone would believe and there wouldn't be enough room in heaven.

Jesus does enough to let us know that he is there. We can feel him in our hearts and he answers our prayers. Do you really think I would have spent my life devoted to him if he didn't exist?

That's fine if that works for you but there are those of us who were once Christian that never felt anything in our hearts and never had any prayers answered that eventually lost faith and became agnostic or atheist. How do you explain that?

I'm pretty sure Bloomdido was being facetious.