-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
Why Debate the Existence of God, I Mean, What's The Point?
- Thread starter steeltoes
- Start date
CynthiaCypher
Well-Known Member
Which one?
Take your pick.
Alex_G
Enlightner of the Senses
Well in so far as belief in god drives particular behaviours then outcomes of such debates could have the potential to impact or change the way people live their lives.
It is a hugely overblown subject matter, for sure. And that alone is one good reason for debating it.
It may take some wind off the sails of those who think of his existence as both an established fact and a Very Important Thing. Some of those people make a point of wanting to boss others around on those grounds.
zenzero
Its only a Label
Friend steeltoes,
No idea since God is a concept and concepts do not exists.
Concepts are used for a understanding.
Those who experience and understand the concept, fine. If not too its fine.
Life does not stop what one thinks or imagines as finally its the experience that matters.
Love & rgds
No idea since God is a concept and concepts do not exists.
Concepts are used for a understanding.
Those who experience and understand the concept, fine. If not too its fine.
Life does not stop what one thinks or imagines as finally its the experience that matters.
Love & rgds
CynthiaCypher
Well-Known Member
I think there are other things that drive human behavior far more than belief in gods. So what sort of behavior do you think it drives?
Anything from noble to savage.
Gjallarhorn
N'yog-Sothep
And often the nobility is just a well-hidden form of savagery.
To me, the existence of God is corollary to questions that do matter; Who are we? What am I trying to accomplish with my life? When I die, is my consciousness annihilated or is it just continuing a grander experience? How should I then live my life?
These questions do matter and effect some us profoundly. To me the debate is just not about some God existing but the purpose (if there is one) of our life.
I approach it more from the bottom-up than from the top-down. Meaning not starting the consideration with 'Is there God?' and then working down to find my place in the universe. I start with myself and want to know who I am and that bubbles up to my understanding of God. That's why to me I have always started my internal debate by considering am I just matter or something more. And to me evidence from the paranormal has been important and I have become objectively convinced I am something more. And a curious mind won't let go of what that 'more' is and eventually after several layers I found the God concept that makes sense.
But, especially after hanging out on RF, apparently my mind works differently than most.
Although I reached my beliefs objectively, I have found profound subjective advantage in my beliefs over my previous atheist beliefs.
These questions do matter and effect some us profoundly. To me the debate is just not about some God existing but the purpose (if there is one) of our life.
I approach it more from the bottom-up than from the top-down. Meaning not starting the consideration with 'Is there God?' and then working down to find my place in the universe. I start with myself and want to know who I am and that bubbles up to my understanding of God. That's why to me I have always started my internal debate by considering am I just matter or something more. And to me evidence from the paranormal has been important and I have become objectively convinced I am something more. And a curious mind won't let go of what that 'more' is and eventually after several layers I found the God concept that makes sense.
But, especially after hanging out on RF, apparently my mind works differently than most.
Although I reached my beliefs objectively, I have found profound subjective advantage in my beliefs over my previous atheist beliefs.
Last edited:
Most people go to church because they want to be a better person, that seems to be a good trait in people.
Gjallarhorn
N'yog-Sothep
Yes, people go to church for that, but does that necessarily require belief in gods?
Do people in strict Buddhist areas forgo the temple because there is no creator in Buddhism?
To me, the existence of God is corollary to questions that do matter; Who are we? What am I trying to accomplish with my life? When I die, is my consciousness annihilated or is it just continuing a grander experience? How should I then live my life?
These questions do matter and effect some us profoundly. To me the debate is just not about some God existing but the purpose (if there is one) of our life.
I approach it more from the bottom-up than from the bottom-down. Meaning not starting the consideration with 'Is there God?' and then working down to find my place in the universe. I start with myself and want to know who I am and that bubbles up to my understanding of God. That's why to me I have always started my internal debate by considering am I just matter or something more. And to me evidence from the paranormal has been important and I have become objectively convinced I am something more. And a curious mind won't let go of what that 'more' is and eventually after several layers I found the God concept that makes sense.
But, especially after hanging out on RF, apparently my mind works differently than most.
Although I reached my beliefs objectively, I have found profound subjective advantage in my beliefs over my previous atheist beliefs.
So what is the point in debating God with those that don't see God as a corollary with anything that matters? Do you think atheists would benefit more by simply believing that a God exists out there?
What do you mean by just matter? Have you ever studied matter?
Alex_G
Enlightner of the Senses
I never said it was the only thing that can drive behaviour or even the most important only that it has potential to, such that debates surrounding the subject and their outcomes can therefore have a potential effect on subsequent behaviour through changed beliefs.
As for what sorts of behaviours will depend somewhat on the nature of the believed god. But it doesn't require much mental strain to see how such belief could impact the way someone might live/conduct their life
That's why I'm not fond of debating the 'Is there God' question. But that's usually the debate I get thrown into here. I would prefer to start actually with evidence for and against us being just matter and I would bring in evidence I've considered from paranormal study.
I don't think that works unless they also objectively believe it. (note: i personally don't believe there is a God 'out there' either. I'm a non-dualist meaning God and creation are not-two).
I'm just using terms with their colloquial meaning and I think people know what I mean by 'just matter'.
CynthiaCypher
Well-Known Member
What came first, the belief or the behavior?
Is it not true that most people go to church because they want to be a better person regardless?
We act on how we believe the world works, it's how we function.
Last edited:
Gordian Knot
Being Deviant IS My Art.
Our species came with a set of senses. Rather pathetic ones, really. Yet this is what we are stuck with. We have enough depth to our senses that we know there is a lot more to reality than what we can perceive.
Take light. Humans can view a very finite subset of the entire light spectrum.
Our species also came with a curiosity of the world around us. We are an inquisitive race.
So we pondered, is there more to light than we can see? Through exploration and invention we found that there is indeed an enormously larger range of light.
That, in a nutshell, is my belief of why we ponder anything. Why debate the existence of Gods? Because we want to know what more there is to the reality we call this universe. That the question can likely never be answered is not a reason not to wonder.
Why debate the beginning of the universe? Science currently tells us that all of the matter/energy that exists sprang from a micro dot which came from seemingly nowhere. One moment - nothing. Next moment - the entire universe, plus time, sprang into existence.
Science is an entirely different study from theology. The desire to know is the same for both though. Even if we can never really know, it is in our nature to make the attempt.
And that, as someone once used to say is a Good Thing!
Take light. Humans can view a very finite subset of the entire light spectrum.
Our species also came with a curiosity of the world around us. We are an inquisitive race.
So we pondered, is there more to light than we can see? Through exploration and invention we found that there is indeed an enormously larger range of light.
That, in a nutshell, is my belief of why we ponder anything. Why debate the existence of Gods? Because we want to know what more there is to the reality we call this universe. That the question can likely never be answered is not a reason not to wonder.
Why debate the beginning of the universe? Science currently tells us that all of the matter/energy that exists sprang from a micro dot which came from seemingly nowhere. One moment - nothing. Next moment - the entire universe, plus time, sprang into existence.
Science is an entirely different study from theology. The desire to know is the same for both though. Even if we can never really know, it is in our nature to make the attempt.
And that, as someone once used to say is a Good Thing!