Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 23 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 2 months ago by
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Looking back on my childhood growing up as a Catholic, I can’t help but feel brainwashed into believing in God and religion as a whole. How can so many people buy into the idea of a “God” and religious teachings? I have yet to see any concrete proof to support the existance of “God,” so how can so many believe?
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Name : Jeff, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 20, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,One of the similarities of people all over the world is the belief in some kind of higher power. I think that people have a need to believe in something greater than themselves, and religion fills that need. There are other questions that people need answers to, such as why we are here and what happens after death. Religion answers these questions as well. Whether the answers given by any specific religion are true or not is not for me to say. The point is that religion gives people something to believe in. Obviously, one religion is not right for everyone, that is why there are so many different religions in the world. Of course, not everybody believes in a higher power, and that is ok. Religious beliefs are very personal, and people have to find a belief system that fits them.
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Name : Lucy-H22632, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 24, City : San Jose, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,The best proof I can offer of the existence of God is the butterfly. Think about it: It starts as an egg, grows into a caterpillar, a sort of worm with legs and (usually) outrageous hair and colors, then forms a cocoon, which then hatches into the butterfly. Amazing! Incredible! It seems impossible to me that the butterfly and its metamorphosis came about randomly or by evolution. It could only have come to be by the specific design of a higher being. Thus, God exists.
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Name : Jesse-N30783, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Herzliya, State : NA, Country : Israel, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College,Believing in God is blasphemous of God. Blasphemous is labeling a jump is a house. One is an action (spirit) the other is an object. Believing is definitions structuring an object. God is Spirit or Now: ever present. God is the prolog the introduction, the push behind the shove, etc. Mortal mind holds definitions as memories, as programs in the computer’s memory, these are all past, but give expression of spirit in form. That being is determined by the High (Now) Deity (Individual) that ‘appoints’ God. So what is created is by appointment. “Belief in God” is a description of Hierarchy: a centralized control. Each cell in cloning carries the full knowledge of that being. If you want world control, program hierarchy in each “accepting” mind. The butterfly analogy is hierarchy of sight – beautiful or ugly. When you eat of the tree of knowledge you shall surly die. Its fruits are the five senses. Many believe because of the mortal flaw: an inner knowing that one knows all (666). If you know all there is there’s no openness for learning, and mind/man/beast is very protective of what it knows. What you know is what you believe thus being, and the primary condition of any being is to survive. Note:You are not your mind.
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Name : Jerome, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 56, City : Albion, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : Technical School,Science is not the only means by which we base our lives,conduct, or beliefs. So why is that so many aethists reject God, simply because there is no scientific basis to support the idea of God? Is there a scientific basis for why we love or why we value what we do? Do you conduct a scientific experiment to determine whether you’re going to protect your child or love your mate? This may seems totally off base, but this business about science and God being at odds seems incredibly limited as well. Science would have you beleive in spontaneous combustion. Now that’s not farfetched?Something went Bang!! And here we are? the idea of a supreme being who has orchestrated a complete, divine order of the stars and heavens doesn’t seem anymore outrageous. Lastly, there’s a saying, ‘Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.’ Okay, can’t get with religion. Okay. But, what does that have to do with God? You’re born in the likeness and image of God. That power lives within in you. Religion is, for many, the vehicle by which we experience God, but it doesn’t have to be the only way.If you must, throw out the bathwater, but keep the Source. Peace, Zawadi
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Name : annonymous, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Detroit, State : MI, Country : United States,To my mind, there is a lot more evidence for the existence of God than there is for the existence of Julius Caesar. I think if you are open to and accepting of God (under whichever name you call him) you will find evidence of a Deity; if you only search out evidence for the non-existence of Deity that is what you will find. Atheism, for what it’s worth, seems to be a belief exclusively held by the white middle and upper class. I think it is really impossible for science to either prove or disprove the existence of God, despite the best efforts of many in the field.
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Name : Crystal, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 30's, City : Oakland, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Office manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,With all the blessings we receive in life each day – our families, our loved ones, the beauty of the day, concern for each other – there has to be a higher power, something bigger than all of us that provides and creates it all. In my experience, especially as I get older, I believe even more that there is a God who is merciful (he gives me my health and protects my home), who gives me so much to be thankful for. I feel that on this earth we have to believe in something greater. Why not believe in God?
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Name : Faith, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 24, City : Austin, State : TX, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I my self was brought up to beleive in a force much greater than man, an ‘unknowable’ force so incomprehensible to man’s ‘simple brain’. However the term god now adays is so looseley used, that it could mean anything…so what is god? an easy answer to questions that can’t be answered.That simple.Science tries to determine the whats and the whys of phenomena (or anything that doesn’t have an answer for it just yet…) My point? If there is no answer for why we are here etc etc… why can’t we just accept that where here…you can’t just jump to conclusions when you don’t have an answer! Immagine the ancient Mayan or Inca civillisations, they worshipped the sun, they thought it was god, because it brought life to there crops! without the sun , we wouldn’t be here, then again they didn’t know better, the sun is a ball of fire and we happen to be strategically placed so that our planet can sustain life. So just take a minute and think about life and and the way things are with politics and law… is it really normal????that’s another subject!
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Name : Claude V., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : human animal, Religion : Atheist, Age : 21, City : toronto, State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : musician,work in retail, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Lower middle class,I have been asked this question by people I work with. As a person who has studied ethics and philosophy, I have always come back to this illustration: I can explain 98 percent of all things through science, psychology and logic. What bothers me the most is the 2 percent I can’t explain. I have seen things that have defied all rational explanations. It is that two percent that leads me to believe there is a God.
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Name : Byron, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 34, City : Des Moines, State : IA, Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,This is the best reason for the existence of God you can come up with? Many types of butterflies bury their eggs inside other creatures, and when hatched the larva eat their host. These relationships were developed over millions of years as opposed to the discussion on God, which has only been going on for thousands of years. I think it comes down to human pride and pompousness to think that we were the reason that matter was brought into existence. Maybe the same reason adopted children need to seek out their biological parents or why we worship historical figures – it gives us a sense of reason for being or makes us feel we are a part of a linear progression that we are the apex of. If we can believe that God is eternal and has always existed, which is mind-blowing, then it is an easier concept to believe that we are an after-effect of billions of years of cosmic evolution.
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Name : Mark22061, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 32, City : Washington, State : DC, Country : United States, Occupation : Financial, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I was also raised Catholic – although I don’t really believe in all the Catholic teachings – I still consider myself Catholic. It almost feels like an ethnicity, something one can’t really change. Once you’re raised Catholic – you’re always Catholic, whether you convert to another religion or not. A few years ago, it hit me all of a sudden – why should there be a God? It seemed God had been a human creation (like the mythical Greek gods) to comfort us and make us feel not so alone. I went to the extreme scientific explanation. We live, we die, nothing else. But there were still so many things I couldn’t explain. Like Byron – it really bothered me. I think that 2% is also what brought me back. Not to Catholicism – but to God. The memory that solidifies my faith is one I cannot doubt. When I start to doubt my faith – I remember: when I was younger, I went on a youth group pilgrimage to see the Pope speak in Denver, CO. After hiking up a mountain – several miles, in the hot sun to see him speak – and then sleeping in the freezing mountain cold – I felt more frustrated with all the fanfare than anything else. On our hike back down the mountain, I fell in a prarie dog hole and had to get a ride in a med-shuttle back to the buses. At one point, I had a long view of the road down the mountain – where all the people were walking – thousands of people from all over the world. And perfectly centered above the ‘pilgrim road’ was a bright double rainbow. The original sign of the promise from God that he would be there. I don’t think it was a sign that Catholicism was the true religion – just that God was there for anyone who believes – whether Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic. Still – I don’t understand that 2% or why a butterfly exists. But I feel there is a God.
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Name : Raised-Catholic, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 24, City : Kalamazoo, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : Business, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It’s called faith.
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Name : Chester32345, City : Vinton, State : OH, Country : United States,I personally believe that the world was created by a higher being who put the earth on ‘auto-pilot’ and now he’s gone on to bigger -and better- things. I can give 2 main reasons why people believe in God-in my opinion anyways. First, growing up Roman Catholic, I know that Christianity is the ‘norm’ so people are in the habit of believing in God and they will make their kids believe in him too. Therefore, when you are told certain things all the time while growing up, you start to believe them (an example is the hypnopedia and social conditioning in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley). Plus, it’s too hard for some people to go against the wind and form their own ideas. Secondly, some people can’t handle the fact the we are alone so they look for the most obvious place to find leadership- a creator who was stupid enough to stay around after he messed up. Of course that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong. but at least I form my own opinions- right? Wanna discus this more in depth? email me…I like to hear about other peoples views.
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Name : Robby, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Deist (Sort of), Age : 18, City : San Angelo, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Middle class,I don’t understand. Why does this prove God exists? All it proves is that there are some things we don’t understand.
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Name : Eric-R, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Fair Lawn, State : NJ, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,Well the messed-up part of it is – there is NO way to prove it. But there is no way to disprove it either – take some time and think about that. I’m not gonna blow butterfly sunshine at you – but I can tell you that it is all about faith. Anyone who goes crazy trying to be logical about proving things is missing the point. Faith cannot be proven or measured or in anyway quantified. I got it and I can only tell you how much the joy has changed me and ENHANCED my life. I got 4 years of philosophy and it only made me more confused BUT if you ever want to talk about it – email me and I can tell you details about what I think. Faith isn’t about a feeling either…
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Name : Paige, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : wharton, State : NJ, Country : United States, Occupation : internet sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,
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