Poll: Do you believe in a higher power?

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I believe in a higher force, I don't necessarily believe in a God/Gods.

'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' - Arthur C. Clarke

Any sufficiently explained magic is indistinguishable from technology. - Me, Just now.

 

[Fire Daemon]

I beleive that thread necromancy is the devil.

I still beleive that science=god and you can't change my mind, HAHA!

 

[Saskwach]

I beleive that thread necromancy is the devil.

I still beleive that science=god and you can't change my mind, HAHA!

As to the first, it's a bit unfair to say on the one hand "this thread has been done before, go dredge that one up. It's about 10 pages back have fun" and then on the OTHER hand say "bawwww, thread necro is stoopid". People who want to talk about a subject should be able to one way or the other and the current escapist line is that similar threads is the no-no. So be fair and accept the necros.
As to the second...*sigh*

 

[usernamed]

There's no conclusive evidence in the existence of god, there's no conclusive evidence that a god does not or has never existed. Agnostic for me.

Oddly, I've always considered that those who are strongly atheist must have at least equal levels of faith to those with strong religious beliefs. They're in the identical situation of having to state their belief without being able to prove their point conclusively. It's just one point of view against another.

 

[stompy]

Why can't we just all get along? Meh, that's something I'll never get with religions; why must they always fight about who's right?

Something that's very relevant, and stems from Hinduism, is the belief that all paths lead to one truth; all religions lead to God... think what you want, but I quite like it.

As for me, if you don't already know, I'm agnostic.

 

[Wilkopops]

My views are that I want to believe in a God. I want there to be a God, and in a sense I think there is one. I don't believe you need "evidence" for God's existence.
That said, I don't know what to understand, and I don't understand what believing in God will get anyone. I'm always looking at both sides of an argument and in this case, I don't know which one to take.
I've been christened, but after that I don't know where I am religiously.

 

[Omnidum]

Frankly, I don't give a damn about religion. People kill in the name God (Or Allah, which basically means God) and expect to be rewarded by doing so, even if the stone tablets say "You must not kill" in big fat letters.

Luckily, germans are uncovering the Lost Ark to see if the tablets are true.

 

[Ruffythepirate]

There is no proof of Gods existance. Fact. However, isn't that what the entire concept of religion is based on? Faith, not proof, is what it's all about. I don't really mind how other people choose to lead their lives, even if it means that they believe in something I don't. People should be aloud to believe what they want to, without people standing in line to destroy their believes apart. -Atheist-

 

[hughball]

Atheist and not arguing merits of god/religion on the escapist.

 

[Kraj]

Unapologetically Christian. Ive never really understood Atheism as it doesnt make sense from a logical point of view (If im wrong we all go to hell, if your wrong then its just you) but people are entitled to their own opinions I suppose and its better to believe something for reasons that you discovered for yourself than because someone else told you to.

For those of you who voted no watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (a fun anime if nothing else). Those of you who have watched this series should already get the joke ^_^.

interestingly enough There are several Theologians who believe that everyone goes to heaven, since forgiveness is :supposedly: universal and unconditional. Not that I agree, not that I disagree, but when it comes to religion almost anything can be given weight. Its just an interesting viewpoint to munch on.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Interestingly on the concept of universal forgiveness- I really don't want it. I really don't want to have to share paradise with rapists and scum, much as I don't want to share my current life with them. Hell is for those who deserve it, and if god decideds Igo to hell- well, it'll be him who suffers.

 

[nightfish]

Agnostic

As a scientist i'm trained to look a facts. No evidence to say nothing exists, no evidence to say something exists. That is not the point though; faith isn't about the facts.

 

[The Potato Lord]

Several responses to my earlier post indicate that the point wasn't as clear as I thought. Very well, I shall just have to spell it out then.

The things I mentioned earlier were not "just because we can't explain it right now means it must be God's doing" It's because they will never be explained now or ever for all time, that is my point.

Also this thread seems a bit pointless seeing as none of us are going to convince the others.

 

[sonza]

faith is just beleving in something and is ok for every one to have faith in something but its the people who take it too far of start killng in the name of god crap if he god wanted them dead dont you think the they would just get smited

 

[ReepNeep]

I believe in a higher force, I don't necessarily believe in a God/Gods.

'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' - Arthur C. Clarke

Any sufficiently explained magic is indistinguishable from technology. - Me, Just now.

Hah. Magic by definition can't be explained by any means other than 'Its Magic!'. One by one God's refuges are conquered by science, only to spring up in new places because of the new questions posed by our expanding knowledge.

We will never outgrow him because we can never know everything (An article of faith on my part? Amusing), but perhaps as his domains retreat into new territory more will recognize him for what he is: a primitive attempt to explain this infinitely complex world of ours.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

There will always be a god, if at least in the souls of man.

For god is but good- a word for it, a metaphor, a stone we raise to command 'do good, for god wishes it'.

For science can explain many things, but it will always provide more questions than answers, and behind these questions men will always find god.

For god is what you make him, or her, god is but a word for good, god is but a word for the force inside that says: do good. God is but what you would have him be.

Good, no?

 

[John Galt]

The trouble with Pascal's Gambit as used by Seekster is that it ignores the third possibility: There's a god, but you picked the wrong one and now you're going to hell. This is the sort of sentiment that all religions have conveyed to the masses at one point or another. Since the odds are stacked against me, I'd just as soon go to hell and not bother than spend my life in church and find out God's a Shinto spirit with a chip on his shoulders.

 

[MagnetoHydroDynamics]

<-- This guy is atheist, scientifically interested and very critical to all religions ... But he has his doubts


Edit: I don't believe in Duke Nukem 4ever

 

[cleverlymadeup]

Like RAM said, just because it's not explained doesn't mean it's God. Throughout history we've debunked many things that were credited to the Bible simply because the authors didn't know any better. Using religion to hunt for answers to natural phenomenons is a bad idea due to the fact that when it comes to explanations, much of it is a little bit of observation and a whole lot of guesswork mixed in with the occasional dogma. If you want to find out things developed, you can learn a lot more from going out and testing things a la the scientific method than simply writing it off as "God did it".

well said, too many religious people fail to look at facts and just say "god did it". the thing about the bible or any religious book, is it's a book of morality and how to live your life and be a "good and moral" person. a lot of the events in the bible can be explained very easily, some are observational things, such as the plagues and the pillars of fire and smoke and the parting of the red sea

others are us not understanding the terminology any more and this is the biggest issue most people have, it's written in an older form of english that we no longer comprehend

terms such as "turning water to wine" mean "blessing your drink" water was considered bad but wine was considered ok because of the alcohol, also "being cast amongst the dead" means "being among people who aren't in your social organzation" and "raising from amongst the dead" means "making a person a part of your social organization"

the last two terms are still in use today, also look at when you disown someone they become "dead" to you but somehow jesus brought people back from the dead when he raised people from amongst the dead. funnily enough "raising" someone is still in use today by the masons, a candidate that is getting his third degree is said to "being raised to the sublime degree of a master mason"

i think there is a god but honestly most people are barking up the wrong tree when it comes to who and what god is

this is applicable and comes from the tao te ching

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

that statement has a very simple meaning "if you say this IS god, then no that's not god"

 

[Alotak]

Oh **** i wish i'd noticed this before id posted my Is God real!

Anyway i am a Athiest and would just like to say that you can beleive what ever you want it doesn't make you any different but if you are an religous extremist then you can go and crash into a tree and hopefully break your neak when you do so.