Does God Exist?

I have never heard of God wanting to be feared.

 

Yeah sorry, but an Internet site named "fear God" to me, is realistically, not going to entice me to actually read anything in any logical sense. Period. Whatsoever. Unless that's what you went for? Though I find it odd, you've ignored me for several years already, I'm intrigued as to why you even bit on that one?

 

To be fair, not only Christians but Muslims and Jews have the same doctrine. Children of Abraham united in fear.

 

Yes, and no. That's all I'm going to say on the topic. There are plenty of organized religions that will answer yes and no to God's existence. So, I'm one of those. Or none of those. Who knows? Really, I think the conversation of religious beliefs is better suited during a well controlled debate, or when you're creating a family, or are amongst your own family. This kind of environment to bring up this topic is one of the worse. It's like having tea time while you're in a civil war.

 

So god is stuck in a quantum superposition?

 

Yes, together with a dead or alive cat.

 

I disagree, Considering that I (and I presume nearly everyone here) will not have the opportunity to perform in a formal debate on the subject, I think this is best platform for discussion on the topic. Whenever I discuss the topic with friends and/or family, it becomes very emotionally charged, where the discussion falls apart into talking over someone, persistent deflections, bringing up unrelated observations, etc.

Some of those occur here to a certain extent as well but usually someone else will come along from a different perspective and discussion doesn't seem to stagnate as much as irl. I think speaking on the topic here has helped me hone in my abilities to discuss the topic.

 

Okay, so we talked about God, and all that crap, did anything change? No! We just spent a bit of time stroking ourselves. And I know stroking ourselves is a good thing, but sometimes it's overreacted. The reason I said bring it up with family, and other relating people is because that is one of the main reason a relationship falls apart, the differenting belief systems. This isn't like disagreeing on who is the best football team. Opposites will not attract at this point. You have to talk about it, no matter how emotionally charged it is (Like it's not emotionally charged here, right.), to keep the family intact (agree to disagree sort of thing), or to call it quits sooner than later. The difference between here and there, is that there... we're getting something done. Here, it's just a fuck fest with ourselves, not even with other people, at that. As for finding a well controlled environment, you're right if you aren't in school on the debate team, or doing something as far as volunteering and/or working in the field, you don't have a lot, if any chances to go into that environment. But, it's one of the best to have, becuase it's not emotionally charged. It stands and exist for what it is. And that is where true enlightenment and all that other crap comes from. I guess. I don't know. It's just a safe heaven, for a lot of people who want to talk about it, but can't.

The only reason a place like this is good is when the thread becomes so heated that it locks, and all we can do is read. You learn a lot about people, life, and everything inbetween by reading. You don't have to always participate. You can simply observe. And then participate when it really matters, as in you know something will get done.

This is just my opinion, I'm not God... or anything. So, whatever.

 

Ah, you can go bite me with that comment. Just bite me hard.

 

As I said, I find these threads useful in honing my abilities to discuss the topic and a lot of the understanding and techniques I gain from a thread such as this can be applied to other topics as well. I don't find it any more of a "stroking ourselves" exercise than most other fields of inquiry regarding divisive issues.

I agree with you in suggesting this topic isn't like disagreeing over a football team. This is a topic that has been pondered since the beginning of written works, likely since the dawn of man. So while I don't expect anyone to do a complete 180 on their understanding of the main question just based on what's said in the thread, I do think those interested and open in regards to the topic, can provide and gain useful viewpoints, that might expand our understanding, or give us something to consider.

These threads can be emotionally charged but generally I find a lot of discussion before and between that happening, moreso then I tend to get out of irl. Sometimes even those who provide clearly emotional anecdotes then go on to attempt to provide rational explanations as to how such an experience fits in with their beliefs or worldview.

In regards to the family bit, it sounds like your family handles the topic different then mine. I'll leave it at that and we haven't even discussed the topic in awhile but I did discuss it with someone recently irl and I found it really pointless and find the discussions on here much healthier.

Having all the information here to really digest and understand to form opinions could be another reason why this method of discussion is superior to verbally discussing it in an informal manner, but you need the arguments and assertions posted to be able to read them.

I don't really get the locked thread comment, seems like if you need to digest it in chunks at a time, waiting for a thread to run a couple pages before reading it would essentially be the same thing.

 

I can find value in these things. In the debates I either strengthen my own argument, as guerillabedlam says, or my ideas are challenged and I come out with a different perspective, or both.

Since I write I need a place to debate my ideas and see where they may be flawed, or where my argument needs to be strengthened, or even where I may be completely wrong. Over the years my own ideas have been shaped by these arguments. Sometimes it is not even during the debate, but later when a train of thought takes me back to a point someone made and I then re-examine it.

For me, these forums are much like the French cafe's where writers and philosophers and others would hang out and debate-----a lot of great ideas came out of that process. There are lots of different views, different opinions, different arguments...

Unfortunately I do not have much other opportunity for such debate----I have a firepit in my backyard which we cook steaks on almost everynight during the summer, and into the late fall (sometimes mackerel and other things), and we discuss philosophy and what not----unfortunately everyone is more interested in my ideas rather than challenging them. We have interesting conversations and a lot of questions are asked, but there is little locking of horns.

Granted the arguments can become redundant. They will go around and around something that is empirical evidence when they should move beyond that. But the real problem is that too often people's egos get in the way. They get offended. Or they are so set on winning the argument, rather than trying to learn something or seek a new tact to defend their position, or possibly even come upon a truth, that they will attack the person rather than the argument. A lot of people have closed minds----and really that is what the whole hippie thing was about---was opening your mind (and last time I checked this was still hipforums, not squareforums, man...). And that is a challenge, I know, I often have to ask myself if I am being closed minded on an issue. And that's where being true to yourself comes in.

People need to keep in mind, especially in an emotionally charged debate, that everyone has their own opinion, and that the debate should be the issue, not the poster, and that a debate can get very intense without becoming spiteful or insulting to others. I don't think a thread would be locked of we could all keep that in mind.

There are ways in which people may think I am closed minded----My response to the very question of this OP for example. But this is where subjective reality comes in. I have had my own experiences and only I can know what they truly where, or how critically I evaluated them, or denied them. But someone approaching the argument from the other side may choose to see that as close minded.

Such debates are not for everyone of course. But those who start these threads are hoping to debate, or hoping to gain a clue, or trying to get an argument of their own... I enjoy a good strong debate, and I won't attack the other posters or their character---though I do bite back if attacked. But I never hold grudges.

(Nothing to do with the biting your talking about though aoabai) ;-)

 

Whatever floats your boat. Whatever floats your boat.

 

Ah man, and here I wanted to get bitten by strangers online. It's my only hope in life. Oh, and that will make me see God. Just saying.

 

Not any more. She laid the cosmic egg and died.

 

I don't read what anybody else has to say. I just type and go.

 

To debate or opinionate - that is the question.

Maybe if you wanted to try that again, it would be good to select a few possible topics and poll people to find out what they'd be interested in debating.

But my feeling is that mainly people here prefer a less structured and more casual approach.