Existence of God

[Ahovking]

The Existence Of God​

1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.3 Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.

The eye...can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages -- simultaneously.8 Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.

2. Does God exist? The universe had a start - what caused it?

Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself.

Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, "The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion...The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen
The universe has not always existed. It had a start...what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.

3. Does God exist? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it?
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us.

How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?

Does God exist? The DNA code informs, programs a cell's behavior

All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every human cell!!

Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.

This are just some quote i pited up from this website http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence_of_God#Definition_of_God.27s_existence

 

[Yoda Power]

The Existence Of God​

1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

No it doesn't.

2. Does God exist? The universe had a start - what caused it?

Not intelligent design.

3. Does God exist? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it?

It's the opposite that wouldn't make sense.

Does God exist? The DNA code informs, programs a cell's behavior

So what?

 

[Shekwan]

Proof of the existence of God:

The Banana

Has protective coating that keeps it in good condition to eat.
Fits perfectly in the human hand and mouth.
Grows in convenient bunches at easy reach for humans.

QED son

 

[W|M]

If god existed, he would be omni-benevolent, omniscient and omnipotent. Disaster constantly happens. Wouldn't he fix it since he would want to, would know it was there and could do it? Also, think about all the dates in the Christian calender: Most of them were copied from traditions from Sol Invictus and Mithras - Mithras, like Jesus was born on 25th December, died and was resurrected within 3 days. And why did he send Jesus and all his prophets at the times they came, and why aren't there any now? Also, if he is omni-benevolent, he wouldn't exactly endorse slavery. Yet it is exactly what he does in the Old Testament. Even more reasons are found here: http://godisimaginary.com/excuses.htm

 

[Truronian]

I predict a long thread ahead.

1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.3 Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

We evolved to suit the planet, not visa versa. Had a divine being designed the planet for us I'm pretty sure we would have to regard Antarctica as a massive failure.

The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.

Pretty amazing isn't it? Of course, it's also enormously fragile and can go wrong in some pretty extreme ways. Another failure of a sorts for an omnipotent being.

The eye...can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages -- simultaneously.8 Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.

Nor does it claim to. A creator being, while possible, if far from the simplest explanation for abiogenesis.

2. Does God exist? The universe had a start - what caused it?

Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself.

Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, "The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion...The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen
The universe has not always existed. It had a start...what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.

Not that it necessarily needs a cause of course... cause and effect is something that we observe in many instances in our universe, but who know what happens outside those bounds.

3. Does God exist? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it?
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us.

How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?

We're hurtling through space on a dodgy ball of molten rock and are being kept alive by a massive nuclear explosion. On the long term, that's far from reliable.

Does God exist? The DNA code informs, programs a cell's behavior

All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every human cell!!

Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.

There's an awful lot of junk in DNA... if you assert that something programmed all the creatures of earth then you must accept that it certainly wasn't a very good programmer.

 

[Shekwan]

If god existed, he would be omni-benevolent, omniscient and omnipotent. Disaster constantly happens. Wouldn't he fix it since he would want to, would know it was there and could do it?

God hates Haiti.

Also, think about all the dates in the Christian calender: Most of them were copied from traditions from Sol Invictus and Mithras - Mithras, like Jesus was born on 25th December, died and was resurrected within 3 days.

Proof that people have always noticed that God exists and just named their traditions differently.

And why did he send Jesus and all his prophets at the times they came, and why aren't there any now?

How do you know there aren't?

Also, if he is omni-benevolent, he wouldn't exactly endorse slavery. Yet it is exactly what he does in the Old Testament.

People do bad things. God does not endorse sodomy but that doesn't mean there isn't butt pirates marauding the place everywhere.

More proof of God's existence:


Link to video.

Dispute that. Look at that light. It can't be a coincidence.

Video taker said that dog barked joyously. Have you ever heard a dog bark joyously? Another Miracle.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

The Existence Of God​

You didn't recently look into a current thread concerned with coke and belly buttons in the title by any chance?

What kinds of threads do we need MORE of?

Less redudant threads; avoid topics already discussed numerous times before like "Is there a God?"

1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Complexity means nothing else than many many factors influencing each other. How this means that one consciousness entity must have created all those factors is beyond me and certainly has nothing to do with good old solid reasoning but is plain wishful thinking.

That those factors interact with each other and build complex structures which again interact with other complex structures is a necessity as fundamental as it can get (every action has a reaction).
If one now takes into account the vast number of possible outcomes of those interactions, one might think, that the chance of us being the result is very slim. But what this individual now has to understand is: The universe is vast. So vast and so full of different possibilities, that even an astronomic slim chance becomes almost a certainty.

Hence it is not surprising that we were the random result of different factors interacting. It were surprising if we weren't! If you now think to be able to justify most unlikely outcomes with God, than you would only have been right if we did not exist. And even then your point would have been incredibly weak.

Also, nothing we have is "perfect". Not our planet, not our brain functions, not... anything. They are all actually totally flawed. Try to understand that and you might understand why your whole line of argumentation is nonsense.

 

[Ajidica]

You can prove or disprove God. Aquinas and Abelard proved Gods existance, the Existentialists and Universals disproved it.

Heres the basic Universalist logic for disproving God:
1. We assume God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and omniscient.
2. As a being that is everything, knows everything, and percieves everything he cannot change.
3. When something is perfect it can no longer change.
4. As something that is perfect, God cannot concieve an imperfect thought. Thus God can only think about himself, who is perfect.(If God were to conceive an imperfect thought it would erase God as he would no longer be perfect. Plus he would change, making him not God.)
5. The bible contradicts itself, even using numbers. Therefore it is not perfect. Also, the bible was changed at the different councils and accumulation of cannon law, thus it is not perfect. Even if we assume that the councils were divinly inspired and cannon law is infallible, how could the bible suffer from so many translation anomolies?(See below for an interesting annecdote).
6. As the bible is not perfect, it cannot be the literal word of God.
*BONUS ROUND*
7. God created man.
8. God is omniscient so he knows everything.
9. Because God knows everything he knows what will happen to every one of his creations.
10. God cannot concieve of an imperfect thought as that would be not God and thus God would wish himself out of existance.
11. God created man perfect.
12. Man ate the fruit of the tree of life thus God kicked them out because they became imperfect.
13. Because God knows everything he must have known man would eventualy become imperfect.
14. Thus, God is both imperfect as he could not have created us as God, a perfect being cannot concieve an imperfect being.
*SUPER BONUS ROUND*
15. THe bible states God is the Alpha and the Omega, or all things.
16. Therefore, God is also evil.
17. God cannot be both Good and Evil as one thing can't be two things. (Aristotle or Platos Law of the Exlcuded Middle)
18. Therefore there is no such thing as good or evil.
19. Thus, there can be no devil or antichrist.
20. If God is part of the world he cannot end, therefore Christ saying that the world will someday end is impossible as that would be God ending himself.

I believe there is a God, but a Deist God. God made the universe to work according to natural law and as God created natural law to understand the world through science is to understand God.


West India Man: Just because a religous text has issues, doesn't mean God doesnt exist. All religous texts were written down by humans and thus were subject to our own wills and ideas.

 

[W|M]

Have you seen my link the other reasons, and the reasons posted by Truonian?

 

[Ajidica]

There are similarities between the different faiths AND? Faiths don't spring up in a vacuum. They will borrow good ideas from other faiths. Remember, religous texts were written down by humans and are thus subject to our own limitation and fallacies.

 

[Lillefix]

If there is a god, the only way we can find him is through science and logic. Not religion.

that's my opinion.

 

[JollyRoger]

God is pretty lazy or incompetent if he created a system where only one planet could support His likeness.

 

[JerichoHill]

The OP has started multiple topics, and responded back to none, and all done in a slightly baiting manner.

Reported.

 

[Birdjaguar]

You can prove or disprove God. Aquinas and Abelard proved Gods existance, the Existentialists and Universals disproved it.

Heres the basic Universalist logic for disproving God:
1. We assume God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and omniscient.

And what happens if these assumptions are wrong, or if you begin with different ones? If one chooses ones assumptions carefully, it is pretty easy to disprove (or in some cases prove) anything.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

The OP has started multiple topics, and responded back to none, and all done in a slightly baiting manner.

Reported.

<snip>
Moderator Action: No need for that.

And what happens if these assumptions are wrong, or if you begin with different ones? If one chooses ones assumptions carefully, it is pretty easy to disprove (or in some cases prove) anything.

My thought exactly. I find Ajidica line of reason not convincing at all. And I am convinced there is no God.

 

[Birdjaguar]

The OP has started multiple topics, and responded back to none, and all done in a slightly baiting manner.

Reported.

So noted. Let's see how things develop and if Ahovking returns to contribute.

 

[Lillefix]

And what happens if these assumptions are wrong, or if you begin with different ones? If one chooses ones assumptions carefully, it is pretty easy to disprove (or in some cases prove) anything.

Problem is that many people automatically assume we're talking about the Christian god, or any other named god. I'm completely antireligious and I'm convinced all religions are wrong, but I'm still saying there is a (small)possibilty that some kind of being created the universe billions of years ago.
Perhaps we actually are inside a little jar.

I think when discussing the possibility of there being a god, religion just comes in the way.

 

[Kennigit]

The Existence Of God​

1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth...its size is perfect. *stuff about life on Earth, etc*

Earth ain't perfect. It's also just one planet out of so many. There will be others with life. Also, the sun will die. Some planets already would have had their life gone away when their stars died.

Water...

The human brain...

The eye... *some stuff about complexity*

A sandwich is a extremely complex creation. The precise relationship between the width and height of the slice of bread and also its thickness which would give the proper sense of bulk and weight to the finished sandwich-- here again, lightness is a virtue, but so too are firmness, generosity and that promise of succulence and savor that is the hallmark of a truly intense sandwich experience.


The knife used it of critical importance. THe knife must have the perfect suppleness, strength, keeness of edge, and length and balance. Three knives should be used: first, the knife for slicing of the bread- a firm, authoritative blade that imposes a clear and defining will on a loaf. Second, the butter knife, which is a whippy little number but with a firm backbone.

Then comes the third and chief knife- the carving knife. It must work with the grain of meat to achieve slices of the most exquisite consistency and translucency, that would slide away from the filmy folds from the main hunk of meat. The Sandwich Maker would then flip each sheet with a smooth flcik of the wrist onto the beatifully proportioned lower bread slice, trim it in four deft strokes and assemble the trimmings into a perfectly fitting jigsaw of pieces on top of the primary slice. Every sandwich was different in the size and shape of the trimmings, but the Sandwich maker is always able to effortlessly and without hesitation assemble them into a patttern that fit perfectly.

Next would be the addition of the few slices of newcumber and fladish and a touch of splagberry sauce, and then apply the topmost layer of bread and cut the sandwich with a fourth and all together plainer knife. Although this was a less skillful operation than the cutting of the meat and the trimmings, it is still critically important. Every sandwich is so lovingly crafted into a piece of deliciousness, but only the Sandwich Maker knows how to craft such a perfect sandwich.

What complexities of a Sandwich! How can a man understand the process of a Sandwich? Only The Sandwich Maker can make the deliciousness of the sandwich, can make the structure so perfect, can account for why the sandwich exists. The Sandwich Maker, holder of all these complexities, must be God.

tl;dr: so complex implies divinity eh?

2. Does God exist? The universe had a start - what caused it?
Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.

So....we assume God did it?

3. Does God exist? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it?

How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?

It ain't reliable. And who says its orderly?

Does God exist? The DNA code informs, programs a cell's behavior

All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every human cell!!

Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.

Wowzers! How do you know all this? Such infinite complexity! And yet, the mere mortals of human beings seem to understand a lot of it...........

But I must be wrong! Surely it takes an omnipotent God to be able to figure out complexities of life! And if we don't know an answer to a question, God must surely know.


So, God exists because
1) things are complex
2) things seem perfect
3) humans don't know what caused 1) and 2)

 

[Birdjaguar]

Problem is that many people automatically assume we're talking about the Christian god, or any other named god. I'm completely antireligious and I'm convinced all religions are wrong, but I'm still saying there is a (small)possibilty that some kind of being created the universe billions of years ago.
Perhaps we actually are inside a little jar.

I think when discussing the possibility of there being a god, religion just comes in the way.

And if one limits the discussion to the Christian or other well defined god, then the process is much simpler.

The notion of god resonates powerfully (for and against) in humans raising interesting questions:

Why are we so "afflicted" with gods and religion?
Where does that notion reside? In our culture? In our DNA?, Brain chemistry? Consciousness?
Can the mystical experience of those who believe that god has "touched" them be recreated through drugs, and is it the same?

 

[emzie]

The Case for God​

1: Things are very complex and I can't fathom how they would get that way. QED. God.