God

[Sixchan]

Okay, I'll answer for the agnostic/atheist Secular Humanist views. Since I'm agnostic, I'm going to answer the questions from the perspective of 'if god DOES exist then...'

Is God a He, a She, or an It? What or who exactly is God? Who created God?

Personally, I have no idea what god is. I doubt god has genetalia, so god is probably an it. However, I do believe the universe is finite, so there may well be some guy on the outside tweaking the nuts and bolts. Perhaps the guy on the outside is part of a whole race of inter-universal mecanics, perhaps the whole universe was a phisics experiment done by god to see if he could make a universe. If so, mabye he has a mother and father! Since he would have been born before our universe, technically he would have existed forever in our universe.

Who wrote the Bible? When was it written?

Lots of people over many years. Since it was written by man and not by god himself, I can't take it that that is anywhere near a good interpretation of god, especially when it's full of contradictions.

Where does God exist? What does God do?

If the universe is finite, I recon he's on the outside looking in, if not, he's probably everywhere. From the state of the world, I'd say he sits on his ass and watches Earth like it's a good TV show.

Who was Jesus? What did he do? Where did he go?

I believe Jesus was a normal, helpful guy trying to bring peace to the world by teaching the world about god. But it backfired.

Why do the doctrines of one religion counter those of others?

Because they're ALL wrong. God is unknowable, and if you claim to know how he acts, thinks, or speaks you are insane or you are a liar. It's hard to claim that about a person you haven't met, never mind a higher being you haven't met, and god doesn't do housecalls.

How can monotheism and polytheism both be "correct" belief systems?

As FL2 said, they can't. I personally think polytheism is the more likely of the two. If there is one god, there might be more! Mabye not as powerful as the 'big man' at the top, but gods nonetheless.

Does an afterlife exist? Where is it? How do you get there? Is every human that has existed there?

Probably not. Every human would have to be there since the are all dead, and that is an insane figure. And would god go to all the bother?

Who were the first humans to exist? Do only humans enter the afterlife?

They probably don't have names, I'm an evolutionist. Perhaps god wanted to see how the world would turn out if left to itself, and let people evolve before he came back? If god did make us how we were, he has a lousy imagination. No afterlife, but if there was, then probably.

What do you do in the afterlife? Can evidence and knowledge of an afterlife exist or can there only be a belief of its existence?

Well, if you were a masochist and are sent to hell, you have lots of fun. You can prove the existence of an afterlife. Just take the gun, point it at your head...

Were only humans created or were all other organisms also created in conjunction with humans?

I don't believe any of them were 'created' so there's no answer to this question.

Why do humans exhibit so many similiar behavioural and physical characteristics as other animals?

Because we are animals.

Why was the Earth chosen? Why do other planets exist when all that was needed to create and place humans was one planet?

Mabye god's practise runs went wrong. Why do you assume the Earth was chosen? Mabye he made all inhabitable planets have intelligent beings. Why stop at one?

 

[Blackadder]

1. God's gender.

I agree that God is most likely neuter, neither male or female. However if humanity was created in God's image, does that mean he added the genetaila so humans could reproduce? If you believe God is some physical force, an omnipotent being that is both male and female, does that make him a hermaphrodite? :crazyeyes

2. Where God exists.

I think that the Holy Spirit is Life force, and the mystical thing that allows us to live. As a human, I am probably wrong, but it is my opinion, so I therefore think saying God is forever with us is true.

3. What God does.

In my honest opinion, I think he does nothing except keep us alive. Could the concepts of good and evil be anything to one like God? I don't know but it would explain why bad things happen to good people........

4.Jesus was......

In my opinion, a teacher. That was what he mainly did, tell people Parables, perform miracles (so it reads) and try and save mankind from their sins. He taught.

5.Countering doctorines.

One of my hobbies is reading the mythologies of different countries. Some features of religions clash, some don't. I have seen a few religions mention about Noah's ark, about a great sea washing the sinful: Greek, Roman, Christian and Chinese AND I haven't finished a book on Celtic myths, so I may have more examples.

Religion is a defenition. Luther disagreed with the Catholic Churches policies and so created the Protestants as he viewed the church should be run from HIS interpretation of Christianity. Just like why Peter and Paul created the 2 major earlier Christians (R.C. and Orthodox). If you mean differences between non-related religions, it depends on the original myths of that area and the new religions interpretation by the religious leader. So many religions are built on top of one another, like the way Mythraism and Christianity both had the same date of festival, the 25th of December. Doctorines can also be changed by a person wishing to escalate war by using that religion as a cover for a holy war.

6. Monotheism and Polytheism.

They can be both the same, just like my bilogical example!( read on)

The Portugese man of war

A true jellyfish is a single animal that moves through the water with a pulsating motion.
HOWEVER, A MAN OF WAR IS NOT A JELLYFISH!

It is a colony of of many animals called polyps, which live and work together. Some form into long tentacles and sting prey and haul it in. Others become specialized in digesting food and others still help in reproduction.

My main point is you could look at a portugese man of war as God (not literally!), many aspects of the same colony, the same being.
It makes perfect sense to me if God, like our human emotions, can be an angry god, then a kind god, then a god of murder, then a god of nuture and family. Mythologies cover this well, with Gods ever being neither good nor evil (For example Athene once blinded a man for accidentaly seeing her naked but also blessed him with the power of prophecies because she felt compassion for him ((she did not restore sight however.)) ).
Alternatively, Gods can belong to a good faction against an evil faction (best example, Persian mythology). Even having the opposing forces of God and the Devil.

7.Afterlife

Its too hard a question. I was told by my R.E. teacher that Heaven will be (for him)an infinate circle, thus allowing all the people of the world being near their nearest and dearest in Heaven. I still find this too hard to believe, and take the view of reincarnation, but thats only because I cannot handle the belief of unlimited space in Heaven.

8. Evolution
I'm with Sixchan on this one and it supports my theory of god NOT being omnipotent, or at least not our puppet-master.
It is supposed God gave us free will!

9. Creation.

We were all one celled organisms and things like that once, where we not? Then came evolution and radiation.

10. We are mammals, we have many characteristics of mammals. We are not similar to all animals. Testing showed that only Mammals and birds dream.

11. Humans always like putting themselves in the centre. Not long ago, people believed the Earth was the centre of the Universe. Our planet was Lucky in sustaining life. I'm glad I'm alive and I'm sure most other people are. I woder what everything would be like, being the only planet in the solar system..........

Those are my thoughts. Remember, the Bible, like so many other holy books, was written from inspired humans for other humans. REMEMBER THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE HUMAN, JUST LIKE THE MANY MONKS ETC WHO RE-WROTE THEIR BOOKS. THEY ALREADY THING A MISTAKE HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN THAT THE RED SEA SHOULD HAVE ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN THE REED SEA.
An easy mistake, in the sense that in greek the words are similar but if you think carefully about the miracle, it dampens it a little.

 

[CurtSibling]

How can we as puny microscopic mortals begin to answer such
huge and unfathomable questions?

It's like asking how many stars are there in total?

 

[Sixchan]

We are guessing based on personal opinion and experience.

We don't know, but we can speculate just for fun.

 

[CurtSibling]

Ah, well, it can't hurt, I guess.

Just watch for the flame wars!

 

[FearlessLeader2]

Originally posted by CurtSibling
How can we as puny microscopic mortals begin to answer such
huge and unfathomable questions?

It's like asking how many stars are there in total?

Well we don't really have to answer those questions. The guy who put us here knew we would ask, so he had some of us take down dictation on a personal memoir. We call it the Bible.

 

[CurtSibling]

We humans are such inquistive creatures, just like hobbits.
Well, Frodo, anyway...

This thread is your territory FearlessLeader2,
I'll leave you to tell them how it's done!