The Official God FAQ

[carlosMM]

Desire or able. Either or and not a strawman. You cannot serve two masters and you cannot view God as I do without believing as I do. Point of fact, you are an athiest....I dont think you are able in any way to understand how I believe/feel about God....except in your terms...all of which have been proven to be derogertory in the extreme.

Yes, you are right, it is arrogant and IMHO silly to suggest that you, as a bible flaming/bashing athiest see the truth/reliability and meaning of the bible better than a believer such as myself. The only truth you espouse is an athiest truth, not a spiritual one. You say you were taught religion....well an animal can be "taught" as well, that in itself does not convey understanding on any appreciable level.

Once more the only truth of the situation is also a biblical one. You cannot obey two masters. And we all know which master you follow, from your past anti-christian rants and flames.

As usual, your post is insulting and condescending - and in its simplicity of absolute statements clearly delineates your inability to differentiate views, to accept reason and logic, as always you place blind, stupid 'believing' before that typically human trait - *thinking*

Thank you for the debate that wasn't, due to your inability to look beyond the rim of your soup bowl. It may exceed your intelligence to imagine that people can imagine things without being totally controlled by them, but that is your limitation, not mine. Tough luck for you, I am afraid you will have to live your life in that animalian state of non-differentiation. There is grey, and blue, and green, and red, and rose, and mauve, and trillions of other colors - if you prefer to see things balck and white - your problem. Not, decidedly, that of anyon else at CFC, which is I think why the mods have not reacted to your aggressive demand for punishment of ra very simple (and funny) joke. to them!

 

[El_Machinae]

He used a surrogate, obviously. Do I need to explain how babies are made?

XX male (due to deletion mutation) from two fused gametes

 

[El_Machinae]

He got laid?

Some might find this insulting, except Mary DID become pregnant around the time God calmed down. I mean sometimes 2+2 does equal 4 ....

 

[MobBoss]

As usual, your post is insulting and condescending - and in its simplicity of absolute statements clearly delineates your inability to differentiate views, to accept reason and logic, as always you place blind, stupid 'believing' before that typically human trait - *thinking*

Pots calling kettles dear CarlosMM. You try to equate not seeing insulting humor about ones God as funny as a indication of possible mental illness earlier and have the nerve to say my post is insulting and condescending? Meh. I suppose you would know, being a master of same.

There is grey, and blue, and green, and red, and rose, and mauve, and trillions of other colors - if you prefer to see things balck and white - your problem.

Precisely, my dear boy, and describing belief in God to a firm athiest (like yourself) is like describing color to a blind man. No matter how you try to explain it, they simple will not be able to understand it or comprehend it in terms of belief. You yourself, have lamented over how such belief is akin to mental illness, fantasy, etc. etc. And yet you tell me you can indeed perceive God as I do? Please, do us all a favor and stop the hypocrisy. You are more than welcome to view God in any way you choose, but dont try to lie and say you can see God in my terms regardless of your athiesm. It is just not possible.

Not, decidedly, that of anyon else at CFC, which is I think why the mods have not reacted to your aggressive demand for punishment of ra very simple (and funny) joke. to them!

Agressive demand? Hardly. I mentioned it once in the thread - I have not PM'd all the mods demanding action. By the way, Erik thought it was in bad taste as well, and I am positive he and I are not the only ones having that opinion.

 

[warpus]

Precisely, my dear boy, and describing belief in God to a firm athiest (like yourself) is like describing color to a blind man. No matter how you try to explain it, they simple will not be able to understand it or comprehend it in terms of belief. You yourself, have lamented over how such belief is akin to mental illness, fantasy, etc. etc. And yet you tell me you can indeed perceive God as I do? Please, do us all a favor and stop the hypocrisy. You are more than welcome to view God in any way you choose, but dont try to lie and say you can see God in my terms regardless of your athiesm. It is just not possible.

Of course it is. I'm an atheist, but I used to be a firm believer like yourself. While I was not nearly as fanatical about my beliefs as you are about yours - it's not that hard for me to imagine myself in your shoes.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I would like to add that I find it rather annoying when atheists ridicule believers for their belief in God. I don't think you are better than me just because you don't share my belief. This is especially the case as I can understand the atheistic viewpoint more than you might realize. But please understand that maybe, just maybe, I might know something you don't. Even if you are right, bear in mind that it seems to be the natural human response to believe, and that therefore belief is no more silly or ridiculous than, say, a natural human tendency towards unwarranted optimism. It is just part of who we are as Homo sapiens.

This wasn't aimed at warpus, who is generally pretty good about this, but at atheists in general.

 

[Smidlee]

I would like to add that I find it rather annoying when atheists ridicule believers for their belief in God.

I actually find it humorous at times. In some cases they help our cause. Here a fun video of Dawkins (his idea of evil). Most people find it hard to see the church as the great evil in America. Most go to church then live pretty normal (and you can say boring) lives.
P.S. Most christians I know could care less about science unless it's part of their job.

 

[MobBoss]

Of course it is. I'm an atheist, but I used to be a firm believer like yourself. While I was not nearly as fanatical about my beliefs as you are about yours - it's not that hard for me to imagine myself in your shoes.

Neither is it hard for white people to imagine being black...however, if you ask a black person they will undoubtedly say there is no way in hell you can really relate to it, unless of course you really lived it.

Warpus, if you were a firm believer, like myself...I daresay you wouldnt be an athiest today.

Imagination is one thing......reality totally another.

 

[Narz]

Imagination is one thing......reality totally another.

So, what you're saying, is that, as a religious person, you build up your imagination to such a point where it overwhelms reality?

 

[MobBoss]

So, what you're saying, is that, as a religious person, you build up your imagination to such a point where it overwhelms reality?

Not at all, Narz old fellow. However, if this is what you think of religious people, then shame on you for your intolerance.

 

[shortguy]

Warpus, if you were a firm believer, like myself...I daresay you wouldnt be an athiest today.

Oh, would that we might have had the faith of Saint MobBoss!!!

Who are you to tell us that we weren't "firm believers"?

 

[warpus]

Warpus, if you were a firm believer, like myself...I daresay you wouldnt be an athiest today.

No, the reason I'm an atheist today is because I started thinking 15 years ago. Before that - I was convinced that everything that I was being told was true - I had faith that all of it was true... so I know what that feels like.

 

[Narz]

When you KNOW you don't need faith. So if you know God you don't need faith.

 

[classical_hero]

My position...

The red devil with the pitchfork is a pile of crap, and I'm sure Satan loves having it as a distraction.

The lake of fire is reserved for Satan and his angels; not the sinners.

Afterlife: Hell is sitting on your sufferings, retaining them as part of your pride, not wanting to let them go, and wanting to be unhappy rather than putting things behind you. In short, Hell is where you sulk. Contrariwise, Heaven is where you decide to forgive and forget all sorrows.

The Lake of Fire was prepared for the Devil and his angels, but you are forgetting what Jesus said. Hell will be the place where those who do not trust in Christ will end up being for eternity.
Matthew 25:41-46: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Revelation 20:10-15 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

You are correct in describing satan. He is not that mold as we often picture him as but this is how the Bible describes him.
Ezekiel 28:12,13 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

 

[MobBoss]

Oh, would that we might have had the faith of Saint MobBoss!!!

Who are you to tell us that we weren't "firm believers"?

Well, if someone becomes a athiest, like warpus has, he wasnt very "firm" in his "belief" now was he?

No, the reason I'm an atheist today is because I started thinking 15 years ago. Before that - I was convinced that everything that I was being told was true - I had faith that all of it was true... so I know what that feels like.

Sorry, warpus, you are an athiest today simply because your faith in God wasnt that strong to begin with 15 years ago. How old were you 15 years ago? A teenager? A kid? I have seen countless young people loss their faith for the simple reason they didnt have much to begin with and their "idea" of God didnt quite match up with the reality of God.....thus they feel disillusioned and lose their faith.

When you KNOW you don't need faith. So if you know God you don't need faith.

Spoken precisely like someone who has no idea what faith is or how it pertains to God.

Without faith you have no power:

Matthew 17:20
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Those who are faithful will be rewarded:

Matthew 25:21
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Jesus himself said to have faith in God:

Mark 11:22
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

The righteous have faith:

Romans 1:17
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Faith is a shield against the enemy:

Ephesians 6:16
above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And on and on and on......

So, Narz, you are totally incorrect in saying that you can know God but not need faith....rather, you get to know God THROUGH your faith to him.

 

[Sidhe]

I don't think I could ever convince myself absolutely that God does not exist, it is entirely irrational to believe absolutely in somethings lack fo reality, may be if we're talking a figment with nothing whatsoever to back it up, then yes that's entirely understandable. Atheism is blind and absolute faith in the scientific or the rational to the point of irationality, it's saying I know God does not exist absolutely because, erm <insert idea about rationality that actually does not stand up to logical argument>

Atheism has always seemed to me to be little different from theism(the literal meaning) both take a large amount of faith, it pisses the religous off to think of it this way but then I have argued with both atheist and religous and they sound precisely the same, both resorting to opinion and faith as a rational for there argument. If they weren't so simillar I'd probably say that the faithfull are the more rational but sadly it's not true, neither side is in anyway rational about belief, at least however that is suposed to be the point of religion devout atheism should be rational it isn't.

In conclusion a child who grew up a devout athiest and converted to christinaity could well of been a good and passionate atheist and vise a versa, the point is nonsensical, it's also slightly condescending, irrational thinking is not a basis for condescension on either side of the fence, going from one side to the other is not rational or based on anything tangible so the point is entirely moot. Sorry but if your into absolutes your irrational, especially when it comes to the God/ no God dilema.

 

[MobBoss]

Sorry but if your into absolutes your irrational, especially when it comes to the God/ no God dilema.

I find I compelled to point out that God is rather absolute is he not? No Gods before me and all that.

And I hardly think if a person absolutely believes in God that they in turn are somehow irrational as a result of their faith. Or the reverse in the case of Athiests.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I find I compelled to point out that God is rather absolute is he not? No Gods before me and all that.

For jews, christians and muslims.

And I hardly think if a person absolutely believes in God that they in turn are somehow irrational as a result of their faith.

Except that faith (belief without proof) is about as irrational as you can get. That said, having faith does not make one irrational in all aspects of ones life; just the foundation of ones world view. Likewise, relying on reason hardly makes one behave rationally all the time either. If you restrict the most basic foundation stones of ones psyche to blocks of reason and logic, then it is very difficult to ever accept the irrationality of faith and you have closed off that path of experiential knowledge. If on the other hand you only permit faith based knowledge be true, you will never understand how the actualy works.

The oft perceived "wall" that divides experiencing god (faith & mysticism) from experiencing the world (logic & reason) is a wall of civilized man's making. It serves no purpose except to further the (usually selfish) goals of some people.

 

[warpus]

Sorry, warpus, you are an athiest today simply because your faith in God wasnt that strong to begin with 15 years ago. How old were you 15 years ago? A teenager? A kid? I have seen countless young people loss their faith for the simple reason they didnt have much to begin with and their "idea" of God didnt quite match up with the reality of God.....thus they feel disillusioned and lose their faith.

My faith was very strong - I believed everything there was to believe about God. It couldn't have been any stronger - in my mind it was all true.

I'm an atheist because I realized that I was wrong - but I can easily put myself in your shoes.

 

[hahntsak]

I believe that God exists.

I believe that God has a really sick and twisted sense of humor.

I believe that God stays out of most human affairs unless of course he can set up a really hilarious joke [one that he thinks is funny].

I believe that we humans may not get all of God's jokes. Example being the platypus.

I believe that when things get really messed up, God is ROTFL.

I believe that God created Man for amusement.