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05/08/2007
The case for God
With this post I create a new section of my blog. For the first time ever, my blog has officially become a place where I shall post about religion - before, I tried to keep it free from such heavy topics as religion and politics and I have faired well in the religion department. Ok, so you'd have to read a post about religion every 6 months or so, but now I have a whole SECTION dedicated to it. Tremble, my dears, tremble!
The question I put before you today, is - wait for it! - the case of God.
Is there, in fact, one in existence? Before you all tell me your personal experiences, let me allow you to inform you that a singular personal experience with the lack of any witness doesn't count as evidence of God. Let me disqualify too, "I have a gut feeling." In the words Stephen Colbert, "your gut has more nerve endings than anything else in your body. It's what my gut tells me. For those of you who don't believe me and check it up, only to find this is completely false, this is because you looked it up in a book. Look it up in your gut! Your gut knows the answer." In essence, 'my gut tells me it's true, therefore it is' is not sufficient either. Allow me also, to disqualify proof of the Divine from the NT. It is not possible to prove something from a document whose validity is reasonably and logically contested by a large number of people (the majority living on earth, actually) be brought as a proof of God/Jesus/etc. Also, you just can't prove the thing you're trying to prove, from the thing itself. It's like me telling you all I'm your master and you must serve me, proof of which I am telling you that I am your master and you must serve me (for those of you who see this as a valid proof, e-mail me ;-) I'll get in touch). Byt this same standard, the OT and koran, as well as book of mormon or any other religious text may not be quoted in order to verify itself.
With that out the way, let the arguments begin!
Ask yourself: why do you believe in God? Without quoting any of the abov. In fact, you must choose from the options below:
1) I was brought up like that
2) I don't know
3) I don't really, deep down
4) It just seems correct
5) I believe that God exists based on all the evidence before me (please state what evidence)
6) I believe He may not exist, but am too afraid to deny His existence lest bad stuff happens to me (pascal's wager)
alternately, choose from this list:
A) I'm an atheist
B) agnostic
C) a believer
D) combination of B and C
E) combination of A and C (wot?? how's you get that?!)
F) combination of A and B (eh?)
choose one, dears!
for the formative years of my life, I was indifferent (more or less). I have been (C) for most of my life, but now I waver between A, B and C.
00:33 Posted in Soul Searching | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
Comments
An almost unrelated thing first: I thought you'd gone away and had no internet at the moment. Seemingly not. Oh well, never mind.
To answer the question, I think I've had periods of believing in God for most of the reasons you mentioned. And to pick one of the bottom list, I believe I've been C, B and C, and A and C at various points. You get A and C when you are severely doubting the existence of God, but realize that something is preventing you from complete disbelief; and you don't know what this something is, it just is.
Currently I'm C, and don't expect it to change in the near future. To pick from the first list, I would select 5. And so you want evidence. I'm not sure if I should give it, as you only wanted one list chosen, and then a choice made from that, but I shall anyway. I will do it quickly, as I really shouldn't get involved in topics like this anyway due to only having a small amount of knowledge on the subject.
Basically, look at humans. How did they come to be? No, this isn't a Creation/Evolution debate I'm going to give you. We will assume that they began to come into being many many years ago, in a pool. And that they started as a tiny bacterium. Well. How did that bacterium come into being? How can you explain it, other than that there is indeed a God somewhere who started it all off. There is no other reasonable rational way of explaining it.
Also, humans have a spiritual side. It can't be denied. And why would they have a spiritual side if there is no God?
Posted by: Nossie | 05/08/2007
Interesting.... to be honest, I don't think you can prove the unprovable, and God's made it that way. Its a faith thing! And I know many people out there will despise this way of thinking ;)
I grew up agnostic, then was converted to Christianity in my teens. So flitted between belief and agnosticism. I am now, however, a firm believer. "Evidence" I would offer would be:
1. Creation. We live in a world of variety and order that is full of organisms of beauty and complexity so much more advanced than the rudimentary basic functions required for survival. Think about photosynthesis, respiration, human eyesight, hair colour, platypus', redwood trees, venus fly traps, spider webs, jellyfish, the circulatory system of huskies, the role of Jupiter in the Solar System, lunar influence tidal patterns, aurora borealis, gills and whales. Evidence that points to an intelligent creator God.
2. Conscience. If we are merely biological machines, why do we have these? And if conscience, morality and ethics are a social construct, why don't we all rebel and kill each other? After all, its survival of the fittest right? Oh, but thats wrong. Says who? And why is there opinion more weighty than mine or yours? Conscience is evidence of a moral God.
3. Emotions. Fear, anger and lust have certain evolutionary benefits. But what about love, compassion, joy, humour and the feeling of being moved by something or someone? Emotions are evidence of a feeling God.
4. Why do all people long for some kind of meaning of life, to validate themselves and explain it all? I take this as evidence we were made for friendship with God
Perhaps i'm being blindly subjective. But if you can "prove" existence of the Divine, why hasn't it already been done?
Posted by: Ant | 10/08/2007
atheist, careering over to agnostic when i can't provide evidence to substantiate my claims :D
Posted by: cat | 11/08/2007
I'd say, for the moment, I'm agnostic, with great tendancies to believe in God. At the moment, I'm trying to get in touch with an old friend I lost contact with about 3 years ago, who sort of became less interested in religion at about the same time I lost contact (perhaps I was perceived as potentially disaproving of his move, so he sort of cut me out his life...I know I'd do that to certain people if I became completely disenchanted...) and find out why... It's difficult to give up a very good life in a good community when I know, all I'd have to do is keep my mouth shut and not make any contrary statements to the existence of God and I'd get by very well... but I dont think I could live like that. Then again, I wonder how many people can and do...
Posted by: DJ | 11/08/2007
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