God

[matthew]

er...despite all my other questions, opinions and general existence...my asking this is NOT facetious. It's just something I'm curious to know. So, please give serious answers or don't bother at all you wise asses.  

[matthew]

I am obviously waiting. The third option covers the cowardly agnostic and flakey pseudo-religions and cults. I'm poking fun at myself, but...


Personally, as attractive as religion seems some times (not RELIGION but what religion offers-peace of mind, comfort, assurance etc.)...I can't manage to lie to myself on that scale. I also cannot manage to state proudly that there IS NO GOD...I wish I had the balls to, but as much as I believe this to be true...I can't rule out the possibility. Basically, I'm a pansy atheistic tortured freak that can't even settle on agnosticism (I hate clubs).

[Doctor Rock]

Well, I don't believe in a god that intervenes in human affairs, and that you can pray to and that, if you been a good boy, will provide you with a Grescht Country Gentleman or something... Science can pretty much explain how the universe works down to an incredibly small fraction of a second after the Big Bang. If we live in an Universe that follows laws that can be mathematically expressed (and everything indicates that we do), than god, if he ever existed, can only have intervened in the earliest moments of the Universe (at it's creation, to be more precise). Of course, you can always argue that god created us five minutes ago, and provided us with our memories so that we are under the impression that we've been around for much, much longer than that...

Maybe it/he/she, whatever, is the entity that has decided on the laws of the Universe, the entity that has set the initial conditions. But what we presently know about the Universe indicates that, god, if he exists, after the job of creation lighted up a cigar, poured himself a stiff one, and took a very long extended vacation i. e. he left the Universe on its own.

Considering all this, since god doesn't intervene in the universe that he might have created, what's the use of believing in him, of going to church, of praying to him?

Oh, right, the afterlife... I got one serious problem with the concept of the imortal soul. To be imortal, a soul has to be imaterial (otherwise it could be destroyed). But if a soul is imaterial, how can a soul be kept inside a material body? How can an imaterial soul interact, even guide, a material body?

On the other hand, if god does exits, and if god can and does intervene in human affairs (like most monotheistic religions seem to preach), than how can we accept this willingly when there is so much suffering in the world? Like the XTC song asks "did you make disease and the diamond glow?"

Well, that's enough theology for one day...

[Doctor Rock]

I think I'm an agnostic when I'm sober and an atheist when I'm drunk...

[Bizarro]

The other night, I was in a bar, and someone in my group o' friends off-handedly mentioned I was an atheist and this fucking guy, this stranger, starts mouthing off about how can I be an atheist, how could I explain molecular biology without God, how could I explain particle physics without God, how could I explain the look in the eyes of a child without God and it just set me the fuck off.

I can completely respect people who say that God/spirituality is something that's higher than logic or science. Because how could I argue with that?

But when people point to something in the universe they say doesn't make sense and then say that the existence of God is the only answer, I want to fucking kill them for being stupid.

You know what I told this guy? I said particle physics JUST IS. Molecular biology JUST IS. And he said that didn't make sense, unless God explained the "just is" part. And so I asked him where the fuck God came from and he said, without irony, "He just is."

And so, I said, if your answer to not being comfortable about a "just is" answer is to add an intermediary step to obfuscate the problem, then I'm going to do the same thing. You're uncomfortable with particle physics unless there's a God to explain it? Fair enough. I'm uncomfortable with God existing without something to explain him. And what do I choose? I choose Chester. Chester made God. And who made Chester? Go ahead and name HIM if you like.

Yes, I know making fun of a guy like this is like shooting fish in a barrel, and yes, I know I'm a belligerent atheist. But I did say i was drinking. And anyway, am I even fucking wrong?

Chester bless you all.

[Moetown]

Maybe God made people and people made God. It might be one of those chicken n' egg conundrums.

[regular tom]

i only believe in The Matrix.


oh, and Star Wars.



and Grifters Slot Cars.

[brainfiber]

The Ethical Robot Does Not Believe In God

[regular tom]

i don't know who made Chester, but i know that Chester made Yummy Fur.

[regular tom]

I think I'm an agnostic when I'm sober and an atheist when I'm drunk...

and margot tenenbaum when you're an avatar...

[captqitn]

I guess I'm closest to ROSA.  I sometimes use the word "god" as a short hand for all the awe-inspiring stuff in the universe.  But I don't imagine GOD as a conscious being.

[Tripp]

I was raised to believe in the old bearded white guy on a golden throne, GOD. But pretty early on I started questioning. Not the existence of but the definition of. Once, in sunday school class (when I was 10?) we were asked to draw a picture of God and I drew the shape of a man. No robes, no beard. Just the basic form of a body with no details. The Sunday school teacher attributed my concept to reading comics I think. But I thought it looked cool.

4 or 5 years later I got mixed up with the Jesus Freaks. Their hardcore dedication to their mission of saving souls and their outright competition with each other to be 'closest to God' put me off. 'The Girl' that I essentially got saved for moved to another youth group that was for 'serious' devouts. They all had powers like speaking in tongues or interpreting tongues. or HEALING!?
Baptism of the spirit they called it. After she left I suddenly realized I really did not want to be there or be any part of their group. It was very awkward but slowly I phased out of their lives. Of course, they all said (since I was falling out with them) that I was falling out with Jesus and I'd burn.

alright, I'm gonna type forever.

THAT's what essentially got me though. BURNING. Burning in hell.  And just that sort of delight those Jesus Freaks would get about others burning. The piousness. I decided I didn't really like Christians all that much. And why would a 'just and loving' God consign souls to HELL for ALL ETERNITY for not worshipping him. God started to sound like a fucking asshole the more I thought about it.

So I was atheist for awhile but what did I find out? I didn't like hanging out with atheists any more than I did with christians. It seemed their like their sole mission in life was to yell at Christians. It seemed to me that if you didn't believe you got to walk away from the debate. Why would  I want to go around rattling people's faith? For some people, thats all that keeps them going.  And truthfully, I kinda like the idea of God. SO I started to referring to myself as Agnostic. Which sounds cool.

Then in my early 20's I discovered Joseph Campbell. Yes, it was the thing on PBS. But that's when stuff started coming together. And since then I've felt more and more like the Universe is God and all our little religions are just ways of putting a name to 'that which cannot be named'. I don't think there is some dude that thought "I'll create the Universe today". I don't believe in a place called Heaven nor in Hell. I DO believe that Jesus existed and should be lauded more for his courage in being a political radical for his times. And I think faith and religion are important in maintaining some civility in society. (as the argument goes, without it, it'd be a non-stop raping and looting festival)

I think science has done WAY more to show us truly how wondrous and miraculous everything is. And when I see the order in nature whether it's cell structure or a centipede or a tree or the brain I think it is divine. But I cannot believe there is a WILL behind it all. Maybe it leaves people empty but really, our existence and all of the Universe??? It's just a bunch of stuff that happened.

[Moetown]

Can someone please supply me with a link for the origin of silent k? I'll be your best friend.

[Tripp]

you mean like "knight"? that kind of silent K?

[brainfiber]

I believe in fate...luck...and random chaos.

I like to think there is something more than everyday life. Something to look forward to. Maybe not in the whole climbing the escalator to the pearly gates...but somehow the spirit sticks around...good or bad to influence people who were in your life.

Ghosts, angels, demons...whatever...

but when all else fails i just start yelling

" Meet me, Jesus, meet me. Meet me in the middle of the air
If my wings should fail me, Lord. Please meet me with another pair "