We know what Muck thinks. I’m For, but I do think George Carlin’s rant is really funny.
What do you think?
20 Opinions For And Against God
Sunday, August 21, 2011 3:09
In Favour Of God
I believe in God, only I spell it “Nature”.
> Frank Lloyd Wright
God is the great mysterious motivator of what we call nature and it has been said often by philosophers, that nature is the will of God. And, I prefer to say that nature is the only body of God that we shall ever see. If we wish to know the truth concerning anything, we’ll find it in the nature of that thing.
> Frank Lloyd Wright in Truth Against the World
When we say God is a spirit, we know what we mean, as well as we do when we say that the pyramids of Egypt are matter. Let us be content, therefore, to believe him to be a spirit, that is, an essence that we know nothing of, in which originally and necessarily reside all energy, all power, all capacity, all activity, all wisdom, all goodness.
> John Adams in a letter to Thomas Jefferson
God is not a limited individual who sits alone up in the clouds on a golden throne. God is pure Consciousness that dwells within everything. Understanding this truth, learn to accept and love everyone equally.
> Amma
God, the supreme being, is neither circumscribed by space, nor touched by time; he cannot be found in a particular direction, and his essence cannot change. The secret conversation is thus entirely spiritual; it is a direct encounter between God and the soul, abstracted from all material constraints.
> Avicenna as quoted in 366 Readings From Islam
God alone is real, nothing matters but love for God.
> Meher Baba
When with bold telescopes I survey the old and newly discovered stars and planets, when with excellent microscopes I discern the unimitable subtility of nature’s curious workmanship; and when, in a word, by the help of anatomical knives, and the light of chemical furnaces, I study the book of nature, I find myself oftentimes reduced to exclaim with the Psalmist, ‘How manifold are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou made them all!
> Sir Robert Boyle
An outlook through this peephole [that manned space flight had opened] at the vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.
> Wernher Von Braun
To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that Love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.
> Thomas Merton in Seeds of Contemplation
I believe in a spiritual world — not as anything separate from this world — but as its innermost truth. With the breath we draw we must always feel this truth, that we are living in God.
> Rabindranath Tagore
The Opposition To God
Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends.
> Woody Allen in Getting Even
God was a clever idea … The human race came up with a winner there.
> J. G. Ballard as quoted in ‘The benign catastrophist’
To the lexicographer, God is simply the word that comes next to go-cart
> Samuel Butler
Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time! But He loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, but somehow, just can’t handle money!
> George Carlin
I don’t believe in God because I don’t believe in Mother Goose.
> Clarence Darrow
The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
> Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion
God says do what you wish, but make the wrong choice and you will be tortured for eternity in hell. That, sir, is not free will. It would be akin to a man telling his girlfriend, ‘Do what you wish, but if you choose to leave me, I will track you down and blow your brains out.’ When a man says this we call him a psychopath and cry out for his imprisonment/execution. When a god says the same, we call him loving and build churches in his honor.
> Chuck Easttom computer programmer
I see only with deep regret that God punishes so many of His children for their numerous stupidities, for which only He Himself can be held responsible; in my opinion, only His nonexistence could excuse Him.
> Einstein in Letter to Edgar Meyer
God is dead. Marx is dead. And I don’t feel so well myself.
> Eugène Ionesco as quoted in Jewish American Literature
God is cruel, sometimes he makes you live.
> Stephen King in Desperation
Sorry to announce but God doesn’t exist…never has and never will. Once you get that sorted you then avoid the subject.
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By the way, I like Richard Dawkins description of God, and anybody who thinks God is all good is full of crap.
“He loves you and he needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, but somehow, just can’t handle money!” George Carlin
That’s the funniest quote. The not always fine men of religion are only interested in money. Religion and God aren’t the same. Don’t blame God for religion. Religion is man controlling other men. Some people do get some spiritual solace from religion, but their hypocritical “we’re right, your wrong, we’re going to heaven, you going to hell” has scared more people away from spirituality than anything else. I like Thomas Jefferson’s view on God and religion. He always tirelessly advocated thinking for yourself, and your own relationship with God.
I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Francis Hopkinson, March 13, 1789
I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.
-Thomas Jefferson
It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.
Abraham Lincoln
This one explains the FSA and everyone who has turned their life over to the government:
Man once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind.
-Thomas Jefferson to James Smith, 1822.
My favorite Thomas Jefferson quote of all time:
Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life: if it has been honest and dutiful to society the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one.
-Thomas Jefferson
That is the essence of spirituality, not religion, what is known to God and myself alone. Nobody should have God taught to them or forced down their throat, no convert or die/go to hell. God has nothing to do with convert or die.
God, gold, guns & grub. Or I’ll be fucked when the government fucks it up.
We had a perfect example of a God-trooper last week.
A 47 year old black preacher died. Very carefully, his mode of death has not been made public. Were I to speculate, I’d have said he probably died up to his ass in crack and fully embedded in a teen aged companion at the time. He lived what could only be called a lavish life style, huge home on the water, limos to haul his ass to church to preach, the whole kit.
He also happened to be on probation for embezzling several millions of dollars from the church funds (his personal piggybank) that he diverted for personal use – wasn’t convicted of anything important because no one would press charges and his accountants and lawyers were both multitudinous and smart. He also got caught diddling a number of young ladies after choir practice and paid off a wife to keep her quiet about it.
Through it all, he kept up the beat, bringing down brimstone and fire upon the heads of those who “sin” in his very large flock of geese-people.
At his funeral, there were literally thousands of people who lined up to “mourn” his passing and praise his moral character.
And most of these people are voters. Doesn’t it make you feel grand about our “system”? We can be sure they will vote for an honest, morally upstanding candidate so I suppose I can forget about voting and trust them to do the right thing ——- right?
MA
Ah shit!
Now I have to make two posts and with the spastic keyboard of mine, I will have to hunker down an try to be cohearant.
I was just going to ask newsjunkie out on a date, sans cats (which could pose some resistence) for her reference to Richard Dawkins, when AWD comes up with a spectacular post, with quotes from Jeffeson that I have never heard.
The George Carlin thing has already been integrated.
Notwithstanding my abilites I have decided to cut it short and address you both at once.
1. God made our solar system.
2. God made our Earth and all of the glorious animals and plant life and vistas etc. except for humans and snakes. These two species where were nonchalanty dropped on to this planet by frustrated travelers who were sick of our shit.
3.Some of our ancient rumors called this landing site The Garden of Eden.
4.God filed an appeal to Universal Control asking that he be releaved of duty due to contamination of his project by unknown dieties.
5. Universal Control agreed, and God was let off the hook.
6.Face it! We are on our own.
god is a hologram and we are all dancing particles of energy
I agree with AWD, most arguments I hear against the existance of God are actually arguments about the corruption of religion. As with government, when people’s egos get involved they fuck it up. Religion and “the church” have given God a bad wrap over the years and it is truly unfair to judge God based on what a bunch of egotistical people have done. God allows us the free will to make our own choices, both fortunately and unfortunately, that means there is also the option for bad choices and those bad choices help reinforce the negative view of God. If you want to know if there is a God, try getting to know Him (not a church or religious group) and see what you find.
I’d rather be for and eventually proven wrong than against and eventually proven wrong.
so, awd, the dude’s lawyers and accountants were multitudinous.
i guess that is ok. but i’ll stick with my smart jewish lawyer and his brother, my accountant.
brann:
“god is a hologram and we are all dancing particles of energy”
true enough. Maybe we are holograms, and our souls are bundles of energy?
Howwy:
“the dude’s lawyers and accountants were multitudinous”
Lawyers and accountants; the devil’s spawn.
Tell us about God, when you´re dead. Tell us about God, when you know.
If you need a book to know God, just shut up.
If you need a building and carnival clothes to believe in God, you haven´t looked into your brother´s eyes yet.
If you need more than yourself and a minute of respectful silence to know God, you´re in trouble.
we are god and god is us-we are a reflection of what is and what was and what will be—we are creation and destruction–there is only one light in the void and we are it and not it and always will be.
I thought Obama was god ? When did that change 🙂
Dave:
Obama is, what do they call that, you know, the opposite of God?
Anybody here know how Ron Paul feels about God? I am curious.
Ron Paul is a Catholic. He believes in God but doesn’t use his faith to get votes, like Perry and Bachmann.
God spelled backwards is Dog. Dogs worship people. People worship God. I’d hate to think that people are the highest intelligence in the universe but I don’t think God would hold it against anyone if they didn’t ‘worship’ Him just as I don’t hold it against my dog if he would rather smell another dogs butt than obey my commands.
Found it on his web site, thanks anyway.
“God spelled backwards is Dog. Dogs worship people. People worship God. I’d hate to think that people are the highest intelligence in the universe but I don’t think God would hold it against anyone if they didn’t ‘worship’ Him just as I don’t hold it against my dog if he would rather smell another dogs butt than obey my commands.”
Scott- I really think that you are closing in on the truth here. With one refinement.
Dogs sniff each others ass to determine what they have been eating lately. It’s like voyeurism of the nose. We humans have a hard time relating.
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men.
With all the meaningful comments usually found on TBP, including sarcasm, I have to admit a bit of disappointment and some sadness at the quality of this thread.
Yep I was hoping they might look at RP view. Perhaps take a long look at true US history. Look at economics from the colleges, they chase what the US founders warned about. You reckon they may have developed some lies by omission and slight turns away from the truth. Perhaps that history has been slowly preverted for the last 40 50 years. Now it just a lie. Just like gold is not money.
wordman-
“With all the meaningful comments usually found on TBP, including sarcasm, I have to admit a bit of disappointment and some sadness at the quality of this thread”
Wisdom Speaks Folks
Well maybe God doesnt want to be known.
So he sends shysters like Pat Robertson to make sure his followers never find God.
I know DOG exists, I saw it running in the park yesterday…
The best way to warm up to the idea that He might exist, is to closely observe the fate of godless societies.
@ Hollow Man
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/the-issues/statement-of-faith/
Dogs sniff each others ass to determine what they have been eating lately
My dog tells me the answer is always shit.
Thanks hillbilly
Religious dogma is the source of all evil
Does God or gods exist?
Yes. They exist in the minds of human.
God created man?
No. Man created gods in their minds.
God created the universe?
We don’t know yet what created the universe. But it’s sure not a concept created by man.
But all humans worship god!
Not all but a whole lot. Because when they worship something they created in their minds, they are really worshiping themselves. And human love to worship themselves; just that it’s not smart to put it that way. See, worshiping gods is very useful indeed. It is the most powerful tool man has devised to control or exploit other people. It works even better than the invention of money. Put the two, god and money, together and you have the perfect power. It works. Just look at 5000 years of history.
I just wanted ot weigh in and give my thoughts. First of all, I am the biggest sinner you can imagine, no righteousness in me.
But I do believe in God. I think the Bible is true and that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Maybe if there were more that truly felt content.
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AMEN STAN, I suspect that I am older than most who post on this site. It is very sad to read the comments by those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It seems as though most of us have a lot of faith in Ron Paul. He readily admits that he is a believer in the saving grace of Jesus. I too am the worst kind of sinner, and I discovered the only way to true freedom is through Christ. Because of the nature of my work, I have found that those who have a strong faith survive and will survive what is happening to our country better than those who don’t understand. For over forty years I have had to deal with the worst of the worst in family problems. The Bible says the love of many will grow cold. Brother, it is here in spades. I have more than my share of beans, bullets and band-aids, but the truth of the Bible is ahead of those. When my grandchildren are concerned about some matter, I tell them the answer to that particular issue is important, but what is more important is where they will spend eternity.
Thank you Stan, Flash, and Pelhamlegal.
There are things I know from experience, and there are things that I believe. As i navigate forward into the future, the things I believe, about God in particular, that will inform and influence my decisions. Facts are always extremely helpful; faith spurs me toward the unknown uncertainties ahead.
Oh Dear…. The thread has deteriorated into a tent revival… Praise the poop and pass the gas…
MA
Dear Scientist,
Please answer this ONE question; How did life come from non-life?
Since you can’t answer that question, I will continue to consider the possibility that God exists.
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Dear Religious Person,
Please answer this ONE question; Where is your proof that your God exists?
Since you don’t have any, I will continue to consider the probability that God does not exist.
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For these two reasons, I am an agnostic.
“Hell is other people” -Sartre
If I am in hell then God exists…
Rather a paradox in that mistrust of other people, cultures, religions and races maybe that what maintains peoples individuality.
@Stuckinit: An agnostic is an atheist in waiting with a conflicted mind .
You see, I can explain to you how life began so you can get over the “seeking” part of agnosticism.
The Universe is 14.5 billion years old. Our planet and solar system is 4.5 billion years old.
Whatever can happen in 4.5 billion years will happen, including, where favorable, random mixtures of chemicals that eventually form chains that eventually over billions of years, accidentally come upon a mix that splits and suddenly there are two of them just alike.
Again, whatever can happen over 4.5 billion years, will happen. It’s doing it today. That’s why the search for SETI is a joke. The fact that we figured out how to “listen” for radio transmissions a hundred years ago and are just now peering at target stars for ET assumes that at this same time in the history of the Universe, another accident happened and an intelligent race that knows how to transmit radio waves just happens along the same time we do!
Hogwash. If we’d been here listening a million years ago and still listened today the odds of finding anything are zip-squat just for the timing.
We are a cosmic accident and anyone with the hubris to think we’re “‘special” in any way except to ourselves deserves to laughed out of town. We live on an ordinary rocky water world at the “sweet spot” where temperatures allow water and there are billions and billions of other worlds throughout the universe in the same shape/sweet spot we are. They may or may not develop life on any sort, much less self-aware semi-literate beasts such as ourselves.
The fact people believe in “God” or “Intelligent Design” is simply because of fear of being alone. Likely we are along for all intent and purpose due to the distances involved. Also, the human animal prefers to believe in a “purpose” to life – preferably “divine” purpose, which absolves the believer of any responsibility for achieving it.
Know what our “reason for living” is? Whatever our society grows to believe in group think whether it is to go across the valley, kill off the men in that other tribe and kidnap the girlies so we can get some fresh blood lines going or more serioius goals such as collapsing civilization by devaluing our ability to trade through destruction of money (which is, in itself, a very, very sophisticated idea)..
To all those “seekers” out there, don’t take yourselves so seriously that you can’t appreciate the truth in George Carlons’ “God” video. IMHO one of the most entertaining and truthful things I’ve ever heard on the religious front!
MA
Muck
You said the Universe is 14.5 billion years old. Where did the Universe come from? What happened 14.5 billion years ago +1 day?
How does something begin from nothing? Through time something began from nothing. How does that occur by accident? You and I and everyone else cannot know for sure. Unless you know everything.
How does something begin from nothing? -Hm
There has to be womb first.
Dear Stucky,
“How did life come from non-life?”
Only 200 years ago, humans did not even know how big is Earth, and many parts of Earth yet discovered. We had no idea what stuff is made of and numerous fantasies abound as what water, fire, lightning and heaven are. So we are still highly primitive, and only gained some irrefutable basic knowledge of the world the past hundred years thanks to the rigorous discipline of science.
With this background, the dream of knowing how life originated is surely far beyond the most optimistic. But as wildly improbable as having this knowledge, today, we are tantalizingly close to knowing, and fabricating, the simplest life from non-life matters.
The latest discovery confirms that first life originated from deep ocean trenches on Earth some 3.5 billions years ago. (See reports all over the Web.) At that time, the average temperature of oceans was about 50-60 deg C, and even higher near subduction zones. The first life form metabolize sulfur and excrete crystals of pyrite. As such, they don’t use DNA but an extremely simple molecule chains to store information of life. Scientists have already prepared such basic non-living ingredients and are today trying to duplicate in detail the environment of early Earth in deep ocean. Once that is done, they will begin experiment to create the first life similar to what started Earth life.
“Since you can’t answer that question, I will continue to consider the possibility that God exists.”
Sure, believe anything you want. There are hundreds of religions today and billions of people worship their very own gods.
“Whatever can happen in 4.5 billion years will happen, including, where favorable, random mixtures of chemicals that eventually form chains that eventually over billions of years, accidentally come upon a mix that splits and suddenly there are two of them just alike. ” –MA
That’s not proof. It’s an explanation. Good thing for those two molecules that after billions of years that they didn’t die. Even more fortuitous is that these two molecules figured out how to reproduce!
Look. We know what’s in a cell. The proteins, the aminos, the entire structure can be examined under an electron microscope …. but what we don’t know is, what actually gives that cell LIFE!
Apollo says scientists are close to producing life. But they have produced nothing of the sort. As he said, all they produced is “extremely simple molecule chains “. They have produced nothing that has real life functions … like the ability to reproduce.
And even if someday they do (which I doubt they will) then what does that say about life? It says that it took a supremely Intelligent Being (humans) to create that life!! It didn’t “just appear”!
I don’t know if this life is all there is. Neither do you. I HOPE there is something beyond what our five senses can’t know. Like you, I doubt there is. But, that doesn’t keep me from hoping.
One thing for sure. Our death will finally reveal the answer.
Stuck – I think I read where scientists have managed to create something out of nothing – some kind of particle or another by memory. And have managed to transport some kind of particle from point a to point b instantaneously. Who knows what will be discovered over time.
llpoh
I think you might be referring to particles produced by devices such as the Large Hadron Collider. These particles last for millionths of a second.
But did it really appear from “nothing”? Einstein proved that matter can neither be created, nor destroyed. It can only be transformed.
So, there must have been a shitload of what they call “invisible matter” or “dark energy” in that infinitely tiny dot that was the entire fucking univere 14 billion years ago ….. according to the Big Bang …. a most fanciful THEORY if there ever was one.
Stuck – what the fuck do I know. The bastards have transported particles without travelling them from one point to another. To me that also seems like creating them out of nothing.
Einstein’s proofs in these areas are relatively meaningless. The fact is that the physical world exists. That means, to me, one of two things: 1) either physical mass always existed, or 2) it was created somehow. I have more trouble getting my head around #1 than #2. Especially seeing as it seems that things can be transported and created out of nothing (no matter for how long they last). And that scientists seem to be coming to the belief that dark matter comprises the bulk of the mass of the universe – and dark matter falls outside of Einstein’s theories (not that I understand his stuff).
In these things we are about as relatively smart as an amoeba.
Einstein proved that matter can neither be created, nor destroyed. It can only be transformed. -Stucky
Inside a vacuum no less.
Regardless of man’s delusions of grandeur and knowledge. I will stick with the ancient wisdom that still stands the test of time.
from what is considered by some to be the oldest book in the Bible: Job.
“Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! ”
Job 19:23-27