I have no idea if God exists or not. One thing is sure. If he does exist he does not care what is going on here on this planet. However, I don't care what people believe as long as they don't try and shove it down my throat.

Indoctrination starts young and the majority of people in a faith based system were raised on it and don't really question it or know any better.

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I was just looking through this website: http://godisimaginary.com/index.htm

I can't make any better argument than this site does.

Why do people believe in a Fairy Tale that has no proof? The Bible? Faith?

Reminds me of the Ghost Hunter shows and Bigfoot shows on TV. They might be going into their 5th season and still haven't produced a ghost or a bigfoot.

Wake up. You can';t travel in time. You don't have a Guardian Angel. There is no proof that a god exists. It's a fairy tale.

Science has not yet been able to prove the total absence of Intelligent Design so there is no proof a god does not exist either.

I was just looking through this website: http://godisimaginary.com/index.htm

I can't make any better argument than this site does.

Why do people believe in a Fairy Tale that has no proof? The Bible? Faith?

Reminds me of the Ghost Hunter shows and Bigfoot shows on TV. They might be going into their 5th season and still haven't produced a ghost or a bigfoot.

Wake up. You can';t travel in time. You don't have a Guardian Angel. There is no proof that a god exists. It's a fairy tale.

Science has not yet been able to prove the total absence of Intelligent Design so there is no proof a god does not exist either.

Except that we have multiple cases of species going extinct due to it being unable to adapt to certain situations. One would think that an all knowing and all powerful designer would be able to avoid such mistakes.

Except that we have multiple cases of species going extinct due to it being unable to adapt to certain situations. One would think that an all knowing and all powerful designer would be able to avoid such mistakes.

You're assuming these are mistakes and not part of a greater plan about which we cannot fully understand.

So you are saying that a maladjusted species is part of a greater cosmic plan? This just seems to be a cop out answer.

For the past year or so, I've started to wonder if some people's beliefs are much more similar to mine than we realize - that it's a matter of semantics and perspective and indoctrination.

I believe in the innate "goodness" of man. I believe that love and kindness is part of who we are, how we are "wired." If someone else chooses to call that the hand of God, is it really a clash of belief systems? On some levels, yes. But we're still talking about love and kindness, right?

An over-simplified example for sure. But I find far less anxiety and dissonance if I look for the similar rather than try to pick apart the different. That mindset keeps me from being dismissive when confronted with religious beliefs. I know there are intelligent people who believe in God (Patti is one). I didn't always think that way.

And I think at least some of what people call God I call being human, or "evolved." If we are describing the same things, but using different labels, does that make either of our ideas imaginary?

I was just looking through this website: http://godisimaginary.com/index.htm

I can't make any better argument than this site does.

Why do people believe in a Fairy Tale that has no proof? The Bible? Faith?

Reminds me of the Ghost Hunter shows and Bigfoot shows on TV. They might be going into their 5th season and still haven't produced a ghost or a bigfoot.

Wake up. You can';t travel in time. You don't have a Guardian Angel. There is no proof that a god exists. It's a fairy tale.

Science has not yet been able to prove the total absence of Intelligent Design so there is no proof a god does not exist either.

Except that we have multiple cases of species going extinct due to it being unable to adapt to certain situations. One would think that an all knowing and all powerful designer would be able to avoid such mistakes.

Again, your point neither proves or refutes the existence of God.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I don't see how people DON'T see the proof of God in all the ways he's revealed Himself to us. Why do some choose to discredit eye witnesses to the life of Jesus, to his miracles, to the things he told us about God, and to his resurrection and ascension?

I read the bible and see proof of God.

I know about science and have never found anything in science that disproves the existence of God. In fact, such scientifical theories about evolution and the big bang theory suggest there is a creator outside of our universe (you can't get something from nothing).

I listen to theologians, I pray, I've done all those things in the article and all of it leads me to believe in the existence of God.

A. Hi everyone, neat group. Glad to be a member and cards on the table I am an atheist in regards to the debate at hand.

B. Regarding your post, I just find the source of the Jesus story, the Bible, to be a very poor piece of evidence. It's contradicts known facts and it's own self. The story of the resurrection has many different versions in the Bible itself. It wasn't like Jesus rose and accurate details were kept. It's a story passed down again and again and a long time later written down. Thousands of years ago. By a poorly educated people. It literally states that the dead rose from the grave, not just Jesus. Forgive me but even as a zombie fanatic I find it hard to take seriously.

C. At this point I'm abandoning using letters.

Now it's true, it can not be proven that there is no God. But you can't prove that Scientology isn't correct about the space titan Xenu either, you wanna believe that one? Saying "You can't prove it's NOT true" is kind of a cop out. You're (royal you) saying this is the way the universe operates. Well you better have some evidence to back that up.

And regarding "something from nothing"... well where does God come from? He was always there? With the ability TO create something from nothing? It all gets very hard to comprehend because our minds really just can not comprehend concepts like eternity or infinity. We understand them as abstracts, but in a concrete way we just don't understand.

This argument can get ugly. I really hope it doesn't. I enjoy debates like these as a chance to learn from people who think differently than I do.

I believe in the innate "goodness" of man. I believe that love and kindness is part of who we are, how we are "wired." If someone else chooses to call that the hand of God, is it really a clash of belief systems? On some levels, yes. But we're still talking about love and kindness, right?

Indeed we are.

The part in bold may be where we differ in world view. I explain why I make these decisions to my children rather than tell them to just trust me. I want my children to question and to understand. If we are God's children, why give us brains to contemplate these issues when he is just going to punish us if we come to the "wrong" conclusions? Seems kind of sadistic at worst and poorly conceived at best.

God has explained to us- in the bible and through the words of Jesus. You may attempt to explain it to your children, but they won't fully understand until they're adults themselves. I believe we will understand fully when we are in eternity. To me it comes down to trusting our parent/creator.

Science has not yet been able to prove the total absence of Intelligent Design so there is no proof a god does not exist either.

Ah Intelligent Design...

Here's how you handle that.

Do you believe that aliens could have seeded Earth with the necessary components for life to arise on our planet? Because that would be intelligent design.

If you just believe God created everything then say you're a religious person who believe in the creation story from the Bible and stop hiding behind pseudo-scientific terminology.

I was just looking through this website: http://godisimaginary.com/index.htm

I can't make any better argument than this site does.

Why do people believe in a Fairy Tale that has no proof? The Bible? Faith?

Reminds me of the Ghost Hunter shows and Bigfoot shows on TV. They might be going into their 5th season and still haven't produced a ghost or a bigfoot.

Wake up. You can';t travel in time. You don't have a Guardian Angel. There is no proof that a god exists. It's a fairy tale.

Science has not yet been able to prove the total absence of Intelligent Design so there is no proof a god does not exist either.

Except that we have multiple cases of species going extinct due to it being unable to adapt to certain situations. One would think that an all knowing and all powerful designer would be able to avoid such mistakes.

Again, your point neither proves or refutes the existence of God.

But it does seem to fly into the face of Intelligent Design.

So does the biology of the human eye with regard to evolution.

Explain. There are many writings on how the eye appears to have evolved.

A. Hi everyone, neat group. Glad to be a member and cards on the table I am an atheist in regards to the debate at hand.

B. Regarding your post, I just find the source of the Jesus story, the Bible, to be a very poor piece of evidence. It's contradicts known facts and it's own self. The story of the resurrection has many different versions in the Bible itself. It wasn't like Jesus rose and accurate details were kept. It's a story passed down again and again and a long time later written down. Thousands of years ago. By a poorly educated people. It literally states that the dead rose from the grave, not just Jesus. Forgive me but even as a zombie fanatic I find it hard to take seriously.

C. At this point I'm abandoning using letters.

Now it's true, it can not be proven that there is no God. But you can't prove that Scientology isn't correct about the space titan Xenu either, you wanna believe that one? Saying "You can't prove it's NOT true" is kind of a cop out. You're (royal you) are saying this is the way the universe operates. Well you better have some evidence to back that up.

And regarding "something from nothing"... well where does God come from? He was always there? With the ability TO create something from nothing? It all gets very hard to comprehend because our minds really just can not comprehend concepts like eternity or infinity. We understand them as abstracts, but in a concrete way we just don't understand.

This argument can get ugly. I really hope it doesn't. I enjoy debates like these as a chance to learn from people who think differently than I do.

Welcome.

God hates you and is going to smite you. REPENT!

ok - so this is my first post in the group - hi. and i'm going to mention right off that i'm a Pagan.

i have no problem with anyone having a faith structure. i have no issue with that faith structure differing from mine. i have no issue with someone having NO faith structure, or putting their faith in man. i think that life is hard. it's hard for everyone. and whether you think that it's hard as a test, or for a reason, or just because this is a finite planet and we are a finite ppl, i think that everyone can agree that it's hard. and to that end, why would it bother you if someone finds a small bit of comfort in having faith? if wraping themselves up in words and traditions that have been around for a few thousand years makes life a little less like wearing steel wool? then ok.

my problem is when other ppl try to dictate MY life and MY choices and MY personality by the rules of THEIR faith, or lack thereof..

but if their faith is quiet and personal - as i happen to beleive that it ought to be - then i'm glad that they have a small bit of peace in a harsh world.

you have your sky cake and i'll have my sky pie.

I was just looking through this website: http://godisimaginary.com/index.htm

I can't make any better argument than this site does.

Why do people believe in a Fairy Tale that has no proof? The Bible? Faith?

Reminds me of the Ghost Hunter shows and Bigfoot shows on TV. They might be going into their 5th season and still haven't produced a ghost or a bigfoot.

Wake up. You can';t travel in time. You don't have a Guardian Angel. There is no proof that a god exists. It's a fairy tale.

Science has not yet been able to prove the total absence of Intelligent Design so there is no proof a god does not exist either.

Except that we have multiple cases of species going extinct due to it being unable to adapt to certain situations. One would think that an all knowing and all powerful designer would be able to avoid such mistakes.

Again, your point neither proves or refutes the existence of God.

But it does seem to fly into the face of Intelligent Design.

So does the biology of the human eye with regard to evolution.

Explain. There are many writings on how the eye appears to have evolved.

You explain the evolution of the eye. I'm on the side of intelligen design, remember?

You are the one making the claim. Come down from your sniper's perch and support your argument. Unless you really have nothing to stand on.