Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:35:41 +0100

Hi Isabel... I like to put an alternate view across to the faithful, but I've been around the block, on both sides of the faith street so nothing here on Big T surprises me per se. You have it all ahead of you, and the catholic line is a hard one to swallow hook, line and sinker... I mean you really think a 65 year old woman is floating around in the sky? well that's the doctrine of the Blessed Assumption, that Mary was bodily lifted into the heavens.. and that's what a true catholic is required to believe.
Good luck with that, and keep an open mind as faceless says.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:30:41 +0100

you didnt' address my point. Is it true? If the right religion is whatever makes you feel better then the truth of the religion doesn't matter.

You are a true catholic but do you think catholicism is true? You probably do, but if you do then the right religion can't be whichever one makes you feel better since only one (yours) will get you to heaven. If you believe people can go to heaven without believing jesus is god then you aren't a true catholic.

Your right. I dont pray when I need help. I think about my problem and dont expect help to come from above. If you keep asking questions youll find that religion doesn't have good answers. Dont be afraid to shed your religion. you dont loose that much and you gain an appreciation for the truth, even though it lacks the comfort of myths.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:19:24 +0100

FA, religion is something that everyone needs. its something you can look to for help. for example: when i need help, i pray.
you can't do that because you don't pray to anything and you have nothing that you believe in. you just believe we were on here from some bang & now were here.
i am a true catholic and forever will be.
religion is VERY important to me. i don't see how you can live without.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:16:37 +0100

musycks,
yes there is a lot of good thoughts on bigthink. i've been very busy lately, but i am and will try to comment other ideas.
how are you finding the other questions on Big T?

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:22:20 +0100

yiixx, your last statement shows that you think the truth of a religion is of little, or no importance. All religions can not be true, only one can, unless they are all false. And yet you seem to stand pat on the christian version of "truth". If the right religion is the one that makes you feel the best about yourself/life/death than you can't think that any one is true. Religion becomes another convient way of escaping reality, like alcohol or drugs (see my post is religion a vice http://www.bigthink.com/faith-beliefs/9398).

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:56:33 +0100

stay positive by all means Isabel, just don't be too gullible...
and how are finding the arguments here on Big T? are you reading any other threads and finding them useful?
just curious.... keep happy.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:56:23 +0100

HerbieP, i try to keep positive. i'm not saying my religion is perfect. i won't lie, it has it's problems to, i mean were not doing a heck of a good job but everything starts somewhere. i am not a person to ignore the bad things, i do however, like to emphesize on good, but no, i won't completely take out all the is wrong or cover it up.

another thing. things like seeing God in breakfast cereals are most likely fake. if God were to appear on earth, i'm 100% that he wouldn't show up in some random kid's morning food.
are you an atheist too? because i have seemed to have met a great deal of atheists on this site.

There is no best religion, because everyone thinks diffently. if i had to put it in my own words, i'd say that the best religion was the one that made the most sense to you not the weirdest or biggest. it is what, to you, deep in your heart, makes the most sense.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:21:51 +0100

It is quite common for believers in particular gods to ascribe all good things, love, butterflies, summer meadows etc to their god and even to suggest that they are proof of their gods existence or design intervention %u2013 apparently now we have to add mummified corpses to the list. They either ignore all the unpleasant things, hatred, greed, insanity, parasitic worms, disfiguring and fatal viruses, non-mummified corpses and so on or ascribe them either to mans wilful rejection of god or to some opposed supernatural force such as satan. All of these things have fairly straightforward natural science explanations except of course jesus%u2019 predilection for manifesting his image in slices of toast.

I am surprised that a whole list of supernatural phenomena have not been sited along with mummified corpses, images of jesus in breakfast cereal, weeping and bleeding plaster statutes. All of which are utterly convincing to the faithful and risible to anyone else. Each religion has its own collection of such inexplicable phenomena. Is the best religion the one with the most amusing one or the largest or the weirdest? Just let me know so that I know which one I should start believing in.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:02:22 +0100

musycks, i agree with you. you definately make a very good point.

hate... hmm i'm gonna have to think about that one guys.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:06:19 +0100

S44.. correct, but brutal and cold.
Our nature yearns for the sublime and the poetic.. Wilde wrote 'we are all of us in the gutter, but some are looking at the stars'... the catholics have it even worse having been lumbered with original sin..

It is part of the equation that chemicals create our make up, and biologically speaking it's obvious that it's increased our chances of survival, so it fits with the Darwinian model, but it is our poetic 'soul' that has given us the ability to evolve it and take it to empathy and love. I don't think that 'soul' is part of anything except us, and while it may only be a batch of chemicals I'll say it is the perfect part of us we asprie to, the inner 'stars' we all look for and hope to find.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:04:24 +0100

First what exactly do we define as love. A flood of seratonin in the brain? Natural evolutionary responce, we evolved into social animals because we were more lickley to survice in groups. Thats were we get this chemical compassion. And of course romantic love serves an even more important purpouse, but its just chemicals.

Then thers of course the mythical, over romanticised concept of love as being something deeper then just chemicals. However this can not be proven any more then the concept of a soul or god. So its not really evidence for the existance of god.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:27:58 +0100

Keep thinking Isabel... you'll be fine.
One of my best mates and I had a howling discussion over god... he studied for 7 years to be a priest, then jumped just prior to getting his wings! in the end he said to me.. god is love. If that's how you see it then that's nice.. but as I said to him.. that view would have you thrown out of the catholic church if it was known. I think a lot of catholics are like you, they can't let go of their faith but they can't sign up for the whole package either. so if love came from God, what about hate?
keep swinging!

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:31:56 +0100

musycks & FA, i must say that right about now i am so confused.haha.

i'll state why i believe in God so that maybe you can understand my points of views on this since i guess i haven't made it clear already:

for one thing, love.
things like a big bang couldnt make love. its a feeling that had to come from somewhere. i think that it came from God.

2, God wouldnt just come out of no where and tell the world he was God. it would be, like i said already, too easy. we need to grow in our love for God but what we have already been given.

i like to reflect on Mother Teresa's quotes because they are very helpful in trying to understand God. I would recommend checking them out.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:16:52 +0100

I would venture to say that atheists do consider religious arguments. Many, myself included, are very familiar with what the religious have to say on the subject since we were at one point religious. Say what you like, but we atheists do think about this subject alot. It is not us being stubborn or refusing to consider a good arguement that has led us to our position on the subject(we leave that to the theists). And I challenge the religious to think rationally about the issues too, because i think if they do they will no longer be religious. Hence my idea (i know it was harsh, but i was getting very pissed at the rediculous ways the religious defend their faith) Religious and Rational, I say impossible!

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:13:00 +0100

if god did not exist it would be necessary to invent him
- Voltaire

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:53:47 +0100

Isabel... if you want to argue a point, you'll have to follow the thread?
Roakes states why he thinks God is not real, and gives detailed points of view.
It's not enough to come back with God is real whether you like it or not...

obviously Roakes is an atheist, he thinks that the chances of God existing are so small as to be statistically irrelevant. I agree with him.

This will make you justify your position, unless you write it all off to 'I believe' and that's all. That's what this forum is useful for, we don't need you to stop believing, but put the onus back on the faithful for the burden of proof, who are trying to make others believe where there is no supporting evidence.

haha... now you've got 2 annoying Australian athiests to mention in your prayers!

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:50:06 +0100

sorry to break it to you roakes, but God is real whether you want to believe him or not.

are you an atheist to?

by the way guys, happy national day of prayer :]

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:48:30 +0100

and its obvious that atheists are going to ignore religous points of views and not think about if they are right, also.

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:31:16 +0100

Oh dear! Are we down to arguing about miracles?

If God wanted to make himself manifest to all the world, then I am sure that the creator of the universe could put on a demonstration to convince everyone.

The fact that he hasnt done that proves one of three things:
1. He cant
2. He isnt
3. He does want to

In the first case I refer back to Epicurus and ask: Why call him God?
The second case is moot, because he doesnt exist.
The third is more interesting. If God chooses not to make a miraculous demonstration of his power and his existence, he probably want believers to come to him in an act of courage, where the end results are uncertain.

If this is the case, proving his existence by reference to miracles of whatever veracity, is against the will of God. He doesnt want us to be certain. He wants us to make an act of faith.

RO

Comment on: one thing science CAN'T explain

Bigthink — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:53:56 +0100

and its obvious that the religious are going to ignore the facts that they dont want to see.