Where is your God?

[Lotusflower]

The fact is, we don't know. No one does, some people claim to have had religious experiences or received teachings or were born into a sect that empower them to lord it over the rest of us.

 

Organized religion, with its hierarchies, traditions and imposed methods of prayer are what is at fault.

 

Forget your Churches, your Synagogues, your Mosques, if you want to speak to God then do so. Directly.

 

If you don't think there is a god don't bother.

 

But don't dictate to others that you are right and they are wrong, because,

 

We don't know.

 

Who is this we? Do you mean humans like Phanerothyme?

 

---------- Post added 19-08-2014 at 11:42 ----------

 

These concepts of "superior" and "inferior"...what if they exist only in the minds of man?

[Waldo]

Alan Ladd makes some good points. Religion in many ways is the antithesis of spirituality, in which the term 'god' is neither here nor there.

 

The universe itself is alive, it has formed itself in to a multitude of organisms, like a child making castles in the sand; when the sea takes the castle, the child always makes more, for it does what it is.

 

As for superior beings, I'm not sure what superior means; is anything really inferior or superior to anything else in the universe, or is 'superior' just a human concept? That said, I don't think necessarily that all life forms are corporeal. No matter. We are here and now.

[barleycorn]

Haven't we just agreed that there are ancient species such as sharks who haven't really altered in appearance(as opposed to most other species) due to having no real threat from predators or their environment. Didn't we establish that the reason they haven't altered much is because they didnt need to?? but if something had threatened their chances of survival they would have undoubtedly changed in order to increase their chance of survival. So it seems that a sharks have remained the same despite millions of years of naturally occurring genetic mutations simply because they're fine as they are, which seems to suggest that selection actually is being selective. If it wasn't being selective sharks would basically have walked out of the water by now!!

You appear to be struggling to grasp the concept of natural selection. This may help.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to-biology.html

Selection is not a force in the sense that gravity or the strong nuclear force is. However, for the sake of brevity, biologists sometimes refer to it that way. This often leads to some confusion when biologists speak of selection "pressures." This implies that the environment "pushes" a population to more adapted state. This is not the case. Selection merely favors beneficial genetic changes when they occur by chance -- it does not contribute to their appearance. The potential for selection to act may long precede the appearance of selectable genetic variation. When selection is spoken of as a force, it often seems that it is has a mind of its own; or as if it was nature personified. This most often occurs when biologists are waxing poetic about selection. This has no place in scientific discussions of evolution. Selection is not a guided or cognizant entity; it is simply an effect.

 

jb

[Alan Ladd]

Who is this we? Do you mean humans like Phanerothyme?

 

---------- Post added 19-08-2014 at 11:42 ----------

 

These concepts of "superior" and "inferior"...what if they exist only in the minds of man?

 

We = contributors to this forums debate.

 

No, Humans like Phannybygaslight.

[Lotusflower]

We = contributors to this forums debate.

 

No, Humans like Phannybygaslight.

 

Oh I get it...humour...just don't give up your day job!

 

What you mean is you don't know. If you can demonstrate your full knowledge of everyone else's experience I will stand corrected.

[janie48]

The fact is, we don't know. No one does, some people claim to have had religious experiences or received teachings or were born into a sect that empower them to lord it over the rest of us.

 

Organized religion, with its hierarchies, traditions and imposed methods of prayer are what is at fault.

 

Forget your Churches, your Synagogues, your Mosques if you want to speak to God then do so. Directly.

 

If you don't think there is a god don't bother.

 

But don't dictate to others that you are right and they are wrong, because,

 

We don't know.

Then follow your own advice and don't dictate to others yourself. Its not up to you to tell others to "forget their Churches, Synagogues or Mosques"

 

We live in a Country where people are free to to practice their religious beliefs where they wish, they may not choose to attend any places of worship, its entirely up to the individual.

[danot]

You appear to be struggling to grasp the concept of natural selection. This may help.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to-biology.html

 

 

jb

But we're still left with the why it happens at all? We haven't addressed the "why" yet. If we were discussing how aeroplanes fly we'd have only established that they fly because flying is more beneficial to the passengers since aeroplanes would fall out of the sky if they stopped flying. I know that that's quite a simplistic example but that's how it comes across without the "why", but everyone knows that the actual reason is far more technical than this.

[RootsBooster]

But we're still left with the why it happens at all? We haven't addressed the "why" yet. If we were discussing how aeroplanes fly we'd have only established that they fly because flying is more beneficial to the passengers since aeroplanes would fall out of the sky if they stopped flying. I know that that's quite a simplistic example but that's how it comes across without the "why", but everyone knows that the actual reason is far more technical than this.

 

Why does evolution happen?

 

Mutations happen all the time, for good or bad. The mutations that are harmful to an animal often decrease the chances of successful mating and/or reproduction. Harmful mutations also have a tendency to shorten the lifespan.

 

On the other hand, mutations that are beneficial tend to increase the lifespan through one way or another. The genes of these animals are more likely to be successfully passed on to future generations.

 

In short, good genes continue while bad genes fail.

[danot]

Why does evolution happen?

 

Mutations happen all the time, for good or bad. The mutations that are harmful to an animal often decrease the chances of successful mating and/or reproduction. Harmful mutations also have a tendency to shorten the lifespan.

 

On the other hand, mutations that are beneficial tend to increase the lifespan through one way or another. The genes of these animals are more likely to be successfully passed on to future generations.

 

In short, good genes continue while bad genes fail.

Thanks, but I know how it works. I'm just curious about why it happens at all??

We seem to take this thing called "selection" for granted, it's a given, a natural occurrence, a inevitability!! But why?

[RootsBooster]

Thanks, but I know how it works. I'm just curious about why it happens at all??

We seem to take this thing called "selection" for granted, it's a given, a natural occurrence, a inevitability!! But why?

 

Do you mean why do the mutations occur?