Where is your God?

[redwhine]

Thats down to mans selfishness that children dieas he gives us choice through freewill , I have seen this first hand in Zimbabwe children dies from simple illnesses that here in the 1st world are treatable .

If your god actually exists and chose to reunite you with your sister instead of helping those children (...an omnipotent god could have done both...) then it is an evil god. I am more godly than your god; if there was anything that I could do for those children, I would have done it.

 

A private detective could have traced your sister.

[janlizzy]

I know a good many atheists, and have previously engaged in interesting discussions with several on this forum (some who choose not to post on these recent type of threads now) much as you would like to think it you are far from typical of the majority.

 

I would like to think I am not typical of the majority, of what may I ask? You will find you will know a good few more atheists as time goes on.If others choose not to post that's fine by me.But personally I think its time to stop with all this fantasy of gods,yours will die out same as all the thousands before not many fans of thor or any greek or roman gods now is there.You will find that science will find the answers your babble will not and cannot change,science does and isn't doing too bad so far.

[redwhine]

this is because you are closed to the idea that God is real ?

I'm not. Like doubting Thomas, I'm willing to be convinced, but by actual evidence, and not by words from a dusty old book. (And not by anecdotal evidence of two sisters being reunited.)

[janie48]

I would like to think I am not typical of the majority, of what may I ask? You will find you will know a good few more atheists as time goes on.If others choose not to post that's fine by me.But personally I think its time to stop with all this fantasy of gods,yours will die out same as all the thousands before not many fans of thor or any greek or roman gods now is there.You will find that science will find the answers your babble will not and cannot change,science does and isn't doing too bad so far.

Will I?

Its you who is living in cloud cuckoo land, if you believe that.

[Guest]

Utter nonsense. I, for one, would be delighted to discover that there is a God. Being a mostly decent sort I wouldn't have to change my ways very much in order to cash in on that eternal life.

 

Apologies then- perhaps I need not put all atheists in one group- though I usually find atheists/agnostics confused as to what really defines them!

 

I would add that it is not everything to do with evidence in the observable scientific approach- as Science itself did and cannot observe evolution- evolution is a mechanic not an agency.

 

So we do need to look at other approaches that can combine both science and metaphysics to perhaps at least look at the very possibility that the Universe had some Purpose/Desgin behind it.

 

“Another source of conviction in the existence of God, connected with the reason and not with the feelings, impresses me as having much more weight. This follows from the extreme difficulty or rather impossibility of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe, including man with his capacity of looking far backwards and far into futurity, as the result of blind chance or necessity. When thus reflecting I feel compelled to look to a First Cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analogous to that of man; and I deserve to be called a Theist.

Charles Darwin

[teeny]

If your god actually exists and chose to reunite you with your sister instead of helping those children (...an omnipotent god could have done both...) then it is an evil god. I am more godly than your god; if there was anything that I could do for those children, I would have done it.

 

A private detective could have traced your sister.

 

No a private detective couldn't have traced my sister as there was only a birth record for my birth mother and I was adopted in the 60s so info wasn't given it took me 5 years with the help of my adoptive mother to find the name of my birth mother. There was a lack of information totally to the adoption and sheffield social services took a long time contacting Hampshire social services neither of them mentioned even when asked about siblings etc

 

---------- Post added 05-09-2014 at 09:02 ----------

 

According to the babble doesn't mean anything at all.The bible was written by men,nomads of thousands of years ago,so why base your life on such rubbish.Your brand of god is dying in this country wether you like it or not and a few immigrants will not stop it.

 

---------- Post added 04-09-2014 at 23:20 ----------

 

That's because they are pathetically stupid.

 

Thats not a very nice way of saying it !! they loved their son and wanted him to be with them and they certainly aren't stupid

 

---------- Post added 05-09-2014 at 09:03 ----------

 

Are you so blind? god is not a real thing, gods exist in the minds of people and that is it.There is not one shred of evidence that proves any god of any kind.Please do not use babble quotes in defence because it is just an old fairy story book.If your god existed he would be able to explain why he is such a cruel and evil deity or maybe you can as you know him so well.Just so you know,my grandfather used to take me to the local Baptist church but I soon figured out that it was a social club for the strange.

 

Thats where faith steps in , but if you are genuine in your seeking of God he will show himself to you

[redwhine]

Apologies then- perhaps I need not put all atheists in one group-

Never heard the expression (...truism...) that it is easier to herd cats than to organise atheists? Atheists have only one thing in common; a lack of belief in god/God/gods.

 

-though I usually find atheists/agnostics confused as to what really defines them!

You do realise that 'agnostic' conveys no information about a person's belief(s), don't you? (It is to do with knowledge.) Many theists are agnostic.

 

This diagram may help...

 

http://lh3.ggpht.com/-q2d4A4N5arw/TmEoB9jCjOI/AAAAAAAAC5k/daRnstnWPJE/Agnostic%252520v%252520Gnostic%252520v%252520Atheist%252520v%252520Theist.png?imgmax=800

 

I would add that it is not everything to do with evidence in the observable scientific approach- as Science itself did and cannot observe evolution- evolution is a mechanic not an agency.

Evolution is observable; science can and does observe it. For instance, I am taller than my father was and have fairer hair. My son is taller than me and has darker hair. That's evolution; small changes over vast timescales.

 

So we do need to look at other approaches that can combine both science and metaphysics to perhaps at least look at the very possibility that the Universe had some Purpose/Desgin behind it.

No 'we' don't.

 

---------- Post added 05-09-2014 at 09:36 ----------

 

No a private detective couldn't have traced my sister as there was only a birth record for my birth mother and I was adopted in the 60s so info wasn't given it took me 5 years with the help of my adoptive mother to find the name of my birth mother. There was a lack of information totally to the adoption and sheffield social services took a long time contacting Hampshire social services neither of them mentioned even when asked about siblings etc

Then how was the reunion orchestrated?

 

Coincidences happen all the time.

 

A true anecdote from my life; In June 1993, my wife and I took the kids to Florida to 'do' the theme parks. In Universal Studios, as we walked along one of the vast streets, we saw an Owls shirt in the distance (...my son was wearing a Blades shirt...). We said, "What are the chances of that?!", or somesuch. As we grew closer, we discovered that it was my wife's former best friend from years ago, A., and her husband (N.) and their two young daughters (...one in the Owls shirt.)

 

Living in different cities with careers to pursue and kids to rear, we had become birthday/christmas card friends, but had not spoken for a few years. We spent the day, and a couple more days of the holiday, together. It was great fun and a great coincidence. No gods were involved whatsoever.

 

I repeat; Coincidences happen all the time.

[RootsBooster]

Apologies then- perhaps I need not put all atheists in one group- though I usually find atheists/agnostics confused as to what really defines them!

You stated in an earlier post that you prefer to refer to atheists as agnostics, why is this?

 

I would add that it is not everything to do with evidence in the observable scientific approach- as Science itself did and cannot observe evolution- evolution is a mechanic not an agency.

Science does indeed observe evolution, mostly in microscopic organisms that reproduce rapidly.

 

So we do need to look at other approaches that can combine both science and metaphysics to perhaps at least look at the very possibility that the Universe had some Purpose/Desgin behind it.

 

Why? What reason do we have for entertaining such an idea?

 

---------- Post added 05-09-2014 at 09:56 ----------

 

Thats down to mans selfishness that children dieas he gives us choice through freewill , I have seen this first hand in Zimbabwe children dies from simple illnesses that here in the 1st world are treatable .

 

So because the West is selfish, God allows vast numbers of innocent children to die awful, prolonged deaths in Africa, yet he makes the effort to reunite two (selfish Western) long lost sisters?

 

I can't begin to tell you how offensive and insensitive that sounds.

[Jonny5]

So let me get this straight:

 

God doesn't intervene when a load of people (that believe in him as well) are chased, raped and slaughtered in Syria. Because that's man exercising free will.

 

But he does lend a hand to re-unite two sisters, because one of them's 18th birthday is coming up?

 

And that's proof of God?

 

The thinking behind that is ridiculous and selfish.

[charmer]

Anyone who believes in the Abrahamic traditions are incredibly naive and lack historical knowledge. Most Muslims and Christians I know have never read the Qu'ran or the Bible.

 

All cultures throughout history have developed myths to help forge a cultural identity. It helps makes sense of why a particular group of people are here and fives them common identity. Both Qu'ranic and Biblical stories and traditions are lifted directly from preceeding cultures.

It is embarrassing that in the educated West, people still believe these stories. The reason moat of them believe in this fiction is because "my mummy and daddy told me it was true".

 

I would ban the teaching of religion to under 18s. That way people will be intelligent enough to decide whether they believe in ghosts, zombies, magicians, flying camels, a giant snow dome covering the earth and transubstantiation.