God is dead.....and we have killed Him

by logansrun 51 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Panda

  Life is not warm and fuzzy (like Bradley said). Life is about survival and the continuation of DNA (that's why we like sex so much). We are the carriers, that's it, and because that's all there is many folks who claim humans are extra special "creations" don't care to face the bare animal facts about homo sapiens. By claiming that all of creation must have a creator, well of course that's true. However the universe, this planet, you and me are not examples of creation. We are terrific examples of opportunistic punctuated equiliria. Because we survive many organisms that count on us also survive. We see how a virus will evolve (quickly) when it finds a new habitat ex., human rather than ducks or chickens. Of course this evolution of virus also works for our benefit. A good example of this is syphilus. Less than a millenium ago syphilus would kill it's victims in a matter of months, yes mere months. By the 19th century VD patients were living for years with the active virus. What happened? The virus mutated in order to infect more people (no it wasn't getting a conscience or anything). A person who is too sick to get out of bed will not infect anyone or very few others. If the virus is not quickly lethal it's chances of survival to infect others is assured. Like I said this evolution took less than a thousand years.

  So is a struggle for everything living. We should admire the fact that we actually have a larger hand in that than any god does. If we understand our position on this planet and live for now not for heavenly existencew we'll try harder (like the virus) to accomodate ourselves to our habitat not kill off the planet but help it live longer. Panda
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  Narkissos

  Kenneson: You're right, I can't blame God (did I?). I would certainly do (as Job did) if I believed He existed. Stendhal said "the only excuse for God is that he doesn't exist".

  But I can suffer, sympathize, complain, revolt, and try to change things where I am. With actions and with words -- including "poetry", which etymologically means "doing", "making", or "creating". That's being human. The gods, or God, are just a part of our creation, which didn't begin with them and isn't finished with them.

  Just my view of course. Don't take it bad.
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  Kenneson

  Narkissos,

  I certainly don't take it so bad. For none of the explanations I have heard from the no God side are any more convincing than the other.

  I'm glad that you are trying to make a difference in the world. I guess you and I are about doing the same thing. I think love of our fellows is the answer to the greater bulk of our problems. Love can have a ripple effect. Whatever we do in word or deed has an impact on someone. We may agree on something very essential after all.
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  drwtsn32

  Great post Bradley.

  God, the catch-all explanation for things we cannot understand, is becoming less and less useful as we are better able to explain our universe.

  Of course...it is an interesting thing to ponder "why is there something rather than nothing?" But attributing even that to a God doesn't make sense. You're just pushing the unanswerable further away. Next you would have to consider "why is there a God instead of no God?"
• 

  Faraon

  DoubleEdge,

  I saw the links.

  I could not accept them.

  According to those links, Why must people accept the bible?

  Because if they do, they'll be happy forever. If they don't, they'll be roasting and being tortured forever. No more pop quizzes. No more tests. If you didn't even know about Jesus, you'll just be destroyed forever. If you do, you'll burn forever.

  It is the responsibility of the teacher to teach in a way that would make one understand. Jesus purposedy speaks in parables so that he is not understood by all. What kind of a sick mind is this? Just think about it. A teacher who loves children, but purposedy speaks in such a way that only certain students in his class will understand him!

  Just like his father, who hardens Pharaohs heart, so that he is unable to change his mind. Then he punishes not only Pharaoh, but the rest of Egypt. Animals included!

  It would be like putting someone in a scape-proof jail (closing his mind), then punishing him for not escaping (not changing his mind). But the punishing would not stop with him. All his employees would also be punished.

  If show the bible to someone and talk about Jesus, instead of them dissapearing forever, they will be in pain forever.

  The good old carrot and stick but to the nth power!
• 

  Double Edge

  Edge....notice you've done nothing but the standardized, "wait and see" reason why God allows (and designs, remember parasites) sufferring. Gee, kinda reminds me of another line of reasoning a nasty little cult uses to soothe the cognitive dissonance in it's members. I believe the phrase is, "wait on Jehovah."

  Pah-leeze.... Logansrun, don't put that b.s. ex-JW guilt on me... I never was one, and I don't "wait on Jehovah", rather, I'm of the "seek and ye shall find" Class.
  

  Please. Your "answers" are non-answers. Theists, but most especially Christians and Muslims, love to have it both ways.

  Of course they're "non-answers" to you, because you don't agree with them.
  

  They think of God as being some all-loving, syrupy sweet sky-daddy who answers our prayers and provides for us, but at the same time say that we cannot hold him accountable to human standards.

  Now who's being simplistic? Good grief, now you're the expert on knowing what all Christians and Muslims believe. Some Christians think God set up the world, provided for a Savior and hasn't been heard of since, leaving the world his "book" and the masses to figure it out for themselves. Obviously other Christians believe different (now, how many hundreds of sects are there?). To lump ALL their beliefs together is rather silly. As far as the Muslims, you'll have to ask them, but from what I understand, suggusting that they believe him to be a "syrup sweet sky-daddy" is not even close.
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  Aztec

  Dork!

  ~Az
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  Double Edge

  Dork!

  Brilliant.
• 

  Mac

  Life is like band camp...sometimes there is much blowing.....at others ya just have to dance to the beat!!
• 

  Robdar

  God isn't dead. Evolution is certain proof that God, the Creator, is not dead but very alive and very busy. Evolution doesn't disprove miracles, it merely explains how they came about.
  

  Let us not confuse God, the Creator, with God, the Savior; especially the man-made interpretation of God, the Savior. God, the Creator, certainly exists as evidenced by the diversity of life on planet earth. God, the savior, is not found out there in creation, but is found within you.

  What is God the Savior? Perhaps it is a combination of all the human virtures that are ascribed to God. If you look, you can find those virtues within you--inside your heart. There are many virtues; but since I am a Christian, I will use as an example the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians (please try not to sneer but hear me out): Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Mildness, Goodness, Faith and Self Control.

  Wouldn't you agree with me that these are virtues? Would you also agree that you are capable of bringing these virtues into physical reality? Wouldn't you agree that if all of us, every last human, meditated on these virtues and made them reality that the world wouldn't be the one that we are experiencing now? Ah, utopia....

  What we see, instead, is a frightened humanity unable to alter their reality. They look around themselves in fear and all they can see are more of the things that frighten them: greed, jealousy, betrayal, murder, pride, etc, ad naseum. Then they blame God for their misery and the misery of others. And they continue to blame God for all our failures as a race.

  Has it ever occurred to anyone that the "syrypy sweet, sky daddy" has other things to do besides clean up our messes? Sorry, but it comes down to us to clean it up. It's going to take a while but we might as well get started. I think that the best approach would be for all of us to stop being so afraid, overwhelmed and immobilized.

  Robyn