The question of whether there is a god is of course persistent and interesting, but I'm more fascinated by the question of why many people want and need to believe that there is, or to believe they have an answer either way.
Clearly the belief addresses a fundamental human need. Yet belief will not make a god exist if it doesn't, of course - except perhaps within one's own consiousness, which might actually be the entire point of the exercise. Likewise, doubt or denial certainly doesn't make an existing god cease to be.
Imagine for the sake of discussion that there is no god. Now, let's make one up that in its nature and concept would be useful to us, addressing our fears (about death) and unanswerable questions (about the origins of everything). It should care enough to be comforting (just like Frasier, he's listening), yet work in mysterious ways so that our belief can survive the reality of human suffering.
It would (I propose) be just like what so many 'believe in.'
Naturally, that doesn't mean god doesn't exist or that it isn't precisely what people believe. It's just awfully convenient.
I have always found it preposterous that the christian creator god would want or require worship from us lowly creations. Vanity, thy name is God? I doubt it. Rituals of worship are like funerals: they might profess to be about god, or your deceased friend, but it's really all about those attending.
melmoth
JoinedPosts by melmoth
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153
Why do/don't you believe in God
by LouBelle innow for all the scientists out there this is not a question of proof or anything along those lines.
for my part i choose to believe in a god because i honestly believe there is one (though i did start doubting for a little while) i've always felt that there was more to our existance on earth - and that doesn't stem from me wanting to live forever or as a spirit, as i don't even know if that will happen.
i also believe in him because many many times when i could not carry on, on my own strength, i managed to pulled through.
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melmoth
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87
What is your quirkiest quirk?
by damselfly ini, damselfly, can not knowingly eat the little squiggly, umbilical cord things in eggs.
i have to very carefully separate the whites from the yolk and remove the squiggly bits with a knife.
i get gaggy just thinking about them.
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melmoth
I'm alone 95% of the time but lonely 0%. Some people find that odd. Solitude=bliss, I say.
I almost never go to the cinema. Some find that a little odd too. I prefer movies at home.
I can usually sleep on airplanes, but generally pull a blanket up over my head to do it. I don't think this is quirky, but come to think of it I can't recall ever noticing anyone else doing that (maybe because I spend my flight time snoozing). -
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Rude car dealerships
by Simon indon't you just hate them ?.
i mean the ones that think they are too good to serve you (or you are not good enough to deal with).. as i posted previously, my last contract ended a few weeks ago and i got another that will involve a bit more travel than normal so am looking to get a better car to eat up the mileage and provide a bit more safety.
contract hire just to get me to and from work safely and efficiently.
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melmoth
Littletoe: "I hear that some South African models have built-in underslung flamethrowers..."
This is still cars we're talking about, right? Not fashion? -
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Running??????
by vitty in.
im really interested in starting to jog or run.. what would be a good speed to start and how far would be a good goal?.
i know power walking is about 6k an hour, for 30 to 40 minutes but what about running??
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melmoth
I tried running once but found that my drink spilled frequently, which was both wasteful and inconvenient, so I had to stop.
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End of the World Near?
by love2Bworldly ini am wondering how many people out there still believe that in the next 100 years or so that this world/earth is going to be destroyed?.
my husband is a christian, and sometimes he is obsessed with world events in the middle east and he thinks one day soon all the christians are going to be raptured away to heaven while the antichrist rules here on earth.
i am extremely uncomfortable when he talks about it because it reminds me of the jws.. any thoughts out there?
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melmoth
Ah yes, the Rapture. All the looniest Christians beamed up to Starship Enterprise en masse.
It's really too good to be true. But bring it on anyway, I say. -
87
What is your quirkiest quirk?
by damselfly ini, damselfly, can not knowingly eat the little squiggly, umbilical cord things in eggs.
i have to very carefully separate the whites from the yolk and remove the squiggly bits with a knife.
i get gaggy just thinking about them.
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melmoth
damselfly: "that is just mean."
it's merely the truth, and the truth just might set them free (from pointless compulsions)
anyway, i'm just kidding -
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if you think YOU'RE having a bad day....then read this
by kittyeatzjdubs inmy boss just emailed this to us here at work.
it's a pit bull that got poked by a porcupine... .
edited for mkr32208 and big dog
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melmoth
Something strikes me as odd about those pics: the distribution of quills (or whatever they're called) around the entire face, both sides and the top, very evenly.
It just seems an unlikely result of a dog-porcupine encounter - although it's visually quite striking.
I'm guessing someone was having fun with Photoshop, somewhere. -
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Forget the 10 Commandments Follow the book of Tao instead....
by EvilForce inas another thread rages on and on over whether we'd be better off following the 10 commandments i would posit that we would be better off following the tao te ching (the holy book for taoists) rather than the bible or 10 commandments.
how many holy wars have been carried on by christians.
how many christians are engaged in war right now?
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melmoth
I have lately been exploring Buddhism in earnest, and am finding it a very natural fit. For those unfamiliar: it's better described as having elements of both philosophy and to some extent psychology, than as a 'religion' in any western sense.
OK, let me amend that - I have also seen from my reading and frequent travels into Buddhist countries that it has accumulated a lot of ritual (if not mumbo-jumbo) over the centuries, which seem to have little to do with the fundamental teachings (or observations). At this point, I am drawn most strongly to Zen, although I'm early in my explorations.
As for the comment that western philosophy/psychology is more interesting, or what you might call intellectually approachable, that kind of misses its point. You can hold something like Buddhism up and examine it from various angles, but you need to sink into it or else it's just an academic exercise. It's a bit like trying to assess how comfortable a chair is by detailing the sophistication of its construction, rather than just sitting.
Tao also is interesting, and similar, but somehow less satisfying for me.
The problem of course is that so many people want rules to live by, not principles. Even Jesus boiled it down to 'just love' but it didn't take any time at all for people to want to figure out 'what he really meant by that' and of course that continues, unabated. -
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Should an Elder be involved in any of the following????
by pr_capone ini am asking for a simple opinion here.
according to the latest jw "laws", should and active witness, much less one serving as an elder, do any work for military institutions such as the air force, navy, and u.s. army?
i submit the following link http://besappraisals.com/john.html (please copy and paste).
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melmoth
"So according to Brooklyn, it is ok to do work for these entities as long as you are not directly paid by them."
By this logic, it would be OK to drive a supply truck in Iraq, working for Halliburton, but not be a janitor at a military base. Hmmm...
I also once knew a JW family in which the father worked on a base, as a civilian. He was told he couldn't get baptized, so as far as I know he simply remained an active, 'interested' person and kept his job. -
87
What is your quirkiest quirk?
by damselfly ini, damselfly, can not knowingly eat the little squiggly, umbilical cord things in eggs.
i have to very carefully separate the whites from the yolk and remove the squiggly bits with a knife.
i get gaggy just thinking about them.
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melmoth
I enjoy cornering people with germ-phobic OCD and describing the billions of bacteria that reside in their digestive tracts, from their mouths straight through to the other end.
Trivia item: Human bites are more dangerous than dog bites, due to the microscopic critters we all carry naturally in our saliva.