Like everyone else out there, I'm looking for answers to my cosmic questions, and God is one of them. A lot of posts here at this great website seem to ask such things as "How literally do you take the Bible," etc. What I want to know is, do you believe there is a God, if you do, why, and if you don't, why not?

Now my definition of God is an entity that is omnipotent and omnipresent. Now, I don't mind if you think God is dead, but back it up. Feel free to explore the question of "what is God," but try to tell me...is there a God?

There is absolutely no evidence for God.

Spiritual energy or a universal connection that links all life together maybe, but no God. Religious texts are heavily flawed, based on numerous tales - complex mixture of numerous cultures - and compiled by political forces (Ottoman and Roman Empire)

Organised religion also pollutes and dictates the meaning of the text for profitable and exploitative means. Mankind evolved from a common ancestor and not a deity - it is more logically to suggest we were genetically engineered by aliens than God (if you believe in the utterly redundant creationism). Humans already have basic intelligence and technology to create life.

God also forgot to tell us about the dinosaurs, planets, moons, the infinite amount of stars and the ice age (which wasn't mentioned) too. He might have selected memory, alzheimer's disease or a mild case of amnesia. Or, more logically, he does not and never did exist in the first place.

Most religious believers contradict everything within the religion too. And their God is unwilling to stop them. So yes, no God.

The existance of pure evil convinced me when I lived in a house where witch craft had been practised. I was a nominal christian at best then. I would wake up paralyzed in the night and eventually got to where I would "know" when the evil was present. It was so hateful it was terrifying. I have never been hated like that in my life. I told my pastor about my problems and he didn't believe a house could be possessed, so I was left on my own. It's a long story, but it all came to a head one evening when "it" manifested in my kitchen like a cloud at head level. It is so hard to explain how I knew it was there. I stopped what I was doing and pointed directly at it and commanded it in Jesus name to leave. Poof! It was gone. How can the name of Jesus have any authori8ty over something like that? The thing wasn't done with me. It came back twice and I had to deal with it each time.

Fast forward a couple years after that and my faith was growing deeper and richer. I was doing house hold chores and just having a pleasant time and opened myself up to loving God with my whole heart. I was CRAVING the presense of Jesus and it was like I wasn't in the room anymore....I was with him. I have never felt such love in my life. When I came back to myself, I felt brand spanking new. I walked around for weeks just loving everyone to the fullest and for the first time I was comfortable in my own skin. I instantly developed a dislike for christian radio and christian books. I felt like they were merely a replacement for a relationship with an awesome God. Scripture became absolutely alive and I became aware of so much pride in the christians in my life. at the same time, I had the Holy Spirit working on my attitude towards others when they fall short. The whole thing was so humbling and life giving to me.

I wish everyone could have this experience and I believe it is possible. I think back to the time before this happened and it was like I was not totally alive.

I just know that I know we were created and we are loved by our creator Father more than you can ever imagine and he has a purpose for everyone of us.

First let me tell you that I am an idealist and instrumentalist. That being said I do believe there is an "entity" or as I would like to call it a "state of perception or understanding" that understands itself as being omnipotent and omniscient.

We may call it God, but personally I think that is an obsolete word that only causes confusion and conflict between people. The word God makes most think of something separate, unattainable and/or superior, it causes a lot of psychological trouble in my opinion.

I rather call it essence, absolute or something less anthropomorphic.

The reason I believe in God is based on my Idealistic view of the world (in which mind and ideas are the ultimate nature of reality). The belief (or the idea of the existence) of God or the Absolute is a useful and powerful tool for many reasons.

I believe its all about your perception. So there will be God if you believe so, there won't be if you don't believe so. God is just another tool like any other concept, its up to you to realize the potential of each tool and use it for your own growth.

My belief is that the existence of God is black and white, he either exists or he does not exist. Our human religions are an attempt to put a worship-able face to the concept, and to judge him based on our childish depictions of what he "must" be like are wrong, to my mind.

From my own perspective, the universe around me makes me believe in a creation force. There so much precision in the universe, mathematics, and so much order coming from random accidents and occurances seems unlikely, so I believe, without claiming any knowledge or understanding of he she or it, that it is logical to conclude that there's more planning than we are made privy to.

My belief in God does not create him, another person's lack of belief does not destroy him. God will continue existing, or not existing, completely independantly of our belief systems.

It is actually more probable that a Creator God does not exist, rather than the universe popping into existence - fact.

It's a fact because the Creator God is more complex than the universe, as he had to create it. A more complex thing is less likely to spontaneously appear, rather than the less complex thing (universe). Thus, the universe is more likely to not have a creator.

You see, God is the ultimate in Irreducible Complexity (IC), turning intelligent design theory back on themsleves.

Originally posted by infinite
The E.T paradox is interesting, what happens if mankind encounters a far superior civilization that has a different or no god. The existence of humanities religion will be called into question.

What if that advanced civilization had the same concept of God as we do?

The argument works both ways.

You never know. There could be malenvolent aliens controlling the way a lot of people think; and they could be creating the warm and fuzzy feeling folks get when they think about God.

It could be them all along. No sarcasm here. I'm serious. What I don't understand is how people 'think' they know so much.

To the topic, I don't think that it is illogical to believe in a divine entity. I just think all the regulations and scary stuff was made up to control people, but it is very possible that there is a creator and there is some evidence to suggest so.

IMO, there isn't any evidence proving that people go to this 'hell' just because they don't believe in God. So, if you do absolutely nothing wrong and in fact the opposite during your life, but you don't have faith in God, you get to suffer for eternity? Really? Does anyone really deserve to suffer for eternity?

Just sounds like brainwash to me....

regarding the OP.

God is not a personal god.

He/she is not a personal god, obviously

He/she is not a god of the religious text.

Since that, it'd be a hidden god, a mischeveous, and brutal, lustful, and rapist god.

Now this is a truly sadistic god!

And obvious as so.

There is no god.

If you need more proof, just go to my profile, hit threads, and read through them all all of them!