God - The Bear and Badger

[Deleted User]

GooberTheHat wrote:

SpaceGazelle wrote:

GooberTheHat wrote:

But you're atheist so don't believe there is a programmer?

There is, but our God is probably doing it as a homework assignment

So you are a theist, but think we have an apathetic god?

I'm not keen on the term God. It carries too much weight. What's startling and not remotely supernatural is how you can achieve extraordinary complexity from a few simple rules. It doesn't take a genius to be a God but it requires a good maths processor.

tin_robot

Space - it is starting to sound a little bit like your definition of atheism is "I don't believe in any of the versions of God put forwards in any of the religions I'm aware of", rather than no God at all.

(I'm agnostic - definitely in the "some stuff's unknowable and probably irrelevant" camp. I don't believe in religion, but don't claim to have any knowledge as to whether there's a "God" or even how to define what such a thing would be.)

[Deleted User]

But God carries a definition, so maybe we shouldn't use it. The problem people have is they think they're important on a Universal scale. It's not healthy, desirable or true to think like this.

djchump

Plenty of folk use "god" as synonym for creator.

cockbeard

So is it only monotheists that are stupid or mental?

Brooks

SpaceGazelle wrote:

Don't anger the hypercunt. It will end badly.

It could end badly for any number of trivial reasons. Fuck 'em.

Skerret

Ath for show, ag for a pro.

[Deleted User]

cockbeard wrote:

So is it only monotheists that are stupid or mental?

If I were to suddenly go nuts and start to believe in a religion I'd hope it'd be polytheistic. If you're going to do it you might as well do it properly. I'd have a God for everything. The poo God. The IPA God. My boy would definitely be up for a Mario God.

davyK

I'm in the agnostic camp too. We might be able to measure our cage very accurately but maybe we will never figure out what's outside it, or how it was made, or to what purpose.

I can remember being in primary 1 or 2 and not believing any of the religous / God stuff and still feel the same, except the absence of evidence argument doesn't convince me either. Dalken's use of probabilities doesn't hold water conceptually with me as that only becomes accurate over large series of events. Our universe is what it is and a God will either exist or won't. Unless there are multiple universes - some with a God and some without I don't see the validity of using that type of reasoning. I'm pretty sure much of his ire is against organised religions and the idea of a God who cares whether you masturbate or not. His approach in the Selfish Gene is much more believable (if at times a bit depressing but only because it is all too believable and takes the mystery and wonder out of things for me - though of course doesn't disprove the existence of a God who set the system up to run the way this proposes it does).

There is simply no way of knowing - maybe one day we will but until then I can't honestly say I believe one way or the other and certainly wouldn't be on anyone's case for believing.

The problem with believing is all too often mixed up with problems with organised religions which are man made organisational structures. And we all know there are certain types who love beaurocracy, structure etc and who are ultimately about control. Those types ruin the good intentions unfortunately.

To me a belief is too personal to categorise as broadly as an organised religion but I'm sure many believers adopt a take and leave approach to different parts of their chosen system.

[Deleted User]

For people who think there must be a reason for the existence of anything, I can recommend A Universe From Nothing by Krauss.

cockbeard

Don't confuse my acceptance of others beliefs as me sharing in those beliefs

[Deleted User]

I'm not sure I did. Anyway, it's a good book for agnostics. It's a bit all over the place and assumes more than it should, and is a little too vague, but it does pull out the important bits to build a case for unreasonable existence. It's not quite there yet but neither is the science.

Facewon

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/opinion/sunday/pastor-am-i-a-christian.html

I like the first answer....

Downhill from there.

Plantinga mention too. Itf.

[Deleted User]

So there I was, actually sober, actually being nice and saying I suppose God loves all to the taxi driver, people are beautiful despite circumstance, and he told me sinners are actually cunts destined to burn in hell, especially the gays. I didn't tip but didn't tell him to fuck off either.

[Deleted User]

He sounds pretty proud of his faith to me.
BURN!
(in hell and in the slang sense)

Is it a Bible quote that says "those without sin should throw the first stone" or some shit?

[Deleted User]

Matthew 7:1-3
Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again

Learn the Bible, use it against those morons that haven't even read it.

beano

Damn I was hoping for another confrontation with a cabbie

Skerret

Temps had a similar (but much gentler) encounter with the Uber driver on the way back from the bar, was a weird one.

beano

ONE STAR

Skerret

No there was a mutual 5 star rating agreed upon

Bollockoff

I only read today that Swery of Deadly Premonition fame is an officially recognised and practicing Buddhist priest.

[Deleted User]

Buddhism is a really interesting faith to me.
Supposedly Buddha was born around 500bc, so the origins of the faith are fairly recent in comparison to other faiths, especially Abrahamic ones.
My main attraction to it is that the Dalai Lama doesn't preach a dogmatic ruling.
The preaching at base level is the same as all faiths really and the same as our forum rule. Don't be a dick.
The difference, to me, is that Buddhists aren't interested in why you aren't being a dick, just content that you aren't.

Of course, like all religions there are extremists that twist the words to suit their agenda. However with Buddhism I find it especially ridiculous.

While I am too scientifically minded to ever consider literal reincarnation or some of the other spiritual beliefs that come with Buddhism, I can find a lot to appreciate in the mindfulness and connection to nature in the faith.

Meditation has done me well in recent years and I find comfort in the idea of reincarnation, not in the literal sense but as a concept that energy is infinite and transient. My corpse will decay and become life in the form of food for plants, worms or whatever.

bad_hair_day

Regarding 'extremists twisting the words to suit their agenda' the fact is they are adhering to the scriptures as they were intended. Non believers are off to hell, hurry up Armageddon, I want to see heavenly paradise.

Luckily for us, now most read the texts through the lens of modernity.

[Deleted User]

Good to see hair knows what the texts intended. Centuries of religious doctrine, debates and interpretation, if only they had asked a dumb fuck from Surrey, he'd have saved everyone the time and trouble.

Facewon

lols.

Does seem a tad silly to rush straight to the the extremists must have it right.

bad_hair_day

You're welcome.

Vela

legaldinho wrote:

Good to see hair knows what the texts intended. Centuries of religious doctrine, debates and interpretation, if only they had asked a dumb fuck from Surrey, he'd have saved everyone the time and trouble.

I'm guessing they were only joking in the various texts when slavery, spoils of war and comfort women, genocide, infanticide and human sacrifice were all celebrated and demanded by petty a vengeful deities, right?

Fuck apologising for stone age dogma that has gone through the ringer of various translations including a number of hardline interpretations in the intervening millennia.

I'd trust a schmuck from Surrey all day every day before any goat herder from two millennia back.

cockbeard

SpaceGazelle wrote:

So there I was, actually sober, actually being nice and saying I suppose God loves all to the taxi driver, people are beautiful despite circumstance, and he told me sinners are actually cunts destined to burn in hell, especially the gays. I didn't tip but didn't tell him to fuck off either.

Hahaha, what a prick

Twats like that, those are why people give religion shit

[Deleted User]

Vela wrote:

legaldinho wrote:

Good to see hair knows what the texts intended. Centuries of religious doctrine, debates and interpretation, if only they had asked a dumb fuck from Surrey, he'd have saved everyone the time and trouble.

I'm guessing they were only joking in the various texts when slavery, spoils of war and comfort women, genocide, infanticide and human sacrifice were all celebrated and demanded by petty a vengeful deities, right? Fuck apologising for stone age dogma that has gone through the ringer of various translations including a number of hardline interpretations in the intervening millennia. I'd trust a schmuck from Surrey all day every day before any goat herder from two millennia back.

That post positively oozes rationality. No sirree, not emotional at all.

pc71

On all matters refererring to God or lack thereof I always go the complete series of father Ted. Should be shown from infants to university....

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