Quote (bentherdonethat @ Jan 22 2011 04:30pm)
Well yeah, I think it's pretty clear that in this thread everyone's stating their own beliefs
I don't think it's possible to know for sure (people define God such that He's so much of a moving target that it's literally impossible to say for sure that God didn't do something), but I think from every available metric, there's no reason to believe in God, and so I don't. I'm open to the possibility of evidence coming along to change my mind (I got that from science), but I don't really think that's likely to happen.
And like I said, if you start looking at the universe assuming there's a reason, then that taints your ability to make observations because you'll see it through that lens. This is why some people find it so hard to accept the overwhelming truth of evolution. They view the world through the idea that God made everything, and so they can't accept the basic tenets of evolution (even though they aren't necessarily mutually exclusive to God).
i see three main points and i'll address them as such.
first i was pretty much asking if you did not believe in god or if you were accusing the op that he did not. i assumed the later.
secondly i agree completely. however i must ask, did you not used to argue for religion? i thought i've seen you do so before. at any rate like i said what god is and what god is not is impossible to discern. however i honestly believe that we all believe in god on some level. it's imprinted into our brains. whether or not you accept this fact is irrelevant. what's important is how you live your life. some people require is strong relationship with god to combat their desires to live sinful lives, while some do not. whatever leads you down a humble path is not important it's traversing it that is.
finally again i agree. however there are two sides to this. for those who live their lives with fact or proof as the ultimate goal are blind to supernatural causes. you have to keep an open mind either way. the more i learn the more i realize that i do not know. many people get frustrated with this fact. i mean the more you learn the more you're supposed to know and the more confident you are to be with that knowledge. have you ever looked at the inside of a cell? have you ever thought about how vast that the universe is? ever study quantum mechanics? there is so much at work that sometimes it makes you wonder.
ultimately though these debates serve no purpose. when all is said and done you and everyone else will go on believing what they believe and i will do the same. at least that's my hope. i promote the idea of free thinking. if you latch onto the beliefs of others then you'll always be doubting your own belief (not speaking to you directly)