Why I don't believe in God

[ChrisL]

When ancient people came across dinosaur bones, they thought they were definitive evidence of gods and giants and things like that. Lol.

 

[Boss]

That is EXACTLY the reason why things like "virgin sacrifices" were performed. To placate the "gods" so that ancient communities could try to avoid plagues and drought and all of those bad things.

Again, you are presenting me with clear evidence of strong and devout spiritual belief.

 

[ChrisL]

That is EXACTLY the reason why things like "virgin sacrifices" were performed. To placate the "gods" so that ancient communities could try to avoid plagues and drought and all of those bad things.

Again, you are presenting me with clear evidence of strong and devout spiritual belief.

These people THOUGHT that by sacrificing people to their gods, it would help them. Ancient civilizations like the Mayans were known to practice these rituals. Obviously, they did NOT work.

 

[Boss]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

 

[Boss]

That is EXACTLY the reason why things like "virgin sacrifices" were performed. To placate the "gods" so that ancient communities could try to avoid plagues and drought and all of those bad things.

Again, you are presenting me with clear evidence of strong and devout spiritual belief.

These people THOUGHT that by sacrificing people to their gods, it would help them. Ancient civilizations like the Mayans were known to practice these rituals. Obviously, they did NOT work.

Right... and they KILLED them dead... it was serious... nothing imaginary about it. Whether they worked is not the point. Whether the God they worshiped was real is not the point. They had a profound and deep spirituality that compelled them strongly enough to take lives. This wasn't some quaint little fairy tale they made up to tell the kids when the bear ate grandma. This was fundamental in their lives.

 

[ChrisL]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

No, that was about a 100 dollar bill suddenly appearing in my purse. They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

 

[ChrisL]

That is EXACTLY the reason why things like "virgin sacrifices" were performed. To placate the "gods" so that ancient communities could try to avoid plagues and drought and all of those bad things.

Again, you are presenting me with clear evidence of strong and devout spiritual belief.

These people THOUGHT that by sacrificing people to their gods, it would help them. Ancient civilizations like the Mayans were known to practice these rituals. Obviously, they did NOT work.

Right... and they KILLED them dead... it was serious... nothing imaginary about it. Whether they worked is not the point. Whether the God they worshiped was real is not the point. They had a profound and deep spirituality that compelled them strongly enough to take lives. This wasn't some quaint little fairy tale they made up to tell the kids when the bear ate grandma. This was fundamental in their lives.

But NOT real. All of those people were KILLED for nothing.

 

[sealybobo]

Lol! Yup, if we can't explain it must be GODS! Just like the ancient peoples.

If you believe in God... whether it is explained OR not, doesn't make any difference. Of course God did it! God did everything... doesn't answer the question as to HOW God did it, does it?

Well, like I said earlier in this thread, I don't really believe in a god, so I completely disagree. I mean, you saying that god did this and that doesn't really mean anything to me because I really don't take the concept of a god too seriously.

If there was a god though, then I do not think IT is anything like what most people think it is.

Chris, with all due respect, in your heart of hearts, I know that you believe in something inside you that is greater than yourself. I can tell by reading your posts. I can relate to your distrust of religion but you really need to know that your human spirituality is not associated or affiliated with any religion. Neglecting your spirituality for too long is not healthy, either physically or emotionally.

Now, silly boob is a different story. Unlike you, he doesn't know how to carry himself with grace. He probably doesn't think there is anything inside him greater than himself. He is a self-loathing and pathetic person who seeks approval from others by being despicable and crude. In less than 20 years, he will die a miserable, bitter and lonely man, with nothing to show for his life.

I didn't know you felt that way about me. Wow! I'll never speak to you again asshole.

 

[Boss]

When ancient people came across dinosaur bones, they thought they were definitive evidence of gods and giants and things like that. Lol.

Humans have been mistaking discoveries for all our existence. Several times in recent history, people have claimed to have found the "missing link" and it always turns out to be false, it's some ape instead. Darwin thought he answered the question of species origin when he saw some finches on an island with long beaks. It turned out they grew long beaks because there had been a drought and the finches with the long beaks survived and passed on their long beak genes.

Yes, a lot of things ancient men attributed to Gods are things we now understand through science... However, we still can't explain WHY things are how they are. You can tell me all about HOW gravity works, you cannot tell me WHY. You can explain HOW some atoms become electrically-charged and create electromagnetism but you cannot explain WHY. You can tell me HOW two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen create the compound of water... can you tell me WHY?

Do you know WHY a random universe popped into existence from nothing with 42 cosmological constants that had to be fine tuned to precision in order for a physical universe to exist?

 

[Boss]

That is EXACTLY the reason why things like "virgin sacrifices" were performed. To placate the "gods" so that ancient communities could try to avoid plagues and drought and all of those bad things.

Again, you are presenting me with clear evidence of strong and devout spiritual belief.

These people THOUGHT that by sacrificing people to their gods, it would help them. Ancient civilizations like the Mayans were known to practice these rituals. Obviously, they did NOT work.

Right... and they KILLED them dead... it was serious... nothing imaginary about it. Whether they worked is not the point. Whether the God they worshiped was real is not the point. They had a profound and deep spirituality that compelled them strongly enough to take lives. This wasn't some quaint little fairy tale they made up to tell the kids when the bear ate grandma. This was fundamental in their lives.

But NOT real. All of those people were KILLED for nothing.

Again, not my point. This was not done as novelty. These people devoutly believed in their hearts in what they were doing. That's more distinctive than mere imagination. We're talking about something considerably more important than throwing salt over your shoulder.

What you are showing is evidence of human spiritual belief and it's very strong and persistent throughout the human record. It's our most defining attribute as a species.

 

[Boss]

Lol! Yup, if we can't explain it must be GODS! Just like the ancient peoples.

If you believe in God... whether it is explained OR not, doesn't make any difference. Of course God did it! God did everything... doesn't answer the question as to HOW God did it, does it?

Well, like I said earlier in this thread, I don't really believe in a god, so I completely disagree. I mean, you saying that god did this and that doesn't really mean anything to me because I really don't take the concept of a god too seriously.

If there was a god though, then I do not think IT is anything like what most people think it is.

Chris, with all due respect, in your heart of hearts, I know that you believe in something inside you that is greater than yourself. I can tell by reading your posts. I can relate to your distrust of religion but you really need to know that your human spirituality is not associated or affiliated with any religion. Neglecting your spirituality for too long is not healthy, either physically or emotionally.

Now, silly boob is a different story. Unlike you, he doesn't know how to carry himself with grace. He probably doesn't think there is anything inside him greater than himself. He is a self-loathing and pathetic person who seeks approval from others by being despicable and crude. In less than 20 years, he will die a miserable, bitter and lonely man, with nothing to show for his life.

I didn't know you felt that way about me. Wow! I'll never speak to you again asshole.

I'll never speak to you again asshole.

Yeah, I'm sure I'm not that fucking lucky.

Put on your big girl panties and suck it up, buttercup.

 

[Boss]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

No, that was about a 100 dollar bill suddenly appearing in my purse. They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

Yes!!!!

Because we just went through how you'd be a crazy person to do that. Are you not following?

 

[ChrisL]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

No, that was about a 100 dollar bill suddenly appearing in my purse. They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

Yes!!!!

Because we just went through how you'd be a crazy person to do that. Are you not following?

There is much historical evidence that people did just that! I don't really know why you keep arguing this point. It has been settled.

 

[ChrisL]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

No, that was about a 100 dollar bill suddenly appearing in my purse. They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

Yes!!!!

Because we just went through how you'd be a crazy person to do that. Are you not following?

Damn, people were ignorant as all hell back in the day! Why do you think they burned people for being "witches" and other such things. Another example . . .

"Interest and belief in revenants surged in the Middle Ages in Europe. Though in most modern stories the classic way to become a vampire is to be bitten by one, that is a relatively new twist. In his book "Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality" (Yale, 2008), folklorist Paul Barber noted that centuries ago, "Often potential revenants can be identified at birth, usually by some abnormality, some defect, as when a child is born with teeth. Similarly suspicious are children born with an extra nipple (in Romania, for example); with a lack of cartilage in the nose, or a split lower lip (in Russia) … When a child is born with a red caul, or amniotic membrane, covering its head, this was regarded throughout much of Europe as presumptive evidence that it is destined to return from the dead." Such minor deformities were looked upon as evil omens at the time.

The belief in vampires stems from superstition and mistaken assumptions about postmortem decay. The first recorded accounts of vampires follow a consistent pattern: Some unexplained misfortune would befall a person, family or town — perhaps a drought dried up crops, or an infectious disease struck. Before science could explain weather patterns and germ theory, any bad event for which there was not an obvious cause might be blamed on a vampire. Vampires were one easy answer to the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people.

Villagers combined their belief that something had cursed them with fear of the dead, and concluded that perhaps the recently deceased might be responsible, having come back from the graves with evil intent. Graves were unearthed, and surprised villagers often mistook ordinary decomposition processes for supernatural phenomenon. For example, though laypeople might assume that a body would decompose immediately, if the coffin is well sealed and buried in winter, putrefaction might be delayed by weeks or months; intestinal decomposition creates bloating which can force blood up into the mouth, making it look like a dead body has recently sucked blood. These processes are well understood by modern doctors and morticians, but in medieval Europe were taken as unmistakable signs that vampires were real and existed among them."

Vampires: Fact, Fiction and Folklore

 

[ChrisL]

My grandmother told me that being left handed was once considered "evil." She was left handed and they trained her to use her right hand instead. Now she is ambidextrous. These beliefs are all based upon ignorance and trying to explain things that they didn't yet understand and then attributing it to something "supernatural" or "evil" or "gods" or other supernatural entities.

 

[Boss]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

No, that was about a 100 dollar bill suddenly appearing in my purse. They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

Yes!!!!

Because we just went through how you'd be a crazy person to do that. Are you not following?

There is much historical evidence that people did just that! I don't really know why you keep arguing this point. It has been settled.

Chris, there is NO such historical evidence. No, it has certainly NOT been settled. I hear it CLAIMED a lot... all the time, as a matter of fact. I've never seen one single shred of evidence to support this OPINION.

But again... We just went through an example of exactly what you claim happened. If you find a $100 bill in your purse, you do NOT create some imaginary explanation to satisfy your puzzlement. Humans most certainly did not imagine something to explain the unexplained. It doesn't make rational sense. Creating imaginary entities doesn't help explain things or console you in any way. You recognized this and said it would be crazy to do that... yet that is exactly what you believe happened.

You say, oh I'm talking about a different scenario but it's equally crazy regardless of the scenario.

 

[Boss]

My grandmother told me that being left handed was once considered "evil." She was left handed and they trained her to use her right hand instead. Now she is ambidextrous. These beliefs are all based upon ignorance and trying to explain things that they didn't yet understand and then attributing it to something "supernatural" or "evil" or "gods" or other supernatural entities.

There is no doubt that people convince themselves of crazy things and since humans are inherently spiritual creatures with a strong spiritual connection, we tend to convince ourselves of spiritual things very easily. That is a flaw in us and it has nothing to do with the validity of human spirituality, in fact, it confirms it does exist in us.

 

[sealybobo]

I really don't see much difference between what ancient people believed and the religious beliefs that we see today except that, of course, they have toned down their "rituals." Most Christians would abide by the NT but not the OT. The belief system and how it developed, IMO, is pretty much the same. I think all gods were created by men to explain away things they couldn't understand and things that seemed "unbelievable," like the earth opening up and swallowing things during an earthquake, or a Tsunami washing away entire villages and towns and killing everyone.

But they didn't invent something imaginary "to explain away things they couldn't understand" because we just went through how utterly crazy that would be. You're not following your own logic here.

No, that was about a 100 dollar bill suddenly appearing in my purse. They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

They most certainly did make things up to explain away things they could not understand. Are you denying this fact?

Yes!!!!

Because we just went through how you'd be a crazy person to do that. Are you not following?

Damn, people were ignorant as all hell back in the day! Why do you think they burned people for being "witches" and other such things. Another example . . .

"Interest and belief in revenants surged in the Middle Ages in Europe. Though in most modern stories the classic way to become a vampire is to be bitten by one, that is a relatively new twist. In his book "Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality" (Yale, 2008), folklorist Paul Barber noted that centuries ago, "Often potential revenants can be identified at birth, usually by some abnormality, some defect, as when a child is born with teeth. Similarly suspicious are children born with an extra nipple (in Romania, for example); with a lack of cartilage in the nose, or a split lower lip (in Russia) … When a child is born with a red caul, or amniotic membrane, covering its head, this was regarded throughout much of Europe as presumptive evidence that it is destined to return from the dead." Such minor deformities were looked upon as evil omens at the time.

The belief in vampires stems from superstition and mistaken assumptions about postmortem decay. The first recorded accounts of vampires follow a consistent pattern: Some unexplained misfortune would befall a person, family or town — perhaps a drought dried up crops, or an infectious disease struck. Before science could explain weather patterns and germ theory, any bad event for which there was not an obvious cause might be blamed on a vampire. Vampires were one easy answer to the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people.

Villagers combined their belief that something had cursed them with fear of the dead, and concluded that perhaps the recently deceased might be responsible, having come back from the graves with evil intent. Graves were unearthed, and surprised villagers often mistook ordinary decomposition processes for supernatural phenomenon. For example, though laypeople might assume that a body would decompose immediately, if the coffin is well sealed and buried in winter, putrefaction might be delayed by weeks or months; intestinal decomposition creates bloating which can force blood up into the mouth, making it look like a dead body has recently sucked blood. These processes are well understood by modern doctors and morticians, but in medieval Europe were taken as unmistakable signs that vampires were real and existed among them."

Vampires: Fact, Fiction and Folklore

Do you know how many Catholics got possessed after seeing the exorcist? The number of cases spiked. It's not safe to be a Catholic. Not only do the priests want to be inside you, so does Satan.

 

[Boss]

Why do you think they burned people for being "witches" and other such things.

Again... because human beings are spiritually-connected creatures who have strong spiritual awareness. It doesn't mean we are correct in our perception of our spirituality... just that we do have it.

 

[Mudda]

Why do you think they burned people for being "witches" and other such things.

Again... because human beings are spiritually-connected creatures who have strong spiritual awareness. It doesn't mean we are correct in our perception of our spirituality... just that we do have it.

But witches were fake, so we were satisfying our fake spirituality? Ok, I'll agree with that.