The Point of Religion

Well, at least Christianity in my opinion:
It was created (the bible, the idea of God/a higher power/Jesus and all that good stuff) so people would be brought together, like in church, and help each other become better people.

I think instead of believing everything that was written in a book thousands of years ago, what the real goal of being a follower of God is to be accepting and "kind to your neighbor". Instead of all this homophobia and hate towards people who don't believe in the same things you do.

What kind of God would want his "children" killing and fighting each other over things that can't be helped? If there really is this loving, forgiving God, he wouldn't want this. He would accept gay people, and people of other religious beliefs. He wouldn't want anyone going around trying to convert people or tell them they're going to hell.
Everyone sins, but the point is, we have to make up for our sins. Strive to be better people.
Get your nose out of the bible for once and do something for the greater good.

By the way, I'm not religious, nor Athiest. This is just my opinion from the outside. I think if I took a side on this I would feel stupid, because nobody can know for sure right?

This is exactly what I thought.
I'm an Atheist, but if people really look into what God could have done if he was real, then they would probably doubt the presence of God.

1. If "he" has the power to create everything that humans didn't create, like water, trees, planets, stars, space, etc., then he should have the power to stop natural disasters that kill numerous people.

2. I don't think one man in the sky can accomplish the task of creating something so big and so detailed, and so functioning.

3. He would stop the murderers and the sex offenders. Not kill them, but stop them.

4. The bible was written by PEOPLE. People. People that made this religion up. It wasn't written by God. It was written by people.

ReachingForTheStars:

This is exactly what I thought.
I'm an Atheist, but if people really look into what God could have done if he was real, then they would probably doubt the presence of God.

1. If "he" has the power to create everything that humans didn't create, like water, trees, planets, stars, space, etc., then he should have the power to stop natural disasters that kill numerous people.

2. I don't think one man in the sky can accomplish the task of creating something so big and so detailed, and so functioning.

3. He would stop the murderers and the sex offenders. Not kill them, but stop them.

4. The bible was written by PEOPLE. People. People that made this religion up. It wasn't written by God. It was written by people.

1. As a Christian, I have no real issue with the whole 'natural disaster' thing. Because 'natural' disasters are a par of the natural world. It's only a problem because we think they are. Natural disasters would still happen if humans didn't exist.

2. God isn't 'one man' He's God. Also, I can't imagine something so functional and detailed just came out of nothing at random.

3. God doesn't just click his fingers and fix things, He has to work through the people on earth. And also, people have to want to change.

4. The Bible was written by people, inspired by God. And yeah, sure, religion was 'made up' by people, but here's an interesting thought, why do people create religion?

the mice endure:

1. As a Christian, I have no real issue with the whole 'natural disaster' thing. Because 'natural' disasters are a par of the natural world. It's only a problem because we think they are. Natural disasters would still happen if humans didn't exist.

2. God isn't 'one man' He's God. Also, I can't imagine something so functional and detailed just came out of nothing at random.

3. God doesn't just click his fingers and fix things, He has to work through the people on earth. And also, people have to want to change.

4. The Bible was written by people, inspired by God. And yeah, sure, religion was 'made up' by people, but here's an interesting thought, why do people create religion?

We don't know that there's a God. There's nobody that is 100% sure that there is a God. We have no proof of him .

I'm saying that if there was a God who had the power to create people and create planets, and stars, and space, and everything that wasn't created by us, couldn't he stop the simple things?

Natural disasters would occur if humans didn't exist. That's right. I'm saying that if God has all this power, then surely, he can stop them.

I really don't believe that there's a God. We just don't have any proof. We don't.

Shouldn't this go in the Christianity or Is God Real Thread?

ReachingForTheStars:

We don't know that there's a God. There's nobody that is 100% sure that there is a God. We have no proof of him .

I'm saying that if there was a God who had the power to create people and create planets, and stars, and space, and everything that wasn't created by us, couldn't he stop the simple things?

Natural disasters would occur if humans didn't exist. That's right. I'm saying that if God has all this power, then surely, he can stop them.

I really don't believe that there's a God. We just don't have any proof. We don't.

1. I never said I was 100% sure, it's just what I believe, my responses will be biased from that point of view.
2. Natural disasters aren't simple.
3. If humans didn't exist, why would God need to stop natural disasters?
4. We don't have scientific proof that God exists. You're right, but that doesn't stop millions of people believing in it. I'm not saying you have to believe, but there are people who believe in a God/gods.

the mice endure:

3. If humans didn't exist, why would God need to stop natural disasters?
/quote]

If humans didn't exist, the odds are God wouldn't be real because nobody believed in him.

^ I don't understand that premise. Just because nobody believes in something, doesn't mean that that something doesn't exist. For example, there was a time when no one believed the earth was a sphere, but that's always been true.

ReachingForTheStars:

the mice endure:

3. If humans didn't exist, why would God need to stop natural disasters?
/quote]

If humans didn't exist, the odds are God wouldn't be real because nobody believed in him.

That doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. What if, hypothetically speaking, God had decided not to create humans? Then natural disasters would still exist.

the mice endure:

That doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. What if, hypothetically speaking, God had decided not to create humans? Then natural disasters would still exist.

If God didn't decide to create humans or any other form of life, then what would be the point of natural disasters?

ReachingForTheStars:

We don't know that there's a God. There's nobody that is 100% sure that there is a God. We have no proof of him .

I'm saying that if there was a God who had the power to create people and create planets, and stars, and space, and everything that wasn't created by us, couldn't he stop the simple things?

Natural disasters would occur if humans didn't exist. That's right. I'm saying that if God has all this power, then surely, he can stop them.

I really don't believe that there's a God. We just don't have any proof. We don't.

I'm not the most religious nor do I completely think god is a conscious entity or even follow the bible but I dislike when people try to argue god doesn't exist simply because negatives exist in the universe. The fact remains negatives need to balance the positives you can't have one with out the other it's just how things go. Who cares that there are rapists and that there are saints. Sunny days and rainy days either way it's meant to be this way not the way humans may wish. If things went the way humans wanted all the time we would be the gods.

Weather or not god could or couldn't stop a force doesn't matter because its not what is suppose to or should happen. Frankly there are more important things than any number of human lives when on the spectrum of the whole universe/universes.

Really I don't see how the argument is even valid "if he's so great why doesn't he stop death and pain" because it's nature and a part of the learning process as a human. And I also don't understand why a person would paint god to be so human other than the fact that we cant comprehend anything else. Sure he may "love" us but love from our standard is human and never quite fully understood with our short lives while love on an all knowing and seeing spectrum would be completely different I presume. People who say we are gods children imagine it as if it was the same connection we would have with our own children only because we can't comprehend anything else... it annoys me people don't think outside the box.

And most modern people who believe in the bible don't take it literally as he created man he created this and that w/e a lot of people do believe in evolution and such but also something more in the beginning.

On the original thingy religion in my opinion is a way to keep spirits high as well as to have a general guide in life on what to do and explain things which we can't fully understand.

I don't think any religion is wrong including atheism religions that are philosophies and agnosticism etc it's all different paths to the same end. And usually is a positive in the persons life that practices it. To me that's all that really matters in the end is that what ever path you follow for yourself makes sense to you helps you to be better and is a positive in your life.

Most if not all religious texts set out to be something positive for those who follow it not something negative. So I think that's something that should always be thought about when considering such things.

ReachingForTheStars:

This is exactly what I thought.
I'm an Atheist, but if people really look into what God could have done if he was real, then they would probably doubt the presence of God.

1. If "he" has the power to create everything that humans didn't create, like water, trees, planets, stars, space, etc., then he should have the power to stop natural disasters that kill numerous people.

And how do you know he hasn't? Maybe in God's eyes, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, for instance, was deserved, so he didn't stop it.
However, if God is to stop something from happening, why would he do it in a way that we know he has done it? If we assume that God is humble (and it's actually a logical assumption, as there's no evidence that he exists and therefore if he does, he has the power to change reality without showing that he has done so) he can change whatever he wants and not care about us knowing or not.

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2. I don't think one man in the sky can accomplish the task of creating something so big and so detailed, and so functioning.

You're quite right. A pilot or astronaut most certainly could not make up all the details of existence. Fortunately, if God exists, he's God, and exists outside of time and space, and can therefore do whatever he wants with time and space and existence.

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3. He would stop the murderers and the sex offenders. Not kill them, but stop them.

Why? For some people, a rape or a murder can make them stronger. It can draw people together.
And if God is to take away the free will of a murderer or sex offender, why wouldn't he take away the free will of all non-believers? Or all people who carry hate? Or anyone? If we're all God-worshipping automatons, there would be no war or hate or murder.

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4. The bible was written by PEOPLE. People. People that made this religion up. It wasn't written by God. It was written by people.

I'm almost with you on this one. At the same time, if God has the power to alter existence, maybe he created those people specifically to write his word?

We can't know. To try and look at the motivations and machinations of God is colossally arrogant; we will never understand, as an ant will likely never understand humans, because they're on such completely different levels.

I like to use the ever so popular colours quote.

How does a blind man know colours exist? Because you told him they do, and he has faith that they do.

How do we know God exists? Because we were told, we grew up with the word, and we have faith that he does.

ReachingForTheStars:

If God didn't decide to create humans or any other form of life, then what would be the point of natural disasters?

Natural 'disasters' don't have a point. They're natural. Part of the natural world.
Volcanoes and storms exist on other planets. There's no point to them, they just are.

The only reason they're seen as disastrous is because humans think they are.

As a Christian myself, I'd like to point out that I believe all these disasters are the cause of sin.
In my personal opinion, sin is the cause of everything bad and I'm surprised that any other fellow Christian didn't point that out or even mention it at all. =/

WriterSerenity:

As a Christian myself, I'd like to point out that I believe all these disasters are the cause of sin.
In my personal opinion, sin is the cause of everything bad and I'm surprised that any other fellow Christian didn't point that out or even mention it at all. =/

Yes, but does that mean our sin causes storms on other planets? I doubt it.

the mice endure:

Yes, but does that mean our sin causes storms on other planets? I doubt it.

I don't know how to go about that question, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

WriterSerenity:

I don't know how to go about that question, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

Well, I still think storms and 'disasters' would happen even if humans didn't exist. God created the other planets. A lot of them have storms and volcanoes etc which would then mean they would probably have 'disasters'.

It's only because we exist on the planet earth that natural weather and other phenomenon's would be seen as disastrous. It's disastrous to us, but animals and plants don't see it as 'disastrous'. :)

the mice endure:

Well, I still think storms and 'disasters' would happen even if humans didn't exist. God created the other planets. A lot of them have storms and volcanoes etc which would then mean they would probably have 'disasters'.

It's only because we exist on the planet earth that natural weather and other phenomenon's would be seen as disastrous. It's disastrous to us, but animals and plants don't see it as 'disastrous'. :)

I understand where you're coming from. It's the laws of nature. =)