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"People felt the need to feel comfort/justified so they invented a God to believe in."..."People believe what they want to believe."
Whenever I see statements like this, I'm always a little amazed that people believe these statements, which to me seem illogical (but I guess people believe what they want to believe! ).
The way I see it:
If I need to "create" something, this means that I know it hasn't existed. So then, I "create" it in my mind, and after that, I truly believe it exists??
Is it possible or logical for a rational person to invent something, with no evidence, in order to truly believe in it?
What do you think?
Well if we think back to the day religion started (a long long time ago) the world must have been a weird place. I mean, people had basicly no understanding of it whatsoever. The only way to see any of it was to either walk or go by horse/donkey/camel (w.e/etc). This means that nobody could have gotten all the way round the world, seen it from space, undertand its magnitude or how it worked. Religion was not created as just something to believe. It was created as an explanation to a strange and (at the time) unexplainable world. (Like when you are little you might think at night somebody throws a big blanket with little holes(stars) in it over the sky) - its just an explanation for something that cannot be explained any better.
However religion poses a very big threat. If you do not conform you will spend eternity in hell. Now although these days we have science and have a better understanting of the world and everything on it/surrounding it, nothing has yet totally disproved the god theory. This means people today still have to decide whether they are willing to take the risk of 'not conforming' with a possible consequence of spending forever in this so called hell.
Take the 'blanket in the sky' story. If, when you grew up there where millions and millions of people who believed it, it was taught in schools, your parents believed it and brought you up to believe it, and you were told that if you didnt believe it you would go to the worst place imagionable when you died. would you believe it?
People dont just believe what they want to believe. They believe what they are taught and brought up to believe, what others believe and what will give them the best reward/least consequence.
Well if we think back to the day religion started (a long long time ago) the world must have been a weird place. I mean, people had basicly no understanding of it whatsoever. The only way to see any of it was to either walk or go by horse/donkey/camel (w.e/etc). This means that nobody could have gotten all the way round the world, seen it from space, undertand its magnitude or how it worked. Religion was not created as just something to believe. It was created as an explanation to a strange and (at the time) unexplainable world. (Like when you are little you might think at night somebody throws a big blanket with little holes(stars) in it over the sky) - its just an explanation for something that cannot be explained any better.
However religion poses a very big threat. If you do not conform you will spend eternity in hell. Now although these days we have science and have a better understanting of the world and everything on it/surrounding it, nothing has yet totally disproved the god theory. This means people today still have to decide whether they are willing to take the risk of 'not conforming' with a possible consequence of spending forever in this so called hell.
Take the 'blanket in the sky' story. If, when you grew up there where millions and millions of people who believed it, it was taught in schools, your parents believed it and brought you up to believe it, and you were told that if you didnt believe it you would go to the worst place imagionable when you died. would you believe it?
People dont just believe what they want to believe. They believe what they are taught and brought up to believe, what others believe and what will give them the best reward/least consequence.
No offense but the "blanket in the sky" analogy is pretty weak. Because as time went on, science would prove it otherwise when we finally did go into space. There is nothing else that compares to religion, not by a long shot. There are things that people have pointed out in here that the bible told us even before science proved it. Science will never prove religion wrong, no matter how much they try. They can put in doubt, but will never totally disprove it.
No offense but the "blanket in the sky" analogy is pretty weak. Because as time went on, science would prove it otherwise when we finally did go into space. There is nothing else that compares to religion, not by a long shot. There are things that people have pointed out in here that the bible told us even before science proved it. Science will never prove religion wrong, no matter how much they try. They can put in doubt, but will never totally disprove it.
lol the blanket in the sky was just the rirst ridiculous theory that came into my head. The reason science will probably never prove religion wrong is that it has made iself untouchable (you cannot see hear smell taste or touch god ect). However science does offer contradicting theories which may one day be proven to be 100% correct.
...Or maybe, one day scientists will be traveling through space and come across a vortex into heaven, gatecrash it, filling it with athiests who will spend eternity haveing a masive party Never going to happen you say? Well lets see you disprove my theory
lol the blanket in the sky was just the rirst ridiculous theory that came into my head. The reason science will probably never prove religion wrong is that it has made iself untouchable (you cannot see hear smell taste or touch god ect). However science does offer contradicting theories which may one day be proven to be 100% correct.
...Or maybe, one day scientists will be traveling through space and come across a vortex into heaven, gatecrash it, filling it with athiests who will spend eternity haveing a masive party Never going to happen you say? Well lets see you disprove my theory
I don't know how religion "made" itself untouchable. People see what they want to see, on both sides of the fence.
Well I can see your point but there have been a few people that have seen and heard God, I am not one of the lucky ones, nor do I think I am righteous enough to. But yes I do see what you are saying that you and most of us have not. If God appeared to GCS, Haaziq, Montana, Red, Chiel etc. no one would believe them, and then they could still say that it was just a dream, or some kind of illusion. They and anyone else who saw him would be called crazy delusional and all of that. There is a better chance of God appearing to each and every athiest than a scientist coming up with an absolute fact or truth that would change the mind of millions to totally disprove God.
And as far as your athiest party in heaven theory, while I can't say that it could never happen, I'd be more convinced if I took someone's advice and take my computer and dropped it onto the hardest surface of my home, that the computer would float instead of dropping and breaking. So I am pretty sure (can't be 100% absolute) you shouldn't get your party hat ready just yet.
I There is a better chance of God appearing to each and every athiest than a scientist coming up with an absolute fact or truth that would change the mind of millions to totally disprove God.
Based on what statistic and evidence or is this a faith-based assumption?
I am always willing to learn. So what you are saying is that evolution is a cross between natural selection and selective breeding?
You don't have to take it easy on me, I have not studied up a lot about evolution and really only catch tidbits here and there, and I am a big boy, I can take it. That is why I do need Evolution 101.
So does evolution believe that everyone came from a single celled organism?
I will look into those things that you stated, I don't have time now, but I will.
Sorry not meaning to get too off course though.
I'm afraid if we're going to continue this conversation you need to fire up a new thread. I'm a little hesitant because these evolution threads usually turn into 75 page behemoth threads but Alpha is right.
But to answer your question VERY quickly. Evolution is the result of natural selection and survival of the fittest.
If God appeared to GCS, Haaziq, Montana, Red, Chiel etc. no one would believe them, and then they could still say that it was just a dream, or some kind of illusion. They and anyone else who saw him would be called crazy delusional and all of that.
Well that's one of the problems about God isn't it? For a being who's supposed to have such amazing powers he's apparently very shy. I've never once seen God, heard his voice or experienced anything that would make me think he's real. If God is the most powerful being that could ever exist why is he such a wallflower?
This begs the question...why would your god require you to pray to him before granting you a job?
This is just how God begins to let you know that He is there for you, it is an introduction to Him, it was the first time I ever heard His voice, and it was the first time I had real confirmation that I could really depend on Him for help. This is not vain religion, or endless repeated prayers, this was interaction with the true God. From that day forward, my faith was nolonger blind, nolonger pie in the sky. I was dealing with the real God who loves me.
Jesus Christ is there for everyone who gives their life to Him, and I have no doubt that He loves to here from His creation. I have had many encounters with Him. Jesus Christ is alive.
Well that's one of the problems about God isn't it? For a being who's supposed to have such amazing powers he's apparently very shy. I've never once seen God, heard his voice or experienced anything that would make me think he's real. If God is the most powerful being that could ever exist why is he such a wallflower?
If you read the Bible you will discover wherever there was a lack of faith Jesus did few mircales. Jesus said, "if you search for me with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul you will surley find me." If you don't search for Christ, if you don't try to make contact with Him, if you don't challenge God, chances are you will never experience anything. Yet, if you take the oppsite view and make yourself obvious to God, well, don't be surprised if things start happening. I'm a pretty simple guy yet I have to tell you, when you have an encounter with the living God, your life will never be the same. I became a Christian when I was 11 years old. I believed in Him, yet I never knew that God would actually contact me in the way that He has. It was many years later that God first spoke to me, and it was very unexpected. I grew up in a church that told us that God does not work that way anymore. They were wrong.
Based on what statistic and evidence or is this a faith-based assumption?
Well I would have to think for some scientific research to come out and change the mind of not only a believer that goes to church only on Christmas and Easter, to the guy that straps a bomb to his chest, it would have to be extremely convincing. So to be fair to your question, I guess it is faith based, but a high probability in my mind.
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I'm a little hesitant because these evolution threads usually turn into 75 page behemoth threads but Alpha is right. 
