I’ve searched the annals (he, he… he said anal) of the Internet to find the two greatest video arguments I could find, one for the existance of a supreme diety, one against.
In the end, at least to me, it all seems to boil down to a simple philosophical decision. Is it possible that everything known to mankind simply exists? Or is an explanation required as to why?
EDIT: Incidentally, it is coincidence that this post comes immediately after the report of an Athiest being banned from YouTube. I had written this article at least a week before it was published, but posted the other one in real time as the news was breaking.
Here now is a compilation from a number of prominent believers, on the existance of God:
And here Dr. Richard Dawkins’, Oxford professor, on the myth of God:
It is also interesting to note that you can go on over to ConvinceMe.net and debate the existance of God if you’d like.
Right now it seems to be about 50/50.
John
It is not whether God exists or not that is so bothersome. It’s that we humans are so arrogant to think we know God’s mind. On the other hand, this same arrogance is found in Atheists. They cannot, with any certainty, say that there is definitely NOT a supreme being either. What we do not know about our beginnings and how the universe started should humble us.
Deborah,
I couldn’t agree with you more. :-)
Thanks for the comment,
John
Does anyone else think that instead of a religious “God” there is just a Creator of the universe and life? Why would God create us, and let us live our entire lives just in order to worship him. And how does the idea of free will exsist if the bible predicts the future?
I simply believe in a higher power…or outside power. Call him what you want…its just the idea of a Religious God seems too silly and made up for me to believe. Religion is Man made…the universe is something different.
I don’t want to offend certain people..believe what you want and just be happy with your life in the present….
We weren’t made just to worship God. He made us for fellowship. He gave us a free will to make up own minds if we wanted to have a relationship with Him. What good would it have done Him to have made puppets without a free will. And just because God knows the future doesn’t mean He causes the future. We as humans can do a fine job on our own of messing up our lives, but it seems when things are all screwed up then we blame God. I also think people don’t want to admit that there’s a God because then they become accountable for their actions.
Ruth,
Conceptually I have a little difficulty with reconciling the fact that God is both omnipotent and omnicient yet allows bad things to be done by people, or happen to people. It seems to me that the concept of free will being the “great equalizer” leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve heard this used to explain why bad things happen to people all of my life and from a variety of religious scholars and I’ve decided that this is a widely quoted yet incorrect interpretation of some biblical passages.
I, for one, would have preferred a life given to me without free will so long as I was always happy, provided for, and safe. Yet if there is a God, he doesn’t grant life in this manner. Instead each of us must toil, worry and suffer until the end of our days. Indeed, the only thing that free will gives man is the opportunity to buy a one way ticket to hell. So I would turn it around and ask what good does free will give mankind, as opposed to everyone being created with a divine set of beliefs and ideals which they would follow blindly?
There would be a lot less suffering and despair, and evil would not exist if God created us without free will. What more could we ask for?
John
Humanity was originally created with free will but without knowledge of good and evil. Morals. That all changed after Eden.
Ruth,
I don’t understand your logic here:
“I also think people don’t want to admit that there’s a God because then they become accountable for their actions.”
Why does one need an invisible, imaginary “man” watching over her in order to be “accountable for their actions”? That is weak. And, you may think people “don’t want to admit that there’s a God,” but how can one “admit” to believing in someone in which you cannot hear, see, smell or communicate with (I know, some have “communications” with god). It defies logic. I cannot tell you to believe in the little green man living under my house and then question your motives because you don’t believe.
I am not surprised that one would have a hard time believing in something that they cannot see, but then again I cannot see gravity, but would feel the consequences if I jump off a building. Spiritual truths are the same, you might not believe, but the consequences are still there. Free will is not a one-way ticket to hell. God is not some big ogre getting a laugh at human suffering. He made a way of escape if we would only choose it. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 1.) Recognize man sinful nature 2.) Penalty for sin is death (Romans 5:12 ” Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”. 3.) Jesus paid the penalty (Romans 5:8 ” But God demonstrated His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” 4.) Accept Christ (Romans 10:9 ” that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. So, you do have a choice. Right this moment you can make a free will choice to reject Christ or accept Him. There would be allot less suffering if man would live according to the Ten Commandments. If mankind could just grasp ten concepts the world would live in peace. And as to the comment about logic, it’s not a matter of logic. It’s a matter of faith, faith in man’s wisdom to solve everything, or faith in God. I personally feel it’s a sad existence to live your whole life void of hope and real peace. I’ve always wondered how people cope with tragedy without God. My uncle died 6 months ago of cancer. He sufferred greatly before he died, yet he had an inner peace through the whole ordeal, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will see my Uncle again someday, and it’s not because of the little green man, it’s because of Christ.
Lets zoom ahead a few years to when I die…
If a religious god exists and I have led a good life by his definition (minus the whole jesus thing ’cause that’s obviously just a way to make money off of ignorant people), and I get the big invite to come on in…do you think I can turn it down?
There is no way I could handle being around all those churchies for an eternity.
Ruth,
I’m sure you know that the gravity reference is a bit of an exaggeration because obviously you actually can see it, measure it, etc. I understand your point that we cannot explain everything, but actually 99% of people will not believe in anything they cannot see, or prove exists. Religion is the only (bar none) concept that humans actively ask one another to believe despite the complete absence of proof or fact. Indeed it is the process of believing despite the absense of fact which is so cherished by the community.
I also respectfully disagree that free will is not a ticket to hell. If God were to have created man as a perfect being, with perfect knowledge and without sin the world would be… well, perfect! We would love one another, take care of one another, and not need 10 Commandments because God’s perfect creation doesn’t require “management”. It is only by the interjection of free will into the soul of man that he becomes imperfect and bad things begin to happen. So, from a Devil’s advocate point of view (no pun intended) if God really created and loves me why didn’t he make me without sin? I would trade free will for heaven any day of the week based on what I’ve heard about heaven.
As far as your point number 4 above, that is a philosophical deficiency from many people’s perspective. What you are saying is that Ghandi is rotting in Hell because he was not a Christian – even though by any other measure of a man he was one of the finest examples to have walked the planet. Also, the Billions of people who literally never heard of Jesus will burn for eternity because they have no way to accept something they’ve never heard of.
Finally, you are correct about life sucking if you don’t believe in God. It is much easier to accept tragedy if one can dismiss it as being “part of a greater plan” as opposed to viewing it as simply a curse of mortality.
John