The One Thing We Can (Should) All Agree On

[Da Skinna]

We simply cannot know if there's a God or not.

Why not? Who can say they know for sure? Who's got the damn balls to say they know for absolute that there is an Almighty Being or there's nothing at all?

We see these people that say they know, but honestly, we should not dispute their beliefs as they do have the right to believe what they want, and no one has the right to force their own beliefs on them, even if they honestly seriously 110% think they are right.

But again? Who with the narcissistic complex can say they know for sure what's right? Everything is relative but maybe the one relative we should all agree is the middle ground: we don't know. I don't know. You for damn sure don't know. The Pope doesn't know, any Ayatollah doesn't know. But we should know is that we can have as much faith as we want, it is our choice.

Faith is the only choice in the matter or religion, in my humble opinion, but some sense of humility as well, which I think all religions teach anyways, so let's not put faith into material things, just the things we don't know. God. Do we know him? No, but we can ---faith.

All there is to it. God, I just solved the world's problem. My only request is that anyone reading this can agree with me, that simply if we were meant (assuming we have faith in a god) to know our God we can do so on our own time without trumpeting to the world.

Sorry for the mayhaps disorganization of this, but seriously, sneck up people.

[MaximiIian]

You do have a good point. Logically, we cannot ever know until we die.
Unfortunately, however, humans are very vain, stupid animals. We often defy logic with our actions.

[mrjesushat]

I think you're totally right. But then again, who knows?

You are, at the very least, totally reasonable. I think you will be a very lonely person, since reasonable people are in short supply these days.

Of course, we can all take solace in the fact that, on a long enough timescale, all of the unreasonable people will eventually die off. This is because, even if they raise unreasonable children, we can trust the mechanisms of the cosmos to eliminate those beings not fit for existence.

I think I just implied that the cosmos is orchestrated according to reason. That might imply the existence of a God.

Or maybe it just means that you will soon find a post on this thread urging you to come to Christ. But not my Christ. My Christ has a Winchester, and he's very, very proud of it. "God, guns and gays," He always says. I have no idea what he means by saying it, but it sure does sound good.

Hooray for boobies.



I pooped a hammer.

[Da Skinna]

Are we so illogical we cannot agree on one of the most fundamental teaching of God? We cannot know Him. Let alone debate existence?

[4p3x]

I consider myself an agnostic.

[MaximiIian]

Are we so illogical we cannot agree on one of the most fundamental teaching of God? We cannot know Him. Let alone debate existence?

Obviously, we are, considering how many people debate the existence of god.

And why are you capitilizing a pronoun? Pronouns aren't capitilized unless they're at the beginning of a sentence.

[Da Skinna]

And why are you capitilizing a pronoun? Pronouns aren't capitilized unless they're at the beginning of a sentence.

Because I have belief in a God. :wink:

[mrjesushat]

Because I have belief in a God. :wink:

Congratulations. Now, tell me why it is necessary in God's eyes for you to:

1.) Consider God male.
2.) Capitalize pronouns refering to God.

The only reason why I ask this of you is, doesn't God have other stuff to worry about? I'd think that with the vast and incomprehensible size of Creation, God would be a little busy with important stuff. I can't imagine a Cosmic creator being all that concerned with grammar.

Then again, I'm widely regarded as silly, so maybe my viewpoint doesn't matter. But even if I am silly, at least I'm sexy.

[Simetrical]

Now, tell me why it is necessary in God's eyes for you to:

1.) Consider God male.

Hebrew is a gendered language with no neuter. God had to be either male or female, in general; some nouns can be either (such as אש esh "fire"), but those are few. In any case, when the Bible was translated into Greek and Latin, the translators decided to stick with the masculine instead of switching to those languages' neuter (possibly because words such as divus and θεός don't have common neuter forms — Greek and Roman gods had clearly identifiable sexes).

Those were then translated into many other languages, invariably preserving the gender choices of the original translators, and influencing the language used to talk about God sufficiently that the standard pronouns used in English are the masculine ones. It seems likely that there's an element of patriarchality in it as well, but largely it's an accident of history, either way.

(Some Hebrew texts do refer to God in the feminine at times, interestingly, but I'm not sure how early that is. It may only date to the medieval period.)

In any case, it's still grammatically incorrect.

Historically, it's been common (although not universal) practice in English that any noun or pronoun referring to God is capitalized. By now, of course, it's fallen out of favor among atheists and agnostics, but many theists continue the practice, as do some publications (obviously many religion-affiliated ones, but also others like The Onion).

I don't know how old the convention is; the King James Bible (1611) doesn't use it, and nor does the Darby Bible (1890), but Young's Literal Translation (1862) does. Regardless, it's certainly well established.

I don't go around saying "Me" instead of "me".

But you do say I instead of i. :wink:

[Blaven]

(Some Hebrew texts do refer to God in the feminine at times, interestingly, but I'm not sure how early that is. It may only date to the medieval period.)

I think those are only in relation to a handful of Psalms, when God is compared to a nurturing mother.

[MaximiIian]

Because I have belief in a God.

Doesn't that go against what you just said, that we can never know if god exists until we are dead?
In any case, it's still grammatically incorrect. I don't go around saying "Me" instead of "me".

[therussian]

Doesn't that go against what you just said, that we can never know if god exists until we are dead?
In any case, it's still grammatically incorrect. I don't go around saying "Me" instead of "me".

There is a huge difference between believing in God, and knowing that He exists. :wink:

[MaximiIian]

There is a huge difference between believing in God, and knowing that He exists. :wink:

However, "he" doesn't. Thus, he's making a grammatical ****-up.

[Shaun]

There is a huge difference between believing in God, and knowing that He exists. :wink:

How so?
Believing in god is to accept that he exists, so you know that he exists. Knowing that god does not exist is alos to not believe in god, and not believing on god is to know that he dosent exist, so the classical agnostic label of not beliving in a god but knowing that one exists is wrong by definition and a logical fallacy.

It's impossible to either prove or disprove the existence of some form of deity.

Correct, however, it is also impossible to prove or disprove any event untill it happens, you can never be sure 100%, so thats why it just has to be proved beyond reasonalbe doubt, there are no absolute facts in reality, science dosent know everything and neither does the religious side. But God can be disproved beyond reasonable doubt if you follow the science side of things, and the science side sounds more logical and rational than the other, and tends to be right when its a head to head situation, so thats why I go with the science side of things and am an atheist.

But I also believe that trying to disprove a god is pointless and futile. People will alyways have faith, no matter what, and the existence or non existence of a god currently does not affect out daily lives.

Instead people should concentrate on how they can improve thier religion, eg by helping the poor and such. This would serve a far better purpose than squabling over wether a god does or dosent exist, or whos god is the best, and infact the right one, and what book is right, and how to follow your god correctly. All of these things are a vice for religion.

If religion was to stop its petty squables and focus on more important issues, then I would have far more respect for religion(s), and there are religios people like this. Sadly, not enough.

I am God. You are God. We are God.

Yes, the 'Divus' badge means that you are a god on TWC, I, however only have the civitate badge, so am not really a god.

But, I think I get what you mean, well I hope.
we are all our own gods. This is true. We have the power to change our and others lives, for better or worse, making us sorta all gods, god is most likely just something that people believe in the effort to improve themseleves, he/it exists in your mind if he exists at all.

[Sher Khan]

Sadly, yes we are. Many religions will tell you that the only way to know God is through their religion. In a strange way, it's one of the things that makes us special from a random animal - we can do things like that, lol.

[Da Skinna]

I was raised a Christian, and my use of His name and how I spell and pronunciate it is my choice, out of respect. I look for the good things in religion and use them as my own, instead of letting myself become disenchanted with the world and people's false use of religion for their own purposes. Also why I don't get mad at the religion but the people behind it that are using it as a tool.

I never said we can only know if God exists until we die, that also assumes there is an after-life. I don't avoid the question, I just respond that I don't know. Most humble, and the most true response we can give.

[DarkKnight]

Does it really matter whether the g is capitalized or not?

[shenmueguru]

Does it really matter whether the g is capitalized or not?

I see it as a sign of respect. He deserves everything, down to a capital letter, at the very least.

Grammatically, I don't know.

[Salvantis]

However, "he" doesn't.

How do you know that g(G)od doesnt exist :hmmm: ?

[MaximiIian]

How do you know that g(G)od doesnt exist :hmmm: ?

Because I say so, and I can say whatever I want.