Does a God of ANY KIND exist?

[Tarvos]

I'd like to draw people's attention to a criticism I face often: that my empirical basis of morality is not good enough (ergo that morality must come from God), and that God accounts for reason and phenomena such as inductive reasoning.

There is the problem of induction, which David Hume wrote about, and that we cannot actually use inductive reasoning (viz. Eevee's example about the sun rising in the East every day) and therefore cannot take Eevee's statement to be true (the one where he stated the sun will rise and I treat this as true etc. etc.)

Any thoughts?

 

[Dannichu]

(forgive me if I'm responding to something completely unrelated; this is just what I remember Hume talking about)

Eh. People's senses can lie to them; people see or hear things that aren't really there all the time. If a blind person relied solely on their eyes, they'd have to believe that things like colour or light didn't exist. All we can know about anything is through our (and other's) sensory perceptions, which we also know can be faulty.

I guess the best approach to use is the same one that most people use for evolution when explaining what "theory" really means; accept it as true unless something earth-shattering somes along and proves it wrong, and then use the new evidence to make a new theory. And the odds of this happening are so miniscule that there's not a lot of reason to dwell on it.

 

[J.T.]

I'd like to draw people's attention to a criticism I face often: that my empirical basis of morality is not good enough (ergo that morality must come from God), and that God accounts for reason and phenomena such as inductive reasoning.

If I'm following you right, then I'd have to say atheists are actually more moral than religious people. Think about it. Many (I won't say all) religious people do these good things because they fear retribution from (a) god(s). Atheists do good things because they're good things.

Although your point might have gone over my head. >>;;

 

[Tarvos]

point went way over your head

the logic atheists use has to be founded on something. it cannot be founded inductively thanks to Hume, who pointed that out. therefore, the transcendental argument for the existence of god argues that morality must therefore come from God as God is the only way to explain logic.

the transcendental argument is bollocks however as dissected by Michael Martin (read www.infidels.org for more)

 

[Autumn]

random post with no relevance to the current topic being discussed: I just found this and it makes me sad :[

 

[Otacon]

Well... some sort of Creator Deity exists. I think. Of course, we will never know until after this life. But then we might just get reincarnated. Crap.

 

[Felidire]

I really don't have the time or the patience to read through 25 pages of posts, but figured i'd state my opinion anyways.

I don't think there is a god of any kind, no higher power, no diety, nothing.. I'm something of an extreme naturalist, and I believe that the universe has always existed as so.

The universe is, (for the most part), just hard vacuum, empty space, no atmosphere. Just because there are some things we can't explain which predate and elude us, doesn't mean that a "god" of some kind is responsible. (it seriously makes me laugh, how humans need to have an "answer" for everything.. even if it's completely and totally beyond them.)

I don't think there was a beginning.

Space = empty,
Empty = nothing,
Nothing = how it supposedly "began"

'kay, so it "began" empty, SO the Universe has always existed.
No lolheavenly interventions. <3

I'm positive there's some logical explanation as to how matter was formed. Once matter is formed, it's rather self-explanatory that it would react with other formed matter, and that's a good bet as to how "Life" began.

I believe that anything and everything can be quantified.
----

Anyway that's just my extremely long and boring opinion, if you guys believe otherwise, that's fine and entirely up to yous.

Btw: Nice bump. ,,xD

random post with no relevance to the current topic being discussed: I just found this and it makes me sad :[

"Page not found"

=<

 

[Dannichu]

I believe that anything and everything can be quantified.

What about human love? ;~;

 

[Zeph]

I'm positive there's some logical explanation as to how matter was formed.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, there is: Relativity. Energy becomes matter under certain conditions.

 

[Zhorken]

What about human love? ;~;

Agreeing with this. There are still tons of conceptual things that have no form that can really be quantified past fuzzy things like "this feeling is strong". Yeah, I'll sometimes say something like "I have quite a big hunch", but there's no concrete way to measure it.

EDIT: Although fuzzy, qualitative observations like these about thoughts etc can be useful in studying how people act and interact. I guess if Felidire's using a less strict definition of "quantify" than I am that covers this, then, yeah, I'll agree with him here; I'll disagree with his definition of "quantify" instead.

 

[Felidire]

There are still tons of conceptual things that have no form that can really be quantified past fuzzy things like "this feeling is strong". Yeah, I'll sometimes say something like "I have quite a big hunch", but there's no concrete way to measure it.

I don't know if you meant to say "can", or can't", but yeah.. When it boils right down to it, that "strong feeling" is essencially just a state of mind, purely on an electrochemical level, and easily within measurable parameters.

So i'll agree, or i'll disagree with what you were meant to write~ ,xD

What about human love? ;~;

Sadly, I just think of love as a set of chemical impulses in the brain. I'm also one of the most loving people I know, which I can't seem to understand why, given my said belief.

It is pretty clear that some people "love" more than others though.. I believe love and emotions are based purely on brain chemistly, (influenced by upbringing), which is something that's measurable.

When it comes to love, I personally try not to understand it. ,x3

Unless I'm very much mistaken, there is: Relativity. Energy becomes matter under certain conditions.

Lol, you obviously paid more attention in school than I did. ,,xD
Actually we just had crappy teachers~ </3

Space is loaded with radiation though, so I suppose it makes sense.. as far as my extremely limited understanding of gamma radiation goes. ><;;

 

[Zhorken]

I meant to say "can", but you're parsing it wrong; they have no concrete form that can be quantified.

Okay, yeah, everything about the brain can probably be measured in some way; I was talking about the abstract concept of what-we're-feeling but sure I guess

 

[VelvetEspeon]

I think so. All I can say. I go by both science and religion, too.

 

[Harlequin]

Is this really still being argued? We've established that the idea is a highly improbably one by using a combination of sarcastic humour, logic and science so can we please stop? :(

 

[Tarvos]

it will be until the bomb drops and all fundie religionistas die

 

[TANMAC43]

I do believe there is a God because the Universe is way too designed, it coudn't have just popped up like that. But I would rather live my life for God and die finding out there isn't one when I die than not living life for God and finding out there is a God when I die.

 

[Teh Ebil Snorlax]

You'd rather live your life in blind servitude and then spend the rest of eternity, you know, not existing, than spend your life how you want to and then dwell in eternal paradise?

 

[Vladimir Putin's LJ]

Heaven sounds boring as shit.

 

[GameFreakerZero]

I do believe there is a God because the Universe is way too designed,

Could you elaborate? That's an awfully vague statement and I don't really see any 'design' in the universe myself, other than human design of course.

it coudn't have just popped up like that.

Why not? And if so, where did God come from?

But I would rather live my life for God and die finding out there isn't one when I die than not living life for God and finding out there is a God when I die.

Surely it is better to live freely your definite life of now than to gamble it in indoctrination for a possible afterlife?

 

[voltianqueen]

Talk of the existence of deities, heaven, and the like actually scares me more than making me feel secure -_-;