Can God make mistakes? How many 'likes' will it take for him to back down?

[Angilion]

I think it's highly probable, given the size of the Universe and billions of planets within it, that there is lots of other life out there and yes some of it is likely to be more advanced, technologically, than us. I don't have faith in this belief, it's simply conjecture based on probability from things like the Drake Equation and the fact that life evolved here on our planet, so logically, it may happen elsewhere in the Universe too.

The Drake equation is essentially meaningless and was never intended as anything other than a means of starting a discussion on the subject. In order to use the equation to get a result with any degree of accuracy, you would have to know the result to about the same degree of accuracy.

Right now, it's about as useful and relevant as this equation:

z = a + b + d + something probably about 75 + f + p

All we really know at the moment is this:

The chance of intelligent life existing is not zero.
The universe is very large indeed.

I wouldn't say that it's highly probable that there is lots of life out there or that if there is then some of those people are significantly more advanced than us because we just don't know enough. Maybe it's so freakishly unlikely that at the moment there's only us. Maybe it's common and there are billions of species of people in the universe today and many of them are far more intelligent than us and have far more advanced technology.

 

[Angilion]

I thought men who liked bumfun weren't heaven goers

Depends on how you interpret the relevant verses (assuming you interpret them as being relevant, obviously). You can fit them into quite a few different meanings if you want to.

Or, of course, you just make up a new religion with your own requirements for entry into heaven and go with that one instead.

 

[FoxEye]

You're missing a possibility that a theist shies away from so strongly that they feel that they must make up anything to avoid it. The inability to acknowledge this possibility is what I think is the most likely explanation for the existence of religion.

You can say "I don't know".

There is an areligious explanation for how matter/energy always existed - time is a part of the universe and not something separate from it.

Is that the true explanation? I don't know. I don't feel a need to make something up so I can avoid acknowledging that I don't know everything.

The point was this: atheists might say "Where did God come from?" as tho this disproves creation, and at the same time, proves evolution.

Why is the question "Where did matter/energy come from?" so often brushed aside, as irrelevant?
"Matter/energy exists, where it came from is not so important."

But theists are not allowed to treat the origin of God so lightly.

 

[tbyeah]

No-one says "where did god come from" for that purpose.

Matter and energy we know to exist. God we don't.

 

[Sliver]

Matter and energy we know to exist. God we don't.

I can prove god with this image below. As evidence goes, it's as good as anything I've ever seen. This man can actually talk to god. Yes that's right. He talks to the Lord. Eat that atheist infidels !!!!!

 

[FoxEye]

No-one says "where did god come from" for that purpose.

Matter and energy we know to exist. God we don't.

So not knowing the origin of something is clearly not a barrier to that something existing.

Ergo asking people "Where did God come from?/ Who created God?" is of no significance. It doesn't matter.

Just like knowing how matter came to exist doesn't matter.

Essentially your biggest problem is that you can't observe God. You second biggest problem is not understanding why he doesn't manifest himself.

Neither of those disprove that he is.

 

[Sliver]

Do you believe in god Foxeye ?

 

[tbyeah]

So not knowing the origin of something is clearly not a barrier to that something existing.

Ergo asking people "Where did God come from?/ Who created God?" is of no significance. It doesn't matter.

Just like knowing how matter came to exist doesn't matter.

Essentially your biggest problem is that you can't observe God. You second biggest problem is not understanding why he doesn't manifest himself.

Neither of those disprove that he is.

Neither of them disproves him completely, but without evidence, the idea can be dismissed until some is presented.

 

[FoxEye]

Do you believe in god Foxeye ?

Yes.

 

[Sliver]

Yes.

Ok. Why ? Have you had a personal revelation ? Or do you believe because some of your fellow mammals told you that he existed and that you should have faith in him ? Or do you believe because you have read the bible from start to finish and then decided that it seemed reasonable to believe what was written in it's pages ? Or is there some other reason/s for your belief.

Just curious is all.

 

[Threepwood]

There is probably a quantum probability that everything/god/belief is correct.

There is probably a quantum probability that everything/god/belief is correct at the same time too.

And it is turtles all the way down from there.

 

[FoxEye]

Ok. Why ? Have you had a personal revelation ? Or do you believe because some of your fellow mammals told you that he existed and that you should have faith in him ? Or do you believe because you have read the bible from start to finish and then decided that it seemed reasonable to believe what was written in it's pages ? Or is there some other reason/s for your belief.

Just curious is all.

I find the alternative to be completely inconceivable. Plus I've never seen any compelling evidence for evolution.

You could turn the question on its head and apply everything you've asked to why you believe in evolution? Did you start believing in evolution before you were introduced to the theory at school or by your peers/parents? Unlikely.

Which means no matter what we believe we've been influenced by others who held those beliefs before we did.

 

[Sliver]

I find the alternative to be completely inconceivable. Plus I've never seen any compelling evidence for evolution.

Thanks. That's all I wanted to know.

 

[Twirlywoos]

Worst thread ever. Typical conclusion from your average DM reader.

 

[Threepwood]

Worst thread ever. Typical conclusion from your average DM reader.

 

[RDM]

You could turn the question on its head and apply everything you've asked to why you believe in evolution?

Because of the overwhelming scientific evidence in support of it?

 

[Columbo]

I find the alternative to be completely inconceivable. Plus I've never seen any compelling evidence for evolution.

You could turn the question on its head and apply everything you've asked to why you believe in evolution?

Apart from existence of a massive library of physical evidence to show evolution happening. Just visit any museum showing anything to do with natural history, its all right there in front of your eyes.

The alternative is that God created man as in the bible, but yet that book somehow fails to mention that 240 million years prior to that he created Dinosaurs let them roam the planet for a small 180 million years then wiped them out. I guess he considered them a 180 million year old mistake or he got bored.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

I find the alternative to be completely inconceivable. Plus I've never seen any compelling evidence for evolution.

You could turn the question on its head and apply everything you've asked to why you believe in evolution? Did you start believing in evolution before you were introduced to the theory at school or by your peers/parents? Unlikely.

Which means no matter what we believe we've been influenced by others who held those beliefs before we did.

I learnt about evolution at school, and was able to observe it by looking at parts of the fossil record. Further to that, as I child I thought that animals had probably adapted somehow to suit their environment, but didn't really know how to put that into words or how to find the evidence for it. So, I didn't just start believing in evolution myself; I went through a process of thinking about how we manage to live on this earth, yet be so different from most other species (I love apes too, they're ****ing brilliant), and then was educated properly on evolution.

 

[=XDC=FluphyBunny]

I find the alternative to be completely inconceivable. Plus I've never seen any compelling evidence for evolution.

And here we are. You don't believe in evolution despite the evidence. You do believe in a god where there is no evidence.

People believe in god as its a safety net. This (life) can't be everything. There must be more ect. A god provides a counter balance to this and allows such people to live their lives.

I would add I have no issue with peoples choice in wanting to believe but the arguments for those beliefs do become very monotonous as it come down to 'I believe' and nothing more. Clearly there is no actual debating with those who choose to believe.

 

[Destination]

When will he stop being stubborn and fix these wrongs?

If our entire universe is some trans-extra-dimensional entity version of a fish tank, or a science experiment, then what makes you think he cares or feels the individuals effects, more so monitors watches, as he can, fascinated (perhaps) by the next act of depravity we manage, where other seeded worlds might have completely different outcomes.

There is no 'wrong' when watching an experiment.