Are you religious?

Not to spark a holy war or anything, but religion's an interesting topic we haven't really touched upon.

Do you believe in a higher power? A creator God? Do you think evolution is a myth?

Personally I've believed in a higher power/creator for some time intermittently, as I sometimes think life is too immense and incredibly complex to completely have evolved (I'm an ardent follower of evolution, nonetheless). Equally whilst not religious, I can see how it bonds society together and is an integral part of our world, so I'm all for it (except extremists).

Something started everything, and to be honest, even if it was just a massive explosion ... who lit the match? Then, who made that match? And who made who made that thing that made the match!?

... Who made God?

Anyways, if there is something out there ... let's hope it has a sense of humor

God seems like a silly idea to me. Knowing where the universe came from would be nice, but a) it's too important a subject to be making up stories about and b) it's too big a subject to tackle what with all the day to day living I've got to do. I'm perfectly satisfied saying "I don't know."

In my view it's kind of egotistical to even think you can know. Leave the conjecturing and wondering to the younger generation (as I conjectured and wondered when I was young). To ironically quote from Corinthians: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Do you believe in a higher power?

No

A creator God?

A guy that created everything from nothing and fludded us (according to Bible) for our sins, and then he is pretty abscent? Either he dont exist or he is an Asshole

Do you think evolution is a myth?

Not in the inheriting better genes from parents to make a better specie its always 50/50 so its random equal ammount of genes.

To simply Put it i dont think Adaptation is real.

Natural Selection yes.

Too sum it up Religion is to control people and make them obedient to rules, and to be not afraid of death (after life or new life).

I would have to say it would be pretty arrogant to think that we are the height of the universe, and that there is definately nothing out there that is superior.

Whether or not there is a God, or a creator, I can't say for certain, though I tend to think that there is... that is my personal belief... though from a logical and scientific standpoint it is quite easy to argue otherwise.

Religion is one of those things that tends to be quite personal, and each person is each-to-his-own.

i'm born catholic but non religious by choice.

i find religion has it's good sides and it's bad sides; the morals religion are worth following but not blindly and not to be construed. i hate religious fanatics ... especially thick headed ones ...

i'm open to the idea of a higher power and of god but it's not something i pursue.

it's too great for me (speaking for myself and not others) to comprehend but i can't deny the possibility and maybe even probability.

i believe in evolution and adaptation but whether or not it's the point of creation, i don't know.

i sound very much like i'm sitting on the fence but that's because i have other interests that i pursue and being the kind of person who lives for the moment, other things ring as more important such as the life i currently live.

When I say creator God, I simply meant a higher power involved in creation of life, not a God who floods the world .

God seems like a silly idea to me. Knowing where the universe came from would be nice, but a) it's too important a subject to be making up stories about and b) it's too big a subject to tackle what with all the day to day living I've got to do. I'm perfectly satisfied saying "I don't know."

I have to agree with this really, though I sometimes speculate randomly about the origins of the universe..

I used to be atheist and I used to get into these heavy anti-religion topics with this Christian guy at work. Eventually I decided to give the Bible a chance (I mean, for as much crap I talked about it, I knew nothing about it).

It was weird though, with an open mind and just accepting what I was reading in Genesis (the first book of the Bible) it may have seemed "illogical" or "silly" but then I started questioning the world's explanation for life...primordial soup. The Big Bang...

This guy once said "If you came into my dinning room and I had a beautiful dinner prepared for you, you wouldn't assume it came from an explosion would you?" lol

So I learned about Jesus and what the truth is about all of this "religious stuff" and learned that what the media and world perceive about Christianity and what is really is are two separate things. The truth is it's not this wacko "Praise Jesus!" stuff and the devil isn't a red guy in the center of the earth. And to clear this up: Religion and Christianity are two totally separate things. Religion is man's tradition and Christianity is accepting Jesus Christ's death as payment for your sinful life to have eternal life in the new Heaven. (and it's not some silly cloud city! lol)

The exciting thing is however that the last book of the Bible, Revelations, makes many predictions about the "end times". And take a wild guess...these predictions are coming true now! Widespread knowledge that suddenly increases, a worldwide power that all nations give authority to (I'lll hold back on revealing this one for the moment) and a nation that rises from nowhere to sudden power:

"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon." Rev. 13:11

That's highly symbolic language, but in short a beast represents a kingdom, the earth in this case represents a sparsely unpopulated land (other beasts rose from the water, which represented masses of people) and the lamb/dragon thing means that it carries an innocent look but will soon act and a devil (the dragon is another name for Satan.) Hmm...sounds like any young nation that is a worldwide power now?

So the Bible is a very interesting book, but so much more. I am not writing this trying to change any opinions, but I wish that each of you at least open your hearts up and question why you believe in what you believe. There's a TON of stuff that happened that the Bible predicted thousands of years before it did and stuff going on now and stuff to come that Revelation speaks about.

Feel free to contact me with questions or hate mail.

Peace!

Do you believe in a higher power? A creator God? Do you think evolution is a myth?

Im a Christian, and yes, I do believe in God.

I am not so sure the world was made exactly as Genesis describes, because it wouldnt be the first time something in the Bible was written like a story or in a way we would understand easier (like how Jesus taught parables/stories instead of laying out thousands of rules).

Eg: When God made light, that could have been the Big Bang. Then God made us from dust which could be interpreted as particles/microscopic life forms that evolved into us. Although some people argue that the world is much older than the Bible describes, I believe that a "day" in Gods terms could be any length of time since God exists outside of time and could have only used the "number of days" to teach the idea of working 6 days a week and resting on the 7th day.

And, thats basically what I believe on those points. I don't read enough of the Bible to say that this is the right way to interpret it but this is how I think the creation and evolution of man could have been.

It is impossible to prove the existance or nonexistance of God, so we will have people arguing in circles for all time!

I also believe in evolution. Not only did Darwin get it right, he nailed it on the head, without even being aware that DNA existed. Genetics may not have proved the theory yet, but there's such a mountain of evidence to support it that you really have to be blind to dismiss it.

So let's ask science and genetics in one hand, and ask God in the other, and see which fills up faster.

It also seems strange to me that, historically speaking, as power moves away from the Church and into the hands of the populace, the Church has begrudgingly redacted or revised it's views and tagged along behind science in an effort to seem relevant. Just a few years ago no Christian would even entertain the idea that evolution exists, and now most of them say "well, yes... but God started it." A few years before that no Christian would entertain the idea that the earth was more than, what, 6000 years old? As in literally 6000 years old, not figuratively. Now a good number also agree with the evidence that science has set before them.

And let us not forget the time that Galileo was imprisoned for (rightly) defending Copernican theory. The Church dictated that the earth was the center of the universe. This fact was so ingrained in the Church's ideology that they imprisoned a man for suggesting it might be wrong. And not just suggesting... but offering evidence. Now there isn't a Christian alive who believes that the earth is the center of the universe (except maybe a few wackos).

So how can Church doctrine be so absolutely true and yet so absolutely mutable? That fact alone, in my mind, undermines any remaining validity in what religion has to offer people.

Just my two cents, hope this thread doesn't go up in flames.

who lit the match? [...] who made that match?

Oh, so that's what they mean by "a match made in heaven"

I'm a materialist or atheist, take your pick. There are no gods; it's just that there are areas of cause-and-effect we don't understand, and some of it we may never work out. I'm fine with not understanding everything, and I think it's unhelpful to "explain" the dark areas by claiming there's a really really big person who did it and then hid behind a tree.

lol no worries deadeye

we're all friendly peoples here, no arguments!

So let's ask science and genetics in one hand, and ask God in the other, and see which fills up faster.

Well in Bible everythings is simple, God created everything in 6 days on 7th day he rested and gave humans this day for them to rest too.

Also there is a funny thing about bible

Genesis (New International Version)
13 And there was evening, and there was morning�the third day. 

16 God made two great lights�the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

19 And there was evening, and there was morning�the fourth day. [/code:1wwitnzx]
Ok he crated Stars and other planets in one day but created Earth in 6 days?
What a ripoff he was slacking off

It is impossible to prove the existance or nonexistance of God, so we will have people arguing in circles for all time!

Which is where faith comes in.

Do we care to acknowledge the amazing things around us, or the amazing things happening within us?

I also believe in evolution. Not only did Darwin get it right, he nailed it on the head, without even being aware that DNA existed. Genetics may not have proved the theory yet, but there's such a mountain of evidence to support it that you really have to be blind to dismiss it.

So let's ask science and genetics in one hand, and ask God in the other, and see which fills up faster.

It also seems strange to me that, historically speaking, as power moves away from the Church and into the hands of the populace, the Church has begrudgingly redacted or revised it's views and tagged along behind science in an effort to seem relevant. Just a few years ago no Christian would even entertain the idea that evolution exists, and now most of them say "well, yes... but God started it." A few years before that no Christian would entertain the idea that the earth was more than, what, 6000 years old? As in literally 6000 years old, not figuratively. Now a good number also agree with the evidence that science has set before them.

And let us not forget the time that Galileo was imprisoned for (rightly) defending Copernican theory. The Church dictated that the earth was the center of the universe. This fact was so ingrained in the Church's ideology that they imprisoned a man for suggesting it might be wrong. And not just suggesting... but offering evidence. Now there isn't a Christian alive who believes that the earth is the center of the universe (except maybe a few wackos).

So how can Church doctrine be so absolutely true and yet so absolutely mutable? That fact alone, in my mind, undermines any remaining validity in what religion has to offer people.

Just my two cents, hope this thread doesn't go up in flames.

I can see what you're saying about the church, yes it has made stupid claims and done many stupid things in the name of God, however some Churches are getting back to the truth written in the Bible and realising what it really means to be Christian. (and no I don't mean what the media portrays of the bible and church).