Do you believe in a higher power?

[Atrea]

Personal accounts and accounts via historians do not count as evidence? I'm surprised since that's a majority of our history books right there. Go figure, I guess you don't believe in history, either.

When they are contradictory and often disproved by real evidence, no they do not.
Historical data is typically reinforced by some sort of hard evidence. For example, the evidence that an army passed from point A to point B, or the introduction of a civilization from nation A to nation B.

Furthermore, historical accuracy is never 100%, and this is accepted.
If some evidence comes along to disprove a once-held belief, then that evidence is taken into consideration, and the 'historical record' is then rewritten.

These are the fundamental differences between historical accuracy and 'believing in the bible'.

[Nørf]

I'm just going to be blunt here by saying: Sucks to be you.

Don't get me wrong, I have a good life. But I think it's realistic to say that it's not worth it going through so much sorrows and pain that you have to go through in order to have a good life, just to fade away from it. Alongside that, our world is slowly dying on us.

[haxartus]

Imagine the following conversation:

- Why do you believe in flying pink unicorns ?
- I read it in a book and everyone who have read it also believes in them.
- But have you seen the flying pink unicorns ?
- No, but the belief in them is what is important.
- Are you telling me that no one has ever seen any evidence ?
- No, no one has seen any evidence that these unicorns exist.
- Then why do you believe in them ?
- It says so in the book and there is no evidence that they don't exist.
- WTF...

[Deleted]

Religion is manmade. Who ever said that there actually were anything at all? You are probably just dreaming in a dream. Its all an Inception!

[Tuvok]

Well, my IQ is 140, which ain't bad.

Reminds me of the IQ thread on MMO-champ we had a while ago, I can't remember the percentages exactly, but out of those who took the test we had about 25% geniuses, 50% gifted people in the thread. Needless to say the figures were absurd. That IQ would make you a genius, and I'll believe that when I see some evidence of it

[Atrea]

like how there's no evidence that dreams are real.

even though in that dream i felt that emotion and i really felt that pain, but it wasn't real because there's no evidence of it. it never happened.

how real does real have to be before it's considered real? like hallucinating off of psychadelics. oh none of this is taking place because it's not real. more like, it just became real.

That can be explained very easily.

Your brain functions differently while dreaming. The pain you feel is psychosomatic, not physical.
Similarly, it functions differently while on psychedelics.

The emotions you felt are chemical responses to stimuli which occurred while dreaming.

It's not all that complicated, and if you had an ounce of drive, you could have Googled this answer.

[Deleted]

Don't get me wrong, I have a good life. But I think it's realistic to say that it's not worth it going through so much sorrows and pain that you have to go through in order to have a good life, just to fade away from it. Alongside that, our world is slowly dying on us.

Sounds like somebody needs a new hobby to pick the life up again.

---------- Post added 2011-06-26 at 11:26 PM ----------

Reminds me of the IQ thread on MMO-champ we had a while ago, I can't remember the percentages exactly, but out of those who took the test we had about 25% geniuses, 50% gifted people in the thread. Needless to say the figures were absurd. That IQ would make you a genius, and I'll believe that when I see some evidence of it

Propably some quickie "IQ" test, wasn't it? And a poll? Hah, nice equalization. Should've taken the real IQ test. =)

[Dacien]

Imagine the following conversation:
[quote[
- Why do you believe in flying pink unicorns ?
- I read it in a book and everyone who have read it also believes in them.
- But have you seen the flying pink unicorns ?
- No, but the belief in them is what is important.
- Are you telling me that no one has ever seen any evidence ?
- No, no one that I know has seen any evidence.
- Then why do you believe in them ?
- It says so in the book and there is no evidence against their existence.
- WTF...

[religious]I don't believe in Heaven or God because of the bible, I believe because of experiences I've had in my life. The love of God is real, and when people die and go to heaven they'll realize God was the best friend they never realized they always had.[/religious]

[Tiglits]

Historical accounts can be cross-referenced, proven, and personal accounts are taken with a grain of salt by anyone with a brain. However, the claims made in our history books are not extraodinary like the account of creation in the bible, and as Carl Sagan said, extraodinary claims require extraodinary evidence.

I'm not saying that the creation story can be referenced or anything, but the events of Jesus Christ that lead to the production of the New Testament can be, and many of them are. (Refer to the list of authors that I wrote before).

When they are contradictory and often disproved by real evidence, no they do not.
Historical data is typically reinforced by some sort of hard evidence. For example, the evidence that an army passed from point A to point B, or the introduction of a civilization from nation A to nation B.

Furthermore, historical accuracy is never 100%, and this is accepted.
If some evidence comes along to disprove a once-held belief, then that evidence is taken into consideration, and the 'historical record' is then rewritten.

These are the fundamental differences between historical accuracy and 'believing in the bible'.

I think you're trying to disprove teachings and ideas in the Bible, and I'm trying to show the actual historical events are true at the least. Yeah, I can't prove that every idea is correct in it or anything, but Jesus did exist, and a lot of what He did has been recounted by a large number of historians in a large number of reasons. I don't think they all lied because even the nonreligious scholars wrote about it with the same accuracy and a large number of similarities. I haven't seen very many "contradictions" that you talk about. If you can find any in the authors that I previously wrote about, sure, I'll give you that, but I haven't found any.

[Prothean]

Please watch this people, and I defy you not to be absolutely appalled by the trash this disgusting man is spouting.
This embodies everything that is wrong with religion. Only they do not understand how evolution works, and so seek to pervert the gathered knowledge of thousands of man kinds most inquisitive minds by claiming this complete rubbish. It is not governed by chance, but by physics, chemistry, and other factually backed fields of science.

[haxartus]

Well, my IQ is 140, which ain't bad.

The ability to solve tests with pictures in them doesn't prevent you from believing in bull$hit. The really smart people have developed various types of intelligence at once.
Also, where did you get that number ? Are you a member of MENSA ?

[Deleted]

Don't get me wrong, I have a good life. But I think it's realistic to say that it's not worth it going through so much sorrows and pain that you have to go through in order to have a good life, just to fade away from it. Alongside that, our world is slowly dying on us.

I find it worth it, probably because I can't imagine not being alive though. Though in the end it sucks we die yes.

[Deleted]

I don't believe there is a higher power, its people themself, good religions, and evil religions
But i believe that after you die you life as your spirit will live in a parralel demension, and you disapear when you natural life is over (if you die unnatural or too soon)

[Deleted]

you die, your brains stop working, you slowly rot away while being eaten by vermin, or you get incinerated and spread somewhere of choice to ease your mind (or your beloved) whilest you are still alive

religion was created for scared and weak people

[Baobot]

Except of course her mother... and ehem her mother before that... wait, what?

My favorite part about this post is the people answering not in an opinion, but in a factual way.
"No, death is the end." "Nope, after death that is all."
Thank you all. Before reading your posts I wasn't sure that any other person on earth knew the answer.
For christ's sake - all I had to do this whole time was ask some wow players, because they know - oh they DEFINITLY KNOW.

I have heard it all - and the only thing I ever heard that struck a cord as possible to me was:
"Remember where you were before you were conceived? Yea? Cause that's where you'll be after you die."

What do you expect? We're asked what we think, is there a higher power? Some will be vague, religious ppl and atheists will usually be factual according to what they perceive as the thruth. It's how asking a question and getting an answer works. I belive religion is bullshit (George Carlin was great) of the highest degree, so I'll state as many others, that yea death is final, you die and there's nada, end of story. Because I believe that as much as I believe 2+2=4 and that I need air to breathe. My late grandmother, believed in christianity and heaven and hell, yet still in her last years seemed to doubt it more and more. Why? Because everyone doubts stuff there's no proof of, especially when there's so much to show that there is no higher power or if there is that power just stopped giving a shit.

Anyway our beliefs are factual to us if we really believe. If you just think there might be a god, well then you don't actually believe it, you just kinda hope there is, coz you're afraid to die.

[msdos]

That can be explained very easily.

Your brain functions differently while dreaming. The pain you feel is psychosomatic, not physical.
Similarly, it functions differently while on psychedelics.

The emotions you felt are chemical responses to stimuli which occurred while dreaming.

It's not all that complicated, and if you had an ounce of drive, you could have Googled this answer.

why so condescending?

thanks for googling it for me.

[Iron Dome]

Religion is stricly forbidden here i believe.

[Deleted]

There might be, though not really like the writings suggest, at least I don't think so.

[isadorr]

Please watch this people, and I defy you not to be absolutely appalled by the trash this disgusting man is spouting.
This embodies everything that is wrong with religion. Only they do not understand how evolution works, and so seek to pervert the gathered knowledge of thousands of man kinds most inquisitive minds by claiming this complete rubbish. It is not governed by chance, but by physics, chemistry, and other factually backed fields of science.

Those kids right there remind of the childhoods im sure alot of people with blind faith had and are probably putting their children through. No common sense,no logic,no science to look at a theory logically.

[Dacien]

The ability to solve tests with pictures in them doesn't prevent you from believing in bul$hit.

Well my "bullshit" has very little negative impact on you or anyone else. I don't proselytize, and a lot of my beliefs are contrary to most Christian beliefs. What most people may or may not realize is that in God's eyes, we're all victims. Just look around you. You were born into a dark and evil world. You go through pain throughout your entire life. And what was your great sin to deserve it all? Being born.