[ATMD]

Nice

We have a great number of anecdotal evidences for God from all cultures around the world and throughout mankind's recorded history, something that Richard Dawkins dismisses entirely. I am not so quick to dismiss them as he does.

"Either we can observe it or it does not exist." Does this sound scientific? I am not saying that we should believe there is God, but I am saying that there is a possibility for God.

[jimbobghost]

" I am not saying that we should believe there is God, but I am saying that there is a possibility for God."

i would not dispute that, anymore than i would dispute the possible existance of the Devil, Angels or other world aliens living among us.

unless "possibility" is ruled out, anything left is possible. however "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof".

[ATMD]

" I am not saying that we should believe there is God, but I am saying that there is a possibility for God."

i would not dispute that, anymore than i would dispute the possible existance of the Devil, Angels or other world aliens living among us.

unless "possibility" is ruled out, anything left is possible. however "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof".

You are absolutely right.

[Bored chemist]

We have a great number of anecdotal evidences for God from all cultures around the world

Really?
Like what?
(Please note "there is stuff I don't understand" is not evidence of God)

[ATMD]

A lot of miracles that happen are stuff that we understand completely if we were to allow for the possibility of God's existence. If we were not to allow for the possibility of God, these miracles are impossible.

It is possible that God's nature is a personal relationship. Why do we suppose that God wants to advertise and appear on Youtube? If our relationship with God is a personal, private relationship, asking God to prove Himself publicly would counter the very idea of that. According to theology, it is our life's journey to seek God. There is no seeking if there is no hiding. God hides from us, we have to seek.

Knowledge of this world is what we seek, because when we know, there is no need to believe. The more knowledge we have of the nature of this world, the less we need to believe anything, we would simply know. We as scientists choose to take the path of science towards knowledge. It is a good path. Some go through the religious path, it leads to the same place. Truth is absolute, there is no false dichotomy. Either something is true or it is not.

[guest39538]

A lot of miracles that happen are stuff that we understand completely if we were to allow for the possibility of God's existence. If we were not to allow for the possibility of God, these miracles are impossible.

It is possible that God's nature is a personal relationship. Why do we suppose that God wants to advertise and appear on Youtube? If our relationship with God is a personal, private relationship, asking God to prove Himself publicly would counter the very idea of that. According to theology, it is our life's journey to seek God. There is no seeking if there is no hiding. God hides from us, we have to seek.

Knowledge of this world is what we seek, because when we know, there is no need to believe. The more knowledge we have of the nature of this world, the less we need to believe anything, we would simply know. We as scientists choose to take the path of science towards knowledge. It is a good path. Some go through the religious path, it leads to the same place. Truth is absolute, there is no false dichotomy. Either something is true or it is not.

If  there  was  a  God  , God  would occupy  infinite space  and be finite , so  what is beyond  God?  More space  thats what .

God is  a  concept  for  mediocre minds  living  in a  bubble ,  literally  speaking  the scientist  who  looks down  at  you  who  you  look  up  too ,   is looking up  and  asking  what  is  God ?  Well ,  God  ,  is coming  for  this  scientist  too ,  to  create  such a  evil  chit world  like this  is  mediocre minded  and  God is not at all  happy .   They think they are  God , they haven't even met God yet who is coming for them.  They think they all big and hard and all that , the almighty ,  well  the news is ,  the future is  glim for them indeed  and  nothing is going  to  save them  from  Gods  karma .

[ATMD]

A lot of miracles that happen are stuff that we understand completely if we were to allow for the possibility of God's existence. If we were not to allow for the possibility of God, these miracles are impossible.

It is possible that God's nature is a personal relationship. Why do we suppose that God wants to advertise and appear on Youtube? If our relationship with God is a personal, private relationship, asking God to prove Himself publicly would counter the very idea of that. According to theology, it is our life's journey to seek God. There is no seeking if there is no hiding. God hides from us, we have to seek.

Knowledge of this world is what we seek, because when we know, there is no need to believe. The more knowledge we have of the nature of this world, the less we need to believe anything, we would simply know. We as scientists choose to take the path of science towards knowledge. It is a good path. Some go through the religious path, it leads to the same place. Truth is absolute, there is no false dichotomy. Either something is true or it is not.

If  there  was  a  God  , God  would occupy  infinite space  and be finite , so  what is beyond  God?  More space  thats what .

God is  a  concept  for  mediocre minds  living  in a  bubble ,  literally  speaking  the scientist  who  looks down  at  you  who  you  look  up  too ,   is looking up  and  asking  what  is  God ?  Well ,  God  ,  is coming  for  this  scientist  too ,  to  create  such a  evil  chit world  like this  is  mediocre minded  and  God is not at all  happy .   They think they are  God , they haven't even met God yet who is coming for them.  They think they all big and hard and all that , the almighty ,  well  the news is ,  the future is  glim for them indeed  and  nothing is going  to  save them  from  Gods  karma .

To be fair, we can't blame God for all the pains and sorrows of this world. According to my limited understanding of Christian theology, all the death and suffering in the modern world was caused by evil that started it all. God gave us full freedom to commit evil. Are we to blame God for giving us this freedom?

[guest39538]

A lot of miracles that happen are stuff that we understand completely if we were to allow for the possibility of God's existence. If we were not to allow for the possibility of God, these miracles are impossible.

It is possible that God's nature is a personal relationship. Why do we suppose that God wants to advertise and appear on Youtube? If our relationship with God is a personal, private relationship, asking God to prove Himself publicly would counter the very idea of that. According to theology, it is our life's journey to seek God. There is no seeking if there is no hiding. God hides from us, we have to seek.

Knowledge of this world is what we seek, because when we know, there is no need to believe. The more knowledge we have of the nature of this world, the less we need to believe anything, we would simply know. We as scientists choose to take the path of science towards knowledge. It is a good path. Some go through the religious path, it leads to the same place. Truth is absolute, there is no false dichotomy. Either something is true or it is not.

If  there  was  a  God  , God  would occupy  infinite space  and be finite , so  what is beyond  God?  More space  thats what .

God is  a  concept  for  mediocre minds  living  in a  bubble ,  literally  speaking  the scientist  who  looks down  at  you  who  you  look  up  too ,   is looking up  and  asking  what  is  God ?  Well ,  God  ,  is coming  for  this  scientist  too ,  to  create  such a  evil  chit world  like this  is  mediocre minded  and  God is not at all  happy .   They think they are  God , they haven't even met God yet who is coming for them.  They think they all big and hard and all that , the almighty ,  well  the news is ,  the future is  glim for them indeed  and  nothing is going  to  save them  from  Gods  karma .

To be fair, we can't blame God for all the pains and sorrows of this world. According to my limited understanding of Christian theology, all the death and suffering in the modern world was caused by evil that started it all. God gave us full freedom to commit evil. Are we to blame God for giving us this freedom?

God give us no thing  and  any thing  that  claims  to be  a  superior  god needs medical help .  Reminds  of  on earth  how   most  of  the  rich  think  they are  Gods ,  look at footballers  for  instant !  They  are not special  but  mediocre minds go out week in and week out  and  worship these people ,  laughable . 

[jimbobghost]

"There is no seeking if there is no hiding. God hides from us, we have to seek."

I love it! a new view of god...out with the old "a loving god", a "vengeful god", an "all knowing god", an "eternal god"; and now the latest, greatest version of god:

the "playful" god; who loves to play Hide and Seek with us. new from Hasbro Toys.

[Bored chemist]

If kicking the cat gives you comfort is it wrong?

I would think it is because it causes harm to another living creature. Would you consider having a personal belief in God as causing harm to others?

I can give you at least 4000 years of case histories where it does...

And here's a recent one.
http://churchandstate.org.uk/2017/08/teen-rape-victim-jailed-for-30-years-for-stillbirth-in-catholic-controlled-el-salvador/?fbclid=IwAR0TOxD3GUgpJbtnE-nJ55V_Cp4WHt7N5Gf-rXCjwBFSleUtJ0VgCPb8NgQ

[Bored chemist]

To be fair, we can't blame God for all the pains and sorrows of this world.

I think you will find that God is solely responsible for putting th serpent in the garden of Eden even though He knew what would happen.
If not Him, then who?

If I left a kid in a room full of boxes of matches, would it be reasonable for me to say the ensuing fire wasn't my fault?

[jimbobghost]

"If I left a kid in a room full of boxes of matches, would it be reasonable for me to say the ensuing fire wasn't my fault?"
yes, absolutely!

since the almighty in his infinite wisdom, gave us free will; the fault lies in the kid's misuse of matches.
this might also be one of god's mysterious ways of culling the human species of stupid offspring; so as not to pass along bad genes.

(however, hopefully you would have insurance, since god has something of a clause in the contract he wrote; that does not permit lawsuits against a diety. you may be permited to screem an objection into the night of "why, why, WHY??, however it appears such appeals are not heard by the court of the highest standing.)

[Bored chemist]

"If I left a kid in a room full of boxes of matches, would it be reasonable for me to say the ensuing fire wasn't my fault?"
yes, absolutely!

Guess again
" In relation to some types of torts (in particular negligence and nuisance) the test for remoteness of damage is whether the kind of damage suffered was reasonably foreseeable by the defendant at the time of the breach of duty "
From
https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/4-107-7138?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true&comp=pluk&bhcp=1

Your view is a bit like saying "I didn't kill him; the bullet did that.  I just pointed the gun + pulled the trigger."
If you know that bad things will happen as a result of your action, then you are responsible

[The Spoon]

To be fair, we can't blame God for all the pains and sorrows of this world.

I think you will find that God is solely responsible for putting th serpent in the garden of Eden even though He knew what would happen.
If not Him, then who?

If I left a kid in a room full of boxes of matches, would it be reasonable for me to say the ensuing fire wasn't my fault?

God as the creator also created evil. Kind of twisted.....
Also going back to the OPs claims of anecdotal evidence - I suppose he accepts 'anecdotal evidence' for father christmas, sea serpents, fairies, bogey men, Thor, Zeus and the whole pantheon of other gods etc All have been claimed to have been seen after all...

[jimbobghost]

 " In relation to some types of torts (in particular negligence and nuisance) the test for remoteness of damage is whether the kind of damage suffered was reasonably foreseeable by the defendant at the time of the breach of duty ".

ah, but Barrister, let us not ignore "due diligince". presuming you have observed the following precautions (as i am sure you would) you would most surely be exonerated:

the "kids" are children of the human species, rather than the offspring of goats; who are totally unsuited to matches due to their hooves and all that.

have been properly indoctrinated in the use of matches.
were wearing flame retardant clothing.
were not girls, who should never be left alone with matches or sharp objects.
the matches were "safety matches" not what were once called "lucifers".
that the room in which they resided was installed with smoke alarms.
that the smoke alarms had been recently inspected and fresh batteries installed.
that no one in the immediate family or parentage were known to be pyromaniacs.
that you had not been previously convicted of child endangerment.
that you had not been charged with, arrested for or found guilty of arson.
that you had not recently taken out a large insurance policy on the domicile.
that you are a god fearing, jesus loving, washed in the blood Christian.

have no fear, god is on your side.

[Bored chemist]

Nope. The damage is still reasonably foreseeable. I'd still be liable and so is God.

[jimbobghost]

I yield to your superior legal expertise.

[ATMD]

To be fair, we can't blame God for all the pains and sorrows of this world.

I think you will find that God is solely responsible for putting th serpent in the garden of Eden even though He knew what would happen.
If not Him, then who?

If I left a kid in a room full of boxes of matches, would it be reasonable for me to say the ensuing fire wasn't my fault?

In my opinion, the serpent was a symbol of temptation, it can be tempting to rebel against God. In the modern world, there are all kinds of temptations to do evil: adultery, cheating, stealing, lying, etc If they were not so tempting, we would not do them. Evil causes mistrust, grief, pain, anger etc.

You are right, God should not have made evil so tempting. However, the ability to fight temptation requires discipline, personal growth, and self-mastery, concepts that are impossible if evil were not tempting.

God didn't create evil, we did when we make the wrong choices in life. I made plenty of wrong choices in my life, when I was punished for it, I can't blame God. According to theology, all the evil things we see today are the results of our evil acts throughout mankind history.

From an atheistic perspective, God is equated with the concept of absolute good. When we make choices that are against "absolute good", we cause evil. Are we supposed to blame "absolute good" for evil?

[alancalverd]

You don't even need the test of "reasonably" foreseeable. If your god is omniscient, he must have foreseen everything and is therefore liable for all that harms you, including congenital syphilis - just one small creature of the creator. If he isn't omniscient, he is of no value as a god.

[ATMD]

You don't even need the test of "reasonably" foreseeable. If your god is omniscient, he must have foreseen everything and is therefore liable for all that harms you, including congenital syphilis - just one small creature of the creator. If he isn't omniscient, he is of no value as a god.

I agree with you.

Let us suppose God created a world where there is no possibility for harm. As we know, harm comes about from decisions that are against "absolute good". In order to prevent harm from ever arising, God made sure that every choice we make will always be for absolute good. We have no real choice because we have no freedom to ever make a decision against absolute good. Now in such a world, harm never appeared. No suffering, no death, no pain. However, in this world, we are merely robots, not human beings.

Is it better to live in a pain-free, death-free world where we live as robots with no real freedom? Or is it better to live in a world where we have full freedom to make our choices and do whatever we wish, but then there is also a possibility of harm/evil arising when we make the wrong choices?