There is no god

To me, the word "god" represents man made weirdness. It's only a figure of speech. Even the word "faith" to me is just meant as a figure of speech whose purpose is to convey that I believe in something. I have faith that I'm going to get home soon. To a believer in the weirdness, they read statements like mine with some kinda wish-washy forgiveness stuff and some kinda weird mentality called "prayers" for me. It's (the story of god) a friggin made. up. thing. by. dead. people; whom told weird stories to servants. And it got beat into their heads over and over and OVER and over and over and over and OVER again. And people would be threatened by punishment by DEATH if they didn't believe what the crazies were telling them. How convenient! Then the bible (and similar books, whatever y'all call em) got printed and printed and printed and printed wayyyyyyyyyy way too many times but the point was.... just keep beating and beating and BEATING these stories into the minds of people. Wow... the tenacity! Still goin strong to this very day. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... BAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa.
Only a human would have the capacity to do something so insane. A mosquito wouldn't - not evolved enough. A frog wouldn't - can't communicate with people. A rock on Neptune wouldn't - afterall, it's a rock on Neptune. That gravity thing.... it's tough shit! oh and rocks have no brains. But some brains do have rocks. That's also, just a figure of speech. And I'm a geologist! (really.... I am honestly a geologist. There are rocks on my desk. They're anywhere from 50 million years to 250 millions years old. Pretty cool when ya think about it.)
See ya on the rest of the forum. I respect your belief in god. I'm beginning to sound like a preacher!

JWPearl said:

But the faithfulness in God is much stronger and wiser and is deserving..

JWPearl said:

Those who put faith in God and abide by his rules are the ones that survive the end of the world and are rewarded and I believe this...but everyone has a free choice to believe or not to, each to their own.

This is exactly why I said this above: " It's those who profess to know something others or "should" or "ought" to know that are asking for a little razzing."

If you try to tell someone what is "stronger" "wiser" or "more deserving" or try to say who will or won't survive, you're merely provoking and asking for a major razing. Jesus just slammed another two shots and is zooming down a highway in your town. Better be a good dodger 'cause here comes that crazy Logger Dude (caps to show respect of course) and he ain't all that happy.

^^^ I would be definitely be up for tipping a few brews with you evsgjamm. :-)

And that goes for anyone here, you too JWPearl, as long as we don't tell each other what to believe. We can always talk the great music that brought us here or any number of things- even your faith as long as you don't tell me I have to believe in God... or else!

And if some of us sometimes stand up and say "shove it with your religion" it just might be that we are tired of having it shoved down our throats. I'm not upset about any of that any more- I got over it a long time ago when I decided its all a matter of personal perspective and that what is most important is being true to my own beliefs while respecting others- and I really do have a lot of respect for all the people I know who have their own personal concepts of God or not-a-god including atheists. But the thing is, when I was younger, other people's perception of God was forced on me and I tried to see what it was all about and it didn't hold water for me but then that guilt thing got laid on thick by others who said I would be judged if I didn't see it their way so I do understand when people say, "screw that."

Another little thing to consider- if you're truly comfortable with your beliefs you might find you lose the feeling of a need to make others believe in what you believe.

Oh I am so echoing brianlux's post. echo! echo echo oh what the heck is this "code" thing I clicked. I was just looking to make my letters smaller for the whole echo effect. let's see how this displays. oh hey! That's pretty cool! it looks like i peed on my own comment! beauty
I've got the guitar out now - the jammin has been goin on for a few hours here at the ole desk. peace.

haha. WEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee..... WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee (thread de-railed: kudos to the OP for havin the balls to start it though. insert popcorn icon heEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeere

i feel we are confused

London Bridge said:

God and Religion = the biggest scam of all time! It's more like a fantasy. What do people really get out of going to church on Sunday?

agree

JWPearl said:

Those who put faith in God and abide by his rules are the ones that survive the end of the world and are rewarded and I believe this...but everyone has a free choice to believe or not to, each to their own.

If there is a god, which I do not believe there is, and if there is a heaven, which I believe even less in (if that's possible), then I do not want any part of an afterlife where one's acceptance is based simply on belief and faith. "Screw everyone else" eh?

I choose to live my life based on common sense and a good core of morals, not folklore and mores passed down through centuries of generations and eventually written down...a few thousand years ago, misinterpreted again and again until parts of it completely contradict other parts and have pretty much no relevance to modern life. (Let me add: I have no problems at all with some parts of the holy books, like the 10 commandments...but I don't need a "holy" book to tell me that murder is evil or that nailing my neighbor's wife is probably a bad idea)

In my mind, and I mean no disrespect to believers, it is very freeing to realize exactly what religion is. When my eyes opened up, I couldn't walk away from my faith fast enough. Modern day religions started in an era with an extreme lack of education among the masses. When the ruling class realized it was even easier to keep the masses at bay by "explaining" the world around them in terms of god(s) and heaven/hell and submissiveness, it became even easier to rule. If you speak out, you're going to hell. If you rise up, you're going to hell. If you question them, you're going to hell. This was their life. This was all they knew. They "knew" they would be rewarded in the afterlife, so just suck it up while you're alive. Those in power live in a lap of luxury, knowing full well what they are doing.

Sometimes I am astonished that the masses haven't left religion behind at this point. We've come to far, and I just see religions, and especially organized religions, as this truly archaic and outdated system. For example, the bible outlaws: homosexuality, eating pig, eating shellfish, clothing that exposes too much skin, mixing fabrics in your outfit, short hair, shaving off your beard, tattoos, working on Sundays (do you like football?), psychic readings (silly I know, but it's still banned), defending your husband in a fight (want to lose a hand? defend your husband and you'll get your hand cut off), cursing at your parents (thou shalt be killed if you do), women speaking in church (not a peep!), sex before marriage.

That's just a sample. Yet people still cling to these books and these ideals. I simply don't get it. We've come so far as a species, but still cling to these thoughts and stories from centuries ago.

a higher power (if you will) is not locked up in some church with what could be many people praying, singing & being spoken to or even lectured by their leader (if you will). i think we are looking way to deep into this. a higher power is inside of each of us; get in touch w/ yourself, this energy. this is everywhere in everything. try meditating, being creative & listening to your feelings & the feelings of others.

& if a higher power wants to be a cloud or lie around on clouds feasting on grapes while listening to angels strum harps then that is what the higher power will be doing... this & a few 999,000,000,000,000^2 X's vast endlessness & other things simultaneously. how many events are happening in the oceans from microscopic on up to the blue whale? countless vibrations

did this, does this vibration just happen? existence is sound, vibrations are existence. let's think about this awhile. so life is existence full of sounds vibrating in, out & across all of this

something like this.

so where did existence come from? maybe this is all a dream, yes?
think about for a moment... nonexistence into existence or existence into nonexistence. this is very vast, far bigger than the cosmos. emptiness, nothingness & everything happening is being birthed or not.

(sound/vibration)

all of this is limitless, greater power with no shape or qualities, just all of it at once
time & so forth

something like this:
1 + 1 is not 2
1 + 1 = 1,000,000

like an entire galaxy collapsing into itself & completely vanishing
our perspective is limited & will be this forever
so, what is our forever is not known

& so energy vibrations carry on
maybe be a better life for yourself & everything else
self-realization

chadwick, thanks for that.

And Thirty, me too. I'm OK if I never get them.