The Concept of God

ponytd said:

brianlux said:

I find it a bit strange that creationists take the word of one book regarding how life came to be on earth when there are literally thousands of others from a scientific viewpoint that explain how it evolved.  The weight of evidence supporting evolution rather than creation is astounding. How does one ignore that?  Once a person understands that, understands something as basic as evolution, it seems to me it would follow that, other than the parts that are verified by other accounts of history, everything else the Bible says would come into question.  A little logic goes a long way.

And this:  Religion tells people it is wrong to question the Bible.  If there is a God, and that God is benevolent, why would that God punish people for using the intellect they were given to question things, even the Bible which was written by other people?  That makes no sense.  That kind of God would be absurd.

Evolution and creation are two different things. Evolution is scientific fact. But evolution doesn't explain HOW we were created. Only the evolution process.

Agreed. I don't think God would punish us for using our brains and questioning. The people that believe that aren't strong enough in their faith and only believe out of fear and are only in it for the wrong reasons. Most likely to be condescending to others

jeffbr said:

Annafalk said:

jeffbr said:

Annafalk said:

jeffbr said:

Annafalk said:

jeffbr said:

Annafalk said:

Gern Blansten said:

Annafalk said:

If people don't believe in God, they don't believe they are created for any special purpose.
And even if they don't believe, they must think it's pretty incredible that we actually are here !
If death means only death, Won't death feel very scary, when it's the ultimate stop?
Isn't it sad to think life is only a coincidence.

Even how hard I try I can't imagine how it would be to not exist, and I have very good imagination.

We're animals.  Animals die.  It's sad but it's true.

I believe also animals and everything with som kind of life returns to God when they die.

I get agitated with the number of people at Costco on a Saturday. I can't imagine a heaven occupied by every single person that ever lived as well as every single animal of every type that has ever lived. Just trying to comprehend what that must be like is enough to make me take comfort in my belief that when we're dead we're dead. Living forever with every other living thing with no end and no escape seems a little nightmarish to me. That is way more scary and overwhelming than going to sleep forever.

So you can imagine how it would be to not exist? Why would heaven be crowded like that Costco place, I think some things are hard for us to understand but I don't think it's crowded.

Yes, I can imagine how it would be to not exist after I die. I imagine I'll feel exactly the same way I felt before I was conceived/born. 

Ok, so you are saying there was a "you" before you were born?

Ha, not saying that at all. I'm just trying to convey why I'm not bothered about the possibility that when the lights go out they stay out. If there isn't a pre-life, or after-life, then one can't feel anything positive or negative before or after. So the fact that I have no recollection of anything preceding my birth, and am perfectly comfortable with that, then I guess I don't really understand why I should fear that same state of non-cognition after I die. 

I understand, and I don't think one should fear death either, sorry for being maybe a bit rude.

I don't think you came off as rude at all! I enjoy the discussion.

PJ_Soul said:

Annafalk said:

PJ_Soul said:

If someone believes in God, how could it possibly be a stretch to believe that Heaven is infinite in size??

But why would it be? 

Why wouldn't it be? Makes more sense than it being crowded, lol.

RYME said:

Annafalk said:

Gern Blansten said:

Annafalk said:

If people don't believe in God, they don't believe they are created for any special purpose.
And even if they don't believe, they must think it's pretty incredible that we actually are here !
If death means only death, Won't death feel very scary, when it's the ultimate stop?
Isn't it sad to think life is only a coincidence.

Even how hard I try I can't imagine how it would be to not exist, and I have very good imagination.

We're animals.  Animals die.  It's sad but it's true.

I believe also animals and everything with som kind of life returns to God when they die.

I use scripture to backup what I'm saying. If I don't do that, then you are simply reading my opinions, and my opinions don't amount to a hill of beans.  Non-believers can believe what ever they want.  If the want to believe that humanity all hatched out from under a rock in the woods somewhere, they are free to think that, or whatever else they can come up with. 
Good news Annafalk!
Animals will be there in heaven.  God loves His animals.  So all your cats dogs that have passed on, they wil already be there when you get there & happy to see you.  But they won't have their canine teeth.  There are no carnivores in heaven.  For there is no flesh.  Here is your documentation.  Now He doesn't mention every species of animals here, but I think that you'll get the picture.
Isaiah 11
Vs 6. The wolf (which would include dogs) also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard (cats) shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead (care for) them.  
child-(We are His children.)
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.(see no carnivores)
8 And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice (viper's) den. (snakes will be there to, just​ not dangerous anymore)
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,  as the waters cover the sea.(this is the sign of the fullness of blessings) 
So you see He is describing the beauty and harmony that will be heaven.  And the animals are all there.

Annafalk said:

My biology teacher told us we were made from stars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEw6X2BhIy8

RYME said:

brianlux said:

RYME said:

Annafalk said:

Gern Blansten said:

Annafalk said:

If people don't believe in God, they don't believe they are created for any special purpose.
And even if they don't believe, they must think it's pretty incredible that we actually are here !
If death means only death, Won't death feel very scary, when it's the ultimate stop?
Isn't it sad to think life is only a coincidence.

Even how hard I try I can't imagine how it would be to not exist, and I have very good imagination.

We're animals.  Animals die.  It's sad but it's true.

I believe also animals and everything with som kind of life returns to God when they die.

I use scripture to backup what I'm saying. If I don't do that, then you are simply reading my opinions, and my opinions don't amount to a hill of beans.  Non-believers can believe what ever they want.  If the want to believe that humanity all hatched out from under a rock in the woods somewhere, they are free to think that, or whatever else they can come up with. 
Good news Annafalk!
Animals will be there in heaven.  God loves His animals.  So all your cats dogs that have passed on, they wil already be there when you get there & happy to see you.  But they won't have their canine teeth.  There are no carnivores in heaven.  For there is no flesh.  Here is your documentation.  Now He doesn't mention every species of animals here, but I think that you'll get the picture.
Isaiah 11
Vs 6. The wolf (which would include dogs) also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard (cats) shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead (care for) them.  
child-(We are His children.)
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.(see no carnivores)
8 And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice (viper's) den. (snakes will be there to, just​ not dangerous anymore)
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,  as the waters cover the sea.(this is the sign of the fullness of blessings) 
So you see He is describing the beauty and harmony that will be heaven.  And the animals are all there.

"Non-believers can believe what ever they want.  If the want to believe that humanity all hatched out from under a rock in the woods somewhere, they are free to think that, or whatever else they can come up with. "

Is this how you hope to win over non-believers, by making a statement that has zero to do with anything anyone here has said?  "Humanity all hatched out from under a rock" has absolutely nothing to do with evolution or anything else anyone has said here.  And I don't remember anyone here "coming up" with any of their own absurd theories about how humans came to be.  I've only seen two theories:  the natural process known as evolution, or the invented theory that a god whose existence is nowhere near proven created humans out of dust (or was it clay?) and we all started from two fully formed, fully human adults.  Think about it RYME.  Which makes sense?

I was trying to get a chuckle out of that.  I know that you don't think that people hatched out from under a rock in the woods somewhere.  Smile