What Do You Believe?

Does it seem like the more intelligent an individual is, the more inclined they are to turn to atheism? Do people use science and their own logic as proof that God does not exist? Does it seem like people will base their beliefs on other people's words? Do we try to find truth that will conveniently fit our wish of the universe?
I just want to know the range of thoughts out there, and how distant our beliefs are. I dont like to see anyone flaming or regurgitating religious facts. I just want to know. What do you believe and hold dear to the deepest part of your cerebral cortex?

i think, to put all your faith in what a book says, or tells you to, is wrong. all books should be mere tools to reach your own conclusion. but i also think that there is SOMETHING out there that is beyond all knowledge.
the universe is vast, perhaps beyond infinity, and could very well have different forms of life. but the fact still remains; either we are the most intelligent in this universe, or we are simply alone. OR the other life forms dont have an intelligence like ours.
shit im losing my train of thought. im too drunk to for critical thought.

blazin256 said:

i think, to put all your faith in what a book says, or tells you to, is wrong. all books should be mere tools to reach your own conclusion. but i also think that there is SOMETHING out there that is beyond all knowledge.
the universe is vast, perhaps beyond infinity, and could very well have different forms of life. but the fact still remains; either we are the most intelligent in this universe, or we are simply alone. OR the other life forms dont have an intelligence like ours.
shit im losing my train of thought. im too drunk to for critical thought.

Click to expand...

Im totally with you on that man. Just dont drink too much man, you're killing your brain cells quick!

its cool, they wont be around forever. better by my hands then someone (or something) else!

Have you ever her of The Satanic Bible, By Anton Lavey? Its a great book. Unlike most people think, you do not worship satin when going with Lavey's theory. It is a great book on how to live your life at its fullest. At the end it has some cool info on ceremonial magic. I will see if i can post a copy of it.

Lalaporo said:

Have you ever her of The Satanic Bible, By Anton Lavey? Its a great book. Unlike most people think, you do not worship satin when going with Lavey's theory. It is a great book on how to live your life at its fullest. At the end it has some cool info on ceremonial magic. I will see if i can post a copy of it.

Click to expand...

Lol, i guess people can draw power from Satan, just as they might through God. But if you acknowledge evil and choose that path, then something isnt right with you, no offense..

TrippyReefer said:

Does it seem like the more intelligent an individual is, the more inclined they are to turn to atheism? Do people use science and their own logic as proof that God does not exist? Does it seem like people will base their beliefs on other people's words? Do we try to find truth that will conveniently fit our wish of the universe?
I just want to know the range of thoughts out there, and how distant our beliefs are. I dont like to see anyone flaming or regurgitating religious facts. I just want to know. What do you believe and hold dear to the deepest part of your cerebral cortex?

Click to expand...

i believe the more intelligent an individual is, the less inclined that individual is to believe bullshit shoved down there throat with no evidence of its validity. that applies to any subject, including religion.

there is no icon in the satanic religion being worshiped or power being drawn from, especially no one named satan, it's a naturalistic point of view which is great, but it has it's faults. personally i don't enjoy vengeance, which is a teaching of satanism. there is no god, therefore there is no universal moral code, so if you enjoy the works of Lavey by no means are you acknowledging evil. and there is nothing out there that specifically disproves god, it only takes common sense to realize that the christian belief in god and jeezuz is a fallacy. for me it's either dinosaurs or god, and i choose dinosaurs

Science will always prevail, believe you me

IAm5toned said:

i believe the more intelligent an individual is, the less inclined that individual is to believe bullshit shoved down there throat with no evidence of its validity. that applies to any subject, including religion.

Click to expand...

Very true, but sometimes people have a feeling stronger than any doubt they ever felt and wont be swayed by secular opinion. Maybe its because ive been around it all my life but after certain situations, i feel like i dont need anyone to tell me what to believe, i already have faith. Maybe one day ill help some friends in need, but im not gonna try shoving God down their throat but let them know that theres more to life than getting fucked up and killing one's self slowly. Love is the way to happiness, and people can see this no matter how intelligent they are or where their beliefs lie.

BudMcLovin said:

I’ve always had a belief in a higher power. I’ve had too many mystical experiences than to come to any other conclusion. God does exist. Today my relationship with God may not be as strong as it once was my faith has not wavered. I’m an educated man both academically and from the experiences of a roller coaster life. And I must say one needs only look at evolution itself to see the hand of God. To many similarities to be coincidence I see it more along the lines of an artist using the same brush techniques in different paintings, refining and improving his techniques along the way. They say the simplest solution is often the correct one. Well say you’re walking through the woods and you stumble upon an old rusted out car. Now what’s the simplest explanation as to how it got there: Did it just grow there or did someone create it and put it there? It may be an over simplification but I’m a simple guy.

Click to expand...

Glad theres people out there on a similar wavelength as me. I dont like it when people think Evolution disproves God. God was just improving on a design that led to us

upthearsenal said:

there is no icon in the satanic religion being worshiped or power being drawn from, especially no one named satan, it's a naturalistic point of view which is great, but it has it's faults. personally i don't enjoy vengeance, which is a teaching of satanism. there is no god, therefore there is no universal moral code, so if you enjoy the works of Lavey by no means are you acknowledging evil. and there is nothing out there that specifically disproves god, it only takes common sense to realize that the christian belief in god and jeezuz is a fallacy. for me it's either dinosaurs or god, and i choose dinosaurs

Science will always prevail, believe you me

Click to expand...

Science discovers the laws of the universe, not reasons to disprove the existence of God.

OP you will want to read "Prometheus Rising" by Robert Anton Wilson. It's less about God and more about common sense and the pattern of human intellectual and technological evolution. Judging by this thread, it should interest you greatly.

I refuse to talk about religion though. I have spent a few years studying them and even trying to become religious. I've been to school for religion as well as the psychology of religion and spirituality and if you believe and I don't (which i do not) then our conversation will hit the same walls and since im typing with a hand that im awaiting surgery on, i will refrain.

BudMcLovin said:

I’ve always had a belief in a higher power. I’ve had too many mystical experiences than to come to any other conclusion. God does exist. Today my relationship with God may not be as strong as it once was my faith has not wavered. I’m an educated man both academically and from the experiences of a roller coaster life. And I must say one needs only look at evolution itself to see the hand of God. To many similarities to be coincidence I see it more along the lines of an artist using the same brush techniques in different paintings, refining and improving his techniques along the way. They say the simplest solution is often the correct one. Well say you’re walking through the woods and you stumble upon an old rusted out car. Now what’s the simplest explanation as to how it got there: Did it just grow there or did someone create it and put it there? It may be an over simplification but I’m a simple guy.

Click to expand...

God is not a conclusion. It is a lack of your ability to understand what is known or conceive what is not. You don't know how the car got there so it was God? No, it was a drunk redneck. You actually cited Occam's Razor in your post RIGHT before you said that. The easiest conclusion is NEVER God. God is the hardest conclusion or there would not be such a divide on the subject.

TrippyReefer said:

Lol, i guess people can draw power from Satan, just as they might through God. But if you acknowledge evil and choose that path, then something isnt right with you, no offense..

Click to expand...

Something is not right with him because he enjoyed a book someone told you is bad? Have you read it? I have not but I have read the bible in multiple forms and it was as judgmental and ignorant. The words for "good" and "evil" did not even exist before monotheism. It is the duality of an extremist mindset manifest in language.

Man, I feel like I don't believe but when I think about there being no God I feel guilty; I was raised to be a good Christian. I like to think there is something out there.

It's sooo depressing though to think there is no after life and when you die... you die... lights out, no more happy days/dreams/feelings. Depressing!

That's why I smoke weed!

Yeah guilt is something they drill you with in religion. Guilt is why you pay your tithes. "God loves you and you turn your back?!@" Kids do that too but they grow out of it. I was raised to be a good person and religion is a bit judgmental and the whole extrinsic reward system of life after death, heaven vs hell and 100 virgins or whatever reason for doing something doesn't make you a good person. It makes soldiers with a greedy cause.

Why is it depressing to die? You live and then you are passed on back to the earth. You will return to that which gave you life. All energy is only borrowed as is your time here. Depressing is free floating in space with no hope of ever coming into to contact with another living thing, not becoming another one. Your emotions and dreams are not tangible unless you do not bring them to life and even then they are only fleeting and will not last much longer than you if at all. That is depressing.

You're energy will pass from your body and be re-purposed but it will never be destroyed. You're body, which was given to you, will be given back to that which gave it. What could be more perfect and natural?

Twistedfunk said:

God is not a conclusion. It is a lack of your ability to understand what is known or conceive what is not. You don't know how the car got there so it was God? No, it was a drunk redneck. You actually cited Occam's Razor in your post RIGHT before you said that. The easiest conclusion is NEVER God. God is the hardest conclusion or there would not be such a divide on the subject.

Click to expand...

Beliefs and philosophies are built from previous experiences. For you the conclusion isn’t God but for me it is. There is not as much divide on whether or not there is a God. From the Washington Post:
“The study detailed Americans' deep and broad religiosity, finding that 92 percent believe in God or a universal spirit -- including one in five of those who call themselves atheists. More than half of Americans polled pray at least once a day.” Also “seventy percent of those affiliated with a religion believe that many religions can lead to eternal salvation.”

Yeah, I never consider God and have yet to come to a conclusion that requires it. Occam's razor is most commonly used in reference to the "scientific method" which you clearly disregarded while citing it. If you have to guess when there is already a well documented solution/answer then you are not using said razor. Answering with "God" or "Faith" goes against everything that Occam's razor stands for. If you had 20 steps of logic to come to the conclusion of "God" then you could just as easily use the same 20 steps of the same logic and come to the conclusion of "fairies" or "magic" simply because you have nothing but conjecture nor do you have any proof that it is not either fairies or magic. Jumping from what you know and understand and filling in the blanks with God is an intellectual cop out.

Also, there is a MASSIVE divide on the existence of God/gods and there always will be as long as people do not mentally apply themselves. If they aren't divided on if there is one, they are divided on whose is better. If they are in agreement then they are arguing about translations or whose version of the same story is better.

Did you actually cite a newspaper for accurate information on religious beliefs? The Washington Post is infamous for misinformation and biased reporting. Who were the people polled? Were they readers of Washington Post? How old were they? What region did they live in? Was the poll taken in a church? Try looking for information that contradicts your own beliefs instead of reinforcing them. That's like going to church to ask if God is real...guess what they are going to say.

I just scrolled up to reread your post and you sound like someone in the front pew parroting the preacher.

You state that evolution is proof of God yet religion has to evolve or get left behind. Every year the pope has to add and drop sins from the list because people simply don't care that much anymore and are going to do what they are going to do. The original christian bible was behind the times so they wrote a new one and then another and another and they all conflict each other. If you look at the evidence objectively and emit God from your possible conclusions you may surprise yourself.

How about a Gallup poll for you:
“Eighty-seven percent of respondents say they consider themselves to be part of some religion and only 13 percent declare that they belong to none. Believers in this context include Roman Catholics, Protestants, other Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and followers of other religions. Even though this positive answer prevails all over the world, there are differences. The figure for West Africa - where Muslims are the largest and most practicing group, and where the Catholic Church has made significant inroads over recent years - is 99 percent believers, 12 points above average. At the bottom appears East Asia, which stands at 77 percent believers”

Of course there are vast differences in people’s opinion of God. Opinions are like ass holes. People throughout history have used religion to control and bend reality to their will. There is no doubt. My relationship with God is my own, not some preachers opinion on the matter. You make too many assumptions about me but will not bother arguing with you on the matter because we see things in a different light. So it appears we’ve reached that wall you discussed earlier.