AIBU to ask your opinions on God?

[Violetduck]

Do you beleive there is a God? I would like to, but how can he exist alongside modern science?

Aibu to believe in something more?

@GoneScone

Nope, I don't believe in anything that there isn't a scrap of evidence to prove its existence. Even if I did believe in God, I certainly wouldn't worship him, he sounds a bit of a petulant nob

The moral of most the god stories (including the classics) is usually “don’t upset god/gods” because y’all have hell to pay. Even if God is “petulant” there’s nothing you can do about it except do your best to not get on the wrong side of the petulance. Guess the point is: there was a warning whether you believed or not.

J.I. Packer summarizes: “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” (Knowing God, 151).

Like, what kind of evidence are we expecting for god? What if god is choosing anonymity? Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous apparently...

@XmasShopper

I have two children born three years apart both on New Years Day and something incredible happened during my second birth - the mid-wife said it was the best birth she'd seen in a year.

I wasn't christened and my parents aren't religious, but it changed me forever and, while I don't follow institutionalised religion, I still thank "a God" regularly for what I have now.

Sorry, I'm (genuinely) not sure if this is a joke but, a child born on New Year's Day and the midwife said it was the best birth she'd seen that year?

I don't believe God is petulant, because I don't even in the slightest believe in any God. Again, not particularly bothered about 'warnings' as I'm pretty certain they won't come to fruition.

Petulant if he did exist because of him allegedly threatening to burn everyone in hell who doesn't believe in him, even though he's not given a scrap of evidence for his existence. To a devil, who hates God, but punishes people for not worshipping God..

I'd rather go to hell anyways, but in all reality - when I die, I die. I'm good with that 😌

I don't believe in God. I think that people in the past didn't question what they were told as much as they do now.

My little boy has been in isolation for the past two weeks, and this week part of his remote learning (not a church school) was the Christmas story. It was really difficult, trying to help him understand something that I don't believe in!

I definitely believe in God. Its like a child with a radiator, you can tell them its hot, but they won't know its hot until they've felt it. Youve got to feel it for yourself to believe it.
Humble yourself and pray for God to reveal himself to you and I promise, he will. He loves you more than you'll ever know!

@yahyahs22

I definitely believe in God. Its like a child with a radiator, you can tell them its hot, but they won't know its hot until they've felt it. Youve got to feel it for yourself to believe it. Humble yourself and pray for God to reveal himself to you and I promise, he will. He loves you more than you'll ever know!

He may love me, but I think he's a total cunt.

He’s never loved me and been fairly clear about it. I’m supposed to be grateful he’s not been worse. Fortunately I don’t believe in him. I believe in the social and economic systems I see operating around me, now and for thousands of years before Christianity reared its ugly mindless little head out of one of the most authoritarian states ever to curse the planet. Otherwise I’d be kicking him hard where it hurts (he is most definitely a mammalian male).

I don't want God to love me! Thats if he was real of course

J.I. Packer summarizes: “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” (Knowing God, 151).

J.I Packer is an idiot then. I give you the Flood - wipe out all life on earth except a select few, including millions of innocent animals who have never done anything wrong. Nothing right and necessary about that.

not religious, don't believe in anything and frankly cannot believe how anyone possibly could.

No one has explained why your life would be better if you believed in god?

@ReadyFreddy

I think people would find the concept of God as described in the bible utterly ludicrous were it not already entrenched in western society - i.e. if a workmate explained it to you today for the first time. I mean, even most contemporary Christians would likely think you were a bit daft if you proclaimed to worship Zeus, but that too was common once.

We don't like to think of our own insignificance in the universe, but what makes it all full apart for me is when I think about how we descended from apes (most people don't dispute this evolutionary theory). How does this work with us 'being made in God's image'? Is God a huge orangutan? 🤔

Yessss. Absolutely agree with this. If it weren't for hundreds of years of brainwashing it would all be treated like how most people see wiccans etc now. A small group of people who are a little bit nutty but if it makes them happy then no worries.

Sometimes I also like to imagine what if in a couple of thousand years someone sees or reads about episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And then starts a religion based on a girl who saved the world from demons. A lot.

Or choose another film/story.

I don't think the world will be around that long. But it's cool to think which stories could be passed down for generations and become "fact" like with the bible stories.

I think people would find the concept of God as described in the bible utterly ludicrous were it not already entrenched in western society - i.e. if a workmate explained it to you today for the first time.

Exactly. And if Jesus turned up today, he would be widely denounced as a wet lefty crackpot doing conjuring tricks. I hate to think what the Mail would do to him.

I think people would find the concept of God as described in the bible utterly ludicrous were it not already entrenched in western society - i.e. if a workmate explained it to you today for the first time.

DH went to a cathedral school which had quite a lot of boarders from elsewhere. They used to all have to attend services every morning. He remembers a new boy from Iran being completely horrified by the communion service - the boy knew it wasn't actually flesh and blood but the symbolism revolted him.

And if you step back and look at it - how does the 'lamb of god' make any 'sense' unless your starting point was a culture of placating god(s) with animal sacrifices?

@Cygne

I think people would find the concept of God as described in the bible utterly ludicrous were it not already entrenched in western society - i.e. if a workmate explained it to you today for the first time.

Exactly. And if Jesus turned up today, he would be widely denounced as a wet lefty crackpot doing conjuring tricks. I hate to think what the Mail would do to him.

That is so true.

Daily Mail would be the ones crucifying A modern day Jesus Christ. I’d dread to think what their readers would write in the comments.

@ErrolTheDragon

I think people would find the concept of God as described in the bible utterly ludicrous were it not already entrenched in western society - i.e. if a workmate explained it to you today for the first time.

DH went to a cathedral school which had quite a lot of boarders from elsewhere. They used to all have to attend services every morning. He remembers a new boy from Iran being completely horrified by the communion service - the boy knew it wasn't actually flesh and blood but the symbolism revolted him.

And if you step back and look at it - how does the 'lamb of god' make any 'sense' unless your starting point was a culture of placating god(s) with animal sacrifices?

Why did they used to feel animal sacrifices were important?

I always thought it’s really unfair on Jesus Christ to pay the price for everyone else’s sins. That’s not exactly a reasonable expectation. Why should one guy be lumbered with the burden of carrying everyone else’s rubbish deeds?

Why did they used to feel animal sacrifices were important?

I don't know - the practice seems to have been ubiquitous in many Bronze Age cultures in the region (and maybe wider). I've never got my head round why exactly - I'm sure scholars must have theories.

@ArrowsOfMistletoe

J.I. Packer summarizes: “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” (Knowing God, 151).

J.I Packer is an idiot then. I give you the Flood - wipe out all life on earth except a select few, including millions of innocent animals who have never done anything wrong. Nothing right and necessary about that.

If I remember correctly that story was about there being too much evil in the world, so God wanted to refresh it. It’s like when you start a project and then it starts going horribly wrong and you need to start over, but want to keep some (but not all) of the things from the previous version.

Is there evidence of any major floods like that? I wonder if that an allegory?

Yes there is plenty of archaeological evidence for major floods and in fact they turn up another creation myths as well. Absolutely not specific to Christianity.

Out of interest...
For those of you non-believers that are married, how many of you married in church?
I personally find it bizarre?

Am non believer and didn’t get married in a church.

I can’t see any benefits of being a believer.

@Cygne

I think people would find the concept of God as described in the bible utterly ludicrous were it not already entrenched in western society - i.e. if a workmate explained it to you today for the first time.

Exactly. And if Jesus turned up today, he would be widely denounced as a wet lefty crackpot doing conjuring tricks. I hate to think what the Mail would do to him.

Ha so this ^

@Nicknamegoeshere

Out of interest... For those of you non-believers that are married, how many of you married in church? I personally find it bizarre?

Non believer. Married but under a pergola next to a lake surrounded by mountains. If I wanted to get married in a church I would have done though, you don't have to believe in god to appreciate the beauty and splendour of architecture, and that includes churches. I adore (some) churches, they are peaceful, restful places and I love stained glass windows, some are stunning. I'm sure if there is a god, he won't mind a non believer enjoying his buildings.