There is no god

[OldKingCole]

Inspired by another thread … I was surprised by the level of atheism professed … as I always though I was in a tiny, tiny minority.
would be interested to see the MN response.

IABU - there is a god
IANBU - there is no god

I would assume the ignorantia legis neminem excusat ("ignorance of law excuses no one") principle applies to divine law too.

Thank God there is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content. This is the price paid to ensure that willful blindness cannot become the basis of exculpation.

Which God(s) are we talking about? Maybe the Christian God is the false one and the Greek ones were the true Gods or the Mayan ones who demanded human sacrifices?

Nearly every human civilisation has devised an answer to our creation, why is the Christian God the correct one? The one your parents told you to believe in? Religion has caused more war and death in this world than anything else over the centuries.

And these religions always seem to come up with these “rules” to please their Gods usually meaning that the poor and especially women have to be subject to but not the rich men in charge.

I rather fancy worshiping Apollo, who is considered a god of homosexuality and had many male lovers himself.

And when some people condem homosexuality well then they are breaking God's laws

did the Christian's religion copy the pagan festivals dates?

Yes, and apparently a lot of the 'saints' are actually local deities who were adopted by the early church as saints. Similarly, lots of the actual church buildings were where people had worshipped those gods, if people normally go to a place to worship it's easier to get them to carry on worshipping the Christian god in that place.

I'm not. Why is he such an authority on the matter? 🤔

‘did the Christian's religion copy the pagan festivals dates?’

yes they did. All major ‘Christian’ festivals are around the old pagan festival dates which were based around nature - solstice, harvest, coming of Spring etc
Even Halloween and ‘all saints’ day the day after stem from Samhain, a Celtic pagan festival.
we have always looked for something bigger than our selves.

‘I would assume the ignorantia legis neminem excusat ("ignorance of law excuses no one") principle applies to divine law too.’

assume away. That’s the beauty of religion - it’s all made up so you can add or detract ‘laws’, rules, ceremonies and beliefs as you go along and so long as you keep it to yourself, and don’t try to impose any of that on other people, no-one cares .

Which is understandable but then does not help that then they see their religion as the one true religion

Not voting because i don't believe in the Christian idea of God.. but i am not an Atheist. I'm Pagan.

Thank God there is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content. This is the price paid to ensure that willful blindness cannot become the basis of exculpation.

This is why the idea of living in a theocracy is so terrifying. I'm far less worried about secular law.

@OMG12 not sure why you feel the need to be quite such a twat.

I simply said that we have explanations now for the previously unexplainable - we know why the sun rises each day (astrophysics - not god), why people die suddenly (medical illness, not god), what happens at the point of death and birth and how our species came about (evolution, not god).

Science doesn't presume to have all the answers (and neither do I) but I respect the answer 'we don't yet know' far more than the answer 'because god did it'.

@Hawkins001 totally agree! My point was christianity IS NOT right, nor is any other religion.
Posters on here posting about the ‘truth’ bible and god’s ‘law’ are deluded IMHO but absolutely free to choose to believe what they like. As am I.

I’m in the camp of “don’t know, and not fussed about it”.

To me, it doesn’t factor or change what I do or my actions.

The whole history of religion in society strongly suggests to me that it started as stories told by people to explain what they couldn't understand, and power-hungry people took advantage of it and turned it into a tool to control the masses. That seems utterly consistent with what I've seen of humanity.

I don't believe in God. I do believe that patriarchy systems find it a useful tool to keep pesky, difficult women down and silenced.

Nothing can happen in Britain without the imprimatur of Stephen Fry.
He is the Keeper of the Royal Swizzle Stick and Great Panjandrum of the Bedchamber.

I don't believe in God. I have to admit I find it amazing how many people do. In a time of so much science and evidence to the contrary, that some people think that some being up in the clouds created the world based on a book written hundreds of years ago.... To me it holds no sense of logic. Plus, how does it reconcile with other religions?

Anyway, in some ways I am envious. I imagine it's comforting to have faith in some bigger power in that way.

‘Anyway, in some ways I am envious. I imagine it's comforting to have faith in some bigger power in that way.’

my issue with religion isn’t that people find comfort or solace in it, good for them. I did too when I was young and believed in god.

it’s the followers who use their belief to put down others or try to deny them human rights that are the problem. As a gay woman, married to a woman, with children, I worry about my safety and civil rights, and those of my wife and children because of other people beliefs.
And that really isn’t the way the modern world should be. My family deserves the same respect and rights as any other.

Why would it make you sad? If you truly believe that should be enough and you shouldn't care what any of us heathens think - since you're so special and going to heaven and we are not or have we sown a little seed of doubt?

I agree entirely. I morally oppose organised religion as a concept as I can't think of a single example where such a concept hasn't been used to control or repress or to justify immoral behavior (buddism maybe,,,, don't know enough about it really). But on an individual level it must be comforting and reassuring.

I used to be actively against religion and look down on it. I felt there was a level of ignorance associated with being able to believe something that to me seemed so silly. But I know recognise that that view is unfair and a bit bigoted in itself.

@MrsSchrute if your God is so great why do we need food banks? Why is there massive poverty and disease in the world? Why are innocent children sent to war? Or raped and killed? Why are so many humans suffering their entire lives? Why don't the children of god have clean water or enough food?
Doesn't seem like he's doing anything to help humans. Or as someone else said, he's a bit of a genocidal sick fuck.

I can't believe someone would write some thing like that. It's just unnecessary. I'm not special and you haven't sown doubt.

@38woman - why does the thread make you sad? I don’t believe in God/religion but am happy with my choice.

I'm another who can't understand why it makes you sad?

I think it was late and thinking, I'd be sad if there wasn't something I mean. I like your post though, we should all be happy with our choice.