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On the "Global Warming is..." thread, I noticed people talking about God. That thread took a long time to load for me, so I am posting here.
People were saying that there is no evidence that God exists. Here are some questions:
1. Where did humans come from? Some of these ideas circulating *coughbigbangtheorycough* are just outlandish- something exploded and a whole race of humans was born? *skeptical snort*
2. Where did that ideas about religion come from? If God doesn't exist (which He does!) then where did these ideas come from? I believe that Jesus came down from Heaven to save the World from sin. And that is why He would save us from anything (@ people on GW thread). He loves us.
3. If we don't believe that there's something bigger than us, we really are in trouble. We start thinking that we are above everything else and all-powerful, and this isn't true. SOMEONE had to create everything in the universe, and if we don't at least acknowledge that then we have no hope.
I believe very firmly in God. I'm a Catholic and proud of it. People were saying that there's no proof that God exists. I disagree, with flying colors. There is so much proof from people everywhere that it's undeniable, in fact. I've prayed to God and He's pulled through in the most amazing ways. My friends agree with me; it's happened for them too, and many other people I know. We've all experienced miracles. I know I have.
Please post your opinions on God here. Summarizing my post: I very firmly believe.
submitted by Mary W., age 11, Bordentown, NJ
(March 21, 2009 - 1:27 pm)
(March 21, 2009 - 1:27 pm)
I am Catholic and proud of it, too!! God is definitely real. As I said on the other GW thread, I have faith. I know what I have faith in. I have faith in God, Who created us.
"...Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."- John 20:29
(March 21, 2009 - 2:26 pm)
I am Catholic and I am So with you.
P.S.I am born on the holy presention of our Lord , Jesus Christ.
(April 27, 2009 - 7:13 pm)
To the top...
(March 21, 2009 - 2:48 pm)
GO MARY! I'm Catholic, too! If people think that there is no proof that God exists, I think the exact opposite: how could God not exist? The complexity of humans (born or unborn), animals, plants, non-living things, and how they all fit together could never have "just happened." Imagine how complicated a single cell is. Multiple that by 100 trillion (100,000,000,000,000) and you have a human body. Add a soul, which only God can do, and you have a human being. This could never just randomly fall into place. The only answer I see is God.
(March 21, 2009 - 3:32 pm)
That was really beautifully put, Maddy! It seems like people can be so snappish on here about religions. I have always believed in God, but I don't try to convert people who are athiest, and I am always interested in other people telling me about their religions. For instance, Falmiriel (is that how you spell it?) mentioned a religion that tolerates or includes parts of many religions, and that seemed very cool to me. I classify myself as a Christian, but I often do not identify with Christians. I feel like many people aren't accepting of others, and feel that to be "Christian" you must fit inside a certain box. Anyhow, this may be the last I post on a religion/global warming post, as I feel that they are becoming negative and depressing.
(March 21, 2009 - 6:38 pm)
Me, too...I think I will stop for now.
(March 22, 2009 - 7:05 am)
I'm a Catholic and proud to be one!:) Wonderfully put Mary Jo!:) <+><
(April 24, 2009 - 12:32 pm)
All right, I am going to try and be polite here so stick with me Admin and Mary and everyone posting here... *deep breath*
In response to 1. Um, evolution??? Okay, I understand that you don't believe that, but I think you should remember that the 'big bang' theory is not the only alternative to God creating the world.
In response to 2. My belief is that ideas about religion comes from a person's soul. There is no right religion and no wrong religion -- for the world. There IS a right and wrong religion for an individual. Which leads to your parentheses - '(Which he [God] does! [exist]) That is your belief, Mary. It is not necessarily THE belief, or the only one. No offense, but it sort of makes me annoyed when people say these things as if they are fact.
In response to 3. This one really got me riled up. The way I interpreted it, you were saying, 'If you don't believe in God, you are acting stuck-up and acting as if YOU are God.' Not true. You can believe that there is not a higher power and not think that you are above it all. My grandmother is an atheist. And she is definitely not like that.
My conclusion might surprise you: I believe in God. I believe very strongly that He exists. But I also believe that maybe God is not exactly like he is portrayed in the Bible. And I believe that, again, every person's belief is different and unique. There is no one right way.
Okay, I knew I said I wouldn't get mixed up in big arguments. I'm such a hypocrite. ;)
(March 21, 2009 - 5:33 pm)
(Please don't come and stalk me after this!) I'm an agnostic, who pretty much ignores god and religion. I'm like there might be a god..... or not. If there is, it doesn't affect me.
1. I agree with Lena G. Evolution is the best alternitive to religion. In fact, it's the only scientific alternitive. Intelligent Design isn't science, it's the Bible in disguise. And evolution isn't random! Good traits are passed on, while bad ones aren't!
2. Again, I agree. The only way a religion can be right, is for you individually. I won't tell people to not believe in god, but the Bible is more than 2000 years old! Also, I've read some passages, and in one part, Noah lets a dove fly in search of land. Then it comes back as a raven. Even "god" shouldn't be able to do that.
3. I got angry, too. Believing in god makes you somewhat stuck up. It is like "I was created after all the animals, so I must be better." Also, the Bible says that "Man has dominance over everything" or something like that, when talking to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Hitler was extremely Christian, and look what he did. He had an ego bigger than the world!
(March 22, 2009 - 6:50 am)
Wow, I said something worth agreeing with? Wow... ;)
(March 22, 2009 - 5:18 pm)
Pirocks, I will very carefully reply to the post above.
1. You say that "If there is [a god], it doesn't affect me." I believe God affects us all, no matter who we are or what we believe in (or indeed if we believe anything at all). At the end of the world, in the Great Tribulation, God will stand and judge the sheep from the goats. I believe this without question because it is so ingrained into my life, and because questioning the existence of God strains my mind. God is beyond anyone's comprehension.
2. You say that "Evolution is the best alternative to religion... [and] the only scientific one." This may be true, but evolution does not disprove religion. Nor does religion disprove evolution. The Greek philosopher Aristotle developed a theory of "causes." There's the "efficient cause," which describes the steps that something went through to become something else. Evolution of humans is the efficient cause of human existence. It was God's plan all along. And then there's the "final cause," which describes the reason for why something happened. Evolution helps us understand why, for example, humans have eyes that point forward or nails on fingers instead of claws, but it utterly fails in saying the purpose for which humans exist. Religion helps us understand that. As a devout Christian, I believe that God created the world, but I also believe, since I am a fairly rational person, that evolution did indeed happen. There is plenty of evidence. But why was evolution meant to happen? God created humans, and it wasn't necessarily by pointing his finger at the earth and saying "let there be humans". It happened the WAY evolution says it did, but the REASON is it was all part of God's plan for the world.
3. Noah sent out BOTH a dove and a raven at one point. The raven never returned, and it was cursed for its unfaithfulness, but the dove returned.
4. Christianity and Judaism, and maybe Islam, I'm not sure--much of them are about humbling yourselves toward God and being righteous. Reading the Bible reminds us that God is greater than us and that he created us. We should humble ourselves before him, as one of the Psalms puts it. I agree, there have been some quite stuck up and idiotic Christians in the past, but the message of Christianity is to "Repent of your sins and believe, for the Kingdom of God is at hand."
5. The Bible does not say that "Man has dominance over everything". It says: "Be fruitful and multiply, and rule over the birds of the air, the fish in the sea, and the animals on land. To you I give any growing plant to eat." However, if you read these words in context, the rest of the context implies, with that passage, that man is only the Steward of the world, not the Ruler of the world. God is the one and only Ruler of the world. For him we steward the earth, and how well we did that will be judged among other things at the end of time.
Finally, I would like to point out that Adolf Hitler was not Christian at all. In fact, he was an atheist and an egotistical maniac.
Admins, sorry if this post was a little long, but please don't do any major editing. I have thought about this post a lot and most of the words are important to the general message.
(March 30, 2009 - 8:05 pm)
Er, actually Hilter was Catholic. Sadly and obviously, he wasn't a practicing Catholic.
(April 10, 2009 - 4:40 pm)
Hitler was a heretical Aryan Catholic.
(April 23, 2009 - 10:49 pm)
What does THAT mean?
(April 24, 2009 - 6:53 am)
I've heard that Hitler denied that Jesus was both God and man.
(April 28, 2009 - 10:35 pm)