Does God really exist?

talib-al-kalim said:
All the teachings and spiritual exercises make sense with my understanding. If you apply the same assuming that the Name stands for Toaster, it doesn't make any sense.
You may succeed to understand the Word of the prophets and spiritual exercise without using the Name, but you will surely fail if you redefine the Name inappropriately.
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Semantics is what you are talking about. It's simple, until there is actual, objective proof of any god, it remains a big NO.
 
muhammad_isa said:
What would you expect to see, if G-d existed?
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Something which clearly violated things we know to be true. The moon turning into a disco ball, or something? But that could be explained away by aliens with sufficient technology. Maybe a bit in the Bible describing some scientific knowledge that is cl;ear about what it is talking about, but couldn't have been known by the people living at the time. I saw an example of this somewhere once, using Kepler's laws or something, but I can't remember it off the top of my head.

In any case, God would know what would convince me, even if I don't.
muhammad_isa said:
Welcome to the forum, btw. :)
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Thank you! :)
 
talib-al-kalim said:
All the teachings and spiritual exercises make sense with my understanding. If you apply the same assuming that the Name stands for Toaster, it doesn't make any sense.
You may succeed to understand the Word of the prophets and spiritual exercise without using the Name, but you will surely fail if you redefine the Name inappropriately.
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But you are redefining the name as well.

You are redefining God to mean "The universe".

We already have a name for the universe. That name is: "The Universe."

Deciding that "God" is a better name for it is not justifiable (at least as far as I can see) for two reasons.

First, you've provided no justification as to why calling it God is better than calling it The Universe.

Secondly, calling it God carries with it a lot of preconceived ideas, and these ideas will be different for different people. This creates a great deal of ambiguity as to what exactly you mean by calling the universe "God."
 
Kylie said:
But you are redefining the name as well.

You are redefining God to mean "The universe".

We already have a name for the universe. That name is: "The Universe."

Deciding that "God" is a better name for it is not justifiable (at least as far as I can see) for two reasons.

First, you've provided no justification as to why calling it God is better than calling it The Universe.

Secondly, calling it God carries with it a lot of preconceived ideas, and these ideas will be different for different people. This creates a great deal of ambiguity as to what exactly you mean by calling the universe "God."
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I've wondered about this too. I'm thinking that maybe whenever people think of the universe as having some kind of awareness and/or purpose in it or behind it, they call that "God." Or they call the universe "God" as a way of saying that there is some kind of awareness and/or purpose in it. There might be some confusion sometimes about whether they think that's what "God" means in the Abrahamic scriptures.
 
Kylie said:
But you are redefining the name as well.

You are redefining God to mean "The universe".

We already have a name for the universe. That name is: "The Universe."

Deciding that "God" is a better name for it is not justifiable (at least as far as I can see) for two reasons.

First, you've provided no justification as to why calling it God is better than calling it The Universe.

Secondly, calling it God carries with it a lot of preconceived ideas, and these ideas will be different for different people. This creates a great deal of ambiguity as to what exactly you mean by calling the universe "God."
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Longfellow said:
I've wondered about this too. I'm thinking that maybe whenever people think of the universe as having some kind of awareness and/or purpose in it or behind it, they call that "God." Or they call the universe "God" as a way of saying that there is some kind of awareness and/or purpose in it. There might be some confusion sometimes about whether they think that's what "God" means in the Abrahamic scriptures.
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There are indeed different concepts between and in the Abrahamic religions and over time. The concept that God is universal is more rooted in Islam. The ancient Jews called Him "our God", and Christians pray "our Father". But we also pray to God. God is near, His Spirit is in us, and we link with our environment. The concept of the Universe is different. I associate with this something that is far off, huge indeed but it doesn't need my attention.
 
Kylie said:
..God would know what would convince me, even if I don't..
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Indeed, G-d is aware of what is in our minds.
We are not automatons .. we have a soul .. a conscience .. which is G-d given.

G-d has no need of anybody's worship .. we are the ones in need .. to enable us
to ward off evil .. to remind us of the path of righteousness.

Human beings are easily led .. our worldly desires can lead us astray.
 
abdolhosseini said:
Does God really exist?
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I do not believe so.
(Just my thoughts on the subject of how belief came about)

The life cycle.
All things are made(created), preserved(exist for some time), and destroyed(their existence ends; death).
An acronym of this which I have always liked is Generation(creation), Operation(in existence), Destruction.
Maybe that's where the word GOD came from....eer probably not:)

I think that the ancients(wise people, thinkers, sages etc) of all cultures, observed this cycle and noticed that it is universal and named it.
Writers wrote about it mythologically. Some believed in the stories.
Some deified it.
Hence, the myriad of different belief systems.


(I have been a strong theist in two religions, both of which I really enjoyed. So I am not without empathy towards theists).


craz
 
Defining God:

The non contingent foundation of all existence. Yes

That which is morally superior authority.
Nothing shows up

All knowing.
No

All powerful.
No. Would have acted by now.

Creator.
No. This is evidently a horrible creation.

Infinite ground of all being.
Maybe but I don't believe so

All wise.
No such existence

Perfectly benevolent with supreme innocence.
I wish, but nothing evidently shows up.

No need of checking out any monotheistic religions. The trouble they cause is immense.
 
muhammad_isa said:
Indeed, G-d is aware of what is in our minds.
We are not automatons .. we have a soul .. a conscience .. which is G-d given.

G-d has no need of anybody's worship .. we are the ones in need .. to enable us
to ward off evil .. to remind us of the path of righteousness.

Human beings are easily led .. our worldly desires can lead us astray.
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So then we are agreed: God knows what would convince me.

The next question is this: Is he capable of producing this evidence?
 
talib-al-kalim said:
There are indeed different concepts between and in the Abrahamic religions and over time. The concept that God is universal is more rooted in Islam. The ancient Jews called Him "our God", and Christians pray "our Father". But we also pray to God. God is near, His Spirit is in us, and we link with our environment. The concept of the Universe is different. I associate with this something that is far off, huge indeed but it doesn't need my attention.
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I don't see how this address my point at all, which was that you claim that redefining things is wrong, yet you are doing it yourself.
 
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