[tedquick]

Back on Sept 23rd, on the 4th page of the blog piece “Big Bang and the Bible” onslowe recommended the book “I don’t have enough faith to be an Atheist” by Norman Geisler. I just completed the book, thus my question and thank you, onslowe.

For me The Big Bang Theory adequately explains how God created the universe. Perhaps I should say that the BBTheory adequately explains to me the methodology that God utilized for His creation. If you are an atheist, and there is no God, then how can you explain the origin of the universe?

[Challenger]

Originally Posted by tedquick

Back on Sept 23rd, on the 4th page of the blog piece “Big Bang and the Bible” onslowe recommended the book “I don’t have enough faith to be an Atheist” by Norman Geisler. I just completed the book, thus my question and thank you, onslowe.

For me The Big Bang Theory adequately explains how God created the universe. Perhaps I should say that the BBTheory adequately explains to me the methodology that God utilized for His creation. If you are an atheist, and there is no God, then how can you explain the origin of the universe?

Who created God?

[Shimpy]

On a scale of 1 to 100 of intelligence we are 100 on this earth, the most intelligent by far.
If your dog sets by you and watches while you are on the internet and you try to explain to him what you are doing, you will never make him understand. He simply doesn't have the brain capacity to understand.
Now in the universe where there is probably many others than us we may be rated a 3 in intelligence out of 100. It's no wonder we can't expain the many things such as birth. What seems a miracle to us may seem only a simple occurance to them.

[tedquick]

Originally Posted by Challenger

Who created God?

While your question seems like a logical one, I don't know that any of us can understand, truly, what "infinite" means. Therefore I'm not sure any of us can understand that before the BB there was nothing, not even empty space, or time, just nothing except God. God always has been and always will be. He was there before the Big Bang. He created everything in the universe including time (and all of the other dimensions, whether that's a total of 11 or 21, or whatever it really is). I believe that before the BB there was nothing but God (well, the Triune). But I cannot tell you what "nothing" looks like. I'm not sure it can be explained in words that any of us could understand.

[KeepingItReal]

Originally Posted by Challenger

Who created God?

“Absence Of Evidence Is Not Evidence Of Absence.”

[tippyclubb]

Originally Posted by Challenger

Who created God?

Humans create God. I don't go to church anymore, and I don't pray often. I do believe in a higher power, I believe goodness is inside of everyone. I strongly believe in karma. I believe doing small acts of kindness everyday takes us one more step to our true purpose in life. The Golden Rule is a major belief of all religions and God is just a name.

[KeepingItReal]

Originally Posted by tippyclubb

Humans create God. I don't go to church anymore, and I don't pray often. I do believe in a higher power, I believe goodness is inside of everyone. I strongly believe in karma. I believe doing small acts of kindness everyday takes us one more step to our true purpose in life. The Golden Rule is a major belief of all religions and God is just a name.

God is not just a name to those that know and provides guidance and a moral compass even for those that say they don't believe.. Don't believe in karma as there is no source for it, just happens? Do we really believe there is goodness in every person even the murderers and such?

Watch the video below and see if anything rings a bell.

Evolution -VS- GOD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0u3-2CGOMQ#t=61

[tippyclubb]

Originally Posted by KeepingItReal

Evolution -VS- GOD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0u3-2CGOMQ#t=61

Yes, I watched your video all 38 minutes of it. According to it it I'm an atheist, which I was totally unaware of. Again, just another name.

I've done the church routine for many years and witness so much hypocrisy by God bearing people it soured me. I left the church disillusioned and vowed not to live my life being hypocritical.

I try to live my life according to the Golden Rule. You people on this forum know nothing about the goodness Tom & I have done for many charitable organizations. You know nothing about the countless soup kitchens we have worked in. Have you ever walked the streets of Detroit handing out food to the homeless? Have you ever sung Christmas carols in a nursing home? Have you done Meals On Wheels? Are you involved with Rainbow Connections or Fulfill A Dream? Have you ever welcomed a new person personally in TV? The list goes on. Small acts of kindness is powerful.

Tell me what you have done in the name of God to make other people's lives better. Do you live by The Golden Rule? Do you want to go to the Ocala National Forest with me to help feed the staving kids, and people there? I will come pick you up and together we can feed the hungry. It's not a pretty picture. PM me if you want to help out.

[tippyclubb]

Originally Posted by KeepingItReal

God is not just a name to those that know and provides guidance and a moral compass even for those that say they don't believe.. Don't believe in karma as there is no source for it, just happens? Do we really believe there is goodness in every person even the murderers and such?

Watch the video below and see if anything rings a bell.

Evolution -VS- GOD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0u3-2CGOMQ#t=61

I find it interesting you edited your post to include words totally different than what I responded too.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by tippyclubb

Yes, I watched your video all 38 minutes of it. According to it it I'm an atheist, which I was totally unaware of. Again, just another name.

I've done the church routine for many years and witness so much hypocrisy by God bearing people it soured me. I left the church disillusioned and vowed not to live my life being hypocritical.

I try to live my life according to the Golden Rule. You people on this forum know nothing about the goodness Tom & I have done for many charitable organizations. You know nothing about the countless soup kitchens we have worked in. Have you ever walked the streets of Detroit handing out food to the homeless? Have you ever sung Christmas carols in a nursing home? Have you done Meals On Wheels? Are you involved with Rainbow Connections or Fulfill A Dream? Have you ever welcomed a new person personally in TV? The list goes on. Small acts of kindness is powerful.

Tell me what you have done in the name of God to make other people's lives better. Do you live by The Golden Rule? Do you want to go to the Ocala National Forest with me to help feed the staving kids, and people there? I will come pick you up and together we can feed the hungry. It's not a pretty picture. PM me if you want to help out.

Most religious people cannot say they have helped in the many organizations and other things that you say you have done. They may say they are Christians, but what have they done beyond going to church every week? It's like the old story: just because you work in a garage doesn't make you a mechanic. Well, just because you go to church doesn't make you a good Christian either. How many religious people pray and the minute they walk out of their place of worship, all is forgotten.

I would much rather see people take action with some group or organization that is involved in helping others in some way, than those who regularly go to church and other than that, do nothing.

There are those who say or think that being an atheist is bad? So what is bad about it? Nothing. That's what!

BTW -- do you know what God looks like? I do. She's black.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by KeepingItReal

“Absence Of Evidence Is Not Evidence Of Absence.”

How about being specific and cite an example?

[BarryRX]

Originally Posted by tedquick

While your question seems like a logical one, I don't know that any of us can understand, truly, what "infinite" means. Therefore I'm not sure any of us can understand that before the BB there was nothing, not even empty space, or time, just nothing except God. God always has been and always will be. He was there before the Big Bang. He created everything in the universe including time (and all of the other dimensions, whether that's a total of 11 or 21, or whatever it really is). I believe that before the BB there was nothing but God (well, the Triune). But I cannot tell you what "nothing" looks like. I'm not sure it can be explained in words that any of us could understand.

Why can you believe that god is eternal but not believe the universe is eternal? And, of all the creation myths that humans have come up with, why do you believe this particular one? I think the difference between what I believe in and what you believe in is that if you would show me proof of what you believe in, I would change my mind. But there is nothing that anyone could show you that can make you change your mind, so these posts become nothing more than a forum for you to repeat over and over what your "beliefs" are. Throughout the ages, your original question "if not god then how" has been asked about fire, thunder and lightning, birth, death, disease, good and evil, etc.

[rubicon]

What I have gathered from this thread is that whether it is a question of God or science both are based on faith as both gather their information from past history. Generally speaking the commonality among religious people is they are mostly warm and most welcoming whereas atheist are stern almost angry all the time. a primary example of what I speak is Bill Maher or the atheist organization from Wisconsin Freedom From Religion. This was noticed in the atheist community and now according to a recent WSJ article they have changed their approach to be more welcoming.

Christian believe in creation. Atheist believe in evolution some concur that a combination of intelligent design is possible. some believe that the reason scientist can't find the missing link to man is because aliens came with artificial insemmination procedures to speed up evolution. They point to those fiery chariot in the sky as space vehicles.

The problem with this exercise is that there are simply too many unknown unknowns (Donald Rumfseld)

So in my view one has to be content with their belief because it doesn't appear as of this date that anyone has an answer to this riddle

I opine I do not argue and I respect everyone's point of view

[onslowe]

Please, a comment or two. It seems to me that one denigrates another's beliefs by styling them as "beliefs," something less than or something not worthy of acceptance.

Secondly, and apologies to Nietzsche, this is a realm of faith, not a prove or disprove science lab ostensibly ruled by reason alone. I think that man is motivated by faith, reason and emotion… not just reason. So, to the extent that we might not actually see
or prove scientifically those things we believe, then maybe belief of this enormity is beyond the scope of mere reason. Discussion is a ping pong match only. Two different languages perhaps are being used - perhaps. Certainly, as has been said, one who is skeptical of one set of beliefs is actually a true believer in another set of beliefs.

When someone says "…of all the creation myths….why believe in this particular one?" it is apparent to me that they themselves are saying that particular 'myth' is false. That logically implies that they know what is true because they know what is false. So, then, what is that truth? It's easy in our day and age to make an argument 'seem' logical but it rarely in this type of exchange ever is. What is the truth for each of us?

It is unfortunate also that today words no longer connote their proper meanings all of the time. An example is the popular inference drawn from the word "myth." It goes far beyond its now commonplace understanding of foolish and false belief. But people will still use it to gently ridicule another's belief in a variety of things, as though that was its full extent of meaning.

Aside from that, I do not understand how one could entertain the idea of the universe being eternal as a serious thought. The universe is matter, isn't it or have my science teachers all taught me lies?

These threads are not going to resolve anything. I agree with Blaise Pascal's statement "People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive."

Please, I encourage you to read "I Don't Have Enough Faith To be An Atheist" by Norman Geisler. It deals with the blind faith of atheists and/or agnostics.

[quirky3]

Originally Posted by tippyclubb

Yes, I watched your video all 38 minutes of it. According to it it I'm an atheist, which I was totally unaware of. Again, just another name.

I've done the church routine for many years and witness so much hypocrisy by God bearing people it soured me. I left the church disillusioned and vowed not to live my life being hypocritical.

I try to live my life according to the Golden Rule. You people on this forum know nothing about the goodness Tom & I have done for many charitable organizations. You know nothing about the countless soup kitchens we have worked in. Have you ever walked the streets of Detroit handing out food to the homeless? Have you ever sung Christmas carols in a nursing home? Have you done Meals On Wheels? Are you involved with Rainbow Connections or Fulfill A Dream? Have you ever welcomed a new person personally in TV? The list goes on. Small acts of kindness is powerful.

Tell me what you have done in the name of God to make other people's lives better. Do you live by The Golden Rule? Do you want to go to the Ocala National Forest with me to help feed the staving kids, and people there? I will come pick you up and together we can feed the hungry. It's not a pretty picture. PM me if you want to help out.

I love both of your posts here and relate very well to them. Thank you for posting!