Does God Exist?

Quote: zippyboy

Hey, anyone who can see the Virgin Mary in a broken plate

Its the special glasses they give you at 3-D movies.
Quit being so quick to judge, just get the glasses
and you'll see for yourself...

I dont believe in God.

But if he does exist and created us then he is cruel person. The amount of suffering that goes on in the world is horrendous beyond belief.

Quote: dealerwins

I dont believe in God.

But if he does exist and created us then he is cruel person. The amount of suffering that goes on in the world is horrendous beyond belief.

and therein lies a conundrum. If God is good then why is there evil? If God is evil then He doesn't deserve my attention. If God is something in between, then He's just and invisible friend who lives on a cloud.

I'm amazed that there are seemingly so many good and smart people who don't believe in God.
Some quick comments:
"Godless gambling", without God all of life is a gamble. I don't believe we are just a crapshoot, like most people on this forum I want to be an advantage player. Betting on purely random events can be fun, but in a casino you will always lose in the long run. I'm betting on a divine dice setter - its the only smart way to play!

Our quasi history lessons about humanity's longing to find some deeper mystical reality in life only serves to show me that we have an innate desire to believe that there is something more to this life than the temporary and passing stuff we see around us. If for thousands and thousands and thousands of years mankind has been searching to find some deeper reality to why we exist; what happens when it seems like (at least on the WoV forum) we stopped searching and boldly declare there is no God?

When it comes to suffering there is far too much, there is no denying that. Of course we have to at the same time remember there is much good in our world too, but that is not an answer. Nor is it completely adequate to point out that the horrendous suffering you spoke about would only be that much more horrible if this world was all there was and there was no afterlife. I simply want to say that mankind could alleviate so much of the suffering our brothers and sisters are feeling. I do not believe we will be able to do that if we are all convinced that we and all around us are cosmic accidents. First we need to see ourselves and everyone else as loved into existence with a dignity that deserves and demands our care. This is why God is so important to me and I think for humanity.

Quote: zippyboy

And apparently even these days there are idiots who see messages in random BS, like Virgin Mary in burnt toast.

Superstition is a powerful force.

I wasn't surprised to find out there's a country where people believe electric fans left on overnight in a bedroom can kill the room's occupant. I was very much surprised to find this country is South Korea.

Here's another superstition, which fortunately has lost some currency: downing a common aspirin with a cola drink will result in blood poisoning or some other kind of adverse reaction. That was very current in mexico in the 70s, 80s and even 90s. The most widely accepted explanation was that the cafeeine in coke reacted badly with aspirin. No one, however, questioned the existence, since the 1920s!, of a product called "Cafiaspirinas," which are aspiring tablets infused with about a cofee cup's worth of caffeine.

Has anyone here read any Ernest Becker?

I think his analysis of society and religion hits the nail on the head.