Is God real post your thoughts!

[purfishx]

 

 

 

Not really. You didn't exist for billions of years before now. Was it that bad?

 

 

 

I see what you did there. We didn't exist therefore we didn't know that we existed or not THEREFOREEE it didn't matter.... or is my train of thought off?

[warri0r45]

I just don't get why people want to live forever. Other than that I guess I got nothing against christianity or those other religions where you reincarnate or you are reborn or w/e

 

 

 

I find eternity, as an idea, to be extremely dull, and in a way, frightening.

 

 

 

You'd prefer not existing to being bored?

 

 

 

Oh come on.

 

Having the inability to think is freaky.

 

Sure, nonexistence wouldn't be too bad, primarily because you couldn't experience it, but I would rather be bored and still able to ponder my boredom.

 

 

 

I'm going to agree with Perakp here. I think I'd rather just ending at some point rather than living for eternity. Without a doubt I'd be bored and after a period of time I'd have nothing more to do. There's nothing freaky about the inability to think/eternal nothingness as far as I'm concerned. To me living forever with no way out would be much more freaky.

[Lenticular_J]

I guess you could call me agnostic about the afterlife. I don't know what happens, except I think that whatever you want to happen does.

 

 

 

But I don't think anybody knows what they want.

[EdgedThesis]

Not really. You didn't exist for billions of years before now. Was it that bad?

 

 

 

Yeah, I bet it's probably a lot like sleeping. Being that sort of consciousness would be cool since I feel at peace when I sleep.

 

 

 

Sleeping? Nah, man.

 

 

 

You say you feel at peace? When you don't exist you can't feel. You can't think. You can't sleep. You're just not there.

 

It's unfathomable. It's futile even to try, because when you're trying to imagine not existing, you're amplifying the fact that you do exist by thinking extremely hard.

 

 

 

It wouldn't be bad, or good. It's just nothingness. You wouldn't experience it because you wouldn't sense, process, or postulate.

 

 

 

I wouldn't like it just because I prefer life and activity over something that I can't even describe and where I will not progress.

 

 

 

Though, it's probably the likeliest of fates after death. Like a candle's fire--the electricity and chemical processes surging through our body would just... wink out.

[gman019]

 

 

 

Sleeping? Nah, man.

 

 

 

You say you feel at peace? When you don't exist you can't feel. You can't think. You can't sleep. You're just not there.

 

It's unfathomable. It's futile even to try, because when you're trying to imagine not existing, you're amplifying the fact that you do exist by thinking extremely hard.

 

 

 

It wouldn't be bad, or good. It's just nothingness. You wouldn't experience it because you wouldn't sense, process, or postulate.

 

 

 

I wouldn't like it just because I prefer life and activity over something that I can't even describe and where I will not progress.

 

 

 

Though, it's probably the likeliest of fates after death. Like a candle's fire--the electricity and chemical processes surging through our body would just... wink out.

 

 

 

If you can't feel or think how the [bleep] do you know you're there?

[Zierro]

That's true. It is a big step up from anything we ever felt before in our lives - but sleeping is probably the closest thing to it that we've ever experienced.

[Necrobean]

I couldn't resist. Not even in the mood to read all of these discussions;

 

 

 

 

Does conventional logic, in that case, work if you don't have a baseball? What else do you do?

 

 

 

Without having a baseball? That's a lie, so are we now saying that religion is a lie? Now we're getting somewhere...

 

Then that first comic has no relation with this thread. The problem is, we can't take God physically and show people that he is there. So, what do we do? How do we use "conventional logic" to prove God exists?

 

 

 

Physical proof, but no really some proof, visual proof. Not per sé god himself but a divine sign that could convince one. There is nothing but a book left which is -probally- written by a person whom was tripping on mescaline.

 

 

 

The religious logic is just wrong. The churches, what has MONEY to do with The All Mighty, God, jah, The Lord. It is all based on corruption and false information. Many people have been killed because of what? Something fantasized; religion.

[Necrobean]

 

 

 

Sleeping? Nah, man.

 

 

 

You say you feel at peace? When you don't exist you can't feel. You can't think. You can't sleep. You're just not there.

 

It's unfathomable. It's futile even to try, because when you're trying to imagine not existing, you're amplifying the fact that you do exist by thinking extremely hard.

 

 

 

It wouldn't be bad, or good. It's just nothingness. You wouldn't experience it because you wouldn't sense, process, or postulate.

 

 

 

I wouldn't like it just because I prefer life and activity over something that I can't even describe and where I will not progress.

 

 

 

Though, it's probably the likeliest of fates after death. Like a candle's fire--the electricity and chemical processes surging through our body would just... wink out.

 

 

 

If you can't feel or think how the [bleep] do you know you're there?

 

 

 

Sorry for double post;

 

 

 

Smoke some DMT or get ahold of Mescaline. You're wanting to achieve Ego death.

[Zierro]

^^ I brought up sleeping but I completely forgot about drugs. Well since heroin is the closest thing to being asleep and being asleep is the closest thing to being dead then I guess death must feel a lot like heroin. :-#

[EdgedThesis]

Damn, my parents absolutely hate drugs. :(

[Distracted]

I couldn't resist. Not even in the mood to read all of these discussions;

 

 

 

 

Does conventional logic, in that case, work if you don't have a baseball? What else do you do?

 

 

 

Without having a baseball? That's a lie, so are we now saying that religion is a lie? Now we're getting somewhere...

 

Then that first comic has no relation with this thread. The problem is, we can't take God physically and show people that he is there. So, what do we do? How do we use "conventional logic" to prove God exists?

 

 

 

Physical proof, but no really some proof, visual proof. Not per sé god himself but a divine sign that could convince one. There is nothing but a book left which is -probally- written by a person whom was tripping on mescaline.

 

 

 

The religious logic is just wrong. The churches, what has MONEY to do with The All Mighty, God, jah, The Lord. It is all based on corruption and false information. Many people have been killed because of what? Something fantasized; religion.

 

 

 

On April 2, 1968, two mechanics working in a city garage across the street from St. Mary's Church of Zeitoun, Egypt, were startled to see what appeared to be a nun dressed in white standing on top of the large dome at the center of the roof. Fearful that something might happen to the sister, one of the men ran into the church to get a priest, the other telephoned for a police emergency squad.

 

 

 

When the priest ran from the church to look up at the dome, he was the first to recognize it as a manifestation of Mother Mary. The image of the Blessed Mother remained in full view of the priest, the two mechanics, and a growing crowd of excited witnesses for several minutes, then disappeared.

 

...

 

Amazingly, for the next three years, the visions of the Holy Mother manifested sporadically atop the dome of the church. Millions claimed to witness the visitations, and numerous photographs of the spiritual phenomenon can be found on the Internet.

 

 

 

Now if you want to, you can look up the images, but the 1968 cameras aren't really of the best quality...

 

 

 

Now you can't tell me this is a hoax, in 1968 there was no technology to project the image on the church dome, and my own grandfather has seen it, and I trust him enough to know he's not lying (and especially about things such as this).

 

 

 

In western society, (most) people don't even think about God. You just do one thing, hurry to get to something else, then go back to sleep. In a religious country, where religion is an everyday part of life, miracles happen, maybe even on a daily basis. I'm not talking about big apparitions or people rising from the death, but small simple things.

 

Like a woman that really wanted to fast, but her doctor told her she shouldn't because of a stomach problem. Ofcourse she was sad and prayed in the hope that God would help her. And surely she dreamt of Jesus telling her she could fast, and the next day she went to the doctor and the problem that would've taken months to heal, was gone.

 

Even in conversation people will say something like "If it wasn't to St. * I wouldn't be standing here/wouldn't be talking right now/..."

[Lateralus]

It's interesting that the supposed apparition looks like the European paintings of Mary which are obviously wildly inaccurate.

 

 

 

People see what they want to see.

 

 

 

EDIT: When I was flicking through google image results for "Virgin Mary Apparition" I came across this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It bears about as much resemblance to the classic Mary image as most of the miraculous sightings. Not quite so magisterial when it's a flesh wound.

[Distracted]

I looked up the images too, and I don't like the way they looked. They just didn't seem quite right.

 

But also human beings saw them. My grandfather is a very trustworthy person, I know he's not lying about this. And I doubt all those other millions of people that saw it are lying too. Or the ones that were miraculously healed.

 

 

 

If you choose to be blind to the evidence, go ahead. I won't try to further convince you that it's real, everyone has a freedom to believe in whatever they want to believe in.

[Lateralus]

I looked up the images too, and I don't like the way they looked. They just didn't seem quite right.

 

But also human beings saw them. My grandfather is a very trustworthy person, I know he's not lying about this. And I doubt all those other millions of people that saw it are lying too. Or the ones that were miraculously healed.

 

 

 

I don't doubt what people saw and I can't explain it, but can you see how 'saw outline of Mary' to 'Christian God exists' is an odd jump? What if it had been the outline of the Buddha or Muhammad - Would that have convinced you that those religions were right?

 

 

 

I think it's a little unfair to say I'm ignoring evidence as well, since incredulity is never a real barrier when the evidence is strong enough.

[Distracted]

I looked up the images too, and I don't like the way they looked. They just didn't seem quite right.

 

But also human beings saw them. My grandfather is a very trustworthy person, I know he's not lying about this. And I doubt all those other millions of people that saw it are lying too. Or the ones that were miraculously healed.

 

 

 

I don't doubt what people saw and I can't explain it, but can you see how 'saw outline of Mary' to 'Christian God exists' is an odd jump? What if it had been the outline of the Buddha or Muhammad - Would that have convinced you that those religions were right?

 

 

 

 

Well, St. Mary isn't just a random person... She is the mother of Jesus Christ, and she wasn't chosen randomly. She appeared on the St. Mary's church.

 

 

 

But let me ask you. If St. Mary or Jesus would appear to you, and you would clearly see them, wouldn't this convince you that there is a God, and maybe encourage you to read the bible or do some research?

 

 

 

I accept that Muhammad and Buddha were real persons, but that doesn't mean I think those religions are right.

[Lateralus]

I looked up the images too, and I don't like the way they looked. They just didn't seem quite right.

 

But also human beings saw them. My grandfather is a very trustworthy person, I know he's not lying about this. And I doubt all those other millions of people that saw it are lying too. Or the ones that were miraculously healed.

 

 

 

I don't doubt what people saw and I can't explain it, but can you see how 'saw outline of Mary' to 'Christian God exists' is an odd jump? What if it had been the outline of the Buddha or Muhammad - Would that have convinced you that those religions were right?

 

 

 

 

Well, St. Mary isn't just a random person... She is the mother of Jesus Christ, and she wasn't chosen randomly. She appeared on the St. Mary's church.

 

 

 

But let me ask you. If St. Mary or Jesus would appear to you, and you would clearly see them, wouldn't this convince you that there is a God, and maybe encourage you to read the bible or do some research?

 

 

 

I accept that Muhammad and Buddha were real persons, but that doesn't mean I think those religions are right.

 

 

 

If St. Mary or Jesus were to appear to me, and me only, I think I'd check myself into a mental institution. If they appeared to many people and there was no doubting them then I'd have no choice but to reverse my position. I would like to think that I'd continue to ignore God and religion, because even if it were true I'd still disagree with it. I have read the Bible by the way. It would be difficult for me to understand Paradise Lost or The Divine Comedy without having my King James Bible next to me.

 

 

 

You didn't really answer my questions either. Why does Mary appearing make your religion correct if the same doesn't hold true for other religions? There's also the issue of the unfalsifiability of a God who doesn't intervene directly. If he can't be disproved then he can't be proved to be true, especially not by an apparition. People seeing stuff = God exists just doesn't make sense. This supposed sighting is no more proof for the Christian God's existence than God 'talking to people'.

[Distracted]

I looked up the images too, and I don't like the way they looked. They just didn't seem quite right.

 

But also human beings saw them. My grandfather is a very trustworthy person, I know he's not lying about this. And I doubt all those other millions of people that saw it are lying too. Or the ones that were miraculously healed.

 

 

 

I don't doubt what people saw and I can't explain it, but can you see how 'saw outline of Mary' to 'Christian God exists' is an odd jump? What if it had been the outline of the Buddha or Muhammad - Would that have convinced you that those religions were right?

 

 

 

 

Well, St. Mary isn't just a random person... She is the mother of Jesus Christ, and she wasn't chosen randomly. She appeared on the St. Mary's church.

 

 

 

But let me ask you. If St. Mary or Jesus would appear to you, and you would clearly see them, wouldn't this convince you that there is a God, and maybe encourage you to read the bible or do some research?

 

 

 

I accept that Muhammad and Buddha were real persons, but that doesn't mean I think those religions are right.

 

 

 

If St. Mary or Jesus were to appear to me, and me only, I think I'd check myself into a mental institution. If they appeared to many people and there was no doubting them then I'd have no choice but to reverse my position. I would like to think that I'd continue to ignore God and religion, because even if it were true I'd still disagree with it. I have read the Bible by the way. It would be difficult for me to understand Paradise Lost or The Divine Comedy without having my King James Bible next to me.

 

 

 

You didn't really answer my questions either. Why does Mary appearing make your religion correct if the same doesn't hold true for other religions? There's also the issue of the unfalsifiability of a God who doesn't intervene directly. If he can't be disproved then he can't be proved to be true, especially not by an apparition. People seeing stuff = God exists just doesn't make sense. This supposed sighting is no more proof for the Christian God's existence than God 'talking to people'.

 

 

 

Well, first of all, I respect the fact that you've read the Bible instead of ignoring Christianity with no reasons or in blind stupidity. If you don't think that the things written in the Bible are right, or you simply don't believe them, I can't force you to do so.

 

 

 

I never said that the fact that St. Mary appeared makes Christianity the right religion. I had answered someone who wanted to see true evidence that God is there, and I gave it to them. Although I have to disagree with the "People seeing stuff = God exists just doesn't make sense." If millions of people would all see the same thing (namely Jesus or St. Mary) and we all knew it can't be a trick or a hoax, it would convince me (and most people that saw it) that Jesus or St. Mary existed or still exist, which in turn would lead me to believing that God exists. I said most people because there are also people who would think, like yourself, that it's a psychological problem if they see people that are long dead, but others might think that such a thing is a sign of God's divine powers.

[Lateralus]

I never said that the fact that St. Mary appeared makes Christianity the right religion. I had answered someone who wanted to see true evidence that God is there, and I gave it to them.

 

 

 

I don't understand the difference. If a god (any god) used a Christian symbol to show himself to the world, doesn't that suggest it's the Christian God? I don't think believers in Hinduism would take Mary's appearance as proof of god's existence.

 

 

 

Although I have to disagree with the "People seeing stuff = God exists just doesn't make sense." If millions of people would all see the same thing (namely Jesus or St. Mary) and we all knew it can't be a trick or a hoax, it would convince me (and most people that saw it) that Jesus or St. Mary existed or still exist, which in turn would lead me to believing that God exists. I said most people because there are also people who would think, like yourself, that it's a psychological problem if they see people that are long dead, but others might think that such a thing is a sign of God's divine powers.

 

 

 

You don't see the possibility of it being something other than a trick or hoax or divine intervention? It could just be a natural phenomenon. That aside 'seeing an image' to 'God exists' is a jump in logic. You can't know for certain what this shape is, you're just speculating, which can hardly be called proof.

 

 

 

An interesting question occurs to me. How would you react if Mohammad or any other non-Christian religious figure appeared to you?

[Distracted]

Well, I haven't heard of any cases that include Muhammad or such appearing, but if he did appear I'd try to speak to him and ask what he wants/why he appeared to me of all people. If he doesn't answer I'd probably do some research, but if he does answer and the answer sounds a bit dumb, I'd probably ignore it as a hoax or something.

 

 

 

Oh, and Muslims believe in God too... They just call him Allah instead of God. I don't know all the differences between the Christian God and the Muslim one, but I doubt they're that big that you won't recognize the one in the other.

 

 

 

Oh, and how could St. Mary or something appearing be a natural phenomenon? I don't believe in those stupid things like seeing Satan's face in a fire or such.

[Shinjula]

There's a major problem with people seeing iconography in stuff. We know that major parts of our brains are devoted to pattern recognition and that those parts are essentially over active particularly when it comes to seeing faces and people. That's why its so easy to see faces in clouds. There are whole hosts of tricks one can play on ones vision.

 

Take for example the Mother Teresa Bun

 

 

But you gotta think a little deeper about it, sure it really does look like Mother Teresa, but why would God be sending pictures on Mother Teresa to us, using the medium of BUNS???

 

Is he saying in his infinite wisdom that buns are holy? That we must make more bread? What does this message mean?

 

And when you ask those questions nothing comes out? There is no message he's sending us that could possibly make sense, to all accounts the bun maker wasn't a particularly holy man, certainly not compared with other notably holy men.

 

Its just a bun.

 

That happens to look like a person.

[Distracted]

I doubt anyone thinks that's a whole bun or anything. But seeing a clear image of someone in thin air is different then seeing a face in a bun.

 

 

 

My bathroom has I think marble flooring or something, and I often see faces and horses and such things in those lines. Do I think my floor is holy? Ofcourse not.

[Lateralus]

Well, I haven't heard of any cases that include Muhammad or such appearing, but if he did appear I'd try to speak to him and ask what he wants/why he appeared to me of all people. If he doesn't answer I'd probably do some research, but if he does answer and the answer sounds a bit dumb, I'd probably ignore it as a hoax or something.

 

 

 

So you employ much less credulity when dealing with other faiths, as is to be expected.

 

 

 

Oh, and Muslims believe in God too... They just call him Allah instead of God. I don't know all the differences between the Christian God and the Muslim one, but I doubt they're that big that you won't recognize the one in the other.

 

 

 

It wasn't my intention to start comparing religions, I was just seeing if the appearance of an 'opposing' religious figure would make your belief waver as much as St. Mary appearing seems to have affirmed it.

 

 

 

Oh, and how could St. Mary or something appearing be a natural phenomenon? I don't believe in those stupid things like seeing Satan's face in a fire or such.

 

 

 

Like I said earlier I can't explain it, especially not with the terrible photographs, but that doesn't make it supernatural. Whatever the cause I still think it's shoddy 'proof' of anything.

[user1991]

I looked up the images too, and I don't like the way they looked. They just didn't seem quite right.

 

But also human beings saw them. My grandfather is a very trustworthy person, I know he's not lying about this. And I doubt all those other millions of people that saw it are lying too. Or the ones that were miraculously healed.

 

 

 

If you choose to be blind to the evidence, go ahead. I won't try to further convince you that it's real, everyone has a freedom to believe in whatever they want to believe in.

 

 

 

Oh my..

 

 

 

are you serious?

 

 

 

"Sightings" of the "Virgin Mary" = omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.

 

 

 

Real nice reasoning there. Hey, this morning I took a dump outside, and it looked sorta like Buddha, so from now on, I'm a buddhist, because obviously the shape of my dump MUST mean that everything Buddha said is automatically true.

 

 

 

You know what, nevermind. Just believe what you believe, but don't start making laws with it. I don't care if you want to believe this sorta stuff, just as long as you keep it away from government/the system of law.

 

 

 

Oh and, read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

[user1991]

 

 

 

Sleeping? Nah, man.

 

 

 

You say you feel at peace? When you don't exist you can't feel. You can't think. You can't sleep. You're just not there.

 

It's unfathomable. It's futile even to try, because when you're trying to imagine not existing, you're amplifying the fact that you do exist by thinking extremely hard.

 

 

 

It wouldn't be bad, or good. It's just nothingness. You wouldn't experience it because you wouldn't sense, process, or postulate.

 

 

 

I wouldn't like it just because I prefer life and activity over something that I can't even describe and where I will not progress.

 

 

 

Though, it's probably the likeliest of fates after death. Like a candle's fire--the electricity and chemical processes surging through our body would just... wink out.

 

 

 

If you can't feel or think how the [bleep] do you know you're there?

 

 

 

Sorry for double post;

 

 

 

Smoke some DMT or get ahold of Mescaline. You're wanting to achieve Ego death.

 

 

 

 

 

Taking DMT is as close as you will ever come to experience what is known as "God." Even though I don't think he exists, I could sorta see how taking DMT would make you believe in him. Kinda.

[Lenticular_J]

I don't care if you want to believe this sorta stuff

 

Yes you do. Just as I care that you care. Else we wouldn't be here.

 

 

 

Also. Why were you pooping outside? How ridiculous.