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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:00 pm
(December 3, 2015 at 3:49 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Oh yes, I Scooby Dooed the crap out of it.
And what was it?
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:14 pm
(November 25, 2015 at 10:47 am)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Cancer is either entirely found in nature, or it came about through the free will of people themselves - polluting the air, adding chemicals to our foods, not taking care of our planet, etc.
Either way, I don't see it as God working like a wizard with a magic wand, inflicting people with it for some kind of purpose. I see it as Him allowing the natural course of things to happen, just as He did so when we evolved. And I explained in my other post why I do not believe this makes him an evil being.
But what you are essentially saying here is that your god is weaker than humanity. If that is the case and your god exists, then it is not a being worthy of worship, pity maybe, but not worship.
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:17 pm
Right.
I'm standing there. Nobody else around. Not a single logical reason for the knocking sound.
I close the door and turn round to go back to bed. In the halflight I can see a small rectangular object at my feet. It's a payment book - against my better judgement Sam had taken out a loan of shopping vouchers at ridiculous percent interest. I suddenly remember that the agent is due first thing to collect the next instalment. But I'd left it propped on top of the thermostat box on the wall. It couldn't... could it?
Underneath the thermostat control was a large wooden box used in amateur stage shows, which came with the flat and now served duty as a side table. Light began to dawn in my head.
Worked it out yet?
I put the book back on the thermostat where it came from, then gave it a gentle push. It toppled and fell, hitting first the 'table' and then the floor. Bang - bang. Like that. Two raps and nothing more.
I smiled at the solved mystery. No ghosts, no magic. It probably would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for this meddling kid. But - and this is the real point - what story would I have written if I'd stayed in bed, unwilling and perhaps too frightened to investigate?
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:21 pm
I think to say he exists is crap, everyone who says he exists is full of crap. All it takes is one look at the unintelligent assertions, coupled with the fact that there's literally no proof. It becomes really obvious that it's a big fat lie, and it never becomes any less concerning that people still believe this abject junk.
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:27 pm
(December 3, 2015 at 4:17 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Right.
I'm standing there. Nobody else around. Not a single logical reason for the knocking sound.
I close the door and turn round to go back to bed. In the halflight I can see a small rectangular object at my feet. It's a payment book - against my better judgement Sam had taken out a loan of shopping vouchers at ridiculous percent interest. I suddenly remember that the agent is due first thing to collect the next instalment. But I'd left it propped on top of the thermostat box on the wall. It couldn't... could it?
Underneath the thermostat control was a large wooden box used in amateur stage shows, which came with the flat and now served duty as a side table. Light began to dawn in my head.
Worked it out yet?
I put the book back on the thermostat where it came from, then gave it a gentle push. It toppled and fell, hitting first the 'table' and then the floor. Bang - bang. Like that. Two raps and nothing more.
I smiled at the solved mystery. No ghosts, no magic. It probably would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for this meddling kid. But - and this is the real point - what story would I have written if I'd stayed in bed, unwilling and perhaps too frightened to investigate?
Interesting story, thanks for sharing.
For the record, if this had happened to me I would not have thought it was a ghost either lol.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:31 pm
There's hope for you yet. 
Though would a god factor in there anywhere?
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:38 pm
(December 3, 2015 at 4:31 pm)Stimbo Wrote: There's hope for you yet.
Though would a god factor in there anywhere?
Haha good to hear!
And no. It would take a lot more than a strange noise for me to be convinced something supernatural happened.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:44 pm
(December 3, 2015 at 4:31 pm)Stimbo Wrote: There's hope for you yet.
Though would a god factor in there anywhere?
Stimbo, I'm curious about something. Do you think all theists first thought is that God is responsible for things we aren't sure how to explain? I mean I understand your premise with the story, but one distinct thing about your story is there are many natural explanations for the banging you heard. I don't think most people's first thoughts are supernatural explanations. The logical thing is to investigate all natural explanations first.
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 4:56 pm
And that's my point. Do believers exercise the same critical thinking faculties on their own beliefs and personal experiences as everyone should do when confronted by a mystery, leap to the most fanciful explanation that seems to fit the facts, or simply be content with the mystery? As I said, what story would I have if I hadn't eliminated the mundane first? Or at all?
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Where do you stand on the existence of God?
December 3, 2015 at 5:02 pm
(December 3, 2015 at 4:17 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Right.
I'm standing there. Nobody else around. Not a single logical reason for the knocking sound.
I close the door and turn round to go back to bed. In the halflight I can see a small rectangular object at my feet. It's a payment book - against my better judgement Sam had taken out a loan of shopping vouchers at ridiculous percent interest. I suddenly remember that the agent is due first thing to collect the next instalment. But I'd left it propped on top of the thermostat box on the wall. It couldn't... could it?
Underneath the thermostat control was a large wooden box used in amateur stage shows, which came with the flat and now served duty as a side table. Light began to dawn in my head.
Worked it out yet?
I put the book back on the thermostat where it came from, then gave it a gentle push. It toppled and fell, hitting first the 'table' and then the floor. Bang - bang. Like that. Two raps and nothing more.
I smiled at the solved mystery. No ghosts, no magic. It probably would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for this meddling kid. But - and this is the real point - what story would I have written if I'd stayed in bed, unwilling and perhaps too frightened to investigate?
Aliens!
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