The idea of God always existing

[ThomM]

You see,... I have a catholic background and my teachers always told me to write the word -god- with a capital G. But as an Atheist I refuse that,... yet it is so burned in,... that when I am typing very fast... I still use the G when writing it by accident,... because I was learned too do it that way. My logic goes against it, yet my force of habbit complains.

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I too have a catholic past- but the nuns who taught me made it simple - you ONLY use a capital G when you are referring to the "true god" and not to the others.

Based on their statement - the use of a small g is always correct!

[Jackalope]

So, are you planning on necroposting every damn thread in this sub-forum?

From: https://atheistforums.org/rules.php

Do not necropost.
Necroposting is the act of posting a new reply to a thread that hasn't seen activity for a long period of time. Our specified limit in terms of necroposts is 30 days. That means if you post a reply to a thread that hasn't had any replies for more than 30 days, you are necroposting. We appreciate that checking the last reply date is hard, so you will see a warning notice whenever you try to reply. If you think you can make a new thread out of your reply, please try to do that instead.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

-god- with a capital G.

I'm also a recovering Catholic,but use the upper case "G" because I think it's grammatically correct; "God" is a proper name.

I also think that to deliberately use a lower case 'g' as an insult is risibly petulant

So, are you planning on necroposting every damn thread in this sub-forum?

Oops,my bad,I didn't realise. You may send Shell or Summer over to give me a good birching, or both of 'em.

[Kayenneh]

Oops,my bad,I didn't realise. You may send Shell or Summer over to give me a good birching, or both of 'em.

...


I could give you a big smack on your backside with my mallet..

[michaelbest55]

I guess I'm guilty of doing philosophy...

An interviewer once asked Carl Sagan where the universe came from if not from God. Sagan replied, “If you say the universe came from God, the next question is ‘where did God come from?’ If you then say ‘God always existed’ then why not save a step and say the universe always existed.” Occam’s razor at its finest!

Modern science teaches us that the universe began in a “big bang.” Most theists would point to this and say, “See! Something had to be before the big bang.” They fail to understand that there wasn’t any time or space before the big bang.

The first source of confusion follows from thinking effective cause (cause and effect) is the only kind of cause. Aristotle also identified Material Cause, Formal Cause and Final Cause. The Scholastics adapted these ideas to theology. Prior means that, in order to exist at all, the physical world depends upon these causes. They are pre-conditions for physical reality, the inviolate Rule from which the particular rules governing the physical universe derive.

The second source of confusion follows from thinking of the physical universe as existing apart from the creator. Out of nothing, nothing comes. That rules out creation ex nihilo. If God created a separate creation then you would have two entities: God and his creation. God plus the creation would make an entity greater than either God or the creation alone. Such a god would be less that the totality and therefore not the actual Supreme Being. From this it follows that no god could create a universe from nothing nor could a god make something outside of itself. Therefore all of creation including the known universe occurs within the totality. This totality is God.

This position is known a Panentheism, which is slightly different than Pantheism.

How do you explain "there wasn’t any time or space before the big bang." ?

[festive1]

From: https://atheistforums.org/rules.php

Do not necropost.
Necroposting is the act of posting a new reply to a thread that hasn't seen activity for a long period of time. Our specified limit in terms of necroposts is 30 days. That means if you post a reply to a thread that hasn't had any replies for more than 30 days, you are necroposting. We appreciate that checking the last reply date is hard, so you will see a warning notice whenever you try to reply. If you think you can make a new thread out of your reply, please try to do that instead.

I'm highly amused this happened on the same page as this initial warning from Cthulhu... I think that's a record of some sort.

[Minimalist]

Perhaps this is a dumb question but isn't it tidier to associate new posts with an existing post?

Besides, seeing some of the old names is a trip down memory lane.

[Cato]

Cato coughs uncontrollably after inhaling dust immediately after opening thread.

[Minimalist]

[Cinjin]

How do you explain "there wasn’t any time or space before the big bang." ?

When in doubt ... make shit up. If science can't explain it .... than wizards it is!