I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?

[scoobysnack]

For a long time in my life I was depressed, and went around acting depressed. Then one day I kind of snapped out of it and realized it was a state of mind I was holding on to and when I let go of it, I realized there was no reason to be depressed and I need to be in control of my thoughts and feelings, and not let the depression take over my life.

So your husband actually goes around thinking negatively and expects positive outcomes?

I actually used to think about whether I should really believe in God, but after 15 years of personal research I believe it is the rational conclusion to draw, even though I can see or touch it or even measure it. I believe there is a God, but I'm not forcing anyone else to. That's a personal decision for everyone to make, and it might change at some point in this life or afterwards, or not.

Has your husband seen the film the secret? It's about the law of attraction, which too a point can be true. If you are positive, you tend to have positive experiences, and if you are negative you tend to have negative experiences. The state of mind can determine your perception at that moment. NOt a great example, but when you smile at someone they generally reciprocate with a smile, and if you frown, they do as well. You can do the same with other actions and emotions.

I bet your husband would find this interesting. It's about the law of attraction, and how to attract what you want into your life by focusing on them, and turning thoughts into things.

Edit. The first one I posted was not the one I watched. this is the first 20 minutes of what I've seen before.

You are equating thinking that it will rain, if you say it won't rain with negative thinking.  That's more than a little silly.

It's about focusing on what you want, not what you don't want. Whatever you focus on will manifest in some way or emotion, so it's best to stay positive, rather than focusing on what you don't want to influence your life. Kind of comes down to the confirmation bias.

Not that anyone will take this seriously, but I still remember the day my dad told me rake the leaves from the front lawn when I got home from school. I didn't want to, so started watching TV after school. I actually prayed which I don't normally do that I wouldn't have to rake the leaves. In the next 30 minutes the wind really picked up and blew all the leaves off the front lawn.

I'm not saying you can control the weather, but a positive attitude goes a long way to achieving your goals. You will be less likely to become discouraged and give up.

[ignoramus]

I love it!
The boys is so lazy to do a quick simple chore, he prayed to the almighty for some relief and God responded!
Well, who wouldn't be a believer after that! Hehe

Now all you have to do is pray that he gives you the wisdom to differentiate between work and woo!

[Ravenshire]

You are equating thinking that it will rain, if you say it won't rain with negative thinking.  That's more than a little silly.

It's about focusing on what you want, not what you don't want. Whatever you focus on will manifest in some way or emotion, so it's best to stay positive, rather than focusing on what you don't want to influence your life. Kind of comes down to the confirmation bias.

Not that anyone will take this seriously, but I still remember the day my dad told me rake the leaves from the front lawn when I got home from school. I didn't want to, so started watching TV after school. I actually prayed which I don't normally do that I wouldn't have to rake the leaves. In the next 30 minutes the wind really picked up and blew all the leaves off the front lawn.

I'm not saying you can control the weather, but a positive attitude goes a long way to achieving your goals. You will be less likely to become discouraged and give up.

This sounds like either a coincidence or a bunch of bullshit you just made to try to make your point.

You sound like an acolyte of Napoleon Hill.

[scoobysnack]

It's about focusing on what you want, not what you don't want. Whatever you focus on will manifest in some way or emotion, so it's best to stay positive, rather than focusing on what you don't want to influence your life. Kind of comes down to the confirmation bias.

Not that anyone will take this seriously, but I still remember the day my dad told me rake the leaves from the front lawn when I got home from school. I didn't want to, so started watching TV after school. I actually prayed which I don't normally do that I wouldn't have to rake the leaves. In the next 30 minutes the wind really picked up and blew all the leaves off the front lawn.

I'm not saying you can control the weather, but a positive attitude goes a long way to achieving your goals. You will be less likely to become discouraged and give up.

This sounds like either a coincidence or a bunch of bullshit you just made to try to make your point.

You sound like an acolyte of Napoleon Hill.

Very well could have been a coincidence, but that's seriously a true story. I remember thinking whoa, did that happen because I prayed or what. Honestly I don't remember why I prayed, because I wasn't the one to pray that much especially something like not having to rake the leaves. It stuck with me though as something to contemplate. Normally the leaves blow in the wind from yard to yard, but my dad actually congratulated me on the great job, even though I didn't do anything. Strange thing there was leaves in other people's yards.

[Ravenshire]

This sounds like either a coincidence or a bunch of bullshit you just made to try to make your point.

You sound like an acolyte of Napoleon Hill.

Very well could have been a coincidence, but that's seriously a true story. I remember thinking whoa, did that happen because I prayed or what. Honestly I don't remember why I prayed, because I wasn't the one to pray that much especially something like not having to rake the leaves. It stuck with me though as something to contemplate. Normally the leaves blow in the wind from yard to yard, but my dad actually congratulated me on the great job, even though I didn't do anything. Strange thing there was leaves in other people's yards.

You're way too easily impressed.

[Cecelia]

Very well could have been a coincidence, but that's seriously a true story. I remember thinking whoa, did that happen because I prayed or what. Honestly I don't remember why I prayed, because I wasn't the one to pray that much especially something like not having to rake the leaves. It stuck with me though as something to contemplate. Normally the leaves blow in the wind from yard to yard, but my dad actually congratulated me on the great job, even though I didn't do anything. Strange thing there was leaves in other people's yards.

So what you're saying is God has time to blow the leaves out of your yard, but no time at all to help kidnap victims or starving children?

God: Oh, sounds like Scooby is praying to me!  He doesn't want to rake the leaves.  I know I'll blow them out of the yard, and then he can lie to his dad about doing the job himself.  Hmmm... wait a minute, a little girl has been kidnapped and is about to be murdered?  She's praying for my help... which do I help... which do I help.... I think I'll help Scooby.

[scoobysnack]

Very well could have been a coincidence, but that's seriously a true story. I remember thinking whoa, did that happen because I prayed or what. Honestly I don't remember why I prayed, because I wasn't the one to pray that much especially something like not having to rake the leaves. It stuck with me though as something to contemplate. Normally the leaves blow in the wind from yard to yard, but my dad actually congratulated me on the great job, even though I didn't do anything. Strange thing there was leaves in other people's yards.

So what you're saying is God has time to blow the leaves out of your yard, but no time at all to help kidnap victims or starving children?

God: Oh, sounds like Scooby is praying to me!  He doesn't want to rake the leaves.  I know I'll blow them out of the yard, and then he can lie to his dad about doing the job himself.  Hmmm... wait a minute, a little girl has been kidnapped and is about to be murdered?  She's praying for my help... which do I help... which do I help.... I think I'll help Scooby.

Haha, I know it sounds crazy. I wouldn't say God doesn't want to help everyone, but there is free will, which allows people to do bad things. Just because they happen doesn't mean God wills it to happen. He doesn't want it to happen at all, but earth is a place for learning, and through pain people learn lessons, which effect the universal consciousness of us all in hopes that we will learn to prevent those things to happen. Just like a parent doesn't want their child to get hurt, the child will experience life and through pain learn a lesson to avoid that in the future. It's part of life and learning. Do you get upset when a carnivore kills it's prey? It's the circle of life and nature.

Check out this for the purpose of life, this will be helpful:

http://www.near-death.com/science/research/life.html

Of the info from Edgar Cayce about the purpose of life:

http://www.near-death.com/paranormal/edg...igins.html

[ApeNotKillApe]

Actually our understanding of spacetime suggests that we may not have free will. That said, I have questions: The people who were carted off to the concentration camps, did they have free will? Does a person who is being raped have their free will intact? Is a person who is crushed under a mudslide making a choice to do so?

[Cecelia]

There's millions of ways God could stop molesters if he actually existed, without interfering with their free will. He could give them a heart attack, send a tornado after them, have a wild animal attack them. He sent bears after some people after they made fun of a prophet being bald. I'd think child molestation would be more worthy.

And what precisely will a child who is murdered learn? What makes child molestation and murder part of the cycle of life? What kind of sick God blows the leaves out of the yard for a lazy child, yet refuses to do anything to save the life of a child who is pleading for their life? What will an 11 year old girl learn by being molested and murdered, her body dumped in the river?

"They go to heaven" doesn't work either, because they've still been allowed to suffer at the hands of a monster, and now have no free will. If there were free will in heaven, then bad things could happen in heaven as well.

The God you're describing sounds awful. Why would anyone worship him? Unless I guess he blew leaves out of their yard so they could be lazy I suppose.

Logically, I presume God doesn't exist. There's no good evidence of God. Just countless tales that could be anything from exaggeration to coincidences to any number of things. God need not exist to explain any of these things. But if God does indeed exist, he must answer to why he would allow a child to needlessly suffer for the free will of a monster. It all goes back to the problem of evil. If God is able, but not willing, then he is malevolent.

[Reforged]

Oh I find God is one of the many creature comforts our psyche clings to to make life more palatable.
Take for example free will. There are many people who embrace cause and consequence but still think humans are special. That we are somehow psychologically equipped in a way that everything else isn't to make choices that are entirely our own. They neglect to note that our brains, our minds, our everything is the result of internal organs with physical internal processes doing things to make us come to the decision we come to. Most of the factors which go into those decisions are subconscious. We actually make the decision seconds before we realize we have and the conscious mind is left weaving a narrative where it is in control.

Thats the difference between us and other animals when it comes to the free will debate. Narration. We are complicated animals but animals none the less. If a more complicated animal than us were to emerge our behavior would be as mysterious to them as the behavior of goats. Our consciousness is the interaction of objects. A physical effect. A verb outside of our control. Once this is understood the debates among whether AI would "truly be alive" disappear. The question ceases to have meaning. An animal becomes an organic machine that has emerged from a deeply flawed process of survival of the fittest; evolution.

The most disturbing thing I find about this train of thought is that psychopaths view the world in similar terms. They view everyone else as objects separate from themselves. Nothing more. In a way; they're right. The distinction they fail to draw is that they are also an object hence their grandiose narcissism. In a world of wooden puppets they view themselves as an exception to the rule, perhaps even as the puppeteer.
They are grossly mistaken.