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God?(#$@)

In the past, whenever I felt myself beginning to wonder about the existence of a God or higher Being, I always cited the same evidence:

If the entire universe began at the Big Bang, the singularity that “exploded” must have originated from an object or being that is outside of our universe, since this creator would have created our time and space.

This seems to be a relatively secure argument, especially because of my own experiences exploring this situation. I believe that there is a reason that it is almost impossible to visualize ourselves outside of our spacetime-bound universe. It is this mental block that creates, both, a higher being and a separation from this being.

Other proof that I find comforting (towards the existence of a God) is the intricacy of our world, and ourselves. If the entire course of evolution from the birth of life was compressed into a one-year period, then “humans” would have evolved at eight in the evening on the final day. While this was still a period of millions of years, based on the complexity of cellular communication and other systems particular to modern humans, I don’t believe that this would be possible without aid (Be it luck, or something bigger).

The actual process of Evolution is far beyond the scope of this article, but it is built upon mutations that create selection. When speaking of advancement, we can focus on the positive mutations. Any alteration in an organisms genetic material will most likely have a negative result, and based on the evolutionary requirements of other organisms – by far the most advanced creatures on the planet – could have evolved without aid (I also don’t find it coincidental that philosophy and questioning our origin is specific to humans).

The question now (for me) is not whether or not a God exists, but what form it takes and what it’s purpose is. I am a member of the Druze faith, which does not have a clear definition of a God or a chiseled heaven and hell. Instead, we believe in the reincarnation of the soul, and as an expansion I believe that God is – in part at least – the soul.

I have recently found a very strong spiritual connenction while meditating. Meditating helps me become my soul and connect with the part of it that is god.

There it is…I believe in a god, a spirit, humans, and myself.

Note: Don’t let the Philosophy and Elitism article die, there seemed to be an interesting discussion going on.

30 Comments

  1. Juan

    Aug 25, 03:41

    I won’t try to make you an atheist but I’ll present a more probable scenario. Although the word atheist comes from the Greek meaning without god (a-theós), I don’t think atheists are necessarily about negating God’s existence; atheism is about producing a system sans a demiurge. At least I as an atheist, am not about negating God.

    To be honest, to me the idea of the Big Bang is comforting. The concept of God is too complex for me; the Big Bang is very easy for me to grasp my tiny mind around. I like simplicity. Then I thought: why does there need to be a beginning? The Big Bang takes the necessity of a beginning a priori. But it does not say why a beginning is necessary, fit is necessary at all. To me, the universe has always existed, therefore there was never a beginning. If the universe always has been, then there is no necessity for a demiurge.

    Your statement that the mental block you experience when you try to visualize yourself outside of a ‘spacetime-bound universe’ means that God exists is non sequitur. When I experience a similar phenomenon, I conclude that I am either approaching the problem incorrectly or I am not mentally mature to delve into the issue.

    Nor does the ‘complexity’ of humanity, of the human body, predicates the existence of a deity. To you, it may seem complex but to someone else, it may seem simple. Complexity and Simplicity are user phenomenon, this is to say that I as an individual will reach a conclusion concercing a problem with relation to how much of the pattern I am aware of. If am ignorant of the pattern, then a problem will seem complex to me. Another person may have a bigger picture of the pattern and therefore, to him the problem is simple.

    I cannot use God as an explanation for the universe. By adding the idea of God, I further confound everything – God is a complex idea. For me, to say God created the universe is to limit my understanding. It is saying: I don’t know the answer to such and such questions, I’ll say God created the universe because it solves this problem.

    As a Humanist, I believe in a system that works without taking God into consideration; therefore allowing man to be responsible for his actions. His inabilities in developing his potential then are his – he cannot blame another being. He is the master of his life.

  2. beajerry

    Sep 1, 01:21

    God is more of a spiritual comfort—a deep understanding of the self and a sense of meaning in life.
    It’s when you take that spirituality and try and apply it to the world around you that you get into trouble.
    The empirical world is explained by science.
    Religious symbols do not point to literal things, but to metaphorical meanings.
    So it is fine to take comfort in spirituality and call it “God”, but you kill that God quickly whenever you use it literally, e.g. when you say God created the Big Bang then you’ve just killed him.
    Another example: When you set up a camera to try and record Santa Claus, you’ve just killed him because he’s not literal, he’s a symbol with meaning.

  3. Thame

    Sep 1, 03:21

    “Another example: When you set up a camera to try and record Santa Claus, you’ve just killed him because he’s not literal, he’s a symbol with meaning.”

    I’m not sure if there is (as you say) a cosmic Uncertainty Principle, because I do believe that there is something “bigger” inside humans.

    “e.g. when you say God created the Big Bang then you’ve just killed him.”

    How is that, the idea that a god began the Big Bang or provided the initial conditions and matter for the explosion is not only convincing proof (for me anyway), but it also proves the continuing existence of a god outside of our universe.

    I understand what you are saying about the symbolic nature of a god, but i’m afraid this may be more of a result of religions than god itself.

    I’m really busy these days, but I would definitaly like to expand on these ideas soon.

  4. Jae

    Sep 1, 10:11

    Well, I don’t really have much time to write something overly complex, but I’ll just cite something from my personal experience.

    It is .. interesting that people tend to limit everything to their own understanding. You do not understand God and so, it ‘complicates’ things. It makes it easier to just say God doesn’t exist, and stick with what we can understand. This type of thinking does have an appeal, but from what I’ve found, it’s far from correct.

    Indeed, we may never be able to completely understand God. He may never completely fit into how we perceive the world. This never really sit well with me, considering my intellectual nature.

    Coming from a religious family, I had a huge motivation to seek this being. Over the years, I believe I may have found something.

    Empirical evidence is hard to find about God. Well, evidence that the world wouldn’t call bull. So, I searched for something else. Something a majority have trouble believing in, myself included. Supernatural evidence. Not many believe in it. I didn’t. But regardless, out of the blue, I found something that blew my mind. It removed all notions that a God couldn’t exist.

    As hard it is to believe with our human minds that a God could exist, it truly is a different ball game when God show himself the only way he could.

    I realised that a reason why God cannot be explained or easily believed by the intellectuals of today is not because of lack of evidence. It’s because of close-mindedness. Many don’t believe in supernatural things. But look at it this way. If you only look for the evidence of God in the natural world, guess what you would conclude ? That God doesn’t necessarily exist because .. well, it’s just natural.

    In the supernatural, things aren’t as easy to explain. And I don’t mean mumbo jumbo like card tricks or ESP. I’ve seen a friend fully healed of a terminal disease overnight. I’ve seen a friend’s distorted foot straighten itself in front of my eyes. I guess you could explain them away somehow if you thought about it hard enough. But that’s just trying to avoid admitting that a God exists. I’d rather take my chances with God, rather than just look at ‘placebo’ or some other rationale to explain it.

  5. Juan

    Sep 1, 16:30

    To say that atheists are close-minded because they dont’ believe in God is simply absurd. It is as if you are saying, er… you can’t prove God’s existence but God exists … and though I can’t prove it to you I am still right. It’s not about proving God’s existence, that is not the point at all! God’s existence cannot be established nor disproved. Simply put, we can create systems where God does not come into effect, that is what I proposed.

    Faith provides certainty.

    Faith provides meaning.
    a
    Faith is a governor. moral compass. An autopilot in the seas of uncertainty and chaos.

    If I have faith, iIam assured the universe has meaning. My pain, my poverty, my afflictions are not in vain. Life is not random. I am not without hope. I can go on. I will be justly rewarded later.

    Faith supplies the goals for my system—a goal of future bliss, heaven, nirvana, re-incarnation.

    Faith frees me from setting goals; thus it reduces my biocost by eliminating the time consuming task of establishing my own goals and my own governor. And it frees me from having to monitor and regulate my goals.

    Faith is the low-cost solution.

  6. Thame

    Sep 1, 21:05

    “Faith is the low-cost solution.”

    I think that God is, as you say, the low-cost solution, not faith. Faith (in oneself, or a personal belief system) is empowering and beautiful.

    I feel that God may be a product of the human ego. Since it was technically possible for the Big Bang Singularity to have risen from nothing (it being infinitely tiny and dense). While this may be unintuitive, it is surely a possibility and negates the need for a catalytic god.

    I mention this because humans created an omniscient, omnipotent being to give their lives a purpose. Without a god, humans are as random a collection of molecules as any other “living” thing.

  7. Jae

    Sep 2, 01:28

    “To say that atheists are close-minded because they dont’ believe in God is simply absurd.”

    Actually, you’re right. That was the wrong word to use there. My apologies.

    I guess what I was really trying to convey in that line was to sum up my original argument, that we as humans, tend to rather sit here on our thinking charis, and merely use our mental capacity to dicern whether or not a diety should or shouldn’t exist, from our own reasoning. Well, of course, we would’ve researched into it as well, so it’s not completely a biased point of view.

    What I propose is that before you completely close that door on the need (or lack of a need) for a God in the universe, is that you don’t only attempt to seek answers through purely intellectual means, or in terms of mere knowledge. Instead, as I mentioned before supernatural things.

    It does sound absurd, but I did it, and no amount of coaxing or ‘sound’ argument could sway me from what I’ve experienced. Seeing is believing as some would say.

  8. Juan

    Sep 2, 02:05

    As a Humanist, I have created a system that attempts to explain the universe to me and how it functions. To me, the how is important and the why is of no consequence to a large extent. It’s impossible to know the why. But the how lies in our domain.

    I understand that no sound argument will bring you over, not that I’m trying to accomplish that. Nor do I use the intellect to establish the existence of inexistence of the Deity; I guess my type of atheism is non-militant for lack of a better word. Intelllect and experience are not separate. We take things we experience (through the senses) and attempt to comprehend them through the Intellect. My disbelief in God is not simply intellectual, it is also because of my experiences. Concerning supernatural things; people use to think that the eruption of a volcano was because a deity was upset and so forth, but we’ve advanced in our understanding of Nature. The ‘supernatural’ can always be explained, except sometimes we are unable to because at the time, we are not prepared, be it scientifically, mentally.

    But my question would be: why do I need to believe in God? What does it do for me to place credit for the existence of everything on a supreme being when I can simply say: Nature.

  9. Thame

    Sep 2, 03:43

    Juan

    “But my question would be: why do I need to believe in God? What does it do for me to place credit for the existence of everything on a supreme being when I can simply say: Nature.”

    It is not as simple as that, because we must question the origin of “Nature”. I’m afraid that laying credit on Nature is almost as Creationist as my statement about the Big Bang.

    And if we are speaking of Nature, this obviously includes more than physical characteristics...certain behavioral instincts can also be classified as Natural. Thus, it becomes possible to generalize various human actions as innate and immutable, such as belief in a god.

    Jae
    “Seeing is believing as some would say.”

    That would certainly solve a few problems!

  10. Juan

    Sep 2, 17:17

    Well I don’t see why the origin of Nature must be questioned. We have been taught by society that there are origins to things, I simply don’t buy that; it seems like mere conventionalism.

    Perhaps the issue is wether truthful or beautiful theories are being predicated.

    I don’t see why I must ‘lay credit’ upon a being that I cannot see, that I cannot feel, not that one can fully trust one’s senses, or for that matter, one’s intellect in interpreting.

    Does it even matter? As I said earlier, the why cannot be discovered.

  11. Thame

    Sep 3, 05:12

    “Well I don’t see why the origin of Nature must be questioned.”

    That is, unfortunately, not an option for me. I must trace everything back as far as a I can. To me, growth is comforting, and it is in history that I find the most advancement.

    “I don’t see why I must ‘lay credit’ upon a being that I cannot see, that I cannot feel, not that one can fully trust one’s senses, or for that matter, one’s intellect in interpreting.”

    That is the difference. I do feel a connection (often mentally tangible – if that makes sense at all) with a god, and I have scientific proof (again, this may apply only to myself) of the necessity for a higher being.

  12. Orikinla Osinachi

    Sep 8, 21:18

    First, I love you.

    Yes. God has been there before the Big Bang and will continue to be there after the next Big Bang.

    The Big Bang is right there in Genesis of the Holy Bible. But, the limited education of most theologists and Christian scholars and ministers have not enabled them to explain it to the world.

    If you have really studied the Big Bang Theory, you will understand how it is explained in the Genesis of the Holy Bible.

    The oldest book in the Holy Bible, JOB also mentioned the Prehistoric monsters.

    God is real.
    God is not an idea.
    God is not a theory and God is not dead.
    He is alive and well.
    He is my Father.
    Everything HE said HE is going to do for me, HE is doing it.
    And I am enjoying HIM totally.
    Even, if God says, “My son come home tonight.”
    I will go smiling. Because, I know where I am going to join HIM is a zillion times better than this “messed’ up earth.

    We humans have killed more of ourselves in senseless and useless wars than all the natural disasters from Genesis to date.

    Over 40 MILLION Humans have been killed in wars from 1914 to date alone and more are still being killed everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world.

    In fact, I have asked God to put humankind out of their misery, because the agonies, ironies and miseries of humankind break my heart everyday as I see them on the streets and on news channels.

    God is real and HE reads my posts.
    He is always watching over me.
    And I love HIM and I am very glad and grateful to be privileged to have an awesome Father like HIM JEHOVAH.
    I am proud of God.

  13. Thame

    Sep 9, 18:21

    “First, I love you.”

    I love you too :) , and although I am not very religious, I do understand what you’re saying.

  14. Jason Martino

    Sep 11, 02:45

    When I was a child, I asked, “Who created the world?”

    My grandmother replied, “God.”

    So then I asked, “Who created God?”

    The only answer I ever got was that God was always there, which seems as reasonable as saying that the universe was always there. God has to live somewhere.

    So I guess I don’t see how the existence of the universe needs to have the existence of God.

    In response to Orikinla Osinachi’s entry,

    “The Big Bang is right there in Genesis of the Holy Bible. But, the limited education of most theologists and Christian scholars and ministers have not enabled them to explain it to the world.”

    I just read Genesis and I didn’t come across any reference to the Big Bang. What religion do I have to subscribe to, what education do I need, who do I have to meet to unlock the secret code of the Bible? I didn’t realize God was so exclusionary. Or that being literate was a requirement for a getting a straight answer for my initial question, “Who created the world?”

  15. Thame

    Sep 11, 03:43

    “So I guess I don’t see how the existence of the universe needs to have the existence of God.”
    The way I see it is that our universe was born during the Big Bang, where everything was born out of an infinitely tiny and dense point of matter. I believe that the Big Bang was a result of a higher being because something must have created the singularity which itself originated in a location outside of time and space (since this singularity would eventually become our universe).

    A higher being (God, if you wish) that is located in a...situation...beyond our imagination and our universe created this singularity and set it in motion.

    “What religion do I have to subscribe to?”
    Frankly, I don’t. Sometimes, a religion can painfully binding.

  16. Tom

    Sep 11, 06:26

    Why would you believe in God when it’s obviously not necessary.
    Give me a reason to believe in God, that is valid, and I’ll think about converting myself into a religious… Just one reason to believe in him.

  17. Ken

    Sep 11, 07:09

    “I just read Genesis and I didn’t come across any reference to the Big Bang.”

    And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genisis 1:3. To cause light

    What religion do I have to subscribe to, what education do I need, who do I have to meet to unlock the secret code of the Bible? I didn’t realize God was so exclusionary. Or that being literate was a requirement for a getting a straight answer for my initial question, “Who created the world?””

    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genisis 1:1. That’s about as straight an answer as God can give.

    I’ve been a renewed Christian for 15 years (i had my time doing my own thing) and I still struggle with understanding. Everyone does. Sometimes it makes sense, some times it’s ‘huh?’. However, I find that the more I study my bible the more I understand. Reading the bible is developing a relationship with God. Relationships take time. Good ones take forever.

    As for evolution, lets remember that not too long ago it was still called a ‘theory’. Now we embrace it as fact.

    The odd thing is that our universe has one constant and that is decay. Things die. They are born, grow a bit and then slowly decay and die.

    Another constant is that mutations do not improve a species. Species do adapt to that which is consistent with their species (i.e. monkey’s grow thicker fur in cold climates. Monkeys do not grow wings to fly away from the cold.). Now we are supposed to believe that given millions of years and mutation, life as we know it came to pass?

    Yeah, and those flying monkeys are coming out of my butt.

  18. Ben

    Sep 11, 08:50

    I have debated with a lot of people about this issue and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a larger force responsible for the universe and a planned evolution of the species on the planet. I beleive in evolution, but I don’t believe it was random.

    If you look at how well organized nature is it’s hard to believe that all of these pieces to a huge puzzle could have simply fallen into place without some sort of higher planner or an intelligent force.

    I don’t believe in the Christian God that takes an active role in every day life and I don’t believe human beings have a life that was planned out for them.

    I simple think we are fortunate to be given a chance at this life and that random occurences and “fate” make it interesting.

  19. Greg

    Sep 11, 14:37

    I see a poster, a nice font, an amazing website… it would be ridiculous to assume that it just ‘appeared’, out of nowhere. That it is just there, made up of the fabric of the universe.

    I don’t think it overtly but rather assume that the ‘designer’ is out there somewhere. I don’t know his name or where he lives and I have no idea what he looks like but I see the result of his work and I know that he exists.

  20. greg

    Sep 11, 14:50

    Tom: “Give me a reason to believe in God”

    You are right, there is no reason to believe in God. But I think (and it’s only what I think) you are missing the point. God (or whatever you want to call him, Big Bang if you like) exists regardless of whether anyone believes in him. God (or this thing we are discussing here) is not a religion and I would discourage you from ‘converting to’ any religion.

    I would only encourange you to do some thinking – ‘soul searching’ as I like to call it. Look at the facts put before you in your life and make up your own mind about what to belive in. After all, what is it you are ‘converting’ from and why is it you are searching for a reason?

  21. Thame

    Sep 11, 17:37

    “Why would you believe in God when it’s obviously not necessary.”

    It is certainly not a requirement, but I feel that it helps me explain other phenomenon in our universe.

    “I have debated with a lot of people about this issue and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a larger force responsible for the universe and a planned evolution of the species on the planet. I beleive in evolution, but I don’t believe it was random.”

    I agree Ben, nature is simply too complex (from the tiniest intercellular interactions to the movement of entire animals) to have been the result of random mutation.

    “I would only encourange you to do some thinking – ‘soul searching’ as I like to call it. Look at the facts put before you in your life and make up your own mind about what to belive in.”

    Those are wise words Greg.

    Sorry I couldn’t reply to each comment in-depth, but I only have a few minutes before my next class.

    In the meantime, keep the discussion going!

  22. Vik

    Sep 11, 19:29

    Weird stuff..
    I’m Hindu, our faith/religion states
    Our Gods were like humans, they had their versions of aircrafts/ flying devices, had versions of most of our mordern day devices.

    Also states that creation to destruction of earth is described in 10 phases and as 10 avatars of god,

    1> as a fish (water)
    2> as turtle (amphibian)
    3> boar (land)
    4>Half Human /Half Animal
    5>Human(preacher)
    6>Human(Warrior)
    7>Human(King)
    8>Human(Strategist/Politician)
    9>Human(Preacher – Peace)
    10> Human (Destroyer)

    Sounds like the process of evolution…

    weird isnt it?

    Now the question is was/is god an alien much more advanced than us running a test case/ study on earth/our universe???

  23. Jack

    Sep 11, 23:19

    on evolution:

    Evolution is not mutation. It’s unreasonable to assume that monkeys simply grew wings just as it is unreasonable to say superheroes can gain powers through irradiation.

    Evolution is the slow accumulation of genetic changes that occur naturally. The process of reproduction is random, even brothers have varied genetic structure. Nature “tries out” a varied range of genetic combinations, based from a predefined median, and those that survive are deemed superior and forms the new median. Whenever a change is introduced into the environment, the genetic median shifts, and slowly as the environment changes, so does the genetic structure of various species.

    I do not believe that nature is complex. The physical world is extremely simple, based on strict rules of nuclear bonding and particle sets. The reason we percieve it as complex is because of our large magnification. At any time when a large number of random elements are introduced to a closed system, patterns will emerge. However the underlying rules governing the system can be very simple.

    I’m agnostic and I do not believe that god can be found through empirical analysis. Spirituality does not overlap with reality. (is there a physical manifestation of the soul?)

  24. Thame

    Sep 12, 17:43

    Yes, I’m afraid many here are taking a Lamarckian approach to evolution. Jack explains it best:

    “Evolution is the slow accumulation of genetic changes that occur naturally.”
    _________________________________________________

    “The physical world is extremely simple, based on strict rules of nuclear bonding and particle sets.”

    It is true that the most basic elements of our universe are rigid and simple, but as we extend toward the macroscopic world, the complexity and intricacy of every facet of our universe is astounding.

    ”(is there a physical manifestation of the soul?)”

    Ahh... The soul. It is worth an article in itself!

  25. Caleb

    Sep 12, 23:36

    It seems you do in fact believe that God exists. If that is the case do you not think he would reveal Himself to us? I belive he does and I believe this is done in the Bible.

    You may ask well what about the Koran and other relegious texts. Well I do believe they are false. The Bible attests itself that only it is true.

    Another question. If God indeed does exist and does reveal Himself, why would He decieve us by having multiple texts and relegions. Well, God can not be a deciever, so only one can be true.

    Sctripture tells us of a triune God. Father, Son and Spirit. The three are mysteriously one, but yet still three. And God sent his son to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins, for His wrath was against us for our sin.

    True relegion is found in Jesus Christ and faith in Him and his accomplishments on the cross. It is only through Christ we can know God. Not thru ourself. Christ is our mediator to God by His Spirit.

  26. lr

    Sep 13, 08:11

    What an interesting topic. Although Christian, I agree that religions are “binding” in that questioning appears to be roundly discouraged – and usually for internal political reasons.

    In my view, though, the Christian Bible is a book of wisdom. Read from beginning to end, one will find nothing but contradictions, but this doesn’t make it any less wise. Both the wisdom and the history presented in it are spiritual in nature and our philosophies are simply a constant struggle for greater understanding.

    To the best of my knowledge, the Bible never addresses anything scientifically, but is concerned with internal struggles/motivations and external triumphs/misfortunes.

    Other religions are just as wise and I’m thinking primarily of Eastern philosophies here. I do not exclude them from my own spiritual journey (to the dismay of my fellow Christians), but rather embrace any idea which resonates as true, dispensing with those which come across as false. In doing so, I’ve found remarkable similarities across the board and have come to the conclusion that God has chosen to reveal himself to different people of different cultures in different ways – ways they can understand and relate to based on their own experience. The universality of these similar concepts (arrived at despite the relative isolation of different cultures for the greater part of human history) is just one more indication to me that God does, indeed, exist.

    I identify myself as Christian not because I was brought up in it. In fact, that experience actually turned me against it. But the Great Spirit would have none of that and convinced me of His existence by opening my eyes to the moments at which He’d been at work in my life. Those were the moments in which I’d made exceedingly wise decisions. Considering I very much doubt I possess any wisdom myself, that’s proof enough for me. :)

    Specifically, I’m Christian because I don’t believe a thirty-something carpenter from a small town in the Middle East could have come by so much wisdom so quickly on his own. I’m therefore convinced he was who he said he was.

    To believe or not is as subjective as it gets. If there’s any experimenting going on, that’s it: Free will.

    We seem to get a little lost when we try to reconcile the concept of God with our physical universe and I have many strange ideas about that which I will spare you. (You have no idea how lucky you are on that score.) Suffice to say, if one believes the physical world – and us along with it – were created by a higher being, that same being gave us the means to understand and utilize our surroundings for physical sustenance and well-being, i.e. pharmaceuticals are ultimately derived from plants. Medicine, Physics, Astronomy and all other forms of human understanding were inspired (or created, same difference) by the source of all life.

    Creation never stopped. Evolution never stopped. They have always been; they will always be and that didn’t change when King James said “Put a ‘The End’ there”. That being the case, why should we not continue to question, grow and evolve in our understanding? I get the feeling we’re expected to do so.

    To whit, there is nothing to indicate to me that God is constantly driving His creation. The hurricane that just hit the gulf coast, for example, was not specifically “His doing”. He created physical laws, mathematical laws and spiritual laws to govern His creation and put the whole shebang on automatic. At least, that’s how it looks from where I sit. He might step in to alter DNA every once in a while, allowing the racoons that wandered from North America to South America to develop a prehensile tail so they might have a better chance at survival… or something. Perhaps “Natural Selection” is just a little tweaking here and there.

    The physical universe inspires us to wonder about these things, though, and I believe we’re curious for a reason: He wants to be known. He wants us to care for His creation (which is something we’ve royally screwed up) and He wants to be loved and appreciated for it.

    As for the Trinity, I don’t think it’s all that mysterious. It’s just a revelation in stages as we’ve developed as a species: The mind of God; the heart of God and the spirit of God. As infants, we needed a stern father. As teenagers, we needed the heart to consider our fellow man. As adults (considering the inestimable destruction our “toys” can bring about), we needed wisdom – the spirit of God moving among us.

    Mind + body + spirit = Trinity. We were made in His image. Makes sense to me.

    Sorry to ramble, but you all have fired way too many neurons there and I’m given to understand that making “essay-worthy” comments is chief among my greatest faults.

    The acquisition of knowledge is a journey that never ends….

  27. Daniel Nicolas

    Sep 14, 19:52

    Nice site. I believe in God too.

  28. Orikinla Osinachi

    Sep 28, 15:14

    This debate has been going on since Genesis to date. And God is enjoying all our searches for the Truth.

    My late father was a certified Metaphysician who did awesome things that ordinary mortals cannot do. For example there is a power called the HAMZAD that seems like the ultimate power, but it is of the devil.

    Who watched “Brother, Where Art Thou?”
    This is an American film and in that film the three escaped convicts met one black man with a guitar at a T-Junction on the road and they asked him what he was doing there. He replied that he was there to exchange his soul for the devil’s favour. And I was wondering about the universal analogy of this to those of us in Africa, because African Voodoo or Juju devotees always met with the devil and his demons at the T-Junction. If you visit Nigeria, you will sooner or later notice sacrifices in calabashes or earthen vessels placed at T-Junctions in most villages and towns in Western Nigeria. And my father and I often did the same invocations of the spirits at the T-Junction. And these supernatural elements are as real as you and I. And they believe in God and they tremble at the mention of the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. So, who are you mere mortals to challenge the existence of God in your foolishness and ignorance when even the devils fear the wrath of God JEHOVAH.

  29. Krishna Prasad

    Feb 22, 13:20

    An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the
    problem science has with God, The Almighty.
    He asks one of his new students to stand and…..

    Prof: So you believe in God?
    Student: Absolutely, sir.

    Prof: Is God good?
    Student: Sure.

    Prof: Is God all-powerful?
    Student: Yes.

    Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal
    him.
    Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t.
    How is this God good then? Hmm?
    Student: (Student is silent.)

    Prof: You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fella. Is
    God good?
    Student: Yes.

    Prof: Is Satan good?
    Student: No.

    Prof: Where does Satan come from?
    Student: From…God…

    Prof: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
    Student: Yes.

    Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything.
    Correct?
    Student: Yes.

    Prof: So who created evil?
    Student: (Student does not answer.)

    Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these
    terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
    Student: Yes, sir.

    Prof: So, who created them?
    Student: (Student has no answer.)

    Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe
    the world around you. Tell me, son…Have you ever seen God?
    Student: No, sir.

    Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
    Student: No , sir.

    Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
    Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
    Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

    Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
    Student: Yes.

    Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
    science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
    Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

    Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

    Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
    Prof: Yes.

    Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
    Prof: Yes.

    Student: No sir. There isn’t.
    (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

    Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat,
    mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have
    anything called cold.
    We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go
    any further after that.
    There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to
    describe the absence of heat.
    We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of
    heat, sir, just the absence of it.
    (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

    Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as
    darkness?
    Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

    Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of
    something.
    You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
    light….But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and
    it’s called darkness, isn’t it?
    In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make
    darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
    Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

    Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
    Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

    Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue
    there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God.
    You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we
    can
    measure.
    Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and
    magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
    To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact
    that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
    Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell
    me, Professor.
    Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
    Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes,
    of course, I do.

    Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
    Prof: (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to
    realize
    where the argument is going.)

    Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at
    work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going
    endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir?
    Are you not a scientist but a
    preacher?
    Prof: (The class is in uproar.)

    Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the
    Professor’s brain?
    Prof: (The class breaks out into laughter.)

    Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s
    brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?.....No one appears to have done
    so.
    So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,
    demonstrable
    protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.
    With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

    Prof: (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his
    face unfathomable.)
    Prof: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

    Student: That is it sir.. The link between man & God is FAITH. That
    is all that keeps things moving & alive

  30. Thame

    Feb 25, 06:57

    An interesting analysis of the anecdote above as well as my comments can be found here

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