Does God care about atheists

Kittamaru said:
How would you recommend He do that? Send prophets to tell us? Or maybe come again and lay the truth bare?

Would anyone believe in whomever professed to be God? If a man or woman were to arrive tomorrow and, with a touch, begin curing folks of cancer, restoring sight to the blind, or call a plague of locusts against His enemies... What do you think the reaction of the general public would be? I'd wager on absolute chaos...
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I think the biggest cop-out (IMO) is this idea that God is perfection, some look to nature and find "perfection" in something, yet nature is far from perfect.

God creates imperfect Man when it would have been just as easy to create perfect Man in a perfect world. This is usually followed with "but he gave us free-will". Again, why do that? Or, if we were perfect, giving us free-will would still result in perfection.

Regarding believing "someone" was God if he returned to Earth. How about just ending all war, sickness, injustice, cause everyone to get along and cooperate for the betterment of all.

It wouldn't actually be a hard thing to convince people if the God that arrived was more than a hat trick artist.
 
DaveC426913 said:
It's just awesome that nature has caused us come into being without a hand-up.
It means we are the meaning. It would be terrible if we didn't preserve ourselves as witnesses to this wonderous thing.

* by 'we', I mean all life, including any exo-life.

I'm wandering in the wilderness and I come across two rocks, one balanced perfectly on the other. Which would I find more cool? Nature doing this with naught but physics? Or some guy before me, who balanced them on a whim?
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It is awesome... but god-awful for the unlucky who are "eaten alive" :(

For me thers just to much misery to thank it woud be horrible if life as we know it didnt exist or had never existed.!!!

Reality is my system... but alas... as man evolved - so has after-life superstitons which many flock to in order to mask the pain an make the fear of death more bearable.!!!
 
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cluelusshusbund said:
Reality is my system... but alas... as man evolved - so has after-life superstitons which many flock to in order to mask the pain an make the fear of death more bearable.!!!
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If I couldn't find value in the life I have, what value would there be in eternal life?
 
Bowser said:
If spirituality gives you a better appreciation for life, what could possibly be wrong with it?
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If?
I know someone who is spiritual and she is off with the fairies.
I know a bloke who is spiritual and he is a nutter.
This area is full of spiritual people and most love their pot (dope) and they are OK but for me spiritual does announces someone " funny" has arrived.
But you are keen, read the bible and see if it works for you.
Alex
 
Kittamaru said:
Would anyone believe in whomever professed to be God? If a man or woman were to arrive tomorrow and, with a touch, begin curing folks of cancer, restoring sight to the blind, or call a plague of locusts against His enemies... What do you think the reaction of the general public would be? I'd wager on absolute chaos...
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Yes, there would be.

And then he'd do it in front of millions, repeatably and independently, and the chaos would change to wonder and acceptance.

Would God let our freaking out stand in his way? Why?
 
I suppose the question could be asked, given God loves us etc, is why he remains hidden and can only be found in the imagination of believers.
Works in mysterious ways?
To do so would impede our free will?
I suggest he remains hidden cause he can only be in ones imagination which although possible seems most strange and points more to probable non existence.
Alex
 
Kittamaru said:
How would you recommend He do that? Send prophets to tell us? Or maybe come again and lay the truth bare?

Would anyone believe in whomever professed to be God? If a man or woman were to arrive tomorrow and, with a touch, begin curing folks of cancer, restoring sight to the blind, or call a plague of locusts against His enemies... What do you think the reaction of the general public would be? I'd wager on absolute chaos...
Click to expand...
I just find it odd that people will believe a book that they KNOW has been altered, embellished and re-edited by people with an agenda for many years is the "word of God". People buy the myth of a man rising from the dead on the basis of evidence that Magical Realist would find underwhelming.
 
Seattle said:
I think the biggest cop-out (IMO) is this idea that God is perfection, some look to nature and find "perfection" in something, yet nature is far from perfect.

God creates imperfect Man when it would have been just as easy to create perfect Man in a perfect world. This is usually followed with "but he gave us free-will". Again, why do that? Or, if we were perfect, giving us free-will would still result in perfection.

Regarding believing "someone" was God if he returned to Earth. How about just ending all war, sickness, injustice, cause everyone to get along and cooperate for the betterment of all.

It wouldn't actually be a hard thing to convince people if the God that arrived was more than a hat trick artist.
Click to expand...

Question - instead of having a child, build a robot. One completely and utterly obedient to your whims and wishes.

By the logic you just put forth, there should be no difference. Would you consider the robot to love you?
 
DaveC426913 said:
Yes, there would be.

And then he'd do it in front of millions, repeatably and independently, and the chaos would change to wonder and acceptance.

Would God let our freaking out stand in his way? Why?
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And there would, no doubt, be war. And death. Lots of death.

Let's be honest - we can't even get people to believe demonstrable fact (such as "the Earth is round" and "smoking contributes to the risk of cancer")... You expect people to simply believe what they see on TV when it goes against the very fabric if their beliefs?

Humanity... Sadly... Just isn't that smart.
 
Kittamaru said:
You expect people to simply believe what they see on TV when it goes against the very fabric if their beliefs?
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Smite a few and I think that would gain undivided attention.
But you are right I for one would probably not accept it was him...its a conspiracy by the church would be my position I expect.
Alex
 
gmilam said:
I just find it odd that people will believe a book that they KNOW has been altered, embellished and re-edited by people with an agenda for many years is the "word of God". People buy the myth of a man rising from the dead on the basis of evidence that Magical Realist would find underwhelming.
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Yep, there's actually more evidence that Jesus didn't exist than... well, other than the Holy Bible there is no evidence that he ever existed.
 
Kittamaru said:
Question - instead of having a child, build a robot. One completely and utterly obedient to your whims and wishes.

By the logic you just put forth, there should be no difference. Would you consider the robot to love you?
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I'm not God. I'm not perfect so there is no analogy there. Why would God need his creations to love him? Is creating imperfect creatures the best solution even if that were the case? If he created creature to love him why would he then put them in a world with sickness, natural disasters, "evil", etc.?

It seems a rather round about way of accomplishing anything positive.

If you imagine a world in which it was a fact that there was no God, it would be very similar to our world.

If you imagine a world in which it was a fact that there was a God, you would think it would be very unlike our world.
 
ForrestDean said:
Yep, there's actually more evidence that Jesus didn't exist than... well, other than the Holy Bible there is no evidence that he ever existed.
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I agree. Richard Carrier produced a scholarly work on this very subject, I think it's called "The Historicity of Christ" (or something like that).
 
Seattle said:
I'm not God. I'm not perfect so there is no analogy there. Why would God need his creations to love him? Is creating imperfect creatures the best solution even if that were the case? If he created creature to love him why would he then put them in a world with sickness, natural disasters, "evil", etc.?

It seems a rather round about way of accomplishing anything positive.

If you imagine a world in which it was a fact that there was no God, it would be very similar to our world.

If you imagine a world in which it was a fact that there was a God, you would think it would be very unlike our world.
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I can't answer that except to ask - what is life without love?
 
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