How many of you believe in God?

College Confidential Community
961

<p>

I do not believe your logic here is correct at all: why would lack of belief in a deity automatically make a person a selfish git? A father who is an atheist, for example, is still just as capable of loving his children and sacraficing for them. Or do you believe this love and sacrafice is selfish because he wishes his children to be happy and because he feels good from it?
There is no reason a person's theology would influence their behaviours towards their fellow man: this is judged by a person's morality which is a different issue.
I also find your implication in your deduction that without a God man has no reason to have virtue. Surely you have been kind to others purely because you wanted to and not because someone was looking over your shoulder? Or do you always do right because you are worried about retributions all the time? It has always been my belief, at least, that people should have the fiber to do what is right because they know it in their conscience to be so, not because they worry about how others will judge them.</p>

962

<p>I agree with stargirl. Just because I don't have a God doesn't mean there aren't general rules of society to go by. And also just because you have a God doesn't excuse you and make you morally better like most think. Some of the worst people in the world believed in a God. Most people that believe in God worship other things (like cash, oil, or work) and use God's mercy (confession) as their excuse (swear word = 10 prayers, molestation = come into the back room). I believe that religion can easily become corrupt and thereby corrupt those following it so blindly.</p>

<p>And stargirl, look at Christmas. Why are children so much better behaved? It's down to the count and good behavior counts double in December! Ridiculous. Doing good for show is exactly the kind of acts Jesus warned His followers against (the exalting prayer-y show in the street vs quiet sincere prayer at home).</p>

<p>As an agnostic I find your conclusions to be rather expected by someone who follows the religious propaganda rather than listening to the actual message of your religion. It is the same as those who are Christian recruiting for Jesus. If I believe in a higher power and truly am a good person, won't I be alright anyway? Obviously not since you need to be Christian, right? There is just no other way for those people except BEING Christian (follow all the rules and spout the teachings like a good little boy/girl). ACTING Christian (truly being a good person) for some reason doesn't count as much.</p>

963

<p>Illini,
I am going to respond to your argument about vestigial organs or organs which supposedly have no function. Most vestigial organs have been proven to have a function. The coccyx, or tailbone, helps cushion us when we fall. The appendix has much lymphatic tissue which aids the immune system eraly on in life. Even the pineal gland, which is a "vestigial" organ, produces melatonin to aid in sleep.
I have a professor here at Harvard who is a staunch Christian. She teaches Biology but in a Christian perspective. I have learned a lot from her in regards to creation vs evolution debates.</p>

964

<p>Atheism will be the cause of all trouble and evil prevalent on earth.</p>

965

<p>
[quote]
Atheism will be the cause of all trouble and evil prevalent on earth.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Care to back up that statement with an argument?</p>

<p>I'm an atheist, and I'm not exactly "causing trouble."</p>

966

<p>
[quote]
I have a professor here at Harvard who is a staunch Christian.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What's her name?</p>

967

<p>By the way Justinian, about the appendix:</p>

<p>"However, contrary to what one is apt to read in anti-evolutionary literature, there is currently no evidence demonstrating that the appendix, as a separate organ, has a specific immune function in humans (Judge and Lichtenstein 2001; Dasso et al. 2000; Williams and Myers 1994, pp. 5, 26-29). To date, all experimental studies of the function of an appendix (other than routine human appendectomies) have been exclusively in rabbits and, to a lesser extent, rodents. Currently it is unclear whether the lymphoid tissue in the human appendix performs any specialized function apart from the much larger amount of lymphatic tissue already distributed throughout the gut. Most importantly with regard to vestigiality, there is no evidence from any mammal suggesting that the hominoid vermiform appendix performs functions above and beyond those of the lymphoid-rich caeca of other primates and mammals that lack distinct appendixes."</p>

968

<p>
[quote]
What's her name?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Why do you wanna know that?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Care to back up that statement with an argument?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Atheists don't believe in the doctrine of original sin.</p>

969

<p>
[quote]
Why do you wanna know that?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Because I'd like to verify that she exists, that she's a biologist, and that she's actually at Harvard. Moreover, I'd like to look at her work and see if it's being peer reviewed.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Atheists don't believe in the doctrine of original sin.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Okay, I'll bite. Why does it matter? Neither do the Japanese, Chinese, Indians, or most of the non-Abrahamic world. And they're not running around killing and raping each other. </p>

<p>And the Jews don't buy into original sin in the same way that Christians do either. Are we all a bunch of evil troublemakers?</p>

970

<p>
[quote]
Okay, I'll bite. Why does it matter? Neither do the Japanese, Chinese, Indians, or most of the non-Abrahamic world. And they're not running around killing and raping each other.</p>

<p>And the Jews don't buy into original sin in the same way that Christians do either. Are we all a bunch of evil troublemakers?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Sorry, but Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Christians etc. do believe in doctrine of original sin. They worship a higher being and believe in consequences in the afterlife. True, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans are mostly Atheists, thats because their commnists rulers are atheits. Communism in those areas is not noted for religious tolerance. People there are either atheists or they worship their Communist ruler. </p>

<p>Please dont try to bring about disparities between Jews and Christians. Both groups believe in heaven/hell.</p>

<p>Atheists are troubkle makers. From Stalin to Kim Jong- il.</p>

971

<p>
[quote]
Sorry, but Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Christians etc. do believe in doctrine of original sin.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hindus do NOT believe in original sin. Do you actually know what original sin is? There are two dominant definitions:</p>

<p>"Original sin is usually understood of the condition of sinfulness (lack of holiness) in which human beings, according to Christian tradition, are born.</p>

<p>The term is also applied, with the definite article ("the original sin"), to mankind's first sin, to which evil effects for the whole human race are attributed. Christians usually refer to this first sin as "the Fall"."</p>

<p>Hindus, not believing in the Western tradition of faith, do not follow that logic. They believe that "sin is not a crime against God, but an act against dharma - moral order - and one's own self. It is thought natural, if unfortunate, that young souls act wrongly, for they are living in nescience, avidya, the darkness of ignorance."</p>

<p>
[quote]
Japanese, Koreans are mostly Atheists, thats because their commnists rulers are atheits.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Are you insane?! Japan and South Korea are both democracies! Good grief! Moreover, most Japanese are Shinto/Buddhists to some extent. Ancestor worship is probably the dominant belief system, followed by Buddhism. South Koreans are usually either Buddhist or Christian. (Good grief, you were off.) </p>

<p>Yes, Jews do believe in an afterlife. However, they do not believe in the simple heaven/hell of Christianity. Nor do Jews focus on original sin as an important factor in the human experience.</p>

972

<p>
[quote]
Atheists are troubkle makers. From Stalin to Kim Jong- il.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yep. Also include:</p>

<p>Thomas Jefferson, Ernest Hemingway, Ayn Rand, Carl Sagan, Bertrand Russel, Sartre, Thomas Edison</p>

<p>and Voltaire and Madison both spoke quite openly against organized religion.</p>

<p>NONE of those people were worthwhile human beings. Not a singe one. Nope.</p>

973

<p>Other atheists of note:</p>

<p>Linus Pauling, Francois Mitterand, Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Feynman, Kurt Vonnegut Jr, Marie Curie.</p>

<p>Probably: Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Howard Hughes, Robert Frost.</p>

<p>Again, all troublemakers and tyrants.</p>

974

<p>
[quote]
Again, all troublemakers and tyrants.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hitler was one. btw. Thomas Jefferson was not atheist.</p>

975

<p>So what if Hitler was an atheist? Your blanket statement was silly and completely unfounded. </p>

<p>And Jefferson was, at most, a deist.</p>

976

<p>And you still haven't explained how the Japanese are a bunch of commies. Please go on. I sure love learning about the country I live in from otherwise clueless people.</p>

977

<p>Actually HITLER was CATHOLIC and used scripture in condemning the Jews. The same way the fundamentalist Christians are condemning whole populations with their proclamations of their interpretation of the bible. Some of the worst acts in the history of the world were committed with interpretations of the Bible and God's word.</p>

<p>Sorry atheists aren't unlawful just because we don't believe in original sin (close-mindedness again), doesn't mean crap. Choosing to believe in original sin also is a choice to believe in the Tale of Adam and Eve. Sorry women actually don't have less ribs than men. Sorry I don't believe an apple opened the Catholic/Christian Pandora's Box. I don't believe that Eve condemned all her future generations to live with sin that can be easily absolved through one simple Baptism (sometimes with the follow-up on Confirmation). That's pretty easy to get rid of that original sin for such a big thing. Funny only Catholics seem to be the only religion doing it right with the Baptism and closure of Confirmation (which was just as much a "choice" at my Catholic school as Communion, not the becoming an adult in the church which is was). Good thing we've got those true believers in original sin that believe if you die before baptism you go to a different level of Hell just because you didn't have that original sin wiped away. Sorry but I'll pass on the original sin along with all of the other stupid stories in the Old Testament which were mostly overturned in the New Testament, which most Christian's tend to forget. Mostly because they never read the New Testament anyways.</p>

978

<p>haha good to be back after not replying for ever...school blows! oh well i dont have much to say cause i havent read the past couple of pages except for the last few posts but in reply to IlliniJ...did you really go to a catholic school? because if you did, that is perhaps the worst catholic school on the basis of theology i've ever heard of....and that comes from a catholic school student myself. </p>

<p>"tale of Adam and Eve"....exactly...its just a tale...a story - like animal farm...that is just meant to represent something else. no actual theologian would say that adam and eve were real people....if they were, it would mean that we also believe that we are all their offspring....making us all related...making us all 'retarded'...its not meant to be taken literally....at least not in the catholic faith...just like noah and jonah and the whale....they are stories!!!!</p>

<p>yes Hitler was Catholic...at least he was born into the church. but for everyone here on this board to base their perceptions on people and their faiths by certain individuals is entirely stupid! if you're the ones to think all evil people are atheists or all catholics must be like hitler you also ignorant and believe that if someone is muslim they want to attack the US. thats so stupid!! once again, it just shows that you cant base a faith on the individual and you judge and individual on their faith..</p>

<p>oh and by the way being a true believer in original sin does mean that we think that if you havent been baptized you'll go to some sort of hell....thats foolish in my opinion. not a single catholic that i've ever met, religious and lay people alike, have ever thought that to be true...so maybe your information is faulty...not the church itself...so its the result of the PEOPLE and not the FAITH</p>

979

<p>there are evil people who are theists and athiests alike, of course there are examples of each.</p>

<p>Pope Borgia and his entire family were staples of the catholic church, yet they routinely used deception and murder to accomplish their own goals. Hitler used religion to push his own means, whether or not he truly believed it, and what about the crusades or the spanish inquisition? all attrocities commited in the name or your religion. </p>

<p>Does that mean the religion is wrong, or that ALL christians are inherantly evil? of course it doesn't, just as when you cite stalin and whoever else you used does not mean that all athiests or agnostics are evil. There are corrupt people both within and outside of the church, just as there are great humanitarians and exemplary leaders both within and outside, this does not prove your claim either way, it just proves that people are people reguardless of their beliefs.</p>

<p>Besides the fact that this part of the discussion has no bearing at all on whether or not god exists, at this poitn you're just asserting that religion is good for society whether or not it's true, which to some extent I would agree with. Some people need religion as a form of guidance and moral compass, but for those of us who don't it certainly doesn't make us any better or worse than the rest.</p>

980

<p>Justinian, tell me how bacteria speciating (which has already been done, and what I even inadvertently did [to my dismay] in my 9th grade science fair project) is not evolution. </p>

<p>A more macro-example also, for you Justinian, is here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppered_moth_evolution%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppered_moth_evolution&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>How can you say evolution does not exist?</p>