Is the neutral verdict on the existence of God being maintain by God?
Truth is, if there was solid evidence for the existence of God, it then would be a point of fact with no room for faith.
Therefore is it possible that the continued neutrality is being sustain by God for our benefit?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Pope OoO (Out of Order) on -
Arch, nice quote.
The more of Neil I see, the more I like.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Rossiter on -
If that's the case, then God is a complete dick. And it seems weird that he'd be okay with huge civilizations like the Greeks believe in dozens of gods.
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Permalink Reply by Sean O' Byrne on -
You premise is that faith is beneficial. It simply isn't, it keeps people in the dark and gives them false hope. A simple quote I think is really relevant: 'Good men will do good things, bad men will do bad things, but it takes religion to make good men do bad things'.
Even if god did exist, and revealed himself with evidence, I'm sure it would do a whole lot more for mankind than blind faith is doing at the minute!
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Permalink Reply by Gene McPhail on -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtDjZ5TRQWI&list=PL4C955FCF9A376...
Carl Sagan answers for you.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on -
Great video, Gene - let's make it available for everyone!
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Permalink Reply by James Cox on -
Dear Folks:
I tend my garden and our family is surrounded by forest. There is hardly a day when my wonder is not touched by an observation, a pattern, a relationship.
I apply what I know about soil chemistry to help our plants grow a little better. I watch for changes in plant behavior/symptoms to gage responses to my decisions.
I sometimes feel the awareness of the 'sacred' wash over me, but then come back to a deep awareness of complexity. The scientist and the philosopher in me often touch each other at points along a days arc.
While I do not believe that a 'god' is involved, I do wonder if the 'grin' of diety remains. Historical Theist assertions as hardly more than childish musings before our specie's maturity. Their ideas 'point towards', but do not grasp. A scientist might see further and probe deeper, but the endeaver still remains a reach not a perfect grasp.
My loyalty is to the sciences, but I think I understand the theist pursuit. I have to thank them for many of our hangups, metaphors, icons, art, passions, and sometimes good questions.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on
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What a healthy attitude!
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Permalink Reply by Pope OoO (Out of Order) on
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Right on!
I still feel doses of serendipity, especially when I'm excited about some kind of life change and my senses and thoughts seem keener that usual. I go along with the feeling of serendipity and "meta-physical connection" [for lack of a better description] instead of denying it, even though it's probably just an electro-chemical neurocircuit metaphorically prodding me to keep going, because I'm on the right track.
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Permalink Reply by James Cox on
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Dear Folks:
I spent an incredible amount of time being cruel to theists, and they to me. Can we stand in the presence of 'mystery' long enough to understand our relationships with it? The universe is not a green dragon, a human thought, a god's plan, a vast computer, or maybe even a hologram. Humans impose these upon 'the universe', as abstract handles so we can think about it. We are always catching up and sometimes grasp a piece.
Theists seem committed to one handle, atheists seem to demand a great deal more freedom to suppose. I vote that atheists have only a marginally better grasp. Let the theists have their suspect absolutes.
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Permalink Reply by Michael on -
You are meta-physically on track. And people do get vibes and have won million dollar jackpots 3 times in a row, google it. Penrose has a quantum mechanical explanation of consciousness involving the neurons as an action potential travels down the sheath. On this premise some have link this to the fabric of spacetime and the quantum field. Certainly the philospher Chuang observed a mysterious causality to all things.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on
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Clearly we're back to, " A wet birde never flies at night" --
Two words, Michael - "Sea kelp" - (say it really fast)
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Permalink Reply by Karen Lollis on -
Aw Michael. Your belief system is so scattered and disjointed. Reading your posts is gonna give me whiplash. How do your red heifers and temple keystone fit with the quantum field? Strike that. I'm not sure I want to hear your convoluted answer, grasping at straws and invoking ideas you only half understand.
As for people getting "vibes" - happens all the time. It's just that it only sticks in their memory when something dramatic happens to reinforce it. It's what I call the Lucky Underwear Hypothesis. You know - you bought a new pair of underwear, and the first day you wore it, you unexpectedly aced your philosophy final exam. You never paid attention to what happens when you wear new underwear before, and you never would have remembered the day you wore those new underwear if it weren't for that exam. But now the two events are associated in your mind, and you think they're somehow related.
I do think physics is fascinating stuff. There are some really interesting ideas being worked out and I think it's one of the coolest things about being alive in this day and age. Maybe we'll discover some real connectivity. Maybe our gut reactions are more than just our sub- or semi-conscious brain reacting to situations and alerting the conscious bit. Maybe. Maybe not.
But for now, the "this guy had a vibe and won the lottery so Chuang is on to something" train of thought just doesn't rev my engine. Especially when a zillion other people had a vibe when they bought their ticket, and they all lost.
Oh, and I googled the million dollar jackpot 3 times in a row thing. Read through more links than I care to admit. You'll have to provide more than "google it" because nothing fit your description. Sure there are some folks who've won multiple lotteries - but not millions 3 times, and definitely not three times in a row. And they all seemed surprised at winning again - no mention of getting 'vibes' for the numbers.
Seriously, I have got to do something more productive. Like pick the lint out of my belly button. Or go to sleep. Yes, sleep.
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