WHY is there a god?

[graceinspace]

WHY there should be a god? WHY? To make me feel good? To protect me? From what? And why should this god protect me anyway? So I don't die? That is ludicrous; of course I will die some day! Does god exist to create a world for me to live in? Didn't the omnipotent god realize that I would make a mess of the world some day? Kill off so many of the world's other inhabitants? Why doesn't god protect the deer and the snowy owl, too? Am I simply part of god's "ant farm"? God's plaything?

[bernardo]

There isn't.

[New Forester]

And if there was, why should he or she be good? And if scriptures really were from a god, why should they be truthful? (What an opportunity for spin!)

[habiba]

well grace why should there be god?answer becouse his existence is totally necessary non existence is impossible 1 if it hadnt been for him you would not be here but youre being here is for a purpose 2 yes he does make mankind feel good he does protect you from going in the wrong direction the reason god protects you is becouse he wants you to realise his exsistence and the oneness of god we are all gods creation one day each and every one will end this world its a fact but we wont end there this is a journey for us all he has created this world for us to live in but are we all living the way he has taught us in his revelations NO before god created mankind he new everything what was going to happen he new but he put us in this world to see if our temptations are weak or strong god does not bring his wrath for no reason in this world its mankind that cause this to happen how many honest people are out there today theres corruptions every where there no mercy for childrens poor hungry no one to care but who causes this its not god its mankind of there greed. treat mankind with love make honest living be caring not just you and me this has to be done by whole mankind then see the diffrence in this world this is a beautiful world that god created but who had to spoil? it you tell me i belive in god he has created this entire universe god did not require any one or anything to create the universe the skies the mountains this earth no mankind will ever create such thing just think from that how powerful he is bless him he is for ever and will remain for ever

[woofgang]

If God does exist, she exists because she exists, not needing a reason or an excuse.

[habiba]

new forest my answer to you is those scripture were sent from god they are true its not been given to you to make youre life so pressurised or to give so much burden on youre self but its given so simple to follow and by doing this youre life would be so much peaceful and its hard for you to know they are from god becuse we were not there at the times of our prohets but they do exist but from the knowledge ive been given is that god do exist no doubt there all the prophet exist and i believe the quran every truth is written is correct

[New Forester]

Good grief, I ought to have known better than to rattle those bars... Habiba: You may be right. However, believing you are right does not make you right. Nor does me believing I am right make me right. You may be right, or me, or neither of us. Belief is not truth. There are two possibilities with any scripture (of whichever religion). One is that it is all true. The other is that some or all of it is false. No mere mortal can tell for certain which is which. If you have trouble understanding this, I suggest that you may be taking your religion very much too seriously, and that you might find life itself more fulfilling. Not to mention punctuation.

[fat robert]

calm down dear - it's only a commercial...

[New Forester]

But does Michael Winner exist...? If so, why?

[el duerino]

as the supreme test? IS HE THE ANTICHRIST?

[habiba]

sorry for no full stop or punctuaion got a bit carried away there. new forester if the religion is true would you still belive or deny the fact i have to take my religion seriously if i want to live a happy better and peaceful life here.

[New Forester]

If I believed in a god I'd be too angry with it all the time to be either happy or peaceful. Any omnipotent god which permitted half the evil there is in the world would have to have a very warped sense of its duty (never mind the extraordinary evil done in the name of various religions). If I ever catch up with any such god I shall have quite a few stern words to say to it... I do my best to live a happy, peaceful, and I hope good life believing there is no god. If I'm wrong I'll find out in good time. Habiba, you are welcome to believe what you like, as long as you don't expect everyone else to agree with you. But if you're wrong you may have wasted your one life.

[graceinspace]

I guess I put the question badly...I am asking WHY should there be a god. What purpose would it serve? It seems to me the reasons that I stated in my earlier post no god is well suited for, and the old reasons like explaining how the world works are obsolete, so...oh, by the way, I would prefer to hear reasons that pertain to life here on earth, not life after death. Thanks everyone!

[graceinspace]

Oh, habiba, I think I need proof that gods existence is necessary, proof beyond your post saying so, anyway! And woofgang, I do not wish to know god's reasons for existence, I wish to know man's reasons for god's existence. Thank you for your interesting answers! :)

[PunkyD20391]

I agree with habiba, totally! And yes, there is proof that God exists. Some people just don't want to believe it, so they don't see the facts. Archeologists have proof that God made everything. I mean, look around you. How could the earth exist just because? Someone made it. And I believe God made it. Not some gases. And, New Forester, please, just listen. God didn't make us evil. He made us, and we get to choose our own lives, and our own future, and how we live it. God didn't make evil. I always thought of it as, Satan making evil. Because Satan is evil. And God isn't responsible for evil. We are. And you do have a purpose in life. That's why God made you. But no one knows that purpose, except God. And I know it sounds like I'm preaching to you, 'cause, I sort of am. 'For God so loved that he gave him his only begotten son, that who ever believes in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.' John 3:16 Its up to you, if you want to believe that. It's your life. And it's up to you what your life is going to be like, after you die. And, bernardo, to me and others, there is a God. Also, when people say stuff like there isn't a God, and the people who believe that there is a God. Just be prepared for some preaching and stuff like that. :)

[RevShirls]

Punky, there is no empirical proof that God exists. If we had proof, we wouldn't need faith. The reason so many people have problems believing in God is because people try to force their own religious view down their throats using flawed arguments. It's important to respect one another's views (and the right to hold these views). New Forester makes some excellent points eg "And if there was (a god), why should he or she be good". Even supposing someone accepted the argument from design (looking round at the world for evidence for God) that doesn't prove that God is good. I am not writing this to be destructive. I believe in God and have a deep faith. I do not claim (nor should I claim) that my religion/faith holds all the answers. A comment to graceinspace: Good question (your original question) - The question of "why" is a difficult one - just like asking why we exist. I guess some people believe in God to find security, comfort, safety etc. Althought that can be important, I prefer to be challenged by my faith. It helps me think about deep spiritual matters as well as helping me to live creatively. I guess a lot of my views are shared by humanists - but of course, the spiritual dimension is very important to me. I do think it's as logical to believe in God as not to believe in God. Important to use our heads as well as our hearts.

[Thomas]

You all better listen to habiba and PunkyD. You will be judged before him,and those pearly gates would be a lot nicer to spend eterninty than HELL.

[PunkyD20391]

Faith is believing that what God says in the Bible, His word, is the truth .....believing in the promises He has made to us. And, yes, there is proof that God made the earth and everything else. I ahve a friend that is a scientist, and he said that looking at the world through the eyes of science, it is nearly impossible, to not believe there is a God. And after some things that have happened recently in my life, I don't know what I'd do without him. And God doesn't cause evil. We do. I truly believe in my heart that God is always with me. Now it's up to you. When you die, where do you want to go? Heaven or Hell? Personally, I want to go to Heaven.

[RevShirls]

Thomas and Punky, this is exactly my point! If people don't agree with you or your beliefs, then you threaten them with hell if they don't believe. Jesus never used these scare tactics that you use. I have been a church minister for 14 years and I can honestly say that these tactics you use are deeply offensive to people and deeply offensive to me. People come to my church because they want to come - they feel loved and accepted and they are not afraid of asking questions or experiencing doubt. They don't come because they are scared out of their wits or feel they'll go to hell otherwise. Punky, there is something I don't understand. You said that you totally agree with habiba, but I'm a bit confused here. habiba says that every word in the Koran (quran) is the truth whereas you say that every word in the Bible is the truth. hmm

[New Forester]

I believe that one should live a good life because that is the right thing to do -- not because you are afraid of what might happen to you if you don't. If the right thing happens to lead to eternal damnation, it is still right and you should do it. If your religion demands evil of you, it is still evil and you should not. It seems to me that a religion which has to bully its adherents with hell-fire is at heart a weak one, and will attract weak-hearted and easily corrupted followers. Dogmatic statements that a belief is truth always smells of fear to me. So I rather agree with you, Shirl -- uncomfortable as I am to find myself on the same side as a Rev -- though as it happens my sister's one too.

[habiba]

revshirl we believe all the revelation sent by god are true they are there to be followed no matter which religion. no one threatens people with hell, no one wants to go to hell.what we are saying is god is there, his existance is there, therefore our existance is there too. belive what you like but one day we all shall see god. not here but the hereafter.new forester im not expecting any one to aggree with me this is my opinion. graceinspace you have proof of god existance all around you but you are unable to visualise can you see the air that we breath? NO,so how would you now it exist. but it does. you cant see but you can feel its the same with god he is all around us and his miracles are all around us too