Religion, what's the point?

[Deery]

How can you go against the will of a being powerful enough to create a universe?

— Because it chooses to let you

That doesn’t reflect well on said being, considering what it leads to

Free will, I think you of all people should know this.

 

[Withnail]

Free will, I think you of all people should know this.

The greatest excuse for a God which has no material effect on the World.

Why do countless men, women and children get tortured, murdered, raped and killed without divine intervention? Free will Q.E.D.

 

[MarylandMUFan]

Free will, I think you of all people should know this.

How do you justify god with pediatric cancer, tsunami's and things out of control of people (people did not choose to have cancer)?

 

[Carolina Red]

Free will, I think you of all people should know this.

I’m well aware. It was a rhetorical question that I answered myself in the post.

 

[Carolina Red]

I’ll also add that neither the predeterminist or free will viewpoints paint the Christian god in a good light.

One is content to condemn folks to hell or heaven on a whim based on its “divine plan” while the other chooses to let horrible things exist that it could absolutely do something to stop.

 

[nimic]

I don’t know I don’t have all the answers, maybe God does intervene in these things but the person chooses to ignore his will and goes against what is right.

Eh?! I'm baffled.

 

[Zlaatan]

I don’t know I don’t have all the answers, maybe God does intervene in these things but the person chooses to ignore his will and goes against what is right.

Not sure I understand what you mean. The way you've phrased it makes it sound as if our will is sometimes directed by god and we simply choose to follow it or not. How does free will play into that and how would we know if our choice is right or wrong?

 

[Mockney]

There’s little more narcissistic than believing the creator of the Universe is personally intervening in your tawdry little lives whilst letting war, famine and disease run rampant throughout the World.

It’s like actors or musicians thanking God for ultimately frivolous awards. Myopic humble bragging masquerading as noble meekness.

 

[Carolina Red]

Eh?! I'm baffled.

Not sure I understand what you mean. The way you've phrased it makes it sound as if our will is sometimes directed by god and we simply choose to follow it or not. How does free will play into that and how would we know if our choice is right or wrong?

In the concept of free will, humans can choose to defy the will of god and choose their own path in life… which will lead to damnation.

 

[calodo2003]

There’s little more narcissistic than believing the creator of the Universe is personally intervening in your tawdry little lives whilst letting war, famine and disease run rampant throughout the World…

Myopic humble bragging masquerading as meek nobility

Well put.

 

[Deery]

I can see a lot of you live in a very dark place, maybe instead of seeing the evil in the world you focus on the good instead.

 

[nimic]

In the concept of free will, humans can choose to defy the will of god and choose their own path in life… which will lead to damnation.

Sure, it just felt very jarring coming as the answer to a direct question about why God chose to send him to stop a suicide, but doesn't stop atrocities. It's not hard to understand why so many lapsed Christians say this played a part in their departure from at least active faith, their inability to accept that any all-powerful and loving God would choose to let so many bad things happen (while apparently intervening in individual cases).

 

[Deery]

There’s little more narcissistic than believing the creator of the Universe is personally intervening in your tawdry little lives whilst letting war, famine and disease run rampant throughout the World.

It’s like actors or musicians thanking God for ultimately frivolous awards. Myopic humble bragging masquerading as noble meekness.

Doesn’t make sense at all what you said, each life is as important as another.

 

[nimic]

I can see a lot of you live in a very dark place, maybe instead of seeing the evil in the world you focus on the good instead.

Yeah, honestly just feck off with that.

 

[MarylandMUFan]

I can see a lot of you live in a very dark place, maybe instead of seeing the evil in the world you focus on the good instead.

I see loads of good, I just don't attribute everything good to God like you do.

 

[Deery]

Yeah, honestly just feck off with that.

Point proven.

 

[nimic]

Point proven.

Oh yeah, I'm of the devil with my cursing and all that, but you're doing God's work with your condescension and pride. That last one is a mortal sin, isn't it?

 

[Carolina Red]

I can see a lot of you live in a very dark place, maybe instead of seeing the evil in the world you focus on the good instead.

That can easily be turned around to…
“I can see a lot of your live with your head buried in the sands maybe instead of seeing the fairytale of a world you want to see, see the reality of it instead.”

 

[Carolina Red]

Doesn’t make sense at all what you said, each life is as important as another.

Which is why god let a 10 year old be decapitated in school the other day.

 

[Deery]

I see loads of good, I just don't attribute everything good to God like you do.

But you attribute everything bad in the world to God?

 

[Deery]

Oh yeah, I'm of the devil with my cursing and all that, but you're doing God's work with your condescension and pride. That last one is a mortal sin, isn't it?

I haven’t been condescending or prideful, I simply shared an experience of something that happened to me and have been piled on for it in what I can only explain as a condescending manner ironically.

 

[nimic]

I haven’t been condescending or prideful, I simply shared an experience of something that happened to me and have been piled on for it in what I can only explain as a condescending manner ironically.

This isn't condescending or prideful?

I can see a lot of you live in a very dark place, maybe instead of seeing the evil in the world you focus on the good instead.

Point proven.

 

[Deery]

This isn't condescending or prideful?

Not in the slightest.

 

[MarylandMUFan]

But you attribute everything bad in the world to God?

I don't attribute anything to god. I don't believe god exists, let alone one where one of the thousands of religions just happened to have magically figured it out.

 

[Zlaatan]

I can see a lot of you live in a very dark place, maybe instead of seeing the evil in the world you focus on the good instead.

In the context of there being someone out there who can stop all evil, how can you not focus on that? Surely you have to wonder why your god wants evil to exist that goes beyond "he works in mysterious ways"?

 

[Deery]

In the context of there being someone out there who can stop all evil, how can you not focus on that? Surely you have to wonder why your god wants evil to exist that goes beyond "he works in mysterious ways"?

Maybe he can’t stop all evil, I don’t know I’m as ignorant as the next person on it.

 

[Carolina Red]

Maybe he can’t stop all evil

So it’s not omnipotent?

If it can’t stop evil, how’s it gonna win against the Antichrist?

 

[Deery]

So it’s not omnipotent?

I knew you were going to say that, I don’t know.

 

[Carolina Red]

I knew you were going to say that, I don’t know.

If it can’t stop evil, how’s it gonna win against the Antichrist?

 

[Deery]

So it’s not omnipotent?

If it can’t stop evil, how’s it gonna win against the Antichrist?

Love.

 

[Moby]

I'm glad the guy was saved but these kind of stories only reinforces my belief that if your god really exists then he's the biggest fecking cnut ever.

Amen.

 

[MarylandMUFan]

Love.

Ahhh, the Dumbledore god.

 

[Carolina Red]

Love.

But the Antichrist is evil personified. If it can’t stop all evil, it certainly isn’t stopping the Antichrist with “love”.

Besides that, if you’re a believer in the Judeo-Christian god, again… your scripture is pretty clear, repeatedly, that your deity is omnipotent. So, it can stop all evil… it just chooses not to.

 

[Moby]

As I've always felt I don't think there's any drugged up state anyone's ever been in that compares to the delusion and fantasies religious people live in normally. It feels like they are hallucinating for their entire lives.

 

[Carolina Red]

Sure, it just felt very jarring coming as the answer to a direct question about why God chose to send him to stop a suicide, but doesn't stop atrocities. It's not hard to understand why so many lapsed Christians say this played a part in their departure from at least active faith, their inability to accept that any all-powerful and loving God would choose to let so many bad things happen (while apparently intervening in individual cases).

Yep. The moment when you realize it’s just random chance hits you like a brick.

 

[Deery]

But the Antichrist is evil personified. If it can’t stop all evil, it certainly isn’t stopping the Antichrist with “love”.

Besides that, if you’re a believer in the Judeo-Christian god, again… your scripture is pretty clear, repeatedly, that your deity is omnipotent. So, it can stop all evil… it just chooses not to.

Why wouldn’t you be able to stop evil with love?

Do you know this for a fact or are you choosing scriptures that you yourself don’t believe as you’ve stated many, many times?

 

[MarylandMUFan]

Yep. The moment when you realize it’s just random chance hits you like a brick.

To me it was the moment I started actually looking at absolute cherry picking of the bible as well as the claims made in the bible that are easily proved to be false then everything kind of broke down.

 

[Moby]

Why wouldn’t you be able to stop evil with love?

Why doesn't the god that created you make everyone love each other? Why did he add the ability to be evil in anyone which would lead to his creation getting destroyed by each other? It sounds like a psychopath.

 

[Deery]

Yep. The moment when you realize it’s just random chance hits you like a brick.

Having you heard of the mysteries of faith?

 

[Carolina Red]

Why wouldn’t you be able to stop evil with love?

Do you know this for a fact or are you choosing scriptures that you yourself don’t believe as you’ve stated many, many times?

I don’t know bud, you’re the one saying the deity might not be able to stop all evil.

I literally said the Bible says it can… and also pointing out that since that’s the case, it means it chooses not to.