For the RELIGOUS people: If God truly is kind and merciful, then why are people born with defects and disabilities? Surely these people have done nothing to deserve this? And what of physical catastrophes that wipe out millions at a time? Is this all necessary for the existence of everyone else, and why can't God have it otherwise?
For the NON-RELIGOUS: Why is the concept of God so beyond your reach? Believe it or not, science has failed us in understanding various things, from the universe to even certain aspects of our own bodies. So why is the concept of a divine being, that would be responsible for and the answer to, everything so difficult to accept or acknowledge? Believe it or not, the existence of God would NOT MAKE THINGS IRRATIONAL. God creates science for us; the two can definitely, at least, co-exist.
Just some questions I hope are worthwhile.
2006-09-22 14:51:17 · 22 answers · asked by Link 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Atheist Answer: Why is my non belief any concern of yours? Believe it or not, God hasn't been all that reliable either. I've been through the harshest situations in my life, but I don't need a sky daddy to beg for things to be okay.
Wow, apparently I have a level 1 asshole stalker. I guess he has nothing else in his life but me and God, and God isn't doing anything interesting.
2006-09-22 14:55:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm one of the religious people.
If God truly is kind and merciful, then why are people born with defects and disabilities?
--I don't believe God is truly kind and merciful. I believe God is good and bad, light and dark, just like everything in nature. People are born with defects and disablilities because that's just what happens sometimes. God has nothing to do with it.
Surely these people have done nothing to deserve this?
--No, they don't deserve it. Unless there's the possibility that they were terrible people in a past life and this new life will cause them to be kinder and appreciate what they do have.
And what of physical catastrophes that wipe out millions at a time?
--You mean war and stuff? Wars are started by corrupt and power-hungry men. If you mean natural disasters, that is Mother Nature fighting back. The Goddess does not value humans over other forms of life. We are not superior to animals or plants. We do eat the animals and plants as part of the circle of life, but in the eyes of the Goddess we are all equal.
Is this all necessary for the existence of everyone else, and why can't God have it otherwise?
--It might be. I really don't know. I don't think war is necessary, but like I said, when corrupt people rule countries, that's going to happen. It's against nature to blow up things with bombs and grenades.
2006-09-22 22:14:20 · answer #2 · answered by Maria Isabel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well said and thank you for addressing both sides of this issue, which most people here neglect to do.
I have developed over my lifetime the belief that everything happens for a reason with no exceptions, even if those reasons often allude us.
God is good and as such He can bring good out of any event or condition that occurs in the world, even ones that are superficially evil or disordered in some way.
If you are the RELIGIOUS type, then I highly recommend the book Divine Providence by Cardinal Francis Arinze, which does a great job explaining the meaning of suffering in the world and why God allows it, even though He is good.
Recent examples of catastrophes that seem to have no good purpose or none at all are 9/11, Katrina, the Indonesian tsunami, the wars in Iraq and Lebanon, and so forth.
If asked, I could give a matching good event or development from each of the above catastrophes, it's just that the corresponding good events for these horrible disasters never make the news, so people never hear about them.
2006-09-22 22:04:28 · answer #3 · answered by STILL standing 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If God truly is kind and merciful, then why are people born with defects and disabilities? To show the glory of God. I'll expound on that, and try not to be predictable or trite, if you'd like...
Surely these people have done nothing to deserve this? Do you deserve sight and laughter and shelter and love?
And what of physical catastrophes that wipe out millions at a time? Our perception of death is different than God's I imagine. Also, I have to think that those who are wiped out could care less about the catastrophy; it's finding God's mercy for those who are left behind with loss and suffering and struggle that is difficult. But when we hear the stories from Katrina victims about how they witnessed their fellow humans doing amazing and wonderful things for their neighbor in the aftermath, I think we begin to understand why God allows such calamaties to occur.
Is this all necessary for the existence of everyone else, and why can't God have it otherwise? Because He has chosen to love us and thus has limited Himself as such. If we don't want God to love us, we could have it otherwise. Whether that's better or worse than we have it, noone could ever know....
2006-09-22 22:02:53 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Non-believer here:
The concept of god is not "beyond our reach". It is childishly simple to understand. EVERY atheist understand the concept, and we all reject it as an irrational and implausible "explanation".
Ever atheist will acknowledge man's limited knowledge about the universe and existence.
Pleading that our ignorance is proof that god could exist is a logical fallacy called Argument ad Ignorantium.
I do agree that science and god are not mutually exclusive. If god exists then indeed science is only used to describe god's creation.
But god hasn't been proven to exist. In fact there is 0 scientific evidence for a god. THAT is the essence of the atheist argument: there is not sufficient scientific or theoretical information to believe that god(s) exist.
2006-09-22 22:01:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You sound like you think that being born with defects and disabilities is a bad thing...
What if someone is born with a disability so that Satan cannot have ANY influence over that person?...
What if someone that is born with a disability would automatically go to Heaven when they die?...
You also sound like God is creating the disasters to kill many people... what about the people that God has given the skill to make tools and develop new systems to predict disaster so that many more can be saved?...
I will not try to think as God... His methods to accomplish His purpose is far beyond my understanding.
2006-09-22 21:59:58 · answer #6 · answered by ♥Tom♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For the RELIGOUS answer. Why is it that everyone thinks defects and disabilities are something that cannot be overcome or temporary. The same with catastrophes. If you are religious and believe in a better life after this one, why should you let this temporary life get you down. Saying that, it is a time to share hope in the eternal life that makes this life worth living.
For the NON-RELIGOUS, I hope you find something outside this sinful world to put your hope in. There is nothing in this created world worth holding on to... hold on to the one who created it, not the created things.
2006-09-22 21:57:49 · answer #7 · answered by more than a hat rack 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Science simply cannot 'fail'. Nor can it 'succeed'. It is simply a systematic method for observation and recording of knowledge. It is a process.
Let's say that every bit of evidence tells me that if I put element Examplium in a chamber and apply heat and Oxygen, I'll get Examplium Oxide. So I run the experiment to test this, and I get Hypothium Oxide instead. Did science 'fail'? No, it succeeded! I have a new piece of information that tells me that I understand the evidence wrong. Ah, I think to myself, maybe there's something radioactive going on. So I add a geiger counter. And sure enough, it turns out that Examplium is radioactive but only in the presence of heat or oxygen. So now I have to refine my theory of radioactivity, which means I need to refine everything right down to quantum physics.
Failure? It'd be one of the most spectacular triumphs of science, not a failure.
2006-09-22 21:59:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I deal in Reality.
Earth would be as Peacefull as Heaven IF Adam hadn't let Satan, Sin and the Curse into the Earth.
Human Beings are A-O.K. untill they enter the Earth to be Born of a Woman. Some of them really get messed-up in all kinds of ways when they enter the Earth. Satan has messed-up DNA among other things too.
One day, Jesus will Lock-up the Devils, and their will be Peace on the Earth for 1000 years.
2006-09-22 22:01:57 · answer #9 · answered by maguyver727 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Karma
How can I know my mind?
An alert mind is not a problem; an unaware mind is. The mind projects the future to be fulfilling but misses the beauty of the present. If you are rich, you want to be richer; if you are strong, you want to be stronger; if you are beautiful, you want to be more beautiful. Such a mind does not make you live life but leave life.
Such a mind creates false prayers. You make a ritual out of prayer and pretend to pray. Such prayer becomes an empty gesture.
Why am I so greedy?
There is a visible world and there is an invisible world. There is a visible self and an invisible self. The visible world is a world of diversity and the invisible world is a world of oneness.
If we live on the periphery we will feel incomplete but completeness is one’s nature. This incompleteness wants us to be a complete person. But the only track it knows is greed, wanting more. The enlightened masters give us not a dogma but a device to reach this state of completeness.
We should stop fooling around with life. Just thinking to be happy is not enough; just thinking to be wise is not enough. It is a luxury to think but it is wisdom to live. Ask yourself: Are you concerned with reality or fantasy?
There are two ways to know reality. If you want to know objective reality, then science is the way out. If you want to know subjective reality, turn to spirituality.
Why does one worry in life ?
Worry has become a habit for many. An inner energy that is not creative goes around in circles of worry. A creative person is one who, when he encounters a problem, is focused on the solution and is not a victim to the problem. Convert the problem into a springboard for possibilities.
A doctor does not cure illness but allows the healing process within to surface by giving it the right condition. So, too, the true healer exists within you. But you have to create the right condition. By looking at the mountain you can’t climb the mountain, you should will yourself to climb the mountain. Optimise this will for you to be above worry.
What should one do to be successful in life?
Ultimately what you need is self-confidence, mental toughness, commitment to excel and the ability to use the power of imagination.
What do you mean by self-confidence?
There are three pillars of self-confidence: Feeling good, taking responsibility and developing skills. There are both healthy ways and unhealthy ways of feeling good. You should develop the discipline to feel good in a healthy way. The quality of one’s life is the quality of one’s consistent feeling. There are techniques that are taught how to hold and maintain consistent feelings of empowerment within you.
How does one acquire clarity?
Clarity is acquired not by knowledge but by knowing. It is not a belief system; it is intelligence operating in the domain of freedom. The true meaning of renunciation is not renouncing the world but renouncing bondage. When bondage is renounced there is freedom, the most important thing. In freedom lies intelligence. It is not just discipline but true freedom. Freedom is not something devoid of order; it is a flowering of order
2006-09-22 21:56:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋