rigorousintuition.ca

Vote here:
http://www.yesnogod.com/

Obviously skewed towards the Internet-savvy population, but interesting nonetheless.

Probably not.

If I did, it wouldn't be something I'd bother trying to prove to people.

Kinda sorta, but it certainly isn't the vengeful, selfish God of the OT.

They can pry my personal belief system (or absence of it) out of my cold dead hands, along with my DNA. I'm sure as hell not entering it into a database.

I dont believe in "god".
I do find myself musing about a pervasive consciousness, an impersonal kind, that is present everywhere, everywhen. A weird kind of humoristic synchronistic quantum computation going on behind the veil of matter...Curioser and curioser.

There is one thing I do not believe, but know: Just the empirically observable universe of present scientific consensus goes far beyond any major religions' idea of God, and probably beyond any person's ability to conceive its forms and action.

I don't know shit.

I believe that what is, IS, and that efforts to divide phenomena into normal/paranormal, natural/supernatural, material/spiritual or divine/secular constitute the pretension that we can sort out our vast ignorance through semantics.

Parts of the universe may be alive and sentient in ways we don't understand. (That is an agnostic position.) The Sky God of monotheism does not exist, and has never talked to anyone on this planet. (That is an atheist position.)

I also don't believe in Zeus, but I like him better than Jehovah. A real Sky God would not demand allegiance solely on the say-so of a religious authority or scripture, without showing itself directly. Anyone demanding leadership in the world by claiming God's sanction is an opportunist, or self-deluded.

I believe that the Buddhist intellectual positions probably come closest to reality, which is to say maybe they're an inch closer than other religions, on a thousand-mile track.

I am a terrible Buddhist.

And I don't care who knows what I believe, and doubt almost anyone cares.

Penguin wrote:I dont believe in "god".
I do find myself musing about a pervasive consciousness, an impersonal kind, that is present everywhere, everywhen. A weird kind of humoristic synchronistic quantum computation going on behind the veil of matter...Curioser and curioser.

You're not alone.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jung, Paul Kammerer, Bohm. FourthBase.

I'd like to believe that the universe is under intelligent control, and every act has meaning, but I'm not too sure that the evidence leads in that direction. The best we can do is act as though it were, and hope.

The word, "God," has become so contaminated by the goofy ideas of religious dogma that—even for many who DO "believe in 'God'"—it would be false to say so.

If the definition of the word, "cat," gets changed over time to mean... say, "chupacabra," it then becomes false to say, "I love my cat."

Unless your cat is a little monster that doesn't exist...

I do.

I believe Jehovah is a loving and forgiving God, a distinct and actual Spirit Being, immensely complex and interesting, full of humor, beauty, joy, and awe inspiring power and intelligence. I believe one day He will use His power to right all wrongs, to provide perfect justice, and to reveal ultimate truths. Peace loving peoples the world over should fear him as they would a loving father, while the warmongers and war profiteers, the despicable and depraved haters of good and truth should and will dig holes in the ground and cower before His righteous anger.

But that's just me.

FourthBase:
Nice, Im in good company then! (and dont forget Horselover Fat)
Actually, I think some people might define my musings as "belief in god", but as Eldritch said, "god" isnt a useful word anymore. It could mean anything, and often that anything is not what youd like to convey.

I don't mean to be snarky about your religious beliefs but... What do you base this on? Certainly not the O.T., which is our major (so far as I know, only) primary source of information about this being. Are you sure this isn't just your imaginary, invisible friend whom you're calling Jehovah because it doesn't sound as crazy as "Gandalf" or "Shazzemadoo?"

sunny wrote:I do.

I believe Jehovah is a loving and forgiving God, a distinct and actual Spirit Being, immensely complex and interesting, full of humor, beauty, joy, and awe inspiring power and intelligence. I believe one day He will use His power to right all wrongs, to provide perfect justice, and to reveal ultimate truths. Peace loving peoples the world over should fear him as they would a loving father, while the warmongers and war profiteers, the despicable and depraved haters of good and truth should and will dig holes in the ground and cower before His righteous anger.

But that's just me.

Are you sure this isn't just your imaginary, invisible friend whom you're calling Jehovah because it doesn't sound as crazy as "Gandalf" or "Shazzemadoo?"

Maybe it's just me, but "Jehovah" sounds just as crazy.
It's slightly funnier, though.

yathrib wrote:I don't mean to be snarky about your religious beliefs but... What do you base this on? Certainly not the O.T., which is our major (so far as I know, only) primary source of information about this being. Are you sure this isn't just your imaginary, invisible friend whom you're calling Jehovah because it doesn't sound as crazy as "Gandalf" or "Shazzemadoo?"

I base it on my readings of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek scriptures,(English translations, of course.) and the faith these inspired in me. Yes, faith. I had this faith even before I was able to read the scriptures, even while growing up in a completely non-religious family. (go figure, I grew up in the Deep South) It was just a sense of awe and wonder at all of creation, especially the night sky in an isolated, rural area, and all of the flora and fauna I had the privilege to observe.

Some might call it blind, or ignorant, or whatever else they might like to call it. That's ok with me. You can be snarky if you like, it doesn't bother me at all. You are free to believe as you wish, as am I. Believing in Jehovah gives me peace and comfort, while something else entirely would do the same for others.

Yeah, but you're in the minority. Perhaps what I really mean is social acceptability, not sanity. After all, Mike Huckabee hears from Jehovah every morning before breakfast, and he almost got to be president.

FourthBase wrote:

Are you sure this isn't just your imaginary, invisible friend whom you're calling Jehovah because it doesn't sound as crazy as "Gandalf" or "Shazzemadoo?"

Maybe it's just me, but "Jehovah" sounds just as crazy.
It's slightly funnier, though.