OuchTheSchauzer
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The idea of God has always been an interesting subject for me. I consider myself agnostic atheist, so while I currently do not believe in a God as in divine creator, I respect any evidence that may be provided in the future to point to the existence of a God. This does not mean I don't believe in an afterlife, which I do. In this post I will give my views and ideas on both sides of the debate.
I explored and done moderate research in Egyptian, Greek, Norse, and Shinto mythologies and lore, and some in Mesopotamian myths. Similarities between all myths and religions originating around the fertile crescent are undeniable. Virgin birth, son of god, healing powers, walking on water, December 25th, and resurrection, are all common themes shared in religions originating around the Mediterranean, and many themes have further roots in nomadic and neolithic man, and their astronomy. My personal favorite adaptation is during the winter solstice on December 21st, the Sun will reach it's lowest point in the sky, and stay in roughly that same latitudinal position for three days, then begin it's cycle across the sky again on December 25th, and as it rises it passes through the Crux constellation, or the southern cross. Rephrasing: The Sun (son) falls for three days, then rises on the 25th on the cross. If that and other religious origins interest you, then I recommend you watch the movie Zeitgeist, A documentary in which the first half discusses religion and the second discusses economic and political conspiracies. The first half also goes into the Christian adoption of pagan beliefs and symbols to make it a more palatable religion for the Europeans to adopt, but I wont be going into further detail on this as I see it is more how religion was used to control rather than the Existence of God.
As for the Universe goes (at least for this plane of existence), I personally believe it is a cycle, much like many things we see around us. The way the cycle works is that, it all begins with a big bang. Then as everything drifts away it loses energy until after trillions of years, it's void of energy. Then, with nothing to fight gravity, it all crashes back in on itself, forming another point consisting of all mass in the universe, and then goes through another big bang, and the cycle continues. Where it all started who knows. Another theory that I like because it's cool but I'm not in personal favor of is that: Black holes take all the mass entered to them and bring it back to start the big bang. Like I say cool, but to me unlikely. All of this can be done without a divine force to push it all into motion, at least as far back as we can go.
Now lets look a little bit forward in time to the creation of life on earth. The Earth, in Theory, was to have been created a billion years before the oldest record-able evidence of ancient bacterial fossils were found. If we support this theory, then natural laws of nature would have a lot of time to spontaneously produce life. Condition such as the hypothesized ancient Earth have been recreated in labs around the world, and the basic components of lfe can naturally come together, an example: the phospholipid bilayer in cells can be created naturally from how the heads and tails interact with water. As for the creation from all the parts together into a living organism, there are many theories and hypothesis', but we use deliberation to bring back the dead all the time, so could it be possible that lightning could do the same on an ancient pre-cell? In my opinion if life was created through a divine force, then we'd see fossil record much closer to the beginning of Earth, than what we see now, but all is speculation; as evidence could have eroded away, ancient cell might not have been able to leave fossil record (whether due to size or geography) or that earth wasn't in the slightest bit hospitable until we see a fossil record begin to appear (which I find unlikely considering the conditions archaea bacteria thrive in today).
All this is place, scientifically can see a Universe possible without the help or need of a divine creator.
Now onto the metaphysical side of things.
Something I've often heard (even read on the forums) is that without God, life is meaningless and anything we do or don't do will end in oblivion, that is to say nothing, and all will be without point when the universe collapses in on itself. This will be the same way God or not. Any medical break through or scientific discovery made in this existence probably won't matter in the next (Sorry if I'm being depressing here). I don't think humanity will even make it to the end of the universe (if we keep going as we are now, not even to the next millennium). Humanity has gone down this path itself, and we have no one else to blame. But so be it. Evolution is a wonderful thing. It keeps us alive but the most miraculous thing it has done was made organisms focused on oneself's sole survival into a species focused on the betterment of the group in the individual. That is why we have scientists and doctors working to keep us alive and healthy, and that is why we award and praise them so much. We as a species care for each other. And just because it will end, as all things will, every game, every anime, every life, we will keep working and going as long as we can. It's just in our nature. A God or no God won't change whats happening and what's to come.
The afterlife and other planes of existence is often brought up with God, and the two seem to coexist together. I don't feel as an afterlife requires the existence of God. A hypothesis brought up by my Biology teacher is one that got me thinking.
First, you are a sperm and egg, separate. This could be the first plane of life, then you come together and create a cell and this is the next plane of existence. Then your a fetus. All you know is the womb. Yes there is an outside that you have some interaction with, but you don't know what's there all you know is your mom's womb in this third plane of existence. Then you enter the fourth when you are born. You can interact further with what was outside the womb, yet your mind is still very closed off. Then you enter the fifth, most of the time in toddler years. This is when memories start coming, you become self aware, and you can interact with the world. This from memories and interactions is where I believe the soul takes existence. Perhaps we, here in this hypothetical fifth existence, are just waiting in another gestation period are just waiting to go into the next stage of existence and interaction and the birth into this existence, is our death; where much like we cast aside the sperm cell coat when leaving the first existence, we cast aside our bodies and a soul of memories transcends to the next.This is just an idea, and there are many others out there, it just means to me that God doesn't have to be there for an afterlife.
Now as for God existing, it is quite possible as well. Perhaps not scientifically, as I don't think sufficient evidence will ever come up for the existence of a divine creator as science deals with observable physical phenomenon and God has to deal with meta-physics.
The best argument for the existence of God which may apply to some (but not me personally) is that rather that the starting force it is a guiding hand for how things are to be. I see this being far more possoble than a divine creator, but to me (personal opinion completely) to be called God you must have created it and not simply be guiding the machine.
I personally believe that one should believe in what makes them happy. I used to be hardcore atheist, and shamefully admit bashed on my friends sometime. But it was no life for me. I found the idea of Oblivion after death depressing, yet God never made sense to me. The idea of another existence or afterlife is much more comforting, but I don't believe a divine creator is waiting there. (going a little crazy here but lets roll with it). To me we I believe we all have a soul that comes from the interactions we make with the world. Everything, has some sort of soul or stimulant to cause soul growth. The development begins at birth, when you truly come into your own separate being and then grows into your own individual soul. When you die I believe this becomes your afterlife; your soul escapes into itself, and you exist in detail everything you've interacted with or caused you experience. You choose your afterlife by what you experience now, this goes from imagination, to family, to research you've done. Every part that combines into your soul exists here including your own soul and you can spend your afterlife doing what makes you happy. It's a weird idea I'm still developing. I'm just trying to to build a belief that makes me happy, but won't significantly interfere with the behavior of the universe.
Anyway if I made it this far thanks for reading. I'm sorry, I tried my best not to offend anyone, but if I did I sincerely apologize. The purpose was to give my ideas on this topic and I feel satisfied with what i wrote (though I'll probably think of another paragraph later xD) feel free to reply with your own views on ideas I brought up
I explored and done moderate research in Egyptian, Greek, Norse, and Shinto mythologies and lore, and some in Mesopotamian myths. Similarities between all myths and religions originating around the fertile crescent are undeniable. Virgin birth, son of god, healing powers, walking on water, December 25th, and resurrection, are all common themes shared in religions originating around the Mediterranean, and many themes have further roots in nomadic and neolithic man, and their astronomy. My personal favorite adaptation is during the winter solstice on December 21st, the Sun will reach it's lowest point in the sky, and stay in roughly that same latitudinal position for three days, then begin it's cycle across the sky again on December 25th, and as it rises it passes through the Crux constellation, or the southern cross. Rephrasing: The Sun (son) falls for three days, then rises on the 25th on the cross. If that and other religious origins interest you, then I recommend you watch the movie Zeitgeist, A documentary in which the first half discusses religion and the second discusses economic and political conspiracies. The first half also goes into the Christian adoption of pagan beliefs and symbols to make it a more palatable religion for the Europeans to adopt, but I wont be going into further detail on this as I see it is more how religion was used to control rather than the Existence of God.
As for the Universe goes (at least for this plane of existence), I personally believe it is a cycle, much like many things we see around us. The way the cycle works is that, it all begins with a big bang. Then as everything drifts away it loses energy until after trillions of years, it's void of energy. Then, with nothing to fight gravity, it all crashes back in on itself, forming another point consisting of all mass in the universe, and then goes through another big bang, and the cycle continues. Where it all started who knows. Another theory that I like because it's cool but I'm not in personal favor of is that: Black holes take all the mass entered to them and bring it back to start the big bang. Like I say cool, but to me unlikely. All of this can be done without a divine force to push it all into motion, at least as far back as we can go.
Now lets look a little bit forward in time to the creation of life on earth. The Earth, in Theory, was to have been created a billion years before the oldest record-able evidence of ancient bacterial fossils were found. If we support this theory, then natural laws of nature would have a lot of time to spontaneously produce life. Condition such as the hypothesized ancient Earth have been recreated in labs around the world, and the basic components of lfe can naturally come together, an example: the phospholipid bilayer in cells can be created naturally from how the heads and tails interact with water. As for the creation from all the parts together into a living organism, there are many theories and hypothesis', but we use deliberation to bring back the dead all the time, so could it be possible that lightning could do the same on an ancient pre-cell? In my opinion if life was created through a divine force, then we'd see fossil record much closer to the beginning of Earth, than what we see now, but all is speculation; as evidence could have eroded away, ancient cell might not have been able to leave fossil record (whether due to size or geography) or that earth wasn't in the slightest bit hospitable until we see a fossil record begin to appear (which I find unlikely considering the conditions archaea bacteria thrive in today).
All this is place, scientifically can see a Universe possible without the help or need of a divine creator.
Now onto the metaphysical side of things.
Something I've often heard (even read on the forums) is that without God, life is meaningless and anything we do or don't do will end in oblivion, that is to say nothing, and all will be without point when the universe collapses in on itself. This will be the same way God or not. Any medical break through or scientific discovery made in this existence probably won't matter in the next (Sorry if I'm being depressing here). I don't think humanity will even make it to the end of the universe (if we keep going as we are now, not even to the next millennium). Humanity has gone down this path itself, and we have no one else to blame. But so be it. Evolution is a wonderful thing. It keeps us alive but the most miraculous thing it has done was made organisms focused on oneself's sole survival into a species focused on the betterment of the group in the individual. That is why we have scientists and doctors working to keep us alive and healthy, and that is why we award and praise them so much. We as a species care for each other. And just because it will end, as all things will, every game, every anime, every life, we will keep working and going as long as we can. It's just in our nature. A God or no God won't change whats happening and what's to come.
The afterlife and other planes of existence is often brought up with God, and the two seem to coexist together. I don't feel as an afterlife requires the existence of God. A hypothesis brought up by my Biology teacher is one that got me thinking.
First, you are a sperm and egg, separate. This could be the first plane of life, then you come together and create a cell and this is the next plane of existence. Then your a fetus. All you know is the womb. Yes there is an outside that you have some interaction with, but you don't know what's there all you know is your mom's womb in this third plane of existence. Then you enter the fourth when you are born. You can interact further with what was outside the womb, yet your mind is still very closed off. Then you enter the fifth, most of the time in toddler years. This is when memories start coming, you become self aware, and you can interact with the world. This from memories and interactions is where I believe the soul takes existence. Perhaps we, here in this hypothetical fifth existence, are just waiting in another gestation period are just waiting to go into the next stage of existence and interaction and the birth into this existence, is our death; where much like we cast aside the sperm cell coat when leaving the first existence, we cast aside our bodies and a soul of memories transcends to the next.This is just an idea, and there are many others out there, it just means to me that God doesn't have to be there for an afterlife.
Now as for God existing, it is quite possible as well. Perhaps not scientifically, as I don't think sufficient evidence will ever come up for the existence of a divine creator as science deals with observable physical phenomenon and God has to deal with meta-physics.
The best argument for the existence of God which may apply to some (but not me personally) is that rather that the starting force it is a guiding hand for how things are to be. I see this being far more possoble than a divine creator, but to me (personal opinion completely) to be called God you must have created it and not simply be guiding the machine.
I personally believe that one should believe in what makes them happy. I used to be hardcore atheist, and shamefully admit bashed on my friends sometime. But it was no life for me. I found the idea of Oblivion after death depressing, yet God never made sense to me. The idea of another existence or afterlife is much more comforting, but I don't believe a divine creator is waiting there. (going a little crazy here but lets roll with it). To me we I believe we all have a soul that comes from the interactions we make with the world. Everything, has some sort of soul or stimulant to cause soul growth. The development begins at birth, when you truly come into your own separate being and then grows into your own individual soul. When you die I believe this becomes your afterlife; your soul escapes into itself, and you exist in detail everything you've interacted with or caused you experience. You choose your afterlife by what you experience now, this goes from imagination, to family, to research you've done. Every part that combines into your soul exists here including your own soul and you can spend your afterlife doing what makes you happy. It's a weird idea I'm still developing. I'm just trying to to build a belief that makes me happy, but won't significantly interfere with the behavior of the universe.
Anyway if I made it this far thanks for reading. I'm sorry, I tried my best not to offend anyone, but if I did I sincerely apologize. The purpose was to give my ideas on this topic and I feel satisfied with what i wrote (though I'll probably think of another paragraph later xD) feel free to reply with your own views on ideas I brought up
