Does God Matter?

Originally posted by Netchicken

I would be careful about making blanket statements concerning those scientists and their belief in God, often they were not expressing a"personal" God but a more impersonal force.


[Edited on 27-6-2003 by Netchicken]

this blanket statement is simply the truth. i did not say they believed in the old man with the beard. or allah. or satan. simply god. god is subject to the observer effect.
hawkings said, "god does not play dice with the universe".
einstein said, "there is too much order in the universe for there not to be a god."
tesla was heavily into vedic religion and hung around with a vedic guru. he was very superstitious. he was quite hung up on threes, and would not, for example, sleep in a hotel room who's room number was not divisible by three.
there IS too much order, by far, for there not to be a conscious creator.
the masons call it, "the great architect".
to taoists, it's "the absolute".
some have god split into different aspects, ...pantheism.
some just two, ...dualism.
to others, there is only one.
some say we are gods.
maybe we're ALL right.
i don't think it is important whether or not you believe in god.
the question is, does he/she/it/they believe in you.

Originally posted by phoenix_cross
religion, the most perfect form of control known to man today.

religion makes people feel comfortable with the idea of eternity. no one wants to live forever, we all know that deep down.

we all know, when we die, we do just that, die. we don't go to a heavan, or a hell, but those places, the thought of having a home in the clouds, or going to a fiery land of insatiable pain, keeps our actions in life in line. in the end, you may go to heaven, you may go to hell, you may go to detroit. who knows, i won't death comes for us all, accept it.

Meaning no disrespect to what you believe Phoenix, but I would put forth that the concept of G-d and religion, per se', go far beyond just mere concerns or 'life after death'. G-d nor religion is a comfort tool for those thinking of or afraid of 'death'.


regards
seekerof

I believe the perception or definition of God matters.
Why believe others when you can verify yourself?

The 'Father' of All is In You. (Others as well)

''And you do not know me, for you do not know my Father''

I mineself believe that God does punish and bless, but I do not believe that he is a "good" being. I believe god is most deninately there, though I wanted not to belive so for so long a time, but yet I remain non-religous (I am pagan). I think that the ways ov god are quite unfair and wrong, for many the people who are unished by him have done nothing wrong at all. I just refer to god as "the one above" and satan "the fallen one".
I do not believe that either immortal being is there in order to aid us, aside from the peeons that choose to go through their lives letting others make descisions for them, we are just here for the amusement ov the evil things. Mine life hasn't been a greatful one for the past years, and I have recntly made the choice to ignore both powers for the sake that it may help me make my own choices.
Mine advice to those who believe in god and satan, when something goes terribly wrong in yer life, restrain yerself from cursing at the enemy, wether it be god or satan, for that is what they want. They want yer attention, and as so long as they recieve it from ye, they will continue to mess with yer life in a bad way.