God...

DBoone

i believe there is some sort of higher power whether that is god or not is debatable but i think there is a high power at work in the universe. i think there has to have been something that jump started our universe. i dont believe a big bang just happened and then all the sudden there was something. when b4 there was nothing at all. doesnt really make a lot of sense to me. how does a big bang just happen when there is nothing there to set it off? there had to be some sort of intelligence that started it.

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The_God_Of_Bong

But where did God come from?

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halo_toker420

I believe that there is some sort of higher power that created the universe. Some would call that God. I think that this being is so infinite and incomprehensible that it is hard for the human mind to wrap itself around what God truly is. Think of it this way. Before the universe existed there was nothing, except for God. When God created the universe he used the only thing he could, himself. I believe that anything and everything is god. God had to create the universe out of himself/herself/itself. I think thats what the bible was trying to say when Jesus said that God is omnipotent. God is all. All is God. I also think we give the human mind a lot less credit than it deserves. I think that much of what we attribute to divine intervention or miracles is really just the power of the collective human mind. If enough people pray for something or believe in something it will happen. Just look at some of those monks in tibet. I saw a thing where they wrapped all these monks in soaking wet towels and within minutes steam was coming off of the towels because the monks were heating them up via meditation. I also saw this other video where this one monk who was sort of healer was able to create shocks of what appeared to be electricity by using his chi energy. He was also able to light a newspaper on fire just by putting his hands near it. He said he learned the meditation technique from his old master. It didn't appear there was any way he could fake it.

Anyways, sorry for going off on a tangent. Its just my 2 cents

TrippyHippy

I have thought about this for hours and hours (and hours) I still have no answers. I don't believe in "god" Sometimes i think this is all a dream, or a story. I sometime ponder what nothing is like. No life, no earth, no planets, no sky, no stars, no universe, no gravity, no color just Nothing. It's mind blowing. Close your eyes and think about it. It really makes you feel insignificant.

halffoot

The closest human beings are to perceiving a god(thinking of god in this case as a meaning to the universe and an answer to the hard questions asked here) is quantum physics in my opinion. Maybe the universe will only exist as long as no one looks in the box?

Anyone who gets that is my new best friend, lol.

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Torog

Howdy halffoot,

When I held my daughter for the first time,I didn't need no quantum particle detector to tell me that God's Hand had something to do with the miracle of my daughter.

In fact,every day I see the evidence of God being there;ie, "God was here.."..kinda like "Kilroy was here..".

If there is a 'box',then God created it..and if by mere observation,we change 'things',then it's a part of God's Plan..the question becomes..is the human race mature enough to mess around with quantum physics ? I think that we are rank amateurs and we best take it slowly. Btw,did you know that paranormal researchers have found that elevated levels of neutrino activity is a sign that paranormal energies are present ? Until science starts studying paranormal energies in earnest,they are ignoring a whole field of physics and energy research..how can their theorie's jibe,if they ignore such ?

Have a good one ...

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halffoot

The love of a parent for their child is a beautiful thing but does little to prove the existence of god. Your beliefs influence your interpretations.

Again, more to do with your beliefs than reality.

I had smoked a fair amount last night and believed a Schroedinger's Cat joke was in order since I was discussing quantum uncertainty(I'll link to an explanation of Schroedinger's cat at the end of this and hopefully that and what follows will clear up what I meant there). I haven't taken enough physics to truly understand it at a professional level, but my theory about the universe and its contents has very little to do with any omnipotent beings dictating our actions from the clouds.

Basically, its a theory I've developed and taken on as I've learned and read more and more on quantum uncertainty and superposition. Basically, I believe that it is possible that our universe exists at the same time as(and because) our universe does not exist. Essentially what I'm talking about is multiple universe theory that says something to the effect that multiple realities exist at a quantum level due to quantum superposition(particles occupying multiple positions as the same time) and that these multiple realities can cause a branching at all levels including the macroscopic universe we observe(see Schroedinger's Cat for what I mean by the translation to macroscopic levels). Many religious people cite the fact that the universe 'has' to exist for a reason, that it couldn't have simply come about because there would be nothing to start it(their justification for the existence of 'god' or 'creator'). I believe that this universe is just one of many possibilities and that perhaps others exist that we are simply unable to perceive, including some universe where, essentially, the universe does not exist. Theres are also some theories about perception and its effect on quantum structures I find intriguing that may suggest that this universe exists in its current form because we perceive it as such and that this perception solidifies the superpositions at the quantum level for our level. Again, I'm not an expert on this stuff(though I do intend to minor in physics as I go on, and perhaps seek a full degree later as its an area of special interest to me) so I base this off of my limited knowledge of the subject matter, so if anyone has anything concrete to refute what I've said here, I'd love to hear it.

As for paranormal research, its hardly being ignored. I've written before about the work of Dr. Persinger and his experiments with the effects of electromagnetic fields on the temporal lobe. I'll leave some links below but that is easily the most promising 'paranormal' research I've heard about. Also, doesn't it seem rather paradoxical of you to simultaneously claim that scientists have made discoveries about neutrino levels associated with paranormal activity at the same time that you claim scientists are ignoring the field entirely?

I've studied neutrino's before briefly and a quick refresher confirmed that they are created in several sources, the largest local one being the sun, though others include nuclear decay(such as in reactors or other natural sources) and the decay of neutrons. However, my refresher also confirmed for me that they are very hard to detect, requiring large setup's or sophisticated equipment, usually built underground by large laboratories. Do you have any details on the experiments supposedly linking them to paranormal activity?

As for whether or not we are ready as a race to experiment with quantum physics, I see absolutely no reason why not. However, its not a question for you, or me(yet), or any other political or moral authority. The question is one for scientists in the field, as they are the only ones truly capable of understanding the potential risks and benefits. I think personally that we have very little choice but to continue the research if we are to continue to survive and thrive as a species. Fossil fuels are becoming less and less of a viable energy source, so it makes sense to look to other means of production which we may find at the subatomic level. Also, theres the matter of space travel, an essential if humanity is to outlive the star we depend on for our survival, or the overpopulation thats sure to check our growth in some fairly nasty ways if we don't expand off-planet.

In any case, I believe we live in a universe of natural laws and that no great and powerful wizard was necessary to set things up or regulate them for us.

Relevant and/or interesting links:
Schrödinger's cat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wigner's friend - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Many-worlds interpretation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BBC - Science & Nature - Horizon - God on the Brain
Wired 7.11: This Is Your Brain on God

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CitrisDiesel

I got the joke Halfoot, and anyone else that did is also likely to agree with the majority of your statements.

And to the first post, or one of the first "believers":

You suppose that science says there was nothing before the big bang and that the universe sprang from nothing, or this is you limited understanding of scientific theory, but that is simply not the case. There are things science cannot explain, or what would all those scientists do? We do not know what took place before the big bang, we do not even have any concrete theories to suppose what was before the big bang. We are still trying to understand the big bang, and nobody wanted this to be how the universe was born, but this is the reality that scientific inquiry has revealed to us. Like Halfoot, I am intrigued by the explanations that the reality of multiple universes would supply. If you choose, or just plain need, to tell yourself that a sentient being, "God" if you will, created it all then that's really just an accepted practice of self delusion. Anyone can believe anything they choose to believe, the problem arises when someone's beliefs influence them to violence or to unfairly control other people or any other of the numerous negative effects. I for one am not going to drink the kool-Aid.

Evolution is just a theory, like Einstien's Relativity is just a theory.

Torog

Howdy halffoot,

I went to yer link and read about the cat experiment and the questions that it raises are interesting..however,I believe that I will 'keep' my beliefs and you can clutch onto yer science..and after God calls us both Home,I'll look ya up on the Other Side and we'll have a good time laughing at yer 'beliefs' and then we'll head over to the research building/temple,and we'll examine how God began building the universe at the quantum level.

I do not believe that scientists should be entrusted to determine how far their experiments will go,as they tend to have a somewhat myopic view of the world..that the inventors of the atomic bomb,regretted their creation,is evidence of such and the creator of tnt and nitroglycerin,was of the same mind,in both cases,the scientists failed to grasp the impact to Humanity,before they started..because for them-scientific progress is all that matters and larger issues need not apply. So I say,scientists should be encouraged to study the possible ramifications of their research as it pertains to humanity as a whole.

Have a good one !

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neohipster

i am just responding to one aspect of what you said... sure, you can say scientists created the atomic bomb, but politicians decided to use it. however, for the sake of argument lets hold the assumption that scientists are responsible for the bombs dropped on japan, killing 200,000+ people... now, lets attempt to calculate the number of people slain in the name of religion. hmm...

tnt, nitroglycerine, nukes... not the sources of evil, just possible tools in carrying out evil. that said, yes, wouldn't it be a wonderful world without nukes.

toke on

Torog

Howdy neohipster,

I hear ya about the religion aspect,if Iran has their way,they'll slaughter every Jew in Israel because of Islam's mandate to do so..it is a mandate,directive and a cherished goal,that the muslims will never relenquish..Israel's nukes and their alliance with the US,is the only things holdin em back. So maybe nukes are a good thing,like guns..it does matter who's finger is on the 'button' or the 'trigger',however. The muslims will use nukes and guns for genocide and conquest,we basically do the opposite in the West.

Anyhow..I'm gittin off the subject of this thread,that subject being God.

Do ya believe in God or not ? How about Jesus ? Do ya believe that yer no better than a monkey..or that you are better than a monkey and actually have a soul ?

Have a good one !

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CitrisDiesel

Really? No better than a monkey? Are you kidding me here? A soul? This thing that only humans have? It makes you better than other life forms? You think you're that special? Would you think the same thing of an alien life form, completely different in appearance than you but vastly more inteligent? Would you be better than them also? Doesn't sound like the teachings a humble carpenter, a man no different than you or I but who aspired to bring down the tyranny of the established church of his day. Jesus wouldn't be believed if he was born today, and he wasn't believed by the people of his day. He found followers on the fringes of society who had nothing anyway and sought to bring the salvation of individual worship to common people, instead of finding salvation only through church donations, which was common to the day. Retell a story for two thousand years with manual by-hand duplication for most of that time while translating it from one language to the next and what you come out with is the King James Bible.

neohipster