The monstrous Christian / Islamic God

[dahermit]

Is there any observation made by any astronomer to even suggest that the universe did not come from a hot big bang?

Nevertheless, the posts were about the "mercifulness of God". I posted nothing about the big bang theory.

 

[dahermit]

You are obviously are very intelligent with an impressive command of the sciences.

I'll bite too.

"In all the hundreds of years that science has been observing the universe many people have never seen objective and repeatable evidence of God's existence."

Now you list the flaws with that.

Dr. Who, my statement (above your quote) was never intended for you. I do not consider you to be in the same league with numinus. I do not intend to be insulting, but your rhetoric is strikes me as the made-up-as-you-go stuff one hears from pulpits whereas numinus seems able to site the relative science to his opinions. Again, yours are typified by the type you have come up with in your post #60...(paraphrasingbad things happen to us if we are not right with God; bad things happening to us are evidence that we have sinned and have brought it upon ourselves. So much for a "very, very, merciful God".

 

[samsara15]

Some situation has to exist. Almost by definition, the situation that exists, whatever it might be has to seem unlikely.

Consider your own life. How many other different paths might it have taken?

 

[dahermit]

Some situation has to exist. Almost by definition, the situation that exists, whatever it might be has to seem unlikely.

Consider your own life. How many other different paths might it have taken?

??? Is this in reference to my posts? If it is, it is too incoherent to respond to. If it is intended for me, please post a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a conclusion so that I can try to make sense of what you are referring to.

 

[The Scotsman]

When you are in a loving relationship with God, when you walk with him and you talk with him, when you are in communion with God, then your will is aligned with His and He can do what is best for you and your receive blessings beyond that which is common to man.

....does God ever get bored? I mean... like if he's got a headache or just had a really bad day and needs to chill out, so he's sitting watching a bit of TV and suddenly some bugger interupts him during Seinfeld or the Simpsons .... can he just turn round and tell the communionee to sod off and come back later? I mean we were all created in his image and stuff so we get the same mood swings as Him huh!

 

[numinus]

Nevertheless, the posts were about the "mercifulness of God". I posted nothing about the big bang theory.

That is exactly what I meant.

At least 'god's mercy' conforms with the scientific principle of minimal action.

Randomness, unfortunately, does not.

That is why there are painfully few phenomena in the physical world that are truly random.

 

[numinus]

Agggh!

Physics is for lunatics, or at least someone happily on his way to becoming one.

To the people who insist on physical evidence -- have you ever wondered how some of the fundamental laws and postulates of physics are tautologies?

God must be peeing his pants laughing at our futile attempts at science.

 

[zakiyeh]

To invest07,(Is Allah, God of Abraham?):

So the Koran/Quran says Allah is the God of Abraham?
Maybe you can give me some details. I happen to have a copy of the Big M's book right here. Keep it in the bathroom right beside the toilet. Perhaps you can tell me which Sura and verse.

First: I don't know what you meant by saying where you keep your copy of Quran, but I then just know it my duty to remind you Quran is a holy book and it should be placed and behaved with as holy.

Next: you might have a look at these:

2:136:
Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. (136)


2: 252:
These are the portents of Allah which We recite unto thee (Muhammad) with truth, and lo! thou art of the number of (Our) messengers; (252) Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted (above others) in degree; and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) and We supported him with the holy Spirit.

3:84:
Say (O Muhammad): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and that which was vouchsafed unto Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. (84)

Also look at:4:163-165; 6: 83-87; 33:7; 42:13

http://quranexplorer.com/quran/

 

[Dr.Who]

Dr. Who, my statement (above your quote) was never intended for you. I do not consider you to be in the same league with numinus. I do not intend to be insulting, but your rhetoric is strikes me as the made-up-as-you-go stuff one hears from pulpits whereas numinus seems able to site the relative science to his opinions. Again, yours are typified by the type you have come up with in your post #60...(paraphrasingbad things happen to us if we are not right with God; bad things happening to us are evidence that we have sinned and have brought it upon ourselves. So much for a "very, very, merciful God".

Reagardless of what you think of me...

We all deserve a lot of bad stuff to happen to us as the just rewards coming to us. The fact that we are not struck by lighting the moment we first sin is mercy.

 

[Dr.Who]

Some situation has to exist. Almost by definition, the situation that exists, whatever it might be has to seem unlikely.

Consider your own life. How many other different paths might it have taken?

I think the most likely situation is that the universe should consist of a bunch of random bits of matter and energy not doing anything particularly interesting.

In the same way a bunch monkeys is far more likely to produce "kjahreuygvolkh" (or even less organization) on typewriters than "To be or not to be..." But since we can calculate the odds of them producing either we can say just how unlikely both scenarios are.

I can't speak for you, but when a see a watch I am certain that there was a watchmaker. And to me the universe looks a whole lot more like a watch than a random collection of matter.

 

[samsara15]

Are you sure we live in a rational universe? Cause and effect seems to have not applied at least once, since this is an expanding universe. Could it be that we live in a semi-rational universe, or an almost-rational universe, where cause and effect usually, but not always, applies?

Is randomness a stable, or even a likely, situation, given that certain physical laws seem to operate?

 

[samsara15]

We all deserve a lot of bad stuff to happen to us as the just rewards coming to us. The fact that we are not struck by lighting the moment we first sin is mercy.

In what ways do we 'sin'? Is not 'sin' builit into our very nature, and if that is true, how can our actions be labeled 'sin'? Do we deserve to be punished, simply for being what we are, if some 'creator' made us the way that we are? In that case, isn't the onus on the creator, rather than on us?

 

[numinus]

Are you sure we live in a rational universe? Cause and effect seems to have not applied at least once, since this is an expanding universe. Could it be that we live in a semi-rational universe, or an almost-rational universe, where cause and effect usually, but not always, applies?

Causation would have no meaning if it applied only some of the time.

Is randomness a stable, or even a likely, situation, given that certain physical laws seem to operate?

You'd have a slightly better chance of having your pantheism published in a scientific journal than this randomness. As I said, randomness simply does not conform with the principle of minimal action.

 

[WarOnWant]

With all the injustices in the world i find it hard to believe in an all powerful, all knowing God

http://www.waronwant.org/

 

[Dr.Who]

Are you sure we live in a rational universe? Cause and effect seems to have not applied at least once, since this is an expanding universe. Could it be that we live in a semi-rational universe, or an almost-rational universe, where cause and effect usually, but not always, applies?

Is randomness a stable, or even a likely, situation, given that certain physical laws seem to operate?

That would be my take on it. We live in a universe that has been given various laws of operation by God. Occasionally He changes things up and we call that a miracle.

Do we know that the laws (whether or not they come from God) are uniform throughout all time and space? That is a basic assumption of science and it is called the Theory of Uniformity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_science

Everything that science tells us (every law and every conclusion) is ultimately based on the theory that the laws of science act uniformly. The laws and conclusions can only be as firm as the foundation upon which they rest.

So if randomness and the laws of nature are not uniform then it is possible that this quirk we call the universe is the most likely randomly occurring event. It would also be true that any claim that miracles are likely could also be the most likely event.