Prove there is a god to me!
By quatelmon
@quatelmon (955)
United States
February 21, 2007 11:40am CST
I am an atheist. Try to prove that there is a god to me. I am oppinion to all oppinions, and will not give you a negative just for a differing view point! I want this to be your best attempt at trying to prove to an atheist that there is a god. And atheists...Join in and try to disprove there is a god! Please, however, do not give someone a negative just for a differeing view point! Let's get a great conversation going!
5 people like this
27 responses
@Ciniful (1587)
• Canada
21 Feb 07
As another atheist, let me give you a tip. You're opening a can of worms that needn't be opened.
Belief is sustained by faith. Faith, by definition alone, is belief that cannot be proven. There is no way to prove a God or Gods, that's the basic point of the matter. Asking the overtly religious to prove something they only know personally to be true is impossible, and challenging them to do the impossible is pointless.
They have beliefs, we don't. Leave it at that. If you honestly respect their rights to believe whatever they like, then there is no point in challenging their faith by asking them to provide physical proof that they can't give you.
5 people like this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
21 Feb 07
Thank you for your input! I've opened this can of worms many times, and I've found that as long as you do not get argumentative, and realize that you can never really change a persons viewpoints and beliefs, it can be a beneficial outlet for both parties. I completely COMPLETELY understand what you are saying, though.
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Cinful...I am a Christian and I agree with you. It is based on faith. I cannot put faith where there is no faith. Only God can do that. A person cannot ask me to prove there is a God. If you do not believe the Bible, what can I do about it except pray for you? I have no supernatural rock to show anyone except the rock of Jesus and he cannot be visually seen. He is everywhere and I see him in everything that is good and holy. He is my rock, but you cannot see like you see a book. For those with faith, we see Jesus everyday in everything. Thank you for your respectful response.
@cerium (689)
•
21 Feb 07
I would understand your position if you were agnostic. But since you are an athiest, then let me ask you the opposite of this question. Can you disprove God?
I can easily answer your question, however, I just wanted to show you that since you agree with (Ciniful) that our belief cannot be proven, I ask, can yours be proven?? You believe that there's no God, right? Prove it to me.
As you can see, athiesm is another source of faith. Actually it has a great deal of faith in it. Now back to your question. My answer is that nobody claimed that he can discover the identity of God through science, however, the complexity of life suggest a designer, the beginning of the universe suggest a creator (this is science). The remaining is all faith.
4 people like this
@jricbt (1454)
• Brazil
22 Feb 07
Just making a point here and trying to make things a little more clear.
Atheism is not a source of faith, because there are many reasons for one to be an atheist, and these reasons do not apply to all atheists. So I will explain , briefly, my case.
I lack belief in the existence of any deities, for many reasons (some deities concepts are self-contradictory, absurd lack of evidence, bible contradictions, gods/religions as social constructs, and many others but I will not work on this subjects now). The point is I do not have any belief in the existence of God (any god). So, since I do not have belief, I cannot have faith, also it is a position open to change, if someone can proove to me that there is a god, I will change my position.
And why the burden of proof is on those who believe and not on me? It is really easy to understand.
Those who believe are the ones that say that there is a god , and not only that, that they (most of them anyway) know something of this god (his disposition, rules, moral,etc). So if you affirm that something exist, you must sustain your claim. I live my life without caring if there is or not a God, for me, no god exists and until I see evidence I will not change my position, so my atheism is life without belief in god existence. I do not (and cannot affirm) : There is no God, this is a negative and it cannot be proved. What I say is : I do not have belief in the existence of any deities, and until someone somehow find evidence that proove the given deity´s existence I will not change my position, so I live without belief in God existence, so I am an atheist. Without faith.
See the diference?
And the complexity of life DOES not suggest a designer, and there are hypothesis about the origin of the universe that do not need a creator.
Have a nice day.
@jricbt (1454)
• Brazil
22 Feb 07
Let me see if I can be more clear.
There are many kinds of atheists.
If you ask me : God exists ?
I will answer : No, in my opinion no god exists, I lack belief in the existence of god.
If I were an agnostic my answer would be : I don't know, we can't tell if it exists or not.
See the difference, it is subtle.
One mistake many people do is that : I have faith, so the atheist must have faith to, even if it is in believing that there is no god, it is a common mistake.
And it is a mistake because as I said, there are many kinds of atheists. For some the faith in nonexistence of god may even be true, not for me.
For example, you do not (probably) believe that there are giant horses in the moon. As you lack belief on this, so I lack belief in Gods, for me, gods are just mythologies.
You do not (probably) have faith that there are no giant horses on the moon, you just lack belief on it (which is a very stupid idea indeed, but was what I could create now). So I am with respect to gods. It is a subtle difference.
And I cannot talk in the name of atheists, only in my own name.
Have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@justreal (2364)
• Canada
21 Feb 07
-The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.
-The human brain's complexity shows a higher intelligence behind it.
-"Chance" or "natural causes" are insufficient explanations.
-To state with certainty that there is no God, a person has to ignore the passion of an enormously vast number of people who are convinced that there is a God.
-We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.
-Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God pursuing us.
3 people like this
@damageinc86 (351)
• United States
22 Feb 07
space contracts and moves and creates things, BUT why and how does space even exist? how does it contract? Why is there space with planets and objects to contract and move? WHY? HOW? Sure you can say the big bang was just created from objects moving and space contracting and life started then. But How were those objects created in the first place? how were the space areas created?
1 person likes this
@Ciniful (1587)
• Canada
21 Feb 07
-The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.
(Intelligent Design is a flawed theory on every level. When all else fails, the simplest solution is normally the right one ... basic law. Evolution is proven, the path of the stars and the planets is proven ... space expands and contracts, giving credence to a big bang, not intelligent design.)
-The human brain's complexity shows a higher intelligence behind it.
(How so? And how does this prove or disprove your God? Our brains are organic matter .. a blob of cells that regulate our bodies. Biology doesn't prove your God.)
-"Chance" or "natural causes" are insufficient explanations.
(So is an all powerful, all knowing invisible deity with a 6 day workweek.)
-To state with certainty that there is no God, a person has to ignore the passion of an enormously vast number of people who are convinced that there is a God.
(So just because the majority believe it, it must be true? I wonder why that didn't hold true when the majority believed we should keep slaves? Mass hysteria is also attributed to the majority, doesn't make it rational.)
-We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.
(Have you ever heard of plecebos? A doctor gives you a sugar pill and tells you it works, so your mind makes it work? Same concept. You want him to pursue you, you want to believe he exists, and so, to you he does.)
-Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God pursuing us.
(Jesus Christ, a person with no historical basis and no proof of existence, is only one in a long line of messiahs throughout mythology. He also was not the first to be depicted as being crucified and ascending into heaven, or performing miracles. Before you think it .. the bible is not proof.)
4 people like this
@helpme901 (157)
• India
21 Feb 07
When the great albert einstin drived the equation e=mc2 he went to his senior teachers and friends to discuss about it. If he would have discuss about it with some lay man it would be just like a wasteage of time. So proving like thing can be done with those who deserves it.
still I give one reason be little bit rational. take a simple example like watch. What the first question will come to your mind after w tching the watch? "I guess it would be who made it" it can't be happen that a glass and some other things came they combined and they all become a watch.Even thiking this will be foolish. When a simple machenical gadget like watch can't be produce itself then how the complex body can produce and came in existence?
2 people like this
@RogerTheRabbit (1271)
• Portugal
22 Feb 07
If you want others to prove to you the god exists, then probably you already believe in god.
And we would be were an eternity trying to express with words something the you must fell not see.
@superior_ravian (24)
• Pakistan
22 Feb 07
how can u imagine life with out Allah.Don,t u c around urself.who is the creator of all these things.r they selfmade.how u sustained in ur mom,s uratus for 9 months.
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Thank you for your input! You just helped me me to prove my point a little bit more. There are sooooo many different gods, how is just one right?
@steney (1418)
• Philippines
22 Feb 07
The issue of proving God's existence or non existence has been discussed in many nations, between different races and tongues for ages, and yet no one has ever provided a good argument that was well accepted by both sides. Well let's face it, it is simply because there is no point in convincing anyone who doesn't like to believe the other way around in the first place. Human mind and intelligence are limited and not even perfect so I don't think we can rely on anyone's argument to prove or disprove God's existence. When something good happens to you that comes out of nowhere, or something was impossible to have, but in some way just landed in your arms, I hope that before you think it's pure luck, also consider that maybe an unseen force could have blessed you with that. After all, one doesn't have to be a believer to experience God's gifts and blessings. He is a loving God who does not discriminate.
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
24 Feb 07
According to most, he is not a real loving god, unless you put all of your faith into him. I don't believe there's a god because god is based in books and stories passed down. To me, it's just a fairy tale blown out of proportion. It's funny, how if I stated that I still believe in the greek mythology, most people would laugh and tell me how it's not true, and that those are just myths. To me, all of the "modern" religions will one day be disproved, just like the gods of the greeks.
@moumitamazumder (817)
• India
22 Feb 07
I will expess my opinion in a scientific way. Take things in this way, that there is no God. God is nothing, it is nowhere. It's just a belief, that people take support of.
Try to remember what you did when you were an infant, and had a nightmare. What did you do, when you suddenly got hurt while playing, or running. Whom did you think could have helped you when, any friend had bullied you in childhood.
In all these instances, you either wanted the caring lap of your mother, or wanted your father to help you fight against those bullying friends.
Similarly, it's the concept of God, that man believes upon, to get that kind of support, hope and inner strength, in times of crises, and to share happiness by saying thanks, in times of joy. The concept of God is just a belief, a support, that man takes help of.
Now, it's your choice, that you take support of this concept or not. But do not ask anybody to prove it, because a concept or a belief in man's mind, cannot be proved, but can be felt. It can only be taken support of, or declined.
1 person likes this
@complexvanilla (653)
• India
22 Feb 07
The existence of God is something that is less important than faith in God. To put things more clearly, 'Faith in God is more important than God himself', whether he exists or not is immaterial.
To emphasize this, here's a small anecdote.
A king and his minister often argued over what was more important. God, or faith in God. It so happened that once the queen fell very ill and doctors from all over the kingdom failed to cure her. In desperation, the king, an atheist told his chief minister that he would do anything to ensure the recovery of his wife. The minister suggested that he offer prayers at the tomb of a great saint. The king agreed and commenced immediately. Miraculously, the queen was cured in a short while. The king thanked the minister but again taunted him, saying that the queen was saved by God after all. The minister took the king to the tomb and much to the shock of the king, began digging up the grave. It revealed the bones of a buried donkey! The minister proved it that it was the faith in the exercise of prayer, rather than the God or what was buried in the tomb that mattered.
The point is only this, my friend. Proof of existence of God is not important. Had the king known that he was praying to the remains of a donkey, could his prayers have had that faith? That intensity? Hell, no! Faith is what matters.
I visit a holy shrine every now and then to seek blessings. Another atheist friend of mine asked me if my troubles disappeared 'magically' upon going there. I told her that the troubles did not disappear, but after going there, I perceived myself to be better able to take them on and solve them. If I become more confident, how does it really matter how I got that confidence? If prayers give it to me, it's good for me. You could be praying in your own way, to your own version of God, though you refuse to see it the way others do so. It's all about one's perception. Hey, I didn't mean to ramble like this, but I guess it just happened. Can of worms or not, I enjoyed this discussion. Have a nice day!
@complexvanilla (653)
• India
22 Feb 07
The king in this anecdote, was not an atheist. The word atheist is used by mistake in the above parable.
1 person likes this
@christophermaloth (19)
• India
22 Feb 07
Hello Quatelmon:
Read very carefully, as you believe (BELIEVE) there is no god. Many people believe (BELIEVE) there is God. The question bottles down to faith (BELIEF). So, where does the question arises of proof. The vey fact that you are asking for proof states that you believe there is God, but because of you lack of faith due to expore of a different kind (other than what the believers have) you are asking for proof. The very fact that you are asking for proof makes you a minority. Think again. If you believe in something prove it yourself, instead of asking others to prove themselves wrong.
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
I am just asking others to try to sway me from my sinful, atheistic ways. :P
@pratham_pp (64)
• India
22 Feb 07
i know u might not agree with what my thoughts are But there are some things that are totally wered from what our
mind tells us
Untill & unless there is somethings that are yet to be explained The existance of god is 1 of them Even if our brain tells us there is no thing as god our mind alaeways search a right reason for it & when we reach to no conclusion we start drifting towards god
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
That is very well put! I feel that people's minds drift towards god when they have unanswered and unexplained questions. That is why uneducated people have more of a trend to believe in god than those that are educated. The more you know and understand, the less you tend to believe in god. Thank you for your input!
@stacyv81 (5903)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Ok, I am a christian and I do believe in God. I look at my children, I look at the sky and I just know God exists. I do not consider myself a "lucky" person. I turn to God for everything. Yes, it may be hard to believe that some all-knowing, always there supernatural force started this world and made everything in it. But why isn't it hard to believe in science? It is just as proposterous to believe that two meteors hit and Bang, there is the Earth. Most Atheists ask the question, "How did God just always exist, where did he come from?" But they fail to answer the question, about where space came from, where the meteors came from.
If you watch the movie an Inconvenient Truth and you see the things that are going on in nature, they path the Earth is headed, and then you read the book of Revelation in the bible, you will see an astounding correlation between the two.
Have you tried reading the bible? I think the only way to actually be able to say you do not believe in something is to be educated in what you do not believe.
Do that for me, watch the movie An Inconvenient Truth and Read the book of Revelation, the last book in the bible and then tell me what you think.
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Thank you for your input!
I have read the bible, and I have watched an Inconvenient Truth. I can understand how you came to your conclusion, but there is one big difference. God brings about the revelations, and science and nature bring about global warming. We have actually brought it about, but that's a whole other topic. :) It's not hard to believe in science because I can read a science book or article, and find the answers to those questions. And, to answer your question...the meteors were always there. LOL...just kidding. The big bang is based on the measurements of the expansion of the universe. Please go to wikipedia to read more on the big bang. The universe is not currently expanding, and appears to be in a dormant state. There are answers out there for this questions, and I encourage you to read them. The universe is a really, really big place. There is no real mention of the universe and it's creation in the bible, it's focus is on the earth. Thanks again!
@stacyv81 (5903)
• United States
23 Feb 07
Yes, I know that we have brought it ourselves, but I think he knew we would. He says that man will demolish the earth. However much fact is shown in science, is irrelevant, because in the end, the big bang theory, the evolutionary theory and the creationism theory are all theories!!! No one can prove it enough for any of them to no longer be theories, there is evidence supporting all three of the "good ideas". Just as you can read a science book you can also read the bible.
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Typos happen. I'm sure you made a ton of them.
Please read other posts before posting your own. This point has been made several times about me proving there is no god. See one post up. That person made a great point. Please read posts before responding!
@Springlady (3986)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Prove there isn't one.
No matter what anyone says, you will not believe because you do not want to believe. You want to run your own life. You want nothing to do with God because you are comfortable living in sin.
One day you will meet God face to face. God is going to show up.
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Sweet! I can't wait to meet him! Is he bringing the chips and dip? We can throw a party for him!
If I'm living in sin, I'm happy with it. I used to be a believer, and blind like you are, but I've seen the light. god forgives sinners, right? So shouldn't you be compassionate towards me about this? I'm not comfortable living in sin, because I am not living "in sin." I'm kind onto others, and I hate working on Sundays. I donate blood every 57 days, and donated my hair to kids with cancer. I'm a good person, and when I die, I will know that I have lead an awesome life that I can be proud of.
@revdauphinee (5703)
• United States
22 Feb 07
actualy for a believer no proof is needed but my advice is to go get a rose look deeply at it study its design then convince your self it happened by accident and there was no intelegence behind it go out into nature and enjoy its beauty then tell me it was not planned to be that way !i cant accept the wonderfull world we live in was just some accident!there has to be intelegent design behind it that designer was God!
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Intelligent design is a funny phrase. I am happy with the fact that it was all "an accident," as you say. I have studied it closely. I have read all about it, and completely understand it. And you are correct, no proof is needed for a believer, and that is why it is silly to believe.
People used to think that the world was flat, and thought people were crazy for thinking otherwise. Thank you for your input!
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Well put! Simple, and to the point. I may mark it as a best response! LOL It's pretty much the answer I knew all along.
@aRiSdGrEaT (621)
• Philippines
22 Feb 07
I was also one of many persons there who suffered from the so called CONFUSION regarding the religion and faith to GOD.. Sometimes i ask myself the same question as what you are throwing now... Have faith in him and you will know the answer.. But how are you going to have faith if you don't actually believe?.. A simple expalnation for that is look at the mirror, look outside, have you seen the flowers blooming? can you see these little children playing, the fishes swimming? It is all because there is a creator... without him earth is like an empty one.. it is very hard to believe once you don't seek for answer.. Imagine yourself dying.. do you want that after you die, you have nowhere to go like molecules that soon be parted and gone? Is it very amazing but very wonderful to think that soon after you die, there will be a place such as heaven?
1 person likes this
@chandra38 (147)
• India
22 Feb 07
hello r u living peacefully , or have u ever lived happy life in past , or what do u think that the way ur living now is simply due to ur hard work no .. not at all ...
this is becoz of the god's grace if u don't believe it ,it is ur fate but just think one thing that why more than 95% of world's population believe in god...
1 person likes this
@quatelmon (955)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Here are some statistics for you. Please check your facts before trying to claim they are fact...
10% of Protestants, 21% of Roman Catholics, and 52% of Jews do not believe in god
84% of women believe in god, while 73% of men believe in god
91% of african americans believe in god, compared with 81% of hispanics and 78% of whites believe in god
87% of republicans believe in god, and 78%of democrats believe in god, while 75% of independants believe in god
82% of those with no college background believe in god, while 73% believe with a college degree
79% of americans believe in god. While only 66% are certain of it. Which means 21% of the population atheist, and 34% are agnostic (taken from http://atheism.about.com/b/a/039172.htm)
And yes, I'm extreamly, extreamly happy with my life. I am living more peacfully than most with a god and religion in their lives. Religion is like a bandaid that you wear your whole entire life, with hopes that you will be rewarded in the end.