Maybe those bus slogans are right
Discussion
No I'm not going Atheist, but something this week has really gotten me awfully pissed off at God.
One of my friends, one of my closest friends since middle school (1986) had to take his 5 month old daughter off life support on Tuesday afternoon. The funeral was on Wednesday and Shiva (He is Jewish) is until Monday. This happened to one of the best people you would ever meet.
What kind of God takes away a 5 month old little girl?
And what happens next? I do believe that someone I know was on the Continental flight that crashed in Buffalo tonight.
Bad week indeed
One of my friends, one of my closest friends since middle school (1986) had to take his 5 month old daughter off life support on Tuesday afternoon. The funeral was on Wednesday and Shiva (He is Jewish) is until Monday. This happened to one of the best people you would ever meet.
What kind of God takes away a 5 month old little girl?
And what happens next? I do believe that someone I know was on the Continental flight that crashed in Buffalo tonight.
Bad week indeed
t - sadly sometimes life is like that - no god required.Captain Cadillac said:
What kind of God takes away a 5 month old little girl?
I don't believe there is a God, so that's what kind of God would take a 5 month old. Of course, the counter-argument from God fearing folk is that he is testing you. Not a terribly nice way to test someone IMHO. Therefore, if there is a God who acts in such a way, that's an awful thought.
Jasandjules said:
Of course, the counter-argument from God fearing folk is that he is testing you.
Or, maybe there is a God but humans are part of a complex system, just like everything else on the planet and therefore not to be singled out for special treatment at a per-person level. Natural disasters, diseases, death - all the things that people use as proof of the non-existence of God - are nasty at the individual level but are part of an ongoing process of evolution and regeneration. "We're all food for worms".(I don't mean to diminish the obvious pain the OP is going through at the moment - my condolences).
Always seems to me that if people believe in a God then they are expecting something in return. eg Good health, success, reward in heaven (cheques in the post so far as I can see !), and when this does not materialise, there becomes an issue as to their 'faith'. Its amazing how many otherwise intelligent people are sucked into these situations.
Too many people are wrapped up in the exists/not argument when they should be asking 'even if he does exist, why the hell would I want to follow him ?'.
Too many people are wrapped up in the exists/not argument when they should be asking 'even if he does exist, why the hell would I want to follow him ?'.
Edited by barney123 on Friday 13th February 08:46
I was born and brought up Jewish. Over half of my family (i.e. almost all my Dad's side) died in the Holocaust. It took me a long time to realise that culture and belief are not necessarily the same thing, and that as my entire career has been about making logical and rational decisions I couldn't justify a belief system founded on "because we say so". Richard Dawkins sealed the deal, and I have left it behind with some difficulty.
Just let go of the tooth fairy, Father Christmas, fairies at the bottom of the garden and God follows.
Sorry if I'm turning this into another religeon thread, just my personal experience.
Just let go of the tooth fairy, Father Christmas, fairies at the bottom of the garden and God follows.
Sorry if I'm turning this into another religeon thread, just my personal experience.
evenflow said:
Things like this are the reason that I am an atheist. I cannot compute how a so called compassionate god could let bad things happen to good people.
It's only the mainstream organised religions that reckon they know how God is, what he wants, and that he values humans above all else. But it's a leap to go from a discomfort with the Christian concept to full-blown atheism. Why is it not possible that there is a God, but we have no idea of what his plans are because our tiny minds can't encompass it? Is it not possible that we're no different from ants in the grand scheme of things - just a cog of the machine?claypigeon60 said:
It's only the mainstream organised religions that reckon they know how God is, what he wants, and that he values humans above all else. But it's a leap to go from a discomfort with the Christian concept to full-blown atheism. Why is it not possible that there is a God, but we have no idea of what his plans are because our tiny minds can't encompass it? Is it not possible that we're no different from ants in the grand scheme of things - just a cog of the machine?
If this is the case then there is no point believing in god.claypigeon60 said:
evenflow said:
Things like this are the reason that I am an atheist. I cannot compute how a so called compassionate god could let bad things happen to good people.
It's only the mainstream organised religions that reckon they know how God is, what he wants, and that he values humans above all else. But it's a leap to go from a discomfort with the Christian concept to full-blown atheism. Why is it not possible that there is a God, but we have no idea of what his plans are because our tiny minds can't encompass it? Is it not possible that we're no different from ants in the grand scheme of things - just a cog of the machine?
IIRC the Christian God only becomes compassionate in the New Testament, in the Old Testament it's still all fire and brimstone, vengeful God.
Perhaps we've moved into another era of OT-God without realising it...
or perhaps nasty stuff just happens...
How we deal with bad news is part of what makes me me and you you.
Perhaps we've moved into another era of OT-God without realising it...
or perhaps nasty stuff just happens... How we deal with bad news is part of what makes me me and you you.Sorry to hear about your friends loss, there can be nothing worse.
I had a conversation with my Granddad a while back about several things, one of which was God. My Granddad is 91 and I think he's a pretty wise old buzzard. I asked him about various things - woman, jobs, life on the whole and then God. His response was the most enthusisatic - "there is NO WAY a God, NO WAY!"
I asked why and he said "No God would have allowed to happen what happened during the War, no way. No way"
I had a conversation with my Granddad a while back about several things, one of which was God. My Granddad is 91 and I think he's a pretty wise old buzzard. I asked him about various things - woman, jobs, life on the whole and then God. His response was the most enthusisatic - "there is NO WAY a God, NO WAY!"
I asked why and he said "No God would have allowed to happen what happened during the War, no way. No way"
mechsympathy said:
claypigeon60 said:
It's only the mainstream organised religions that reckon they know how God is, what he wants, and that he values humans above all else. But it's a leap to go from a discomfort with the Christian concept to full-blown atheism. Why is it not possible that there is a God, but we have no idea of what his plans are because our tiny minds can't encompass it? Is it not possible that we're no different from ants in the grand scheme of things - just a cog of the machine?
If this is the case then there is no point believing in god.Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff