What is your definition of God?

[Bogdan]

The original target of the religion was, yes, to help people understant what is good and what is bad (but I think they could have figured that out theirselves (but there are a few people who either don't listen until they are told they'll be punished by someone, either are too stupid to figure out)), but unforunatelly it more turned in a profitable bussiness for people (at least here, the state pays the church for it to "survive") plus the donations from people or when you actually need to pay the priest for his...services (for example after holying your house and such), aminotrite?

[darthbrowser]

The original target of the religion was, yes, to help people understant what is good and what is bad (but I think they could have figured that out theirselves (but there are a few people who either don't listen until they are told they'll be punished by someone, either are too stupid to figure out)), but unforunatelly it more turned in a profitable bussiness for people (at least here, the state pays the church for it to "survive") plus the donations from people or when you actually need to pay the priest for his...services (for example after holying your house and such), aminotrite?

From a socialological perspective, religon indeed became used in societies to dictate right or wrong, However, religon nevertheless offered and continues to offer many people a sense of existential relief.

As for your comment on the profitability of organized religon, you are mostly correct. Televized ministries, and Protestant churches targetted to young people in general, are very profitable. On the other hand, organized religon hasn't been at its peak of power or wealth for about 600 years. The Catholic church used to be a true governing body, complete with armies to enforce its will.

So from that point of view, organized religon in the Western world has fallen quite a bit, from actual governance to little more then the occasional lone television tycoon.

[Brigdoze]

I am an atheist, thus I don't believe god exists. However I am completely tolerant of religions as long as it's not shoved in my face.

[lordpat]

As a Protestant Christian, I believe that God exists and most other things that the Church says, although there are some things that I disagree with, such as how being gay automatically causes you to go to hell when you die. That never made sense to me. I firmly believe that being gay is not a choice, and that people are born that way, unfortunately there are far too many idiots that seem to not want to understand that. Not to mention the Westboro Baptist Church, don't get me started on them.

Weather that is true or not (the fact you are born gay or not) is in debate right now. I don't think there is enough proof right now to assure that, though that does not matter really. If somebody wants to be gay, let him/her be gay. That is what he/she wants to be happy. Why should people start picking on other's people choices, I mean, it is not that it hurts you that some random guy is gay, does it? If you want to tell somebody being gay is wrong acording to the Bible, do it once. If you did not convince him at first, chances are you won't convince him on your second try. People already know what the church says about it, we don't need repetears all over the world to annoy us. Some may say that the Bible is interpretative, and that everything is a metaphor. That is their point of view. Others may say that everything is direct and concrete. Hatters gonna hate, but talkers can hurt.

About God...well, I have a big big theory about it, but to sum it up really quickly, I say that while there is in my opinion something absolute (and that we cannot as humans percieve, think or feel), I believe that that does not mean the absolute thing is a thinking or rational being. It could be for sure, but it could also be a huge ammount of just mass all together, or maybe even the emptyness. It is far from my comprehension, and from my intrest as well. My life is inside the "relative", the absolute I see it as the origin. So, is there a God? Sure there can be, we can really never proove that or proove it wrong either. It is a personal question, and a personal answer is usually the best way to go. Personal does not mean necesarly "uninformed", a personal opinion is to me the oposite: somebody that tries to collect as much data as he/she can or he/she cares about and then make a conclusion about it. I am glad so many people here have those.

[Bogdan]

I do believe being gay/lesbian is not a choice and you are born like that. Why? I think it's "personal taste". You know what you want, except you might be strongly or not so strongly influenced by others (here is a related example). Yes, in early periods or life (or even later or forever if you are easily to influence) others tell you what you should and shouldn't do, but later no matter how strong is the influence of others on you, you'll find out what you trully like (or even who you trully are) and you may accept what you war and deny the influence of others from now on or hide it from everyone because "somebody told me it's bad/not okay". Let's take a simple example, it's stupid, but I think I can explain it well: colours. For me at least, I was always told that as a boy I must like blue. I hate it, I personally like black over all, but my parents are not okay with it saying it's the colour of death and it may give me depressions and other stuff, instead they strongly suggest me to like blue or at least another colour, green, purple, etc. Nobody ever told me I should like black, it came randomly from inside my mind. I think same stuff goes with being gay. Somebody tells you that as a boy, you must like girls, but in your mind you will always like boys.

I consider we can choose a type of education, a religion, aspect overall, what you like to eat, what you like to wear but they are based on what is in your mind (and sometimes taste, ears or many other senses).

[darthbrowser]

I would suggest that the latest topic of conversation would be less off-topic in this thread:

http://runouw.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=37973

As for the topic, and in partial reponse to lordpat, I would contend that perhaps the question of whether a sumpreme being exists is not so universal because of religous implications, but rather because we want to know whether or not it would be possible for a consciousness similar to our own to achieve omnipotence.

Essentially, just how far humanity could advance before we reach an upper limit.