Best First wrote:
That would be lovely if religous beliefs didn't continue to railroad humanity into a philisophical cul de sac...
Anything can railroad humanity, depending on how its used. A fork is a very nice thing indeed, it helps us eat dinner, until someone uses it to stab someone in the eye. Such is the case with
anything.
Best First wrote:as an aside, if you belive you have accessed the devine truth, why aren't you trying to convince me...
Because, as I stated before, one
can't convince another of God's existence. It is a revelation that must come from ones self. My discussion here is only to suggest that the belief in God is not an illogical idea nor a far fetched concept.
A belief in "God" begins by taking the approach that as a creation, we are not the definers of truth. Everyone has their own beliefs, but not all of them can be 100% correct, only one of them can. We can vary our perspective on things, but with can't alter reality. It is a logical idea that there is only one truth. Either God exists or He does not.
In other words, it starts by erasing any pride that might be present in the heart, any arrogance which might be present to make one say "I know what's right for me and I equate this with truth". As a people, we find what we like, and try to justify it as being right because its what we want. What is right for an individual has nothing to do with the truth of existence. Everyone has different tastes, different likings, and we all perceive things different. But reality is reality, regardless of what our senses tell us.
So if one approaches their life with this idea, in this fashion, the concept of a God will never reach the realm of possibility. To believe in a God, we must first accept that we ourselves are not Gods. Once that belief is there, and firmly rooted in the heart, then we can begin to entertain the possibility that there could be a God.
So going back to your question, I can't convince you of God's existence. I have seen many things in my life which allow me to come to the conclusion that God not only exists, but that His Greatness has no limits. When someone looks at a leaf on a tree, they may not be impressed. I am, because I studied botany and I understand what is going on on the molecular level, thanks to scientists who have discovered such wonders.
The complexity that goes on within a single cell, just one cell, boggles the mind. The millions upon millions of intricate interactions that must go on for the cell to survive just blows my mind. If even one such misstep of the millions occurs, it can cause total destruction of that cell. Millions upon millions of molecular interactions, on a microscopic level, equivalent to all the stars in the universe. Logic would dictate that such a process would not be possible unless some Power, some Force, guided it so. And yet, the cell not only lives, it creates more cells through the process of mitotic division, an equally if not more impressive process.
What is this Power, what is this Force that makes the improbable highly probable? So when you look at a leaf, remember it is made of many cells, millions of cells. All of which interact with themselves.
And all of it without mankind playing a role, not a single step in this process.
Call this Power what you like. Evolution, Science. I call it God. And I worship it. I give this God my attention because it is multifold more worthy of my time and efforts than say, watching Micheal Jordan, a man worshipped of sorts, throw some ball in a hoop.
Attempting to force others to see things the way I do is not only foolish, but in my belief, just wrong. There should be no compulsion in religion.
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