...and I have no problem with that. My decision was different than your's, but I also respect your decision.

But I do find amusing the fact that many scientists have had to invent their own 'creation theory' called the Big Bang. Theists can accept the concept of eternity and infinity. Why can't cosmologists?

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This is what i beleive, and it makes me feel happier about the world. for ages i swung between atheist and agnostic and god knows what else (forgive the irony of that remark) but i finally came to a conclusion that is pretty much atheist but a little left of center. So here we go;

I don't think there is one intelligent entity or deity influencing us all or but rather this 'god' (and i use the word loosley) or better yet 'spirit of the universe' is inherently the mathematical presicion and interconnectedness that governs all things and all that exists. Not by design or choice, but by sheer quantum physical probability and improbability colliding. but my beleifs are not purley athestic defined with alternative expression, because i beleive that the universe has a kind of 'telos' or final end to it which is the 'great good' that drives the universe and gives it purpose and a vague kind of personality. it functions in equilibrium with everything and is not aware of itself. It is you and me and everything around us. we are it and it is us. we are in a sense,along with everything else, god incarnate. we are all connected to this great spirit of the universe, a by product of it's seemingly random presicion. As i said before, i use the word god loosley, for me it means: "Life, the universe, and everything."

Anyway, it took me a long time to gather my beleif.

Well don't be so sure of that. I haven't made a decision yet on something that looks to ME as if a fully informed decision can be MADE (agnostic).

This doesn't mean I have decided to stop thinking about and examining the issue.

THATS a decision I may never make :-)

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You cannot control your emotions and be self-seeking and ambitious at the same time.

I don't know forget it.

I don't wanna argue with the forums cutest chick :-)

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You cannot control your emotions and be self-seeking and ambitious at the same time.

So, you still think about it it sounds like. This is good.

What you said (highlighted) struck me though.

Intelligence as defined by us humans might have little or no applicability to any "deity" or "entity".

That's the thing. We may not even be capable of thinking about it in ways that LEAD to a meaningful understanding of it. We can only apply what we know. Anthropomorphising in a way.

Anyways, this doesn't mean I'm saying it's pointless to think about (like some conclude).

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You cannot control your emotions and be self-seeking and ambitious at the same time.

I am currently in the process of writing an essay for what I believe the meaning of life is. When I am finished I will post it under a new thread. This may take a while to finish though… In this essay, I address the God question but I’ll try to re-create it in a shorter version for this post.

I am an agnostic Existentialist. I do not believe that the meaning of ones life can be fully understood. That does not stop me from attempting to do so however. My understanding of the universe is ever changing and thus, my philosophy is constantly changing.

That being said, I do understand that I, because I cannot actually know if there is a god, have free range to predict or assume an existence of god. That is, I think about what god is a lot even though I’m not completely sure a god exists. I do so all wile trying to forget about all other religions and dogmas in order to think about god using only my own perceptions, reason and intellect. So what do I think about god?

If there is in fact, a god, I do not see it as a force outside of the universe or outside of this dimension or a being at all (not a person overlooking my live). Rather, the universe itself would be god. The Universe is the unit that brings all things and life that I know of. Therefore, the universe is god. The universe is nether cruel or benevolent, unfair or just.

The question I would have to ask in order to determine what the purpose of life would be is: does god think? That I must ask in my position is: does the universe think?

The equation E=mc squared shows us that all things in the universe stem from the same material. All things come from energy. Even time itself is derived from energy. This is because time is relative to light and light is a form of energy. Matter itself is simply highly condensed energy. This understanding of the universe’s unity has led me to believe that all life on earth and all that may be outside earth, is a part of god. If this is true, perhaps the purpose of life is to grasp the understanding of one aspect of reality. When you die, it is plausible that the sole of a living thing returns to the universe’s ether.

(In my essay on the meaning of life, I explain why I think there is a sole and why the universe has an ether. When I speak of either I’m referring to the hypothetical term used in physics. To explain why here would take to long.)

This “ether” could contain all the collective perspectives of the universe of all walks of life that is forever growing. I believe that life is simply the unit for which the universe attempts to understand itself. When you watch two galaxies colliding with one another over and over again like two balls of water in zero gravity, it appears that the objects are dancing with one another. This dancing looks like a lively interaction. To say there is nothing mystical or significant about these two galaxy’s dance is nothing more than a refusal to consider the why for physics rather than the how.

I could go on forever with this stuff. It’s a big pastime for me to look at nature and think about the incredibly specific circumstances that would have to go underway to create it all. For existence to be created by chance, to be an accident, seems to be a near impossibility. I do not rule it out though.

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Damn, you and I should sit down and drink sometime. We'd figure out the universe LOL

I enjoy batting this around a lot too. I've come up with some initially, seemingly weird theories, but when you think about them .... well, you think about them LOL

Look forward to the writing. Don't rush it.

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You cannot control your emotions and be self-seeking and ambitious at the same time.

It’s funny that you mention that because I was kind of tipsy when I wrote my post.

It’s difficult to find the time to write it but when it’s done I’ll post it for sure.

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Exactly man, Presicley why i don't think it is so. When i was talking about an intelligent entity, i was talking about a godlike sort of thing. Like if i did beleive a god existed i would think it immaterial and of no physical body. Perhaps i should have specified :P


But yes, it is good to think about sometimes.

Do I believe in God?

Short Answer: Yes.

Long Answer:

Well, I use to be a wiccan, I was raised as a wiccan, and my mother still is a wiccan. I use to be believe in many gods and goddesses. Eventually I got leary of wicca, because that religion or cult has no central authority. Then I decided to convert to being Agnostic. I am unsure whether I want to become a Christian or not..

I certainly believe in a God. There is definately a god, no question. I believe the Bible was originally true. However, when you translate a document a number of times, in several different languages, it tends to lose its meaning. Conversions between languages are usually just approximate, not exact.

There has to be a God, or we would not be here.