Quote Originally Posted by Oneironaut
What do you mean by God being "present" in religions and in atheists? Traditionally God has been defined as being omnipresent, that is, existing in all locations at all times, but I don't think that's what you meant.
Yes, in 'some' religions, but not all. But, what I'm saying is that perhaps no religion has it all right, but they might have a portion, or common ground by which they could work together if they chose to do so.

No, it seems the only unifying theme among all the major religions that I can think of is their belief that all other religions are false.
That's not unifying at all, is it? How about the value of love that most preach, but rarely adhere to? That'sa what I'm getting at, Oneironaut. Even Atheists find value in that, many of then anyway...


And I don't blame them, either. If you sincerely believe your religion is true, then you have to reject the possibility that other religions which contradict your own are true. If you're a Muslim and believe in the indivisibility of God, you have to reject the Christian idea of the Trinity. If you're a Jew and you think God wants people to eat cows but not pigs, you're going to have to reject the Hindu belief that God wants people to eat pigs but not cows.
Again I'm not talking about the truth of a religion, I'm talking about G-d's presence in the majority of them...even if not adhered to most the time. The common ground/theme, or unifying element within each. Just that part!

Religions are conglomerations of various ideas, each one of which is either true or false. Even if you're not a fundamentalist who believes every word of your scripture and insists on following every ritual to the letter, some of the basic tenets of your religion are going to force you to reject the basic tenets of other religions. For example, if you believe in a single entity called God, which you apparently do, you are in essence saying that every religion is false that incorporates hard polytheism (the belief that there are many gods which are not manifestations of a single entity). You are also saying that the atheist varieties of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc. are false religions.
So true, but we all don't have to agree, man! All we must do is find a way to get along and live in peace amongst each other...find a common ground on which to build.

I personally believe that God doesn't exist. If he really could reach me, he would have done so on one of the numerous times I have begged for some sign of his existence. He has not indicated his presence to me in any recognizable form, so I can only conclude that either he doesn't care enough to make his presence knowable or he doesn't exist. If there is some entity called God which is influencing the events of my life somehow, I have yet to see the evidence, and I can't take any hypothesis seriously unless there is at least some kind of evidence for it.
It doesn't matter if you belive or not, and G-d certainly isn't obligated to force you to believe, or make his existance known to you. Even so, you have a common ground with the many religions, imo. Then again, I don't know you very well at all, and you may very well be a heartless scrub out for blood, lol!

??Dear Lord: The gods have been good to me. For the first time in my life, everything is absolutely perfect just the way it is. So here's the deal: You freeze everything the way it is, and I won't ask for anything more. If that is OK, please give me absolutely no sign. OK, deal. In gratitude, I present you this offering of cookies and milk. If you want me to eat them for you, give me no sign. Thy will be done. (munch munch munch)? ??Homer Simpson

LMAO! Classic!
JunkYard Reviewed by JunkYard on . If God Exists... do you really think he would limit his presence to one single religion? I know there are many Atheists who have no belief at all. Do you really think that because of thier disbelief, that God, if he exist would deny them if thier heart was in the right place? God is many things, imo but above all else he is Love. I realize that the Bible states that none come to the father but by Christ, but couldn't this just mean that if we do as Christ did, and embrace the father as love, that we can Rating: 5