Does it matter if you have faith or not? I'm not talking about in the grand scheme of eternity, but day to day. What's wrong with believing in God? What's wrong with not?

Does the universe have to make sense?

Does the universe have to make sense?
We try to use our senses to make sense of the Universe, and fail. Ultimately, we can't hope to know the mysteries of the Universe due to our limited perception of it. Mathematical, logical, and physical quandaries abound, so we just have to survive, or in the more comfortable 21st century, thrive, on our emotions.

Despite being the only sentient creatures on the planet, it could be argued that we are also the only insane creatures on the planet (excluding Tasmanian Devils, those things will nibble your pecker off with zero remorse). We're the only ones who have religions, but we are also tied down with that by our emotions. Spirituality may be invented by the human mind, but it is also a tool that keeps the mass of humanity at bay. If we didn't have superstitious beliefs, the world might be a more unstable place than it already is.

If it suits you, believe in what you wish. I cannot disprove the existence of a deity, and just because you cannot prove it is there doesn't mean it isn't extant. However, an ethical predicament arises when we try to tie our faith, often illogical, with the logical method of science. When Evangelicals reject evolution, when Hindus pollute the Ganges (destroying a water source for millions), or when animists offer up human sacrifice to their elemental gods, there is a problem. While we may not have a grasp on what the Universe truly is, or if we have a purpose or not, there are certainly quantifiable, observable traits in our world (such as, the Earth is round, or human beings are the product of evolution) and rejecting them is nothing but a display of ignorance. Want to have faith? Good for you, I hope you can find solace in those lines of thought. But, if one wishes to enforce a twisted sense of morality upon the populace, we get involved in a problem that counteracts our observable reality.

Man believes in religion because he wants peace. He wants to fill in the void he has in his view of the world with something concrete, something tangible. Religion is the closest thing he can come up with.

Figments of the imagination, all of it.

But is there something wrong with that, Nap?


And Evak, well said; those are my sentiments exactly.

If you trade in the language of truth and justice, your words should be based upon more than make-believe.

Despite being the only sentient creatures on the planet ...Don't tell my cat!!

But is there something wrong with that, Nap?

It all depends on if you care about the truth. The saying "ignorance is bliss" did come from somewhere. If you have no qualms with living in ignorance, then go for it. Just like that scene in the Matrix actually.

Does it matter if you have faith or not? I'm not talking about in the grand scheme of eternity, but day to day. What's wrong with believing in God? What's wrong with not?

Does the universe have to make sense?

There's nothing wrong with believing in God, no matter your perception him, as long it gets you by day-to-day without running afoul of the rest of us. :)

If the universe made sense it would be a very unexciting place to live. Despite the fact that we don't understand it, the universe is behaving the way it should.

If the universe made sense it would be a very unexciting place to live. Despite the fact that we don't understand it, the universe is behaving the way it should.

Speak for yourself, the universe makes pretty good sense to me :D

Does it matter if you have faith or not? I'm not talking about in the grand scheme of eternity, but day to day. What's wrong with believing in God? What's wrong with not?

Does the universe have to make sense?

My opinion would be that a faith or belief, even in yourself, is an advantage over no faith or belief. It seems to give a strength/confidence advantage to overcoming adverse situations that arise.

To me, the universe makes more sense than the random-disorder of most people I encounter. We seem to be exposed to one natural universe, around the earth, while at the same time must deal with the billions of unnatural universes that billions of individuals have built around them.

If the universe could think, would we make sense to it?
Would it ponder our origin and function? Would it be confused by our disorder and apparent uselessness?

Does it matter if you have faith or not? I'm not talking about in the grand scheme of eternity, but day to day. What's wrong with believing in God? What's wrong with not?

Does the universe have to make sense?

Well, it sure seems to matter to everyone else if a body has faith or not. One of our biggest human failings seems to be hubris and thinking our personal way is the only way. Those who have faith feel that those who don't are missing some integral ability to connect with their higher self. And those who don't believe seem to feel logic is superior to all and those who do believe are somehow inferior in their thought process.

Who we are is the product of a culmination of various things; physical, mental, emotional, environmental. How can anyone really ever judge the way in which another has chosen to cope with or enjoy this world. In truth they can only see the results of another's belief and what that said belief introduces into the world.

For me if someone is comfortable with their belief system it should bring them balance and harmony, kindness, comfort and wisdom and also enough discomfort to make them always quest for other alternative ideas and beliefs which we learn from reading and watching and speaking with others. A comfortable belief system should bring about positive things for the believer and those around them.

I believe that the universe is ordered somehow. Just because we can't recognize it, doesn't mean it isn't there. Everything just fits together so perfectly. I mean, every single atom in the universe obeys a few set laws, yet they form absolutely everything. Math is the new religion!

When I lay down tonight, perhaps I will ponder the bedmites that inhabit my mattress. I cannot see them and they do not effect my world.
I provide their environment and the very food they eat. I shall listen closely, they may pray to me. I may be their god.

Sooner or later Pixar will make a movie about them!

My opinion would be that a faith or belief, even in yourself, is an advantage over no faith or belief. It seems to give a strength/confidence advantage to overcoming adverse situations that arise.

To me, the universe makes more sense than the random-disorder of most people I encounter. We seem to be exposed to one natural universe, around the earth, while at the same time must deal with the billions of unnatural universes that billions of individuals have built around them.

If the universe could think, would we make sense to it?
Would it ponder our origin and function? Would it be confused by our disorder and apparent uselessness?
What seems to give the universe order is what we call causality.

The thing is, if you look closely at any causal event, you can see that it is not simple. You can break a causal event--say a billiard ball hitting another billiard ball and causing a recoil--into the probabilistically virtual (but not quite) certainty that enough negative charges of the atoms on the surface of each billiard ball will be oriented outwardly to create repulsion when the two balls get close.

So what we see as "order" or causation is really only the law of large numbers applied to the random positions of electrons near the surface of billiard balls.

This appearance of causation is, then, created by nothing more than the fact that each ball has so many electrons near the surface that it is so unlikely they would almost all, at the moment of collision, not be able to repel.

I don't know that it is accurate to say that atoms "obey" anything at all. They seem to often behave in random (albeit not chaotic--one can measure probabilities) ways.

GOD is real, his Bible is real and the way to heaven is a narrow path.

What seems to give the universe order is what we call causality.

The thing is, if you look closely at any causal event, you can see that it is not simple. You can break a causal event--say a billiard ball hitting another billiard ball and causing a recoil--into the probabilistically virtual (but not quite) certainty that enough negative charges of the atoms on the surface of each billiard ball will be oriented outwardly to create repulsion when the two balls get close.

So what we see as "order" or causation is really only the law of large numbers applied to the random positions of electrons near the surface of billiard balls.

This appearance of causation is, then, created by nothing more than the fact that each ball has so many electrons near the surface that it is so unlikely they would almost all, at the moment of collision, not be able to repel.

Yes, and one tends not to be concerned with the occurances within the billiard ball at impact.

GOD is real, his Bible is real and the way to heaven is a narrow path.

The path is narrow out of necessity...it's in your mind.

My point was that all atoms are made of equal numbers of protons and electrons, the positions of electrons can be reasonably guessed, they bind together in a predictable fashion, etc. Although, I also do enjoy that thought that everything which occurs in the universe is the result of actions which have only the tiniest probability of occuring. Yet due to the massive number of attempts, they seem commonplace.