Dear God,
When are you going to let all those who believe in you know that you don’t exist? I find it alarming, scary in fact, that so many blindly devote themselves, act on the behalf of, and talk to something that quite clearly doesn’t exist.
You’ve kept a firm grip on society through promoting shame, guilt and fear - not of your wrath - but of humanity and life itself.
I get that many of us need ’something’ to believe in, I get that. But it’s still very sad to know that a fairy tale has become the biggest prank in history. I’m sorry people, but no matter who or
what you act on behalf of, what YOU do in this life still matters.
Who you hurt, who you shame, who you love and who you help determines who you are - what you believe is irrelevant - pain, suffering, joy and love are real.
The reason god knows everything you do, is because god IS you! It’s a joke. Don’t you get it?
Dane, Brisbane/AustraliaShare:
April 29th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
How someone can look around at this world and not believe in God … is beyond me.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I totally agree with That Robbie Guy. I can’t imagine how sad and cold life would be if you only had yourself to depend on.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:06 am
How someone can look around at this world and believe in God. . . is beyond me.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:43 am
If you felt so strongly against God, why would you even come online to a sight dedicated to prayer- praying to God- about his nonexistence. Obviously, there its a hidden prayer in itself. This is a sinful world, you see it everyday on television, but I agree with everyone else, how can you look at this world- the beauty, good, all of that, and not believe.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Life is not cold or sad when you rely and depend on yourself. It is full of meaning and purpose. How some people can convince themselves of their imagined God is beyond me.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:43 am
You are right Dane and I feel your pain. It is amazing that Christianity could cause the collapse of the Roman Empire and then go directly into the dark ages causing untold misery through the centuries because of it disdain for any knowledge other than what is found in the bible and people still embrace it. Even the founders of the USA saw this propensity and made it clear in many many quotes the contempt they felt for Christianity, but even still it has managed to bring the US to it’s knees with it’s always present apathy and ignorance. And poor Islam, a whole culture that has not contributed a thing to humanity for hundreds of years because it is so hopelessly lost in the absolute bondage of a myth. It is hard to imagine people cannot see clearly what religion always does to humanity. It has been this way for 2000 years since the birth of monotheism. So many people helplessly lost in fantasy can only mean more pain for humanity. “There is beauty in all things, except the ignorance of men”.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:59 am
Why, if God does not exist, does it matter what we do? Why not do whatever, WHATEVER, you want if we are all there is and this life is all there is? Just a question.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:37 am
# Trevor Says:
Why, if God does not exist, does it matter what we do? Why not do whatever, WHATEVER, you want if we are all there is and this life is all there is? Just a question.
If you are asking where man gets his morals and why he wouldn’t just go around killing his neighbors if he didn’t have god to stop us. Well I’m sure you have probably heard of the Golden Rule, “treat others, as you would like to be treated”. This little jewel predates all modern religions, and is a pretty good explanation for where man’s natural morals come from. In fact look at every one of the commandments that mean anything, and you will see they simply reflect this axiom. (except of course the first 4 which simply try to ensure your continued patronage). And then there are all the exceptions to these commandments in the bible, such as killing those that work on the sabbath, killing non believers, killing homosexual, killing witches so many exceptions to the rule. How about don’t kill anyone period. Isn’t that simple enough, but then that would be more the outcome of our natural morals. .
Consider that before Christianity or monotheism for that matter, came onto the scene there had been the Great civilizations of Athens and and the Roman Empire. Both these civilizations were founded on the idea of reason, and freedom. and these ideals helped them survive and prosper for so very long. Christianity burst onto the scene 2000 years ago, and shortly after the Roman Empire was no more, Followed shortly by the incredibly sad period known as the dark ages. Both caused by the insistence that there was only one god, and that all that matters in life was what the book what the book that he wrote said. How many people have died simply because they believed something different than that book. Ever since it’s emergence it has been a bane to mankind, just look at the sad state of Arab culture. They are completely imprisoned and have not contributed anything to humanity for a very long time.
This life may be all there is, but that does not mean it is not meaningful. We each make our own meaning through how we live our life. No one is ever going to be able to tell you the meaning of life, that is for each of us to determine for ourselves. Those that tell you they have the answer just desire more support for their own fantasies, because the more who believe like them the easier it is for them to maintain their own illusions. But if you care about the future of humanity as a whole, and ever desire to see it survive to attain it’s true potential, you simply must resist the urge to drown yourself in illusion. We all depend on each of us resisting that urge, and I would say that if you could manage to do that your whole life, It would certainly have a tremendous amount of meaning, considering how many there are that willingly trade trade truth and reason for the warm little cocoon of self deception. cheers.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:40 am
To robbie and esther - shame on you for taking credit from nature and passing it into the oblivion of make believe you call ‘god’. How can you look around this world and not acknowledge the wonders of space, science, man and nature. Or look at war, pain, violence, genocide - show me which of all these things you see that must be explained by god, and not by what we already know. I can’t imagine and cold and sad and desperate life must be to put your faith into something that never has and never will pay off. For your sake, invest in your life, not the afterlife.
Joe - yeah buddy, you’re feeling me.
HKAY - what sort of internet connection do you think god is on? do you think he uses pc or mac? or does he lick his finger and hold it up to the wind to pick up machine code in cyberspace? I think you’ll find 100% of the audience for this site….is people. If anyone, I pray to us, because we need each other more than a fairytale.
Linh - high fives! these people don’t see everything man is capable of? Some people don’t want to be responsible for their own lives.
Kozz - I feel you. My beef is with the absurdity of ‘god’ more than anything, but the argument you bring up is more compelling. Pointing out the damage religion has and continues to cause. I’d love to start a religion of humanity….but that would defeat the purpose of the argument wouldn’t it.
Trevor - the question you pose is that of a sociopath…or just someone who can’t read. You’re basically saying we should only regulate our behaviour based on what we think god will do to us when we die. You don’t seem to understand that if you hurt someone now, in THIS life, that person is affected. What you do to someone MATTERS TO THEM. If you don’t understand that, I fear for those around you.
I have to say after seeing the first two comments I was worried. I did mention it was scary how blindly people attach themselves to the notion of ‘god’ - that’s because when they do that, the consequence in this life are less important than what they believe. I’m glad there is still some free, logical thinking people around, I was starting to understand how it feels to be a minority. Man help us all when logic and reason give way to belief…
April 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Dane may be seeking to find enlightenment inside of himself, as other spiritually prolific people have done before him. I think his suggestion that we can find the spirit of God within ourselves has great meaning that goes beyond the understanding of God as one almighty being, and instead, he understands God as the physical proof of life on earth. Some of us have been taught from religious doctrines, and parchements, and scrolls, that all nature comes from one source-way out past mars-and God lives there, and his divine power reaches every last drop of humanity. This may be a welcoming thought for most, but still others feel God comes from individual contributions to the world. So who do we turn to if the world shuts us out? Does that mean God shuts us out too? Well, some would say no, but I would say yes. If you believe God to come from our own abilities to deal with reality than yes, we have let “God” shut us out. So how do we change that? Evolve. Sitting and praying is like surrendering control to yourself, for a reward. Instead we need to start including all life under the umbrella of God, this could lessen the uncertainty of either the existence or the presence of God, because all we need do is look around. Too many perspectives prevent us from thinking in this way though. So another dilemma is faced, deal with God on our own terms and disregard others, or look around and find proof of God within something that is easily communicated: Life itself.
My suggestion is that we evolve our thinking through active participation in life outside the realm of conventional/institutional thought. We do this by taking responsibility for our own lives and making sure others understand our movements towards enlightenment. It’s how religious beliefs spread before, the evidence is in any Humanistic history text.
Comments open up conversation! I’d love to hear from you….
April 30th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Dane Dear,
When the earth trembles during an earthquake, which way would you look ? ? ? UP towards the heavens or down towards hell? If anything, you got many people praying for you! May God bless you richly as He shows you who He is . . .
It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):
‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man sow,
that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and women
who mocked God :
John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:
‘Christianity will end, it will disappear.
I do not have to argue about
that. I am certain.
Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him’ (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.
Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency.
Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.
Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ),
while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said:’God, that’s for you.’
He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner.
The man who built the Titanic
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be.
With an ironic tone he said:
‘Not even God can sink it’
The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic
Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show.
He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her.
After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:
I don’t need your Jesus’.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment
Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
‘Don’t stop me; I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell’.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.
Campinas (IN 2005)
In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend…..
The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car:
‘My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.’
She responded: ‘Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here…..It’s Already Full ‘
Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died,
the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.
The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken
Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)
said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written..
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.
Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.
‘Jesus’
‘Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus’ name. Amen.’
April 30th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
A prayer is not only meant for God, Dane is just putting the thoughts out there, why would you get angry if someone doesn’t believe in God. This site isn’t just meant for any specific religion or any religion at all. It’s a place to share your hardships, fears, thoughts inspiriations and such. So please don’t troll someone’s post for having different views then your own. Dane I feel for you.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Mrs. Vicki, I am believer myself, but I find that forcing our beliefs upon non-believers is totally classless. Non-believers argue with logic. Believers argue because of faith. There is no way of reconciling things. Let us live and let live.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
the only logic i know is faith. humans can’t even figure out themselves and others, so how will we ever understand the Man above all us?
“It is easy to understand God as long as you don’t try to explain him.” ~Joseph Joubert
April 30th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
If only nat knew the truth. Open your eyes, girlfriend. It’s easy to feel so connected with facebook and youtube and websites for lyrics, but does this provide you with answers?
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:38 am
As a former atheist, I can certainly sympathize with the position of this person. I’m glad I’m not in that space any mre,
For the believer: joy is central and sorrow is peripheral.
For the unbeliever, sorrow is central and joy is peripheral.
Why?
Because this world and this finite existence here on Earth is full of pain and evil and suffering and selfishness and atrocity. For the believer, the time spent here is a fleeting moment; a camera flash at the Superbowl. In the context of spending an eternity in joy, spending 80 years or so in this wretched place is trivial.
For the nonbeliever, this wretched place is all there is. Their entire existence is spent in a world of pain and evil and suffering and selfishness and atrocity.
I have many good friends who are nonbelievers. They are intelligent and insightful people. I don’t look down on them. I pray for them.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:24 am
Okay, well as a believer in God, I have to stand up for my beliefs. Somehow the world has this sick and twisted interpretation of God, like He is a big bully poking fun, or that Christians are all mean and stingy and hurtful.Not true. I have almost always had a sense of God and when I was old enough to understand it, I began to look for a church that I felt comfortable in. Let me tell you, it is not easy. But God does exist, and there are both people and churches that support that truth… that love and beauty and joy come from one source, God. You may think that you are enjoying life… sin is fun, there is no doubt about that, but in the long run, you will always feel a little bit empty without Him in your life.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 am
God, like any other word, has earned its reputation. Simply looking at the Torah we note that the God written about is schizophrenic in nature: he’s all about love one day, then banishment the next(Genisis). He will bless with gifts but then ‘back-handedly’ bash you (Aberham, Sarai, and Haggi). The point is that Humanity continues to capture God, kill God, using language. Paradoxically, although God cannot be symbolically reduced, man has no other recourse in an attempt for proximity with the Divine. Our body IS the limit that separates us from the transcendent.
Paradox litters any religion. This is obviously problematic: some divinely inspired random will damn me for being gay, bible in hand, while the next ‘righteous’ random will espouse my own righteousness–even though I enjoy giving bj’s to my ‘juan and only’).
What is the purpose of GOD in such paradox? In my studies of Hinduism I came across the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. This Indian guru is recognized as bringing the teachings of Hinduism to the west. According to this guy, the purpose of faith is to edify: edify the mind, body, and in turn community. This need for edification is what should fuel any type of spirituality. I dig this. I do not believe that Jesus Christ is my personal savior. I do believe that he, along with Gandhi, Buddha, Mother Theresa, Padre Pio, et cetera, have served as paragons of qualities that humanity, as a whole, must incorporate into daily action. If you do not turn to these ’saints’ for inspiration, fine. If you do, cool. If you are a closed minded that claims that “he/she/they are going to straight to hell because of this that or the other…” blah blah blah, then you should be deleted from this majestic creation that we, as people, should stand in awe of and edify.
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
dear dane
my thoughts go out to you and so many people that are searching?? what are you looking for dane??
Im a bielever and have been for a while religon isn’t something that can be forced apon someone it is a choice it’s up to you if you want to bieleve love and all those things that you say you do bieleve in guess what that is god so in a way you already bieleve??
but im not here to say your right or wrong thats your choice i just pray that you live a great life and just follow this method A.R.K
which is acts of random kindness then your on your way I bieleve you will make the right choice in the end dane
my prays and thoughts with you always
shaun
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I really can’t say that I or anyone else will ever know in this physical life what God is really like, but for me, for now it is enough to believe the messages given in the New Testament, spoken and documented by Jesus and his disciples. We all have access to information about our earth, it’s creatures and beyond, and I must say this, just study one species, say jellyfish, or a galaxy , or try to figure out where the universe leads to, or why you feel love the way you do.
It all seems to me your belief stems from how much thinking you really want to do. Most of us don’t want to think beyond our little lives we have ‘created’ for ourselves, our work, our daily grind, the price of gas etc, religion included.
May 4th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Morons wishing your days away. Let me have a try because I believe in god I wish the world was a better place - bugga me it hasn’t changed.
May 5th, 2008 at 4:21 am
awesome.. believer and non believer arguing..
hmmm.. God does exist. literally. I met Him before.
have anybody meet Him?
ps: i once a non-believer
May 5th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Kozz (30 of April) Before you say or write something you should really read more and study. Every culture has contributed something that makes us what we are today – so does Islam. Medieval Muslims were trailblazers in fields as diverse as medicine and mechanics, cartography and chemistry, education and engineering, architecture and astronomy. No area was too obscure to miss the scrutiny of enquiry backed up by rigid scientific experimentation.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Definition of “Faith: Belief without question”.
Aren’t some people glad we questioned lightening? Or else this would be an argument about the existence of Zeus.
Religion isn’t bad. But believing in something doesn’t necessarily make it so. So keep an open mind. After all, didn’t they all believe the earth to be flat?
Of course for those of you who deny the use of logic…well I might as well be talking to any other animal, right?
May 7th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
nice post Dane - pity the peeps here are not answering your prayer
How someone can look around at this world and BELIEVE in God … is beyond me
though so long as they don’t bother others I’m fine with that
May 9th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Lidka,
How about some concrete examples. I’d love to hear them. Until then a quick history lesson. After Christianity brought down the Roman Empire, Islam, expanding through this area came into possession of the knowledge of it as well as ancient Athens. They also benefitted by being a middle man to China, which was the dominant Civilization on the planet at the time. They created very little in the way of their own advances in any field. The situation only got worse when Islam became more rigid in it’s demand for orthodoxy. Almost all learning stopped when it was deemed that all knowledge worth knowing was in the Koran. There has not been a single redeeming creation out of this culture since. BTW, this is exactly what happened to the Roman Empire after Christianity became the required faith, and the Bible became the source of all knowledge. This led to the collapse of the Roman Empire, and Caused the subsequent Dark Ages in Europe. The inverse correlation between religion and the rise and fall of civilizations is very good, and is just a simple fact of life. If you don’t know this perhaps you should be the one studying a little more.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Cazuza died of AIDS not cancer.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
You say “I’m sorry people, but no matter who or what you act on behalf of, what YOU do in this life still matters.
Who you hurt, who you shame, who you love and who you help determines who you are - what you believe is irrelevant - pain, suffering, joy and love are real.”
What you do in this life does still matter to God. That is what God is all about, not hurting others, not shaming others, and acting in a loving manner.
Pain and suffering is always present in life, but joy and love are gifts given to us from God.
God is love, and keeping a closed heart is what causes pain and suffering.
May God’s love be with you, always.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:54 am
Hello Dane,
I like a lot of what you wrote! It takes some thought to fgure out our own beliefs and opinions on things and also courage to share them. I value your beliefs, and agree partialIy what you believe, I hope you value mine too.
I believe too that no matter what or who we act on behalf of, what we do in this life still matters.
I find it alarming that so many blindly don’t devote themselves, talk to or act on behalf of someone who quite clearly does exist.
I got a surprize when I almost died and- theres truth in what you say- We are judged by our own consceous, and are God’s in ourselves. The male presence who received me as my ‘king’ (surrounded in light) when I had a bad accident… well, I can’t deny him. I know these things are always open to interpretation and discussion but as long as I remember what I saw and heard there I have no doubt about in the slightes and will strive to live those things that are the wise and good teachings of a great and loving God.
It’s incredible that when we do need ’something’ to believe in- He will be there.
May hope and learning always be with you while you are curious and peace and joy as you grow in truths!
All the best to you.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
to the people asking what i’m ’searching for’ and/or praying for me, please take the time to read what i wrote. please don’t calim the good things in both this world and humanity itself are the work of god - the arrogance of such a notion is laughable, and i ask again, how dare you take that credit, for kind, unselfish, loving and benevolent acts of real people, and hand it over to a vengeful, tyrannical fairytale who sees fit to drown a civilisation for not doing what he says…. and please if anyone wishes to add that any recent or historical natural disaster is the work of god, punishing people for sins….save it, and tell it to the friends and families of people that have died in such events. and spare me your quotes, biblical or otherwise that cause you to feel justified in your fear and inability to face the world as an individual - to be responsible for your own choices.
If anything, i give you people (believers) credit for your passion - in arguing something absolutely bereft of any proof or reason. you would be great in the army, where logical thought is peripheral to learned tactics and ‘the mission’, and everyday consequences don’t apply….
i’m not about to belittle anyone’s near death experience, but i ask you, in the name of learning as you put it (and in acknowledgement of the power of the sub-conscious), consider whether you would have seen a lion at that moment, were that image the one that people worshipped as god…. i don’t think it’s incredible at all that one’s mind could create a comforting image when ‘needed’.
June 20th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
If God isnt real… then us Christians have little to lose.
But if God is real… you have so much more to lose.
June 24th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
ohhh k…k…. k…… fear-mongering!? froma christian!? how original….. thanks for proving a point of mine.
interesting that you consider devoting your natural life to something that may not be real as no big deal though….
July 10th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Dane
How mean of you to pick on those who don’t have your intellect and your “eyes wide open”.
They’re still frightened, living in a fairytale and believe if they do naughties, they can go to confession and make the boo boo better.
I fully agree, God IS you, and You IS God.
I fully agree that what YOU do in this life matters - right NOW, not because of what happens to your soul when the earthly body falls away.
I fully agree that those you hurt, those you shame, those you love helps determines who you are - and that pain, suffering, joy and love are real, and are necessary to also help determine who you are.
I believe “God” is real though, but not a HE. God is “all that is”. We are one in God. God is the collective of all of us, who are God. What that really is - is still up for debate, because it can’t be proven, like being “in love” can’t be proven - but maye you can glimpse it by what people who are in love do for each other.
My feeling though, is that God is our collective intelligence, or our collective soul - more, our collective intent. And I believe there is energy, power and yes, maybe comfort in that universal intelligence, or universal soul, or universal intent.
Kez
August 13th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Dane,
Can anyone really know enough to know that God does or does not exist? Think of all the knowledge that exists in this universe.. is it possible to know even a small percentage of what there is to know? How can anyone know enough to know if God does or doesn’t exist?
And yet, what is this yearning in your heart for? Why does it exist? Why are you wanting to know the answers? Why are you angry?
Do you not have a sense of right and wrong? Do you not have a sense of justice? Where did that sense of right and wrong come from? Does it just exist in all human beings by accident?
If there is a sense of right and wrong in every human… (it may be different to different people but it still exists) then is it possible that there really is a right and wrong? And if there really is a right and a wrong, where did that come from? Do animals have a sense of justice or just humans?
I want to suggest that the reason you feel that life is unjust is that it is, and that sense of right and wrong that you possess was actually put into you and every human by someone or something. Somewhere, somehow there has to be an absolute truth, an absolute right and wrong… Or is it by chance that you feel the way you do?
Someone once said that “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” Your searching is a reality because God is a reality, unfortunately people have done a louzy job of explaining what God is really like. The only person that has every been able to explain God is Jesus Christ. Don’t look at people or their explainations of God. Don’t look at history and try and figure things out… look at Him. He has the answer.
Mike