Do People Need God? (church, God)

[Scott1]

Originally Posted by UnityNow101

People have been told throughout the ages that they need God to protect them from every kind of calamity imagineable, even though any reasonable person will admit that calamities hit both the believers and nonbelievers...People have been led to believe in a god which was made by the minds of their forefathers and peoples of the past. Their "god" cannot exist without the books that have been written and what they have been told by others. They are unwilling to understand this. If you throw away the book, what remains?

Who are you talking about? Throw away our "book" and nothing changes... God is still God... and our faith would remain our faith..... not sure what you're getting at.

[Runt]

Originally Posted by UnityNow101

People have been told throughout the ages that they need God to protect them from every kind of calamity imagineable, even though any reasonable person will admit that calamities hit both the believers and nonbelievers...People have been led to believe in a god which was made by the minds of their forefathers and peoples of the past. Their "god" cannot exist without the books that have been written and what they have been told by others. They are unwilling to understand this. If you throw away the book, what remains?

Oral traditions, indigenous traditions, and lots of other religions that are not textually-based? Oh, and let's not forget mysticism.

And if the God of the Books really exists, why would He go away if the books went away? Are religious texts some kind of extradimensional space wherein God resides?

[Charity]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

In what sense or way, if any, do people need a god?

I don't need a god , I need the God, the creator, the one who first loved me. The one who is my constant companion in my time of need. He has been with me through every trial, every illness, grief, and heartache.

[Azakel]

No one needs any God(dess).

[BalanceFx]

Originally Posted by stephenw

People need meaning.
I read somewhere that Spinoza loved his God so much he didn't expect God to love him back. I thought there was something wonderful about that.
I think somewhere inside us we all have an awareness of the infinite, I don't think we need to be conscious of it. Some people get it in Church, some people get it walking on the hills, others playing football.
I think we need to be able to forget ourselves. Is that God?

Spinoza did not believe in a personal god though.

I personally don't think a personal god is neccesary at all. A role model would be better suited to guide people and can interact.

The sense of eternity you talk about is interesting. Have you seen this article? Wired 7.11: This Is Your Brain on God

Old but interesting. ('99)

[whereismynotecard]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

In what sense or way, if any, do people need a god?

I don't think so. I'm fine without one.

[UnityNow101]

Who are you talking about? Throw away our "book" and nothing changes... God is still God... and our faith would remain our faith..... not sure what you're getting at.

Without the Bible, what would you know about God? Sure, God may still be God. But he would look quite different from the way that you perceive him now, wouldn't he?

And if the God of the Books really exists, why would He go away if the books went away?

Because he cannot exist in the same manner without the books and tradition handed down throughout the ages. If this God does exist, shouldn't it be easily verifiable without the use of a book or tradition? Why believe in the Bible, Qu'ran, Bhagavad Gita, among others? How can one be propelled at the expense of the others? Can one be proven and the rest deemed false? Or must they all be looked at with suspicion since the image contained of God therein does not persist without the book?

[Bouncing Ball]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

In what sense or way, if any, do people need a god?

They don't. But neither do we need friends or a roof over our head. We don't need the truth, but we don't need mysteries either..

Yet I want them all! (putting "God" in either truth or mysteries)