Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
What are the odds . . .?
Didn't get many replies last time, so I'm trying again!
You hear people make the claim, quite often, that the Bible or some other religious holy text is more than likely true - because people wouldn't take the time to propagate such a lie. "Who would die for a lie?" they say (Strobel?). Who would worship a man that REALLY didn't do anything special? Why would people go through all the trouble of making up these stories? etc.
But isn't that EXACTLY what all religious people believe of every other religion?
Sure, no one would take the time to make up stories about Jesus, or to spread his message and worship him if he hadn't really done all those things in the Bible . . . . but people will do it of Muhammad, or Buddha, Krishna, Mithras, Greek oracles, pharaohs, etc etc etc etc. People die for Allah all the time, does this put Islam nearer to the position of "truth?" Of course not.
There are countless gods and goddesses, as there are many many religions.
The religious believe EVERY other religion, and every other God and Goddess created in history is simply man-made. Stories. Lies. Yet, they believe their religion is the sole exception. It is incredibly unreasonable.
As Christopher Hitchens said: "What are the odds that God created man, when stacked against the odds that man created God?"
The religious MUST admit that man has created thousands and thousands of Gods, and written loads and loads of false doctrine and creeds . . . they have to. Obviously.
Yet, it's somehow unreasonable for others to think the same is true of their religion?
No people would possibly go through the trouble of making up the Bible. But people will go through the trouble of making up the Qu'ran, the Book of Mormon, the Necronomicon, the Enuma Elish, the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita . . . etc?
Who is more unreasonable?
The person who, seeing the sheer quantity of religions and Gods and who recognizes the inability of the religious to provide evidence any better than any other religion - concludes them all to be false?
Or the person who, recognizing the many, many man-made Gods, refuses to think the same is true of his own?
r_u_real: Answers nothing. You are assuming the Biblical account is true from the beginning.
@UberVampyre: Well, I'm going from a logical standpoint. Christians believe Christianity is correct - and in believing so, they must believe EVERY other religion is incorrect. Same with other religions.
I don't "know" all these gods are man-made. There is just nothing at all to suggest they exist EXCEPT for the accounts given of them by men. WIthout any evidence to back them up. So, naturally I'm skeptical. And given the lack of evidence, I lack a belief in them.
@scip779: The Vedas predate the Bible. The Necronomicon predates the Bible. The Enuma Elish predates the Bible. Greek mythologies as well.
And Christianity borrows heavily from all these as well.
The Bible has mistakes. The Bible has contradictions. The authors could've COPIED each other (as is most likely the case with the gospels).
@R Rosskopf: Well, the odds of life arising in the universe has nothing to do with religion. At best, that argument will get you to deism . . . but if you're going to try and convince me that whatever created us cares about us, or even knows we exist, then you have quite a long way to go. Saying life is unlikely thus a creator can be inferred doesn't mean it's the Christian version of him. Or the Muslim one. Or the Hindu one. etc.
And I don't know the odds. Though, given the IMMENSE size of the universe, the sheer quantity of stars and planets, I don't think it's as amazingly unlikely as creationists might like to insist.
Also, to Rosskopf: In regards to your last question . . . no, that doesn't seem very likely to me. TOO faithless? Faith is terribly overrated and over-appreciated. It should be frowned upon, in my opinion.
Your questions presume religious beliefs to be true. That faith is a "good" thing and is required, and that we should be obedient to a god of some kind.
13 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade ago
What are the odds against any planet in the known galaxy supporting life? What are the odds against human life developing by accident in less than 5 billion years? Truly astronomical. What are the odds that a sincere prayer to God will result in an answer? Pretty good. It has worked for me.
Perhaps all religions have some truth to them. Perhaps mankind is too rebelious and faithless to follow a living God. That seems pretty likely, doesn't it?
P.S. - First of all, your rant isn't against any particular God, but against all Gods. Secondly, faith isn't an unreasoned belief. Faith is acting on imperfect knowledge. It is a principle of intelligence. It is the willingness to prove things that are yet unproven. It is the scientific method to test theories. It is going to school hoping that you will eventually get the degree. It is aiming for the moon, when no one has been there. It is keeping a commandment of God to see if your life is better than it was before. It is praying sincerely to discover whether there is anyone out there listening.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
You lack replies because you have over 10 question marks... u_r_really correct though. The way these religious scams were pulled off, was some of the information in the literature is actually real good stuff, not the whole idea, but some things are wise. On a personal note, I don't need religion, because it's too poluted, I go for quality info like; We are gods, and God's children. We all go back to heaven and God doesn't judge us. Love is the vibration that gives rise to the other energies and everything is made of it.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
You say:
"Who is more unreasonable?
The person who, seeing the sheer quantity of religions and Gods and who recognizes the inability of the religious to provide evidence any better than any other religion - concludes them all to be false?
Or the person who, recognizing the many, many man-made Gods, refuses to think the same is true of his own?"
In this one paragraph, you answer your own question succinctly.
To the believer, all gods but his own are false, so how can one determine the "true" god?
Source(s): “If God created us in His image we have certainly returned the compliment.”--Voltaire - 1 decade ago
The question: Who is more unreasonable...concludes them all to be false or believes own religion is true?
So many humans want to use reason alone to make a religion true. Reason is only part of the process. The true God is beyond reason and he will reveal to you the truth if you seek, not on reason alone. The truth is God exists and humans are limited. No assuming, after much study and seeking the Biblical account is true from the conclusion. All the major religions believe in the historic facts of the Bible. Now explore beyond reason. Talk to God. He will answer.
- How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
have you looked at the quar'an? and have you looked at the Bible? first of all, the Bible was written first, over a period of 1600 years by 40 different authors. most of those authors never even met each other. so how could such a book with clear unity have been written? it was God. that's the only answer and its true.
the quar'an has simple mathematical mistakes in it (about plots of land given in 'heaven') and it copies lots of the words in the Bible (like the ten commandments'). the Bible is the truth. accept Jesus before its too late, you wont regret it.
Source(s): Christian John 3:16 - 1 decade ago
Besides the Bible, I've explored just about everything... The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (JW), the Book of Mormon, Holy Blood Holy Grail by Baigent Leigh & Lincoln, The Quran, Darwin's Descent of Man, History of Freemasonry by Albert Pike, the Aquarian Conspiracy by Marilyn Ferguson, Confucious, Life & Teaching of the Masters of the Far East by Spalding, etc...... I certainly haven't parked my brain.....
the EMPTY tomb STILL speaks VOLUMES…….
Jewish leadership had EVERYTHING to gain by producing the body... Roman leadership had EVERYTHING to gain by producing the body...
but Nooooooo, they were ALL overcome and outwitted by ignorant fishermen & tax collectors who "stole" the body out from under their noses.... hahahahhaha
all ANYONE had to do was produce the BODY and it would have ENDED the issue forever.....
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Religions are just large cults. cults are lead by one person or a few with insane ideas who want control-the ones being controlled are gullible and ignorant.
Source(s): the occult - Anonymous1 decade ago
How do you now these gods are not true...are you some sort of immortal who has seen why humans would create gods or did gods create humans....a human born after 1900 AD will never be able to fully get inside the brain of someone born 6000 BC to 60000 BC years ago...
