i hear this "existence" argument a lot, and fwiw YHWH never claims to "exist" anywhere, according to our definition. Religion is roundly and repeatedly condemned in the Bible, and if you were so stupid as to go into religion for a perspective of God wadr that is strictly on you. The OT is a record of the failure of religion, yeh?

@bbyrd009 "I AM that I am; tell them I AM has sent you" (God to Moses, supposedly). Sounds like a pretty strong existence claim right there.

So you're going the tired route of claiming there's a difference between faith / belief and religion. The "religion of one, so its not really religion" routine. Or maybe it's the "religion vs relationship" route. Or the "man reaching up to god vs god reaching down to man" route.

It all gets codified into tribal dogmas (religion) in the end. Whether it's the Holy Roman Church or Bedside Baptist or just little old you telling people what's true and what's false, it's all the same.

@mordant "Sounds like a pretty strong existence claim right there." at first, yes, but if you read the whole passage and then read our common def of "exist: have objective reality or being," another truth begins to become evident imo. The AM part is almost universally read as like a title, which anywhere else Am would be sufficient for that, and almost never read as EMPHATIC, and so the rest of the passage is discounted and misunderstood. So, and i know this is strange ok, but i believe in God, or Allah, or Krishna, doesnt matter imo as these are strictly concepts, but i do not believe God "exists," nor were the authors nor "God" trying to forward that pov?
The arg being that as soon as one insists upon God's "existence," like "believers" do, one will also manufacture the essences of Existence onto God, Old White Guy in a White Robe and a Big Beard, etc. An interesting corrollary here is that you will never find a "believer" who actually has any "belief" whatsoever in God's existence! They all hold that to be an Absolute Truth, and it cannot even be debated?" At least until they read that passage and some of Job with me, wherein we almost always get to see who Satan really is too

@mordant "So you're going the tired route of claiming there's a difference between faith / belief and religion." Samaritans were considered evil and not accepted then, but we are told to "go and do likewise." And there is no judgement for beliefs in the Bible, as most believers tacitly demand? Who also conflate faith and beliefs right away, in their efforts to attain heaven after they have died. Yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, and there is only One Immortal, which no believer will appreciate you Quoting either. You and your sons will be here with me is the assurance to believers (who will not accept it) that all go to the same place.
We mostly proceed from the pov of the Bible that believers have disseminated, see, and we do not ever hear these parts of the Bible, but when the OT is realized as a record of the failure of a religion, and John Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth ("John Doe from out of Nowhere," searchable btw) as two guys sticking two big Middle Fingers straight up in the air at The Man, then wisdom is no longer hidden from the wise. These were not religious or even pious ppl, these were rebels on the run from the law? And religious ppl are "the wise" as far as the Bible is concerned (idiots, iow) he who says he knows does not yet know

@mordant "It all gets codified into tribal dogmas (religion) in the end. Whether it's the Holy Roman Church or Bedside Baptist or just little old you telling people what's true and what's false, it's all the same." well, it does if you do that, yes. But now see what you have said becomes the reasoning for why the truth must be hidden: nations of ppl grow to a point where they demand a king, ppl want to be led, "sheep" iow, and so if one wants to "believe" that they might say some Magic Words in a mortgaged building they call "church" to a guy who has made a deal with the king (501, 6, c3, 6, 1023, 6) and then they will go up to heaven after they have died (mithraism), they can certainly do that, but they will be made to be hypocrites by their own Manual, see. Leave the camp, come out of her, my people, scapegoat, it's all in There ok, just in code. "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power." see, just what you want too right, if you focus on the end, practical part and ignore the big, flowery, meaningless part at the beginning?
Iow you are exactly correct, most ppl will do what you say, and you now have a means for IDing those types and being advised accordingly? Bc trust me the authors of the Bible consider them idiots. Anarchy is not Chaos.

Pretty much my experience. When you get over the don't question GOD part and face the fear and get over it you realize that's it pretty much the Wizard behind the Curtain saying pay no attention to the man behind the Curtain

Sorry, I can't find any dictionary definition of unsure equaling worried

@lerlo I was consulting my gut, not the dictionary.

@UpsideDownAgain Hear, Hear .. Hip, Hip .. Chin, Chin.

@jlynn37 I have no idea what you mean by that but it made me laugh.

@UpsideDownAgain It is just a method to express a heartily agreement.

@jlynn37 Ah, good to know.

Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee

@lerlo Right?!

That happen alot does it?

@lerlo More often than I would like.

Justify? For those who don't believe in god I'm not sure justify is a word that is appropriate. But if people believe in god and trust in god and expected god to do something for them and it lets them down then being mad at that same god follows.

The same reason people post the same meme over and over again? The same reason people answer the same question over and over again? The same reason they believed in the non-existent god in the first place?

youve never met anyone willing to admit that you mean yeh?

@bbyrd009 No. I meant exactly what I said.

@TristanNuvo if you read some of the comments you can find people who were/are mad at god, you could introduce yourself. However based on how irate people's responses are to the thought that someone might be, you can understand why someone might not admit it here.

@lerlo Show me one. I did read the comments, and my original statement stands.

@TristanNuvo "
"In my case, anger at "god" led me to the realization there is no God, and the anger went away." there's one, one of the recent posts--I won't do your research for you. Two people voted that way. You can choose willful blindness, I expect nothing less from this site.

@lerlo I think you are missing the point. They said that at one time they were mad at god. meaning at one time the still believed. Since they no longer believed, they are no longer "mad at god".
So my point still stands. I've never met any one whose disbelief is because they ARE mad at god.

@TristanNuvo Congratulations and may your life be untarnished by such people

and may you always believe everything everyone tells you, all the time

@bbyrd009 I did not say that either. That's twice you tried to twist my words to fit your agenda. It hasn't worked either time.

@TristanNuvo oh, i dunno, maybe ppl say all kinda stuff, to make themselves look better or feel better? doesnt mean much imo. Generally speaking, most ppls unqualified statements meant to convey a "truth" are usually conveying a separate truth that they are maybe not aware of? You take them at their word, and i suspect they are mostly hypocrites and full of crap, thats all i guess

A. I get to ask any question I want. As I explained in the post my experience here is that some people just like to be mad at God and or religion which to me is the same thing. I was seeking to find out what the numbers were. Some people said that no one would admit to being mad at God. If you read the comments some people did admit it. Some people got mad at the poster which could mean they didn't like the question which could mean that they're mad at God. It's a pretty innocuous post so the fact that anyone could get mad at at it is beyond me unless it hit a nerve.
B. If it's a foregone conclusion you're welcome to bypass this post or any other post you don't like or think is a waste of time.
C.Your turn to explain to me why anyone would get upset at such an innocuous post.

@lerlo what is your answer to your own question?

@Ms_McSteven and they delete it so that no one else can tell whether or not they were rude

@Jama765 I voted that I don't believe there is a God.

@Ms_McSteven before it "went away?" sorry? Did you delete it? Could i ask why? ty

@Ms_McSteven man, i don't even agree with his belief here, and i gotta tell ya seems to me like he is the one getting attacked and belittled first, no offense.

@Ms_McSteven she deleted it because my response made a point she couldnt handle. Then re-posted it her comment in another comment without my response because that makes her look better. Will you PLEASE block me?

@Ms_McSteven tell me oh knowing and powerful one what's wrong with my innocuous post that you took offense to--show me where i accused you of being mad at god ...you can't but your type, like your president, likes to use name calling when they have no rational argument--I will report your rudeness and name calling--but you continue to exercise what freedom you have left

@Ms_McSteven I agree with banning you--nah you deleted your post because you couldnt reply to my reply without looking foolish--I get it. I'll be here defending myself and my post as long as you will

@Ms_McSteven Thanks for keeping up your rant and personal attacks, more fuel for admin. You are the quintessential stereotype of the perfect woman. Not that it will matter but here is how I voted: "You have voted for: I don't believe there is a god or am unsure." Find for me once again Ms. Perfect where I told ANYONE that they were mad at god. Good luck and I'm just as free if I want to to be mad at you or anything else--without your consent but will be happy to continue this b.s. of yours as long as you have the time because I don't let people like you or your ilk intimidate me in the slightest. I spent my career fighting for justice and your attacks are feeble in comparison to the attacks from the ignorant I have dealt with.

@Ms_McSteven you kept and deleted it, you find it

Even before I checked your profile I knew you were English. How strange.

what ("the fuck" implied, imo) did you go out into the wilderness to see?

some people think there is no difference--but the poll wasn't seeking any type of answer

@Ruby_Slipper thanks for your helpful comment, thanks for ignoring the comments of people who say they were/are mad at god and the people who voted that they were/are. Blind ignorance is rampant and thanks for reinforcing that concept. I must have struck a nerve but my innocuous post because you're mad at god and won't admit it? Because that would be a death sentence for someone as astute as you? b

@lerlo The billy goats gruff are missing you. Their bridge needs its troll. The fairytale has no meaning without you.

@Ruby_Slipper and only someone like you could quote a fairy tale--keep it up genius

Nope, but that's the way the site is set up. Love when people read their own problems/views into a post or tell me it's b.s. but haven't read the comments, for instance in this case, where people admit to being mad at god.
p.s. 300 points total from the post, think that helped me towards 50,000?

@lerlo don't hurt.

You can if you believed in god or still do which, I'm sorry to break it to you, but many people here used to believe in god and some still do.

the same reason you used to believe in it?

@lerlo Not past the time I would have believed in other nonsense like Fat Men in Flying Sleighs. I never really believe in any of it as much as my peers did.
But playing along seemed to make people happy.

You should find another place to try to convert/brainwash people.

We're pretty damn inoculated against your silly virus here.

"Who told you that you were naked?" yup

what, no prize?

@lerlo Perhaps you can consider your prize is being able to have and to freely express your opinion.

@jlynn37 Well I didnt know you were recording all my opinions, at least I know who to contact if I forget one. Mind telling me how you discerned any opinion from the post? I'm pretty sure you don't know how I voted.

The same way they can pray to one?

Nothing says the people mad at god would be an atheist. They're just here because they're mad at god. Other commenters have said they used to be mad at god and now they don't believe anymore