Does God exist? Or, is there a God?

Yeah SPC, what you said.

SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - Ah yes, the universal probability argument. I was waiting for that one to come out. Those particular probability bounds were decided upon by individuals creating a cut off value they determined to be true based on what they now, all to be used to justify their intelligent design argument. Neither of those bounds/probability equations are accepted as universal as say, the Heisenberg uncertainty principal that has been peer reviewed/tested/validated. Moreover, he probability bounds established by them take into account what we know of the universe, which is exactly 4-5% of what is actually out there. And lastly, the cut off value flies in the face of QED because it establishes a criteria below which all the Non zero value random events that could happen are arbitrarily decided that they are so rare of an occurrence that we can't accept that they would happen. Yet, in QED, if it is a non zero value, IT WILL HAPPEN. just as virtual particles are a very real thing that spring from nothing, simply because they exist from a non zero value field. To illustrate the ridiculousness of that, remember, you have a 1/292,000,000 chance of winning the Powerball. Now what are the odds of winning the lottery 2,3,4,5,6, or 7 times? gets up into the Quintillion, yet, no matter how obscene the odds against it are, there have been people who at my last check have won the lottery 7 times.

Just because the odds are great, does not mean the event CAN'T happen. Unless it is strictly prohibited against by the laws of physics, it WILL happen at some point. Creating a cutoff value to justify your refusal to accept things as they are, doesn't make you right, hence why no one will validate those equations. it makes you a silly person and gives false hope to those who also disagree with the notion that they are not special and the universe wasn't created for them.

Yes, *theoretically* everything 'will' happen eventually, given either infinite time or infinite space and matter. We've had neither, nor will we ever have either.
The odds are such that they would still be astronomical even given a googol of universes just like ours.

SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - Again, it's not "theoretical" it is a fact, an absolute (one of the few) fact. Just because the numbers are astronomical does not give a human with limited intelligence the right or justification to decide it CAN'T or WON'T happen. The universe is under no obligation to follow the whims of an idea that justify a belief. Have you thought about how self centered those arguments are either? Take the core numbers based on the total amount of protons in the OBSERVABLE universe, that's right, the universe WE can see, which has been repeatedly shown to be vastly larger than anyone (religious or not) has imagined it could be. The very core of those calculations are based on what one man has decided is the total universe and what is in it. Even IF that was true, the core numbers are based on a whopping 4-5% of the observable universe, which could be a full google bigger than we know of. How do you not see the blatantly obvious flaws of this argument? the math is rotten to it's core because it presupposes figures of the universe that are not based on anything but what one person "feels" is it. That's not sound math, that's garbage, and you know it.

We all have our struggles. You have condolences regarding the death of your son.
Human beings know innately that there is evil in this world. Yet, if there is no God, there is no evil. There are only meaningless events that affect some objects or creatures in one way, and others in other ways. Without God, there is no real moral basis to call something evil.

SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - I guess I'm going to turn this into a philosophical discussion. Does evil and free will exist for a purpose? Did my active duty son's suicide and the person who could have stopped it but didn't actions have greater meaning than to my family? Does the number of 20 a day veteran's taking their lives serve a greater good? I'm looking for answers that aren't available, that's why it's called faith? I do believe I will be with my son again some day, that says something about me.

SCPO Penny Douphinett
God created free will so He could have fellowship with us. He didn't want a universe of automatons. With free will, we choose to act according to God's plan, and not according to His plan. We all do both, every day. When we choose to act not according to His plan, that is evil or wicked. Evil is an inevitable effect of free will.
All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. As finite beings, we cannot always see the good effects of the evil that we see, but God can.
Have you ever seen the back of a tapestry? It's a tangled mess, an unrecognizable caricature of the gorgeous image on the front. On Earth, we see only the back of God's tapestry. We see the needle piercing in and out of the work, leaving tangled messes of color. God sees the beautiful art He is making.
If your son accepted Christ as his personal Saviour, then you can see him again one day, by doing the same. If he did not, then he wants you to know how to avoid the awful place that he finds himself in. We know this from the account that Christ shared about the rich man who went to Hell, and tried to return to earth to warn his family.

The Bible says there is only one way to Heaven

Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)

Good works cannot save you.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Trust Jesus Christ today! Here's what you must do:
Admit you are a sinner.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12)

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:10)

Be willing to turn from sin (repent).
Jesus said: "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5)

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" (Acts 17:30)

Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Through prayer, invite Jesus into your life to become your personal Saviour.
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:10)

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

What to pray:

Dear God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Saviour.
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:12)

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, as a Christian you should:

Read your Bible every day to get to know Christ better.
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalms 119:105)

Talk to God in prayer every day.
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6)

Be baptized, worship, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where Christ is preached and the Bible is the final authority.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matthew 28:19)

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16)

Tell others about Christ.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)

"For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16)

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

I hope this helps you.

The human eye is actually a piece of garbage engineering, your Iphone has a better camera. Your eye balls are cross wired and upside down, your brain flips the image and corrects for the blank space in your field of vision for you. Intricate it is not. If God created mankind in his own image then he is an elderly Asian women with cataracts, not exactly a good argument using the eye...

Perhaps there was a purpose for the "engineering". Also, there is the consequences of the fall of man that contributes to the decay of the human body. I, for one, am not going to question the engineering behind the eye and the associated ocular systems. Iphones are NOT better cameras, as they were created from previously existing technology and parts. The human eye was created from the dust of the earth.

there was, and currently is a purpose for the engineering of the eye. It is called evolution, the path he eye ahs taken has been long studied and is well known.

Contrary to that statement, the camera on your Iphone really is better, like exponentially better than the human eye. That's based on that thing called science. The camera was not created from existing technology, as nothing like it ever existed before it.

The iPhone camera is a one of a kind creation? Ever hear of a polaroid? I am not pinning all my hopes on science that is repeatedly been proven flawed. Not all scientists agree on every scientific theory. That's why I look at both sides of scientific arguments. I'm not changing your mind and you sure aren't changing mine, so I am done..

you can't kill something that never existed....

It was man who put us into that situation and man who created all that horror. We just got caught up in the situation before us. Hold onto your faith, my brother. It is all that really matters in this world.

Any evidence is enough. Literally any shred of evidence would work. That's what the universe is based on, evidence, not belief.

There is no amountof evidence that can change a true believers mind. and ALL that is required is a shred of evidence to change all atheists minds. To date, everything in this universe lends credence to the non believers. not the other way around.