Does God exist? Or, is there a God?

At this point the whole "religious" thing is getting to be "who cares anymore" it is becoming like the O.J. Simpson trial. Long and drawn out with a heaping of tiresome.
BELIEVE WHAT EWE WANT TO BELIEVE AND KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.
It's that easy.

I believe that God exist. We all come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, social and cultural constructs; we all unique. We come into the military via contract and take that oath...:so help me God. The military acknowledges the existance of God, yet respects those differences of agnostic and/or athiestic beliefs.

In my lifetime, a true test of Gods existance is to take one out of their comfort zone, and into a chaotic environment and observe a change in behavior. In both war and peace, each of us has a level understanding of what it is that we are asked to do...action...And we all have limits and boundaries of appropriate and inappropriate behavior. To some, our breaking point can be visible and yet invisible. It is at that point where God shows Himself to humanity more frequently. The journey with God is a good path for me. To other people it may be a different story.

Truly, this can only be answered by each individual as they believe. Otherwise, all this particular question does is open up a storm where rarely can anyone keep their military composure when entering in these types of discussions.

The fundamental problem with the question is faith and religion itself. There are so many different religions each with their own concepts of god, gods, goddesses, or other divine existence. So what constitutes an argument for from one belief system could constitute an argument against in another belief system.
So the best argument for and against the existence of the divine is us. All of us. Regardless of belief human beings are small, frail, hairless, apes that have risen to become the dominant species on the planet. We have the capacity for great acts of compassion, and terrible acts of cruelty. We have the technology to completely decimate this planet, and the technology to heal.
On the for side, only a divine being with a love for this creature would allow such an inferior specimen to rise to this level of domination.
On the against side, how could a divine being choose such an inferior creature to become the dominant species on the planet.

There is a creator, everyone has their own opinions of religion.

At this time there is no "proof" of God, or should I say of a god. Arguments lack evidence and substance. However, as a believing Christian, are two things. First, personal experience. Secondly, the written foundation of the Judeo-Christian belief system.

First, personal experience. In the West Texas town of Marfa there is a phenomena called the Marfa Lights. These have been recorded as occurring since at least the early 1900's. At night, off in the distance, these glowing lights rise, change color and move around. Yet, there has never been scientific proof as to the cause of them or the source. Some people say they exist and others say they do not, sort of like believers and unbelievers in religious matters. Well, we have gone out there more than once and I have seen them for myself. Seeing is believing whether or not there is proof of their existence. Same holds true for God. I have experienced Him in an objective manner. Therefore, for me, God does exist.

Secondly, the written word, commonly called the Bible. What I would offer is the completeness that it offers along with the complexity. Research a Russian mathematician name Panin who found that throughout the Bible is a complex mathematical pattern found in no other literature.

I have not scrolled down to read any responses to this question...yet. So I will ask, is this question real? Is it even pertinent in this forum? From a mere traditional standpoint, God MUST exist because the military has historically always had it's Chaplain Corps. We find an enormous amount of references to God throughout the ages of recorded secular history. One of the absolute oldest books in the world, which references God quite extensively, is still in print and world-wide publication even to this day, despite the increasing numbers of nay-sayers. In spite of their best efforts, countries who have attempted to deny the existence of God and the opportunity for people to worship God, have failed miserably in their efforts to do so. Otherwise they would have run out of people to persecute and put to death for their faith in God...but they didn't, did they? God may not be real to you personally, but God is most definitely real to people all around the world, even in those places where it is considered illegal to believe in God.

Okay, so my answer to this question. I fully understand that this will be posted against, and I welcome it. I allow for a differing point of view, but please don't tell me that you have a relationship with god, therefore he exists. That's not even trying to respond intelligently.

I do not believe there is a god. To argue against this creator I invoke the past 500 years of human history. Since the age of modern man began with Newton every day has seen the darkness that surrounds the campfire and the mysticism and mythology that lay beyond recede. The spotlight of critical thinking grows stronger with each day. I stand in a grave yard of gods that have come before and all perished the same way the dodo bird did. I cannot understand how a modern day human can believe so wholeheartedly in a divine beings when all of the prior divine beings have been slain and rest in shallow graves.

Yes, we as a species only understand about 5% of the universe and that's a BARELY 5%. Gravity is a problem. But it EXPLAINS 5% of the universe and with each passing moment the spotlight grows brighter. Each generation that has come has had to defend the creators absence by arguing that science doesn't know, therefore god. that's not an argument, that a cop out.

I don't actually have to prove that god exists, all I have to do is make one person look up and ask themselves if what they believe is backed up by anything other than emotion.

All of recorded human history is at our fingertips, we have the internet, learn people, LEARN. Blind faith does not allow for freedom of thought.

Think for yourself. Disregard everything I have said and everything you think you know and go out and read some books. But get some peer reviewed scientific journals, they have better internal and external validity, just a tip to save some tip.

All wrapped up with this. Every. Single. Miracle, magic trick and absolutist claim ever espoused by the mouths of mankind have been proven to be categorically, undeniably, irrefutably false. There are no absolutes, not a single claim of absolutes given by man holds sway in reality. The unstoppable march of man and science is not complete and does not explain everything YET!

-Chief

Here is a song for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOw7EuiFz0k

So this is a loaded qiestion, as usual, when this question gets put out to the masses it devolves into something so personal that the original question is forgotten. This is in part due to the poor choice of words for the question. If your going to ask this question, you need to set some ground rules or each person will inevitably read into it. IMHO here are a few pointers to get this thing to where it should be instead of HS part 2.

1. Clearly defined operational definitions- what do you mean by "God" "existence" "proof" these words mean completely different things to believers and non believers.

2. Deny absolutist ideology- Any post that makes a claim being "the truth" or "the way" is shutting down any possible conversation because it does not allow for differing opinions.

3. Don't use the word Argument- Words have meanings, argument has a negative conotation and for some reason people take that as an okay to get personal. Try "thoughts on" or "best discussion points"

Just my two cents.