The answer is I don't know. I personally believe in a God of the all-powerful, creator type. Something about that just works for me and I feel that that is right. But I don't know for certain that I am right.

Some people, especially Christians, love to tell people of other religions that they are wrong and christianity is the only true religion. Now I believe that but I don't know it. None of us does. Which brings us to faith. I am sticking to my belief and it would take something dramatic to change my mind because that is what I feel is right. However, I could be using God for the reasons you've mentioned above and I wouldn't necessarily know I was doing it. Everyone believes in something. I believe I am right but everyone else believes the same and who am I - on the basis of something I feel inside, which could simply be a chemical reaction - to tell them they're wrong.

Of course, to go full circle, I don't know I'm real and I don't know that you're real or that anything that is happening is real so to contemplate the inner mysteries of God and religion is beyond me.

Well sorry if I sounded harsh or maybe even insloting, but when it comes to the point of religion... Well let's just say I've been discriminated against for being an atheist over and over again.
It's good to have faith and some moral compas (which religion does provide) so anything I say agains that is wrong.
Weathe a higher being exist or not is not for us too say. For us it's both just a mater of belief - since neither has been proven. Once that changes (either way) I guess at least some of us will have to rethink their position (or maybe not).
Oh well...
To lighten the subject up - I have a joke:

A newsreporter, a mortitoner and a politition met with god and he/she told them tht the world is going to end next year.
A mortitoner reported - God exists - so all who sin repend, because next year will be great for my busines, but I won't be around since the whole world will be destroyed.
The newsreporter said: God held a press conference conferming his/her existance. In additional news our world will be destroyed in a year.
The politition said: I've just finished negotiation with the God and managed to postphone the destruction of Earth for a year!
:D

You are making a fuss over a simple question. What about a simple answer like mine? :sneaky:

Don't worry, it didn't come across like that! :ok:

There's nothing wrong with being an atheist as long as you know what you believe. Stick to what you believe unless you find something that really convinces you, I'll stick with what I believe. Maybe we'll both turn out to be wrong. Who knows? :crazy:

Anyway, lets leave that there! All got a bit too deep! :D :D :D

OMG! :blink:
I'm not going to read all of this, but I'm going to tell you my opinion!

First of all I think life is to enjoy in it!
Secon thing...it is for you to learn something.
Third...You help other people (by inventing something new, or cheering them up).

And one but misterious thing (about learning):
- the more you know, the more you are borred!
- it is true, and it is proven!
- eg. man is walking on the street, when he suddenly see a bus: inteligent man will say "just another bus" (or in the worse case - "the bus is a thing that is moveing in referent system...blah,blah,blah"), stupid man will say "a bus? what's that? can I eat it?"

BTW I think this isn't right place to talk about these things! We should talk about such things in person (like I do with my friends). I'm saying this because most of you wont get my point (or someone else's point) and think I'm crazy! Bye

I read most of this topic, but not all. But it seems like you are all concentrating on god. What happened to science. Science has explained when the Universe began, what happened between then and and now, and how we were all created. God doesnt come into this at all, he is nothing, just imaginary like Sebatianos said earlier. Over the centuries people have just gotten caught up in the whole religion thing and because of this science has been rejected by many. There are many facts to back up science, I haven't seen many facts to back up god.

science doesnt 'know' anything. its all theories. you cant truly 'prove' anyhitng untill you see it for yourself, and even then, how do you know what you are seeing?

The short answer: it doesn't matter. were all stuck here. the more you think about it the more there is to think about.

There is no meaning of life. This has been through so many times.. sigh

It's not all theories. There are Laws, and quite a few of them.

Yes.