I get so mad I sometimes. I really do hate G-d at times

This is actually a half-way decent analogy. At least you didn't resort to the old "You can't see air, but you know it's there right?" line. As "a lonely man", I can honestly say that I do believe love exists. But I don't think it's as simple as finding it. Love is something that people cultivate, people who in the beginning probably didn't love each other but who had great potential to love and be loved.

I also believe that love is harder to find for some people because not everyone has the keys that easily unlock the doors to love - physical attraction, humor, charisma, etc. Throughout my school years I could never figure out what made girls like guys. In fact, I couldn't stand most of the guys that girls were head over heels about. And not because I was jealous of their prowess, but because they were often jerks who made my social environment significantly less pleasant.

With "God", it's supposed to be an equal opportunity type of thing. He doesn't care what you look like, how rich you are, what your social status is, how charismatic you are, etc. Many of the factors that must be taken into account when it comes to romantic relationships don't factor into the equation when it comes to "God". Therein lies the main flaw of your analogy.

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." --Sir Stephen Henry Roberts

Contrarily, most atheists are not disbelievers because they're closed minded, they're disbelievers because they're open minded. For example, I've read much of the widely ignored Mesopotamian literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh (which contains the first known Flood Story), The Sumerian Creation Story, the law codes of Hammurabi, etc. When I tried introducing an unwaveringly Christian fellow to some pre-Bible literature he dismissed all of it, saying that they're works of the devil. Don't get me wrong, I believe that all religions are equally absurd but I also like to hear each side of the story and I can appreciate good literature from any culture. Since "God" is logically unassailable, trying to disprove his existence is futile. But from a literary perspective, "God" is very vulnerable once you realize how much the Hebrews stole from older cultures (I recommend Bible Myths and Their Parallels) and used these pieces of "heathen" cultures to create their Bible.

 

Chi's analogy is sound for precisely the reasons you stated here. Love also should not be dependent on any of the factors you listed, and while it clearly is for some, it is not at all for others. There are people who don't care what you look like, how rich you are, what your social status is, or how charismatic you are. In fact in my mind true romantic love is dependent upon none of those things, it is an illogical emotion that exists oft times unbidden and unrequited, much like faith.

 

Part of it is brain washing and the other part is comfort, as you said. That's how it was for me. I was brainwashed first, but as you mature you have a choice to explore other possibilities or remain inside the matrix. Most people choose the matrix and I can't say that I blame them. Believing that you're spirit will be transported to some paradise is a lot more easing than believing you're just going to decompose.

You can't really bind the divine to astrography. Jesus supposedly said, "If you say Heaven is in the sky, then the birds will get there before you. If you say it is in the sea, the fish will get there before you. The Kingdom of Heaven is in your heart". I interpreted it as "Heaven is in your mind, it's not real". But anyway, if God were real, why wouldn't he place Jesus on earth? Lord knows this planet needs a savior. :smt003

PS: Paganism makes more sense to me. They worshiped the sun because the sun gives life, they worshiped water because water gives life, they worshiped the earth because earth gives life, etc. It's all practical worship. A heavenly father sitting on his heavenly throne watching us kill each other...now that's just ludicrous.

 

I have to disagree. I stand by my belief that love is at first lukewarm and progresses into something intense. I don't believe in that love-at-first-sight stuff, but lust-at-first-sight on the other hand....Perhaps love shouldn't be dependent on those factors, but such is life. If it weren't the case, then why is it so hard to find love?

 

Love has nothing at all to do with money or social status or charisma or attractiveness.

If it did, the most long-lasting relationships would be those of the richest, most attractive, most charismatic people with the most status. Like celebrities. And we all know how full and long lasting their marriages are.

 

I didn't say that money, status, and attractiveness are the pillars of love, but they can certainly get you in the door. For example, Donald Trump is a billionaire, and his wife Melania is gorgeous. Initially, the gorgeousness and the wealth is what brought them together I'm sure, but that doesn't mean that they don't genuinely care for each other.

 

I also like to think of myself of being freed from the Matrix. Not to sound like I'm above anyone but I think religion is a crutch especially when it comes to black people. I think humans would be alot better off without it.

I think the astrology gives doubt to religion even more. Do you think with all the planets out there that humans are the only intelligent life out there? Call me crazy but I do think intelligent aliens exist and have visited Earth in the past and possibly the present. If that is the case where does aliens rank in the scheme of things. The main mono-theistic religions were created during a time when humans thought that the Earth was the center of the universe and that we are gods children. The bible implies that humans are above all other creatures and living things. Where would more intelligent life than ours fit in that scenario? I don't think many religious people could understand that because aliens would go against everything we were taught in Sunday school which we are the twinkle in god's eye. Astrology and evolution have been very important reasons why I don't believe in god.

 

She's like what, his third wife? Fourth? His money didn't keep the door open long enough, apparently, the last time or the time before that or the time before that. Halle Berry's one of the most beautiful Women ever. Didn't guarantee her marriage either.

Money doesn't buy you love. You're thinking of pussy. Money buys you pussy. And pussy buys money. Neither one of those things is love.

 

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to chicity again."

Just know the thought was there Chi.

 

Both of you keep trying to twist my words. I never said that money could buy love or maintain it. I brought up money, status, charisma, and looks but now you two have tried to make it all about the money and you keep overlooking the point. What I'm saying is that money, status, charisma, and looks will give you more opportunities. Social status is very important when it comes to meeting women. Money, charisma, and looks are simply a means to an end in that regard.

 

Meeting Women is not the same thing as Love.

You find as many life-long true loves amongst the very poor as you do amongst the very rich. As many amongst the lumpy and unattractive as you do amongst super models. As many amongst the nerdy as you do amongst the suave.

Money charisma and looks give you opportunities. Opportunities at status, greater wealth, lackies, pussy.

They do not get you a better chance at love. If they did, rich, charismatic, attractive people would have greater life long love matches than the poor, the unattractive, and the uncharismatic. They do not.

No one is twisting your words. You are simply wrong.

 

I agree with Chi, no one is twisting your words. I simply stated that IMO you're incorrect. While things like money, status, and looks may increase your opportunities with some women, it certainly won't with all women. Therefore it also will not necessarily increase your chances for finding love. Frankly if you're dealing with the type of person who is only going to look twice at you if you have one or all of those attributes, I don't think they're worth your time.

 

You can deny that attraction comes before love - whether the attraction be money, looks, or coolness - but I'm entitled to my belief. In your eyes I may be wrong, but to specialists and guys who stayed at home on prom night, what I say is not so far off. I find it all very interesting.

"Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst.[9] Helen Fisher, a leading expert in the topic of love, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust exposes people to others; romantic attraction encourages people to focus their energy on mating; and attachment involves tolerating the spouse (or indeed the child) long enough to rear a child into infancy."

"Psychological basis Further information: Human bonding
Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Psychologist Robert Sternberg formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is a form in which two people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the expectation that the relationship is permanent. The last and most common form of love is sexual attraction and passion."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love

 

And besides, the chances that they will actually *love* you isn't very high no matter how well you meet their criteria.

 

Long enough to rear the child into infancy? There's a low bar.


Anyway, what's your point? Love is not attraction. Sometimes love follows attraction, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes people fall in love with people they never expected, sometimes they fall in love with strangers over the internet, sometimes they fall in love with someone their parents promised them to. Many, many times love follows attraction but far, far more often it *DOESN'T*. All the advantages in the world will not make attraction turn more reliably into love. Indeed, having advantages and knowing that they are the cause of attraction from another is liable to decrease one's own ability to fall in love with those who are attracted.

I think this whole diversion really proves my point, tho. Clearly people have very different views on what Love is, and in what situations it exists. Yet people go on believing in it.

 

I think you made your point about 6 posts ago Chi.

 

:lol:

 

Social status has nothing to do with finding a significant other.

 

I never said that love was attraction. But in my opinion, more than often love follows attraction. Very rarely is love spontaneous like the movies, where Mary Jane is willing to dump Flash Thompson for Peter Parker. I'm not saying that the nice guy or the geek never wins, I'm just saying that it's less likely because, while guys like Flash Thompson are usually in and out of a bunch of relationships that don't lead to love, the nice guy or the geek usually never enters any relationships. It's not necessarily their fault, and neither is it female cruelty (it's nature's cruelty) because attraction is not a choice. It's just life.

There has to at least be a relationship for love to grow. I just can't conform to your spontaneous creation of love theory.

 

If there's one thing I've learned, it's never listen to what women say they want (or how your mother tells you to act around women) because you'll always end up looking dumb. All of this kind of reminds me of Neil Strauss's Chris Rock interview.