Week 4 Questions 6th Hour
Question #1
OK, here we go again. I think that many of you missed the point of last week’s question. It makes me feel good to know that so many of you believe in God regardless of what others may think or say. Many of you even tried to prove His existence. This, however, was not the question. The question is basically this…
Let us assume that God does exist–not that we have to prove that He does–He already exists. If this is true, does it matter whether a person believes He exists? Will He still exist even if Billy Bob or Mohinder has never heard of Him? Does it matter if they are atheists? Does their belief change the fact that He exists? Can God exist only for those who believe in Him or does He always exist–if we already assumed that He exists?
Don’t try to convince me that He does. I liked all your responses of how you tried to prove His existence, but right now, we already are assuming that He does.
The other side…
If there is no God, does it matter how much I believe that He exists? Does my belief in God make Him exist? Again don’t tell me the Religion answer. Tell me what your answer to this question is.
This brings us to the 2nd part of the question…
If pollution or global warming or the misuse of technology exists, does it matter if I believe it? Don’t give me your opinion on these categories–you are just giving me your position. That is not the question. Let us assume that global warming exists. Does it matter that I think that global warming is a hoax? Does it matter that the reports I read tell me that GW is silly. If it really is true, does my opinion change this?
Also, let us say that GW is not real. Does it matter that I firmly believe that GW is happening at an alarming rate. If it really isn’t happening, does my opinion change this?
Next part…
Can both opinions be right? Can you ask two people whether or not God exists, get two opposite views, and both be right? Can a person believe in something very strongly and be wrong–or–is truth based on how strongly you believe in something? Ask yourself the same for environmental issues. Can two opposing views both be correct?
Finally…
Restate Acts 1:8. How does this commission apply to the questions above? Or doesn’t it? Why or why not?
Question 2:
What is fractional crystallization?
43 comments Mr. Holt | AP Chemistry (1st)
Question 1:
I still agree with my ideas from last week but to elaborate on them I would say this …
If God already exists, then it does not matter if Billy Bob or Mohinder says he does not because He does exist. Their opinion in this matter does not make a difference if He is here or not because He does exist. He always exists even if you don’t believe that he does. I still exist if one person says I do not, so the same goes for God in this situation.
Let’s say God does not exist, it still does not matter how much you believe in him because He isn’t here. You may believe in God, but if we are saying He does not exist, then He bluntly does not exist.
Pollution, global warming, and technology does exist and that will not change because one person says it does not. Since global warming is real, and there are facts to back it up, it does not matter if you believe it is made up. If global warming really is truly happening in the world, then your opposing opinion will not magically make it disappear.
Let’s say global warming is not real, then your opinion does not matter. It doesn’t exist, it isn’t real, and an opinion cannot change that fact. One opinion cannont change the truth no matter how much you believe in it.
No, both sides cannot be correct. If God exists, then He exists, no question about it. If global warming exists, then it exists, no changing that fact. Same goes for them both not existing. Strong feelings cannot change the truth. I could say I really wish “Bob” wasn’t here, but that won’t make “Bob” disappear. You can want or believe something strongly, but that does not make it necessarily true.
Acts 1:8 does realate to these situations because we are to be wittnesses to the truth. Our roles are to teach the truth to those who don’t believe. Being wittnesses we need to see the reality of the situations, and help others see it too. It does not matter if we are not happy with it, because the reality is it does exist, and we have to be wittnesses to it no matter what.
I feel that when you asked this question the first time, I answered it kind of unclearly, but I still have the same stance on my answer. When assuming that God does exsist, it truley makes no difference whether a person believes he does or does not. The belief of something does not change something’s exsistance. If I had a pencil laying in front of me, but I did not beleive it was there, does not make the pencil disappear.
Now, on the contrary, if God did not exsist, someone thinking he did does, does not make him appear. An example of this is if you beleive you see a tree outside your window, when in reality there is no tree, you thinking you are seeing a tree definitley does not make a tree show up. What’s real is real, and the belief or denial of it does not change the exsistence of the matter.
Again, if global warming does exsist, someone’s denial of it does not make it go away. It does not matter if you do not beleive it, it is still there. If you read reports that Global Warming is silly, so what! Just because someone’s opinion of something is not agreeable, it doesn’t mean that the truth of its real being changes.
Just the same, if Global Warming is not real, then you think it is, youre mind and thoughts cannot change the reality of things.
No, both opinions cannot be right. If there is a stick on the ground, and one person says there isn’t and one person says there is, then obviously one person is wrong. We do not know the answer to God’s exsistance, but if two people are asked, one says yes, one says no, then one of them has to be wrong. Two opposing views cannot both be correct.
Acts 1:8 plays into the questions because if God is real, and we know it, and people are denying it, we have to spread the word about him and declare his truth.
If God exists, then it does not matter whether or not people believe He exists. God will always exist regardless of what people believe and regardless of the people who have never heard of him. If there is no God, then God does not exist. It won’t matter how much people believe in Him. He still won’t exist.
The same with pollution and global warming. If it exists, then it exists even if people don’t believe it does. If global warming is not real, then it doesn’t exist no matter how many people think it does.
Both opinions cannot be right. God exists or He doesn’t. Global warming is real or it’s not. It can’t be both.
Acts 1:8 tells us that we should be witnesses. This relates to the first question because if we know that it is true that God exists then we should be witnesses by telling people about it. We should also do the same about global warming. If it is true, people should know about it.
Q1-
My answer from last week is a little unclear. I still agree with what I stated, except I didn’t really make my point. Assuming that God does exist, no matter what a person believes, he will always exist. If someone like Billy Bob has never heard of him and therefore doesn’t believe he is real, then he or she is wrong. In reality God will exist to every single person. If the case was opposite, in which there is no God, then God would actually not exist. An opinion can not change reality. What is true is what you get.
If pollution or global warming or the misuse of technology exists, then it does not matter if someone believes in it or not. It is possible for you to change your opinion everyday on this subject, but the problems will still be present no matter what you think. Now if GW is not real, what you believe has no effect on reality.
Both opinions can not be right if one person believes in something and the other doesn’t. A person can certainly believe in something very strongly and be wrong at the same time. Acts 1:8 does apply to the questions because it is telling us to preach to others the truths given to us. Even if we disagree with the truth, we need to accept it. Reality is the truth, so we must share to others just that
Question #1
A person’s belief does not change reality, it is that simple. If I say, and believe that Mr. Holt is not real, does that make him a robot? Of course not, it is a matter of common sence. The same goes for God, GW, pollution,etc. When exists, exists, and what is real, is real. Here is another scenario for you is that, if you are looking at a tree and I say “No way, that tree is not there. It does not exist.” That tree is not going to go “well okay Josh what ever you say”, and then poof disappear. Be realistic as sad as it can be some times, a belief does not change reality.
Can opposite opinions both be correct. Well, lets go beck to the tree scenario, because it is so stupid it makes sence. If I say that tree is not really in front of you, and you say it is, are we both correct. No because I would be an idiot and that tree is still there, I am wrong in that situation and you are correct. The same applies for all the issues above.
Acts 1:8 states “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This does apply to these situations because it is expresssing the seeing of truth when you are impowered with the Holy Spirit. When this happens, you will be a witness to the truth to what does and does not exist.
Question #1
If God does exist, it does not matter what people believe because it is a fact that he exists. The people who say he does not exist are wrong. If he does not exist, it still does not matter what people believe because it would be a fact that he does not exist. The people who said he existed would be wrong. People can believe in him whether he exists or not, but that does not make them right.
If global warming exists, the people who believe it are right, and those who do not are wrong. If it is not real, those who believe it in it are wrong, and those who do not are right. It does not matter what a persons opinion is because that has nothing to do with what does and does not exist in the real world. Your opinion may make something real to you, but that does not mean that it really exists. It is the same if something is unreal to you, that does not mean that it does not exist in the real world.
Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I do not know what this has to do with these questions except it says we are “witnesses”. That could mean that what we see is what we believe. If we do not see something, it is usually unreal to us, but that does not mean that it does not exist. This is the same with God. Many people do not “see” him, so they do not believe he exists, but that does not mean that he does not exist.
Question #1
If God exists, then it does not matter who does or does not believe in him. Someone may not believe in God’s existence, but that does not change the fact that God is real. This is because something that exists exists for all people, even if they do not believe in it. God’s existence is not based on one person’s opinion. If it did, then God would exist for some people while he would be a myth for others; and this would make no sense. God created humanity, so how can God create certain people while he does not create others? God exists for everyone, whether they like it or not.
If global warming exists, then people’s opinion on it does not matter. Even if global warming has not been proven and most people believe that it is a myth, global warming still exists. Similar to the case with God’s existence, something that exists is real for all. Therefore, global warming is real and it is a real danger to the planet.
If global warming does not exist, then it is a hoax to everyone. People might have serious evidence that global warming could be true but this does not change the fact the it is a myth to humanity. What people believe does not change whether something exists or not.
Both opinions cannot be right. There is only one right answer when the question of existence comes about. Let’s say that global warming is not real; even if someone has spent the last ten years finding evidence that proves it’s existence, he/she is still wrong. I personally do not believe in global warming; but if global warming is a reality, then I am wrong. Therefore, two opposing views cannot be correct.
Acts 1:8 applies to this question because humanity is responsible for being witnesses of creation. We have the duty of knowing what is real and what is not, and we are responsible for spreading this knowledge onto others.
Assuming that God does exist, it does not change his existence because it is a fact he exists. It does not matter if someone believes, doesn’t believe, or has not heard of Him, because it is a fact that He does exist. For example, if Billy Bob does not know of his existence, He still does exist even though someone does not know about him.
Now, assuming that God does not exist, my belief does not make him exist. If I were to strongly believe that He existed, it wouldn’t matter if I believed a lot or just a little, because assuming He does not exist. I can believe as much as I want because it might give me hope or happiness, but it does not change the existence of Him.
If global warming and pollution exist, it does not matter if I believe it or not. If it is a proven fact that they both exist, then they exist. I think it does not matter if you think it is a hoax or of how many papers you have read that it is fake, because if it is real, it is real. Yet, if your opinion is that it does not exist, it really does not make a difference, because it is still there in our world.
If global warming is not real, your opinon that it is real does not matter either. One opinion saying that it is real can’t compete with the fact that it is.
No both opinions cannot be right because one opinion has to be the truth. Opinons are subjective meaning that it is something you thing. However, Objective is the truth or the fact of the matter. If two people disagree over the fact that God is real or not and God really does exist, the person who thought He didn’t exist would be wrong. I think that it does not matter how much someone believes in something, it is about the truth of it. If someone dedicates their whole life to beleiving in global warming and it is not real, their opinion is still wrong.
Acts 1:8 relates to this because if we are witnesses to something, like God’s existence it is our job to go out and inform people of His existence. It does relate to the above questions, because if someone is to believe that He does not exist and he does, their opinion is wrong. It is our duty to inform people of the truths that we know.
I have the same view on this topic as I did last week. If God exists but Mohinder does not believe in Him, that does not change God’s existence. The same thing is true for pollution. If pollution is proven to be a serious problem and Billy Bob does not believe pollution exists, this doesn’t change the fact that pollution is a major problem. Ignorance or refusal to believe something does not effect the existence of that thing, it only effects the number of people who believe in it.
Two opposing views cannot be correct. One person has to be wrong. If one person says God exists and the other person says that he doesn’t, they can’t both be right. He either exists or he doesn’t, God cannot be real and fake at the same time. Therefore, someone must be wrong.
Acts 1:8 does apply to the situations above. Acts suggests that if we believe in God, we must spread the news that God exists. This is true for the situations above. If we know that pollution is a problem, we must spread our knowledge with those who don’t believe that pollution is a problem.
If God exists, he exists. It does not matter what I might think or feel. If he is there, he is there. My personal opinion or anyone elses opinion do not matter. If we believe in him with all our heart, God won’t become any more real. We may see him as more real, but he does not change. The same goes for pollution and global warming. If it is there, it is there. We can’t imagine it away. It is like me believing I got an A on one of Mr. Holt’s quests. I can believe that all I want, but it did not happen. If something exists or does not, that is the way it is. If we sit and tell ourself that global warming is not there, it wont change if it is or is not. Two opinions can not be right at the same time. God either exists or does not exist. Global Warming is there or it is not. Two people can’t be right having two completely different opinions. Acts 1:8 says “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I dont know that this has that much to do with what is being discussed, but it is what Jesus wants us to do. He wants us to be witnesses of him with the holy spirit.
Question 1
Reflecting on last weeks comment, I still believe and support everything i said about God, and pollution, and their existances.
No matter what, it doesnt matter if someone thinks that God isn’t here when he really is. If God doesn’t exist and people believe he does, then it does matter. It is like saying that someone is standing right in front of you when no one really is. People will just think you are delusional. But since God does really exist, all we can do is help those other people believe he does. You can’t just say God isn’t real and ‘poof’ he’s gone. He is actually here and you can’t do anything about it excet believe it. Were looking at reality, and it shows that you just can’t make something disapeer. It will always still be there.
Pollution is the same way. You can’t just make it disapeer and act like it isn’t there. It will always be there, we can just try to reduce it. If Global warming does exist and you don’t give a hoax about it, then it truly doesnt matter what you think. The only thing that does matter it the fact that it does. Just because you don’t belive doesn’t mean it’s truly not there.
Finally, two opposing views can not be correct. Say we said God doesn’t exist, then it is not correct to say he is and say he isn’t. The right answer is he isn’t because you can’t make something be there when it truly isn’t. But if God did exist and someone says he does and someone says he doesn’t, then it doesn’t matter. THey can believe he doesn’t even though he really is because it is what they think. God is really there and that is all that matters
and were not making things up.
Acts 1:8 states, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This says that we are all witnesses of God. No matter what, he is there and we are all believers of him. This does apply to all of the above, because it shows us that God is real and he is present. He isn’t made up. God says all of this is real, we just need to take aware of it all and spread the truth around.Even if you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean he isn’t there. You just have to believe and follow the facts.
if god exists no matter what i think he does exist. if my opinion says that he doesnt exist and i truely believe it, god still exists. if there are two opposing opinions on this issue one person says he exists and one says he doesnt but both strongly believe they are right. they cant both be right. only one can, that has some sort of proof even if you cant see it. it doesnt matter what you think
the quote from acts can relate to this issue in a way but it is somewhat separated. the passage explains something unbelieveable happening but because there was a witness there is proof that it exists. so when we come to the issue og wather someone belives it or not it DID happen.
Question 2
fractional crystalization is a way to take a certain solute out of a solution by sepparating different solutes within that solution.
My last week’s answer was a little wishy washy, but after you explained it, I now better understand the point you were trying to make Mr. Holt.
If it is true that God exists, then He exists. No matter what someone believes, God will still exist. Nothing anyone can say will change the fact of his existence. On the other hand, if God doesn’t exist, then he doesn’t exist. It doesn’t matter whether you believe, know, or choose not to believe, he just doesn’t exist.
Likewise, if there is a situation such as global warming that is proved to be real, then its real. No matter what a person believes or thinks, it is going to be real. Same for as if global warming isn’t real. It dosen’t matter what a person believes or thinks, it simply just doesn’t exist.
Thoughts and beliefs of certain predicaments do not change the facts of any given situation. If something is real and true, nothing can change that fact. In comparison, If something is nonexistent or false, nothing can change it so that it miraculously becomes real.
In both situations, there is either a yes or a no. Both can not be right. God can’t exist and then not exist at the same time. Global warming can’t be present, and then not be present also.
Acts 1:8 applies to these situations because it is saying that we will be witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes down on us at the end of time. Meanwhile, we are called to spread the word of what we know to be true. And at the end of time, we will finally know the truth.
In my opinion I believe that I answered the God part of the question last week so this week I will focus more on the pollution/ global warming part.
Basically what you are trying to say is that global warming and pollution exist, however someone else believes it doesn’t exist, does this make global warming unreal? My answer to this is of course not. If something is real and Bob thinks it is not it doesn’t automatically become unreal. An example of this could be our school. If our school exists and someone says it doesn’t exist It still exists. Alright back to the global warming. If it truly exists and Bob says it does not he does not change its existence, but it does matter what he thinks. If the issue like global warming has not been proved either way his belief can be important, but he does not change that unknown fact.
Can both of these opinions be right? No, opposing opinions unless subjective can never be both right. However it can be true that a matter like God’s existence or global warming that not enough information can prove either way correct, and in some of these arguments neither side will ever be proven right. Like I said last week, God exists if we want him to exist because we find the evidence to prove his existence and we ignore most of the evidence otherwise. This same idea goes with global warming, so until these arguments are proven either way it is safe to say that either argument could be right, but in the final result both can not be right.
Acts 1:8 does apply to the situations because it is providing proof for one side of the God/existence argument but it does not fully prove God exists. It also tells us to preach the truth, so it is telling us to preach what we believe on specific issues. Acts 1:8 is basically making people argue about these beliefs to help us see both sides of an argument rather than just the side we want to see, it helps us make a good decision.
Question #1:
I still agree with what I said last week, but I should probably elaborate on my ideas.
If God does exist, it would not matter if people did not believe that he did. At the same time, it also would not matter if people believed in him. Either way he still exists. Also, if God does not exist, then it would not matter how many people believed in him, he still would not exist.
It is the same with pollution. It either exists or it doesn’t. It does not matter if people believe in it or not.
Both opinions cannot be correct though. If one person believes in global warming and another person doesn’t, one of them has to be wrong. They can’t both be correct.
Acts 1:8 tells us that we should be witnesses. This relates to both questions. We should tell other people about God and also about issues like pollution and global warming. If what we believe is true, then we should share our beliefs with other people.
I still feel the same way as I did last week but I am here this week to elaborate. God is like a ghost. Some people think that ghosts exist and others do not. The are television shows that show evidence of “paranormal activity”, but can they really prove that it isn’t just something else? God is the same way. It all depends on your opinion and what you believe is right because you are free to think whatever you want.
question 1
I still agree with what I said last week. Whether God exists, it does not matter if someone believes he exists because it will not change anything. It does not matter what religion you are, it can not change the outcome on whether he exists or not.
Also, it does not matter whether someone believes in global warming because that does not change the fact that it exists or not.
Atcs 1:8 does apply cause God wants us to be witnesses to truth and life and wants us to help spread the truths to others.
Question 1
I have to change my answer from last week. If God exists then there is nothing to change that simple fact. In reality, God exists regardless of what someone believes, knows, or says. If there is no God then God simply doesn’t exist. Internal factors such as not having enough information and one’s own beliefs have no authority in determining if God exists or not. I believe I took the question to technical last week and should’ve taken a more literal approuch. The same can be said for pollution. It simply depends on if there is a problem or not. If there is a problem present then it’s real.
When two people have conflicting views on one of these issues then one of them is wrong. It’s impossible for both of them to be right in a literal sense.
Acts 1:8 states “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I believe this applys to the questions because the Holy Spirit can be used for people to understand a problem like pollution. The Holy Spirit would enable someone to find the answer they’re looking for by witnessing the problem at hand. As a result, a witness should inform others of the problem and spread awarness.
Not bringing a religious view into this situation is very hard but also understandable. Many people that don’t have our same faith can’t easily explain about God and what they believe as openly as we can. Depending on your beliefs or faith, many people have different views of God. Because we have no real evidence as to if God is real or not, it is a hard concept to grasp, especially from trying to explain it to an outsider. Us christians try to make ourselves believe that God is out there and convince ourselves that the majority of people know and believe God in some way or form. Believing in something could make it real, but also putting your trust in something could make it even more of a reality.
It doesn’t matter if global warming and all of the above exists. If we want it to exist it will exist and if we want to change that existance, that could also happen. We make the decisions, not God. God may have a plan for us and he may not. Whether you believe he exists or not, that determines what you do with your life and where it leads you. If you decide to take action on pollution, etc., then putting your faith and trust in something will make a difference in your life.
Both opinions are right in the sense that there is no textual evidence or any other kind of evidence to prove otherwise. We can’t say that there is global warming or there isn’t until we have actual proof of it. Same with believing in God. Because we have no proof of God, we can’t actually say that he does or doesn’t exist. God is such a mystery that people can’t seem to understand what to believe about God because no one really knows.
Acts 1:8 states “.. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This says that everyone will eventually see God. They will believe in him because one day they will realize he exists.
This can relate to the other questions and doubts about existance, but it also brings a religious view into the situation. Many people won’t believe something that’s just written in a book. They want to see it for themselves.
Question 1:
Regardless as to whether or not the person believes, if God truly exists he exists no matter what people think. If someone says he doesn’t, they are wrong. If someone says he does, they are right. The fact that they don’t believe doesn’t change the fact that he truly exists.
If there is no God, no matter how much you believe in him, he will not exist. That would be like me believing a million dollars is in my wallet, when i know it truly isn’t but i want to believe it.
If global warming and misuse of technology do exist, it does matter if you believe it or not. If you don’t, you are letting the earth become a poor place to live by each second you fail to believe it. Your opinion won’t change that it actually does exist if you believe that it doesn’t. It is still out there.
If GW is not real and I believe it is, I would need proof to try and tell others that it does exist. But if it truly doesn’t and I can’t prove it, my opinion will not change it. MY opinion won’t change what actually exists.
Acts 1:8 says we are to be witnesses. This means we need to share of our belief that God does exist and also spread what we believe about global warming, so others are informed and don’t have wrong ideas in their heads.
I am going to have to agree with Josh with his scenario about the tree. That is so true. Just because a person doesn’t believe it doesn’t change the reality of it existing. Props to Josh. He deserves a pat on the back tomorrow during class.
Question #1
I think that my answer last week had some good points in it, but I need to be clearer. God exists no matter what. Even if Billy Bob doesn’t believe he exists, he still exists. Billy Bob’s personal beliefs are not going to change the fact that God exists. Billy Bob can be an atheist and say all he wants to say against God’s existence, but God will still exist.
Now, if there was no God, my belief in him wouldn’t change a thing. No matter how much I believed that he existed, if he doesn’t exist he doesn’t exist. I can fully believe that I will find one million dollars tomorrow, but that does not mean that that is actually going to happen. I can believe all I want in God, but my beliefs are not going to change whether or not he is real.
On the global warming issue, the same thing is true. Say global warming really exists. Even if I fully believe it doesn’t exist and I have statistics and other types of things to prove it, it exists. My beliefs can’t affect whether or not something like God or even global warming exist. No matter what my reports show, if global warming really is real, there is nothing my beliefs can do to change it. Then, say global warming is not true. My beliefs that it is true once again won’t change the fact that it does not exist. I can believe it as hard as I want to, but it will not change it.
Now, if people have two different opinions on these issues, one of them has to be wrong. Either God exists or he doesn’t exist. Therefore, if you have two people, one who believes in him and one who doesn’t, only one of them can be right. There is no way that your beliefs can change the facts. The same goes for the global warming issues. Only one person is going to be right because either global warming exists or it doesn’t. It is that simple.
Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is calling us to be witnesses to what we believe in. However, we have to believe in the right answer to each question. If God were to exist, we would have to believe in his existence in order for this passage to work with the question. Our beliefs and work as witnesses in the world only will agree with those questions if we believe in the true facts. The same goes for the global warming issue.
God always exists no matter what. It doesn’t matter if someone doesn’t believe he is there he is still there. Because, let’s say that a very young child is brought up in a good environment he does not know about the cruelty and war that goes on in the world, but it still happens.
If there is no God which is not what I think but if there is not a God then he does not exist. It doesn’t matter how much someone prays or believes he exist it will not make God real. That would be like saying if I truly believe with all my might that I have super powers then I will get super powers. No that does not happen things do not work like that.
If GW exists then your opinion on global warming doesn’t matter at all. Your opinion cannot affect the weather on single bit. Your opinion will not affect GW so you have to except that it is there and try to find ways to slow it down.
If GW does not exist then it doesn’t exist it is a fact not an opinion, so it is not just going to appear if you think that it is truly a problem. It’s not a problem because it is not there so you should try to fix an actual problem in the world.
I do not think both views could be right in either situation. With God there is proof that he does exist. That is where all of the miracles come from. Even if someone believes God does not exist they can’t just block out miracles in today’s world because those miracles are God. With the GW factor either there is GW or there is not. There is not GW for the people who believe in it and no GW for the people who do not believe in it. That logically does not make sense there either has to be one or the other.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This passage relates to the questions because, it shows how God is giving you power to tell people the truth. The Holy Spirit gives you the power to teach people about God, and show them that God really does exist. It also gives the people that deal with GW the power to help slow the process or keep it away forever.
Question 1
If God exists then he exists, and it does not matter if a person does not believe he doesn’t exist, and it also doesn’t matter if Billy Bob has never heard of him. Even if Billy Bob was an atheist, God still exists, because is matter on Earth, and even if someone says I don’t exist I still do. If God does exist, then it does not matter if a person believes or not they cannot change that he has matter. For example, if I have a phone on my desk and someone does not believe it is there, then I cannot change the fact that the phone is on my desk.
If God does not exist, then no matter how hard a person believes he does, he doesn’t. A belief does not make a person exist. An imaginary person does not exist, no matter how hard a person wants to believe it does. Religion does not change the fact if a person exists or not.
If pollution or global warming or misuse of technology does exist, then no matter if a person agrees or disagrees it will still exist. An opinion does not change the fact that global warming does exist. If global warming was not occurring and someone believed it was, it does not make it exist, and someone’s opinion cannot change what is happening. Again, the example of an imaginary person, it does not exist even when a person believes it does, and the fact cannot be changed by the belief of another person.
No, both opinions cannot be correct, because either God exists or he does not exist, and a one belief has to be wrong. Also, the fact of global warming, it either does or does not exist, and again a belief cannot change that.
Acts 1:8 relates to these situations with God, and scientific studies. We are told to be witnesses, and since we know that God exists then we need to spread the truth by sharing it with people. Also, with global warming, if it does exist then people need to share the facts about it with one another, like we are asked to do in Acts.
I agree with Kimmy because she makes a good point saying that although we have no proof that God does exist, He is a mystery to us. If we truly believe that God exists, then He will exist. However, considering the truth of global warming or other things unknown, we cannot really prove that they exist unless we have proof, but we can still believe and have our own opinions.
There are several questions being posed here, I’ll tackle of few of them:
To this main question, the logical assumption Mr. Holt is making is that God exists. That is a fact in his argument so he isn’t asking us to believe in things that aren’t proven. For the sake of this argument, it is proven. Now there seems to be an illogical leap in the second part of this question because while God exists is a fact in part one, you cannot extrapolate that global warming is a fact from this.
It is an illogical leap because the first question deals with metaphysical matters that have direct bearing on your soul, while in the second part the stakes are much more temporal. More to the point, existence is not based upon belief. Or as I like to say, just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it isn’t true. You can choose to believe that there aren’t Lions in Africa, does that mean they no longer exist there? Do Lions need your belief in any matter to validate their existence? Likewise, you may believe that Unicorns exist. How does this give them tangible existence? Finally, if it is a fact that there is a God, you have been one dumb dude to deny he exists considering the repercussions for your rebellious thoughts (IE an afterlife spent not in Heaven or Purgatory!)
No offense to the question being posed here, but I would argue that you can’t equate a question that involves your own salvation to a scientific theory that is virtually unprovable.
If there is no God, does it matter how much I believe that He exists? Does my belief in God make Him exist?
No to the second part, as I mention above. However, the first part of this question is a little trickier. First, Mr. Holt is stating that it is a FACT that there is no God, or that you don’t know and there turns out to be no God? This is answered very well by “Pascal’s Wager” (putting my philosophy minor to work here!). It basically proves that it is more beneficial to believe in God than to not believe in him because the benefits of believing in God and him existing far, FAR outweigh the consequences of not believing in God and there being a God. And if you believe in God and there turns out to not be a God, what have you lost? Nothing really, as you’ve lead a (presumably) worthwhile virtuous life.
Now if the question is that it is a fact there is no God, then no it doesn’t not matter how much you believe he exists. However, a world without the possibility of a God would lead us to a gladiatorial school of anarchy and self pleasure. If you clung to a belief in a fake God in that scenario you are no better off than 5 years old believe fairies exist and make everything puppies and roses – which may be cute and age appropriate, but serve no basis in the adult world.
Thank you Mr. C for your comments, however, I feel I need to respond to the class…
First of all, the question is not a question about faith or eternal salvation.
Whether GW can be proven or not is not the issue nor the question.
But that does not mean that it is or isn’t true.
If it is true, then it is true.
If it is not ture, then it is not true. It doesn’t matter if I can prove it one way or the other.
At one time it was a belief that the world was flat. After more and more studying and research it was proven that the world was not flat. It did not matter how much they believed it was–it was not flat.
Same thing with God and same thing with GW.
The jump was not equating our eternal salvation to a question that “can not be proven”. It is simply asking you to think about your beliefs and whether or not they can “change the world”. Or make something real if it doesn’t exist or disappear if it truly does exist.
As simply as I can put this…
If the world is flat–it is flat
If it isn’t–then it isn’t regardless of what I believe or can prove.
If God exists–He exists
If He doesn’t–then He doesn’t
regardless of what I believe or can prove.
If GW exists–it exists
If GW doesn’t exist–it doesn’t exist regardless of what I believe or can prove.
Quite a simple thought process, eh?
However, I think it is clear where Mr. C’s opinion lies according to GW. However, before any of you jump to a conclusion, make sure you look at all sides of an argument as I am sure Mr. C has already done. Because if your opinion is already made up, your judgement may be clouded. If you are already convinced that GW is not true (and unprovable?) then no one could get you to think differently. If, however, your opinion was that you knew GW was a fact, then information to the contrary could not sway your opinion. Be open and listen to all arguments and make your mind up after some time.
By the way…does Mr. Holt believe that GW is a fact or not?
If I am doing my job, then at this point you are not sure.
Another thought…
Does Pascal’s argument also apply to why one should believe in the existence of GW?
I agree with Pamela’s response. We share the same position, but she explains her ideas thoroughly. I agree, like she said, that we will know the truth at the end of time. I also like that she used the phrase “wishy washy”.
I agree with Samantha. We have pretty much the same opinion, and she says that if what we believe is true then we should share it with others. I agree with that because people should know the truth.
I agree with Samantha because people cannot make other people exist, and believing something exists does not make it exist. She also relates Acts 1:8 clearly, saying that we are witnesses and need to share the existence of God, and use the proof we have to inform other people.
I agree with Colleen because, no matter how much a person believes that someone or something is real, that does not mean that it exists. Beliefs alone cannot make something true or false. It is only the facts that matter.
I agree with Tiffany. We both had about the same ideas. She and I both said that God exists whether or not people believe in him. If someone doesn’t believe in him, that doesn’t mean he will just disappear.
I agree with Tommy V’s opinion because he basically has the same beliefs that I do. We both think that something like God or global warming exists for everyone if it has been proven real. However, I also like his belief that people’s opinions are important, especially on topics and things that have yet to be proven real.
I agree with Sam. She explained her reasons of peoples beliefs on God if he was real or not. I had the same thoughts that she had and we both agree on this question. I also agree with her that both positions cannot be true. It either has to be one or the other. This is also true about pollution and global warming.
I agree with Erik because no matter how much someone believes in something, it doesn’t make it true. I especially like his example about believing with all his might about having super powers….kind of makes me wonder…:p
I agree with Raeanna becuase her and i have the same points. She shares the same opinions wiht me and says it easily to understand. She is right about the two opposing sides cannot exist. She explains her thoughts very well.
Response:
I agree with Rebecca’s answer because stated her arguements and backed them up. I agreed with when she said that an opinion cannot change reality. We both agree on these questions.
I agree with Amanda on this question. We both have the same views. If God exists, then God truly exists. If GW exists, then GW really exists. There is nothing one person can do to change what is true. I like how Amanda gave examples; it makes her points very clear. For example, if there is a stick on the ground, and one person says there isn’t and one person says there is, then obviously one person is wrong. Two opposing views will never both be correct. We have to face reality in order to move forward in life.
I agree with Pam because, we share the same opinion. She says that there either has to be a yes or a no in both situations and that is totally true. She says that if something does not exist you cannot change it, it is a fact, and it goes the same way for when something is true. That is why I agree with Pam.
I have to agree with Mr. Czerwon. His last paragraph had me laughing, but it is true. Clinging to a belief of a fake God is like believing in faries as a 5 year old. Nice, Mr. Czerwon. This is true, becuause there are no faries even though the 5 year olds really think there is.
I agree with Ryan because he had many of the same views that I have. If global warming is real, it does not matter what someone thinks. He also said that both view of an object can’t be right.
I have to agree with my boy Tom V. on this one. I agree with most of the things that he said in his response. Neither God’s existence or global warming is a proven fact, like Tom said, it is a difficult question to answer. I agree, though, that both opinions on a two sided question can’t be right because either God will exist or he won’t exist and both these can’t be true. I think Tom does a nice job of explaining this.
I agree with Alex Bodenberg because she states that everyone knows pollution exists and that’s very true.