IS THERE A GOD?

In this week's episode, the Bald Brothers discuss the topic "Is there a God?" We explore this topic with a discussion on the agnostic view of God. This episode features a clip from world renowned astrophysicist, Neil deGasse Tyson explaining his views on the existence of God. The Bald Bros discuss the differences between the agnostic and the pantheist point of view.

This episode ends with the story of James and how he learned to deal with his paralysis as a result of a car accident. 

Join us in our next episode as we delve deeper into the question of "Is there a God?" from an atheist perspective. 

Please send your questions or stories of survival to cirquedusoul444@gmail.com. 

Transcript

0:03

Yeah, that's mind, body, soul. We connected with the globe. Yeah, that's mind, body, soul took some discipline, repetition and some self-control. We connected with the globe. Said that's mind, body, soul. Whoa. Yeah. That's mind, body, soul. Hey. Yeah. That's Mind, body, soul took some discipline, repetition and some self-control. Triple lies be the tribe yet that's Mindbody Soul. Welcome to CIR to Soul, the only uncut, unedited podcast that is dedicated to helping you to find spiritual peace in your life. Kim, you with me today? Yes, sir. All right. Today, this is the first episode in our four-part series of Is There A God? Wow. Okay. There's no doubt that people from around the world believe in God's existence. Is this existence based on belief or hard evidence? So for the next few weeks, we'll take a look at the evidence for and against the exist existence of God and see what conclusions that we can come up with. This is gonna be a fun and, uh, fascinating topic. Gary, I think you, you're absolutely right. Before we go too deep though, let's try to understand the different ways that people believe or don't believe. So, nothing is ever black and white. It's not as simple as saying, I believe or I don't believe in God. Right. So, okay. So I'm guessing that you have, something for us to start from, that I do. This is, this is where I like to start. Okay. Uh, okay. First, there are a number of different ways that people believe around, uh, this, this idea of whether there's a God or not. So I want to go through, a couple of those and, and give a quick definition of those. All right. Okay. Just a real quick definition. So, okay. The first one is a pagan. Do you, do you know what a Pagan is? Yes, I do. Okay. Yes. A pagan, that's someone that doesn't, uh, this has no religious beliefs at all. None. Right. Okay. Right. And then we have the atheist, and I think this is the one. Everyone always thinks, this is the, this is the difference between a Christian and, uh, uh, nonbeliever. It's a atheist, but they're just one of a group of people that don't believe. Okay? And then we have an agnostic, and that's a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence of God or of anything beyond material phenomena. That's a person who claims neither faith nor belief in God. Okay. Then there's the deist. That's someone who believes in a God or a supreme being who creates the universe, but has no, uh, doesn't intervene or has no affairs in human life. And then finally we have the, the pantheist. And that's someone who believes that the universe, nature and reality, they're all identical to the, to divinity, are a superior entity. Meaning that everything is part of a single, all encompassing deity rather than a separate creator. Now that's just five different definitions, and you've heard these, so do you identify with any of those definitions and, and if so, why? Hmm. Okay. Yeah. Probably the pantheist, simply because of, uh, just been reading and. Reading about spirituality and, how we get to a certain level. But I must admit though, that, uh, growing up in the church and just my beliefs as a child, always when I pray, I, I can't help but just imagine the man in disguise that I'm praying to. Right? Right. So, I mean, it just comes from, childhood beliefs and going into church, which is nothing wrong with that at all. I, I think, uh. People pray to God the way, the way they seem fit for themselves. But I think I identify as a pantheist, as, uh, we're all one. And um, we we're one part of God's spirit. So that's what I believe in. What about you? Do you believe in any of these? Well, you know what, I guess because we were raised alike, I mean, we were both in the church. I would have to say that I think of myself as a pantheist also. Excuse me, but I do believe that we can have a relationship with the Supreme being our God. I've had some personal experiences that sort of validated and reinforce my belief in God, uh, that a God that does answer prayers and, is active in our lives now. Mm-hmm. Now, some of these things will come out in later brought, uh, later broadcasts. These experiences that I've had and that you've had. I also believe that we must, uh, seek to search for and try to achieve a higher version of our lives. We have to become more like Jesus or Buddha so that we can be closer to God. Now, I don't want to get into the differences between rest and religions and Eastern philosophies and today's discussion, but we will dive deeper into those differences and the foundations, at a later date. Oh, okay. That sounds good. I, I, I agree with you about the, uh, trying to get to that higher version of ourselves, get to that, that God level, because, as a pantheist we do believe that we're one with God, or can be one with God. Yes. So the, uh, as you evolve, you get to that point. So, yeah, I, I, I do believe in trying to, raise your higher level up and try to get to that point of godhood like Jesus and Buddha. Great. Yeah. So, what I'd like to do, over the next few weeks is to take a deeper dive into each of these different beliefs are non-belief, and try to understand their thinking. And hopefully, hopefully this will help others to understand their own personal beliefs or even change their ideas about what they believe. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Um, you know, that's what this podcast is all about. It's about opening our thinking and helping us to grow. Helping us to evolve. So, um, so what are you thinking then, Gary? I found, uh, one of these to be a little interesting because there's a guy that, uh, I follow and he's an agnostic. So let's start with agnostics today. And the guy that I follow, his name is, uh, Neil Digress. Tyson, you've probably heard of him. I have, yeah. Uh, for those who don't know him, he's an astrophysicist, a science communicator, and he's an author. I call him the new Stephen Hawking. He's a very smart person. Really smart person, and I think it's, uh, important that we try to understand how, some of these smart people think when it comes to, their thoughts on God. So I wanna start this off. Uh, there's a, like a two minute clip of, uh, Neil, uh, Degrass Tyson talking about, God, I wanna play that here real quick. Okay. Okay. Alright. Believe in God, me, creator. So, uh, yeah, so I'm, the, the more I look at the universe, um, just the less convinced I am that there is something benevolent going on. So if you, if, if your concept of a creator. Is someone who's all powerful and all good. That's not an uncommon pairing of powers that you might describe to a creator. All powerful and all good, and I look at disasters that afflict earth and life on earth, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, disease, pestilence. Um, congenital birth defects. You look at this list of ways that life is made miserable on earth by natural causes, and I just ask how do you deal with that? So philosophers rose up and said, if there is a God, God is either not all powerful or not all good. I have no problems. As we probe the origins of things, we bump up into the bearded man. If that shows up, we're good to go. Okay, not a problem. There's just no evidence of it, and this is why religions are called faiths collectively, because you believe something in the absence of evidence. That's what it is. It's why it's called faith. Otherwise, we would call all religions evidence, but we don't for exactly that reason. So I, I'm, I'm given what everyone describes to be the properties that would be expressed by an all powerful being in the gods that they worship. I look for that in the universe, and I don't find it, so I, I, I remain unconvinced. But if you got some good evidence, uh, bring it, bring, bring it, bring it. Okay. And so I don't, I don't lead with that information because. What I believe should be irrelevant to anyone. It's not about me, it's about the real world. Alright, we're gonna stop it right there. Hmm. What's your thoughts? Uh, very interesting. I've, I've listened to him, uh, talk before about different, uh, about different things and he's a very logical man and, uh, you have to take what he says serious. Um, so I just thought it was very interesting. Uh, uh, what do you think? Well, uh, lemme just summarize first, what I think he is saying. If I can summarize his argument and the conclusions that he draw are all based on logic. Now his major condition is that, uh, because there's suffering and there are natural disaster events, how can you say that God's a loving God? And when I listen to him, I think that he is a strictly logical person. Logic and faith don't always square with each other. So then I had come back to, well, what is faith? So what is faith? Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I just, I try to keep it simple. Faith is just believing in something that, something, or someone that, that, uh, you don't see, I mean, you don't know. You just have to have faith. You just have to have a belief in something. I just try to keep it simple. That's what my definition of faith is. Okay. Well, you and I both grew up in the church. Same church. Yep. Yep. And that definition, that biblical definition. Faith is, uh, what we were always told in churches that faith is the belief in things not seen or in things that have not happened, belief in things that have been foretold and have not come to pass. Yeah, that about sums it up. I mean, it's, uh, I know people may have different, uh, definitions, but. Um, what you just said in the Bible, that just sums it up, that's faith. So do you believe that, uh, the major difference between an agnostic and a true believer or, or what we call ourselves a pantheist is, is just faith? Prob I'd have to say probably yes because, um. We can't prove anything, honestly. Well, maybe not anything there. There's a lot we can't prove. Right. So you just have to, you have to believe and just go on faith. That's really all you can do. And it's, uh, to me that's what faith is. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Now, you know what? I do believe that faith is a major part of our Western religion and for me personally, and that faith defines that there is a God and what God is. And we often draw upon our faith using the Bible as the foundation. Now, this is where I have some problems because in my mind, sometimes the Bible does contradict itself and that contradiction, can lead to some doubt. And doubt is the opposite of faith. And so this doubt can cause someone to question the existence of God. Does that make sense? True. Yes, true. You, you're exactly right. Um, uh, can you have an example of a contradiction? Any kind of contradiction? Well, yeah, I have, I have a, I have a few, um, examples and we've talked about some of these, but the first contradiction in my mind, it's a story of Adam and Eve. Supposedly Adam and Eve are the first humans, so Adam and Eve, Bo three sons, and that's in the Bible. Ka Abel and Seth. Mm-hmm. According to the Bible, Kain killed Abel in a fifth of rage. Right? So instead of Kain being put to death, there was a mark placed upon his hand as a warning for others not to harm him. Do you remember that? Yes. So if Adam and Eve are the original and their three sons are next, then what people is Cain being protected from? Ah, good question. Yes. I've always wondered that myself. Um, I think you said that he put a mark on his hand. I thought it was his forehead, but maybe it was his forehead. Yeah, maybe it his forehead. Yeah. Okay. Okay. But, uh, I just, I always wondered that too. There's, I'm like you, there's some things in the Bible that I, I que remember in our very first podcast, I said, uh, I loved it. But always had questions. You did say that always. I remember that I did, always had questions and uh, that book Conversations with Guy kinda answered a lot, but still, yeah, there's always, uh, some questions and contradictions in the Bible. And that's a prime example of one right there. Um, yeah. Who was there to, who was there, out there when Kane was walking around the earth to, that he had to be protected from, I have no idea. Right, right now. Those, I mean, that's just one example. Yeah. And like I said, those contradictions and that in my mind that could challenge someone's faith. Now, you know what, I don't wanna question anyone's faith, but again, I do have lots of questions. Mm-hmm. And lemme tell you, I asked that question of many clergy, and the answers vary from, you must have faith to remember that the Christian religion is a Jewish religion. And of course there were other people in the world, so there are other religions, and I'm like, I thought that was pretty striking for someone to admit that, this, the Bible is of a Jewish religion, but there are other people out there. So the Bible says that, it's Adam and Eve, that's the beginning, but they would admit that there's others out there. Right, right. And then, yes, go ahead. No. Yeah, you're right. Uh, to hear somebody else, aler, just to admit that is like, wow. So it's kind of like an eyeopener a little bit, It's like, hmm. So you do believe in something else, Right. Than what we've been taught growing up. Right. Boom. Yeah. So yeah, you're right. It's, that was a little, that's an eye opener. And, I don't want to get off the topic here, but if we have that kind of thing out there and a clergy would say that. It gets really crazy. I'm like, what? What's to say that maybe we weren't created by aliens? I mean, who knows? Who knows? Who knows. Right, right. Yeah, you're right. I mean, you know, that's where that faith comes in, I guess, because I. We were taught growing up, and that's just what we believe. But then you get older, you start having questions, and I guess it just depends on the individual. Do you want to continue to believe what you were taught as a child? That's faith, Right. That's faith because you, in reality, you just don't know. You just don't know. You just don't know. You just believe what you've been taught, right? So, yeah. It's, uh, kind of funny. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a clergy, person here, and, they made a very similar comment that, uh, you have to believe what you believe, right? And I said something to the effect, I'm like, it, it lends meaning to that, old saying, you are your father's religion. So you're going to believe what you were born into. Mm-hmm. So, uh, someone that is, uh, a Muslim, they're not likely to believe anything other than what they were born into and what they were taught, much like. Right. We as Christians believe what we were born into and what we were taught. Right. And it, it's interesting you said that.'cause our mom, she was a hardcore, uh, Christian, hardcore, and, and it's great, I mean, she. Had us in church and, hopefully, that our lives, uh, kinda show that, uh, we were raised, by good, good parents, Right. Uh, but, but hit it. Hit me one time. It's like, I. Well, who else is going to heaven? Are Buddhists allowed to go to heaven or Muslims allowed to go to heaven? Right. It made you think, I mean, just Christians going to heaven. I don't know. I think God's all loving God for everybody, but it just made you think and Right. Make you like, hmm. Okay. Right. But I'm like, but I'm like you. I don't want to, you know, you, if people believe what you believe, that's, that's, you're living your life. Stick with your religion and you'll do your best with it. It just, like you, I just started wondering a little bit. Absolutely. And Yeah. And I think that's what we're trying to do here with this, uh, bring things to people that may, they may not have thought about and. It kinda helps them to, rethink and hopefully either strengthen their faith or begin to question and, try to learn more, uh, so that they can put themselves on a, on a good path. I'm not gonna say a right path, but a good path, uh mm-hmm. For their life. Correct. And I, and I, sorry, but then I think that's what will bring the world together. You know, if don't, um, shut out somebody else's religion just because you don't believe it. Maybe try to open your heart, open your mind, and try to see somebody else's point of view. Right. And I just think that's what's gonna bring the world together. One day could be a thousand years from now, but hopefully, right. That's what we're evolving to. So what you're saying is just acceptance of someone else's. Beliefs. Yes, exactly. Yes. So do you think that that applies to more than just their religious beliefs? I mean, I'm gonna open up a whole can of worms here. Yeah. We talk about people that are gay or Yeah. We talk about, I don't know what else, but yeah. So what you're saying is we have to open up and accept, I guess, accept people for who they are. Well, yeah. Be I, I, I think so, because, we don't know. Our purpose, what somebody else's purpose is on this earth. In that book, conversations with God, they were asking the question, does Hitler go to hell? And, and God told them like, you have no, yeah, he's in heaven and I'm gonna tell you the reason why he's in heaven, because he was sent here to show you what you don't want to be. So he fulfilled his purpose. So we don't know. Yeah. You gonna get people shooting at us when I, I know. Yeah. Yes. But that's okay. It's, it's, it's what you think. Go ahead. Well, we don't know what somebody's purpose here is on earth. And even in the Bible says, judge, not, you're not supposed to judge. That's up to God, if you will. Right. And so, let that person live. Let that person live, and, uh, hopefully, show'em love. Uh, I know everybody doesn't have the same, uh, level of love that you know, you may have or somebody else may have. Some things are just maybe totally unacceptable. But again, don't judge, Okay. Don't judge you. Just try to show love and protect yourself, okay? And don't be, don't be foolish, but protect yourself. But just show love and be accepting to people. Alright, devil's advocate. Advocate here. You say accept people. Mm-hmm. This is where we have laws because you accept someone for who they are, but we don't wanna accept, I guess, their actions. Someone that goes out and and kills someone, or someone that goes out and rapes someone. Correct. So yeah, we're, I guess we're starting to get into, yeah, our religion also has to have some structure or those laws have to have some structure or we, uh, civilization has to have some structure. Uh, yeah. And I guess it's based on religion. Well, you know, you have God law and even Jesus said, render into Caesar, the things Caesar, and then the God, the things that are God. You know, there's man laws and there's God laws. You know, I think God laws is pure love. That's just what I think. And man laws, yes, you have to have some structure, but that's what we're evolving to is try to be God love. And if you're God love, then. I don't know, Gary, we may not need no man laws. Right. You know what? You're a walking, talking encyclopedia dictionary tonight. Well, I told you earlier, I love reading the Bible. I love the discussions and every I, I, I could do this all day, right. Okay. But yeah. Okay. I tell you what, we can't do this all day, but guess what? Yeah, we're about. 14 minutes into this discussion, and I know that we can go deeper, but over the next few weeks we'll go deeper and deeper and deeper. So today we talked about, different belief definitions, specifically agnostics and what it means to be an agnostic. Uh, we also talked about faith and how it's the foundation of Western religions next week. And we'll talk about atheism and what it means. That ought to be pretty interesting. Yeah. And then we'll compare and contrast this with, uh, Western religion and try to understand why people are atheists. All right. I can't wait. Neither can I. Hey. Yeah, this was a great session today. You're right. It was, it was really good. I hope, people get something out of, and, uh, looking forward to next week too, so, but, uh, Gary, now's the time for our favorite part of the podcast. All right. Read a yes. We read a story from one of our listeners telling about a traumatic time in their lives, and how did their faith help them to navigate this storm? So today our story comes from James in good old Kentucky. All right, our, our birthplace here. Yes, yes. And rights. I've always loved the feeling of the wind rushing past as I drove down the open highway with the top down of my car. I was a free spirit and I always did things my way with little regard to those around me. It was always my way when it came to what I wanted to do. Night. Everything changed in the blink of an eye. The headlights came too fast, the screeching of tires, the shot in the glass, and then boom, nothing. When I woke up in the hospital, the first thing I noticed was the stillness. My legs didn't move my, my body didn't feel like it was mine. The doctors explained the extent of my injuries paralysis from the waist down. Wow. Wow. Yeah, words swimming his mind in, in his mind, each one cutting deeper than the last. My dreams, my independence, my entire future was gone. It felt like it had been stolen. I recovered days and days turned into weeks, and I refused to accept this new reality that I was never gonna walk again. Shoot. Yeah. My mind was a battlefield filled with doubt and despair. I often asked myself, why me? What did I do to deserve this? But then something unexpected happened. About four weeks into my recovery, my mother came in holding an old wor book. It was the Bible that I had set aside in my younger years, James. She said softly, faith doesn't remove the hardships, but it does help us bear faith. How could faith fix this? But in the quiet nights when I was alone, I found myself opening that book. You read about hope and about finding purpose even in suffering. He said, my father would sit with me sharing stories of people who had risen beyond their circumstances. My sisters reminded me of my strength and how it all, and how I was always the one who never gave up. One day, my best friend Marcus walked in with a challenge. He said, okay, buddy. He grin so your legs don't work, but your arms do. Time to hit the gym. I laugh for the first time in weeks. The idea seemed ridiculous, me training in a wheelchair, but Marcus was relentless. And soon I found myself lifting weights, feeling my body respond. Over time, the darkness lifted. I started therapy, determined to live this new life with other gusto that I had before the accident. My faith gave me strength on the days when anger and sadness returned, and my family reminded me that I was more than this physical state. Hm. Months later, I rolled into the rehab center feeling different, stronger and whole. I had come to understand that my life hadn't ended that night. It had just shifted, and with support, faith and sheer willpower, I was still in control. That faith, yeah, I, I realized that I might not drive down a highway again with the top down and the music blaring. I might never feel the rush of wind the way that I once did. I. That didn't mean that I couldn't, couldn't chase joy in other ways. It was then that I realized joy could be found in other ways, and the joy that I was now experiencing was enough. Yeah, that's a, wow. That's a, that is a great, a great testimonial. Yes, it is. Thank you, James, for sending your story. We hope that you have found some peace and purpose in your life. We believe that, uh, your lived life experience is someone's playbook for dealing with the storms in their lives. James, your story will help someone to find the strength to deal with the storms in their lives. Thank you, James. Thanks, James. Yes. Okay, so this will close our podcast for today. It was a good one. It was a good one. Thank you for Yes. Thank you for joining us today on CRC De Soul. We hope that it sparks some new thoughts about the purpose of life. If you would like to send us some questions for discussion, please do. Or if you would like to send your story, please email these to CRC de soul444@gmail.com at C-I-R-Q-U-E-D-U-S-O-U l44@gmail.com. So if you found value in today's episode, please share it with someone who might benefit from it. And don't forget to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. And remember, your spiritual journey is uniquely yours, but remember, you're never alone like James. There are always others to help you through the storms in your life. Take care of yourself. Be kind to yourself and be kind to the world around you. And until the next time, have a great day in Paradise Life and Shade's, trying it best to beat me down to the ground. I'm praying for things to change and I need it to happen to happen. But you sit so quiet. So as I wait on you, Lord, for your I'll station myself and drop my anger up my and still wave. I'm going my way until you make way. I am gonna drop my. In the end, I'll win and drop my.