Dr Stephen Unwin has used a 200-year-old formula to calculate the probability of the existence of an omnipotent being. Bayes' Theory is usually used to work out the likelihood of events, such as nuclear power failure, by balancing the various factors that could affect a situation.
The Manchester University graduate, who now works as a risk assessor in Ohio, said the theory starts from the assumption that God has a 50/50 chance of existing, and then factors in the evidence both for and against the notion of a higher being.
Factors that were considered included recognition of goodness, which Dr Unwin said makes the existence of God more likely, countered by things like the existence of natural evil - including earthquakes and cancer.
The unusual workings - which even take into account the existence of miracles - are set out in his new book, which includes a spreadsheet of the data used so that anyone can make the calculation themselves should they doubt its validity. The book, The Probability of God: A simple calculation that proves the ultimate truth, will be published later this month. SOURCE: theguardian.com
My first thought is The Lord's Prayer...
Our Father, who art in Heaven
hallowed be they name,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven;
give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil
for thine is the kingdom
the power and the glory
for ever and ever,
Amen
What is interesting here is that, not only are we acknowledging the existence of God, but we are ACCEPTING the fact that HIS WILL BE DONE... here on earth just as it is accomplished in Heaven... with the unique understanding that NO ONE KNOWS exactly the location of Heaven other than the fact that it is not here on earth.
We are also asking for forgiveness from the standpoint of us forgiving others... and, the latter part of this request is the most difficult... It is easy to ask but difficult to give... and, therein lies our conundrum...
What does it take inside our minds for us to forgive others who have WRONGED US?
Again, this is an easy question to ask but a difficult one to implement and yet our entire belief system is contingent upon being able to do this... it might take us an entire lifetime to achieve this level of behavior.
Finally and most importantly and OFTEN OVERLOOKED is the fact that we are asking God not to lead us into temptation.... What this means is that GOD could lead us into temptation... just as HE lead Judas into temptation... even though that temptation HAD TO HAPPEN in order to created CHRISTIANITY.
If God can lead us into temptation... then, that means that God can control our present as well as our future including our BEHAVIORS... and, if this is the case, then, we have NO FREE WILLS...
So, if we believe in this prayer and understand that this prayer is the prayer that Jesus TOLD US that we should use when praying to HIS FATHER, then, we are also acknowledging that we are willing to give us our FREE WILL.
Is this the tradeoff for religious beliefs: giving up one's free will?
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