‘In God we trust’?

[Zzyzx]

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‘In God we trust’?

For WHAT do ‘we’ trust ‘god’?

WHY?

[William]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

‘In God we trust’?

For WHAT do ‘we’ trust ‘god’?

WHY?

I think it is a typo. It should read "In GOLD We Trust".

Does that make it any more relevant to you, if we trust in gold rather than GOD, since after all, gold is scientifically verifiable as at least existing...

My question would be, "Why Trust in anything?" How does it help?

I believe GODs exist. I believe the planet is a GOD. Do I have the need to trust Her? For what exactly?

I suppose the answer is in what my needs are and whether She provides them...and how She goes about doing that.

It seems to me on the face of it, trust is setting conditions, and setting conditions has everything to do with ones personal idea as to what they can get out of their human experience and what their ambitions are related to that, and what they will do in order to achieve those ambitions.

The more I get to know my GOD, the less ambitions I have. The less ambitions I have, the less trust I need.

Therefore my understanding of trust, is that it requires ambition.

Do I need my GOD in order to fulfill my ambitions? The more I think on it the more I realize, 'no'. I am mainly into it for the relationship, and anything related to that appears to be a bonus as far as my subjective experience of being Human is concerned.

Maybe that can be seen as 'trust' but if so, then it is trust built up through experience that generally things are going well enough for me under the circumstances, and I am grateful and appreciative of that.

I do not trust in gold, for I don't even have any, so it might as well not exist. Those who do have it and trust in it, seem to have different ambitions than I do.

[Zzyzx]

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Is ‘In God we trust’ just a tired platitude – and a foolish one?

What has any ‘god’ done to EARN our trust? (Verifiable evidence?)

Who is the ‘we’ involved? I do not trust any gods to do or provide anything – and do not believe their promoters’ claims and tales.

The phrase first on paper money 1957 and in coinage intermittently since 1864 – both times of national fear – the cold war and the civil war. Perhaps in time of fear people conjure up visions of help from ‘gods’ to make themselves feel better or more secure.

[Tcg]

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‘In God we trust’?

For WHAT do ‘we’ trust ‘god’?

WHY?

There is that old joke some businesses display on folksy placards, "In God we trust, All others pay cash."


It revels a rather important truth. Claims humans make are viewed with skepticism, and rightfully so, unless they can be backed up with evidence. If God makes a claim, or rather some humans claim it did, all too often it is accepted without question and without evidence.


Given the scant evidence we have for the existence of God, it is God that should be expected to pay in cash... upfront.



Tcg

[Tcg]

The phrase first on paper money 1957 and in coinage intermittently since 1864 – both times of national fear – the cold war and the civil war. Perhaps in time of fear people conjure up visions of help from ‘gods’ to make themselves feel better or more secure.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Both of these times involved fear and primarily, I think, the fear of death. Given the various methods 'gods' provide to deny that death is final, the primary trust placed in the chosen God/gods is the promise that there exists some life after this one.


There are other promises the 'gods' make, but if they didn't make this one, I think they'd have a short career.



Tcg

[Zzyzx]

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There are other promises the 'gods' make, but if they didn't make this one, I think they'd have a short career.

I agree that religions would likely be short-lived without promises for rewards and/or threats of punishment 'after you die'. The faithful seem impressed with such things.

However, it does not seem as though any 'gods' make such promises -- but rather they are made by people claiming that 'gods' talked to them.

If some supernatural being directly stated for all to hear there would be rewards, even I might be inclined to pay attention -- but do not take the word of people claiming to hear from or speak for 'gods'.

[Tcg]

If some supernatural being directly stated for all to hear there would be rewards, even I might be inclined to pay attention -- but do not take the word of people claiming to hear from or speak for 'gods'.

Non-theists are often asked what evidence they would accept for the existence of god/gods. I honestly don't know. I do know that nothing I've been presented with so far measures up.


However, if I became convinced that a supernatural being was speaking, I'd certainly pay attention. It would be of utmost importance to then determine if this being had good or bad intentions toward humans. In other words, all who heard the being would need to listen to determine if it deserves our trust.


If it turned out that this being did, we could then say, "In God we trust." Until then, as you have pointed out, it is, "In the stories of God we trust."



Tcg

[Divine Insight]

Given the scant evidence we have for the existence of God, it is God that should be expected to pay in cash... upfront.

Tcg

What "scant evidence" are you talking about?

I'm not aware of any evidence for the existence of a God at all.

To even say that there is scant evidence suggests that there exist at least some reasons that we might believe in the existence of a God.

So please present your "scant evidence" for the existence of a God.

I'm totally unaware of any evidence no matter how scant it might be.

If any scant evidence exists I could at least turn to that as a potential foundation to build upon.

[Tcg]

So please present your "scant evidence" for the existence of a God.

I must admit, I can't think of anything that qualifies. Thanks for your correction.



Tcg

[Divine Insight]

I must admit, I can't think of anything that qualifies. Thanks for your correction.

Tcg

Darn it. And here I thought you might have been on to something.

Got my hopes up all for nuttin.