Paul Harvey Riddle

I think this is a useful riddle in reminding people of the unreality of nothing--people too often confuse nothing with something, as though it were a real thing or force--nothing is not real! everything is! by definition! Although I do believe in God, or an infinite creative force, it is a different awareness than than the image put forth by modern religion. Since God existed before anything else, he/she/it could only have made everything else out of itself... there was nothing else around, and to suggest God created everything out of nothing would be to say that God has power over nothing, and that would mean God had no power at all. Read it over. So, since God can't stop being God (this truth is inherent in the definition of God) then everything around us, inclusing us, is God. Everywhere. This makes the possibility of satan and hell impossible. God would not make himself into a place of eternal torment. Nor would God force the truth of this on a piece of himself/herself/itself--it is anathema to the truth--truth can only be offered, once it is forced it ceases to be the truth, and there is no rush--God will be God forever. So people are allowed to believe in hell, or do anything for that matter--another thing about being God is being at choice. The power is yours. It always has been and always will be. God isn't some guy in the sky, but you are free to believe that--God is all there is, and inherent in that isness is the infinite potential of all that could be. Find this in yourself--trust me, it is there.

Very Descartian...

i still don't know the answer i'm sorry but i was never good at riddles can someone please tell me the answer

Kelli, press the shift key and see what happens. That's your answer! 😊

never mind i figured it out as soon as i submitted my ? thanks and duh

Well the first time I got this was about a year ago, I was 13. I always got it in an e-mail from my friends. Well I tried it and just got frustrated. I kept pushing shift over and over again, and nothing happened! I was so angry. I thought something was wrong with my computer lol! I thought in my head as I read it over and over again, NOTHING, but I never thought that 'nothing' was the actual answer. One of my friends e-mailed me back, and said a dollar? And the funny thing is that he is one of the smartest ppl I know (he was 14 @ the time). Once I saw the answer I just felt dumb. every answer I could think of didn't work because say I thought is was love, you can't eat love, and sure anough you wouldn't DIE! and how would love be even more evil than the devil? The devil is a D infront of evil (which I just noticed) so what could be even more evil? Then I thought hate, but once again, you can't EAT hate...One other reason I couldn't believe anything was greater than God, or more evil than the Devil, is that I'm a Trinitarian...although I might not be a strong christian, I still believe in god as my savour, and yes I believe in the Devil just as much as God. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect, I don't try to be, don't think I am, and I know I never will be; but yes, *I* believe everything in the whole bible, and in Jehovah (Yahweh), Jesus, and the holy spirit, and that each is equal to another, and if one were not there, everything would fall apart as *I* know it.

Criss, Althought I do agree with most of what you say, there is one thing I would like to point out to you, as you say that everyone has a choice of what they do, and all, and that there might not be a satan or hell because god is everything and he wouldn't be something evil, or something like that, that god created satan....Well not exactly satan. He created angels, Satan was an angel that *chose* to backstab god, and try to be greater than him. So he had the choice as you say we do, to change his future. True god is everything, because he made everything, like when you have a child, you are part of them (more along the line of they are part of you), and you are with them because of that (sorta). Well my point is, that god created an angel that *chose* to go bad, and with the newly created "bad angel" was his new identity: Satan, who took with him all of the bad angels who *chose* to not follow god, but an other angel who they thought was greater, and that even though god may have created them, and is parshally with them, that it was *their* choice, not his...so in a way since he was still a part of them, he in tern, create hell....I might have some flaws in what I'm saying...but I am still in middle school, and @ the age of 14, but Criss, I'd love to share our beliefs sometime or another! Thanx for giving ur comment, and I indeed learned from it.

Heather, I only have this to say...

In relation to religion, GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN.

I know you're gonna think I'm picking on you or your religion, or trying to "convert you to being an atheist", but no, I'm not. My basic mission when I talk about religion is to try and make people actually think about what they are blindly believing in.

I'm not going to go into it here, (I can hear the sighs of relief from the regulars 😊 ) and it's pretty hard to make people see reason through the internet, anyway.

But one glaring thing that stuck out from your posts was that you believe in equality because the Bible teaches it. Where? From what I understood when I read it, God has his chosen people, and everyone else is below them. Not to mention the many references to slavery (never a bad one) and to male over female domination. If you don't see what I mean, read the book again, and tell me exactly where it teaches equality.

Rod said:

"Heather, I only have this to say...

In relation to religion, GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN."

Gotta agree with you there, Rod. Heather, you're young, you still have time to realize what a scam organized religion is.

Just for starters, why are you expected to pay someone (priest, rabbi, guru, etc.) to talk to God for you? Can't you do that without the middle man (not that I believe in God)?

Why don't you try this little experiment: visit one of the atheist web sites that quote some of the more, shall we say, "unusual" passages from the Bible and question their meaning and logic and see if you can come up with good, logical answers to the questions they pose about them.

If you find you can't, the next question you should be asking yourself if why you want to believe in something that simply makes no sense.

Honey, I know I'm young, anyone can see that...(although I do often get mistaken for an other age). I not only pay for someone to explain the bible to me (lol like I have enough money to do that, they only get a tenth of my allowence! ...Only I haven't been going to church for awhile, so I hardly ever give money), but I also give to misionaries and the expensises for the church.... But like I've said in my first post, I'm not a very strong christian, although I believe it all. Infact I'm one of Eminem's biggest fans. I understand what he's talking about, and I relate to him because he's been threw a lot in his life. He also seems to have this love/hate thing going on for women... I have that for men. I need them, and yet I push them away. I love them, but when I think they're going to hurt me, boom, I hurt them and hate them. But I'm getting better @ this. One day @ a time...just like how my dad gets through not having alcohol, one day at a time. Anyways, back to your comment; you say that I should look @ a website and find some answers to some of the things that the bible is saying... I do that at church events, like cell group, and Wednesdays. Our I ask some of my cell group leaders, one of them Danny, is like a big brother to me....infact in some ways he was more of a brother to me than my own brother. But that's an other story, and I'd rather you find that out from my novels...when I write them, and get them published. You might find some explainations to why I believe what I believe and why I have an ambivalent sort of realationship with men.

" I not only pay for someone to explain the bible to me..." - Heather

Let me get this straight. You pay somone else to tell you what you should believe?
Anyone interpreting any book for another person invariably puts their own self-serving interpretation to it.

Read the book yourself, Heather. Form your OWN opinions.
Then, as CMG suggested, read other people's opinions. Reject or accept these as you will, but please, please, PLEASE apply logic to your thinking on this subject.

And you're asking us to refer to books that you haven't read yet as your explanation of why you do all you do?

"I do that at church events, like cell group, and Wednesdays."

Did I miss something? Wednesdays are a 'church event' now? 😊

First of all I'd like to say that I am a Christian and God is there! That riddle which was put in our 7th grade history class took us awhile to figure it out. I do agree that the first part, "What is greater than God" would give it away; because we all know that NOTHING is greater than HIM! But the other lines do give it difficulty to figure it out such as, "The rich need it, and if you eat it, you'll die?"

1. The rich do need things not movies, cars or their over little toys but they need food and shelter.

2. The statement "if you eat it you'll die..." misleads you to thinking that it's some poisonous food.

--:gulp:I was offended by the rude people who do not believe in God! He is there and you should start to live with him and his glory too!

God Rules!

I'm amazed on how people are so ignorant to think that there ISNT a God!

First of all, there is.
He's there if you believe or even if you dont.
He loves you.
He'll forgive you.
You need to know that.
I'm sad to say but it will come back to you.

And miss smarty pants, I dont call it "PAYING" somone to teach a book to me. ITS NOT A BOOK its the Bible, which teaches us the amazing things God has done for us. AND we dont go to church to have someone give us there opinions, WE go to celebrate his glory and that fact that we wake up!

WWJD!?!?

Dazed said:

"I'm amazed on how people are so ignorant to think that there ISNT a God!"

Yes, some of us actually have the temerity to ask questions about the world around us and aren't content to accept superstition as being the answer.

"First of all, there is."

Oh. Well, that settles THAT, I guess. How silly of me to doubt something as obvious as THAT.

"He's there if you believe or even if you dont.
He loves you.
He'll forgive you.
You need to know that.
I'm sad to say but it will come back to you."

Oh, let me see here. God is love but if I have the nerve to questions His existance, He'll punish me, even though He gave me the ability to use my mind. Well, who could question the logic of THAT?

"And miss smarty pants, I dont call it "PAYING" somone to teach a book to me. ITS NOT A BOOK its the Bible, which teaches us the amazing things God has done for us."

I'll put aside the fact that I'm a MAN, not a woman, and just deal with what you're saying.

Uh, the Bible ISN'T a book? What is it then?

"AND we dont go to church to have someone give us there opinions, WE go to celebrate his glory and that fact that we wake up!"

Um, isn't saying that there is a God an OPINION? (Hint: Yes) Doesn't your priest, minister, rabbi or whatever speak on various issues in the course of your worship service? I believe it's called a homily. That would constitute OPINION.

Yes, you DO go to church, synagogue, mosque, whatever to worship God. You also listen to your local religious leader give his OPINION on various things and you donate money in the course of the service. Therefore you ARE paying to hear someone's opinions.

Hey, here's an experiment if you doubt me. Next time you go to church/synagogue/mosque, tell the preacher/priest/whatever that you'd like equal time to speak to the congregation since you contribute money. Let us know what response you get.





WWJD!?!?

Since when did I become a smarty pants? I thought I was sticking up for god, not trying to make fun of people who love him. I'm sorry if I offended you or something like that. Not intentional I swear! (I don't go to church to listen to just one persons opinion) I go to church to listen about what is taught in the bible since I don't read it much myslef...although I'm getting back into more things like that now. I've walked away, but I'm comming back on the path. Oh, and I don't think that Dazed necessarily ment that if you don't follow god he will punish you, more along the lines of, you punished your self. Dazed, I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, or anything like that. I just didn't think you ment it that way. I'm trying to stick up for you here. Oh and Cranky Guy, at my church, people do get to speak when they want to @ like JC's Place, and sometimes the Entry, or at cell groups.

Heather said:

"I don't think that Dazed necessarily ment that if you don't follow god he will punish you, more along the lines of, you punished your self."

I may have confused your postings with Dazed's. I'm not sure but if I did, sorry.

As for me "punishing myself," what exactly would THAT mean? My life seems to me to be more than I even have a right to expect it to be. Overall, things seem pretty good on the Me Front. How am I being punished or suffering because I don't give money to people in funny costumes to interpret God's Will for me?

"Oh and Cranky Guy, at my church, people do get to speak when they want to @ like JC's Place, and sometimes the Entry, or at cell groups."

I don't know what those things are; I'm assuming that they're some sort of church-related groups.

Tell you what. Try this: Next time you're at one of those church-sponsored soirees, get up and say that you've decided that there is no God. See how reasonably they respond to that.

Talking only to church people about God is inevitably going to give you only one side of the story no matter how many of them you talk to.

What I was suggesting was that you make an attempt to get the other side of the story so that you can use your brain to decide what you really believe. Remember, ANY church/mosque/synogogue/etc. has a financial incentive to keep you in the flock. Even if that isn't their only motivation, do you really expect them to give you both sides of the God story? Would you expect the Young Republicans to tell you all the good things about the Democratic Party?

wow i figured it out as i clicked the link...i knew that if i clicked it u wud have to wait a few seconds cause my internet is slow nd i wud have to think fast nd then it came to me about five seconde b4 it showed up

Heather, I appreciate your reply, please allow me to clarify what I said. You say that God creted angels, the devil, etc.... Whatever God created, he created out of himself. Those creations are still God. God cannot stop being God. It is impossible. He/she/it is pure potential, and can manifest into any form. But those forms are still 100% God. You are one with God, just as Jesus said "I and the father are one," and related it with the rest of us "you are all my brothers and sisters"
What else would god have made us out of? Nothing? You'll recall from the riddle that there is no such thing as nothing. Therefore, he made it out of something, and the only something that was around was Himself! The devil is a myth created by humans thousands of years ago as way of explaining what they percieved as evil, and also as a way of scaring people into being good. God = Love. God is all there is. Love is all there is. But love will not force even this knowledge upon you, as the moment truth is forced on someone it ceases to be the truth--it can only be offered, and you may choose to receive it when the time is right for you. God loves you unconditionally. Love without condition. He would not allow a piece of himself to be in a place like hell for eternity. That goes against the very basics of love.

the answer is nothing

Wow, Jeff, you're a genius.

But that answer doesn't work. Since god doesn't exist his greatness must equal null. Likewise the devil's evil must also equal null. Since x>null is invalid then x=nothing is not a valid solution.

Boo.. thank you... <bowing>
Charybdis.... God Bless You

It's funny, that comment at the end of the email chain is actually true- if you send it to 10 people and press shift, you'll get nothing....lol

WWJDD?!?!?!
What would Johnny Damon Do??

Go Red Sox!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a very good riddle to have a message board for. Here's my two cents. (in four points, sorry)
I'm a Christian, but I use my mind. I have, on multiple occasions (one being three weeks ago) disagreed with what was preached. On that specific day, the first thing my family did was discuss it in the car. Secondly, I think of the Bible as a book. However, I believe God worked through men to write that book (or collection of them). Thirdly, in response to the Chris, yours is a beautiful idea on the outside, but I serve a God who is not a rapist or serial murderer and who created something distinct from him (the mysteries of which I admit I do not understand). Fourthly, I, too, encourage you, Heather (if you read this) to use your mind. After all, C.S.Lewis, Pascal, Thomas Aquinas, and Augustine thought it wise to.

Doesn't anyone chat about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes anymore?

Karen said:

"Doesn't anyone chat about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes anymore?"

Yeah, Scientologists.

I feel it very important to study the bible, and not always with a 'it is 100% true' approach. I believe it was written through man with the help of god, but then it has been re-written and re-written and translated into another language and probably again in most cases. This does leave room for error in what you are reading.
I would love to say that to my preacher/head pastor but i don't pay any tithes/offerings so i can't really, but i'm sure if i did he would offer me a moment in the spotlight :D.
Just one more thing, I have personally felt the touch of god on two occasions. One was about three weeks before a major change in direction in my life which also happend to co-incide (however you spell it) with a pro kickboxing fight (that i won) It was such a powerfull moment that I bled from the nose more profusely then i ever have before/since. What I think was important was not whether or not religion matters or that i was in church, but that my life is better off for it. For you cynics out there, maybe it was him maybe it was just me and repeated nose injuries and some good base making me in the mood. Instead of arguing over what it is how about you just find someone you like who believes in god or goes to church and tag along a couple of times (do it your way) and check it out. Don't look for answers just enjoy.

Jeeze people, it's a damn riddle! You don't have to get all technical and self righteous about it being religious. Funny how those who want to state their negative point about the God part, but not one of these people mentioned the devil part. Hmm...no wonder this world is doomed.

I cant get it, whats the answer!!!!!!!!!

i'm with kentaro mori, what god?

D.O.A. C.P.A, and as for that person i say the same thing for the devil what god what devil? i think the bibal is a fiction story writen by an egyption. i don't care what you'll say in reply but thats what i think.

Wow. This riddle was awesome... I'm only 13 and when I saw it, I was like. What the.... and then after around five monutes, I started looking at all the questions by themselves. I couldn't believe how simple it was, yet how effective it was on other people. Most couldn't even GET the answer. Paul Harvey is a genius.

Boy, you people spent an awful lot of useful time overthinking this one! We have far better things to do with our time! Get a Life!

So I just spent the past half hour reading all the crap that you all wrote, and what did I get out of it? The people who over analize things needs to pull the stick thats lodged in their buttocks out, lifes to short! relax, don't take yourself so seriously, and don't go around thinkin your so stinkin smart.. And as far as the other side.. Don't blurt out the first idiotic thing that comes to your ignorant brain!! Think before you speak.. I know what I believe, and I know where my faith is, or is not.. But I do not feel it necassary to broadcast it to a bunch of cynics and bible belt represenitves.. What good would it do? All I hope for you all, is to enjoy and respect other peoples opinion, that is what makes life fun and interesting.. (by the way.. I figured the riddle out right away!!) ha ha!! suckas!!

i couldn't figure it out so i e-mailed to my daughter and she later told me the answer.

hey the person who said 87.52% statistics are made up on the spot...well don't you think that is a statistic??? hmmmm.

(minutes later...)

Well now that i have thought about it,some might say commenting on someone else's comment is just well (whatever the opinion). Ahh they can suck it up.

the answer is nothing nothing is greater than god nothing is more evil then the devil and the poor have nothing and the rich need nothing and if you eat nothing you will die

I think this riddle makes perfect sence to me. But for some reason people are making a big deal about it and making it seem like a bad thing on these comments I have been reading. I think it is a wonderful thought and it is amazing. People don't get mad and try to find the flaws of it because that is why the children got it faster because they don't think that hard which makes it even harder to find the real answer. It is great.

The answer is NOTHING...

NOTHING is greater than God. NOTHING is more evil than the Devil. The poor have NOTHING. The rich need NOTHING. If you eat NOTHING (starve), you'll die.

That's not hard, and I'm 21. And I'm not religious.

This is not a good riddle. It is nothing more than excuse to make a hap-hazard religious point and anyone who thinks about what it is saying, should notice this immediately. A PERSON CANNOT "EAT NOTHING." It is impossible because the word "nothing" implies there isn't anything to eat. A person cannot eat something that does not exist. "Nothing" is not tangible and since you can't eat it, you can't die from eating it. At best this is more of a "pun" than anything else. But certainly not a very good one.

hmm wow.... that is pretty stupid that you are making a big deal about something that is simple and smart as this.. it is meant by saying that if you dont eat anything you will die. it is not saying that if you eat nothing like air you will die! That is kind of a dumb thing to say.

People, you need to step back and look for a second. Riddles are made to challenge the mind, tease the brain, and people can do nothing better than ruin the fun of it by debating the existance of God? I'm agnostic, so am I the only one who can see the complete idiocy there is in debating that topic? No one will ever convince you that there is if you don't believe, and no one will convince you there isn't if you do believe. The only way you can believe is to simply do so. I am waiting for Him to prove it to me Himself, but that hasn't happened yet. So yeah, please, enlighten me, how can I meet Him, or be proven of His existence? And those who don't believe, enlighten me, how do you know He isn't there? How do you know He is just made up? None of you know for sure unless He told you so Himself. And the funny thing about it is, if He has, and you tell people, you'll get put in a Psyche ward. How weird is that? So please, for all of our sakes, if you're going to comment, just say something about the Riddle, how hard it was, and leave your faith (or lack there-of) in Him out of it. So good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

I also think that the riddle is flawed even from a religious point of view. 😛 I first thought nothing, because of the what is greater than God, but once again the poor don't have "nothing"... I mean, they have something. Poor people don't stand on the street naked, at least they have the clothes on their back, and define poor. And if this is sending a Christian message, the poor shouldn't have "nothing" becuase as christians we share in Christ now don't we? And also the die thing threw me off ALOT O_o....

Dear mitch,
I was raised up as a christian and I believe in God 100%. There are so many miricles in this world to prove to you that he exhists. You do not need for him to actually come up to you and tell you that he is real. Look at all the things you are blessed with. From the day that you were born, to this day. He has watched over you and put you through challenges in your life. He loves you more than you can even imagine. You just need to accept it. If God does think you need to be proven that he does exist, then he will do so. But its your choice whether or not to believe in him. When you die, you will be judged on how you react to this. I am not trying to make you believe in him, I am telling you of my opinion, as a christian, looks at this. And to me< believing is seeing God bless you!!

Yeah, like Nef said, there are a few errors with that riddle. Like bums, if they believe in God, still have their faith. The rich do need things too. Like love, caring families, etc. You can't define what you need by what you have.

Dear Chelsea,
If you believe in Him so much, why don't you capitalize His pronouns? The Bible does, and so should you. And through the hardships, I ask Him to help me, but He does nothing. He just sits around while I ride it out. Like Canada when we were going through all that terrorism. They could've done something to help us out. I'm starting to believe that they don't exist either. Just a myth to ruin everyone who believes in them! Yeah, but God said that you shouldn't test Him, that you should just BELIEVE. I'm sorry, but I believe in aliens only because I've seen them before. I believe that when I get stabbed in the toe with a side of a lid, it hurts, because it's happened before. But just SAYING something is there doesn't mean that it actually is, and there's no way to prove it until you experience something that directly proves it. Until then, it's just wishful thinking that He's there. Or that there's an afterlife. I really HOPE there is, but I'm not sure. And I do believe that if I sort of believe I will be sent to purgatory and have a chance to repent, will I not? But I'm not sure if He is real, or if Jehova is real, or if Buddha is who you should believe in, or whoever, so yeah, I don't know, and you really DON'T know, even if you think you do. Everyone is brainwashed into thinking that He's real, but no one knows for sure unless they've seen Him.

dear mitch,
you do have a logical point, buts thats the whole thing. faith is what will get you to heaven, denying the existence of God will get you sent to hell, faith is the most essential element to any religion, sure maybe he hasnt seen God, but he sure hasnt seen gravity either and gravity obviously exists cuz we are all stuck to the ground. we as christians can use miracles, the bible, and everything we are blessed with as proof of him, if thats not proof enough, i dont know what is.

Dear Chelsea,
Ah, but there in-lays my point. There is solid proof that gravity exists. Because, as you said, we are stuck on the ground. And if I'm not mistaking, Christians don't USE miracles, they recieve them. How do you distinguish the difference between a miracle, and random chance? Because if I won a million dollars, that doesn't mean that God helped me, that just means that I got lucky. Most "miracles" could just be sheer coincidence, even if there is a God. I never said there wasn't, I'm just not sure if I believe he's actually there.