I would like to know what reasons for believing in / not believing in a God are. This is for a research type project and I would be most grateful for as many relpies as possible.
Thanks
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02-19-2006, 07:23 PM #1
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02-19-2006, 07:26 PM #2
I don't believe in God because I don't have any reason to. I don't think that a belief in some sort of higher being should be an inherent belief, at least to my it seems really illogical.
I'm an existentialist, I believe that everything has an explanation behind it (we don't have a lot of these explanations obviously) and that there is no greater/higher meaning behind life or anything in it.
Sounds pessimistic but quite contrary, because of this I feel free to define my own meaning and purpose to life, I don't feel bound by some prescribed rules or opinions thought up by somebody else. It's free will baby.
This is probably overly simplistic, but I think there is some truth to it. But I truly believe that a huge factor in why religion is so popular is because an overwhelming majority of people just psychologically cannot deal with the fact that their life doesn't have some sort of predetermined higher meaning and that death is the end of their existance.Last edited by AceVentura; 02-19-2006 at 07:34 PM.
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02-19-2006, 07:39 PM #3
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i dont believe in the human made religions because they oversimplify life into inherrent good and evil. i dont believe in the abrahamic religions, or hebrew scripture religions, because of how fairy tale like the stories are. I simply cant believe in the noah's arc myth. even as a child i was skeptical on that one. i dont believe the adam and eve story because eating an apple just isnt realistic to bring in sin in the world. i dont believe jonas was swallowed by a whale and survived in his stomach. I dont believe in the sory of exodus and 40 days and nights balogna. its all too much of a stretch. its gotten to the point where most believers say this is all metaphorical, but in the early days, no one thought it was metaphorical, and it was taken strictly as written. i think the metaphorical movement is an attempt to prolong the wishful thinking of having a loving god watching over us during our painful times. I truly believe everyone doubts these stories, and that is why there is such a strong movement towards only teaching the new testiment. some churches only have the NT in print at their churches.
also a human defined god doesnt pass simple logic tests. you cant be all knowing and all powerful at the same time.
however i feel there has to be something to this madness. I just dont know what it is. And for no logical reason, i believe that good things will happen to good people in the next life. And on that list of good people, includes people realizing that homosexuality isnt bad, that other religions arent bad, and that we are all living on this earth and no one race or animal is better then the other.to listen to some of my compositions for free go here
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02-19-2006, 07:40 PM #4
I was raised Christian, drifted away in my teens, particularly 14-18. Then I started to get over the whole "I'm too cool to be religious" thing around the time I turned 19. I think my teen years would have been a lot easier if I'd stayed more committed to God, you do notice a difference when you believe. Most people who don't believe in God say it's stupid, but I think that's mainly because they've never tried to believe. I've tried not believing and it just doesn't do it for me.
Plus I look out my window, and even though we have so-called explanations for everything, I refuse to believe that everything I see before me happened by chance.Blue jays/Spartans/Colts
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02-19-2006, 07:43 PM #5*** There is no one free of all need, of whom all else are in absolute need, but God ***
Pbuh: If anyone testifies that None has the right to be worshipped but God Alone Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His Servant and His Apostle, and that Jesus is God's Servant and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise
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02-19-2006, 07:44 PM #6
I have yet to believe in any higher power.
Even as a child it made no sense to me why people did. As a child I was very resistant to going to church (thought it was boring and a waste of time). I was forced to go to CCD and make my first communion. Finally, around age 11 or so, I flat out refused to go anymore (I was allowed to stay home by myself whenever the family went--not very often anymore).
As to why I don't believe--I have seen nothing yet that would make me believe otherwise. I'm a pretty logical thinker who can separate emotions when thinking. I also have no problem going against the opinions of the people that are closest to me, even when I was a kid. I understand that most people are raised to believe in a higher power, and are afraid to have a different opinion than their families and friends even as adults (especially their parents). I also know that people like to have a sense of belonging.
I will say this, though. I wish I did believe. I think it would give me peace of mind believing that there was something after death, or a higher purpose to my life. It make me sad to think that there is nothing for my loved ones when they die, and that I will never see or even think about them again when I die.
I say that if you really believe and are happy believing, go with it. Just don't try to push it on me because from my point-of-view, it seems ridiculous.Last edited by joikd; 02-19-2006 at 07:47 PM.
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02-19-2006, 07:47 PM #7
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02-19-2006, 08:05 PM #8
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Same here.
I have absolutely ZERO reason to believe in a deity, or whatever else.
I need no reasons for not believing in a god, for it is the default position.
What I would need is reasons 'to' believe in a god, not reasons not to.
Religion is nothing more than a popularity contest.
It's about comforming as many people as possible all the while telling people that they are evil, sinful, and will burn in hell unless they believe everything they are told. Oh yeah, and make you sure keep paying(I mean, donating) the $$$ every month to fill their pockets(I mean, to better the community).
People hold on to the idea of god like a security blanket instead of facing the harsh realities of existance.You know how I know you're gay?
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02-19-2006, 08:14 PM #9
"Faith is not a function of stupidity but a frequent cause of it."
- Wendy Kaminer
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
"Faith is believing what you know ain't so"
-Mark Twain
Funny quotes aside, I can't believe in any god for the same reason I can't believe in Santa Claus or monsters hiding under my bed. It's impossible for me to throw aside logic and reason; my mind would simply reject any attempt to do so.
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02-19-2006, 08:17 PM #10
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02-19-2006, 08:18 PM #11
I love it when people who have no knowledge of religion speak about it like they are experts...
If you were going to get advice on bodybuilding would you ask someone who has never studied it, never done it and doesn't believe it works?
If you want to know if there is a God you can't expect to sit in your lazy boy and have Him come down and tell you. You have to look for Him, and if you do you WILL find Him.A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.
"Out of damp and gloomy days, out of solitude, out of loveless words directed at us, conclusions grow up in us like fungus: one morning they are there, we know not how, and they gaze upon us, morose and gray. Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him."
-Nietzsche
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02-19-2006, 08:19 PM #12
I believe religion is useful for some people. it helps them be a better person.
I don't need religion to make me a better person. I tend to see things pretty clearly.
If the evidence for a god was overwhelming I certainly would believe. But there is no evidence. There aren't any testable theories that can prove a god exists. I don't need religion to be a good person, so therefore I don't believe. It has no use other than to slow me down
But, like I said, whether God is real or not religion does help some people so I have no problem with that.
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02-19-2006, 09:09 PM #13
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02-19-2006, 09:19 PM #14
I'm as logical and rational as anyone on this board. I'm going into accounting! lol
Believing in God is not illogical nor is it irrational. Scientists throughout time have believed in God, and only in the last 40 years or so has it become the "in" thing to do to NOT believe in God. All you people that think you are such free thinkers for not believing in God should understand that you are just riding the massive wave of popular thought, and really a lot less free than you think.A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.
"Out of damp and gloomy days, out of solitude, out of loveless words directed at us, conclusions grow up in us like fungus: one morning they are there, we know not how, and they gaze upon us, morose and gray. Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him."
-Nietzsche
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02-19-2006, 09:22 PM #15Originally Posted by Melkor
And saying that scientists have believed in God doesn't make it either.
The whole basis of religion is that it is based on faith rather than logic and rational thinking.
I don't think dropping adherence to religion is based on any sort of bandwagon, it's got a lot of reasons, but I think the biggest one is that in this day and age, we know more than we ever have in the past and people are more skeptical. Logic and reason are the concepts upon which a lot of people are starting to make their decisions, and religion flies right in the face of both of them.
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02-19-2006, 09:28 PM #16Originally Posted by Melkor
I didn't stop believing in God because he's not popular anymore. I stopped believing because I couldn't rationalize all the inconsistencies anymore.
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02-19-2006, 09:31 PM #17
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02-19-2006, 09:53 PM #18
According to the book "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer here are the reasons why people believe in God. Though it doesn't actually address specific religions, it is still an interesting insight.
Why People Believe in God.
1. Arguments based on good design/natural beauty/perfection/complexity of the world or universe. (28.6%)
2. The experience of God in everyday life/a feeling that God is in us. (20.6%)
3. Belief in God is comforting, relieving, consoling, and gives meaning and purpose to life. (10.3%)
4. The Bible says so. (9.8%)
5. Just because/faith/or the need to believe in something. (8.2%)
Now look at why people think other people believe in God.
1. Belief in God is comforting, relieving, consoling, and gives meaning and purpose to life. (26.3%)
2. Religious people have been raised to believe in God. (22.4%)
3. The experience of God in everyday life/a feeling that God is in us. (16.2%)
4. Just because/faith/or the need to believe in something. (13.0%)
5. People believe because they fear death and the unknown. (9.1%)
6. Arguments based on good design/natural beauty/perfection/complexity of the world or universe. (6.0%)
I think it is interesting that people claim to believe in God for more logical, less emotional reasons but when asked about why other people believe in God they say it is for more emotional, less logical reasons.
Another book by Michael Shermer is "How We Believe". If you need information for a school project it would be a good book to check out.
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02-19-2006, 10:00 PM #19Originally Posted by riptor
Arguments based on good design/natural beauty/perfection/complexity of the world or universe. (28.6%) - So because science hasn't proven the reason that everything in the universe happens, it's logical to believe that some magical higher power created it all? Science has explained so many instances of phenomena or concepts in the world that were previously compeltely inexplicable that it's logical to assume that there is a logical explanation for everything, we've just not found it. I think this idea is mainly ignorant because it's just because of peoples' inability or rather refusal to believe that everything that happens is random and doesn't have a higher purpose of meaning behind it.
The experience of God in everyday life/a feeling that God is in us. (20.6%) - Yeah, since this is totally unprovable one way or another, it's kinda hard to consider logical.
Belief in God is comforting, relieving, consoling, and gives meaning and purpose to life. (10.3%) - Ignorance is bliss?
The Bible says so. (9.8%) - Kinda self-explanatory
Just because/faith/or the need to believe in something. (8.2%) - So why don't I just choose to believe that everything is the way it is because I had the flu for a week 2 years ago? Doesn't make sense.
The reasons that people give for believing in God are all illogical. If somebody wants to believe in God because it makes them feel better about life, that's fine, it's their choice and not mine to criticize. But to argue that it's a logical choice based upon rational thinking is pure silliness.
I'm not critcizing your post, I'm not sure which side you're on, I'm just assessing that for Melkor to answer to.
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02-19-2006, 11:02 PM #20Originally Posted by Melkor
All you people that think you are such free thinkers for not believing in God should understand that you are just riding the massive wave of popular thought, and really a lot less free than you think.
A faith which rests on such shaky foundations that only constant conflict can sustain it.
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02-19-2006, 11:08 PM #21
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i do believe there is a god, just i dont believe in the praise everyone gives it. Your life is what you make it to be. Every action has a reaction and praying wont help u escape it. I think if there was a god, and he wants everyone to devote their entire lives to him then thats bs. He didnt create humans to have them bow to him forever. He would want people to live life, not bow to his feet. Kind of the reason i dont go to church. I think "you'll go to hell if u dont pray to god and jesus" is absurd.
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02-19-2006, 11:14 PM #22
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All this "believing!!!!!"
I think this whole problem...(and it is a problem)...would be cleared up if you folks would all stop using that word.
Some of you are making guesses that a God exists...and some of you are making guesses that there are no gods.
All of you are basing your guesses on inadequate information.
Just stop it.
The world will be the better for it.
If you truly do not KNOW....just acknowledge that you do not KNOW.
It won't hurt.
If you feel compelled to guess...guess. In either direction.
But have the ethics to acknowledge that you are guessing.You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe. -- Carl Sagan
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02-19-2006, 11:34 PM #23
Well of course - that's why we have the term "agnostic".
There are virtually no "atheists" if you define atheism as a dogmatic, unyielding disbelief in any god or higher power.
Most of those people who call themselves "atheists" are actually "agnostic". Either way I don't much care as long as they aren't succumbing to that horrible blight on humanity called "faith".
Faith, by the way, doesn't have to be about dieties. There have been ideological movements which used religous methods to brainwash and control their populations. There was a time when many communists believed in their idoelogy with the same reflexive, unthinking faith that religious people have for their gods.
Faith, the ability to suppress reason and blindly believe in something (be it religious or ideological) is the single most destructive emotion possessed by mankind.
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02-20-2006, 12:54 AM #24Originally Posted by Melkor
As others have said, atheism/agnosticism is far from popular thought, considering how most of the world is religious..
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02-20-2006, 01:46 AM #25
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02-20-2006, 02:14 AM #26
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02-20-2006, 02:52 AM #27
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Originally Posted by Boxman
I think that one of the problems with people today is that there is a general paranoia and mis-trust of religious people, authority figures etc. People always think someone is out to get them or the people in power are trying to keep them down. I used to be exactly like most of you, my 'logical' objections to the christian faith (or any other) kept me from believing
in anything. My suggestion to some of you would be to do some reading up on the subject and see just how well verified Christianity is before you start passing judgement, a couple books I would recommend are A Case For Christ by Lee Strobel and always A Case For Faith.
One thing that is very true is that if Christianity is wrong it's of no importance whatsoever, none, however if it's true it's of infinite importance. I recommend that some of you out there that don't believe or are searching, take some time to research it, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain."I can do everything through him who gives me strength" - Philippians 4:13
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02-20-2006, 03:02 AM #28
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02-20-2006, 03:08 AM #29
I don't believe in an omnipotent, loving God who condemns people to eternal torment, since the concept is clearly self-contradictory. Likewise, myths are myths, whether or not they are touted around as some kind of holy text. Furthermore, large organised religions are run by people who believe mainly in furthering the power of their organisations above any other priority.
I'm not going to say there's definitely NOTHING out there, but God as described by organised religions is a crock."A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand."
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02-20-2006, 03:11 AM #30
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