Mumsnet Talk

I believe in God.

However, I am attending an adult confirmation class and we have been asked to consider why some people do not believe in God. DH and I came up with:

- there is no absolute proof of God's existence
- they are rebelling against a strict organised religion that they can't accept as literallly true

If you know someone who doesn't believe in God, why don't they?

Why would I?
To be honest it's quite an egocentric question you're posing.

I struggle because of the evil, hate etc there are in this world. Surely if someone almighty started it all why give us the capacity for such evil.
The argument of opposites so no good without evil doesnt work either (for me).

I do however envy peoples believe and faith, I have some very dear friends who have ahd religion to help them through some bleak times.

Becuase theyve had a terrible life with terrible things happen to them/family/friends and you just think if there was a god, why would he let X,Y,Z happen...

Sorry about the spelling and grammer. It's been a very long day.

Because every fibre of my being tells me that it is all nonsense. Equally I struggle to understand why sane, rational, intelligent, educated people can possibly believe.

So can you tell me why you do believe?

Same reason I don't believe in father Christmas!

Thanks, quick answers, those are good points.

I don't believe in god because

a. he was never mentioned to me as a baby/child
b. when I was old enouh for other people outside the family to start the brainwashing I was old enough to understand it was just a story
c. When I was old enough to start looking into it myself it was obvious to me that it was impossible

I feel the same way as Gomez.

Because there is no proof.
Because it seems totally fanciful.
Because bible/religion/religious teachings seem so contradictory.
Because I see no reason or sense to it.

In fact, I find it incredibly hard to understand how and why people can believe in god. I am always quite shocked when I meet, for example a scientist, who believes in god. Other than the potential comfort element of believing in a higher power, the whole thing seems very strange to me.

I do believe in a God but I struggle with religion. The reason I struggle with religion is because I don't like to be told what to believe.

Because I havn't been conditioned to. If people weren't perpetually told about God they would never discover it for themselves. It's just an archaic artificial construct to enable social control.

Because there's an obvious reason to invent a god, but no good reason to pretend there isn't one when there is.
Because if there is a god, he is a horrible person.
Because its all bollocks.

It also seems incredibly arrogant that a higher being would care enough about humans to watch over them/answer their prayers.

Instinct.

The terrible things that happen in the world - innocent children dying of cancer for example - even in this country 10 kids get cancer every day and two or three die from it. How could a God allow this? Also, if you want something specific to Christianity, some of the things in the bible are very odd, especially in the OT - a man being praised for offering his daughter out to a mob to be raped in place of a stranger, children being struck dead by a prophet for teasing him?? It's very hard to accept. If you want buckets of answers, try looking up the Humanist Society or Christopher Hitchens on Youtube, there's tons of material for you there.

Like Gomez it justices no sense to me why I should believe.
I was brought up by atheist parents and knew with absolute certainty that I didn't believe in god by the time I was seven.
Nothing that I have seen or heard in the subsequent 37 years has changed my mind.
This is despite the fact that I seem to acquire religious friends, even evangelical ones and have spent 20+ years with my quietly firmly Christian DH.

Horrible things would not happen to such nice people if there was a God.
If there was a god life would be what we made it and live to a natural old age, not die with a cruel disease leaving children behind.

Just makes no sense, sorry

say what Alouisee says.. because they haven't been conditioned to.

Didn't expect so many answers so quickly. Thanks for replying with so many different reasons.

Oh and I don't 'find it hard to' believe in god. That implies that it would be the right thing to do, although difficult. I wouldn't try to believe in god any more than I would try to believe in the tooth fairy, because I'm not a tiny child.

Which God, MosEisley? That's the problem... Well, one of them.

I struggle with the "higher being" concept although have some "we're all part of the universe" stuff going on (ie universal higher power with no definition). I have a huge issue with organised religion which all seems to be designed to keep women in check. Not that you were asking that.

Thanks Farlo will check out humanist society.