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Original poster

Do you ever wish that you believed in God?

77 replies

TheYearOfSmallThings · 19/01/2021 21:21

Like many other people, life has been kicking me repeatedly in the nuts for the last year. I won't bore you with the details, but I have lost security in every area of my life, and each time I think things are going to improve, they get worse.

I don't believe in God, and I've never envied those who do. But now...it would be so comforting to have some faith that there is some overall plan, and that all will be well, if only in the afterlife. I know some people who fully believe in God and I know they find it a huge support. It's obviously not something you can choose to believe, but if I could, I would be very tempted right now.

Am I alone in this, or do my fellow atheists have similar thoughts?

OP posts:
Useruseruserusee · 19/01/2021 21:24

Yes, I have. I’ve even been to Church and I like the community aspect of it. But I just can’t make myself believe it. I think maybe you have to start as a child?

I would describe myself as agnostic.

AnneLovesGilbert · 19/01/2021 21:24

Occasionally. And I know what you mean. But it’s not straightforward for those who do. My friend is a vicar and his faith has been shaken by the last year. My mum is a committed Christian, in the choir, does the tea and flowers, runs the theology book group etc and she’s really struggled too.

I hope things look up for you Flowers

Guineapigbridge · 19/01/2021 21:27

Even if you don't believe in God-Who-Has-A-Plan you can still believe in the divine and the miraculous. Look around, what nature and man have created, it's actually a miracle.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Philosophy & religion
Hopdathelf · 19/01/2021 21:27

Yes, all the time. I would love to believe there is a higher power, feel I’m doing something by hoping (which is essentially what praying is), have the community of a congregation.

MajesticWhine · 19/01/2021 21:29

I have thought this too. I love some of the things that go with religion especially the sense of community and the comfort of believing in the afterlife. I was raised in a strict religion but I just couldn't keep the faith unfortunately.

Nohomemadecandles · 19/01/2021 21:32

It must be very comforting.

Luckingfovely · 19/01/2021 21:34

Yeah, I get the feeling of wanting to be able to place hope and faith in a higher power or being or something or anything.

Can't fathom God in the strict religious sense, although I do think I'm getting more spiritual as I get older.

Vallmo47 · 19/01/2021 21:35

Completely understand and often think the same. I have tried to research in past but no luck. I have Christian friends and they can’t even answer my questions. They were both taught by their parents. My mum was an atheist and my dad is a Christian (of sorts). He believes in a God but refuses to speak about it saying it’s up to everyone to decide for themselves. I find his attitude incredibly frustrating.

Silvercatowner · 19/01/2021 21:35

Yes I'd love to. But I just don't believe - it just isn't there.

idontlikealdi · 19/01/2021 21:35

I'm a very very lapsed cradle catholic, otherwise known as agnostic. I look at my family members who do believe and I'm glad that they get such comfort from it. We've lost two family members recently and they have an unquestioning faith that really helps them.

ElspethFlashman · 19/01/2021 21:36

HELL YES. Grin

The older members of my family great faith. It 100% helped them when they got terminal diagnoses. They spoke openly about being really glad to see their parents again. They spoke of the comfort of feeling God close as their bodies were failing.

And I was just sitting there wondering what that comfort must feel like. Sad

ElspethFlashman · 19/01/2021 21:38

And lord knows its not like I didn't get a good shot at the whole religion thing.

Spent my whole childhood literally surrounded by faith. We even had Masses in our house!

Just never stuck. Very frustrating.

speakout · 19/01/2021 21:38

No.

The god of the bible is a monster.
Even if he did exist I would want nothing to do with him.

SalemsPot22 · 19/01/2021 21:40

As a satanist that would be weird for me Grin

Hassled · 19/01/2021 21:41

I would love to have faith, and I envy those people who do. It would give me huge amounts of comfort, I think. But - it just isn't there.

IDontMindMarmite · 19/01/2021 21:43

Only once when someone i loved died. Aside from that I never give Gods a thought.

Pollaidh · 19/01/2021 21:44

I'm an atheist but it has occurred to me that a belief in the afterlife, for example, must be very reassuring.

I studied cosmology and astrophysics as one of my undergraduate modules, and there's a certain bleakness to it which has a tendency to cause middle of the night existential crises, but at the same time it's miraculous in its own right (not in the religious sense, more a sense of wonder). I've kind of turned it round and find comfort in being so insignificant in the great expanse of deep time and the forces of the universe.

MajesticWhine · 19/01/2021 21:47

Interesting way of looking at it @Pollaidh but do you ever think "what's the point", if we are so insignificant.

DailyCandy · 19/01/2021 21:49

No. I let go of a puppeteer god decades ago after I suffered enough personal crises to make me realise that the universe doesn’t exist for me or have a vested interest in making me happy.

When I then went on to suffer a major trauma with a sick child I was very glad I didn’t have the burden of religion and god: it would have devastated me to think god would do this to my child.

On the flip side it made me livid to hear my religious nut mother say we should have faith in god to make things better. Height of ignorance.

pointythings · 19/01/2021 21:52

Never. Not for a second. Because if I believed, then I would have to believe that there is an all powerful being who is actually OK with all this shit and is just letting it happen. Not just COVID and all the other crap, also the last 5 years of my life. I refuse to accept that. Atheism makes me happy and keeps me sane.

lilfoxfur · 19/01/2021 21:56

Yes and no.

Yes, because I think it would be a very comforting notion - that someone is always there for you, always watching you, making sure you are ok then being there for you when you die. As a staunch atheist I find it quite unsettling that death is nothing - just the end - although this is what I do believe, I think I'd be happier if I believed that my passed loved ones would be waiting for me in a beautiful place. Who doesn't love that notion? I simply do not believe however. I'm a realist and quite a factual person which I think goes hand in hand with being an atheist.

No, because I think religion is very dangerous. Most wars have either started or escalated due to religion and some religious people (I know not all) seem to think it's ok to shove their beliefs down your throat until you choke on them. Plus to me it just seems fantastical - an unseen entity watching every single person and running every single life? All 7 odd billion of us? No. Religion is not for me and I will never believe in God but I do feel envious of the comfort that believing in Him must bring.

Lifeinaonesie · 19/01/2021 21:58

No, everything I read about God makes him (Hmm) out to be a vengeful arse.

Original poster
TheYearOfSmallThings · 19/01/2021 22:01

you can still believe in the divine and the miraculous. Look around, what nature and man have created, it's actually a miracle.

My problem is that I'm not very spiritual, so don't derive comfort from things that are inspirational in that sense. I just have a childish wish to believe in an all powerful parental God who will make everything feel better.

Although I realise that's like Rod and Todd praying "Thank you God for saving us from the moth that you sent".

lord knows its not like I didn't get a good shot at the whole religion thing.

Me too - I had a lovely Catholic upbringing and I just never believed any of it.

OP posts:
Catty1720 · 19/01/2021 22:07

Desperate people find faith at the hardest of times. I think it’s because deep down we all want that hope and promise of a bigger plan or a better place in death. When my dad was dying I prayed for him to get better not in the sense of on my knees but in my head and the voice in my head would say come on be strong get through this and I put that down to hope and to me that’s what faith is it’s the hope that it’ll be ok.
I think faith or no faith you’ll always question it

LastTrainEast · 19/01/2021 22:08

I can sort of see the attraction in a power that looks after you like Aslan in the Narnia books. I think most people get tired of being the one making all the hard choices and would like to be guided for a bit.

But I can't imagine wishing the Abrahamic god were real. That's a horrifying thought. Most gods only really work if you never have to actually meet them.