Why you do or don't believe in God?

[summerbloom]

Interested to hear people's views on why they do believe in God or on why you don't believe in God.....

East

I don't believe. It's probably because I was raised an atheist. My parents and grandparents are atheists. I think the main reason people are religious believers is because that's what they learn growing up.

I'm also a non-believer because I've never seen any evidence of God. I'd be willing to change my mind though.

My husband is an atheist and refuses to accept that his is a belief system in the same way as a religion's is (like my agnostism).

Um. Because atheism is not a belief. It's a lack of belief. That's inherent in the word "atheism".

The burden of proof is not on the atheist, it's on the believer.

Dawn why can't it just have happened? Why do you need something simple to explain what is a very complex question? Why can't you accept that what we as humans are able to comprehend is too limited at this time to understand fully why it all just happened?

Also why do we have appendicitis is we never needed them because we popped up with a omnivorous diet? And wisdom teeth? And the way foetuses develop like loads of other animals, they have tails fgs!

That's my point though Olderthanyouthink, why are other animals so backwards compared to us?

I was talking more of the personality (soul) than the physical sensations (pain, pleasure) that eminate from our physical bodies due to neuron receptors.

My DPs were Christians,although not particularly devout. I was baptised as a baby and up until I was in my early 40's I suppose I would have been described as agnostic. But as I've got older I've become more cynical and disbelieving in the existence of a god. I'm quite scientifically minded,and if something is said to exist,I need proof. I find it very difficult to understand how something or someone you cannot see,touch or hear can be proven to exist. I also find a lot of organised religion to be quite offensive tbh. If there is a god,is he/she really going to be so preoccupied with what people are allowed to eat,and wear? And let innocent children be struck down with horrific illnesses?

Science gives me the 'how' God gives me the 'why'
You can be a scientist and have a deep faith

I do. I believe there must be something greater than humanity.

As it happens, I am a churchgoer, but that is significantly for the music and singing, and to set aside some time in otherwise hectic life for embracing a sense of community and peace.

I believe there is a God, the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. I do not believe in virgin birth, resurrection, transubstantiation, etc.

I do feel that the study of religious texts of all persuasions has much to teach everyone. There are some great stories.

I don't believe in a god. I never have for as long as I consciously thought about it. I don't understand why anyone does.

I don't.

Frankly, I think we badly need to grow up as a species, and stop wishing for god.

If 'God' created the universe, who/what created 'God'?
How can so many different religions be right about their 'God' being the only 'God'?

I was brought up by an alleged Christian. Leaving his views behind and seeing the beauty of the world through the eyes of science is so much more amazing than believing that something created it for their unseen divine purpose. To know that i have one shot at life, at treating people right, doing good etc for this one life. Not because of some naive hope of forgiveness in an afterlife.

Perhaps there is some hyper-intelligent entity that designed the universe. If there is (and I have to admit that sometimes the startling beauty and order of the world does point to a designer) then I can't accept that it is "God" as described in the Bible. That particular "God", in common with the narrative of all religions, is man-made, invented in an attempt to explain the unexplainable and control the masses.

Interesting discussion

I do believe in God, and it's a natural human instinct to have a God. For me God is as real as other intangible things like love and hope, that also are difficult to prove or quantify. There are many things in life that are yet to be fully explained, e.g. Human memory, dreams, gravity, dark matter, etc. etc. To wait for an explaination before believing in these things would be madness. Faith is needed in all areas of life not just religion.

I wholeheartedly recommend CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity" which is a really thought inspiring book based on some radio talks he presented discussing his conversion to Christianity and why he was convinced in the existence of God.

I don't.

I grew up in the care system. The horrific things some people do to children, there is no 'god'. Not the loving 'god' people talk about, and if there is it's a cruel maniac I want no part of.

I don't believe in God.

And I think religion causes so many problems in the world.

I think the world would be more peaceful if there was no such thing as religion.

I don't think other animals are backwards, just behind like a baby that walked at 2 instead of at 9 months. I think that eventually most could evolve into something more than they are now, it might not look like humanity though.

I think personality is also part of the electrochemical signals. When stuff starts going wrong with that system your personality can change.

We have workable theories about how the universe could have sprung from nothing.

No compelling evidence of god. I have not yet seen one valid argument. All boil down to faith. And faith in god is no different to faith in elves and leprechauns.

Never been struck with a religious 'feeling' or 'heard' god (if I did, I'd be off to see the doctor). All I get are tall tales about 'miracles' and anecdotes that don't stand up to serious scrutiny.

Damn it I did it a agin sleep

if there is a God he is a dick for making me so forgetful

I dont believe in religion for a few reasons.

1. Baptised into the Christian faith but believe in evolution. To me there was no Adam and Eve so there cannot be original sin. If there is no sin for each human to inherit from their parents there can be no sin for Jesus to have died (and therefore atoned for when he died). Therefore the foundation of the Christian faith is, to me, untenable.

1. Every religion has a similar problem of inconsistencies like this.

1. The problem of Evil.

1. Humanities desire to anthropomorphize everything. The universe is perfectly balanced for life, therefore it was created for life and therefore that life is us. I mean how arrogant can you get? Here is a thought, what if the universe was created for life but not humanity and we are in some unknown, forgotten part of the universe where the real "life" and "purpose" of the universe is getting on with things without us.

1. The sheer size and scope of the universe is a lot of effort for a God with remarkable fixation on the Middle East on Earth. Billions of Galaxies and Israel is the centre of the universe?

But then surely you are just as close minded as someone who blindly accepts religious teachings without questioning them EastMidsMummy?

Not at all. Science is made up of constant questions. Answering one question helps builds up a body of knowledge that allows more complex questions to be answered. Science is open to being wrong after further thought and experimentation.

Science provides cogent and coherent explanations for all kinds of things that people on this thread assume are "unknowable." And the more we learn about the universe, the more complete our understanding is.

Science explicitly says "I believe this is true because I have observed this which means I expect this also might happen. Someone else should now go and observe this other thing and if we independently observe the same things and get them verified by lots of other people, it might be true. But let's make sure we test other explanations for what we've observed, so we can be clearer what is and what isn't true."

It's the opposite of closed minded.

It's statements like this:

I do. I believe there must be something greater than humanity.

that are reductive and worse than useless. That's not an answer to the OP's question. Why do you believe that? Why must there be? What have you observed that suggests your belief has any basis in fact?

If we take an entirely pragmatic view, if anything, the human race is parasitic to the planet. Look at the damage we've done since the Industrial Revolution.

I believe, and I don't find it at odds with my scientific understanding of the world. If I stand on top of a mountain and reflect on how that scenery was formed by ancient volcanoes then gouged out by glaciers, the beauty of the scenery still gives me a thrill to what I would describe as being my soul. Is there a scientific reason or function as to why looking at what is scientifically a load of broken rock has such an emotional impact on me?

I identify as being Christian and do attend church regularly enough that the congregation can put my name to my face, but I do see a lot of religious content as being a human and often antiquated view of the world. However, many of the underlying principles are shared by different religions and are good principles for being a decent human being. I'm not arrogant enough to think I have a true belief or one that is superior to others. It's how decent you are, whichever path, religious or otherwise that counts. I had a big think about getting baptised as an adult, and my beliefs and my doubts, but I decided that I did feel comfortable in being baptised as regardless of the literal level of truth, I felt that the teachings of Jesus contained decent wisdom and that I could commit to that, and that it didn't contradict my wider beliefs.

People have done shit things in the name of religion. Hitler, Stalin and Chairman Mao also did shit things as leaders of secular societies. That's the crappier end of human nature, taking on a cause to further your own ends of power, be it dominating the holy land, purging the bourgeoisie or setting the agenda for the PTA

Science and religion aren't an either/ or. I believe in a creator. I can link that in with the Big Bang. I can accept that our current level of understanding of evolution is a better explanation than a literal interpretation of Adam and Eve. The way that humans manipulate the world is remarkable compared to that of other species. Why would one specifies evolve in such a way so much more successfully than any other? I can still find space for faith there. Why has complex life managed to evolve in such a narrow set of parameters that we haven't yet discovered on any other planet?

I'm happy to link faith to hope, and gratitude in prayer. My mainstream, lay person understanding of science has gaps, and I'm happy for faith and "God" to fill those gaps. If I'm wrong, so what? If my belief in the soul and that it's not wasted, and that there's nothing more of those I've grieved for than my memories of them, so what? So what if my belief is nothing more than a giant security blanket? It's seen me through tough times when hope looked very small, and it reminds me to be grateful for what I have and not to be complacent. That's worth something and so I'll keep on believing even if others find it odd or illogical.

Science gives me the 'how' God gives me the 'why'

OK, so why was the Universe created and by what means have you come to know why the Universe was created?

DexyRunner

My parents were very strongly atheist, but I chose to join the church as an adult, and chose to start believing as an adult. Belief for me has been a very positive thing in my life, and the church leaders I know have greatly helped me come to terms with the things I've been through. It works for me, for the next person it may not, but that's fine too. It would be a boring world if we were all the same