Page 15 | Why you do or don't believe in God?

summerbloom · 2017-03-28T20:03:58+00:00

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

MaidOfStars · 29/03/2017 10:23

There's no evidence to support belief.

I'm a biologist and I can't comprehend ANY biologist thinking nature is 'perfectly designed'. It's a fuck up from start to finish. Works though

EastMidsMummy · 29/03/2017 10:28

I just struggle with the first atom. How did that happen. I can explain planets, flora fauna etc but just not that first bit

Try the Krauss book mentioned upthread. Science is on it.

ifeellikechickentonight · 29/03/2017 10:31

I don't. I was raised Catholic so I 'believed' by default without really questioning it for a while until late teens but now I'm a devout atheist!

I completely respect other people's right to their own beliefs as long as they don't harm other people. It's totally fine by me if you want to believe in a God or Gods and follow this religion or that - but if you try to use that belief to justify not letting a gay couple stay in your B&B then you can fuck right off

dawnviews · 29/03/2017 10:34

The Krauss book doesn't give us anything. We have a complex universe equipped with laws of physics that have to have been designed, there's no other possible explanation. That book is one mans biased view, that is all.

dawnviews · 29/03/2017 10:39

This makes more sense

www.doesgodexist.org/JanFeb05/HowDidTheUniverseBegin.html

Ontopofthesunset · 29/03/2017 10:43

But why do the laws of physics have to have been designed? That only makes sense if you think that this earth, as it is, is the ultimate aim (of some power). But think of all the infinite possible worlds that could be. It's a remarkably anthropocentric view to assume that this is perfection. Just because it's complex doesn't mean it's perfect.

EastMidsMummy · 29/03/2017 10:47

Er, that article is also "one man's biased view." You need to examine the quality of the rational argument, not where it's come from.

That guy's conclusion is that God must exist because self-evidently God exists. That's not even an argument!

KidLorneRoll · 29/03/2017 10:48

I hate the statement that life is pointless if there is no God.

What would make life pointless would be if it's all just a trial run before some prick judges you on an arbitrary, inconsistant and egocentric set of rules just... because.

My life and actions have meaning because it's the only chance I get.

The universe is far more wonderful because it's all a big accident.

The idea that this is all designed and controlled is utterly depressing.

passingthrough1 · 29/03/2017 10:49

I don't. I was brought up religious but I just don't. I find the concept of organised religion so odd actually. The idea that someone created the world and universe and everything but yet is a petty, flawed entity who creates arbitrary rules for us to live by, punishes us for not following those random laws.. and more so the idea of a service where we just give thanks to this deity for making us and sing songs to the deity about how much we love them. Why would they have created the world just to have people just say how greatful we are all the time? And then random tests of faith? If you don't believe who made you, despite religion being different in different areas of the world and there being no proof etc etc, you'll be punished (perhaps for all eternity). Why on earth does this deity even want to test people and their faith? Create someone just so they can spend their lives going on about how great you are and testing them by throwing shit at them so that they can prove that really do believe?
I don't know how or why we exist but I feel comfortable not understanding it and just thinking that the meaning of everything for me is just to love what I have for as long as I have it, to cherish those close to me and to accept their is no rhyme or reason for the shit bits.

Strifae64 · 29/03/2017 10:51

4000 years ago people worshipped entirely different dieties to the current God or Allah etc.

4000 years before that people worshipped the sun.

The current god worshipped by Christians has only been historically in existence for thousands of years - the planet is nearly 5 billion years old.

It's just strange.

Strifae64 · 29/03/2017 10:52

Also the Universe didn't "Have" to have been designed, just because you don't understand it.

Elphame · 29/03/2017 10:54

Having spent considerable time reading and studying the early political history of the Church it confirmed my personal belief that Christianity was all about control of the masses and of course it still is

dawnviews · 29/03/2017 10:54

I don't believe there is a god, because there are too many flaws and inefficiencies occurring in nature to make me think it was created by an all-knowing cosmic entity.
How do we know it was Gods intention to make everything perfect for us in this life though. Isn't that for the next life.But apart from the inefficiencies, on the whole nature is mind boggling in its intricacies. In fact it's a miracle we're here at all.

dawnviews · 29/03/2017 10:54

I don't believe there is a god, because there are too many flaws and inefficiencies occurring in nature to make me think it was created by an all-knowing cosmic entity.
How do we know it was Gods intention to make everything perfect for us in this life though. Isn't that for the next life.But apart from the inefficiencies, on the whole nature is mind boggling in its intricacies. In fact it's a miracle we're here at all.

Roanoke · 29/03/2017 10:55

I don't because I was never brought up with any sense of religion and trying to believe in gods is like trying to believe in unicorns.

goose1964 · 29/03/2017 10:56

I believe in a god, as a constructor, but not in religion

notarehearsal · 29/03/2017 10:59

Sorry my words were sent in haste and not all appropriate. Of course I didn't mean that free will has anything to do with a child getting cancer. I, as neither do researchers, don't know what causes most childhood cancers although some are linked to genetics.
Deaths on the road are usually caused by either driver or pedestrian error.
I also don't believe in every day 'miracles'. I don't say 'it's a miracle, thanks be to God' when a previously infertile couple become pregnant. In the same breath I think it's ludicrous to say ' How can there be a God?' when there's just been some terrible tragedy in the world.
God isn't sitting somewhere bored pointing down at a child and thinking ' what mischief can I get up to today? Ah I know, that one there looks a bit too big for his boots, he's a wee bit too happy, I'll arrange for him to be taken out' ! God gave man free will and many of us now drive. Some choose to drive too fast, some drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol. God gave many of us the ability to walk, to cross a road. Some do it safely, some don't.

Inertia · 29/03/2017 11:00

I don't believe in any god.

In fact I wouldn't say that I believe in anything. My opinions about the universe reflect the model which best fits available evidence and observations.

Just because the population at large doesn't understand the science underpinning cosmology, quantum mechanics and evolution doesn't mean that they are false.

The lack of a complete explanation for all observable phenomena doesn't mean that a god must have designed them; it just means that we lack the technology/ observations/ theories to explain those phenomena.

wizzywig · 29/03/2017 11:01

I did have faith then 3/4yrs ago i thought "does this actually make sense? Is this logical"? I found that if i tried to get further explanation from those in the same faith, my questions were never well recieved. Their tone of voice would get higher and you could tell it was because they also didnt have a clue. I was told "stop asking questions". It was because they were blindly following whatever they were following. I do actually like the fact that in judaism, christianity you do have to study the faith if you convert.

Inertia · 29/03/2017 11:01

It's not a miracle we're here at all. It's chemistry, chance and evolution.

PietariKontio · 29/03/2017 11:03

I don't believe in a god. As others have said, there's no evidence for one; indeed as we learn more about how the universe works, the less need there is for a creator to explain it all.
As for the "science can't explain everything" argument; a lack of knowledge isn't evidence of a god. It's just evidence that religions have always relied on people's ignorance to 'prove' their belief.
It's interesting that miracles don't happen anymore; at least not as much, and usually in a "I nearly died but (ignoring the doctors, nurses and paramedics that helped me) god brought me back" kind of way.
It's similar to how there's so few Loch Ness Monster sightings, UFO sighting, Bigfoot sightings etc, now that most people carry phones able to take HD photos on.

ManorMouse · 29/03/2017 11:06

No belief whatsoever.

I was brought up Catholic, dragged along to mass every Sunday and Holy Day and.... nothing. Never took to it in the slightest. I wasn't a precocious child by any means but it meant nothing to me other than an hour of boredom and pointless ritual. 40-odd years on and it still feels the same way to me so I can only conclude that, when they were handing out 'Faith', I was off taking a piss or something as I certainly don't have it in my nature. As for a Deity of some description, I'm in the "Don't know, don't care." camp.

amusedbush · 29/03/2017 11:08

I don't.

I think the very idea of god is bonkers and, as much as I'm ashamed to admit this, my opinion of people changes when I hear that they believe in god.

littlemissM92 · 29/03/2017 11:09

I don't - I think if there was 'someone' who was powerful and amazing enough to create the world then they would be powerful enough to not let all the shit happen. I.e rapists murderers, cancer, pedophiles, terrorist attacks.
It's just not possible that's down to 'god' IMO

Goldfishjane · 29/03/2017 11:15

I'm keeping this on watch because I'm hoping the poster who said disease is made by humans will come back and tell us more....

This thread has certainly been eye opening to me.