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.....

I am a fusty old at heart Anglican. I look around me on Sundays and contemplate that in 40 years time I'll still be the youngest in church, if there still is one.

I believe in God partly because that's my upbringing, partly because to me it makes more sense, and partly because I find the beliefs, ceremonies and the services comforting, and I find it very helpful in how I live my life and treat others.

I studied philosophy at a RG university, by the way, so I reckon I'm not stupid.

However, I wouldn't find myself at home in the sort of church that is gaining ground now and I worry that my natural habitat is being destroyed.

God went the way of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny for me, I got old enough without being pressured to make a reasoned choice. my only exposure to religion was through school, my parents let us think what we wanted to think, if I had asked to they would have taken me to church but I never did.
I thought it was a fun story they told in assembly but I never really got the 'be good and you can ask God for something as long as it isn't self serving/selfish and must be moral etc ' I thought no thanks as long as I'm good Santa will actually give me stuff I want not grant wishes for other people..(child logic)
Now I'm older (and a scientist as well, lots of us about !!) I rexamined my childhood choices and weighed up the pro and cons and decided that if I'm wrong and there is a God and he is everything my school shoved down my neck taught me, then I'll be forgiven and go to heaven because I'm not a bad person. Leading on from this, should I be conclusively and scientifically proved wrong in my lifetime I would acknowledge existence but never engage in any sort of worship to this bloodthirsty, vengeful, homophobic murderer of the Old Testament.

If you didn't give it the name religion, doesn't talking to your imaginary friend and asking for wishes to be granted (no matter how unselfish and wonderful they are) well into adulthood, lean towards a diagnosis of mental illness.
How do you separate a delusional person from a religious one, I'm not a doctor so may be too simplistic in my thinking here.
Some evangelical pastors in church can sound really disturbed to the outside observer, so can people being 'possessed by the holy spirit' faith healing, the list goes on. I don't confine this to religion, I find seances, crystals, ghosts, etc all equally ludicrous.
If I went home and tried any of that my family would get me sectioned!

My parents were atheist and it has never crossed my mind to believe in God. I am puzzled by people who believe.

If you don't love me, I'll send you to hell. LTB.

I don't. I also don't believe in leprechauns or unicorns.

How anyone with a science background can believe is beyond me more than the whole concept in it's self. I believe in nature and cause and effect, because that's all there is.

Some dude in the sky acting like a wizard though? Erm... nah?

"Even though you do believe in me I'm going to ensure the rains fail 3 years in a row so you get to watch your children starve to death. Just keep worshipping."

The trouble is. People confuse God = religion, that's what puts so many off, which is a shame.

But god and religion are both human constructs, so maybe not so different.

What's so good about one and not the other?

I do. I believe in the three-in-one God of the Bible, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, because I have a personal relationship with this God, and I see His hand at work in all things around me. I know from my experience that God is good; He is love and righteousness.

I am an adult convert, and I can see why many people find it hard to believe because there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about God And some religious people are very off putting, IMHO. But, to my surprise, I do believe now.

It's all about the relationship with God for me, and how He works in my life every day.

Yes and it gets a bit tiresome when people constantly ask for proof when they know there isn't any,

But why isn't there any? How hard would it be for god to provide some evidence? After all, if half the stories are true he's shown himself thousands of years ago, and he sent his son down to perform miracles and rise from the dead. If he could do throw us the odd bone back in the days when it was harder to test, why not now?

reasonsforwaiting, perhaps you can help explain where others haven't. Do you see God's hand at work in things like children being born with agonising conditions, and in things like earthquakes, tsunamis and famine? How?

So, right, you obviously have absolutely no obligation to explain what you mean to some one on the internet, but when you say things like 'God is righteousness' and that you see him in your life everyday, how does that manifest itself? What is it everyday that makes you know God is present?

Sorry, that was to reasons, not right, but I'm on my phone so couldn't check.

Pop quiz

I find the view that something can't exist unless it's seen, heard, smelt, touched or tasted a bit limited.

Because it's all clearly bollocks.

When I see animals praying I might give it some thought.

What about the view that something that exists is likely to leave some trace of its existence somewhere Toad? Especially something so big and powerful that it created everything, runs everything, judges the wicked and has a fine line in micromanaging what we do.

Sleepyowl12 22.30
'briefly the doctrine of original sin is not about sex, it's the idea that humanity turned away from God and forged their own path. Don't have to believe it but defo not about sex!!

Also challenges to idea evolutionary ethics completely explains human morality. Sorry would love to write more but need to stop.'

So the very first 2 people that god creates turn away from god and forge their own path.

Again, what is the point?

Because the bible is essentially a story book. Imo believing in God is about as rational as believing in Santa clause or the Easter bunny.

The only real 'evidence' of the existence of deities comes from many hundreds of years ago in the form of ancient books purporting to tell of things the deities did or said. All the other constructs - churches, ministers of religion, prayers - are adjuncts to that 'evidence'. In that sense, there is no more evidence for God than for, say, Father Christmas, except that the texts telling of Father Christmas/Santa Claus are more recent.

Not read the thread. I don't believe in any Gods because there is no facts to support the case. As my daughter said aged 7 when we went to the Acropolis "where did these Gods move to mummy?" Humans are needy beings, they want to belong to something , football supporter, knitting club, social club and faith is no different. When we were barely walking upright it's not surprising we attributed things we didn't understand to mythical Gods but I am disappointed as we have intellectually progressed, that some people still lack logic and reasoning skills and instead follow the people before them like sheep. I look forward to a world where religion ceases to exist but it will not be in my lifetime sadly,

Frosty, you clearly believe that deists are delusional (despite not being a doctor or MH professional of any kind). Do you check to see if your colleagues, drivers, medical professionals, DC's teachers etc. are "delusional" before you trust them with work, children, your life?

For me, I no longer believe in any gods because belief makes no sense to me. I tried for a long time, but there was just too much evidence of human rather than divine construction.

The first chink in the wall was a cultural one. That people of different faiths equally believe they have a relationship and see evidence of their deity or deities. That curiously, the 'real' God is the one you were raised with or was dominant in your culture. That for those who feel they see evidence of divinity in nature, or in the operation or design of the world around them, the logical next step isn't an examination of 'which god/s' rather than 'clearly the one with which I'm culturally familiar'.

I also had real problems with the idea that a loving Christian god would make it so much harder for some to find and believe in him than others. 'You - you will hear about me every day from your baptism onwards, you will be taught at school that I am fact and your family and culture will reinforce that. You get the joy and warmth of my love every day of your life. You, person 2 - well, sorry. You'll grow up in a polytheistic household and be taught that the idea of me is wrong, if you even hear about me for much of your formative years. If you want to follow me, it will involve denying and being shunned by your family, friends and your whole culture. I love you both the same, but I just thought I'd make following me infinitely easier for some than others, based on geography.'