Page 3 | To think that God doesn't exist and is a manmade concept

the80sweregreat · 07/12/2023 06:14

I also agree it's all made up to control people.
Just be good and moral and do your best is my motto to live by. You don't need a church to tell you any of this really

MassageForLife · 07/12/2023 06:20

FloofCloud · 07/12/2023 05:10

@MassageForLife ... the point is though that scientific hypotheses are investigated, tested and concluded... the concept of God has never had evidence. If I said that 100 miles under ground there are 12 giant tortoises that created the earth it can't be proven ... we'll have faith .... oh ok then .... it can neither be proven or disproven .. off to write a book about that now and crown a few friends saints to spread my new religion💡

Yup. That's exactly my point.

If something exists, it should be possible to provide evidence while it's impossible to prove that something doesn't exist. Manmade concepts that can be proven become science.

Ergo, Thomas Aquina's quote, that religious people seem to think is golden, is easily turned around to be pro-atheist/pro-agnostic.

An explanation isn't really sufficient to make people change how they believe the world works. Proof is what will do it.

Lampzade · 07/12/2023 06:21

Brexile · 07/12/2023 06:04

You don't owe anyone an explanation, of course - but I think it would be interesting on a psychological level. The only people who tend to talk about their "beliefs" are clergy/RE teacher/ DUP types who tend to be thick and full of humbug, or predatory cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses who berate the vulnerable into compliance. It would be good to hear an intelligent person with no agenda simply talk frankly about their religious belief.

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The reason that I don’t go into any detail is because non believers have already made up their minds and will simply dissect anything I say and put a negative spin on it. It is impossible to intellectualise faith.
I respect people’s right not to believe in God and you won’t catch me criticising them and telling them that they will burn in hell. I won’t try to convince non believers that God exists.

Btw, I actually don’t attend church and I am not a religious zealot.
I am simply someone who believes in God and tries to be a decent person.

Refurbishmentino · 07/12/2023 06:24

We have a lot of believers locallly. It’s amazing how many of local parents go to church and spout the word of god. Until they get their kids into the local outstanding catholic school, then they stop going. Odd. 🧐

the80sweregreat · 07/12/2023 06:30

Refurbishmentino · 07/12/2023 06:24

We have a lot of believers locallly. It’s amazing how many of local parents go to church and spout the word of god. Until they get their kids into the local outstanding catholic school, then they stop going. Odd. 🧐

Was just about to write this !
Only ones I've known to convert are so they're children can go to to the ' better ' schools
Once in it's all dropped

MariaVT65 · 07/12/2023 06:34

I literally don’t understsnd the point of god. I would also question a believer’s judgement on other things.

YireosDodeAver · 07/12/2023 06:34

You aren't being 'unreasonable' as such, in fact you are using 'reason' fine. But you have to admit within that structural reasoning that if God exists (very much not provable either way so not a concept that can be addressed via reason) then your belief or lack of belief is totally irrelevant to that fact. You are entirely at liberty to ignore religion and religious teachings of course. There are many unknowable facts in the universe. The existence of God is one of them. Your belief or otherwise has no bearing on reality for any of them.

FWIW if the Divine does exist then I don't think there's a set of "old" gods that don't exist and one specific religion that has it "right". It would be more that there's always been a single divine entity and the Greeks and the Egyptians and the Aztecs had their culturally-specific ways of understanding that, and we have ours, and I am sure that future generations in 3000 years will have a different understanding again but it wouldn't be different gods, or god changing, just human culture evolving.

Sux2buthen · 07/12/2023 06:36

Oldsu · 07/12/2023 02:05

As Thomas Aquinas once said 'To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

Edited

That's handy

It's the same as Father Christmas really 🎅🏼

YoBeaches · 07/12/2023 06:37

I find the Thomas Aquila's quite ironic though.

No explanation is necessary, except for the books, the hymns, the sermons, the mass, the practices, the existence of entire institutions that are in place to keep the faith. To grow the faith.

I dont think it's a small Number at are atheists OP and it's growing. I find it odd that you find these discussions taboo.

izzygirlis4 · 07/12/2023 06:44

I can't understand why anyone believes in a god or has any time for religion.

Religion is used to control people. It's used to keep women in their place.
How can anyone walk into a church and see the gold and the riches and know that the congregation paid for it when they probably couldn't even afford to feed their own families. They were scared into paying for something by being told they wouldn't go to heaven.

Religion causes arguments and wars and hatred.

Alto I completely understand that wanting to belong to a community and that's what a lot of people are missing.

But if there was such a thing as god why is it not stopping bad things from happening. Why does it allow children to die from horrible diseases. Why does it allow bad people to exist to murder and rape etc

SweetFemaleAttitude · 07/12/2023 06:44

I do not believe an omnipresent being impregnated a 14 year old with a child who was sent to earth to take away our sins.

That is fucking mental.

ArticWillow · 07/12/2023 06:45

There are many different gods/ religious on this planet or in heaven or underground or hiding somewhere...

But ok, from a European perspective, Christianity did overpower the old ones.

I gess this is due to some sort of exceptionally well placed marketing ploy.
A bit like: This isn't just Religion... This Is ... Religion!
And the masses fell for it!

DustyLee123 · 07/12/2023 06:46

I believe that religion was invented to control/police people before laws had been invented.

RomeoandJomeo · 07/12/2023 06:46

Of course God doesn't exist. I find it astonishing that anyone with a modicum of education thinks otherwise. I voted YABU for thinking it's a taboo subject and that most people do believe... numerous surveys reveal that less than half do.

jonesysy · 07/12/2023 06:47

Believing in a god or creator is a completely separate thing from believing in the tenets of particular religion.

Believing in creation doesn't necessarily have any consequence and therefore can be treated no differently to whether you happen to like peanut butter.

However believing the clearly made up stories from any of the many contradictory religions that have emerged about how you should live your life, treat your slaves, punish the blasphemer, wage war on your enemies and always, always how you should give your money to them is just simply amazing in the modern world. Never underestimate people's credulity.

ArticWillow · 07/12/2023 06:47

SweetFemaleAttitude · 07/12/2023 06:44

I do not believe an omnipresent being impregnated a 14 year old with a child who was sent to earth to take away our sins.

That is fucking mental.

It's the biggest cover up in history!
As a woman, how can you not fall for that and call it fucking mental ?

Worldgonecrazy · 07/12/2023 06:52

I believe the god of Abraham exists and it is pure evil. The atrocities committed by followers of this god - all three strands, are absolutely horrific.

At least the Greek Gods did not pretend to be good.

Pewpewbarneymcgrew · 07/12/2023 06:52

Ancient mythology and superstition

Ilianor · 07/12/2023 06:54

FloofCloud · 07/12/2023 05:10

@MassageForLife ... the point is though that scientific hypotheses are investigated, tested and concluded... the concept of God has never had evidence. If I said that 100 miles under ground there are 12 giant tortoises that created the earth it can't be proven ... we'll have faith .... oh ok then .... it can neither be proven or disproven .. off to write a book about that now and crown a few friends saints to spread my new religion💡

There's certainly no proof of God's existence - but there are lots of things that can be viewed as evidence of it. The existence of the universe, the way things are ordered in the universe, religious experiences, the existence of ethics, all of these have formed part of people's belief in God and sometimes been formulated in arguments for the existence of God.
"God" as understood by monotheistic religions and philosophy is totally different in degree to Roman gods or giant turtles and that can also be why some people believe - the idea that there must be a being who is "all" (all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing etc) to explain how we have concepts of these things.
In general, I never find it helpful to assume someone is stupid because they have a different belief to you. There are stupid theists and stupid atheists, and intelligent versions of both as well. There are scientists who believe in God (and some priests who don't!)

WillowTit · 07/12/2023 06:56

of course,

lollo8 · 07/12/2023 06:57

I think that religion (as a joint belief in something, and all the rules that must be followed as part of it) was a very strong factor in whether groups/tribes/cultures survived or not.

I always find it fascinating that diaspora cultures such as Orthodox Jews seem to have especially rigid belief-driven rules around how to live everyday life, and they serve as the glue that holds these groups together across countries and continents.

I am not religious but I do wonder what will happen to secular cultures. Believing in some vague idea of goodness and equality sounds nice, but it's not especially compelling, and seems to do little to bind communities together. But I think this is something that's hard for us to understand or evaluate in the here and now. I wish I could transport myself 500 years into the future and find out what happened to the secular West.

OneMiniMincePieTooFar · 07/12/2023 06:58

As a species we have dismissed all the other "Gods" ie Greek gods etc. What makes the Christian God any different?

I don't know whether God exists ur not, but as a species we absolutely haven't dismissed all other Gods but the Christian one. Multiple Gods are still worshipped around the world today.

Some Gods have been dismissed. Some have endured.

Similarly, while organised religion has been the excuse for untold evils, to dismiss anyone who believes as weak headed or needing someone to lead them - is just rude.

The fact that the concept of God or Gods is so universal and enduring, across cultures and nations, suggests to me there is something else deeper at play. Maybe truth, maybe something about humankind and our stage of development. But I don't think we can dismiss everyone in that who believed/s in a form of God as weak or whatever.

IMO, anyway.

TheBeautifulMoors · 07/12/2023 07:03

:Ive just googled and 37% of people in England and Wales identified as having no religion.

Over 40% identified as Christian , 6% as Muslim, 2% other.

I find the Christian/Atheist split very surprising and was expecting the number of atheists to be much higher, from what I come across on the internet and irl. However, I know when I used to work on collecting data, people who were christened as babies but have never had anything to do with Christianity, still identify as Christian so that could explain part of it.

You’re nbu to not believe in God. It’s your choice not to.
So is it mine to believe in Him, through my experiences.
My faith is very important to me but mostly private in my day to day life. I only talk about it with people who I know share my faith.
I never get into a debate on why God exists or doesn’t exist. If someone approaches me irl and asks me about my faith or how I came to it, then I’d happily share it.

I came across a video of proof of God linked to proof that there are no barbers, which I found quite funny.

TheBeautifulMoors · 07/12/2023 07:05

That does sum it up nicely.

jemenfous37 · 07/12/2023 07:08

@tescocreditcard 😀😀

Find us the transcript of the trial where a pauper, charged with attempted murder of a toff, states "I decided not to do it m'lud, because I wanted my reward in 'eaven didn't I?"

Religion, any religion, is written and interprepted by men with the sole aim of subjegating women (cover everything, you are unclean while mentruating, walk 3 paces behind me, etc)