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

[Perimama]

As it is taboo to talk religion politics with people socially, I often wonder whether many people think like me. As a species we have dismissed all the other "Gods" ie Greek gods etc. What makes the Christian God any different? I wasn't born into a religious household although I was baptized Christian. The whole concept seems so unbelievable to me.

@Perimama - have you thought of giving this new idea of yours a name? You never know-it might catch on....

37% in England and Wales in the last census is far from a small minority, isn’t it?
Muslims can say they’re a small minority (6%) or Sikhs, Hindus, other (2%).

I'm in Northern Ireland and so I do not believe in any man made religion. I can not believe that any god would allow a DUP group to function let alone be law makers.

I believe it's about making people feel like they have a purpose in this life. "Reward in heaven"

But I live my life trying to be good and kind now. I think we only get one life. Let's make it as pleasant for ourselves and all around us. Live and let live.

Religion is devisive and causes too much pain. My mother is a strict catholic and many of the decisions she made during our upbringing were cruel in my opinion. She is judgmental and pious like most religious people I know.

Be kind and do what's right. We would all be better off it people lived like this.

Of course op, it's a man made construct and we understand why as well.

You've put my thoughts into words so much more articulately and succinctly than I ever could.

Thank you for this.

I believe in reincarnation and it is possible to see / talk to people’s souls so although I wont see it in my current form, I will be back. 😂

As for the question, God as the Biblical One True God, no. I do think religion has a place in societal cohesion and rule following. Sadly, a large proportion of religions are also misogynistic.

Do I believe there is a higher being? I believe we are in some way everywhere. That there is universal consciousness, source energy, or whatever people wish to call it. Beyond that, idk.

Yep. It's a form of control.

I love an old church though, but only from a historical and architectural view point.

@Sux2buthen Actually there is a lot of evidence that Father Christmas exists, not the one traditionally called Father Christmas he is part of a tradition of Christmas gift bringers who have different names in different countries, Santa Claus however is a different story, the name comes from the Dutch word sinterklaas and is based on St Nicholas Bishop of Myra and patron saint of Children who certainly did exist, legend has it that he punched Arius a Christian Theologian in the face during the first council of Nicaea in 325 but that seems to have been disproved, pity really it would have livened things up bit.

I'm a Christian and can relate to this. I came to faith in my thirties. It didn't happen in a vacuum, and was absolutely not something I saw coming. If someone had told me I'd become a Born Again Christian I never would have believed them. I don't come from that kind of background and it was as much a shock for me as it was for other people.

But I can't deny that I felt God's hand over my life and there were experiences and circumstances which led me down this path. I've co pletely changed as a person, for the better. I thought I was a moral person before, but something within me changed from the inside out.

This transformation was beautiful and sometimes explaining what happened and how I came to this conclusion feels like I've poured my heart out and invested emotional energy in retelling profound experience. People respond with scoffing comments with the usual 'sky daddy' tropes and honestly sometimes it leaves me feeling like I've shown someone my prize collection of jewels and they laughed at it.

My husband is an atheist and I'm not scared of an intellectual debate or philosophical differences at all. Mumsnet just tends to spout out clichés and generalisations about people of faith which are so sweeping and ill informed, that sometimes I don't have the emotional energy to engage in it. We are seen as one big oppressed, brainwashed, unthinking, uneducated, thick monolith when we are a vast array of personalities, backgrounds, upbringing, cultures, education levels, professions and unique experiences, and we all arrived at the same conclusion.

Sometimes, people often don't want to hear. They don't want to know your story. They only want to put believers through the hoops to make fun of them.

This is from the Social Attitudes Survey. It was roughly contemporaneous with the Census, but asked more neutral questions, precluding the "tick the CofEbox" responses.
" • Only 49% of the UK said they believed in god in 2022 – down from 75% in 1981.
• 72% of people in the UK believe that religious authorities should not ultimately interpret the laws in a democracy
• 82% of the UK public say they trust people of a different religion – the second highest of the 24 nations surveyed"

There is a philosophy and religion board where you could have posted this for a serious discussion. Seems like all you are after is an argument, how tedious.

You are being very unreasonable for wondering if there are other people who think like you, when you absolutely know that there are.

If you were from the 1600s this would be a reasonable question, but in 2023, nah.

I would like to believe that there is a reason for all this and somewhere better that we go 'afterwards' and i like the idea of a God to believe in but thinking rationally, it is very unlikely to be true. However i try to live my life as if he is watching over me because i dont want to chance being 'wrong' iyswim!

I was raised in a family that had no faith and yet I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in God, even as a very young child.

Christianity was started by St Paul. Jesus was Jewish, he wouldn't of recognised what we call Christianity, especially as it has evolved over the centuries. Religion to me, was simply the first control mechanisim we've invented may others since.

I went to a CofE primary school but am not religious.

I pretty much assumed that god/Jesus/creation story was to be treated with the same level of seriousness as Father Christmas. It's obviously a nonsense story, but the characters did exist at some point. But obviously not living for hundreds of years...

Religion is just a means to control the masses - you keep people in line with the fear of hell and the promise of heaven. Misunderstood phenomena could also be explained away with "God" and punishments.

A lot of people also struggle without a purpose, therefore need to believe in some higher being. A lot of bereaved people also find it comforting to think their loved ones have gone on existing in some other realm and they will be reunited, especially if the loss is a child.

I struggle to get my head around the notion that people actually truly believe in any god. It's a complete failure of logic and to say that God transcends logic is a cop out.

These days religion is responsible for wars and division. Places of worship and religious practice are overwhelmingly infiltrated by paedophiles and other unsavoury characters. It keeps money in the pockets of a select few. I see nothing good come from religion that wouldn't exist without it.

Paul was a high ranking Jewish scholar. He was literally a pharisee.

There are plenty of Messianic Jews who see Christ as the ultimate fulfilment of Judaism.

There are also plenty of Christians who celebrate many of the Jewish holidays through the lens of Christ as the Messiah.

You’ve mentioned the two keep points that I always come back to when considering religion in your original point about the Greek gods and also how people often seem to align with whatever religion is followed by their own family or community. To me, that points to cultural norms and fitting in rather than true religious beliefs, particularly because on the odd occasion I’ve seen people start to practice a religion that isn’t typically followed by their community, they have been eyed with suspicion and suspected of having been radicalised.

i agree with a pp that religion is an effective method of crowd control at a local level. It unfortunately seems to be hijacked as an excuse for starting lots of wars though, and I believe that virtually all religions are used as a tool to oppress women.

Well yes Lots of people think like you ever heard of Atheists?

@Lampzade Its the same with me I don't follow blindly, I know more about my religion than a lot of people who want just want to dismiss my views, from reading about Constantine's role in the first council of Nicea, the parallels between Jesus and the cult of Mithras, the writings of some of the most influential figures in Christian history such as Paul of Tarsus, but people don't want to know all about that, they want me to justify why I believe in the 'cloud fairy in the sky'

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins is a great exploration of the reasons humans have made up religions. Also Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton is great- explores what religion does for people and ways to get the same benefits without believing the patriarchal bollocks.

To be fair the masses didn’t have much of a choice.
Certainly Northern Europe was christened at the point of a sword. Also, were not allowed to trade further south if they did not accept this new monoteistic faith.

I grew up in a lutheran home, to me everyone were christians, except me. I remember arguing with the Sunday school teacher about stuff that Did Not Make Sense 😄
my parents were embarrassed.
I left the state church when I was 14, and the clerk was very puzzled when I didn’t leave to join another religious «club», I just wanted to leave for «nothing».

Very liberating, so I understand where you are coming from OP.

My family aren’t fanatics, though. So even if we don’t understand each others viewpoint, and in the past often discussed matters very eh fiercely, we never fell out. I really appreciate my parents for encouraging curiosity and debate - we talked about all sorts of difficult subjects and learned to both talk and listen. The debate could be heated as we disagreed, but it was the case being discussed. Always the ball, never the player.

Ironically, this left me ill equipped to deal with narcisists (and psychopaths) as they always attack you as a person and never stick to what you actually need to discuss. But well, now I know that too.

However, now I work in a Christian organisation. I was up front in the interview that I hold no religion, but that I respect the religious ethos and will abide by that.
I am still critical of many aspects of the large religions of the world today. And I reserve the right to voice those criticisms, without attacking believers.
Of course, some people do feel attacked when facts are pointed out.

@Inkypot I’m afraid Father Mike Schmitz is simply the pretty poster boy for the Catholic Church. Not sure I can forgive the church’s cover ups across the world to actually watch him.

@Perimama religion is definitely not a good thing. Oppresses women, controls the masses. I’m with Steven Fry

At the end of the day most humans fall on a spectrum of slightly shite to absolute horrors. Some believe in God/s or have some sort of faith. Some don’t. It’s irrelevant in this world where everyone is so damn selfish all the time.

Sapiens is a fantastic book which explains how religion took a hold and why