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.

Religion is a man made concept introduced to explain the unexplainable before science came along. Unfortunately, the human brain is quite easy to indoctrinate so for some it is difficult to let go of ridiculous concepts.
Religious zealots are very clever, they know that mothers educate, to perpetuate the myth you just have to keep the mothers from being educated.

However, religion did introduce social order, the Ten Commandments for example, codes by which we can live in relative harmony. I wonder what the state of the world would be without these rules? Have they made matters worse?

Religion is the root of all evil.

Complete nonsense.

Given the fact the Universe is practically infinite, it's an inevitability that there would be a multitude of planets capable of supporting life. The universe did not "spring into existence from nothingness" either.

This is an argument made over and over, yet it's nothing more that lazy thinking and a good helping of complete ignorance.

If a God did exist, it could obviously be proven by simply turning up and manifesting him/her/itself.

It's often people who can't bear taking full responsibility for their lives that clutch to the idea so passionately.

Also fear. What if god existed and they chose to deny his existence?! Religion teaches consequences to not being faithful.

Once you become agnostic / atheist it's like a veil has been lifted off your eyes and you are surprised when people still talk about gods, just like when you hear teenagers telling you they believe in Santa.

If it wasn't a useful social construct historically for controlling/ organising people, it would not have taken such deep roots, of course.

Most of modern people practice tolerance- even if people are prepared to kill or die for their belief in a deity, we've got to respect it all.
But of course believing in only one god out of all the world gods (hundreds?) must mean you think all the other ones are not real/ a bit made up too.

The above said, I think some people possibly need religion to stick to good behaviour - like a rewards/punishment sticker chart. It's quite popular in prisons, isn't it.

@TheAlchemistElixa You're right there's no need for us to argue. But to help you with those critical thinking skills:

I think you have a very limited understanding of all religions of you think that the ancient civilisations believed in a single divine entity but just had lots of other Gods for…well, what?!
Obvious misunderstanding. I was clearly talking about the potential objective existence of a single divine entity which has at different times been encountered and grappled with in a sometimes polytheistic and sometimes monotheiestic way and was pointing out that the existence or otherwise of such a being (which I clearly referred to in an "if" statement) would be independent of what people believe.

As for your assertions about unknowable facts and equating that with God’s existence “not being provable either way”…well it seems you also have a limited understanding of reasoning, critical thinking and science, too.
If you can't get your head round the idea of there being some concepts that might have an objective truth that can't be proven that's a limit to your own intellectual capacity, not mine. One could say that any being whose existence can be proven or disproven by reason must by definition not be divine in nature. I totally agree with you that the god you don't believe in doesn't exist. You haven't been able to form a concept of one that could.

it’s perfectly fine that you believe in a single divine (presumably Christian) God, that’s your choice and none of my business.
... again with the not bothering to read/notice the "if" statement.

Billions of people pray for the most basic things and don't get them.

Someone might pray for nice weather for a wedding and it happens, praise be, etc etc. I mean seriously.

It's so unbearably obvious that there is absolutely zilch after we die. It's upsetting and confusing to see people so brainwashed. I find it totally bizarre. The sense of narcissistic entitlement of humans is weird.

Studied a lot (incl post grad) around faith and even used to have some. The only logical conclusion is pretty bleak. I'm with Marx, it's about societal control and capital. Fortunately I've come to appreciate the world, its natural and very real beauty. I think those with faith are ultimately disappointed with existence and expect better, need to belong in a way that I don't.

Ah but that would take all the fun out of people being able to worship random imaginary friends

My understanding is that god doesn't work like a genie, granting wishes. EG if you prayed for god to give you a bike you wouldn't get one. The thing to do is to steal a bike, then pray for forgiveness.

I thought this when they were dragging poor souls out of the ruins of an earthquake and praising God for having spared them. How about asking him why he sent the fucking earthquake and killed so many?

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021

37.2% describe themselves as having "no religion" on the 2021 census. That is hardly a "small minority".

If you don't believe in any religious explanations for how or why we exist, how do you explain it? When you dig deeply enough, the theories as to how the universe came into being are as far-fetched as believing an all-powerful god (or gods) created it. We have theories but they are based on a rather narrow view of the cosmos and are based on our current scientific understanding - an understanding that we know has huge gaps.

The point I'm making is that since nobody can prove how we came to be, any "scientific" explanation is no more provable than a supernatural or religious one.

Clearly most, if not all, religions are wrong. But until we can prove our origins and the nature of the universe, we're just speculating in the same way those who create and subscribe to religions are.

Who can explain the universe please?

This!!

I think humans like to have explanations for things. Historically, things would happen that seemed inexplicable and so humans came up with the idea of gods as the explanation for why those things happen. It's reassuring.

I don't believe in god. However, I was reading a book with my son recently about space and the universe and I was reminded just how terrifying I find the concept of the universe. What was there before? How could there have been nothing? There surely had to be something in order for the universe to create/expand from it - so what was that?. And how can the universe be infinite, that just seems impossible. Yet equally, if it isn't, what is at the end of it? Again, there can't just be nothing...

These things hurt my brain, and I think it would be simpler to believe that it has all been created by some higher being instead. And perhaps our universe is actually just in a fish tank in his castle...

@Dotjones by being comfortable with not knowing (yet).
The problem with making up a story, (and a story of unexplainable, unquestionable magic at that) and believing in it fully stops you finding out more, stops you growing.

This is nonsense. Why would you blindly believe something when you have no reasons to believe in it.
Not questioning things, not reasoning shouldn't be made to sound like being something sacred, a special power to have 'faith'.
It's unnatural for a creature that got everything it has because of reasoning to not reason.

I completely agree @cheezncrackers .
I was brought up CofE but sent to a private RC school where fire and brimstone were threatened at every opportunity, along with Purgatory and other delightful things because I wasn’t RC. The fact that two thirds of the school weren’t RC but fee paying didn’t seem to amount to much, we were all heathens needing saving.
It was often quite frightening, we were considered second class Christians.
That was the point at which religion ceased to be of comfort to me and I became atheist.

I'm a believer. It's true that it is beyond reason to have faith but that doesn't mean you have to lose all reason in terms of science and history.
Churches/ organised religion is man made and so always flawed. The death/ crime/ evil / war in the world is of the our making not of Gods. We are all imperfect and by drawing close to God/ Jesus we become more like Him/ Them
I have a problem with churches that read the Bible as the inerrant word of God as that leads to harsh judgements and an inability to understand that it supports patriarchy.
But Jesus came to free the oppressed and vulnerable - he was a free thinker and a feminist.
I've yet to find my true church people 😁

I don't understand this. I'm Christian and educated to post graduate level. A lady in my church has a doctorate from Cambridge and works for a multinational pharmaceutical company. Another works for an international organisation specialising in Artificial Intelligence. Among us are teachers, nurses, IT specialists and an array of many professions. Florence Nightingale was a Christian. Do you think Christian girls don't get an education?

Or of course the devils making .. but due to sin and evil in the world. It may be under the guise of religion but it's not of God.

😂😂

😂