Do you believe in God/a higher power?

[CuriousAboutWhatYouThink]

Not religion. I have no time for organised religion and the associated man made rules.

But do you believe in 'something'?

For context, my grandad was a CofE vicar but my parent rebelled against it and we were brought up broadly l in the religion (eg we celebrated main religious festivals like Easter and Christmas) but not as practising Christians and without a particular belief in God.

As an adult, I have friends of different faiths and none and it's something we have discussed from time to time. It's also something I used to discuss with my grandma who had a very strong belief in God but also believed the Bible until she became older when she still had a strong faith but admitted she thought the Bible was largely nonsense!

I suppose I've always felt that there is 'something' but I refer to it as the universe. I don't know, I always feel that there has been 'something' looking out for me.

That doesn't mean bad things have never happened because they have and religion/belief doesn't protect anyone from that. And it doesn't mean my life is anywhere near perfect because it's not. But the universe has always seemed to 'step in' when needed.

I don't know. I'm going through a tough time at the moment but I have a feeling everything will turn out to be OK because it always does.

God chose to override the laws of human biology? Really?

Do you honestly think that’s even possible, or is it rather just a convenient answer as you can’t possibly explain it otherwise?

Why are so many so gullible and lack any critical thinking skills?

The only thing I can think of that would give animals a bad judgement is that they kill and eat other animals. I don't believe however that they are capable of empathy for their pray which is the difference between them and us. Also some are carnivorous and can't change that.

I think christians are thinking that it isn't necessarily not believing that condemns us bit rather that we are inherently sinful in our nature and that is why we need to be saved. The killing and eating of animals is a widely shared wrong that humans do for example

I agree.
Saying it was done by God is rubbish.

You can't create a human without egg and sperm meeting somehow.

I always wondered if there was some 'coyness' over this, either Mary didn't know what was happening or it was a case of 'heavy petting' as my parents called it! So that in theory she was a virgin but only just.
Or basically she lied , as they weren't married.

And the scene was set that if you're a good Christian you don't have sex before you're married. Convenient way of controlling people.

A convenient answer for something impossible.

It really isn't. Christian scholars have different understandings of what omnipotence means but you either buy into the idea that God can do "miracles" or not. The starting point is an acceptance that the very definition of God is something totally other that transcends our understanding. That's the point. If he was comprehensible he wouldn't be God. I'm an atheist and I get that it's unsatisfying from a "logical" point of view if by that you mean scientific proof but if it helps, liken it to "love". That's intangible, unprovable, but most would accept it's real. You may boil it down to hormones or evolutionary urges or a transactional social expectation or limerance or a combination of all of them but it's something else than logically explainable.

I’m perfectly happy thanks.

I’m just fascinated by the fact that you appear to believe in God but can’t actually explain how he apparently does anything he does, except to say “because he’s God”.

I also don’t to ask our local priest (who is a great friend FWIW) because there is no logical explanation that she can give me.

Also many Christians are happy to give away most of the supernatural stuff around Jesus (usually bar the resurrection) including the virgin birth but that doesn't have to mean there's no God. It's not all or nothing.

I don’t find it frustrating, I just think it’s nonsense. It’s not comparable to hormones, which, while frustrating, can be explained by science.

Belief in God has no logical explanation - there is no proof that he exists, therefore you’re basing your entire life on a story. Which is fine, if that’s your thing, but it’s not remotely logical.

So they pick and choose?

@thisishowloween "I also don’t to ask our local priest (who is a great friend FWIW) because there is no logical explanation that she can give me."

So why keep badgering people for something that maybe doesn't exist?

I’m not badgering anyone - you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But a discussion forum would be very boring if there was no back and forth.

I ask people because I personally find I fascinating to see how and why people believe in God and other religions without any actual logical proof to back up what they believe and how they live their lives.

@thisishowloween "Belief in God has no logical explanation" true

"there is no proof that he exists" true - but there's is no proof He doesn't exist either.
"therefore you’re basing your entire life on a story. Which is fine, if that’s your thing, but it’s not remotely logical." So why does it have to be logical?

Most Christians view faith as involving some sort of personal trust. The trust aspect of faith is simply ignored by the “no evidence” definition.

Because logic makes sense.

Faith makes sense to me.

A feeling (love, hate, anger etc) is a biological response that we feel. It can be explained by biology.

A ‘belief in’ a god or the tooth fairy is just that, a belief.

Well of course. Any religion that has as its basis an old book is rife with it. One person can read a given passage and claim it's literally true. Someone else can read it and say it's an allegory that means x. A third person can read it and say it's an allegory that means y. A fourth will say it's been superseded by a later passage. A fifth will claim that you can't just take a passage out of context, you have to read it as a whole and interpret it that way. And so on.

Every religious person creates their own religion.

I think most people understand what faith is, and why an argument which is basically pitching faith against non-faith is completely futile. There isn't a logical explaination for faith, and so to try to argue against using logic is a waste of time. Doesn't stop people trying, of course, but it's the ultimate unresolvable argument.

But that also explains why people find a belief in God well, a bit silly, and why people get annoyed by this idea that just because you don't have faith in this unevidenced thing you are somehow a bad person - but that is down to religion, not faith per say.

I have no problem at all with people believing in God. I do think religion and particulally organised religion has some pretty major issues though.

Yes, I do. I left the Church many years ago after realising that God was ok, it was just the man-made crap I didn't need. I now have a far different solitary spiritual practice and read Tarot - which has brought me into a far more rewarding relationship with God/The Divine. Suits me. Each to their own!

Incidentally, before I left, going through a terrible time, I looked up to the sky and felt a "message", hard to describe, saying that things would get a lot worse (they did) but ultimately, it would be ok. It has been; remember, all this will pass.

Yes! You articulated it much better than I did - particularly the part about being a bad person because you don’t believe in God.

I also find it fascinating that so much of it is cultural and depends on where you were born. The vast majority of Christians would not believe in a Christian God if they’d been born in Iraq, for example.

Which just proves it’s all nonsense, really 🤔

I guess I just don’t understand why or how it can when it’s not based on any kind of logic.

I mean, if you were born in Iraq you’d likely not believe in any kind of Christian religion - so how are you so sure it’s the right one now?

I believe it is right (for me) and if I am wrong then I will find out eventually.

I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

And why are you so interested in what I believe? I respect all freedom of religion but I'm not too bothered about what a Quaker believes, for example, as it doesn't affect me.

You seem to be spending a lot of time trying to discuss this "nonsense", I wonder why?

Most Christians view faith as involving some sort of personal trust. The trust aspect of faith is simply ignored by the “no evidence” definition.

Trust in what though?

Why not?