to not believe in God?

[slightlystressed]

No Bashing allowed!

I don't believe in God, never have and short of a miracle never will.

I don't even believe in "something out there" as some people like to put it.

It just seems physically impossible. Everything around me can be put down to science, can't it?

Do you believe in God? And what are your reasons? And if you do, what is God? Is God an it a He or a She?

Well, as a Humanist, I think YANBU.
I'm always really irked by those members of the God Squad who say they feel sorry for me because I don't believe. I'm perfectly happy in my atheism, thank you very much, probably more happy than someone who has to reconcile ancient, outdated belief systems with modern day reality.

I think all the "bearded man" stuff is misleading. It is people trying to explain what is inexplicable.

It is very difficult to explain over the internet and in general to a non-believer why I believe. I think for a lot of people, whether they believe in a higher being or not is not a snap decision, that they wake up one morning and go "ah yes, I don't", but rather after lots of contemplation.

Kind of on Grace's thing, I was reading about atoms (as one does) and actually the majority of atoms is ... nothing. The majority of the universe is formed of nothing. It's quite something if you think about it.

SlightlyStressed - oh, no, I don't think YOU were belittling people who have faith. Plenty posters who replied to you did, though.

Oh look who it is. Slightlystressed again. Not content with already starting one inflammatory thread this morning, she now starts another along very similar lines. Do you not get enough attention at home?

YANBU if you don't believe in God, but YABU if you begin to make sweeping generalisations about those that do believe.

For what it's worth, I used to be very like the majority that have posted so far. Was an adamant atheist for the best part of fifteen years. Ranted against the role of the church and the concept of God. Then, somehow, changed my beliefs and now go to a regular C of E church, have been confirmed and DD has been baptised.

In terms of what God is like to me, I suppose my image is based slightly on that of Jesus, as depicted in many paintings...

YANBU.

I think when scientist/physicist types talk about a god, they are not meaning God as portrayed in any world religion. I have to stop there because I know naaaaathing other than what I have skimmed over in The God Delusion. It does address this subject and Richard Dawkins has a moan about it.

What God looks like is irrelevant.

What God is like is the important thing!!

For me, the Bible says "God is Love". Everything else I believe in comes from there.

so you don't believe in God, big whup. Neither do most other people. Next!

I don't think most people don't believe in God.

Anyone got any statistics?

Well, of course science explains everything. It's a way of describing all the rhythms and patterns in the world.

But I always come unstuck with the why. Why does the universe even exist? What exactly IS the universe?

Strikes me there must be some sort of reasoning behind it... whether that's God, a matrix-like computer program or a mass hallucination. I have no idea. But I don't see why it's unscientific to question whether the universe was created with a specific purpose that we are utterly unaware of.

YANBU, you have a right to believe or not as the case may be.

Not understanding the need for an AIBU post though about it.

I am Catholic, and my faith is personal.

Are you expecting someone to come along and tell you yes, yabu?

In the end, it does not matter what anyone else thinks of or believs, be that a belief in a god, or a belief in the flying spaghetti monster!

It is all personal, and does not come down to being reasonable or unreasonable, just what resonates with you.

Only five posts before the bashing began It's good that everyone else seems able to have a reasonable debate though and it will make for interesting reading when I've sorted DD.

YANBU of course it is your perogative to believe in whatever you like.

A big fat fairy story and a whole load of brain washing

Sorry Lynette you're right - I should have said "lots of" rather than "most". My main point was that the OP is about as boringly uncontroversial as it gets, esp. in these days of all hail Dawkins and rational materialism.

I don't believe in a Christian god per se (as am more Pagan-esque than anything) but I like to see all religions, once you get past the fiddly detail, as basically different branches of the same tree. I do believe (on good days) in some kind of divine(...ness?) and I think most humans all over the world have tapped into this since the dawn of time, but their geographical and cultural context shapes how this looks. IYSWIM.

But yanbu, we are free to believe what we will, whatever gets you through I reckon.

I don't believe in a Christian god per se (as am more Pagan-esque than anything) but I like to see all religions, once you get past the fiddly detail, as basically different branches of the same tree. I do believe (on good days) in some kind of divine(...ness?) and I think most humans all over the world have tapped into this since the dawn of time, but their geographical and cultural context shapes how this looks. IYSWIM.

But yanbu, we are free to believe what we will, whatever gets you through I reckon.

LynetteScavo - only fairly out of date statistics. About 44% for the UK rings bell. How accurate that is I have no idea. I used to put down Christian when I was younger even though I have never believed in the supernatural! I believe that is fairly common!

My FIL told me that I needed to go on the Alpha course recently. I said if he is willing to go on a course on all the different religions and Gods that he doesn't believe in, and find out more about humanism, then I will gladly go. He saw the logic to that and we agreed to simply agree to disagree on the subject of religion.

The stats refer to organised religions though, a lot of people might well put down that they do not have a religion but they still believe in a higher power IYSWIM.

Ditto a lot of people who identify themselves as having a religion, may not actually believe in a higher power, but are simply following their upbringing/culture.

I suspect that more people believe in something than not TBH, although I have no basis for that, um, belief!

Also, meant to add this before, which God don't you believe in, there are many.

AlmostOneToFitEveryPredjudiceTiggaxx

I don't believe in God ... any more... I did until I undertook a theology degree. My friends and I used to joke and call our course the 'atheist factory' - as we all went into our degrees good little believers, but oh so many of us came out ardent atheists .

Can you not believe in god but in a spirituality of some sort. That's how I feel but have no idea what religion that might be.

I work in a science department and I don't believe that science can explain everything.

I also don't believe that religions create any more discord than other forms of organising people by group identity.

What bothers me is not the religion but the spirituality. I grew up with religious parents and, like most religions teach, I was brought up to believe that there is a personal god who you can communicate with - prayer, meditation, experience through nature and so on.

But there isn't. Some people may experience this, but not everyone does. It made me utterly miserable for many years - I was attempting to communicate with this imaginary thing. It has been a hugely liberating experience to stop trying and just accept there is no god. I can experience real life in a way that is genuine for me.

I do not believe adults should encourage children to be spiritual - it is something children who are that way inclined can experience for themselves without adult intervention.

There's a whole interesting area of study about the common myths across myth systems and what they say about human nature (the world destroyed by flooding - which seems to be rooted in at least one actual event, probably a tsunami, the betrayed king rising again from the dead etc, which is probably a way of expressing the cycle of the seasons), the persistence of the minor myths which are less associated with power structure and control (helpful/harmful supernatural beings, common across most cultures) and the need most human beings seem to have for ritual whether that involves the supernatural or not.
But the main purpose of religion remains social control, a way of keeping the many obedient to the few by threatening them with the cult leader's Imaginary Friend who will get Vewy Cwoss if the cult leader doesn't get his arse kissed regularly.
Otherwise it's a combination of comfort blanket (imaginary friend's got your back) and attempts to explain what you haven't got the science for yet (why is it sunny? Great Pumpkin dunnit).
SO YANBUat all OP.