Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Original poster

Why do some people find it hard to believe in God?

999 replies

MosEisley · 15/01/2012 22:49

I believe in God.

However, I am attending an adult confirmation class and we have been asked to consider why some people do not believe in God. DH and I came up with:

  • there is no absolute proof of God's existence
  • they are rebelling against a strict organised religion that they can't accept as literallly true

If you know someone who doesn't believe in God, why don't they?

OP posts:
Spero · 20/01/2012 22:26

Sorry I haven't read all the thread so this has probably already been said.

I remember aged five thinking the Christian religion was a load of old guff. I was particularly unimpressed with the garden of Eden story - why put the bloody tree and the snake in there in the first place?

I am quite prepared to believe there is a god, but if there is he is a nasty bastard. Religious friends have earnestly explained that terrible things happen because god gave us free will and he wants us to decide t follow him. I wonder how much 'free will' child prostitutes have or the victims of abuse from roman catholic priests?

I have also found that if I meet someone who is bigoted, more often than not they profess to be religious and attend a church/mosque/synagogue regularly. Coincidence?

Frankly, unless god is prepared to send another flood to demonstrate his displeasure with humanity's awfulness, I can't be much arsed with him.

I am a member of the British humanist association. I don't need a god to force me to try t be a good person out of fear of hell fire. I try to be a good person because generally it does make me happier than being selfish and unkind. And then one day I will die and hopefully that will be that.The concept of eternal life is appalling and I remember getting very upset about it at quite a young age.

Spero · 20/01/2012 22:36

Spooky! Just found this on my twitter wotsit: 'if there is a god, he has done such a bad job, he isn't worth discussing' Isaac Asimov.

CheerfulYank · 20/01/2012 23:33

I think their point is that it is a HUMAN who is choosing to do those despicable things. They have the free will to do so.

Spero · 20/01/2012 23:40

Yes. I understand that bit.

But my question to them was - why do people do terrible things?
Answer: because god gives us free will.

My next question: so what about the victims of these terrible things? Particularly children? Why doesn't god protect them?
Answer: embarrassed shuffling and silence.

Frankly, fuck you god.

GrimmaTheNome · 20/01/2012 23:50

And of course there are terrible things which are nothing to do with human free will.

Rational · 21/01/2012 03:34

"Frankly, fuck you god."

There isn't one to blame, it's just nature in all it's beauty and brutality.

CheerfulYank · 21/01/2012 03:39

Well..she could mean "fuck the IDEA of god." But she said she's prepared to believe one exists, anyway. :) What time is it there?! Are you up vair vair late?

TheCatInTheHairnet · 21/01/2012 03:55

This kind of thread makes me want to go to church. Blush

floralsanddresses · 21/01/2012 04:00
  1. Because there is no proof.
  2. Because having gone through so much loss and heartache at a very awkward age, how could there possibly be?
  3. Because although my family are tied to Catholic roots and I went to a Catholic high school none of it ever made a shred of sense to me.
  4. Because believing is not logical and makes no sense in my head.
  5. Because I don't need the figure of a deity as an emotional crutch.
  6. Because religion itself is a great form of evil in this world.

Saying that, I have many friends who do believe and are of different faiths. It makes no difference to me. What's mine is mine and all that.

Rational · 21/01/2012 04:09

"Well..she could mean "fuck the IDEA of god." But she said she's prepared to believe one exists, anyway. What time is it there?! Are you up vair vair late?"

It's after 4am, I've been in the pub, I've had far too much to drink and I'm going to bed. Goodnight my fluffy merkin friend xxx

CheerfulYank · 21/01/2012 04:11

It's only 10 pm here. I am about to have too much to drink. In the words of Capt. Mal Reynolds, "I aim to misbehave." :o Goodnight darlin'.

Rational · 21/01/2012 04:16

Grin xxx

Shit, not lookin too hard nosed again am I?

nannipigg · 21/01/2012 04:34

I don't believe in a God as per say, but believe there is some kind of higher power or powers out there. I believe in Angels and that the evil out there is the Devil. I do believe in Ghosts, Demons and evil Entities....and being a Witch I believe in magic!!! Wink
I however have no problems with anyone else's faith, it is theirs and as long as they don't preach it to me, it's fine by me

Spero · 21/01/2012 11:28

I think a more useful question for the op is - why do some people reject organised religion? Or the concept of a benign god?

Having faith that god exists is like loving someone. You can't will that emotion into existence, you either have it or you don't.

Rational · 21/01/2012 11:51

Reject would mean that it was a concept that I'd once seriously and consciously considered, that is not the case. It has never been taken any more seriously, by me, than unicorns or fairies, or angels for that matter.

I'd like to ask nannipigg what evidence she has for the 'thing's' she believes in.

cottonmouth · 21/01/2012 11:59

Rational,

Is it your belief that Christians do not have evidence for their faith. If that is the case, you are wrong.

Rational · 21/01/2012 12:02

Give me the evidence then. And you should really let some scientists know, they'd be so excited to see this evidence too. You would be answering life's biggest question.

CrunchyFrog · 21/01/2012 12:08

cottonmouth Of course you don't have evidence. Evidence denies faith, and without faith, what is god?

If you have evidence, then it isn't faith. Can't be called faith, doesn't require any mental gymnastics such as leaping.

seeker · 21/01/2012 12:43

I'd be interested to see the evidence too.

Spero · 21/01/2012 13:21

There is NO evidence that god exists. There are historical accounts that someone called Jesus existed. No evidence that he was the son of god.

Your faith in god is not evidence. Feelings are not reality. There is no evidence, but that is not the point. I don't deny that some people believe and it makes them happy. Good for them. I knew as a very small child that it wasn't for me.

You might as well ask me why I don't love your husband. Because I don't. I don't have those feelings. I don't have any deeper explanation!

Still think it is an odd question to put for a confirmation class.

cottonmouth · 21/01/2012 13:47

All you have to do is read any Christian testimony and you will see how God has revealed himself to those people.

He may not have revealed himself to you (obviously) and therefore you don't have any evidence, but it's not actually about you, believe it or not.

If you would like to read a specific book, "A God Who Changes Lives" is a good beginners' one.

seeker · 21/01/2012 14:01

Ah, the old data/evidence/anecdote confusion!

LongWayRound · 21/01/2012 14:32

What kind of God would choose to reveal himself to some people but not to others? It seems the kind of capricious behaviour you might expect from someone who liked to play people off against each other, but NOT what an almighty deity would do. It seems to me that the kind of God imagined by many believers is actually a rather petty character. If that is what God is like, then no wonder many people don't see any reason to worship him any more.

Rational · 21/01/2012 15:04

This god keeps revealing himself to people yet no one thought to record it? So many people have smartphones too!

exexpat · 21/01/2012 15:25

Cottonmouth - why should I believe any Christian testimony over anything else?

God apparently keeps telling people to run for the US presidency, or to kill various public figures. I don't believe God has anything to do with those people's political ambitions or mental health problems, so why should I believe anyone else who claims that God has to spoken to them or 'revealed' things to them?

In any case, the things he has 'revealed' to different religious leaders and prophets over the years are hugely contradictory.