Do you believe in god?

[Unicorndreams24]

i have recently been thinking a lot about religion and wondering how many believe in god and also what made you come to the decision of believing?

Please would you forward that evidence - new news to me

Because I'm a faith-based Christian, and science doesn't have all the answers. Jesus has all the answers I need.

Sorry read this the wrong way - there is no god - science every time!

Have you considered that you’re wishfully thinking that he has all the answers? That in reality there is no god?

Thanks for your question.

I think it breaks down into two issues, from what you’ve stated.

Firstly, the uniqueness of the salvation offered by YHWH, (as opposed to claims by other religions, be they terrestrial or otherwise)

Secondly - differences between animals & humans.

Before I address these I feel I need to mention that my beliefs are informed by scripture. Let me explain why. To cut a long story short I came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as an adult in 1981 after an encounter with Him three years previously, which was unrelated to any church or religion. Subsequent to entering into a relationship with Him I began reading the Bible. I was still not connected to any church or involved with Christians. To my astonishment when I began to read I found the Holy Spirit was teaching me from His inspired scriptures. The witness of veracity was overwhelming- words were almost 'jumping off the page'. After a year of this He led me into a church. This is why I place so much confidence in His scriptures and everything I say here will , to the best of my ability, be scriptural. (If anyone wants to have specific references, or discuss passages of scripture, please just ask- either here or by personal message).

At the risk of being accused of being “arrogant and pompous" let me say that it's my firm belief that YHWH's salvation, offered to all, by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely unique among all other religions. Indeed, it had to be unique.

The catastrophe that fell upon humanity (and therefore upon all creation) was the result of the first man's dislocation from fellowship with God and the subsequent entry of death into the world. A Second Man aka the Last Adam was the remedy. God Himself became that Man. He is the solution to the problem of broken fellowship with God and the resulting death which inexorably follows for all of humanity. He achieved this through His life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension.

Through union with Christ the problem of our adamic nature is resolved and we become a "new creation" in Him. People who are no longer "of this world" just as He is not of this world. This process has not yet reached its full culmination; there is still an open door for anyone who wants to be part of it, freely offered, accessible only by grace through faith.
I could expand but am trying my best to be concise.

On the differences between animals and humans the issue is not sentience. It is ontological. Humans were uniquely created in the Imago Dei and were placed in delegated authority over the rest of creation. In order to restore the Creation there needed to be a human Saviour, who was simultaneously in unbroken fellowship with God. That's utterly unique. No animal, or ordinary man, could fit the bill; it required a Heavenly Man.

Now there’s lots more that could be said. Lots and lots. Enough for books! So I apologise if anything’s been left out that someone wanted to see. This isn’t an easy medium in which to conduct these conversations, but I hope we’re all doing our best in good faith and without animosity. I know I am.

In closing I direct the everyone to the words of Christ recorded in John 14:6

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except by Me".

Difference between good and bad - definitely

I can. The world can be a very cold and harsh place. People literally get away with murder. It can be very comforting to believe that those who have transgressed will eventually get their comeuppance. Also that despite everything, there's someone out there who will always love you and care for you and help you out when you really need it.

Many people are also afraid of dying,and so being told that your death won't actually be the end of you gives hope. Particularly if you add in the promise that after your death you'll be reunited with the loved ones you have already lost.

Those are all very comforting thoughts and it's this kind of thing that (most) religions promise, one way or another. It's this hope of things being better is what makes those religions so attractive. It's also why people buy lottery tickets.

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except by Me".

Has a big ego!

If there is someone always there to help you out, why are people suffering, babies die etc?

Wheres the evidence that you’ll be reunited with loved ones when you die?

Quote : " Firstly, the uniqueness of the salvation offered by YHWH, (as opposed to claims by other religions, be they terrestrial or otherwise)"

Coming back to life is unique to Christianity ?

Tibetan Buddhists, among many others, ask you hold their beer.

Indeed, these Lamas coming back to life, or saying they will, has become such a big problem for the Chinese Government that they regulated it.

Central government approval is fundamental principle, legal safeguard of Grand Living Buddha reincarnation: signed article - Chinadaily.com.cn

Yup, these pesky Lamas. They need permission to come back to life now.

So there is one example of a religion that has folk coming back from the dead.

Do you honestly think that when a person/animal dies they will somehow become alive again? Do you genuinely think that’s possible or even desirable??

Why do people suffer? It depends on which religion you ask - it could be karma for past bad behaviour (or even bad behaviour of a distant ancestor aka original sin), it could be a capricious trickster god who's having some fun at your expense, it could be that it's their own fault and they wouldn't be suffering if only they believed enough, it could be god having a bet with satan... you name it, there's some religion that's used it as a reason.

The promise of being reunited with your loved ones isn't about evidence, it's about hope. It's much easier to sell a religion on hope than on evidence.

Do I think that? No. Do many other people think that and it being one of the things that makes religions an attractive idea? Sure.

I appreciate you taking the time to respond, but I also presume you understand that answers derived from Scripture are wholly unsatisfactory when the questions are coming from someone who doesn't believe scripture has any credibility.

Sure, it might explain your beliefs, but it doesn't satisfactorily answer any of my questions. Your scripture is a concoction for the purpose of lending credence to your belief system. It is not evidence of veracity, and considering it's an entirely man-made construct, most of it not appearing for decades or centuries after the events it refers to, it's simply can not be trusted to relate anything in any accurate or unbiased way. It's a blatant exercise in believers with a vested interest writing a history that supports their own belief system, then presenting that as a basis for that belief system. An exercise that would leave a child rolling around on the floor at the absurdity of it.

At this point I should probably point out that it's not any particular belief system or religion that I find "pompous and arrogant", it's the way that some human beings insist that human beings are special, chosen, and the universe created for us, when in reality humanity is a totally insignificant speck that the universe couldn't give a rat's ass about. Why are we any more special or chosen than whales? why are we any more special and chosen than the ET's in the earlier post? The truth is we're not. It's the assertion that we are or must be special just because the universe exists, we exist, and we have sufficient sentience to be self-aware and query our own existence. It's this that I find insufferably pompous and arrogant, and why I find the common "the universe is amazing, I can't get my head around it, therefore it must have been created" justification for belief to be staggeringly ignorant. The existence of the universe doesn't mandate the existence of Gods or creator beings any more than the existence of teeth mandates the existence of tooth fairies, and yes, I appreciate how much "imaginary friends" comparisons grate and rankle, but sometimes the only way to highlight the absurdity of a claim is to make a second, equally absurd claim which is materially no different and hold the first up against the second.

Again, what is it that makes adherents of a religion so certain that theirs is the "true" one and the others are false?. I'm paraphrasing here, but someone far more erudite than I am said something along the lines of "humans claim knowledge of thousands of Gods. The only difference between me and a Christian is I believe in one fewer than they do".

This harks back to the fundamental reason why it's impossible for me to lend any credence whatsoever to the divine. We've come up with myriad belief systems, all the Gods you could ever want, yet every single one of them is dismissed by the adherents the others. It's palpably ridiculous to conclude that one of them just happens to be the correct one and all the others mistaken, when it's an order of magnitude more credible that they are all mistaken and there are no Gods.

That's before we even consider the fact that not one of these gods has ever bothered to provide us with any sort of credible proof they exist, and no, the fact the universe exists is not evidence of the divine.

Thanks for your quick reply.

Yes, of course you don’t accept scripture, I didn’t expect you to. And I would have written something very similar to what you’ve written, had I been asked the same questions before I encountered Christ. So I do understand where you’re coming from.

One can only speak honestly from one’s own perspective. You and I are looking at these issues from ‘poles apart’ vantage points.

“Again, what is it that makes adherents of a religion so certain that theirs is the "true" one and the others are false?.”

Again, speaking only for myself, it is my relationship with Christ, knowing Him in a personal and vibrant way, the witness of the Holy Spirit within me that causes me to know He is real, has spoken in scripture, and still speaks & acts today. I could as easily deny the knowledge of one of my own children as deny knowledge of him and His Presence in my life.

It is He who claims absolute uniqueness and to be the only Way to the Father. And knowing Him so well, I believe Him.

Incidentally a look at Biblical prophecy is often quite eye-opening for those seeking “proof” of God. Fulfilled prophecy is hard to explain away, given the huge odds of them not being fulfilled, though I’m sure a determined atheist would give it a good go!

if anyone wants to have an open-minded look here’s a link. Enjoy!

https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible

In the Lord of the Rings it was prophesised that no man could kill the Witch King but look - the Witch King was actually killed by Éowyn, a woman! The Lord of the Rings is a true history of middle Earth!

Biblical prophecies typically require some combination of:

a) fantastically creative interpretations of texts as being prophecy rather than statements about something else,

b) some even more creative interpretations of what that prophecy refers to and actually means, and

c) a willing suspension of disbelief that the people writing about the fulfilment of those prophecies had not been misinformed and/or simply bent the truth in order to match what was claimed in the Tanakh.

All the major religions fetishise suffering. They sprinkle some Stoic-type common sense around: a degree of suffering is inevitable; difficulty builds resilience; death is a condition of life. They're correct that feeling supported can get you through hard times, whether the support is real or not.

Gods go much further - they inflict it deliberately on their followers. Other times, they don't bother helping when they could (supposedly). And they never stop telling people that the more they hurt in life, the better they'll have it in the afterlife. They're like the most sadistic kind of abuser!

Somebody upthread recalled the Job story, where God absolutely wrecked the life and health of a good, happy man for a bet with the devil. OK, the god of the Old Testament may be a blatant psychopath, but Job's story's given at least three times in the New as a model for Christians.

if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you.

It is repeated, time and again, that Christians should aspire to suffer as Christ did - to be abused, tortured and killed despite (or even for) being an honest, helpful person. The other religions do similar. It's why they all have adherents who torture themselves.

Choosing to ignore this utterly fundamental aspect of one's faith is cherry-picking: the bible and all other 'holy books' warn against it. God loves you so much, he wants you to feel excruciating pain. Healthy 😒

My reasons for being an atheist are to do with logic. My reasons for disliking religions are to do with their resemblance to brutal dictatorships.

No.

And it's a good thing, too! I agree with several PPs that if a god existed then they must be cruel and inhumane. At a basic level, I just can't square the inconsistent triad.

Yup. It's odd is it not, how a religion became successful in the days of Kings and emperors, when that religion said the shittier your life today, the better your next one will be. Be happy with your lot, Jesus will sort it out later.

Off on a wee tangent, your post reminds me of St Mother T. She who was documented for withholding meds from the dying poor, because she said suffering made them closer to god.

Or condoms are a sin, make as many babies as you can, even if the land won't support them.

Back on track, in case I am accused of being anti.

When the founder of a religion, although it's not clear if it was Jesus or Paul who founded Christianity, says that to be persecuted in his name gives one a zillion brownie points to get into his eternal country club, it's no wonder they claim persecution at the drop of a pin.

That last bit is a bit of a paradox. Because if everyone was Christian, and they had nobody to accuse of persecuting them, then those easy pearly gate points would be lost surely? Would they accuse other "different" Christians of persecuting them ?

Oh wait.

Interesting to notice that, while decrying the practice of cherrypicking this post does exactly that!

a fragment of a portion of scripture is quoted, but the important parts are omitted, which changes the meaning significantly.
Im sure this was not done purposefully.

Anyway let’s have a look at what was omitted- I’m breaking the portion down into two sections for clarity.

“Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.”
1 Peter 2 :18-20

This first stanza is addressed specifically to slaves, ie powerless, very low-status members of Roman society. The message is clear- if you’ve done wrong you can’t expect any commendation for enduring it, since you deserved it! But those who didn’t deserve to be mistreated, but conducted themselves with decency under such conditions are commended by God.

Their unjust suffering hasn’t gone unnoticed. They matter greatly to God even though they are despised in the culture and their treatment or feelings aren’t given a second thought by society.

Now we get to the crunch:
”To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”
1 Peter 2 : 21-23

This section is practical advice how to cope when such a situation arises! Christians suffering unjustly are, like their Lord’s example, not to sin, not to speak wrongly, either by lying or by uttering threats or insults.

The example Christ left in the context of unjust suffering is non-retaliation, and to continue to trust in God, who sees everything and who judges the situation justly.

The message isn’t “go and look for opportunities to suffer” as was implied by the cherrypicked fragment!

The message is practical advice and support for Christians who are powerless (slaves) and who are suffering unjustly. It’s an encouragement for them to see that they aren’t abandoned or forgotten by God, even though they are considered worthless by society.

HTH
(edited for typo)

No

I appreciate your taking the time to compose your reply, @LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms. I should perhaps have taken the same care to find a quote that was aimed at Christians more generally - though I'd question whether you're supposed to disregard any biblical advice if you aren't the same as its stated audience! You'd be able to disregard the whole thing, would you not?

Peter's actual message to Christians is what I quoted. He goes through all different kind of people, personalising his "God loves you to suffer" to relatable situations.

Also Peter:
you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith ... may result in praise, glory and honour [1:1.7]

it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered
[1:3.17]

do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you ... But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ
[1:4.12]

That's just his first four pages! It goes on ... and on. Exhortations to suffer are woven through the bible. It worked, too. Some accounts from Rome, during the short period when Christians were used as comedy bait in the arena, have related with surprise that they went in quite willingly because, the more hideous their deaths, the more confident they were of their god's praise.

As noted by @RedTagAlan, Mother Teresa actively denied her victims patients medicine, even adequate food and water, because she believed greater suffering would put them in God's good books. She even punished volunteers for trying to sneak sufferers a few aspirins or a bottle of water. And she has been canonised.

Christians don’t believe that having faith means life is protected from suffering. The Bible is very honest that we live in a fallen world — one that is not as it was meant to be — and that pain, injustice, illness and death are part of that brokenness, not evidence that God is absent or indifferent. Suffering feels very real to many, and in a multitude of ways! We have heard much of that on this thread, for example.

What faith has given me is not an explanation for why every tragedy happens, but somewhere to take grief when it does. The Psalms don’t minimise suffering; people cry out in them: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18).

As for hope beyond death, Christianity rests on the resurrection of Jesus — not on pretending loss doesn’t hurt, but on the belief that death is not the end. That’s why Christians hold on to the promise that one day suffering will be undone: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). That is the promise that there will only be joy! And then 1 Thessalonians is often the part of the Bible cited to express Christian hope of reunion without speculation.

For me, it’s not about avoiding suffering — it’s about hope in the midst of it, and trusting that what is broken now will not be the final word. I hope that provides a bit more colour!

This is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!

@MrsSkylerWhite
The difference is that we KNOW that Santa isn’t real, whereas there is no proof that a higher entity does not exist.