Do you believe in God?

[VirtualPA]

I am interested to know what the majority of people belive.

I personally believe in a Christian God, Heaven and hell etc.

I raised a strict an athiest

"YES" I do believe in God, without him I am nothing, he walks with me at all time's and I know he love's me as I love him. I know some of you will read this and say, what a nutter , thats OK, but I know that when I became a christian 2 years ago it was the most wonderful thing I have ever done in my life TRY IT !!!!!, you will see for yourself. I am so proud to say that I love the Lord my father.

And I come on these threads to say that I don't expect extra privilege because of my idiotic beliefs; that being a scientist and having a religious faith are not mutually exclusive.

I get frustrated when it is implied that if I only thought about things I'd see that it was all rubbish, as if I had never questioned my faith or had it challenged.

But there's a certain groundhog day thing going on with the whole "there's no proof", "no there isn't, nor can there be", "well that's very convenient" exchange.

Depends whether you make a great profit by being a great prophet.

Bada boom.

I agree, Madonna.

@ Psammead. All right...I predict that the carer is going to give me a major cat's bum face when I go to pick up DS, as I will be late having spent so much time on Mumsnet.

Hi, new blood here.... The thing i find fascinating about these discussions is that it is always the 'believers' who have to justify their positions. Yes, I know the idea of a creator God, an omnipitent being who is all knowing and all loving is crazy, but so is the alternative. The whole of this earth/life/people are so mind-boglingly complex and amazing and perfect, that I think to argue that it happen and continues to happen by chance takes as much faith if not more, than to believe in God. The point is you can't prove it one way or the other, and london buses can be driven through holes in both faith systems.

The other thing to say is there is a huge difference between faith and religion, and please don't confuse the two.

I think the best thing to teach your children is to question, to search and to have an open mind about things, not be dogmatic.

"I think the best thing to teach your children is to question, to search and to have an open mind about things, not be dogmatic."

That, for me, is about the most sensible thing I have read on this thread so far.

The thing is, I don't actually care what other people choose to believe, unless it is postively harmful to themselves or other people. I just don't want their views to be imposed on me and my children. I don;t expect their children to be forced to declare that they are atheists - why should my children be forced to declare their belief in God at a state primary school?

I once read a book....

Please don't shout at me because it is the second time on this thread I mention a book and don't remember the title. I honestly can 'see' the cover, colours etc and myself sitting at the kitchen window reading but no title.
Frustrating, but it was nearly 20 years ago !

Anyway, I always remember the quote that so many old testament prophesies came true in Jesus Christ that the mathematical probability would be the same as picking up one particular coin out of the lot covering the area size of Texas knee deep.

It was a book by an American university scholar who had converted to Christanity completely through reasoning only after he set himself a challenge to prove a group of student Christians wrong and basically after long research came to the above conclusion.

Does anyone here happen to know the book/ author ?

should it be 'Christian students' ?

Used to believe but not now,good friends and dh dead with cancer,if god allows good people ,one a commited christan, to suffer so much then do'nt think much of him.

Seraphine

Okay I am agnostic but would really, really appreciate it if you would pray for my father who is terminally ill with cancer and all the other believers add their prayers.

I am hoping against hope that medicine will work.

Anyone else need a few prayers?

I really could do with a miracle right now.

[No sarcasm intended and a genuine request]

(Cheerful Yank - I haven't got to that episode yet. We are still stuck in Season 2.)

Raised a catholic but now a firm non-believer.

To me my gods (note the plural) are real so I don't 'believe' in them in the same way I don't have to believe in tables. The way I look at it is this, everything is made up of energy, thought is energy, if you put that amount of energy into something it's bound to rub off a bit However, I don't have a book of Bad Things That Will Happen To You If You Don't Obey It so I don't go around trying to convert people. I also lean more towards an Edgar Cayce type thing of collective consciousness and godhead.

RavingRebelPaganTiggaxx

funloving - but the alternative is only crazy if you take the view, as you appear to, that it all happened "by chance". Evolution happening "by chance" is far from being the polar opposite of it all being done by a god.

I know he's the obvious person to recommend, but try looking at Dawkins's "Climbing Mount Improbable" where he addresses this very question.

lilyliz and lamplighter

lamplighter I will, promise , I will add your dad to my prayers , not as a one off but for a long while

Hurray !

Have just done a bit of research and eureka !
Of course it was Josh McDowell, either 'Evidence Demanding A Verdict' or 'More Than A
Carpenter'.

ta seraphine. don't believe in God but reckon there must be something after death,don't know what but maybe like a parallel universe or maybe we all are just fertilizer in the end. ps if you anyone who has lost a close relly it's really annoying when folk say things like only the good die young, god only takes the good etc, I got I could have slapped folk saying this garbage.

Seraphine

Thank you

lamplighter. Hope things go well for your dad, be thinking of you.

lilyliz

Cheers matey - much appreciated.

Ah see, this is where it gets productive

well merrymarigold expand on it pleeeeeeease

Well, just that instead of everyone pulling each other down in 'debate', people with different beliefs can actually support and encourage each other. Which (I think) is one if the main points of Mumsnet.

MerryMarigold

Well said - if I can get the 70 total believers praying for my Dad then this is a thread worth being on. Maybe a few other posters can ask for some prayers?