Do you believe in God?

[thegunners21]

Yes, I do.

When it comes to religion, I go back to when and how it started. I can't get past the fact that Christianity was begun by people who (a) knew for absolute fact whether or not whether Jesus had risen from the dead - there was no guesswork involved... either they had witnessed it for themselves or they hadn't - either way, they KNEW, they weren't just believing or hoping. And (b) they had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose by spreading that message, if it was false. It was unpopular, there was no financial or political gain, and they were tortured and ridiculed and rejected and brutally killed for their faith, but yet they wouldn't back off or give up. How could they have been so persistent to the death if they knew their message was false?

Why else do I believe... because I have personally experienced answered prayer, many times.

Would you mind sharing some of those answered prayers?

 

[IGotSeoul]

An unfortunate thought is that death brings you to the state of which you were before you existed.

 

[Beatrice]

An unfortunate thought is that death brings you to the state of which you were before you existed.

.....as far as we know

Haha. Not saying that because I'm religious - I'm actually not. But I'm not a hardcore materialist either. I guess I'm just willing to think there could be any number of possibilities, but we certainly don't have the slightest clue yet.

 

[thegunners21]

An unfortunate thought is that death brings you to the state of which you were before you existed.

I, for one am actually satisfied with nothing after death. Would not want to go to heaven or hell (or whatever you believe in) after leading a sad excuse for a life.

 

[Mickery]

But Heaven is what makes up for life. Everybody wants to feel like there's justice in the world, a rewarding afterlife fulfils that need. Religion makes most sense to me as a mechanism of comfort.

 

[thegunners21]

But Heaven is what makes up for life. Everybody wants to feel like there's justice in the world, a rewarding afterlife fulfils that need. Religion makes most sense to me as a mechanism of comfort.

It may give you a lot of comfort. That still doesn't make it true.

 

[Carol]

Would you mind sharing some of those answered prayers?

The biggest answered prayer was this. I had never had a boyfriend in my life, and three weeks after I started praying that God would send me a good husband, the man who would become my husband showed up at my front door and introduced himself. Literally. We got married 15 months later and this October will be our ten year anniversary.

I'm not sure what kind of stories you wanted to hear. Most of my answered prayers were not as big as that. A lot of little things have added up over the years. Please understand though, I don't believe God works like a genie, who has to do my bidding at all times. If I could control God and He had to obey me, then I would be God instead of Him.

And THANK YOU for asking this question politely! I saw your post that said you're an atheist. I really appreciate that even though you don't agree with me, you still have manners and didn't belittle me or put me down.

 

[Arthur_Dent]

"I once prayed to God for a bike, but quickly found out he didn't work that way...so I stole a bike and prayed for his forgiveness"

Can't remember who said that.

 

[NewtoThis]

Yup, I believe in God.

I don't quite remember how or why I came to the conclusion in the first place (and I believe in questioning my beliefs every once and a while to make sure I still believe something) but when I went through some pretty tough times I somehow got through it by believing in God. Maybe it is just some mental mechanism, but I think being able to trust another person/being completely was really good for me. Whether or not God really does exists, I like the whole altruism/utilitarian way of life. Makes me feel special

 

[Solo Dolo]

i dont. god does not exist.

 

[MrJones]

i dont. god does not exist.

prove it

(religious people's supervalid reasoning)

 

[Waybuloo]

I don't believe there is an individual and separate entity as God has been made out to be. If anything I think there is a cycle going on with everything in existence, such as stars being born and dying, and then their fragments go towards creating another star. It's the same as on Earth. Even when we die, whether the spirit (if it exists) goes to another realm or gets reincarnated, the body decomposes and our fragments go towards growing other living things. Everything is recycled, for want of a better word. I think that we are all part of an enormous machine that is the universe and maybe beyond which no one knows anything about. I don't think the human condition is important when you look at the big picture. What happens to us are just dramas we create to keep us occupied. In that sense, God seems to me to be very focused on human dramas and human redemption, so what I see as the bigger meaning is bigger than the God entity.

 

[Mickery]

It may give you a lot of comfort. That still doesn't make it true.

So? We're all here because of an irrepressible belief in something that isn't true. And it's a lot stranger to believe in something that harms, rather than comforts. Somebody outside our experience would be unable to truly understand that belief and would no doubt simply point out it isn't true and that one should stop thinking it, as you just did.

Besides, there's plenty of other factors. Generally people simply believe what they grew up with until if/when they are in a position to consider it independently, same as anything else. Like SA again, I suppose.

 

[Shant]

But Heaven is what makes up for life. Everybody wants to feel like there's justice in the world, a rewarding afterlife fulfils that need. Religion makes most sense to me as a mechanism of comfort.

This is kind of something I believe, but I have a lot of issue with it. Heaven's apparently good, but what good is having a Heaven if there is a Hell? Just having both in the afterlife, create a balance that makes this world as bad as it is now.

Which is why I have a more Universalist kind of belief. I don't believe in Hell, but I do believe in Heaven. I wouldn't believe in both Heaven and Hell if my motive for believing in Heaven was the comfort factor; Because simply believing in Hell is a 100% discomfort factor, no if's, and's, or but's, about it.

 

[thomas90]

My sister tells me that this question is best asked to god himself.

Ive been asking for a message from him via prayer but im a non believer at the moment.

 

[Mickery]

This is kind of something I believe, but I have a lot of issue with it. Heaven's apparently good, but what good is having a Heaven if there is a Hell? Just having both in the afterlife, create a balance that makes this world as bad as it is now.

Which is why I have a more Universalist kind of belief. I don't believe in Hell, but I do believe in Heaven. I wouldn't believe in both Heaven and Hell if my motive for believing in Heaven was the comfort factor; Because simply believing in Hell is a 100% discomfort factor, no if's, and's, or but's, about it.

Justice goes both ways: what if the comfort lies in knowing that bad people will be punished as well as knowing that good people will be rewarded? I'm not suggesting I understand or should opine your own beliefs, I'm speaking in general.

If you were feeling cynical, you might also consider that Hell is the stick where Heaven is the carrot, and both are felt to be mutually necessary to encourage adherence. The first five of the ten commandments are, after all, demands of loyalty.

 

[Bloir]

I believe in nothing. I am very rational if i dont see something, I can not believe

 

[thegunners21]

So? We're all here because of an irrepressible belief in something that isn't true. And it's a lot stranger to believe in something that harms, rather than comforts. Somebody outside our experience would be unable to truly understand that belief and would no doubt simply point out it isn't true and that one should stop thinking it, as you just did.

Besides, there's plenty of other factors. Generally people simply believe what they grew up with until if/when they are in a position to consider it independently, same as anything else. Like SA again, I suppose.

Something that isn't true? Social anxiety has been studied by the scientific community and there have been endless researches on it.

I don't what you are referring to when you say something that harms.

"Somebody outside our experience would be unable to truly understand that belief and would no doubt simply point out it isn't true and that one should stop thinking it, as you just did."

If by outside our experience you mean aliens, then shouldn't they able to feel god as well since he created everything?

And I was brought up in a very religious family. I was very religious up until about 14 years old. Then I started becoming rational and realized religion is BS.

What should matter the most is truth, whether it's comforting or not.

 

[thegunners21]

The biggest answered prayer was this. I had never had a boyfriend in my life, and three weeks after I started praying that God would send me a good husband, the man who would become my husband showed up at my front door and introduced himself. Literally. We got married 15 months later and this October will be our ten year anniversary.

I'm not sure what kind of stories you wanted to hear. Most of my answered prayers were not as big as that. A lot of little things have added up over the years. Please understand though, I don't believe God works like a genie, who has to do my bidding at all times. If I could control God and He had to obey me, then I would be God instead of Him.

And THANK YOU for asking this question politely! I saw your post that said you're an atheist. I really appreciate that even though you don't agree with me, you still have manners and didn't belittle me or put me down.

I don't think little of religious folks. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

While your story is sweet, meeting your husband is not miraculous in any way. If it were, there would be hundreds of miracles everyday since hundreds of people get married everyday.

Miracles would be something that defies physics, like pigs flying or something. Show me that and i will believe in a supernatural being.

AND please don't think that i am being rude to you. I am just stating mu opinion.

 

[Beatrice]

I don't think little of religious folks. Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

While your story is sweet, meeting your husband is not miraculous in any way. If it were, there would be hundreds of miracles everyday since hundreds of people get married everyday.

Miracles would be something that defies physics, like pigs flying or something. Show me that and i will believe in a supernatural being.

AND please don't think that i am being rude to you. I am just stating mu opinion.

Yeah, I agree. I'm not scoffing at anyone or trying to destroy their joy, but... Well, I have a personal story.

My mom was a Christian for 20 or 30-something years. There were a couple times that she thought she had witnessed answered prayers: the first is one Christmas many years ago, she felt horrible because she couldn't afford a Christmas tree, and she knew how much we loved it (we, as in her children; we were very young then); she cried and thought, "What am I going to do?" and prayed to God to find a way for her to get a tree. Well, her prayer was "answered" - someone showed up on our doorstep giving away free Christmas trees.

The second example is when she had no money to pay our rent, and thought we were going to be evicted. Then "miraculously", there was a check in the mail, with no sender address; to this day she doesn't have a clue who sent it.

So she thought these were answered prayers.

Needless to say, my mother is no longer a Christian. Why? Well..... though she seemed to have had some of her prayers answered, God never seemed to answer any of her prayers concerning personal issues she had in her life; questions she had, and questions about biblical doctrines, and more. For years she was tormented, never finding answers, going around in circles. Finally, she reached a point where she said, "I give up, God. I don't know what to think any more. I just need your help." And still the answers never came.

After I lost my faith, my mother was inspired to look into the reasons behind my lack of belief. And now, she feels as if she wasted her entire life, counting on God to lead her, and He never did. Those "answered prayers", she realized, had been fortunate coincidences. She realized that these types of things happen to Christians, Muslims, atheists, Buddhists..... they're part of life.

But yeah, I realize this was long and I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong here or argue, just kind of felt like sharing a relevant personal story. I still kind of study theological-related ideas and religions because it used to be such a huge part of my life. I still find it interesting. It certainly makes up a huge part of human life.