Do you believe in God?

[CrazyhorseLTD]

No I do not. It was actually my despair with stuttering and social anxiety that led to my deconversion. I started to search for answers in the bible, and more I searched the less my faith became. There's a saying that the fastest way to become an atheist is to actually read the bible and that was very true in my case.

 

[pinata]

Interesting post, but you shouldn't need to rely on religion/god or any outside source for self assurance. It's good that your're feeling better and I don't want to offend you, but that chances of god even existing (the christian definition of it) is reducing every day. You should watch the movie "Religulous".

How can the chance of God existing change at all? If he exists or if he doesn't it's always the same, it can't be more or less. Unless God himself is slowly fading away lol. It's not like I'm using God as a crutch, I've believed in God for years but never felt the way I have done for the past month. It's different to think there might be a God and to have a "faith". Hey if I'm wrong and there's no heaven or anything, then I'll die, and that's it, but I'm living life in a much more worthwhile way - yeah I could lead a worthwhile life without belief - and it's like my depression has been washed away. I'm not trying to convince myself that this is a reason to be happy, it's just there and I can't deny it. It's nothing you can understand unless you feel it too.

 

[Hamelech]

Monty python - The Universe song which also goes under the name of The Galaxy song - YouTube

 

[elek2ronik]

How can the chance of God existing change at all? If he exists or if he doesn't it's always the same, it can't be more or less. Unless God himself is slowly fading away lol. It's not like I'm using God as a crutch, I've believed in God for years but never felt the way I have done for the past month. It's different to think there might be a God and to have a "faith". Hey if I'm wrong and there's no heaven or anything, then I'll die, and that's it, but I'm living life in a much more worthwhile way - yeah I could lead a worthwhile life without belief - and it's like my depression has been washed away. I'm not trying to convince myself that this is a reason to be happy, it's just there and I can't deny it. It's nothing you can understand unless you feel it too.

I think he meant the "faith" that God exists. So by that, he means peoples faith in God is reducing every day. Which I don't necessarily agree with, because I just don't know enough about other peoples beliefs.

 

[ScaredToBreathe]

a lot of really deep answers. nice.
as for me im agnostic, but more on the disbelieving side. but you never know.

 

[Silatuyok]

I do not. I wish I could.

 

[upndwn]

Not in any religious way, but as a metaphor for everything in existence sure.

 

[Lostinthemusic]

There is no evidence only dogma.

The only evidence is subjective evidence in a case like this. In other words, I agree. I for one have experienced meaningful coincidences as well as an experience where I felt as if I were dying and communicating with another realm from which I experienced great peace, and great terror because of it. That experience is actually what brought me to this site if I'm not mistaken, which I easily could be, but it was about a year ago. Others may have a different idea of what those things mean, even if I explain them in complete detail people will have different interpretations. There was something more to those coincidences than met the eye for me, but I could never put that feeling into words. And others have every right to be skeptical because of that.

Anyways, I've changed my mind several times over since then, and before then, as to whether there is a God or not. I find myself thanking God sometimes before I even realize what I'm doing, but I don't believe there is truly a way to know for sure. Even if there was a God it could just be a being more powerful than us, not an all powerful being. Or perhaps "nothingness" is God if something can truly be created out of nothing. Perhaps "I am God" as some eastern religions teach. Perhaps being fully aware of the moment in peace is being with God. No one can say for sure.

I wish my thoughts on this were more organized because this is really a central question in my life right now. I'm really good at thinking of things as general concepts in my head, but not at getting those concepts out of my head.

One thing is for sure, I believe there is more to life and death than just the physical, even if that just ends up being the subconscious. I also don't believe in any one true religion or any one true interpretation of God from those religions. But any true religion has some element of truth to it.

I believe life should be spent in the moment and fully experienced to the best of one's ability. You can't know more than what you experience. Life can be good and bad and there may or may not be a reason for it, but no matter what you are always growing, so pay attention and try to learn from what comes your way.

 

[Lostinthemusic]

I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of people who switched their religious/spiritual leaning because of SA. Some from religious to atheist and some from atheist/non-religious to spiritual or religious.

I don't really have a point make, I just find that interesting and thought I would point it out.

 

[RoomBound]

I've always believed in God. We have 100 trillion cells in our bodies, each and every cell has the informational equivalent of 8,000 books. If our DNA strands were uncoiled, they'd reach to the moon and back to Earth 70 times! Freak explosions don't create such mind-bending, perfectly-functioning complexity.
To attribute something that legions of PhDs couldn't possibly create to something without an intelligence is absurd.

The Holy Spirit is within every Christian. (Those who believe that Jesus is God and walked Earth and died as a sacrifice/substitute for our sins and have prayed admitting they're sinners and sincerely asking to be saved). I can tell you that it's exquisite to be filled with the Spirit. Fear virtually disappears, and you feel like doing something positive like reading the Bible or sharing your faith with others.

It works! Try it.

Bill

 

[Hamelech]

Credo quia absurdum.

 

[Necrucifer]

I do not but I believe theres something out there but I am not willing to call it a god as I do not know what it is though. I am not saying it could be a higher being either just somethings out there, could be god could be something else.

 

[AsTimeBurns]

Since it can't be proven either way yet, I'm open to the possibility, but I very much doubt it.

 

[IcedEarth25]

I did believe in God up to the point when my Dad was still on this earth. Then when he passed on all my religious faiths and beliefs went down the toilet and my life with them pretty much. I don't believe in any religion to this day tho it dosen't mean I Don't respect other peoples views cause i'm not that callous to do that.

 

[Fen]

Do you think that God exists? If you do think he exists, do you think he can help you with your SA?

If he'd exist, he'd have a lot to do before helping us with SA: poverty, physical deformities, every kind of unfairness towards this planet, animals or life in general.
Nah, I don't believe in God. If I had to believe in something, maybe Buddhism would be better. At least there aren't any Gods or hypothetical endless lives

 

[MikeyC]

tho it dosen't mean I Don't respect other peoples views cause i'm not that callous to do that.

Very good. There was a guy at school who was a big Christian and he would always try to convert people because not being Christian meant you were going to Hell. He tried to convert me before and I foolishly almost did.

Compare that to a guy I know now who's a Christian and he will never try to do that. He might have his own views on my lifestyle but he'll never say anything about it. Besides his Christianity he's a normal bloke - good job, likes going out for a beer, into bodybuilding and cars.

So that's good maturity you're showing there, mate. No need to be callous just because your views are different to others. Religion can be a touchy subject for some people which is why it's best to tread carefully.

 

[YellowBird]

one life means no soul,no soul means you are trash,if you are trash why can't i throw you in the garbage too?
it's one thing to know the facts,to know the horrible truth,but embracing it rather than mourning for the truth never fails to surprise me.
I'm going through existential depression,if i didn't it'd be easier to pick my **** up and get better

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

Compare that to a guy I know now who's a Christian and he will never try to do that. He might have his own views on my lifestyle but he'll never say anything about it. Besides his Christianity he's a normal bloke - good job, likes going out for a beer, into bodybuilding and cars.

But isn't it required of devout Christians that they spread "the Word" and try to save others by converting them to Christianity? I'm not sure if that applies to all Christians, or whether what I'm thinking of is specific to one particular branch of the religion.

 

[IcedEarth25]

Very good. There was a guy at school who was a big Christian and he would always try to convert people because not being Christian meant you were going to Hell. He tried to convert me before and I foolishly almost did.

Compare that to a guy I know now who's a Christian and he will never try to do that. He might have his own views on my lifestyle but he'll never say anything about it. Besides his Christianity he's a normal bloke - good job, likes going out for a beer, into bodybuilding and cars.

So that's good maturity you're showing there, mate. No need to be callous just because your views are different to others. Religion can be a touchy subject for some people which is why it's best to tread carefully.

Exactly, Religion can work in different ways to people, and it also depends on how you view the subject yourself. I was always told how to love yourself and each other and care for others and show appreciation to the world around you. But the religion i view today seems to be all about war and negativity etc , so really I've been turned off the subject by these known factors, had i had the chance to see the real light that shines from God himself then i might have thought otherwise about my faith.

 

[MikeyC]

But isn't it required of devout Christians that they spread "the Word" and try to save others by converting them to Christianity? I'm not sure if that applies to all Christians, or whether what I'm thinking of is specific to one particular branch of the religion.

Possibly, even though I think that's kind of silly.

But the religion i view today seems to be all about war and negativity etc

Only the most extreme views get shown worldwide - not all people in the Middle East are as extreme as we see on TV, for example. But you're sort of right.