Reasons for unbelief...

Z

zeeebratracks

Registered Member
The most common reason I've found for unbelief in the God of the Bible [besides "evidence"] is that many don't like the idea of accountability presented in the Bible. Many don't like the idea of worshipping an all-knowing, all-powerful God. As humans, we want control of our own lives, apart from the will of God. We all crave independence; God would tie us down and take away our freedom. The truth is [that I've found; don't kill me for my beliefs please], faith in Christ brings freedom.

Your thoughts or reasons for unbelief in the God of the Bible?

EDIT: OK, so you're all responding to the accountability aspect. You've yet to touch on the idea of worshipping an all-knowing, all-powerful God. The dependence part. Thoughts, please.
 
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Wow - now watch the fireworks. But welcome to sciforums anyway.
 
zeeebratracks said:
The most common reason I've found for unbelief in the God of the Bible [besides "evidence"] is that many don't like the idea of accountability presented in the Bible. Many don't like the idea of worshipping an all-knowing, all-powerful God. As humans, we want control of our own lives, apart from the will of God. We all crave independence; God would tie us down and take away our freedom. The truth is [that I've found; don't kill me for my beliefs please], faith in Christ brings freedom.

Your thoughts or reasons for unbelief in the God of the Bible?
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i'll bite. i'm going to go ahead and say that the reason people flock to the church is for the exact reason you claimed that atheists cringe from it. i think that any religion that posits that you can do anything you want to while you're alive, regardless of how demented, and then still be "saved" as long as you accept god and ask for forgiveness pretty much destroys the concept of accountability. i think people embrace religion because it offers the hope of being forgiven in the end even when you know you have done the wrong thing on purpose. isn't that the reason for catholic confession? so that you can confess a hideous sin and then say 1,000 hail mary's to cleanse yourself of the act? what kind of accountability is that? non-belief offers no such kind of forgiveness or atonement, and for that reason, it may actually make people think twice before doing something wrong and having to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. just a thought though. nice theory.
 
Interesting thought, zt. I'd love to hear you elaborate on it.

As for being an unbeliever, I haven't got an actual reason. It just seems natural to me.
 
charles cure said:
i'll bite. i'm going to go ahead and say that the reason people flock to the church is for the exact reason you claimed that atheists cringe from it. i think that any religion that posits that you can do anything you want to while you're alive, regardless of how demented, and then still be "saved" as long as you accept god and ask for forgiveness pretty much destroys the concept of accountability. i think people embrace religion because it offers the hope of being forgiven in the end even when you know you have done the wrong thing on purpose. isn't that the reason for catholic confession? so that you can confess a hideous sin and then say 1,000 hail mary's to cleanse yourself of the act? what kind of accountability is that? non-belief offers no such kind of forgiveness or atonement, and for that reason, it may actually make people think twice before doing something wrong and having to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. just a thought though. nice theory.
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Most Christians I know were brought up in their respective churches, and that is the reason why they are in them. However, I do not know any born-again Christians, and I'll bet your statement can apply to many of them.
 
I've yet to meet a single atheist who disbelieved in God because they don't like the idea of accountability. The notion is strictly a fabrication of the religious who have a need to associate disbelief with sin rather than experience or logic and to this end present the myth of the hedonistic atheist. The concept itself is illogical as one would have to hold a belief in god in order to rebel against god's authority. Such a person is not an atheist, even if they proclaim themselves to be.

In my experience, most atheists disbelieve due to an inability to reconcile belief with reason and experience. Religion is unable to address the problem this presents and thus attempts to mask disbelief as disobedience (sin) in order to hide the dilemma.

~Raithere
 
zeeebratracks said:
The most common reason I've found for unbelief in the God of the Bible [besides "evidence"] is that many don't like the idea of accountability presented in the Bible.
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Where did you "find" this reason being the most common?

The most common reasons that I have come across, through friends and this forum, is firstly that belief without evidence is irrational and secondly that the Bible itself is full of inconsistencies.

The second reason might lead someone to believe in a God not of the Bible, but the first reason usually leads someone to the position of non-belief.

If you have evidence that there are more common reasons, please share.
 
'A reason for unbelief', does there have to be one? No-one is born believing, they are indoctrinated. Maybe that just doesn't stick to everyone? I guess the question only applies to those who have had a 'road from Damascus' experience, therefore.

I never really believed, the whole story of God seemed preposterouis to me, even as a child. Since, I have never met an honest or intellectually mature christian.
 
Have to agree with what the others have said accountability had nothing whatsoever to do with it. I do not need the carrot on the stick promise of some eternal reward to coax me into being a moral person it just comes naturally. My disbelief came from my personal observations..that and 11 years of catholic schooling ;)
 
I don't believe for much the same reason that I don't spend most of my free time time doing handstands - there is no particular reason to do so.
 
Yet without accountability the atheist generally does the right thing because it is the right thing whereas the Christian does the right thing out of fear of punishment. Who has the higher moral ground?

Such unbelievers take responsibility for their personal actions whereas the Christian cowardly relinqusihes such responsibilities to a fantasy.
 
Your thoughts or reasons for unbelief in the God of the Bible?
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The exact same reason I don't believe in leprechauns, mermaids, or flying pink elephants.

Now, I would ask that you take the time to tell me why you don't believe in the three I have highlighted, (if you don't), and then hopefully you'll come to a better understanding.
 
zeeebratracks said:
The most common reason I've found for unbelief in the God of the Bible [besides "evidence"] is that many don't like the idea of accountability presented in the Bible. Many don't like the idea of worshipping an all-knowing, all-powerful God. As humans, we want control of our own lives, apart from the will of God. We all crave independence; God would tie us down and take away our freedom. The truth is [that I've found; don't kill me for my beliefs please], faith in Christ brings freedom.

Your thoughts or reasons for unbelief in the God of the Bible?
Click to expand...

you know what i'd like to have explained to me - how exactly does faith in christ bring freedom? rules are the antithesis of freedom, especially rules that are enforced through the manipulation of fear. that seems to me to be the sum of religious belief, rule through fear. how exactly does that further the cause of personal freedom or independence?
 
zeeebratracks said:
The most common reason I've found for unbelief in the God of the Bible [besides "evidence"] is that many don't like the idea of accountability presented in the Bible.
Click to expand...

I've never encountered that reason from a 'non-believer' before. The dominating reason is lack of supportive evidence and presence of contradictory evidence to the claim that 'God' exists. A secondary reason I have seen is contradiction of state and intent (e.x. 'God' loves you and if you're defending yourself and your family as they are beinng raped and murdered then you are a sinner and will be punished with eternal torture).

Your assertion is nonetheless very related to rejection of religion and retainment of a belief in 'God'. Christianity, for example, doesn't provide a means to be responsible. You are either doing 'God's' will or 'Satan's'' will. Never your own and therefore you utterly lack responsibility. You are held accountable upon death however. Theists whom reject religion sometimes do so because of the absence of responsibility and presence of accountability for the actions of others.
 
zeeebratracks said:
The most common reason I've found for unbelief in the God of the Bible [besides "evidence"] is that many don't like the idea of accountability presented in the Bible. Many don't like the idea of worshipping an all-knowing, all-powerful God. As humans, we want control of our own lives, apart from the will of God. We all crave independence; God would tie us down and take away our freedom. The truth is [that I've found; don't kill me for my beliefs please], faith in Christ brings freedom.

Your thoughts or reasons for unbelief in the God of the Bible?
Click to expand...

The question is not why atheists don't believe... it should be why theists believe.

I guess we are just superstitious animals - Why do people believe in ghosts? Well we all know what it is like to feel threatened when in the dark... Why do people believe that the position of stars, planets and the moon bear significance to our future human affairs? It is rediculous and as irrational as organised religion.

You can not seperate organised religion from any other irrational superstitious institution. So asking why people don't believe in God, is also asking why we don't believe in Astrology or the tooth fairy.
 
Who here doesn't feel bad if you wrong someone? Go ahead, if you have fingers, let them type if that's the case. Why do you feel wrong when you do bad? You can argue because you were raised that way but nevertheless, even people who weren't feel bad for wronging a friend, and anyone can potentially be a friend. And you can argue for self survival, since ultimately it's important to have allies. So why would you feel bad if you didn't have allies? No one to help you survive, or carry on your genes. So why is that bad? Because it hurts you and is disrespectful to the self? So can you bring it down anymore than that? Either way, when you get down to it, we're gonna feel bad for wronging, either ourselves or others. Whether for the survival of the self or not, you can argue, but who put that in us that we should feel bad for harming or disrespecting? Why do we have it? Only one answer, that is God. Otherwise, any other answer is just meaningless. It's there for a purpose. We even have self-protection mechanisms for a purpose. Not just so we can live on and just die, along with mankind eventually at some point. It's a purpose. You can think yourself to worry about the underlying cause of what we do but you'll never pinpoint it without God. I don't believe God is in a church, or God is in a book, He is in us. We should do good to others because we are pretty much brothers and sisters and going through the same struggle. If you die trying to save yourself, what have you got in the end, yourself. If you die trying to save another or others, then you will have them. And also you will have God.
 
i'll bite. i'm going to go ahead and say that the reason people flock to the church is for the exact reason you claimed that atheists cringe from it. i think that any religion that posits that you can do anything you want to while you're alive, regardless of how demented, and then still be "saved" as long as you accept god and ask for forgiveness pretty much destroys the concept of accountability. i think people embrace religion because it offers the hope of being forgiven in the end even when you know you have done the wrong thing on purpose. isn't that the reason for catholic confession? so that you can confess a hideous sin and then say 1,000 hail mary's to cleanse yourself of the act? what kind of accountability is that? non-belief offers no such kind of forgiveness or atonement, and for that reason, it may actually make people think twice before doing something wrong and having to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. just a thought though. nice theory.
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Those of you that think this way obviously haven't researched Christianity to the extent in which I believe it. The way I follow Christianity is the way the Bible presents it. In the Bible, we are told that a regenerate heart wants to do the will of God and chooses to please Him. I have found this, in my own walk, to be true. I believe that the God I worship is the ultimate Creator of the universe and the finisher and perfector of my faith. His Son died on the cross so that I may have freedom from the sins I've fallen into, just as long as I have faith. What I'm trying to get at [sorry for rambling there] is Christianity has accountability. God holds sinners accountable for sin by sending them to Hell for their unrepentance. Now it might sound like Christians have no accountability but that is absolutely not the case. God sees the heart, the intentions. If those go unconfessed, then you've got an issue with God on your hands, if you confess those sins, God is willing to forgive you. You will still have guilt [I know I do], but God, out of love, wipes the slate clean.
About the Catholic part however, doctrinal Catholocism really isn't 100% Biblical [which we Christians believe to be the inerrant word of God]. Catholics believe that they must seek repentance from a priest, as if the priest is greater in holiness than they are, and is the only one that can confess their sins before Christ because as a sinner, they aren't worthy. This is not the case. This is the reason why Christ had to be both 100% man and 100% God. When Christ died a human death - one of flesh and blood, He became the mediator for us and God the Father. We as Christians can now petition our requests to Jesus Christ who makes intercession for us. There is also no need for Hail Mary's. She was a righteous woman yes, but not infallible. The Catholic church seems to put her on the same level as Jesus when this is simply not necessary or Biblical. It's not as if she died on the cross for the sins of the redeemed. Forgiveness in Christianity only comes from a truly repentant heart confessing sins before the Son of Man [Jesus Christ], NOT Mary.

And about the non-belief being without forgiveness...what if you don't think twice and end up doing something you regret for the rest of your life? You are left without hope. Everyday we make wrong decisions, don't you feel guilt about that? What even causes guilt? I'll tell you what causes guilt. Realization of truth. Realization of right and wrong. That brings me to my next question. On what do you base your standards of right and wrong? Something to think about....
 
...In my experience, most atheists disbelieve due to an inability to reconcile belief with reason and experience. Religion is unable to address the problem this presents and thus attempts to mask disbelief as disobedience (sin) in order to hide the dilemma.
Click to expand...

Try reading the book of Romans. It explains alot about the disbelief part.
 
I don't believe for much the same reason that I don't spend most of my free time time doing handstands - there is no particular reason to do so.
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Say that the doctrines of Christianity ARE true. One reason to believe? Eternal damnation if you don't.
 
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