Why believe in God?

Norsefire said:
I think many things; I could ask, why believe in the big bang theory?
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You need to get your head out of the sand and out of the theist mindset.

People don't "beleive" in Big Bang Theory. They understand the evidence suggests the theory is plausible and explains the universes origins. This is not an absolute belief like a theists god.
 
(Q) said:
You need to get your head out of the sand and out of the theist mindset.

People don't "beleive" in Big Bang Theory. They understand the evidence suggests the theory is plausible and explains the universes origins. This is not an absolute belief like a theists god.
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Yes, because the big bang theory is not FACT, it is belief, a theory. It is a belief with evidence, but a belief nonetheless.




And you make a good point, theists have absolute belief; however, I am not measuring who has "evidence" or not, but rather the plausibility or possibility of either of the beliefs, and I must say the big bang is LESS plausible, to me, than that some sort of intelligent force led to the creation of our universe.

Because I just can't understand how SOMETHING comes out of NOTHING.

Besides, the radiation emmitted from the center of the universe is only evidence to support that some sort of "explosion" occured, BUT DOES NOT EXPLAIN WHAT led to that explosion.
 
Norsefire said:
Yes, because the big bang theory is not FACT, it is belief, a theory. It is a belief with evidence, but a belief nonetheless.
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I don't believe in the BB. I accept it as a good working theory that explains pretty much every relevant observation we've made of the cosmos.

Because I just can't understand how SOMETHING comes out of NOTHING.
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Really? Oh Really? And your god came from...???

Besides, the radiation emmitted from the center of the universe
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The what? Learn some science befory you start using it as a totally flawed example in your argument.

BUT DOES NOT EXPLAIN WHAT led to that explosion.
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So? The BB theory isn't meant to explain "why". Maybe someday an understanding of it may lead to the "why", but that's irrelevant.
 
Enmos said:
I was just answering his question: "As an atheist, what do you think are the reasons that theists want you to believe in God?"

I meant happiness because of the lifestyle in point 3. Being close to God and whatnot.
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no offense man. it's just that i think that's a common misconception of why i might want to believe in god. i can only speak for myself but he hasn't made me all that happy. he's done a hell of a lot for me. he's made me strong and fearless, given me passion and purpose, and a sense of peace regarding that, but it hasn't come by way of happiness that's for sure. it's been really hard.
 
Lori_7 said:
no offense man. it's just that i think that's a common misconception of why i might want to believe in god. i can only speak for myself but he hasn't made me all that happy. he's done a hell of a lot for me. he's made me strong and fearless, given me passion and purpose, and a sense of peace regarding that, but it hasn't come by way of happiness that's for sure. it's been really hard.
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Read the OP once more, you missed a word there..
 
lightgigantic said:
rather, one should serve god, since by service to god, all problems are solved (samsara is finished)
belief is not sufficient
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I agree that belief is not sufficient.
However, there needs to be some motivation for action - ie. a conviction that acting a certain way as opposed to another will lead out of samsara.

So, "believing in God for the sake of leaving samsara" is a reason to believe in God.
This, however, includes that one is convinced that samsara is unsatisfactory, that it might be possible to get out of it, and that the person's own actions could contribute to getting out of samsara.


You will have noticed that your view is far more "utilitarian" than some views common in Christianity - e.g. "One must believe in God because God said so", "One must believe in God for the sake of God's glory" - kept in that abstract form, with no further explanation. In some doctrines of Christianity, it is considered a defeating offence to "believe in God jus so that one would get to heaven" - in those doctrines, believing such is said to lead one to eternal hellfire.
 
greenberg said:
I agree that belief is not sufficient.
However, there needs to be some motivation for action - ie. a conviction that acting a certain way as opposed to another will lead out of samsara.

So, "believing in God for the sake of leaving samsara" is a reason to believe in God.
This, however, includes that one is convinced that samsara is unsatisfactory, that it might be possible to get out of it, and that the person's own actions could contribute to getting out of samsara.
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if a person doesn't see any problem with material existence, they still might be inclined to believe in god, simply as some sort of mercantile/insurance agent for material happiness


You will have noticed that your view is far more "utilitarian" than some views common in Christianity - e.g. "One must believe in God because God said so", "One must believe in God for the sake of God's glory" - kept in that abstract form, with no further explanation. In some doctrines of Christianity, it is considered a defeating offence to "believe in God jus so that one would get to heaven" - in those doctrines, believing such is said to lead one to eternal hellfire.
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in vedic literature distinctions are made between the eternal abode of god (vaikuntha) and the heavenly upper planets of the material world (still an aspect of samsara, but with greater facility for bodily/mental delight). The whole idea of service to god is that it qualifies one for entering the eternal abode of god. The same service attitude mixed with desire for personal aggrandizement sees one getting waylaid to the temporary heavenly planets.
 
greenberg said:
As a theist, what do you think are the reasons why a person should believe in God?
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I think the universe attests to His majesty, and I believe life is more than just a chemical reaction. I've always believed a plan is better than chance. I believe the human soul differentiates a person from their identical clone. This philosophical view dates back to Aristotle and his search for the smallest unit of existence, where the soul differentiates the living unit from the dead unit.

Creatures have souls that die when their body dies, but only humans have an eternal soul (according to theistic belief). An atheist can believe in the "soul concept" without being a theist. They can do this by categorizing the soul as a set of emotions and experiences that are unique to only one creature that continuously changes over time. This is harder accounting for me to relate to so I remove the time factor, and replace it with "soul" as the defining attribute.

Anyway, you asked for my view and I gave it.
 
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