Why do people believe in God?

@Pinball..

“God” is a loose term which of late can be described as the creator of the universe. This description does align with the Christian/Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu scriptures. So to say there are a gazilion Gods makes no sense.
The creation of the universe according to Greek mythology was born out of Chaos. Some anthropomorphise Chaos, some don’t.’

The Roman version of creation is pretty similar to the Greeks, but no distinct monotheistic creator.

The Egyptian god of creation is very close with the monotheistic Hindu god Vishnu, but is known as Atum Ra

The Babylonian creation myth is basically the same as the Greek myth. Born out of Chaos,

If we look carefully these are basically the same characters with different names.

The idea of there being thousands of gods is not related to the term God which is a monotheistic concept. For example the Hindus, despite being polytheistic recognise Vishnu (some Shiva) as the one Supreme Being that is not only responsible for the creation of the universe out of chaotic unmanifested matter, but the creator of innumerable gods (Demi-gods/Devas:Devi).

Just so we don’t get confused we should refer to the creator of the universe(s) as God, and refer to gods as the superintendents of the universe(s).
In this way there is only one God, but thousand, millions, or whatever gods.”
 
Trek said:
@Pinball..

“God” is a loose term which of late can be described as the creator of the universe. This description does align with the Christian/Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu scriptures. So to say there are a gazilion Gods makes no sense.
The creation of the universe according to Greek mythology was born out of Chaos. Some anthropomorphise Chaos, some don’t.’

The Roman version of creation is pretty similar to the Greeks, but no distinct monotheistic creator.

The Egyptian god of creation is very close with the monotheistic Hindu god Vishnu, but is known as Atum Ra

The Babylonian creation myth is basically the same as the Greek myth. Born out of Chaos,

If we look carefully these are basically the same characters with different names.

The idea of there being thousands of gods is not related to the term God which is a monotheistic concept. For example the Hindus, despite being polytheistic recognise Vishnu (some Shiva) as the one Supreme Being that is not only responsible for the creation of the universe out of chaotic unmanifested matter, but the creator of innumerable gods (Demi-gods/Devas:Devi).

Just so we don’t get confused we should refer to the creator of the universe(s) as God, and refer to gods as the superintendents of the universe(s).
In this way there is only one God, but thousand, millions, or whatever gods.”
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Perhaps I should have dismantled this at the time.

Why would a creator give different stories, different characters, hero's and villains, himself different names sex and characteristics, and different rules and fates for his people?

Would that not lead to a chaotic world?
 
Pinball1970 said:
Perhaps I should have dismantled this at the time.
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Lol!
Pinball1970 said:
Why would a creator give different stories, different characters, hero's and villains, himself different names sex and characteristics, and different rules and fates for his people?
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They’re the same stories understood by vast amounts of different peoples, religions, eras, empires, cultures, traditions, characteristics, time, events, circumstances, etc. Every human being is a unique individual.
It’s quite telling how the stories more or less tell the same events

Pinball1970 said:
Would that not lead to a chaotic world?
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No. IMO the chaos is inevitable.
We live in a chaotic world.
That’s my opinion
 
Trek said:
The fact they all accept the universe was created (came into being) is one obvious uniformity.
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Yeah and people, animals, mountains, trees, weather phenomenon, birth, death, disease, war, astronomy and crops. That's what those tribes worlds were.
Why should that be a suprise to anyone?
 
"The ǀXam prayed to the Sun and Moon. Many myths are ascribed to various stars.

ǀKágge̥n (sometimes corrupted to "Cagn"[1]) is Mantis, a demiurge and hero in ǀXam folklore.[2] He is a trickster god who can shape-shift. He and his wife ǀHúnntuǃattǃatte̥n.
ǀHúnntuǃattǃatte̥n (also known as or corrupted to "Coti"[1]), the Dassie, adopted !Xo, Porcupine, as their daughter.[3]
!Xo, Porcupine, as their parents ǀKágge̥n and ǀHúnntuǃattǃatte̥n, married Ichneumon, son was the Ichneumon.[3]"
 
There is an African creation myth that stared with a big tree where everyone lived under the earth.

Another features an Eland which gets killed and angers the gods- South African. Elands are only found in Africa so that is not so surprising.

There is another African religion featuring termites, https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13002-017-0137-z " San of southern Africa, termites were the first meat that God gave to humans, before all other animal meat was created. The flying termites were associated with supernatural creative powers, and creation stories of the San relate that the first humans came from a termite nest, considered to be God’s house. That is probably the reason that in rock art of the San (Bushman) north of the River Limpopo in Zimbabwe termites’ nests are depicted"

One Chinese myth involves a giant turtle "In the Chinese mythology, the creator goddess Nüwa cut the legs off the giant sea turtle Ao (simplified Chinese: 鳌; traditional Chinese: 鰲; pinyin: áo) and used them to prop up the sky after Gong Gong damaged Mount Buzhou, which had previously supported the heavens.[4]"

There is a Korean myth involving gods battling out by growing flowers, we have two suns and moons at point in that one.

I could go on but my point is that:

1.The creation myths reflect the time, culture, terrain flora and fauna of those tribes.
2.Some have similarities that are occupied in the same geographical region but evolve over time as the tribes come and go so the myths are adopted adapted and rehashed.
3.The vast majority bear no resemblance in to each other

All indications as stated are that the creation stories are inventions of those tribes.
 
Pinball1970 said:
There is an African creation myth that stared with a big tree where everyone lived under the earth.
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How can that be a creation story if everyone lived under a tree. Could you elaborate?
Pinball1970 said:
Another features an Eland which gets killed and angers the gods- South African. Elands are only found in Africa so that is not so surprising.
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Again, I don’t see a “creation” story
Pinball1970 said:
There is another African religion featuring termites, https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13002-017-0137-z " San of southern Africa, termites were the first meat that God gave to humans, before all other animal meat was created. The flying termites were associated with supernatural creative powers, and creation stories of the San relate that the first humans came from a termite nest, considered to be God’s house. That is probably the reason that in rock art of the San (Bushman) north of the River Limpopo in Zimbabwe termites’ nests are depicted"
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Same as above
Pinball1970 said:
One Chinese myth involves a giant turtle "In the Chinese mythology, the creator goddess Nüwa cut the legs off the giant sea turtle Ao (simplified Chinese: 鳌; traditional Chinese: 鰲; pinyin: áo) and used them to prop up the sky after Gong Gong damaged Mount Buzhou, which had previously supported the heavens.[4]"
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Where is the creation story?
Pinball1970 said:
There is a Korean myth involving gods battling out by growing flowers, we have two suns and moons at point in that one.
Click to expand...
Same as above
Pinball1970 said:
I could go on but my point is that:
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Pinball1970 said:
1.The creation myths reflect the time, culture, terrain flora and fauna of those tribes.
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What is a creation myth in your understanding?
Pinball1970 said:
2.Some have similarities that are occupied in the same geographical region but evolve over time as the tribes come and go so the myths are adopted adapted and rehashed.
3.The vast majority bear no resemblance in to each other

All indications as stated are that the creation stories are inventions of those tribes.
Click to expand...
These stories already contain nature and gods which are “created”. These are more like folklores, or superstition.
 
Trek said:
How can that be a creation story if everyone lived under a tree. Could you elaborate?

Again, I don’t see a “creation” story

Same as above

Where is the creation story?

Same as above


What is a creation myth in your understanding?

These stories already contain nature and gods which are “created”. These are more like folklores, or superstition.
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Folklore or superstition?
 
Trek said:
It a creation story.
“In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth”
That’s a creation story
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No, that is the one you are familiar with. You have clearly not read any of the African, Chinese, south American etc. Some of them bear no resemblance whatsoever to each other. That is because they are inventions of that particular tribe and time.
 
Pinball1970 said:
No, that is the one you are familiar with. You have clearly not read any of the African, Chinese, south American etc. Some of them bear no resemblance whatsoever to each other. That is because they are inventions of that particular tribe and time.
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I am familiar with quite a few, and they are basically the same. A creation story is the creation of this material manifestation. The creator has to be transcendent to such a manifestation.
 
Trek said:
I am familiar with quite a few, and they are basically the same
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Well that is the problem then. There are more than "quite a few" and they are not "basically the same."

Some have similar themes some are profoundly different.
 
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