Why do people believe in god?
- Thread starter LuckAse
- Start date
well, you couldn't ask for better evidence than this. you may, or may not, want to take a step back and objectively look at what you've said here, and what it means.
first of all, if you're trying to convince me, anyone else, or even perhaps yourself, that you're unable to consider things, and change your mind, and that changing a mind doesn't have a real effect, then you're going to have a hard time, because i see it happen a lot. it's happened to me, and to everyone else, and to you as well.
secondly, you don't have a crystal ball do you? you don't know what your future holds, nor anyone and everyone else's. if you are truly science-minded, then you are aware of just how very little we know. and if you are alive and looking, surely you see how that is evident in the world around you. so don't you think that it's a prudent thing to keep an open mind?
and so thirdly, am i to assume that you only value what you can see? that you trust your perception that much to rule out anything you can't? yet. after all, scientists wouldn't have jobs if everything was easily or currently evident, or already known.
that's a really bad analogy, on many levels.
first of all, because a lot of people are indoctrinated into religion at a very young age and end up completely jaded against the idea of god because of it.
secondly, some religious people want to pretend like god is santa claus, and he's not.
thirdly, you don't grow out of santa claus. initially, someone tells you a lie, and then they eventually tell you it's a lie, or you find out it's a lie somehow. so the correct analogy would be...you never believed a lie. you knew that some people did say they believed in santa claus, but you've never seen him, so you don't know one way or the other. until one night when you're say 30 something years old and stone cold sober, some fat guy with a white beard and a red fuzzy suit somehow, seemingly magically, squeezes his ass down your chimney and hands you a present. it's what you've always wanted. how in the hell did he know? you never told anybody. so you run outside, and there's reindeer on your roof, and the fat guy pops up out of the chimney and rides off into the moonlight. and nobody saw him but you. THAT would be a better analogy.
and finally, have you been drinking or something? because that response was some shit a five year old would come up with.
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which brings up the question..how come there isn't more ppl dressing up like god and have kids sit on their lap and tell them what they want?
Mind Over Matter
Registered Senior Member
Why do people believe in god? Because it makes no sense to me NOT to believe in God..
When a Christian asks you to believe in God and preaches the Gospel etc to you, they are offering you a hope in Eternal Life.
The questions for Atheists are these.
1. What is it you are offering to us when you ask us NOT to believe?
2. What advantage(s) does belief in NO God offer?
3. Why is Rejection of God better than Acceptance of God?
4. Why is Hopelessness (No afterlife) better than Hopefulness (glorious afterlife)?
Let it be know right now that I am no philosopher, nor am I a theologian.
I am a simple believer in God, because as I've said, it makes no sense to me NOT to believe in God.
I am a Christian because Christianity, built upon Love, makes more sense than any other faith that I have looked at.
I recognize that there are numerous examples of people of faith acting badly, even horrifically, yet I cannot see that as some sort of proof against Gods existence.
So tell me - What does the "faith of Atheism" offer that is not found in a "faith of theism".
Most forms of belief in God, particularly Judeo/Christian belief, whether right or wrong, offers the Hope of salvation and an eternal life of happiness. What can Atheism offer me except the grave?
When a Christian asks you to believe in God and preaches the Gospel etc to you, they are offering you a hope in Eternal Life.
The questions for Atheists are these.
1. What is it you are offering to us when you ask us NOT to believe?
2. What advantage(s) does belief in NO God offer?
3. Why is Rejection of God better than Acceptance of God?
4. Why is Hopelessness (No afterlife) better than Hopefulness (glorious afterlife)?
Let it be know right now that I am no philosopher, nor am I a theologian.
I am a simple believer in God, because as I've said, it makes no sense to me NOT to believe in God.
I am a Christian because Christianity, built upon Love, makes more sense than any other faith that I have looked at.
I recognize that there are numerous examples of people of faith acting badly, even horrifically, yet I cannot see that as some sort of proof against Gods existence.
So tell me - What does the "faith of Atheism" offer that is not found in a "faith of theism".
Most forms of belief in God, particularly Judeo/Christian belief, whether right or wrong, offers the Hope of salvation and an eternal life of happiness. What can Atheism offer me except the grave?
Yes there are many factors associated with schizophrenia, which typically has the symptoms Lori admits to having.
I skimmed Lori's link, looking for reference or discussion of one fact I know.* That is that it is very rare for schizophrenia and Parkinson Disease to be present in the same person. The link does not clearly state this but does have a section on "dopamine." A deficiency of Dopamine is always associated with Parkinson Disease.
I have not keep up with the treatment of Parkinson disease, but a decade or so ago it was treated, quite successfully for some years, by giving L-dopa which in the brain converts to Dopamine.
SUMMARY for Lori: You are lucky; not only do you have strong faith, based on your schizophrenia like symptoms, but also you will never get Parkinson's disease.
* My father, clinical director at two large mental hospitals, made me aware of this fact more than 40 years ago.
Not really. You have psychological evidence for existence of God. Physical evidence is something tangible - something you can show to others, not just tell them about.
This does not rule out the possibility that God is speaking to you. No one can prove he/she/it is not.
It is interesting that usually it is women that have these strong "god is speaking to me" experiences, like Joan of Arc, the sisters who even saw God (Mary?)and told there would be a revelation made soon, the Fatima girl, the Salem ladies whom God told others were witches, etc. down thru history. I am not aware of men claiming God spoke to them, except when they claim this is why they killed some people, but probably there are some and I am just ignorant of them.
If Lori wants many to believer her experience are based on God, (perhaps she doesn't care, but she is posting here sort of implies she does want to be believed) then she must achieve some "miracle" others can see. Like Joan of Arc did - She lead an inferior French force in battle to victory and many then believed she was directed by God.
I remain an agnostic as nothing can be proved one way or the other.
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you know..it may be that lori has problems like that, not saying she does..that is between here and her doctor..i am amazed at how many experts are on this board to say that she does have these problems..IOW leave the diagnosis to the professionals otherwise you are just putting forth your own uneducated opinion..
i seriously doubt ANY professional doctor would consider this a valid diagnosis just because she professes a belief in god, this is supposed to be a science board, how can anyone conclude such a diagnosis with such limited interaction.
IOW..QUIT doing what you are claiming Christians do! (demeaning a person just because they don't agree with you)
i seriously doubt ANY professional doctor would consider this a valid diagnosis just because she professes a belief in god, this is supposed to be a science board, how can anyone conclude such a diagnosis with such limited interaction.
IOW..QUIT doing what you are claiming Christians do! (demeaning a person just because they don't agree with you)
So your basic reason for believing in God and an afterlife is that it makes you feel better.
It not simply that she professes a belief in god. She hears voices in her head.
that's nice to know i guess. thanks. now if i would just quit smoking cigarettes, i should be in good shape.
that's how she communicates such..how are we to know that the voices she hears are an indicator of some medical dysfunction? this is something for someone with far more experience and training to determine.
that may only be words she uses to describe her experiences..there may be better words to use to communicate such experiences but we are limited in our communication abilities by what we grew up around and what/how we are taught..
i am sure you have tried to communicate something that did not come across in the way you had intentioned..
case in point..(i've been trying to figure out how to work this one into a conversation)
IE the statement
'read your post..'
is it past tense as in 'i already read your post'
or is future tense for you to 'read your post'?
for the average human (and most of the users here)
communication is not an exact science..
well, there were physical aspects to an experience i had 5 years ago. there were physical sensations that i experienced, and at one point i sat and observed my physical environment being manipulated by something i could not see.
that particular experience was actually observed and confirmed by other people, without any corroboration on our part, and has been documented by those people and by myself in a variety of ways.
the experience was somewhat prophetic in nature, having to do with future events, and i have no time frame for those events. but i have every reason to believe that at some point, what you're suggesting here will happen, and it will serve to open or change a lot of people's minds.
i'm not the only one who hears god's voice alex. many, many people have heard god's voice, and testify to that.
certainly you're familiar with the bible. it is story after story after story of different people hearing god's voice and acting upon that. it's really the whole basis of christianity.
and i wonder how it is that i would believe in god, without experiencing god in this way, or in some way at the very least. and i wonder how i would believe in christ and in the bible, if i did not hear god's voice?
i wouldn't be able to relate to it if i didn't. i wouldn't believe what i do if i didn't. i wouldn't have any good reason to. :shrug:
So all the mass murders and tyrants throughout world history that claim to be following gods words, are telling the truth? What makes their voices not gods and your voice god?
If you think the bible is anything more then horror stories and fables. Then you are very far gone! read it with an open mind and you will see the evil that it teaches,stoning ones wife and children, slavery. It is really a horrible book. It's greatest value is to study the minds of ancient peoples.
KRR
And many many more are so brainwashed by religous teachings that they sell, kill, disown daughters for being raped! These people have god on their side!
God is the perfect excuse to commit the most heinous of acts!
KRR
A hope only. They know not what they sell.
1. Peace on Earth, An end to most wars, An much less biased view of the universe.
2. See #1
3. Living a life based on fantasy (whether video game, religious, delusion...) when one could base it on high morals, clearity of thought is much better for yourself and even more important, is better for your fellow human.
4. A belief in god take away the grandure of the universe and places it in the hands of some omnipotent being. Why is a delusion better then no delusion. there are a lot of psychologically ill people that are "happy"! Would you call them better off?
Finish the rest later...
KRR
there is still the matter of taking responsibility for your own actions.
if i thought god told me to kill someone,i would assume it is the devil pretending to be god..
just cause it is in the bible doesn't mean we should follow it to the letter..
the stoneing was an example of what not to do as Jesus tells a mob who is about to stone a woman caught in adultery that whomever is without sin should throw the first stone.
it doesn't teach ppl to throw stones..
stay in context..
so the battle should be with those who teach that way..not tearing apart EVERY christian.
again..responsibility..we are still responsible for our own actions.
christianity teaches love...are you saying we shouldn't love one another?
this is what god and the bible teaches, it is not god fault or the bibles fault that ppl use it to manipulate the masses..
how would it take away the granduer of the universe???
sometimes i think ppl are so mad at god,since he aint around to punish, ppl tend to strike at christians..um..gee..someone said something about doing bad in gods name?? what about all the atheist that attack christians claiming 'it is gods fault' so lets punish his followers..
What inane rambling...
Oh god! (sorry) not the christians being persecuted again! They are the only ones we pick on! they have been persucuted and killed and maimed and tourtured throught out history... oh wait??? it's the other way around! never mind!
An atheist attacking a christian claiming "it is gods fault"!?!?!? We would have to believe in god to blame it on god! We blame it on you and your belief in god!
KRR