Do you believe in God? 55 members have voted

[TheVirus]

OK, here goes.

 

I also have loose believe in the bible. Never actually believed in Adam and Eve and Tower of Babel. Some of it I do believe though, like Birth of Jesus, Moses, etc etc.

 

There is no proof Jesus actually existed. The earliest information about him dates back to several hundred years after his death. If someone that was supposedly so important, so powerful, you'd think there would be a lot more information and validity about his existence around the time he actually existed.

 

I'm a Christian, I believe Jesus died for everyone's Salvation, and I believe in the Bible. I have had questions about it and I'm secure it what I believe because I don't blindly listen to what my parents have taught me. I have searched for the answers myself and, in short, have come to the conclusion that following Christ is the right way to go.

 

I hope that you searched for the answers outside of the Bible, church, and Christian-based sources. You believe in God and follow Christianity, why? If you believe the Bible, then you believe the Earth is 6000 years old, which has been proven to be completely untrue. I suppose you also believe the parts that women should remain silent, that you should not get haircuts, that you should pray for the sick, which can lead to improper treatment, a talking snake, give up your first born, etc. I could go on.

 

That's where the whole aspect of faith comes in, Atheists/Agnostics need it just as much, if not more, as Theists.

 

No, we don't. We reject faith of religion because of what it is and what it causes. We don't need to believe. I could say the same about you and other religions. You reject Allah, Yahweh, and the countless other gods.

 

You're just as much an atheist as I am, except I believe in one fewer gods than you do.

 

Because God can explain a good deal of things. And because no one can continually watch every part of the universe, no can state the non-existence of anything. Please no flame like, "Well then you can't prove Star Wars isn't real." Technically you can't, but I'm being serious. For someone to believe that the universe just happened and just is and always has been is ignorant, it goes against the first law of thermodynamics (Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed). Now this law applies today because no one can make matter or destroy matter. At some point in time this law had to not not have existed and God imho created everything; matter, laws, etc...

 

To reject science and say something 'created' the universe and Earth is also ignorant. The first law of thermodynamics was never violated. This has been discussed many, many times. Just because you didn't do your research, does not mean you are right.

 

This is the number one thing that bothers me about religious people, and creationists specifically.

 

Believe me I have many other "proofs" if you will, but that was the most basic one I could think of off the top of my head. Yes, God is a higher being, and he created those laws in order for us to attempt to better understand Him.

 

Please, list them.

 

No, because we know eventually that the stork story is false. I'm saying it takes just as much faith to believe in something no can prove as it does to not believe. You can prove where babies come from.

 

Just because we cannot prove something, does not mean we need to believe in some supernatural being, that's quite silly. Instead of giving up and saying, 'Fuck it, God did it,' you should, instead, try to find the answer yourself. You can't use religion as a scapegoat for lack of scientific evidence.

 

Religion is basically hope.. There's nothing wrong with being religious whatsoever. But personally, I don't believe in religion because I would rather live with solid facts rather than a theory. Plus, I like to live to myself instead of a deity.

 

There are many things wrong with being religious. There are religious extremists, for one. Extremist Christians want to kill the president. Extremist Muslims want to kill us and basically everyone else. Religion has caused so many wars, deaths, hate, and pain that it's astonishing you would say that. Look at the never-ending war in Israel if you want an example. Hell, look at the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, those are due to religious zealots. What about all the death in the Bible? God killed over 70,000 people because he was bored.

 

In the bible, God kills over 350,000 people directly and has his servants kill over 1million more. How is that acceptable?

 

Science cannot prove or disprove God... Seeing as God cannot be empirically observed. And if you are referring to evolution, it is still known as the "evolutionary theory" not "solid evolutionary fact" lol.

 

So, because something is a theory, you will completely reject it? Nice way to stifle progress. It's thinking like that, that will prevent us from making any breakthroughs in space exploration, stem cell research, and much more. If everyone had that thought process, we'd still be in the middle ages. It's because people didn't want to give up and wanted to find answers, that you are on a computer right now, instead of running through the streets hunting for witches.

 

That's because it wasn't directed at you.

 

This, however, will be directed at you:

I don't give a damn how old the earth is; it doesn't effect me. It's simply irrelevant to my life. Your statement goes a little over the line of what I was meaning by "science." I believe in their (science's way) of proving something is correct or incorrect rather than a theory without something to fall back on. Mainly because they have evidence that it can be proved with. Yet again, I'm going to say: I don't believe all of science because a lot of it is based off theory. My mistake if I didn't specify clearly.But back to Troy's post, this could go both ways because it depends on the person. Lastly, I never said that either one was better; I said what I prefer.

 

If you don't care about something as simple as the Earth's age then you are subjecting yourself to a life with no point. If you won't question things that don't make sense to you, and blindly follow what people say, then I have nothing for you. A lot of science is based on fact, actually. It's just that topics of this discussion are based on theory (Big Bang and Evolution, for starters).

 

Ignorant of what exactly? First off, as many have said, existence or lack thereof of a higher power can't be proven (which is something you know judging from your second paragraph), but you're saying everyone should simply believe there is no higher power? I'm having a hard time following your reasoning, unless you're writing the post under the assumption that there is no higher power.

 

Obviously, if proof existed that there was no higher power (which is likely impossible), then people who worshiped something which was known not to exist, that would be ignorant. It would also be ignorant to not have a belief if there WAS proof of a higher power. But no such proof exists, so it would be ignorant to judge either those who believe or those who don't, as you have.

 

As for the reasons people follow their religious laws, it's the same as the reason they follow the laws of where they live and why they can create their own personal restrictions (like being a vegetarian, or vowing to never buy a Mac). Religious laws, state laws, and personal restrictions may or may not have a good reason behind them, so why single out religion? (After all, I'm sure many Americans have drank alcohol while they were underage and specifically forbidden by their state laws...)

 

If there was proof of God, undeniable proof, I still would reject it. I am not going to worship something that has caused so many problems with this world.

 

People follow their 'religious laws' because they were told that if they didn't, they would go to Hell. Right, that makes total sense. The Bible was written as a means of keeping people under control several hundred years ago. This text is completely out dated and should not be part of our culture in terms of governing what people should and should not do. There are many 'laws' in the Bible that make no sense and would mean that the majority of its believers are sinners.

 

Which of these laws have you violated? What about how the Bible treats women? Is that acceptable? You can't say it's OK for people to follow biblical laws, especially given the aforementioned ones. You also cannot say, 'Well, they follow some but not all.' That's a bullshit answer. Either you follow them all, and are a true Christian, or you follow none and are a sinner. You can't have it both ways.

[Neji]

OK, here goes.

 

 

 

There is no proof Jesus actually existed. The earliest information about him dates back to several hundred years after his death. If someone that was supposedly so important, so powerful, you'd think there would be a lot more information and validity about his existence around the time he actually existed.

 

 

 

I hope that you searched for the answers outside of the Bible, church, and Christian-based sources. You believe in God and follow Christianity, why? If you believe the Bible, then you believe the Earth is 6000 years old, which has been proven to be completely untrue. I suppose you also believe the parts that women should remain silent, that you should not get haircuts, that you should pray for the sick, which can lead to improper treatment, a talking snake, give up your first born, etc. I could go on.

 

 

 

No, we don't. We reject faith of religion because of what it is and what it causes. We don't need to believe. I could say the same about you and other religions. You reject Allah, Yahweh, and the countless other gods.

 

You're just as much an atheist as I am, except I believe in one fewer gods than you do.

 

 

 

To reject science and say something 'created' the universe and Earth is also ignorant. The first law of thermodynamics was never violated. This has been discussed many, many times. Just because you didn't do your research, does not mean you are right.

 

This is the number one thing that bothers me about religious people, and creationists specifically.

 

 

 

Please, list them.

 

 

 

Just because we cannot prove something, does not mean we need to believe in some supernatural being, that's quite silly. Instead of giving up and saying, 'Fuck it, God did it,' you should, instead, try to find the answer yourself. You can't use religion as a scapegoat for lack of scientific evidence.

 

 

 

There are many things wrong with being religious. There are religious extremists, for one. Extremist Christians want to kill the president. Extremist Muslims want to kill us and basically everyone else. Religion has caused so many wars, deaths, hate, and pain that it's astonishing you would say that. Look at the never-ending war in Israel if you want an example. Hell, look at the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, those are due to religious zealots. What about all the death in the Bible? God killed over 70,000 people because he was bored.

 

In the bible, God kills over 350,000 people directly and has his servants kill over 1million more. How is that acceptable?

 

 

 

So, because something is a theory, you will completely reject it? Nice way to stifle progress. It's thinking like that, that will prevent us from making any breakthroughs in space exploration, stem cell research, and much more. If everyone had that thought process, we'd still be in the middle ages. It's because people didn't want to give up and wanted to find answers, that you are on a computer right now, instead of running through the streets hunting for witches.

 

 

 

If you don't care about something as simple as the Earth's age then you are subjecting yourself to a life with no point. If you won't question things that don't make sense to you, and blindly follow what people say, then I have nothing for you. A lot of science is based on fact, actually. It's just that topics of this discussion are based on theory (Big Bang and Evolution, for starters).

 

 

 

If there was proof of God, undeniable proof, I still would reject it. I am not going to worship something that has caused so many problems with this world.

 

People follow their 'religious laws' because they were told that if they didn't, they would go to Hell. Right, that makes total sense. The Bible was written as a means of keeping people under control several hundred years ago. This text is completely out dated and should not be part of our culture in terms of governing what people should and should not do. There are many 'laws' in the Bible that make no sense and would mean that the majority of its believers are sinners.

 

Which of these laws have you violated? What about how the Bible treats women? Is that acceptable? You can't say it's OK for people to follow biblical laws, especially given the aforementioned ones. You also cannot say, 'Well, they follow some but not all.' That's a bullshit answer. Either you follow them all, and are a true Christian, or you follow none and are a sinner. You can't have it both ways.

 

 

Just a question, are you trying to make me don't believe in God and Jesus lol.

[Coffee Crisp]

I believe in God and Science equally (possibly more at times). I use Science to explain the normal and God to explain the paranormal. I was raised a Catholic but I believe religion should not teach people to block out other ideas, opinions, and facts, so we can have less of those loud people preaching nonsense and making their religion look bad.

[TheVirus]

Atheist. Although, It's pretty nice to believe that there's someone to help you in bad days and I think I wouldn't accept the fact if you die, that there's nothing more.

 

Regarding that statement. People like to say they believe in God because it has helped them in some way. What way? You mean it answered one of your prayers? What about all of the prayers it did not answer? People claim they are a believer because they will be saved or helped in some way, what about all the people that died for no reason? You think it's OK for God to help your football team win last weekend and let some child die of cancer? Why did God answer your prayer and not the child's?

 

This is the second reason why I hate religion. People have blind faith and end up making really poor decisions that either affect themselves or people they know (their kids, for example).

 

If you want to believe in the afterlife, want to believe God is watching over you, that's fine, but don't let your belief affect others. I cannot stand parents who tell their kids that if they don't clean their room, that they'll go to Hell. More and more people are using religion as a means of scaring people into following them, which is what it was originally written for, and less about teaching people about the good things, like helping your fellow man (universal health care, same-sex marriage, etc), making decisions because they are right or wrong, not because some book said they are (You should help the elderly because it's the right thing to do, not because it'll get you into Heaven).

[TheVirus]

Just a question, are you trying to make me don't believe in God and Jesus lol.

 

No, I'm not trying to make anyone believe in one thing or another. I'm trying to make people open their minds and ask questions, find solutions, and ask more questions. Most people are religious because their parents are. They accept what their parents say and don't question it. When they grow older, they follow the religion based on instinct rather than knowledge. They follow it because they 'should', not because they want to.

 

Have you read the Bible cover-to-cover? If not, you should. Take notes while you read it and ask those questions. Either to your parents, or some religious leader. Keep asking them until they give you a straight answer and not something like, 'It is because God said so', or 'It is written therefore it is.' Those are unacceptable answers and people accept them as truth.

 

If you find anything in the Bible confusing, and don't seek answers or clarification, you aren't a believer because you want to be, you are a believer because someone said you should. All I ask is that you do not blindly accept everything you are told, even from me.

 

I'll quote a popular phrase, "To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it. They just scroll to the bottom and click “I agree.” "

[mapper]

Well about that. I just believe in whatever happens happens.

But if you are ever in trouble or you have a disease then that's a time that more and more people want to believe in something. As egocentric as we are, we want to live.

 

And I agree with you in that argument where people say to quikly "You'll go to hell".

Altho, my country isn't that catholic as in the usa and I've never heard it say by someone (except on tv).

 

Also Death is something where many people speculate about. However, from time to time I'd feel better if I believe in afterlife and somethimes its upsidedown. I don't necesarily mean a place in heaven or hell.

[Lucid]

Just throwing this out there. What makes you think that I as a Christian believe that the earth is only 6000 years old? Who said that God's definition of a day is the same as ours? The Bible says that the universe was created in six days and he rested on the seventh. It never said it was created in 6 earth days.

[Drox]

Just throwing this out there. What makes you think that I as a Christian believe that the earth is only 6000 years old? Who said that God's definition of a day is the same as ours? The Bible says that the universe was created in six days and he rested on the seventh. It never said it was created in 6 earth days.

 

It also didnt say interstellar days or any other kind. Just day, so your honestly saying that most people who read that dont think the person who wrote that meant earth days? lol You can theorize that its deeper then whats in the text, but its hard without any follow up text to back it up.

[Moop the communist]

Just because we cannot prove something, does not mean we need to believe in some supernatural being, that's quite silly. Instead of giving up and saying, 'Fuck it, God did it,' you should, instead, try to find the answer yourself. You can't use religion as a scapegoat for lack of scientific evidence.

 

Boom.. religion is a scapegoat for people who don't know how to find the answer themselves. That's a point I wanted to get at.

[tacosndew]

OK, here goes.

 

 

 

I hope that you searched for the answers outside of the Bible, church, and Christian-based sources. You believe in God and follow Christianity, why? If you believe the Bible, then you believe the Earth is 6000 years old, which has been proven to be completely untrue. I suppose you also believe the parts that women should remain silent, that you should not get haircuts, that you should pray for the sick, which can lead to improper treatment, a talking snake, give up your first born, etc. I could go on.

 

Yes, I believe the Bible. There is no viable proof that the earth is not 6,000-12,000 years old.

 

I say this because the method used to prove it is however many millions of years old is know as carbon-dating. Carbon dating takes something and measure the amount of carbon in it to determine how old it is. They then take what has been measured and compare to something else in that time period thus finding out how old it is. The only problem is, they use circular reasoning. They date a fossil that's say 6 millions years old, they claim it is that old because they have a rock that measures the same and is 6 millions years old. They get that measurement from the fossil, repeat ad nauseam.

 

You seem to enjoy taking parts of the Bible out of context in an attempt to discredit it.

 

The part about women remaining silent was prevalent in that culture.

 

For example the "should not get haircuts" that comes from a jewish tradition know as a nazerite vow, it's just a way for people to express their commitment, in no way are Christians forced to not get their haircut, grats on that.

 

Giving up your firstborn in reference to Egypt I assume? That was a punishment for Pharaoh not obeying God.

 

And praying for the sick isn't wrong, it doesn't lead to improper treatment. Now there is a certain group that uses only prayer as treatment. That is in no way every Christian. In fact, prayer can help turn a patient around, but to just do that and not add modern medical help is foolish.

 

Please read the Bible and understand what your talking about before spouting things out of context, thanks.

 

 

No, we don't. We reject faith of religion because of what it is and what it causes. We don't need to believe. I could say the same about you and other religions. You reject Allah, Yahweh, and the countless other gods.

 

You're just as much an atheist as I am, except I believe in one fewer gods than you do.

 

You reject faith in religion, ok. But you have faith in something else, perhaps science. Faith is a broad term, it can be applied to religion but isn't limited to it. To say I'm an atheist is ignorant.

 

Learn words. An atheists doesn't believe in any God at all. You sir, are grossly ill-informed.

 

 

 

To reject science and say something 'created' the universe and Earth is also ignorant. The first law of thermodynamics was never violated. This has been discussed many, many times. Just because you didn't do your research, does not mean you are right.

 

This is the number one thing that bothers me about religious people, and creationists specifically.

 

I don't reject science, science helps explain God's principles and what He created. The first law wasn't violated because it didn't exist at the time. If this has been discussed why don't you explain it to me? Because Scientism hasn't come up with a viable answer as to where everything came from, because it had to come from somewhere. I have done my research, apparently you seem to just blindly listen to whatever your told by a professor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please, list them.

 

Quantum Physics.

 

Just because we cannot prove something, does not mean we need to believe in some supernatural being, that's quite silly. Instead of giving up and saying, 'Fuck it, God did it,' you should, instead, try to find the answer yourself. You can't use religion as a scapegoat for lack of scientific evidence.

 

I have tried to find the answer myself and that is God. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I take everything with a grain of salt. I know how to think critically and I have come to my conclusions. It isn't a scapegoat, and if you see it as such, the idea of "Fuck it, nothing did it," is as much of a scapegoat as anything.

 

 

So, because something is a theory, you will completely reject it? Nice way to stifle progress. It's thinking like that, that will prevent us from making any breakthroughs in space exploration, stem cell research, and much more. If everyone had that thought process, we'd still be in the middle ages. It's because people didn't want to give up and wanted to find answers, that you are on a computer right now, instead of running through the streets hunting for witches.

 

When it is proven, I will believe it. As of yet there isn't any proof to make it the fact. I'm not stifling progress, I'm stifling nonsense. My thought process wouldn't keep us in the middle ages. The people that wanted to find the answers that got us out of the middle ages were theists for the most part. Believing in God isn't giving up, I truly searched for answers and God is that answer.

 

For you to say I should be hunting witches is incredibly thick. In the past certain people who believe in God have done bad things, this doesn't disprove God. People are generally not good. For you to make such broad generalizations is incredibly annoying.

 

You're one of those snide atheists who thinks everyone who believes in God is stupid. Who are you to say that? In fact, I applaud you, of all the people I have talked to about such matters, you are the most ignorant. At least the others had some idea of what they are talking about. They read the Bible and studied it instead of throwing out random passages completely out of context.

 

Richard Dawkins himself said a respectable case could be made for the existence of a God. And he is one of the most brilliant modern-day atheists.

 

So again, you appear horribly misinformed. Get your facts together before you discuss such a heated topic.

 

I encourage you to not be one of those atheists that is just as close-minded as you imagine religious people to be, shooting down my ideology when you yourself haven't even looked into it thoroughly.