Why do you believe in god?

Just wondering: why do you believe? I personaly do not, but im very curious as to why people do. Were your parents religious? Did you have a religious experience that made you believe? Im really just wondering.

I won't go into details of why I believe in God (I do), but I will share a part of a sermon that I heard at a Home-going service (that's funeral for those of you not in the know). A preacher was talking about the very thing that you ask and he put it so simple that it was profound. let me see if I can put it in the correct context because this occurred over ten years ago... He basically said that, If there isn't a God and you choose to believe/worship, than basically you have nothing to worry about and you have lost nothing in the end, but if there Is a God and you chose not to believe....... Boy oh Boy! That was basically it, and it boils down to if there isn't a God or if there is one, just be willing to accept the consequences/rewards for the choice that you have made in either accepting or not accepting whether He is or isn't.

@ Sani-T-Capt1

Isn't that just trying to be safe ? No offense bro. But you do have a point there though. We were given freedom to choose. We are either brought to paradise or hell. There are rewards but I believe its " HOW " and " WHY " you believed in GOD.

No offense taken, but if I told you why I believe in God, you wouldn't believe me anyway (most people who do not believe, don't believe by choice and would dispel any evidence presented to them by their reasoning, experiences, and/or teachings). I will however say that although from time to time some people's Faith may be shaken, mine is solid and not because of any "safe measures." If you do not believe in something greater than you, to whom or what do you measure your moral, and ethical standards? Are you searching for the meaning to your existence? Even scientifically, matter cannot be created nor destroyed so how do you explain the "Light that shines within you which is life"? Bodies may decay after death but what about the energy/spirit generated while you are living, it doesn't dissipate into nothingness. If you believe that, than you have to believe that you are nothing also.

If there isn't a God and you choose to believe/worship, than basically you have nothing to worry about

This line of thinking is known as Pascal's Wager and in my opinion it contains at least one serious flaw, that being the choice of which god should you worship?

@Sani-T-Capt1; just a few problems. Religion is not morality. If one look to religious texts to tell you how to act, then one has to believe in slavery, rape, misogyny, and genocide. If all that is preventing someone from murdering, raping, or participating in any other behavior that is detrimental to society is the fear of eternal punishment , then I would suggest that person needs a period of introspection. There are plenty of people that reject the idea of any gods, and live complete and productive lives. Conversely, there are plenty of people that identify themselves as religious who live unproductive lives. My point is that there are secular and non-secular doing good. There are also secular and non-secular people doing bad. Religion has little to do with it.

Also, there is no scientific principle that says matter cannot be created or destroyed. You are thinking of the law of the conservation of energy, or perhaps the the law of the conversation of mass. At any rate, there are issues with this. Ignoring for a moment that those laws only apply to closed systems, there you might want to consider that there is a problem with your statement. If energy can only come from energy, and mass can only come from mass, then how can there be, as virtually all religions state, a single creator? If you want to use those laws as an argument, then you have to also posit that your god had to come from somewhere. Otherwise, you have to admit that there exists instances when the laws do not hold. Just to simplify, either the laws are always true, or they are not always true.

The 'energy' generated while you are alive is used to fulfill basic functions of life; eating, excreting, and reproducing. There is no 'stored' energy. It is dissipated as motion or heat. The conclusion that if one does not believe in a higher power then they believe in nothing is a fallacy. Life is not an either-or set of conditions. I have no idea where you got "Light that shines within you which is life" came from, or how it is even relevant. People are not luminous.

And just to expand on Budapest's comment; Pascal's Wager has been proven to be a false dichotomy long ago. There are other possibilities. There is the possibility that gods exist and there is no afterlife, or there are no gods of any kind, and there is an afterlife.

Good Afternoon Gentlemen.....

HonestAbe, This is an interesting topic, thank you for posting it.

I have a few question's of my own to ask....

@ Galyn,you asked "isn't that just trying to be safe"?

To me that's like askin if you have fire Insurance...I'm not being a smart eleck here, let me explain...
GOD KNOWS our hearts and our intention's....so how can what Sani-T-Capt1 be playin it safe??

@Budapest,
Since I have no idea what "Pascals Wager" is, would you mind explaining it to me?? again I'm not being a smart eleck...when I don't know something I ask question's so that i can learn.

@groovicus,

You asked Sani-T-Capt1,
"if energy can only come from energy and mass can only come from mass, then how can there be as virtually all religious state, a single creator"

My question to you is this...

How can there be energy and mass without a creator....???

groovicus,you also broached the subject of using religious texts to tell people how to act...

I'm gonna attempt to set the record straight here, as you already know i'm a woman of faith and i DON'T believe in slavery,rape,misogyny, or genocide...
IMHO King James was a Chovanist and made a mess of things...

Let me explain..
There's a catholic Nun, that was tellin the story of the woman caught in adultry..and she was maddern a wet hen!! she kinda reminded me of a sun burnt penguine... while she was talkin about this,she asked
"WHere was the man??!!, this woman didn't commit adultry by herself!...was the man brought before JESUS to be stoned as well??...NOPE

I've gotta admit during the early yearsd of my walk with the LORD, I kinda felt like a red headed step child for this reason, the bible talked only about men and GOD only having Son's...It took me quite awhile to understand that GOD has DAUGHTERS as well...I'm slow but i eventually get there, I think that's why i like the book of Ephisians so much, and it eventually clicked in my brain that GODS daughters played a very important part in spreading the gospel....Mnay many men have tried to shut women up in religious matters...
My personal take on all of this is simply this..these men are bullies and don't have the LOVE OF CHRIST in them...how can they profess to love their wives and yet treat them like dirt?? that's NOT love. That's hate in it's finest form!

Many many many hateful things are done in the name of religion
Which is why I DON'T follow Religion...Iwouldn't have anything to do with the god that they present...

I'd worship me a toadstool first! BUT The GOD I know and LOve gave HIS very life for me...If there was a better deal goin I'd Take it...

RESPECTFULLY

MissPlaced

@Groovicus, I was out so sorry for the delay. No offense but, read the title question and then read my replies. Religion did not once come into play from me. first and foremost, you can believe in God, Allah, Buddha, etal and still not practice any religion so please read to understand, and understand what you read. I have my own viewpoints on religion which I never care to discuss, just as I don't like to discuss politics. The reason being is most people (yes I will generalize here) have their own viewpoints on the way things work in their lives (see the topic on UFO's) according to their personal life's experiences and teachings whether they be good, bad, or indifferent. I learned a long time ago that people entrenched in their way of thinking could not be moved even if it meant getting out of the way of a falling boulder. These people I avoid at all cost (see my tag & my screen name) as I feel it would be impossible to sway their conviction and today I don't feel in the mood to try to PUSH a car UP a hill with a Rope......

If you believe in any higher power, regardless of what you practice, then you have a foundation in religion. If it is desire to not discuss your viewpoints on religion, then you should not have responded to this thread. And judging by your response, you have nothing to offer to the discussion. That's cool. I see that a lot.

Since I am the one that approves topics for this section of the forums, you can be assured that I read the title topic, as well as any replied. Perhaps you wandered into the wrong part of the forums, because questioning each other is what happens here.

@Budapest


[quote]This line of thinking is known as Pascal's Wager and in my opinion it contains at least one serious flaw, that being the choice of which god should you worship?

I'll answer the second part of this statement first............If you believe in God, you worship the God of YOUR understanding (see above post on why I don't discuss religion)

Yes Pascal's Wager is SERIOUSLY FLAWED for non-believer's, because you can't pull the wool over the eyes of the creator. So if you're pretending to believe in God, the only one who is being fooled is oneself. my statement, while you may generalize it along what Pascal wrote or stated, is not based on rationalized thinking (as he suggests)-(My God is a God of love and whom amongst us have ever been rational when it comes to TRUE LOVE) but on the consequences of the choices that you make. I believe, ergo I have no problem having to pretend I believe. If you don't believe, either start believing or don't. either way I'm covered because of my belief whether there is or isn't a God, While those who don't believe, are playing Russian roulette with their souls. Just don't cry about it come Judgement Day or whatever your day of reckoning is called

no Groovicus, the question had nothing to do with religion, it had to do with whether or not you believe in GOD. Show me where religion is written here except as an extension to the question posed in the topic heading in Honest Abe's post. Say my Parents weren't religious or I/any believer never had a "religious experience" do you mean to tell me that I or anyone else could not believe in God. Maybe that's YOUR belief and That's Cool. I've experienced it before which is why I went on to make the statement about pushing cars up a hill with a rope. It does so happen that I am religious but not to the point of fanaticism which we see so much of today. Is my religion the best one? Do I go to fight and kill in the name of God. Nay I would say that is hypocrisy at it's best which is why I say I don't discuss religion BUT do BELIEVE in God. So maybe you're right, maybe I don't have anything to offer you, and maybe I did wander into the wrong forum that's cool to.
Peace be unto you

Ok, except that the concept of gods cannot be separated from the concept of religion. I made no comment about one's beliefs. I commented only on your statements. You choose to not defend them. That tells me all I need to know, and anyone else that chooses to read this thread.

@MissPlaced................... AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW Groovicus, I was taught religion by man, That/he which is flawed. I was taught to believe in God by unbound, unconditional, unadulterated true love, That which is everlastingly beautiful and uncorrupted. You can follow man if you wish, I'll lead with Love like my God does.

@ HonestAbe

Yes I do ... I was taught about God from the time I could understand english, around the age of 4. My parents believed in God and their parents and so on.
For me Christianity isn't a religion or even a belief, it's simply the truth.
Throughout my life God has been obvious, I truly find it hard to understand how someone doesn't know him.
Sincerely
E