do people have faith in a supreme being because they don't have faith in themselves?

[Breathe]

Y'all DO know you EXIST, right? lol

Not me! I'm a figment of my imagination.

 

[Smoke]

do people have faith in a supreme being because they don't have faith in themselves?

I doubt it. Many of them have such supreme faith in themselves that honestly believe that not only can they know the mind of God, but that the mind of God is in perfect agreement with their own prejudices, preferences, and desires.

When someone believes that Eternal One loves all the things and people he loves and hates all the things and people he hates, that he understands the mind of God to a remarkable extent, that he is destined for eternal rewards, and furthermore that the Maker of the Universe intervenes to help him get a parking space, it seems to me that faith in himself is one thing that person doesn't lack.

It's hard for me to see how he has faith in much of anything but himself.

 

[Midnight Pete]

kind of like AA, belief in a higher power will get them through one day at a time...

We are not all alcoholics! :tsk:

 

[McBell]

We are not all alcoholics! :tsk:

I have to agree.
But only because it is so painfully obvious that some of you are involved with stuff that is much stronger than mere alcohol....

 

[sandandfoam]

It's hard for me to see how he has faith in much of anything but himself.

Maybe that's enough?

 

[James King]

My personal opinion is that, yes indeed, I do not believe in myself. This is not a self-esteem issue, it is merely my believing that I am just a man, and man, despite its vast amounts of knowledge and reason, is flawed beyond belief. Wars, Poverty (could be solved by man), mass-genocide etc etc, why would I want to believe in myself, a man, who is capable of so much evil, when I could believe that there is an almighty God who transcends all of this. (And before you mention the Crusades as a rebuttal to the mass genocide, God himself did not sanction this in my opinion, just some delusioned people who believed that the Middle-East was theirs by right, using Religion as a justification) And please, let us hold a debate where we do not resort to petty arguing, otherwise we are just proving another flaw of man.

 

[Midnight Pete]

I have to agree.
But only because it is so painfully obvious that some of you are involved with stuff that is much stronger than mere alcohol....

Much stronger, yes!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

My personal opinion is that, yes indeed, I do not believe in myself. This is not a self-esteem issue, it is merely my believing that I am just a man, and man, despite its vast amounts of knowledge and reason, is flawed beyond belief. Wars, Poverty (could be solved by man), mass-genocide etc etc, why would I want to believe in myself, a man, who is capable of so much evil, when I could believe that there is an almighty God who transcends all of this.

Not to pick on you, but this attitude is one that repels me from most forms of Christianity. I think it's extremely debasing and de-humanizing.

Personally, I think humanity is capable of more good than we can possibly imagine. Every good act that has ever happened in this world was done by a human being.

IMO, you don't give yourself enough credit.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Some folks have a hard time understanding people who are humble. Having a large sense of self confidence and not displaying it is something to be admired.

A martial artist would be a good example.

 

[James King]

Not to pick on you, but this attitude is one that repels me from most forms of Christianity. I think it's extremely debasing and de-humanizing.

Personally, I think humanity is capable of more good than we can possibly imagine. Every good act that has ever happened in this world was done by a human being.

IMO, you don't give yourself enough credit.

I do not feel offended, but it does concern me that I have repelled you even further from God. Humanity is capable of good, but it is my personal opinion, and I have heard ALOT of atheists agree with me, that humanity is capable of much, much more evil.

 

[waitasec]

I doubt it. Many of them have such supreme faith in themselves that honestly believe that not only can they know the mind of God, but that the mind of God is in perfect agreement with their own prejudices, preferences, and desires.

When someone believes that Eternal One loves all the things and people he loves and hates all the things and people he hates, that he understands the mind of God to a remarkable extent, that he is destined for eternal rewards, and furthermore that the Maker of the Universe intervenes to help him get a parking space, it seems to me that faith in himself is one thing that person doesn't lack.

It's hard for me to see how he has faith in much of anything but himself.

i agree...
that is why those that have this; "supreme faith in themselves that honestly believe that not only can they know the mind of God, but that the mind of God is in perfect agreement with their own prejudices, preferences, and desires" are seen as having a false sense of security...

 

[waitasec]

We are not all alcoholics! :tsk:

i didn't call all christians alcoholics did i? that wasn't my intention
i just used AA as an example for those who seem to not be able to believe in themselves in the same manner as believing in something bigger in order to overcome an addiction... which is ultimately believing in your self but giving this "higher power" the credit instead of where it is due...
i think this only perpetuates the cycle of insecurity...and where does that come from? fear perhaps...

 

[waitasec]

My personal opinion is that, yes indeed, I do not believe in myself. This is not a self-esteem issue, it is merely my believing that I am just a man, and man, despite its vast amounts of knowledge and reason, is flawed beyond belief. Wars, Poverty (could be solved by man), mass-genocide etc etc, why would I want to believe in myself, a man, who is capable of so much evil

let me ask you this,
do you not believe in yourself because god doesn't believe in you?
does god have faith in you like a parent would have faith in their child?
from my own experience, i would say a resounding no

however, mankind is very capable of being good as well...
there is the advancement in; medicine, human rights and tolerance

technology has advanced but that doesn't necessarily mean better or worse, it just holds us that much more accountable to being aware of the injustices and what we as individuals do with that knowledge

mankind is both good and evil not just evil...
there is a big difference

 

[hyacinthus]

Now, can you 'Real'ize, that something in you,
IS (actually) REAL, in you?
(even if it is so, only for your own sake, a Self created REAL'I'z'ation)
And also, that you are free to interpret your life,
as YOU see fit/s?

Does that make rational sense to you?

If not,
I think I can't help.

And you have to do the rest mostly anyway.

Thank you for the wonderful message, Violet.

It makes perfect rational sense to me.

Thank you so much, my friend....

 

[waitasec]

And to that end,
who REALLY doesn't "believe" in themself?

You know, in the way that people usually "believe in" god.

Y'all DO know you EXIST, right? lol

Now, can you 'Real'ize, that something in you,
IS (actually) REAL, in you?
(even if it is so, only for your own sake, a Self created REAL'I'z'ation)
And also, that you are free to interpret your life,
as YOU see fit/s?

Does that make rational sense to you?

If not,
I think I can't help.

And you have to do the rest mostly anyway.

Thank you for the wonderful message, Violet.

It makes perfect rational sense to me.

Thank you so much, my friend....

yeah!!!
violet, you rock!!!

 

[blackout]

:rainbow1:

 

[Smoke]

Maybe that's enough?

Maybe it's too much. Investing all their own flaws and quirks with the authority of the Almighty is not a good look.

My personal opinion is that, yes indeed, I do not believe in myself. This is not a self-esteem issue, it is merely my believing that I am just a man, and man, despite its vast amounts of knowledge and reason, is flawed beyond belief.

Then how is it possible to believe that this unbelievably flawed creature has unraveled the mystery of the universe and penetrated the mind of God? If you don't believe in yourself, how is it possible to have any confidence in your religion? Isn't it as likely to be flawed as anything else humans do?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I do not feel offended, but it does concern me that I have repelled you even further from God.

Oh - it wasn't you. I'm no more repelled now than I was when I heard something similar the first time.

Humanity is capable of good, but it is my personal opinion, and I have heard ALOT of atheists agree with me, that humanity is capable of much, much more evil.

I'm not sure I agree, but regardless - all the more reason to focus our efforts toward good, and all the more damaging it can be to make this out to be a futile exercise.

We may be the cause of many (or all) of our problems, but the solutions lie with us as well... all the solutions that exist, anyhow.

 

[McBell]

I do not feel offended, but it does concern me that I have repelled you even further from God. Humanity is capable of good, but it is my personal opinion, and I have heard ALOT of atheists agree with me, that humanity is capable of much, much more evil.

Could it be because people tend to harp on the bad and let the good slip away into the abiss?
Take the media for example...
I hear so many people complain that the media focuses on the bad things that happen and tend to ignore the good things.
I agree that the media does this.
I cannot help but wonder why people are content with using the media as their own scapegoat..
Why does the media harp on the negative and tend to ignore the positive?
Could it possibly be that people in general are more interested in the negative?
I mean, the media is all about the ratings.
Since they get higher ratings harping on the negative than they do reporting the positive....
Now, whose fault is it that the media gets better ratings with the negative?

Seems to me that people are capable of both good and evil, its just that people in general are really not that interested in hearing about the good.

 

[arimoff]

kind of like AA, belief in a higher power will get them through one day at a time...

Some people have faith in supreme being because they don't have faith in other people to survive a day.