Do we need God?

[schligg]

I'm throwing in my theory to your question. I don't think that "Do we need God?" is the right question. The question really begins before the acknowledgement of the word "GOD". ALL religions were essentially created to answer on very important question. "What happens when i die?" The FACT of the matter is that no one has knowledge of this. They can believe, they can speculate, but no one actually knows what happens. Religion answers this question, however ludacris the answer may be, to ease the minds of the people that can't go on doing mundane things like living (existing.) SO... if you don't mind not knowing what is going to happen to you when you die, then you don't need god. If you can't stand the thought of non-existence, then you might need to start your search for God or gods or whatever. Morality is a non issue in this question, and yes i am perfectly content with my life. It's the only life i'm gonna get.

 

[Squirt]

Well it's not like God has done much for us so far, so why do we feel like we need God?

Should we just say to hell with God?

I certainly need Him and there's not one single solitary thing I have in life -- including life itself -- that I would not have without Him. You can say "To hell with God," if that's how you feel, but I personally couldn't get along without Him, nor would I want to.

 

[Æsahættr]

I personally couldn't get along without Him, nor would I want to.

Well, you never know till you try...

 

[Squirt]

Well, you never know till you try...

And why would I want to try? How would rejecting God benefit me?

 

[standing_alone]

you certainly don't like yourself.
-God created you and you reject him: OK thats your ethics(or your good morals).
-but when you know he has the ability and power to end your life at any moment and you still reject him,then excuse me,you don't care about yourself because you chose a position face to face to a power you know you have no chance against.

Don't tell me if I don't like myself. You don't even know me, so you have no right to make such statements. Just because I don't believe the same thing as you doesn't mean I dislike myself. To think that way is ridiculous.

I don't believe God created me, I believe man created God - so all I'm doing is rejecting a construct of man. Also, I don't care if my life ends at any moment. I'm a believer in the cliche that it's "not the quantity of years that matter, but the quality." I'm not going to believe in some made-up God because of what may or may not happen after I die.

I don't know how this makes me dislike myself, but if you would like to enlighten me further about why I apparantly dislike myself by rejecting a fairy-tale, go ahead.

 

[Booko]

And why would I want to try? How would rejecting God benefit me?

It benefitted me for a time. Maybe I had to reject God in order to find Him.

 

[Ody]

And why would I want to try? How would rejecting God benefit me?

How would it hurt you?

 

[Æsahættr]

And why would I want to try? How would rejecting God benefit me?

It was intended more as a joke than a suggestion that I expected you to consider seriously. But, since you ask, from a perfectly self-satisfying level, the possible benefits of no belief in God could be:
A greater sense of pride in doing good, since you know that there isn't even the possibility that you are doing it to appease God, that if you do good you must be doing it purely altruistically, which is a nice feeling.
There is no possibilty that you can ever feel betrayed by God, no sense of doubt when things go wrong that God has deserted you in some way.
A greater sense of possibilty, that there is nothing that you cannot know, since God, being supernatural, is something that could never be understood fully by humans. If everything is natural, then everything is knowable, time restraints aside.
A wonder that conscious life can come about from unconsious matter.

 

[Squirt]

How would it hurt you?

Don't answer my question with another question. Answer it with an answer.

 

[Squirt]

It was intended more as a joke than a suggestion that I expected you to consider seriously. But, since you ask, from a perfectly self-satisfying level, the possible benefits of no belief in God could be:
A greater sense of pride in doing good, since you know that there isn't even the possibility that you are doing it to appease God, that if you do good you must be doing it purely altruistically, which is a nice feeling.

Okay, well that's why I do good already, so that one's out.

There is no possibilty that you can ever feel betrayed by God, no sense of doubt when things go wrong that God has deserted you in some way.

I can go along with that to some extent. I think all of us wonder why bad things sometimes happen to us, but I find that reconciling myself to His will ultimately brings me closer to Him.

A greater sense of possibilty, that there is nothing that you cannot know, since God, being supernatural, is something that could never be understood fully by humans. If everything is natural, then everything is knowable, time restraints aside.

Ah, time restraints aside, you say? Well, I fully expect that time is on my side and that eventually -- either in this life or the next (sorry, but I do believe in a "next life") I will have the potential to know everything. Yes, everything.

A wonder that conscious life can come about from unconsious matter.

And I think this statement sums up for me why I cannot not believe in God. I simply cannot, no matter how hard I try, believe that this can be the case.

 

[cardero]

Do we need God?
Not necessarily.

 

[Mathematician]

I would hope people don't need a God to appreciate living and make up their own moral standards. Hope can still exist; it's just realistic (such as hoping that you're hard work will benefit you 3 years down the road).

 

[s2a]

Hello, loaded question. ;-)

A "God" (concept) attempts to answer the existential questions that natural science can not (or is unequipped to) answer.

Clearly the cosmos exists. We exist.
"How" is one question.
"Why" is another.

If one needs to be told what their reason and purpose in/of/for existence is, then they are likely to embrace a "god concept" (or supernaturalistic "force") as explanatory source, or origininatiing factor as "definition".

Of course, one may answer these questions for oneself, absent any "need" for such concepts.

I would posit the reverse of the question at hand.

Does (a) God need us?
Does (a) God have a purpose for existence without man?
What is (a) God's purpose and reason for existence?

What purpose does the existence of billions of other gallaxies, with billions of their own stars and planetary systems contained within, serve? How does their existence define or impact our own? If they neither define nor impact our daily existence, then why would (a) God feel the "need" to craft and maintain such useless things? For that matter, why (if man is the lone sentient being in the cosmos left to worship and admire a "God") are there any other planets besides Earth in our own solar system? What "purpose" do they serve in mankind worshipping a "Creator"? What "need" do they fulfill?

If mankind is the lone focus of a given diety's love and concern (of our eternal welfare and prospectively infinite existence), then why stick us out on some remote spot on the arm of an enormous spiral galaxy? Would you place your most beloved children in a remote villiage thousands of miles from the center of your home in order to keep better tabs on their development and progress? Even if you could watch them on a webcam for 24hrs a day, would this be the most ideal or obvious scenario to realize?

Can (or does) a God exist absent any sentient beings that can wish Him into existence?

 

[open_mind]

I don't believe God created me, I believe man created God

from where did you get this concept? i mean what makes you believe like that?

if man created God,then man must be having full control on life,which is not true.
man work hard for a a living,have no command over nature,cannot predict future....etc.;there must be a higher authority responsible for all that

 

[CAPPA]

From the quaint and perhaps expected responses to this question that are already posted, I find it fitting to add mine to the mix. (I suspect some will partly agree, and many will completely disagree)

The fact of the matter is, there is but no logical and actual proof of the existence of god, now, man and nature and the universe is present, yes, but it's designer and creator does not and should not, be labeled directly and absolutely as that of a creation from a higher power; i.e. GOD/Aliens.

Moreover, there is no logical and steadfast proof to discredit or even disprove the works of GOD or even GOD himself. To crate such wonders as the earth and animals and the universe, a book and one appearance, hardly justifies it. (My personal belief)

There are however, speculations, beliefs, notions, assumptions, thoughts, and even theories that humanity uses to fight against or prove that GOD exists. Now, whether or not we need GOD, would surly come down to the simply fact of intervention. What (if any) affect does GOD play in your life. There can never be one answer to this question. We all believe in things differently, however, for me, I have found that days pass as it should without the help of any supernatural being lending a hand. Yet again, I just may be ignorant, and blind to the hand.

My2cents

 

[sapphire]

question: do we need god?

reply: it is my oppion to beleive that we all as a human race, came from a higer source, a source that is responsible for all creations. without god, were would any of us be? man, did not create the universe, including the planet earth, that we evolved from. god, is the life force in everything and everyone. some people in the world, don't take time out to look around, to see how much god has blessed us? the earth, is prove of that fact, and how we take care of the planet, is the results of our own doing. god tries to restore the planet, but man keeps messing it up.

*i also ackmowlege the goddess* :dan:

 

[standing_alone]

from where did you get this concept? i mean what makes you believe like that?

if man created God,then man must be having full control on life,which is not true.
man work hard for a a living,have no command over nature,cannot predict future....etc.;there must be a higher authority responsible for all that

I say that because I think people made up god to comfort themselves and to explain the unknown.