Do You Know Why You Don't Believe?

[agiftfromgod]

What is the reason you don't believe in God? Or the reason you're not absolutely positively sure God exists?

I'd guess the number one reason is because people see bad things happening all around them and can't understand why God would allow it to happen.

How would you rate the other reasons not to believe?

Now the key question, where would you rate your own ego as a reason and do you realize it's the main reason?

I do beleive in GOD and only he will judge when judgement day comes!

 

[agiftfromgod]

GOD will judge on judgement day and only he will judge.

 

[Super Universe]

GOD will judge on judgement day and only he will judge.

Judgement Day is the day you die. It's upon you, not the entire species. You answer for yourself, not your brother, sister, mother, or anyone else.

 

[Magic Man]

I know God exists more than anything. It is first, everything else I know comes afterwards.

Being right does not mean that another is wrong. Take the example of my kids being good but a man believes they are evil, what if the man believes my kids are evil because they threw rocks at his dog and I knew nothing about it?

To the man, the kids might be evil, to me, they are good and just being kids.

Then, what you need to do is ask why others don't believe, and thank them for their answers. If you don't think anyone is wrong, then there's no reason to argue with them and tell them not to talk falsely about "God", when there can't be talking falsely about "God".

 

[Magic Man]

How exactly have I been "conditioned"?

There is no evidence to support your disbelief.

See, this is the problem. There is just as much evidence to support our disbelief as there is to support your belief. There is the universe. You have been conditioned to believe that there is a God, and so you see the universe as evidence of God's existence. If, like me, you don't already believe in God, the very same evidence you use for God is just taken at face value. It is what it is, and nothing more. It is the universe.

 

[Super Universe]

See, this is the problem. There is just as much evidence to support our disbelief as there is to support your belief. There is the universe. You have been conditioned to believe that there is a God, and so you see the universe as evidence of God's existence. If, like me, you don't already believe in God, the very same evidence you use for God is just taken at face value. It is what it is, and nothing more. It is the universe.

Then, what you need to do is ask why others don't believe, and thank them for their answers. If you don't think anyone is wrong, then there's no reason to argue with them and tell them not to talk falsely about "God", when there can't be talking falsely about "God".

What you need to do is stop thinking that if God existed then your life would be better. And you need to stop arguing with others who's minds you can't change since you have no evidence to support your belief.

Again, how have I been "conditioned" to believe in God?

 

[Magic Man]

What you need to do is stop thinking that if God existed then your life would be better. And you need to stop arguing with others who's minds you can't change since you have no evidence to support your belief.

Again, how have I been "conditioned" to believe in God?

I'm just trying to get you to take your own advice. You said that no one's right and no one's wrong. Wouldn't that mean there's no point in arguing?

Did you believe in God before you came to the conclusion that the universe was evidence of Him, or did you not believe in Him, then find something about the universe that told you that it was necessarily a product of God?

I think that if the theistic version of God existed life would be better for us. That is supported by logic and reason. If you have a different version of God, then great. None of that means I want it to be better. None of that means that I'm arrogant or angry. It simply means I can come to a conclusion through logic and reason.

 

[Sonic247]

See, this is the problem. There is just as much evidence to support our disbelief as there is to support your belief. There is the universe. You have been conditioned to believe that there is a God, and so you see the universe as evidence of God's existence. If, like me, you don't already believe in God, the very same evidence you use for God is just taken at face value. It is what it is, and nothing more. It is the universe.

It's an amazing universe. Saying that it is evidence that there was a designer isn't exactly putting a square peg in a round hole. If you say it is just the universe and it doesn't say anything about where it came from that's one thing. But if you have beliefs about its origins at all the most logical is that it was designed. Infact looking at it at face value brings you immediatly to that conclusion. Correct me if I'm wrong but there has never been a tribe anywhere in the world that didn't believe in a creator. You could go to any random tribe on the planet and they could tell you there is a god, if you knew their language.

 

[Super Universe]

I'm just trying to get you to take your own advice. You said that no one's right and no one's wrong. Wouldn't that mean there's no point in arguing?

Did you believe in God before you came to the conclusion that the universe was evidence of Him, or did you not believe in Him, then find something about the universe that told you that it was necessarily a product of God?

I think that if the theistic version of God existed life would be better for us. That is supported by logic and reason. If you have a different version of God, then great. None of that means I want it to be better. None of that means that I'm arrogant or angry. It simply means I can come to a conclusion through logic and reason.

There comes a time when there is no point in arguing with certain individuals. How many times does one backtrack over the same path?

Once the veil was lifted from my eyes I saw the universe as evidence of God. I realized that it should have been obvious. The earth is too beautiful to be a series of incredible accidents, like a million needles creating themselves and then stacking themselves one on top of another, end to end.

Which is more logical? That particles created themselves and then created time and life or that some intelligence is behind it all for a reason that you just haven't figured out yet?

 

[Magic Man]

It's an amazing universe. Saying that it is evidence that there was a designer isn't exactly putting a square peg in a round hole. If you say it is just the universe and it doesn't say anything about where it came from that's one thing. But if you have beliefs about its origins at all the most logical is that it was designed. Infact looking at it at face value brings you immediatly to that conclusion. Correct me if I'm wrong but there has never been a tribe anywhere in the world that didn't believe in a creator. You could go to any random tribe on the planet and they could tell you there is a god, if you knew their language.

If I tell you that I know someone who has a mustache, do you assume it's a man?

 

[Magic Man]

There comes a time when there is no point in arguing with certain individuals. How many times does one backtrack over the same path?

Once the veil was lifted from my eyes I saw the universe as evidence of God. I realized that it should have been obvious. The earth is too beautiful to be a series of incredible accidents, like a million needles creating themselves and then stacking themselves one on top of another, end to end.

Which is more logical? That particles created themselves and then created time and life or that some intelligence is behind it all for a reason that you just haven't figured out yet?

It's more logical that particles are eternal.

The problem with your argument is that some had to produce the creator. You seem to think that "particles creating themselves and then creating time and life" is illogical, but that is what you believe, since the particels that make up your creator had to come about somehow. If the creator didn't have a creator, then the particels that make him up created themselves.

 

[Super Universe]

It's more logical that particles are eternal.

The problem with your argument is that some had to produce the creator. You seem to think that "particles creating themselves and then creating time and life" is illogical, but that is what you believe, since the particels that make up your creator had to come about somehow. If the creator didn't have a creator, then the particels that make him up created themselves.

Something had to produce the Creator? And something had to produce particles? It's the same problem either way.

 

[Magic Man]

Something had to produce the Creator? And something had to produce particles? It's the same problem either way.

That's my point. You think it's logical to assume that something created the universe, because how else would it get here? The problem is that then you have to explain how the creator got here. It doesn't solve the problem, it only moves it somewhere else. I say it's illogical to assume that there must be a creator. I don't say it's illogical to assume there might be a creator.

 

[Sonic247]

If I tell you that I know someone who has a mustache, do you assume it's a man?

Probably, but I definately assume it's a person.

 

[Magic Man]

Probably, but I definately assume it's a person.

The point is you can't assume that that person is a man any more than I can assume that the universe was created by God. Is it possible? Sure. Is it necessarily true? No.

Basically, the attribute "having a mustache" is associated with men, but isn't necessarily a male trait. Is it possible that the person with the mustache is a man? Sure. Is it necessarily true? No.

 

[Sententia]

There is no evidence to support your disbelief.

It is ironic that you ask those who disbelieve in god to provide hard evidence which you yourself can not provide for a belief in god. My words were its your personal beleif.

When you go outside and look around you see the hand of god. I see carbon based lifeforms evolving over time.

My view is not spiritual, I will normally reject irrational and unprovable things. You don't need evidence to dis-believe in something if there is no evidence to believe in it in the first place. Do you believe in unicorns and leprechauns? The Book of Mormons and the egyptions have some references to the Coutl.. Do you believe in them as well?

 

[Dirty Penguin]

What you need to do is stop thinking that if God existed then your life would be better. And you need to stop arguing with others who's minds you can't change since you have no evidence to support your belief.

uhhhhh.......RIght back at ya...!!!!

 

[Riverwolf]

Just so we're all clear, I have only read the first post here, and am answering the question.

I'd say the reason I'm not a Christian insofar that I don't accept Jesus as divine is mainly out of pride. Yeah, I know that's what got Lucifer kicked out, but I don't want to bow down in submission to anything or anybody, god or otherwise. I will bow in respect, just so we all are clear on that; if I ever met YHWH in person, I would bow out of respect for being in the presence of a god. But I wouldn't submit. I don't claim to be "higher" than the gods, however, nor do I want to be a god myself. I'm content as a human being, and I don't need any supernatural powers to make my life "better," as I know I would just be corrupted by the power. (So if the satan offered me eternal power in exchange for my soul, I'd decline for the same reason as above, that I will not bow in submission.)

In fact, I do not worship any god, even the celestial ones from whom I take lessons in spirituality. I consider them to be teachers, nothing more. I don't think it would be appropriate to say I don't "believe" in them, as I do believe in their existence. So YHWH does exist in my eyes, but I don't worship him. If the question, however, is also asking why I don't believe, meaning that I don't trust them to be telling the truth, is because the only supposed source of these "promises" is a millenia-year-old book that has seen more versions of the same English translation than Street Fighter 2, let alone the different versions that are found in various other languages. And how can we be sure that the Hebrew/Greek versions that you can find here and there are legitimate? Sure, they make grammatical sense by modern standards, but can we be absolutely sure that they also haven't been watered down by biased scholars and priests?

Now, if YHWH himself came to me in person, not in a dream, but physically, and it was obviously him, and he told me that [this] particular sect of Christianity was the true way, that's different. However, even though I would have renewed faith and could then be considered a Christian, I would not lose who I truly am: a pagan, and I would tell YHWH this. If it meant that I would burn forever in the lake of fire, so be it.

 

[Runt]

I doubt an agnostic would accept "what mommy says" as a good reason for belief.

I tend to think that belief came first for me, then reason. My belief was in the God of the Bible and an agnostic will tell you that even that is not a good reason to believe.
The Bible told me I could pray to God and He would answer. I did pray and God did answer, so the belief was proved to be reasonable by experience. So where did my belief come from? My belief came from faith in the Bible. I can't really explain that other than to say when I read the Bible, I read it as truth. I can't say that anyone directed me into that view so it must have been a natural inclination, perhaps from a previous life.

So you're saying you believed in God.... despite not having been exposed to the idea of God (by your parents, by the Bible, by a pastor at church), despite not having had any kind of relationship with God (a dream, a feeling that your prayers were being answered), and despite not having looked at the world and thought to yourself "something must have made all of this"? I'm inclined to ask you, then, where your belief DID come from. I believe I have a heart because I can feel it beating in my chest and I've seen images of human hearts in science books and movies. I believe the ground beneath my feet is solid because I can feel it through my shoes and I see that I do not sink into it. I believe that the food in the fridge is still cold because the fridge has never before failed to keep my food cold. Beliefs always come from somewhere. You have some kind of experience, and from that experience you make conclusions: beliefs. Even revelations are experiences and therefore reasons for belief...

 

[Sententia]

So you're saying you believed in God.... despite not having been exposed to the idea of God (by your parents, by the Bible, by a pastor at church), despite not having had any kind of relationship with God (a dream, a feeling that your prayers were being answered), and despite not having looked at the world and thought to yourself "something must have made all of this"? I'm inclined to ask you, then, where your belief DID come from. I believe I have a heart because I can feel it beating in my chest and I've seen images of human hearts in science books and movies. I believe the ground beneath my feet is solid because I can feel it through my shoes and I see that I do not sink into it. I believe that the food in the fridge is still cold because the fridge has never before failed to keep my food cold. Beliefs always come from somewhere. You have some kind of experience, and from that experience you make conclusions: beliefs. Even revelations are experiences and therefore reasons for belief...

We as humans use our senses to create a useful construct of what is actually there. God however can not be sensed by any of the 5 senses. It is purely memetic and a story or idea passed down from one aeon to the next.

Some claim to sense god, or that he answers their prayers, or that they actually hear god. I perceive that in the same fashion as some people can taste shapes, have split personalites or believe in vampires.

I'm not being derogatory its just how I reason their claims. If god is talking to them perhaps they should ask him to reveal himself and if he is answering their prayers perhaps they should pray everyone be enlightened with his purpose or for world peace.

People may justify why they cant or wont do those things but that will never change that god can not be percieved by any means humans currently have of perceiving. His story, works, a preachers words and tales are what people derive this belief from.

Now to each their own, people can believe whatever they want to believe within the confines of their own personal freedoms. You can be catholic, baptist, hindu, UU or whatever... I can accept that. I do ponder though, like Dawkins argues in the "God Delusion" whether religion is more harmful to a person and society then it is helpful.

Also religion, like any other belief, can be mistaught and misused as shown in "Jesus Camp". Power granted to religious leaders can be misused and the trust placed in them abused as shown in "Deliver us from Evil"