How Much Do You Doubt God's Existence?

[Ben Dhyan]

I can only respond if it's about the God in Abrahamic scriptures. I haven't thought enough about the existence of any other gods, to agree or disagree with saying that any of them exist. In those scriptures, I see that God saying that it's impossible to know anything about him. If I can't know anything about him, no description, no definition, no picture, then I have nothing that I can use to decide if he exists or not. He uses metaphorical language a lot, so he might be purely metaphorical himself.

God is one, all that exists is an expression (creation) of God. Speculation/conceptualization by the creation is a dualistic process and thus can never apprehend the oneness of God.

 

[Nakosis]

I have no doubt at all. I believe in God, the Creator of heaven and earth, with 100% certainly. I trusted Jesus well over thirty years ago and only once did doubt begin to arise, which only lasted a few seconds before I remembered how dramatically God had delivered me from the kingdom of darkness and given new life in Christ…

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,… Colossians 1:13


Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

What would you do if the Bible wasn't around?
Is it weird only knowing about God because of a book?

 

[muhammad_isa]

100% certain that God is male as well?

G-d is not a person .. G-d is responsible for creating male & female.

 

[Nakosis]

What I mean is, that when my faith is weaker, I tend to be lazy, and not do many good deeds.
..and when my faith gets stronger, I will try more to avoid being lazy, and do more good deeds.

It's not that I doubt that G-d exists, it's more about my resolve to act on my belief.

So you act more like how you think God wants you to act?

I don't have a God that tells me how I ought to act. I'm left to decide that on my own.

You have a book/scripture? Written by someone, telling you how God wants you to act. Are you 100% certain they are right about what they claim?

 

[Nakosis]

G-d is not a person .. G-d is responsible for creating male & female.

Well your God. Everybody I've ask seem to have their own idea of God. Even those that have scripture, there seems little agreement between believers on what these words about the God they believe in means.

So many different writings about God(s) as well. I've read many. They don't seem to agree either. A lot of people about, claiming they have the most accurate understanding. It that were true, you'd think you'd find a little more agreement among them.

 

[Nakosis]

Our world is complex and the land is diverse so why wouldn't there be so many. Do they overlap and just described differently based on culture. This seems reasonable but I can only say about the ones I know. Certainty, the record in mythology shows there are definite similarities but that is the written myths and not the embodied myths.

Sorry, not really what I'm asking.

I mean like are Gods born? Do they will themselves into being? Are they created by other Gods?

It is the Mormons I think believe they have an opportunity to become a God. So maybe the Gods come from us...

 

[muhammad_isa]

So you act more like how you think God wants you to act?

That's it..

I don't have a God that tells me how I ought to act. I'm left to decide that on my own.

I also decide 'on my own', what is very bad, bad, good, and very good .. but without G-d's
guidance, I would be more prone to error.

How do I know this?
Well, "I once was lost, and now am found" ( Amazing grace.. )

You have a book/scripture? Written by someone, telling you how God wants you to act. Are you 100% certain they are right about what they claim?

The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic, confirming the truth of 'the people of the Book' (Jews & Christians).
It has been translated by many different people, in many different languages.
G-d is Great .. He guides whomsoever He wills.

I'm very fortunate .. G-d has no needs .. it is we who have need.

 

[muhammad_isa]

Well your God.

He's not 'my God'.
My understanding of the Divine, yes.

Everybody I've ask seem to have their own idea of God. Even those that have scripture, there seems little agreement between believers on what these words about the God they believe in means.

Just what I would expect.
..having had many decades of experience of human nature..

 

[Niatero]

Well your God. Everybody I've ask seem to have their own idea of God. Even those that have scripture, there seems little agreement between believers on what these words about the God they believe in means.

I've noticed that too.

 

[Nakosis]

It seems close to 100% likely that I will never see any evidence for a god while alive, and I don't expect an afterlife, which means from a practical standpoint, I live as I would if I said that I am 100% certain there are no gods despite that not being my position, and if gods exist, I expect to never know that and the fact of that irrelevant.

Yes, I think I'm like 99% certain that that I will never have any knowledge about a God.

I suppose I leave open for the possibility that when I die, God shows up and shouts "surprise!"

 

[Niatero]

Is there any room in your belief to doubt God exists?
Or do you believe in God with 100% certainty?

If you're agnostic does that mean you believe there is a 50% chance God exists and a 50% chance he doesn't?

If you don't believe in God or gods are you 100% certain there is no God(s)? 90%, 70%?

If you believe in more than one God are there some gods you don't believe in? How certain that these gods you don't believe in don't exist?

What do you base this percentage of non-belief on?

As others have said, this raises questions about how to measure a person's confidence in what they believe. One way of measuring that could be in how much effort a person puts into providing for the possibility of being wrong. If they don't consider that possibility at all, that could be counted as 100% certainty. If they put some effort into trying to find out if they're wrong, or hedging their bet, then the certainty could drop to some lower percentage depending on how much effort they put into that.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

I'll take that to mean you believe with 100% certainty.
Which God is it btw?

Belief implies duality, a believer and a belief, God is one, ie., non-dual, the best one can do as an indivisible expression of God is to be aware of the oneness.

 

[F1fan]

What I usually mean by God is a/the originator of everything. However I wouldn't think it necessary to agree with that to answer the question.

This is a notably Hebrew story that was later adopted by Christians and Muslims, and other Christian/Muslim based offshoots. Hinduism has a creator and sustainer gods. These are all ancient ideas that had thousands of years to become cultural, and without any reasoned oppostion or skepticism. If humanity had all of its knowledge today and had to start over with cultural frameworks, I don't think gods would become part of the traditions.

More important is whatever you mean by God as something you believe may or may not exist.

The dilemma is no real definition or description that ordinary mortals are supposed to judge true. How does anyone calculate the probability of a vague idea?

Or feel free to use one of the following definitions if you have none of your own:

1-God : the supreme or ultimate reality: such as
a : the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped (as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism) as creator and ruler of the universe

b Christian Science : the incorporeal divine Principle ruling over all as eternal Spirit : infinite Mind

2-or less commonly God : a being or object that is worshipped as having more than natural attributes and powers
specifically : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality

None of these correlate to anything that can be assessed as real. Those who believe in some sort of God, to whatever percentage they claim, can't show their work. There's no evidence that calcualtions are rational based on data.

 

[Rational Agnostic]

Epicurus did it 2300 years ago:

That's only a refutation of a very specific type of god.

 

[Madsaac]

No God - 99%

What set off the Big Bang is still up for debate, to a point.

 

[InChrist]

What would you do if the Bible wasn't around?
Is it weird only knowing about God because of a book?

Obviously, I don’t know what I would do if the Bible wasn’t around. Probably be clueless for the most part. That’s why I believe God gave and has preserved His revealed written Word…so humanity wouldn’t be ignorant.

 

[Trailblazer]

I 100% know I don't know if a god exists or not.

and that is why you are called We Never Know.

 

[Sargonski]

Im atheist and out the other side... ;-). I am 100% certain no gods exist.

I base it on all the things in this universe, on this world, in this life that have no need for a god or gods. There are many evidences that i believe show no god exists.

I'd say it's a practical certainty that no gods exist.

The only scenarios where I could imagine a god existing are "brain in a vat"-type scenarios where all evidence and sensory input I experience are false things being fed to me. How do I calculate the odds that I'm a brain in a vat? I have no idea.

Some versions of God are logically self-contradictory. For those ones, I have complete certainty that they don't exist.

The ones that are only externally inconsistent are the ones where there's only practical uncertainty, since I can never be perfectly sure that reality is as it appears (again: brains in vats).
Everything I've ever seen or experienced is perfectly consistent with no gods existing.

kk ! (1) - we can not make defacto assertions about the existence of (X) .. without defining what (X) is .. What do we classify as a God .. Maybe I say You are a God .. or row row row the boat as suggested by Penguin -- perhaps we are some experiment inside a really big computer .. quantum powered by the many Suns in the universe .. I don't know .. how are we defining God ? If the forces had a mind .. would they be gods ? the wind for example .. and what would that look like .. .. a being who through force of will .. could make the wind blow ... manipulate matter and energy .. through force of will external to their own Bodies..

So you realize that you have this God Power -- to some degree -- internally. A thought manifesting itself into physical reality -- Proof - Think Pinky finger wiggle .. see .. I knew you have God like powers . .. almost ..as the definition of God power is to be able to manifest that throught externally --- making the chair move for example .. or any manipulation of matter-energy .. external to one's own body .. through force of will.

I am not saying this has to be the definition of Go I am just .trying to define what a god like power would be ..and I think most people would agree that having aforementioned abilities is getting close. Others may say no .. a God must be All Powerfull .. or All Knowing --- in addition to having the aforementioned God Like powers .. fine .. but what ever it is .. Define God as something .. otherwise saying God doesn't exist means nothing ..

Once defined - My claim is that God can be proven .. near 100% .. because we can never be 100% sure that God does not exist ---row row the boat.. but opposite side of the Penguin .. who can't see no forrest in them trees .. yet .. but will once we have come up with realistic definition for a God. I mean .. a God should at least be able to levitate right !

 

[Augustus]

If you don't believe in God or gods are you 100% certain there is no God(s)? 90%, 70%?

I consider the existence of anything I would term a god to be very unlikely indeed.

Not impossible, but very, very unlikely.

 

[Sargonski]

Obviously, I don’t know what I would do if the Bible wasn’t around. Probably be clueless for the most part. That’s why I believe God gave and has preserved His revealed written Word…so humanity wouldn’t be ignorant.

Hmmmm .. something is not making sense .. "Gods Revealed Word" -- The Bible -- Which God of the Bible are we talking about -- which God's Word ? What is the name- Identity of the God you are referring to .. and then we can locate some of this revealed word. Not talking about hymns here .. written by different folks .. King David wrote some others by Asaph .. singer in Davids court .. or Chronicles .. just telling about history .. liniage . this is not material claimed by Jews to be dictated by God.. was Jews recording their History .. but then in other parts we have the actual Word of God .. giving the commands for example or Talking among the Gods like when Ha Satan is speaking to his Father in Job -- or when Ha Satan is talking to Jesus during Ritual Testing .. or when Jesus is giving one of his Sermons -- The Logos speaking the word of God through the Holy Spirit.

So .. which God in the Bible are you talking about .. God of Abraham -- God of Moses -- Lord YHWH .. Lord Jealous .. El - El Oliun , Asherah .. Baal, Marduk.

once we have Identified your God ... we can go about finding his word .. and then no longer be ignorant .. which clearly we are now .. not knowing the name.