I wish I could believe in God... but I can't.

[godlikemadman]

Wait... there's a point system?

 

[Sunstone]

Wait... there's a point system?

I claim six points for the time Terri and I scored with each other back in college.

 

[Pegg]

I have tried to justify belief in the Abrahamic God for a long time. I was raised in one of the traditions, but recently realized I don't believe in anything I do ritualistically. I have felt bad about this since it began, and still do, but I'm falling away from the concept of God. Sure, there may be a constructive force in the universe somewhere, but my damned scientifically and rationally minded brain cannot come to terms the the concept that there is a God who takes special consideration to our sector of the universe, the Milky Way, to our segment of the Milky Way, to our section of that segment, to our subsection of that section, to our Solar System, to our Earth, to our species, to those who believe in this creator figure in a certain way and worship him in a very specific set of ways. It simply does not compute for me. I don't see why we are so special that this omnipotent creature has the time or patience for the likes of us. I likely will pretend I still believe in God to my dying day, mainly because I was raised in a religious family, in a religious community, and I would hate to lose all that because I declare I don't believe what they do. I will continue to follow the basic tenants of being a good, moral person, because that's who I am and who I want to be. But I'm worried that this is the point of no return for me. After this is written down and I have accepted that, I can't imagine a day when the concept of God will make sense to me.

And if God does exist, in the way that Christians or Muslims or Jews or any other religion with a hell concept thinks he does, and if I do get resurrected on some judgement day, and if I am damned to hell because I didn't follow the ways of old men and backwards people did millennia ago, I have just one thing to ask him.

"Why didn't you catch me before I fell?
Why didn't you make yourself clearer?
You created me, why didn't you show me?"

-Madman

what are the reasons you have for believing in some 'force' somewhere in the universe?
If you do believe there is some creator out there, then thats a good start. How do you think we would learn about him if he exists?

 

[godlikemadman]

Oh, just the usual. I don't completely buy the whole coincidence on top of coincidence that led to me being born on a habitable planet suitable for life. I admit there may have been some kind of supernatural intervention in terms of creating the universe and establishing the conditions on Earth and other such worlds for life to exist. However, I don't see this omnipotent creator stooping to our level just because we're that special. Why don't other primates get a God? Why don't dolphins? I don't buy that God made a covenant with humans just because we're slightly more intelligent than other forms of life. If anything, he's off doing his own thing in some far distant reach of the universe. He's definitely not here.

 

[Pegg]

Oh, just the usual. I don't completely buy the whole coincidence on top of coincidence that led to me being born on a habitable planet suitable for life. I admit there may have been some kind of supernatural intervention in terms of creating the universe and establishing the conditions on Earth and other such worlds for life to exist.

right, so its not that you dont believe in a creator, you have a belief in a creator
which is completely reasonable...the existence of life itself is testimony to the existence of a creator because we know that life cannot grow out of the ground.

However, I don't see this omnipotent creator stooping to our level just because we're that special. Why don't other primates get a God? Why don't dolphins? I don't buy that God made a covenant with humans just because we're slightly more intelligent than other forms of life. If anything, he's off doing his own thing in some far distant reach of the universe. He's definitely not here.

Perhaps you feel that way because you, like most other reasoning people, see a world full of trouble and suffering. An intelligent God with the means to end suffering would surely do so and he wouldnt allow his own creation to get to the point where we not only destroy this earth, but ourselves and all living things on it.

do you think that is a fair assessment?

 

[godlikemadman]

That's pretty much spot on, I guess.

 

[Pegg]

That's pretty much spot on, I guess.

Well then im sure you'd agree that either he doesnt care about what happens here in this part of the universe, or he has a really good reason why he has not stepped in sooner to fix the problems down here.

Do you believe that the scriptures are Gods communication to mankind?

 

[Sgloom]

im in the same boat as you. i dont know if there is a creator or not. ive come to terms with the fact that ill never know. i dont believe in any of the religions man has come up with or will come up with. i dont believe the bible or any written word is from god. all i know is that im here now, i have no explanation, im just trying to make the best of it. im no longer trying to find god/God/gods, if any exist its obvious to me they dont want to be found. im done with the confusion, the games, the dogma, the intolerance of many religions. im comfortable with who i am. im proud of who i am. i cant say for certain life has any significant meaning, but whether it does or not is not going to make me live it any differently. ill enjoy every last breath, with my friends and family and everyone for that matter, thru the good and bad.
i struggled for years with belief, ive never had a negative experience with believing, ive never blamed a god for anything bad that has happened to me or anybody. i have no reason not to believe other than it just doesnt make sense to me. i dont understand the concept of faith. id be lying if i said i still dont struggle with it from time to time because id like to believe in something, it sounds nice and all, i just cant do it.

 

[Cesar]

However, I don't see this omnipotent creator stooping to our level just because we're that special. Why don't other primates get a God? Why don't dolphins? I don't buy that God made a covenant with humans just because we're slightly more intelligent than other forms of life. If anything, he's off doing his own thing in some far distant reach of the universe. He's definitely not here.

It's not just that we are more intelligent.
"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:27,28

People bear the image of God. They are the only ones given objective choices, held accountable for whatever they do, unlike animals. Animals are not 'sinful', but people can be. God gave us dignity by exalting us above other creatures.

The Son of God Himself walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden as human and He incarnated also as a human being, coming to teach and deliver us from our sins by perishing in our place.

 

[elmarna]

You know.. It does not work that way. Even with my meditation and my relationship with the outside energies that constitute as God. He/she does not interfere in your choices.
He was there when you fell. Your pain cried out.
Being clear- are you sure that you understand the messages or that in your struggle to make sense of the world you just have not found a way to connect to the ways of him to consider the world in which he speaks?
He created you and so much more! He gave you a world that gives you air,food, water. All things to see you satisfied if you can respond to them without the language of lacking what it is.
In the human world we are not without him. We may be without the understanding! If you can not speak the language you can never see or support it.
I wish it was as easy as saying learn portgagese and you will "realize".
At best I found meditation and "listened". It took time and a capacity to reach out. God in turn reached in. Together it has become a communication; with no interference.it is things to consider, not to command.
If something called to me expressing for me to do something against my will I would not hesitate to think it was not a good thing and not there to support me .
In all the ways God can support you. Are you sure you are seeing them?
It is a world full of wonders and a wonderful world.
God is wonderful!

 

[kerravon]

im no longer trying to find god/God/gods, if any exist its obvious to me they dont want to be found.

That's a great way of putting it. But with God effectively out of the picture, what should humans be doing in this God-less world? Perhaps God only reveals himself after we've used our own free will, definitely not under God's influence because we don't even believe in him, to start charting our own future. What future do you want for Earth, and who should be seeing to it?

id like to believe in something, it sounds nice and all, i just cant do it.

Well what other explanation is there for the fine-tuned physical constants in the universe?

 

[cablescavenger]

I have tried to justify belief in the Abrahamic God for a long time. I was raised in one of the traditions, but recently realized I don't believe in anything I do ritualistically. I have felt bad about this since it began, and still do, but I'm falling away from the concept of God. Sure, there may be a constructive force in the universe somewhere, but my damned scientifically and rationally minded brain cannot come to terms the the concept that there is a God who takes special consideration to our sector of the universe, the Milky Way, to our segment of the Milky Way, to our section of that segment, to our subsection of that section, to our Solar System, to our Earth, to our species, to those who believe in this creator figure in a certain way and worship him in a very specific set of ways. It simply does not compute for me. I don't see why we are so special that this omnipotent creature has the time or patience for the likes of us. I likely will pretend I still believe in God to my dying day, mainly because I was raised in a religious family, in a religious community, and I would hate to lose all that because I declare I don't believe what they do. I will continue to follow the basic tenants of being a good, moral person, because that's who I am and who I want to be. But I'm worried that this is the point of no return for me. After this is written down and I have accepted that, I can't imagine a day when the concept of God will make sense to me.

And if God does exist, in the way that Christians or Muslims or Jews or any other religion with a hell concept thinks he does, and if I do get resurrected on some judgement day, and if I am damned to hell because I didn't follow the ways of old men and backwards people did millennia ago, I have just one thing to ask him.

"Why didn't you catch me before I fell?
Why didn't you make yourself clearer?
You created me, why didn't you show me?"

-Madman

Or as Bertrand Russell said "Not enough evidence, God, not enough evidence"