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Reasons to not believe in God? Discuss....

OK so I have been having a lovely chat with the guys over on the atheism DIR regarding reasons they don't believe in God/follow any particular religion. A couple of the reasons mentioned make a valid point, but personally I don't find them reasons to not believe in God entirely. Being the atheism DIR, I didn't want to cause a debate so it was suggested I start a thread. It would actually be a great topic to explore the differing reasons people choose not to believe (or of course believe in the flip side) and the counter arguments which can be used for the opposing?

Here is the one from the other thread, but please feel free to add and discuss/debate your own...

Reason: the vast number of denominations/religions

Now on the surface, I can fully understand this perspective. I certainly have times where I feel "why bother", on the assumption there is a God of some sort or gods, it would be impossible to work out which is the "right" one to follow. I know some people believe that every religion leads to the same destination but I personally do not believe this.

That said I don't believe this is reason to not believe in God (however you view him or her) entirely and here's why....

Simply put it's the same as a parent child relationship. Parent says do this, child does something else. Just because a child misbehaves, doesn't mean there isn't parent at home trying to discipline them. Now I admit this is a very simple view...but what about "but this being is supposed to be God"...true but like a child, we have the ability to choose (free will)...I'm not sure I would want to worship a God which made us into emotionless robots without the ability to choose. Truth be told I think we are destined to attempt to disobey God, assuming one exists, it appears to be in our nature. Clearly some religions are man made...we would disagree on which ones but it proves that man creates things for his own satisfaction. But should we disregard ALL religions just because many are false. Their are people who murder...are we all murderers?

So why doesn't God make it more clear to us? But would we listen? Has anybody been utterly in "love" at a young age...parents have said its a bad idea (the truth) but we didn't listen? Sometimes the truth is hard to hear, I know many of us including me would have to change our lives in someway. Even if God was to make it abundantly clear...would we follow? Or would we choose to disobey? Has anybody heard when Michael Jackson went to his own look alike competition and LOST...MJ himself was there and no one thought it was him? What would God have to do for us to accept him? A burning bush would be out down to an hallucination these days...:rolleyes:

The amount of denominations is down to man not God (at least from my perspective). I'm not even sure which if any are right anymore. They could all be wrong, but there could still be a God.

Thoughts? Ideas? :)

If you start with not knowing and investigating you could only conclude we're not sure. Instead you found a story you found convincing and have accepted it as your truth. Your choice, not mine. God bless whatever god you believe in. (Thor, Loki, Odin, Jesus, Yhwh, Satan or the will o wisps)
 

McBell

Unbound
I don't think its dogma that he has, dogma is when you believe what you believe is right, and anything else is wrong, its your dogma that you believe in, some don't have a dogma, their experience is their own.

It is dogma.
He even demonstrates it in the post I partially quoted.

The number of people (or lack of) who agree with it does not alter that it is dogma.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
I don't like the word God myself, I have had my own experience of what I call the Source, but it certainly isn't a Source with a beard, or a body, its all there is.

Did you get a sense of control?
Or did the Source seem...distant?
 

Ouroboros

Coincidentia oppositorum
No...more like grown....or developed.
Like evolved.

You might recall? (if you can) there was a time you did not know your own name.
So a "spirit" isn't a one thing but something that develops and evolve. It grows. And it grows with the brain activity of the physical neurons behind the skull bone. That's what psychology, biology, science, and all that stuff points to. If you remove a part, change the chemistry, get injured, and so on, your mind, personality, spirit, all that changes too. So your soul, spirit, mind, etc is fully dependent of substance. If God is that kind of spirit, then God is dependent on substance just like us.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Like evolved.


So a "spirit" isn't a one thing but something that develops and evolve. It grows. And it grows with the brain activity of the physical neurons behind the skull bone. That's what psychology, biology, science, and all that stuff points to. If you remove a part, change the chemistry, get injured, and so on, your mind, personality, spirit, all that changes too. So your soul, spirit, mind, etc is fully dependent of substance. If God is that kind of spirit, then God is dependent on substance just like us.

The form is evolved.....the individual will grow.

Your connection to this life is local and contained.
Science is still not sure how that works.
We are sure....the connection is not permanent.

I've been blind.....I did not stop seeing.
I've been numb and my limbs unresponsive.
I did not stop feeling.

But sooner or later (sooner nowadays as my time is short).....the connection will be lost.

I do look ahead.
Got some ideas what to expect.
 
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