There Is Mostly Only One Reason Why People Believe In God.

[Unveiled Artist]

I can see your point; however, I wouldn't put all believers in the same boat of "you believed because your parents taught you". My parents never believed in God. My mother said she didn't want us believing in fairy tales. At Christmas, we knew it was Mother and Father acting as Santa and at Halloween, we knew that it was Aunt Patty under the witch's hat. We still got our presents and of course, the monsters still scared us; but, we didn't loose touch with what we felt--as children--was real.

My mother always wanted to have the perfect family. So she painfully, took us--four children--to church. I remember I always wanted to be a nun and study the Bible (I loved reading, and studying), and later I wanted to be a priest because I wanted to help others to find their faith no matter what or who it is in. I stayed with the church, was baptized in water, and read the Bible.
My mother has a lot of pagan influences, so I took that up too. I found that to be a default to anyone's faith because we all need the Earth to survive. You don't have to worship the Earth to give her thanks.

I also started practicing Nichiren Buddhism. They believe, as Christians believe in the Holy Spirit, that the Mystic Law is within us. We all have a clean (rather than sinful) nature and the spirituality is based simply between our actions and its consequences.

That and the practice made so much sense to me and the gratitude for the earth was like finding my home that believing in God just didn't seem to make sense.

So, I joined the Catholic Church (which is contradicting my last sentence) and found the full understanding of Christianity--the belief in God, Christ, the Holy Spirit. (Taking the Catholicism debate elsewhere), I found what people really mean when they say "I believe in God." I read online that someone said it was "the mystic law with a beard on." I laughed, because humans impersonalize what we can not explain so we can give definition and significance to it and thereby apply whatever or whoever it is to our lives. Nothing wrong with that, but after two years of praying and all... i found i was in love with the Church's practices and ways of devotion but was not with the faith.

That is my testimony, and maybe some kids do come down the stairs runing "I believe in God." I did, and I never heard of what or who God was until " I " decided to join the Catholic Church. Learning God by the Holy Spirit is different than learning God from, say Bible class.

My input. Cheers
Carlita

 

[arthra]

No child ever woke up one morning and suddenly ran downstairs crying: "I believe in God!"

Mostly the only reason why adults & children "believe" in God is because their parents and teachers taught them to do so.

With me it was almost the opposite.. While my father was nominally a Christian he rarely expressed any religious notions or practices.. My mother was very loving but again rarely showed much interest in religion.. We did attend church awhile on occasion... I began seriously searching in my teen years and explored eastern religions.. Yoga and Buddhism. After graduating from university I discovered the Baha'i Faith and have been worshiping, fasting and going on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Married a Baha'i lady and raised four children in the Faith..later in life they declared their belief. Generally the Faith has been a wonderful guide and inspiration through out. I also saw to it that my children were exposed to a variety of religions in the area and we have a variety where I live..

 

[LuisDantas]

There is a "Mostly" in the OP, you know.

 

[Levite]

There is a "Mostly" in the OP, you know.

Kinda seems like it's not so "mostly" though.

What it actually seems like is that some large number of people don't simply swallow a belief in God from their parents and teachers, as though obediently swallowing a dose of medicine-- which is what the OP seems to be implying. It seems like some large number of people arrive at their own conclusions in their own ways, which may be very different from what they were taught in youth concerning God and religion, or it may be altogether the opposite, or it may be something rather than nothing at all.

The OP makes it seem like theists/practitioners of religion are mindless dupes merely following programming that was inculcated in them in childhood, and if only people weren't inculcated with silly beliefs in childhood, they would think freely, and thus naturally not believe in God or practice religion. And this not only appears to be untrue, but it is an insulting implication for all of us who came to our beliefs independently, through careful thought, deep personal experience, and much struggle.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

ask yourself why you believe what you believe, that's far better open minded critical thinking than assigning your rationales to other people's beliefs!

 

[Vinayaka]

Most people (and this would be supported by any developmental psychologist who's studied much at all) go through a 'stage' called adolescence. It happens when the brain learns to think in abstract terms. It's called teenagehood, puberty, the wild stage, etc. Not only do they question their parents religion, but pretty much everything else as well. Unless of course they're raised in a culture of totalitarian fear, in which case this questioning, if shown openly, could end in death. Anyone half wise at all would shut up about it.

It may last a lifetime, may last 6 months, 2 years, whatever, but it's an incredibly important time that sets the values, thoughts for the rest of their lives.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

No child ever woke up one morning and suddenly ran downstairs crying: "I believe in God!"

Mostly the only reason why adults & children "believe" in God is because their parents and teachers taught them to do so.

Sorry, but that doesn't even rise to the level of non sequitur. But, that aside, just what is your point? … that religion is somehow rendered false/invalid because it is introduced?

 

[IndigoStorm]

Sorry, but that doesn't even rise to the level of non sequitur. But, that aside, just what is your point? … that religion is somehow rendered false/invalid because it is introduced?

Exactly.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Exactly.

That would be a truly irrational - indeed stupid - claim.

 

[Quintessence]

That would be a truly irrational - indeed stupid - claim.

Well, look at it this way. This pretty much means all ideological and intellectual pursuits of our species are invalid, from economic philosophies to all the sciences. It has an amusing way of leveling the playing field. If by leveling the playing field we mean just taking a bulldozer to everything indiscriminately.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Well, look at it this way. This pretty much means all ideological and intellectual pursuits of our species are invalid, from economic philosophies to all the sciences. It has an amusing way of leveling the playing field. If by leveling the playing field we mean just taking a bulldozer to everything indiscriminately.

^ Yep ...

 

[nazz]

Exactly.

I guess that makes atheism false/invalid

 

[seeking4truth]

I don't think there is a human being on this planet who when faced with extreme distress does not cry out 'God help me'; even non-believers!
Belief in God is innate, the concept of God is learned.

 

[katiemygirl]

No child ever woke up one morning and suddenly ran downstairs crying: "I believe in God!"

Mostly the only reason why adults & children "believe" in God is because their parents and teachers taught them to do so.

Not true. We instinctually seek God. We see God everywhere in His creation. Many who are born to parents who do not teach them about God will still seek Him out, regardless.

 

[SomeRandom]

I think it comes down to the individual. Some might follow in their parent's footsteps. Some might find their own way. I, for one, had to wait until I turned 20 (just a couple of years ago) to truly get interested in God and what that meant for me and my beliefs.

I don't think it's fair to say that most people just obediently obey our parents. We all went through our rebellious phase. I think I may be still in it. >=)

 

[Uberpod]

Most people (and this would be supported by any developmental psychologist who's studied much at all) go through a 'stage' called adolescence. It happens when the brain learns to think in abstract terms. It's called teenagehood, puberty, the wild stage, etc. Not only do they question their parents religion, but pretty much everything else as well.

That is the time when most people have the opportunity to outgrow religion. Why do so many, instead keep some form of it in tact?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I don't think there is a human being on this planet who when faced with extreme distress does not cry out 'God help me'; even non-believers!
Belief in God is innate, the concept of God is learned.

That's an interesting statement.

I want to agree, but first, when you say belief in God is innate, do you mean, belief in a Creator? A spirit? a life-force? Christian God? Wiccan God? Being? Thing? or so forth?

Because not every one has a innate belief that we have a Creator. I mean, I never have. I'm not separate from anyone else. I believe we all have a foundation that keeps us alive, our hearts beating, babies growing, us going through the stages of life, our existence.. but to attribute it to a Creator (giving what cant be explained a name or characteristics such as a noun/person who creates, a Creator) is something one has to learn or be around people who believe that.

We have an innate foundation that keeps us alive, that's innate whether or not we are aware of it. Whether we call it a Being, a He, She, Force, Source, or Law, that's something we learn or are raised with knowing.

 

[Uberpod]

I don't think there is a human being on this planet who when faced with extreme distress does not cry out 'God help me'; even non-believers!
Belief in God is innate, the concept of God is learned.

Distress when frantic might lead to an appeal to the devil as well. Grasping at straws when in danger maybe remnants of a survival instinct, but there is probably no innate God belief.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I don't think there is a human being on this planet who when faced with extreme distress does not cry out 'God help me'; even non-believers!
Belief in God is innate, the concept of God is learned.

My cry is more like, " Jesus ******* Christ. "

The after effect is quite liberating in a more grounded way however.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I was generally repulsed by god and specifically the Christian god because my mother was always a beacon of stupidity. She raised me Christian but refuted her own religion when I was very young. I pretty much stopped believing in one god because I was afraid it created stupidity. From there I went with the Muslim god.