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Why do you believe in god?
- Thread starter Music
- Start date
Mostly the fact that my mind naturally deifies things. Even though I was not raised in a religious home, I ended up creating my own Gods and religion when I was in high school. One of those Gods, combined with an element of that religion, also bore a striking resemblance to the Goddess Kali, despite the fact that I'd never heard of Her at the time. (I didn't even see Temple of Doom for several more years.)
That's good enough for me, since I want to believe.
There's a few other things, but that's a big part of it.
That's good enough for me, since I want to believe.
There's a few other things, but that's a big part of it.
As far as I can remember as a child, I have always felt a kinship with who my parents gave me to understand, as a loving God.
Learning and understanding who and what God is can vary significantly by culture, time and life's experiences.
The decision is ultimately yours to make at will without no outside coercion.
Blessings, AJ
The Fog Horn
Active Member
I feel blessed to be able to view life through an atheistic viewpoint, free of ghosts, demons, evil influencers and spooky things in the dark.
So much mental energy has been freed up and I know exactly what to do with it.
So much mental energy has been freed up and I know exactly what to do with it.
InformedIgnorance
Do you 'know' or believe?
The types of god concepts that I might believe in are extremely abstract so please bear with me... I believe in god concepts on a scenario based system: assuming various characteristics in nature (such as the preservation of matter/energy, cause-and-effect, the nature of time, the existence of an after life and so forth) I am able to construct various compatible god concepts. If those assumptions were to be found faulty then it would merely mean that a subset of possible god concepts (of a set of the possible god concepts that I can conceive) were less likely.
Those that I 'believe in' are those that I deem to be congruent with my understanding of reality - these are those I call unimpeded god concepts (concepts about which nothing known in the natural dimension directly conflicts), the more that the natural dimension conflicts with that particular god concept the more impeded it is (for example, the god concept derived from a literal interpretation of the 'Book of Genesis' is more impeded than the god concept derived from a metaphorical interpretation of the same text). Impeded god concepts might be true, however their dissonance with our understanding of reality proves an impediment to their acceptance and a barrier that must need be identified and accounted for in attempting to promote their likelihood.
Difficult to follow?
I perceive a multitude of potential god 'concepts', ideas about the nature of god(s) - the less contradicted concepts are those I consider more likely; however the only god concepts I 'believe in' are those that match my core assumptions about reality:
Such assumptions include the possible belief in a beginning of time; which results in the belief "If there was a beginning of time, it contravenes logic" (Note that the reasoning for this is examined in another thread http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/philosophy/133438-supernatural-beginning-time.html) for me this is 'god', it could merely be the contradicting event itself or it could be the resulting reality (universe) itself; or it could be some force or law, necessitating that capacity for change (the need for time to exist) - I do not however believe that the concept is an entity let alone a being. Note that this assumption is a possible belief (about the nature of time), one that I find could be true but need not be and therefore the possible congruent god concepts are contingent upon these assumptions.
>> I 'believe' that it is possible that I do not know everything that is possible.
>> I 'believe' in the possible truth of some god concepts; not in their existence.
>> I 'believe' unimpeded god concepts are more likely to be true than the impeded.
>> I 'believe' even self contradictory, highly impeded god concepts are possible.
Those that I 'believe in' are those that I deem to be congruent with my understanding of reality - these are those I call unimpeded god concepts (concepts about which nothing known in the natural dimension directly conflicts), the more that the natural dimension conflicts with that particular god concept the more impeded it is (for example, the god concept derived from a literal interpretation of the 'Book of Genesis' is more impeded than the god concept derived from a metaphorical interpretation of the same text). Impeded god concepts might be true, however their dissonance with our understanding of reality proves an impediment to their acceptance and a barrier that must need be identified and accounted for in attempting to promote their likelihood.
Difficult to follow?
I perceive a multitude of potential god 'concepts', ideas about the nature of god(s) - the less contradicted concepts are those I consider more likely; however the only god concepts I 'believe in' are those that match my core assumptions about reality:
Such assumptions include the possible belief in a beginning of time; which results in the belief "If there was a beginning of time, it contravenes logic" (Note that the reasoning for this is examined in another thread http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/philosophy/133438-supernatural-beginning-time.html) for me this is 'god', it could merely be the contradicting event itself or it could be the resulting reality (universe) itself; or it could be some force or law, necessitating that capacity for change (the need for time to exist) - I do not however believe that the concept is an entity let alone a being. Note that this assumption is a possible belief (about the nature of time), one that I find could be true but need not be and therefore the possible congruent god concepts are contingent upon these assumptions.
>> I 'believe' that it is possible that I do not know everything that is possible.
>> I 'believe' in the possible truth of some god concepts; not in their existence.
>> I 'believe' unimpeded god concepts are more likely to be true than the impeded.
>> I 'believe' even self contradictory, highly impeded god concepts are possible.
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The Fog Horn
Active Member
Do you get my drift?
Me Myself
Back to my username
Sure, but I can masturbate and believe in Gods at the same time
(not that I think on them while masturbating o.o (except in the level of that godess on TV the other day...)
You do realize that there are plenty of theists who do not have those either, and that there are atheists with them, right?
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The Fog Horn
Active Member
Scratching in the dark though aren't you? :yes:
Orias
Left Hand Path
I cannot find evidence that does not support my belief.
I look around, and even when I try to question what I perceive before me, I cannot deny the possibility. And if I cannot deny the possibility, then I must believe.
arthra
Baha'i
I've had an interest in history for quite awhile and it seems to me that there have been important junctures in the past where human beings made important strides forward either as a result of inspiration or revelation..and these experiences have been religious or identified as related to religious experiences..
While it's also true religion has been "hijacked" and exploited by some..It's usually a distortion of the original core values of religion.
Arnold Toynbee identified religious values as important motivators in human progress...and civilization. Toynbee says:
Im convinced that the people creating the civilisation must be helped to become aware of the purpose of their collective actions. The labours of those who build the civilisation must be shaped by a profound spiritual awareness.
The Fog Horn
Active Member
Sounds rather fatalistic :sarcastic
Orias
Left Hand Path
Are you sure you're in the right thread responding to the right person?
Orias
Left Hand Path
And I say not really because I haven't believed in God my whole life, and chances are that my belief in God differs slightly from most, including interpretation of it.
^^^^^ that works for me. I keep it simple because I want to.
I can get knee deep into phylisophical drivel, have, don't like it.
FAITH: that belief that can niether be proved or disproved.
Case closed. (from that point of view)
Re: The Christian Bible. There is all sorts of wonderful information in that collection of ancient works. It's the handbook, the owners manual for humans.
( I did not say humans should own humans either)
Just read Proverbs for so so much sound advice on how to conduct ones self in human interaction and interaction with God.