-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
why is it important for you to have a God
- Thread starter foxjazz
- Start date
Christian Gnosis
Active Member
Well since I've had experiences confirming my religious practices, I can't really say it's not important. Something higher then myself has a plan for me.
Did I have to gain anything from it? Maybe for me it isn't about gain.
I don't understand why they're Atheists. I do not mistreat them or frown on them for their views, but I don't understand it.
The kind of god that some believe in. To quote Thomas Paine: "A cruel god makes for a cruel man." In relation to the Jewish god of the Old Testament.
chinu
chinu
To get rid from deths & births.
Real.
The people who say themselves an Atheist are not wrong, they are also right as according them, because they are not fed up from this world, they still want to enjoy and live their lifes beautifully,
So as a result they are not intrested in getting rid of deths & births, in fact they don't belive in deths & births.
So for them i can only say: Their Time Will Come, In fact today or later "Time" for everybody is decided by god.
If somebody is heartly feeling tired from all wordly things this means it is the syptom that your decided time is nearby.
You can only understand my trouble if you are a kind of person as Mentioned Above.
Anyhow: O god please pick me from this world as fast as you can.
_/\_Chinu.
First of all, good questions 
This probably isn't the most in-depth understanding, but I think that people tend to feel very lost and helpless in this giant universe. God is like a parent to a young child; the child doesn't understand the world well, it doesn't know how to conduct itself, it doesn't know how to be safe/secure and it needs comfort, care and protection. An adult loses this situation, as he/she becomes the carer, protector and guide. But I think that we, as adults, are still like children, and God represents that adult who guides, protects and nurtures us. The idea of no God for a lot of people is very scary. It can make some people feel very lonely and lost.
Security/safety and a sense of purpose/meaning. It also provides some satisfaction about those big questions of life. You can be into science all you want, but you are still left with some pretty big unanswered questions.
Not a whole lot. I can relate to them better than to any fundy.
Belief in God per se' doesn't trouble me. Only certain beliefs in particular religions concern me.
This probably isn't the most in-depth understanding, but I think that people tend to feel very lost and helpless in this giant universe. God is like a parent to a young child; the child doesn't understand the world well, it doesn't know how to conduct itself, it doesn't know how to be safe/secure and it needs comfort, care and protection. An adult loses this situation, as he/she becomes the carer, protector and guide. But I think that we, as adults, are still like children, and God represents that adult who guides, protects and nurtures us. The idea of no God for a lot of people is very scary. It can make some people feel very lonely and lost.
Security/safety and a sense of purpose/meaning. It also provides some satisfaction about those big questions of life. You can be into science all you want, but you are still left with some pretty big unanswered questions.
Not a whole lot. I can relate to them better than to any fundy.
Belief in God per se' doesn't trouble me. Only certain beliefs in particular religions concern me.
Engyo
Prince of Dorkness!
I don't feel that it is. Since I don't accept the concept of an omniscient omnipotent omnipresent creator being anyway, I have no need for a relationship with one.
What experience?
Oh. OK.
The actions it seemingly compels some people to do, and the choices it allows some people to justify.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
Explain why it is important for you to believe or have a relationship with God.
I believe that my understanding of the purpose of life, the experience and importance of death, and on a personal level, my understanding of why I am "here" is completed by my belief in God. My "relationship with God" (though I am not one of those who run around claiming to have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ") gives me another level of fortitude and inner strength in troubled times and when I am struggling with a problem, be it large or small.
What do you think is gained by that experience be it real or fantasy?
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
When others say they are an Atheist, what goes through your mind?
A bit of curiosity but that's about it. I am not into judging the spiritual state of the souls of others. That's between that person and God.
What troubles you most about belief in God?
I'm not troubled by anyone's belief in God or their lack thereof. The only thing that troubles me is intolerance and cruelty dressed up in either religious or secular vestments.
I believe that my understanding of the purpose of life, the experience and importance of death, and on a personal level, my understanding of why I am "here" is completed by my belief in God. My "relationship with God" (though I am not one of those who run around claiming to have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ") gives me another level of fortitude and inner strength in troubled times and when I am struggling with a problem, be it large or small.
What do you think is gained by that experience be it real or fantasy?
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
When others say they are an Atheist, what goes through your mind?
A bit of curiosity but that's about it. I am not into judging the spiritual state of the souls of others. That's between that person and God.
What troubles you most about belief in God?
I'm not troubled by anyone's belief in God or their lack thereof. The only thing that troubles me is intolerance and cruelty dressed up in either religious or secular vestments.
paolops181
God rules!
It is important for me to have a relationship with God because first, I believe in him (heb.11:6), he is our Father according to the Lord Jesus (john20:17), I want to enter his kingdom.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain." -1tim.6:6
atheist are fools according to the bible (ps.14:1).
It does not give me trouble but at peace for God is the God of Peace (heb.13:20).
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
Realization.
Realization.
I presume most people around me are already atheists or agnostics anyway, so usually it's nothing.
Certain concepts of 'gods' typically found in Abrahamic religions. How some 'believers' seem to be able to lose their empathy so easily. "I would gladly kill if my God told me to." - That is a pretty scary view that some have.
Another is following legalisms, customs and traditions as opposed to trying to love God and be a good person.
ellenjanuary
Well-Known Member
The importance of having god is knowing the difference between god and religion.
Thou shall have no god before me
Therefore, you are god. And I am humble, and loving, and compassionate.
Doesn't that about cover it?
Thou shall have no god before me
Therefore, you are god. And I am humble, and loving, and compassionate.
Doesn't that about cover it?
That is a question that I doubt I can answer with any kind of satisfaction.
[/quote]What do you think is gained by that experience be it real or fantasy?[/quote]
I have gained things from it: peace of mind, prayer, and other kinds of things.
[/quote]When others say they are an Atheist, what goes through your mind?[/quote]
That they don't believe in God.
[/quote]What troubles you most about belief in God?[/quote]
Nothing, really. I used to worry about what others think. I once dated an atheist for quite a while. But now, I just don't care what others think. If someone thinks what I believe in is the same as believing in fairies, unicorns, or Santa Claus, it has nothing to do with me.
After reading many of the replies, it seems that when I say "what gives you trouble about others belief in God". No one here seems to say "which one". From my point of view, that proves that believers here are very narrow minded and can't conceive of other God beliefs but their own.
What always goes through my mind about others belief in God is which one, which God are they building a world view from. And how does that affect their lives and the lives of the people they influence. That's what troubles me.
What always goes through my mind about others belief in God is which one, which God are they building a world view from. And how does that affect their lives and the lives of the people they influence. That's what troubles me.
ellenjanuary
Well-Known Member
I am building a worldview from my belief that Gwyneth Paltrow is god. Be afraid, be very afraid...
In other words, if one does not laugh; one will cry.
In other words, if one does not laugh; one will cry.
Christian Gnosis
Active Member
Actually my view of God is very open-minded, since I believe that all gods are part of my God, except Jehovah. I believe Jehovah is a demiurge, if you want to use the term god, he's an evil god, who perceived himself as greater then the whole in his own mind. I have the words of the Old Testament as proof enough that he is evil. Why shouldn't I believe what the Jews wrote about him?
ellenjanuary
Well-Known Member
So you inverted the whole tale?
Good thing about my Gwynnies. I am the evil god. :devil: muah-ha-ha-ha...
What don't you understand about it?
I disagree. I this context I don't think it was necessary for us to ask 'which one?'.
Christian Gnosis
Active Member
Like how they can possibly be Atheists. What led them to that? Many Atheists I've met dropped Theism just because they came to believe Christianity was wrong. You can't just dismiss the whole of religion because one religion might be wrong.
It makes sense to me. An atheist is someone who lacks belief in God. Perhaps they haven't been given enough reason to believe in God. There's no good reason to just believe for the sake of believing. Someone who loses faith in their particular religion would find it even harder to trust new information. Just picking a philosophy to follow is shallow, I find a lot of people do this. At that point, their belief is only an illusion and can fade or change as quickly as it came.
Well if that's the case then you would do well to talk to more atheists here.
I don't dismiss all religions because one religion might be (is) wrong. I dismiss all religions because none of them have justified themselves. In fact, in your thread about synchretic beliefs, I asked you if you had any justification for your beliefs and you told me that you did not other than personal experiences. You have no means of convincing others of what you believe the truth is.
From an atheist perspective, why would I grant validity to claims that cannot be demonstrated in the slightest?
You alluded to this by (wisely) pointing out that just picking a philosophy to follow is shallow, but nonetheless I want to clarify something.
Some people become atheists after dropping their initial religion. The reason is often that a useful method of acquiring accurate information has been developed. Once someone asks questions like, "what evidence is there for any of this?" or "why should I believe you?" or "can you justify your claims?", then those questions apply not only to the initial religion that they left behind, but all other religions that they encounter as well.
So it's not just a matter of not trusting new information. It's a matter of a person concluding that basically all religions (rather than just the initial one) fail to pass standards of evidence and justification.