Voted No. I have consistently believed that there is a God.
As G. K. Chesterton wrote, “It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything.”
The paradox is that the atheist is as extreme in his way as is the religious fanatic. Because the atheist sees evil in the world, he jumps to the conclusion that there must therefore be no God.
This presents two problems. First, if there is nothing but the impersonal forces of nature and the laws of physics, then there is no free will. Every thought, every action is predetermined by the intermix of molecular and physical reactions. Nothing can be other than what it is.
The problem then becomes that your belief that God does not exist is then also a simple biochemical molecular reaction. You came to the only conclusion that your physiological structure predetermined you would.
However, if that is true, then your conclusion is no more valid than the opposite conclusion. It was simply the luck of the draw of your brain's electro-chemical reactions and you end up in an intellectual hall of mirrors.
In that connection, atheism tends to premised on a rejection of the idea of God in the absence of proof of His benevolence. This leaves the atheist effectively rejecting only one vision of God - namely the Judeo-Christian version. In truth, there are other conceptions of God. (For example, the ancient Greeks believed that the gods were arbitrary and capricious.)
The second point is that if everything in the universe must have a beginning, then logically something must stand outside the universe to start the universe itself. Chesterton's point stands and is a reflection of Aquinas' view of God as the first cause of all things.
The funny part is that the atheist argues that the universe is more complex than religion. Yet their own explanation is, itself, an oversimplification. Order does not spontaneously come from chaos without something outside itself to impose order. Similarly, if all things existing must start, then something must exist outside of it to start it.
Yet the atheist's problem remains. That the order of existence came from chaos absent something to give it order. It just happened - with the caveat that we don't know how - but it happened within existence because existence is all there is.
That is a presumption - and a problem - for atheism.
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I will never understand the complexities that make-up God…hell, I/we don’t even use all of our brain 🧠 that He gave us.
—Common Sense: whether one is , relational or scientific in Nature, the interwoven complexities in both dynamics are too integral to be born of an accident or from chaos…
—From chaos can organized intelligent, either physical or moral, design come. Accidentally and perfectly is nonsensical as Mass (earth) by cumulatively defined Physics constructs…in both form and function flourishes-Intelligent Designer…. —Look out your window 🪟 and in the mirror as one’s Soul Mind Emotion and Physical Design work in unison whether healthy or unhealthy…pretty complex and intricately Designed.
—I can’t explain it but just in the everyday life the preponderance of evidence says a Creator, God’s intelligent handiwork. For instance, two fluids with functioning full genetic code meeting in Womb declaring both Identity and Life.
There’s just too much Organized Design in every arena and at every level that I can not account for but yet It/they is/are.
The hardest part for me is trying to understand the Bible within its Context and mixing that with me personal sensibilities and what’s right/wrong. But then I realize that one created without ability to do wrong (Evil/cause suffering) is one that is Determined Good…and one incapable of choosing God…a robotic follower. And then, I see even at deeper level Intelligent Design and a God that is glorified “fairly”… by my own choosing independent of a government or king-like forced ultimatum. It’s just more 💩 I can’t explain BUT is evident. I wouldn’t chase or worship a God that I could figure out…probably🙃
No I haven't changed my mind, I'm an atheist. I respect all beliefs but for me God is just a human invention to reassure himself about his fears.
I share Einstein's thoughts on this.
“I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the object of his creation. I cannot imagine a God who would regulate his will on the experience of mine. being who would survive the death of his body. If such ideas develop in a mind, I judge him to be weak, fearful and stupidly selfish."
How can we believe for example that "Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to roll back all night with a strong east wind, and he dried up the sea, and the waters were divided. The children of Israel entered into the midst of the sea, into its dry bed, the waters rising like a wall on their right and on their left.
How can anyone believe that Jesus turned water into wine or healed a blind man?
If believing in a superior being and in all these "miracles" reassures you, allows you to move forward in your life by giving you hope and a "morality" then it is absolutely brilliant for you.
Faith is the substance of things "hoped for" and the "evidence" of things not seen ~Heb 11:1
I would rather believe in God and find out that I was right then to not believe and find out that I was wrong :)Good question Ms @Snsl153
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I was unknown before 5, agnostic at 6, and after 7 or 8 I always believed in God, I had doubts between 14-18 but they went away after I turned 19.
I said "yes", even though it wasn't that recently. I notice your posted age is 25, and I was 19 when I came around to realize belief in God was not a logical stance that I could hold any longer. I don't necessarily believe it's impossible that God exists, just that it's one of a plethora of unfalsifiable possibilities. Much like the simulation hypothesis from your other question, or solipsism, it is just one of many, many such hypotheses. It is certainly one of the most popular and appealing to the masses, but I don't think that gives it any more or less realistic credibility. The truth could actually be something no one has even conceived of, let alone believed in.
I believed in God as a child, because that's what I was told was true by the adults around me. But as you are at 25 and I was at 19, there comes a time when you may start to think for yourself, gather more information, and start to question the nature of reality.
I currently and more recently have been delving into the the concept of the illusions of reality, somewhat along the Buddhist trail of thought, but with the hypotheisis that these illusions may be chosen intentionally. Rather than being a subject/victim of illusions, the ability to exercise intention to create a world for ourselves.Yeah, a few years ago after visiting Taiwan. It was my first time in a polytheistic country. I had seen stuff in books and TV, but to actually go there and watch people worship at the temples, has a completely different effect on you. It made me question the logic and mindset of monotheistic religions. Basically, "So ONE god can exist, but other gods can't?"
Logic would say, you should either believe in all of them, or none of them. I also don't see any evidence of God. Any God. Like one guy said after the Christchurch mosque massacre, "If their god exists, why didn't he protect them in their place of worship?"
It's a rational question.
My mom said sometimes the devil is more powerful, and others, even Christians and Muslims say he is punishing us for misbehaving like in the old days.
But like for example my Facebook buddy, devout Christian, went to Thailand to do mission work and preach the gospel. He entered the country with 2 eyes and left with 1. And he said it was God's will to take his eye, and he doesn't need 2 eyes. What kind of messed up logic is that? Why would God punish someone who is spreading his teachings?Dont know about god but i do think life has certain laws like physics. Maybe fair or unfair but exist. There must be something governing it. But i dont think its like the gods concept which we think of. ( cuz i ve seen good people suffer i beleive the god we all created is to govern moral code and mentain peace among humans whereas real world god doesn't give a shit about human morale code )
I grew up as a roman catholic. At 10 I already knew that the god the bible depicts is just a fiction, but I thought there must be something bigger than us out there.
I believed that for a long time=> lots of spiritual stuff
Recently I had an epiphany. All this, religions, is just a coping mechanism and a form of escapism instead of taking full responsibility for your life and for your decisions. Also, it's quite hard to grasp that this human thing might be a colossal accident, a series of beneficial mutations as I learnt in biology class.
Now I "believe" in no nonsense, no bs, no excuses, no afterlife, you have 80+ years, make the most of it.I kept changing my definition of what god is.
Turns out there are different levels of god.
God is infinity, contains the universe and created universal laws.
But god is also something within you, that's why your beliefs change the matter around you.
There are spirits people worship and call them gods.
There is truth in every religious and occult teaching, which is very often misinterpreted.
I don't want to write a wikipedia article or anything, I hope you see that god isn't a jealous creep in the sky as churches make it seem.Yes. Most people will challenge their beliefs, as they should. There is nothing wrong with this. If you think about it, most people's initial belief systems are governed most by where in the world they live or to which family/local environment they belong. For example, if you live in Ireland, you're like Catholic. If in Iran, Muslim. If in the U. S. south, Protestant (especially Baptist). If in parts of Asia, Buddhist/Hindu/et. al. Does this mean that most of the world is incorrect about their religious beliefs? I doubt it. This said, it's rather arrogant of us to assume that our beliefs are the only correct beliefs. The world is hardly black or white. If you're set in your beliefs, why not challenge them (seriously challenge them!)? If your belief system is correct, is it not able to stand up to any challenges that you bring?
I was taken to Sunday School as a child but never enjoyed it. Meanwhile I was going home and reading science essays by Isaac Asimov and short stories by Mark Twain that parodied my Sunday School lessons. I started sorting it all out when I was 9 or 10 and read a book my mother had on the world's religions. At t heat moment I thought -- they all think they are right and the others are wrong. Aha! It's all just make-believe. I never looked back. Never thought "is this really all there is?"
No. It's like Santa. When you figure it out, you can't go back to believing.
If you never figured it out and just followed someone else's opinion, then of course you can vacillate back and forth. You're not using reason, you're just being convinced by someone else's opinion.When I asked God for a sign that my Dad made it to Heaven , a light that had been dead came on for 3 days and went out. Now explain a dead bulb coming on like a new bulb and for 3 days. Only God could have done that. 3 days in reference to Christ reviving from being dead in 3 days. Then Jesus went to Heaven.
I grew up atheist until i was about 29 and then became Christian. Just reading the Bible casually on my own did it for me. I was actually militant atheist thinking religion was dumb and read all the arguments and such however the Bible convinced me more than the arguments of Christians.
Looking at your butt profile pic and I start to believe a god exists.
Not me, though ut's not unreasonable that SOMEONE has. Remember that matters of religion are ultimately about faith, not knowledge. That's why it's *belief*.
Jesus ir real. prepare for the second cominh. i have dreams of the second coming. you guys got to brlieve me. it can happen anytime. i dound crayx and how i wish i'm wrong but i'm fucking rigjt
I just accepted the fact that my tiny human brain will never know for sure whether he does or doesn't exist.
No. I became an atheist around a decade and a half ago, and am yet to encounter a theist with a compelling argument or evidence for their position.
No. It’s not that god exists but that god is.
It’s a toughie because logically it doesn’t make sense. Keep trying to crack the nut…I'm Spiritual I've prayed but I'm also neutral about this as well this makes me wonder but have I been through so much and survived and managed?
I never believed in god as I just went to church because my parents promised me McDonalds. 😊
I dont really believe in God, but I also seem the importance of it. Though there is a lot of negativity that comes from it, I think there has been plenty positive.
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