Do you think God is real?

[CAPTAIN-OBVIOUS]

Why or why not?

Yes

No

[provokeesmokee]

I do, because life is more fun for me to imagine God sitting out there, somewhere and some when.

She's incomprehensible, ineffable, and definitely a bit of a bitch. But She gave us free will and is interested in seeing how big a fuck up or how good a home we can make.

To me, God is a cosmic Trickster. And it's more fun to have Her around, even though She gives zero fucks about us.

[Stressyalaire]

This is a believer I can agree with. You actually said Imagine. Some state it as a fact, and that has always rubbed me the wrong way.

[Agape93]

Which one?

[CAPTAIN-OBVIOUS]

Christian God

[Agape93]

Exists, sure.
As powerful or smart as people say? No.
Worthy of worship or respect? Nope, not from me.

[CAPTAIN-OBVIOUS]

Why is he not worthy of respect?

[Agape93]

What has it done to earn it?

He himself has claimed to have killed almost every living thing on earth, to punish one species for doing exactly what he made them able to do and knew they would do.

He smote a man who slipped whilst carrying the ark.

He has himself stated he created all evil.

He made a man nearly murder his kid, before stopping him at the last second.

Etc.
If I'm more moral than God is, something is really wrong.

[nightdrot]

Voted "Yes."

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.

[Ihatethewill]

No atheism. No God. We as human beings must accept that we don't know what our origin is instead of labeling every coincidence and action as an act of God.

[nightdrot]

@Ihatethewill In other words, this whole universe - order out of chaos - was a coincidence? What are the statistical odds of that happening? How often does disorder conduce to order - particularly as against the other way around?

See again the Chesterton quote above.

[Matthias345]

@nightdrot The only question worth answering is how God himself can exist.

If you explain to me that God is uncreated, the existence of an uncreated god, i. e. a being that has no cause or creator of its own, raises several philosophical and logical problems.

If a god exists without a cause, this can lead to infinite causal feedback. If a being can exist without a cause, why can't the universe itself?

If an uncreated god exists, what are its characteristics? How can qualities such as omnipotence, omniscience or benevolence be attributed to a being that has not been created and whose existence cannot be explained?

If we consider that the uncreated god has always existed, this raises questions about the notion of time. How can we conceive of an existence that would be infinite in the past? How could a being exist indefinitely without having been created, or without having begun its existence at a given moment?

[nightdrot]

@Matthias345 Well, it is a good question to ask, but as God stands outside the universe - the only way to create it is to stand outside it - we lack the means and the tools and the context to address the question. There is, in fairness, in that sense, an irreducible element of faith.

Yet it is not blind faith. It is not the faith of the fanatic. Rather, it is the faith or Aristotle, Plato and the like. We use what knowledge we have to extrapolate what we can. As imperfect beings living "inside the bubble" we will not be able to - at least in this life - extrapolate the answer to your questions.

However, we deduce from what we do know the nature of reality. Please note that works in science as much as in religion. We have, after all, never seen Einstein's Theory of Relativity played out before our eyes. Rather, we have only see the indications of it being played out.

We accept Einstein based on the preponderance of the evidence. Not because we have lived out the experience, per se.

You ignore what evidence there is and then deduce that the absence of evidence is the conclusive evidence. Not sure that works to well in the known universe let alone in the reality outside what we know.

This is an epistemological question and that can be maddeningly frustrating. Believe me, I understand. (I work in politics which has its' own epistemological questions - albeit on a smaller scale.) However, by ignoring the question of how we know things and reach conclusions, you cut man off from a whole realm of knowledge - not just in religion but in science.

[Matthias345]

@nightdrot I'm not saying that the absence of proof is proof in itself, but I'm simply asking questions.

The parallel drawn with science and the acceptance of certain theories, such as Einstein's theory of relativity, is based on an important difference. Scientific theories are based on concrete evidence, reproducible experiments and verifiable observations. They are continually tested and challenged as new information and evidence emerges.

How can God exist without a cause for his creation? How could such a thing be possible? How could the same uncreated God have created everything out of nothing? How could an uncreated being create a universe, a complex nature that obeys "laws" and logic, when he himself would defy all these laws?

Let's face it, to answer such a question you'd have to go beyond logic and rationality.

the fact that an idea is complex doesn't automatically mean it's true or corresponds to reality. The complexity of an idea is no proof of its validity.

How can we justify our beliefs if they are based on ideas that are beyond our comprehension? If we accept complex concepts without demanding tangible proof, this can lead to unfounded beliefs or subjective interpretations.

In the end, I'm willing to accept the "Faith" argument, but I must confess that I find it very unsatisfactory.

[nightdrot]

@Matthias345 No, I did not mean to imply that your questions were inappropriate. I was merely pointing out that reality is more complex than the material evidence that you are applying.

This is a little trite, but define "love" in scientific terms. You can point to certain biological and psychological data, but those, in the end, are less than the sum of the whole.

You are right on your last point. The "Faith" answer is not good enough. (As indeed some figures - see St. Thomas Aquinas - have also said.) So you are obliged to press deeper and think with more insight.

It being a bit cliche, but nonetheless true for it. You may not definitively know the answer until you pass away from this mortal veil of tears. It also worth adding that we live in a material world where, as often as not, reality is not dispositive of truth. Which is why we are obliged to look more deeply than what we see before us.

[Matthias345]

For love, we can find at least the beginnings of an answer.

And if we can accept an uncreated God, who would defy all the "laws" of nature, then we can by theory imagine many things that would defy these same laws, and that would result in many far-fetched things.

For my various previous questions, the answers (and I'm not just speaking for you, but in general) seem more like science fiction than a logically and rationally acceptable answer.

[Matthias345]

But the discussion was a pleasure

[Julie4]

@nighdrot Blaise Pascal was one of the great mathematicians of his time and contributed to the progress of science.

Blaisz Pascal underlines the limits of reason: "two excesses: excluding reason, admitting only reason".

[nightdrot]

@Matthias345 Agreed. Enjoyed it as well. As for the other answers you got, some believe out of intense emotion. Others from their upbringing. Some out of a desire for hope.

For my part, I tried to root my answers in theological history, philosophy and epistemology. Building on the wisdom and experience of others, may greater thinkers than myself. These are not the "hard" sciences, but reality is not just about the hard sciences and material reality.

Recall, on a darker note, that it was ideologies that built the camps and the Gulag. Suffice to say, the ideas may have been wrong, but their reality was palpable.

[nightdrot]

@Julie4 Could not agree more!!

[Julie4]

@nightdrot But to be honest with you, I am deeply Camusian. But I don't know if that makes sense to you. Because I guess Albert Camus is totally unknown in the USA lol

[nightdrot]

@Julie4 Eh, I've rumors about him...(LOL as they say in France!)

[WhiteSteve]

No idea. I’m pretty certain no human-imagined religion we’re aware of in our history has gotten right. Like I definitely wouldn’t trust HUMANS on the issue, just lmfao. “No, it’s legit, guys, I talked to God and I just wrote down what he told me. Trust me, bro.”

I can remain open to the idea that something bigger than us exists, and maybe is behind the universe as we know it. But it also remains possible to me that the universe just “is.” “Everything must have an end and a beginning” is a human idea. It sounds catchy, but it might not necessarily be true, at least not on a level like that of the universe. Everything is just here, and it’s all amazing, but honestly, I don’t even really need to wonder why. I just live and experience it, and bask in the joys it gives while simultaneously managing the struggles. “Well, nobody knows…” is a completely acceptable answer to me for most things of this nature, I can close the book on it at that point, and I feel no need to seek out additional ideas on it.

A lot of religion seems to function as an attempted explanation of the world around us, cultures throughout recorded history have had their own iterations of praying to a deity or to natural forces, like the sun or rain or whatever. Some have been explained away by modern science at this point, but primitive people were in a make or break situation with their crops (or just natural vegetation that sustained them and the animals they’d eat), and it was so dire that they’d sacrifice a goat or do some kind of dance in hopes to inspire whatever they believe controlled it.

All this stuff temporarily assuages our anxiety and gives us a feel of a measure of potential control. I see grown adults at baseball games wearing their hats inside-out as a “rally cap” when their team is down in the late innings, just a superstition to hopefully change the course of a game. Then it works like twice out of twenty-five times, lmao, and all of a sudden it was the rally caps, not chance combined with the skills of athletes, that brought the good fortune about. That one year they danced back in the day, it DID rain when they needed it, and so all the other times it didn’t, they must’ve just pissed the gods off somehow in another way.

I’d say my biggest argument against our world religions thus far is that they seem very humanocentric, as if Earth exists just to host people, and everything else in existence is just there to sustain us in some direction or indirect way. I’d say I’d likely categorically reject any religion based in that idea. It’s like “tell me a human imagined this without telling me a human imagined it.” If sharks could do this stuff, you’d better believe one of them before too long would come up with “and on the fifth day, SharkGod created all the creatures of the land, for you to feed on when they wade into the seas…”, lmao. Oh, we’re the main character of the story? What a convenient turn of events😂😂😂

So, I don’t know, and I think that’s really the only correct answer a human can have about the idea of a god. I appreciate that religion gives many people a sense of purpose or hope or community or whatever positive comes of it. I don’t appreciate when it’s pushed on everyone via lawmaking or societal norms. And I strongly object to the idea that it’s a necessity for behavioral control. Not to single out Christianity, it’s just what I’m most familiar with and most exposed to, but I’ll hear some of them basically say we don’t have strong enough religion and it’s causing moral decay in society. And I’m always just like “yeah, but…I’m not religious, and I don’t need religious guidance or the threat of God’s punishment on my soul to keep me from being shitty to other people.” It’s just like “wait…. so if you DIDN’T believe in God, that’s the only wall between you and just giving in to your apparent inherent urges to murder and rape and rob, and you’d go on a spree?”

Like this guy, Matt Walsh, self-described theocrat…

Uhhhhhh…. WHAT? Nah, bro…. we do NOT “all have sexual/violent urges towards children”, what the FUCK are you talking about?

[DannyUk2017]

Used to believe when i was young that "god" will see me if i didn't pray or finish my dish.. soo foolish!!!
When i grew up i realised "he" didn't give a 💩 if i finished my plate or not, if i prayed or not, if i lied/told the truth or not.
Now i'm a full of non-believer, why? I had a friend she was 8 years old and she drowned and i couldn't do nothing... after that i heard.. That was God's will! God's will my ass, what was that little girl's fault that she drowned, babies dyeing at the birth, what are their fault? That was God's plan (i hear again). Most of things that i hear, God has a "plan" for us and we need to follow (but that plan never comes to light), got will be upset and will "send" you to forever fire if you don't listen to him... but "he still loves you", so which is which? Earthquakes, Economy Crashing, Gov's that mess population's life, thieves, killers, thugs, plagues... where is GOD then? Why soo many of them Get away with lots of things, where is GOD THEN?

[Ihatethewill]

God is not responsible for every bad or good thing. He's not real at all in fact.

[DannyUk2017]

That is the conclusion i got too after a few good years...🤷‍♂️

[McLlovin]

It’s impossible for there not to be a God. Look at how people act when they live how they want. According to some there is over 1000 different genders and I don’t even need to get into the gender thing. The fact of the matter is there is chaos when take God out of the picture because there’s no foundation on how things are suppose to be.


2. If you are a logical person nothing can not birth something or 0+0 can not equal 1. There is a beginning and some one had to be outside of being created to start that beginning. As an artist when I creat something I am very proud of it so I mark it by signing my name on it. The truth is even those who say they don’t believe the existence of God actually do because the Bible says he has written it on our hearts. Ask any war veteran who have seen combat if there are any atheist when faced with life or death.


But guess what it’s easier to say God doesn’t exist because then I can do what I want without feeling bad or guilty.


Jesus is ready to receive anyone willing to come to him and forsake his sinful ways and become his family.

[DulceDelight]

It just didn't make sense to me as a kid and makes even less sense to me now. I think the whole 'let him in your heart' 'feel him in your heart' stuff was what started it. I don't get the 'feel it in your heart' stuff. Had a meditation lesson once and they just ruined it by saying dumb stuff like that. I didn't feel anything in my heart. And now that I have thought a lot more about religion I can make several arguments as to why I think the existence of a creator is questionable and the arguments flawed... and especially when talking about a specific god or deity from a specific religion. Most common argument I see on creationism is 'The universe is too complex to happen by chance, it requires a creator.' to which I say 'In order to create something you need to understand it. In order to understand it you need to be more complex. If the universe is too complex to just come into existence or to have always existed without a creator... where does the more complex creator come from?' It's a question that just makes it impossible for me to take creationism seriously. In my opinion we are just clueless about the undocumented past and like to make up ridiculous theories and stories to explain what, how and why things are what they are.

[JustinTheGreat]

No I do not.
I believe the concept of God was created because people didn’t know the answers to certain questions so the idea of a mystical being creating everything was an easier way of explaining.
Also people don’t want to accept the fact that life is meaningless. We don’t go anywhere after we die. We never see our passed loved ones again. So they created the concept of heaven in order to give people hope and something to look forward to.
It’s also a way to control. Man created a Bible and told everyone that it’s the “word of god” to get people to live the way they want them to live. They threaten people with the idea of hell if they don’t live up to their standards.
They use it as a way to scare people.

[Daniela1982]

Then why did every culture that existed on Earth, even on the other side of the world, believe in a supreme being? That has to be more than a coincidence. The Bible itself says: To those who are perishing it is foolishness.

[Fuentes]

@Daniela1982 u are right about that, that's what actually lead me to beleive God was real as Muslims, Jewish and Christians all have the same story to a certain point and acknowledge it. Even in the mountains the Hmong adopted a Supreme being and became. shamans and the Chinese found Buddha and the Natives worshiped spirituality and God. So theirs no way in that olden day did people think only like we do in today's world lol. Because rmbr not everyone even spoke the same language so how did they communicate this to other to deceive and beleive? Hell the Natives didn't even know wtf the Europeans were saying when they said "THIS LAND IS MINE" HAHAHAHA but yeah u right but I don't support God only Satan.

[JustinTheGreat]

@Daniela1982 @Fuentes
the concept of a god is not a difficult concept to come up with. It’s natural for humans to look for answers. So coming up with the idea of a greater being who is in control of everything, seems like it would be a common thought.

And if that was really proof that it exists then why does every culture have different gods and beliefs? If everyone saw the same thing then why wouldn’t they agree on a single concept of god?

[Fuentes]

@JustinTheGreat why do we all live on the same earth but speak different languages?

[whirled_up_girl]

@daniela @Fuentes That’s how I see it as well all if these different religions that have been around for thousands of years have certain similarities there must be something to that.

[Daniela1982]

@JustinTheGreat They all split off with their own beliefs and languages at the Tower of Babel.

[inhua]

yes

no2 whether or not God is the one depicted in the Bible is a different story

God can go by many names from the Supreme Deity, to the One Above All, the Presence and many others

God is all-knowing, all-power, all-existence such that our personal problems are infinitesimally insignificant to the grand scheme of reality

from every single individual on this planet, to every planet in the universe, to every universe in the multiverse, to every multiverse in the omniverse, we are all insignificant when compared to God

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Of course God is real.

If you believe Lawrence Krauss and Stephen Hawking's view that everything could add up to NOTHING for no reason whatsoever and happen randomly for no reason whatsoever, then you have no rational reason to believe anything around you has any meaning whatsoever.

Of course you value your life and family, but why? If we are just a product of the Big Bang, which atheists allege happened for no reason, then there is no reason to value anything.

On the other hand, if we are CREATED by an Almighty and Loving Being, then there's plenty of reason to value both our own lives and the lives of others.

[Ihatethewill]

No. God along with Christianity is overglorified propaganda. My grand parents tought me that God is our number one priority. Love him, and fear him. God created all, and all ends with God. I used to believe in the Christian stories until I started losing faith. My prayers were never answered in my lowest of moments.

European Christians used it to gain power and teritory. Failure to covert to Christianity would have gotten people killed. Yet people glorify this fact. They've been taught to embrace their fantasies and ideologies, and to hate queers, atheists, sex, science, and everything that doesn't allign with, or contradicts their beliefs. Brainwashed beyond repair, thinking God is the result of every action and coincidence on earth. The textbook definition of propaganda. Im glad I dont go to church anymore.

[Daniela1982]

If your prayers were not answered is because you didn't believe in God and have a personal relationship with him. God is not required to answer the prayers of unbelievers. "If you consider sin in your heart he will not hear you." Also, "If you deny Jesus in front of men then he will deny you before the father on judgement day."

[Ihatethewill]

My prayers weren't answered because God is but a hoax. It's true, I didn't build a personal relationship with God. Nor am I brainwashed enough to do it today. You're basically saying "It's because you don't worship God enough while following in his morals. Therefore Jesus will cast you into the nonexistent flames of hell." I choose to have my own free will. Until proven that God in heaven is real, I will not fear hell, sin, and judgement.

[Daniela1982]

I guess that's your bad choice. Try reading "Reasons skeptics might consider Christianity" or "New evidence that demands a verdict" by Josh McDowell. He was an atheist who studied the Bible and religion. He tried to prove God didn't exist, but after all his research he became a Christian instead.

[lightbulb27]

Yes there is God. God be love.


There are various gods. Hindu see millions of them. Some people are their own god. Statues can be god. Question is which are really worthy? Those dont work eternally.


To me… it is resonance of truth. Emotion.

[DrKrieger]

I think Pascal had the best response to this:

You believe in God and he's real = eternal reward

You don't believe in God and he's real = eternal damnation

You believe in God and he's fake = finite loss

You don't believe in God and he's fake = finite gain

* the best bet is that God is real

[Jersey2]

This is how I think about it as well. If God is real, and I do believe He is, then everything matters. If He is not real, then nothing matters.

[zebronics]

I do believe in god, But i am not that much religious, recently I am studying different religions, currently I am looking into Muslim faith, as so many internet celebraty Converted to Muslim faith, so I am diving deep into it, I came up with this Verse from the Quran which is worth Pondering, " Did nothing create them or did they create themselves?"🌱

[Alli39]

Personally no. I assume we're talking about the general christian/middle eastern-rooted monotheistic god. I don't mind the concept of a higher power, but I don't really buy into it too much either.

[Julie4]

No, I don't think God is real. For me, God is an invention of men to reassure themselves.


If God exists, how did he come into being? If everything has a cause, how can it be uncreated?

[Jesterteddy66]

You have to think like this not only who come first chicken or egg but who made dinosaurs but also why are humans so unique and why can’t our animals talk like us. There are so many questions and maybe some can be answered by science and etc but is it true what they say?

[MissBoogus]

I think so.

also, what’s the harm in believing - even if say, it wasn’t true? There is a lot of helpful advice in the book. Also, why risk the punishment that follows. Better be safe then sorry and at least try to live a righteous life

[WanderingLoveWizard]

Yes I do. Because there's no way my life could be the way it is without someone or something behind the scenes purposely fucking me over

[WanderingLoveWizard]

I pray and God says, "Who said you could take my dick out of your mouth?"

[AviatorTom]

Some religions believe many gods are real. The ancient Romans viewed their leader as a god, and he was real.

[Anonymous]

Obviously not.

[PragmaticProfit]

Does that logic apply to transgenderism?

[FreyaRed]

No, but it was a positively surprise if such omnipotent being existed

[Stressyalaire]

I believe, but not in the majority of the followers.

[Staximus]

I don't know, dude. I'm not dead yet. Anybody who thinks they know what happens after you die is a delusional fool. It's just wishful thinking. We don't know shit.

[Ben487]

No b/c there is no evidence for it. I wouldn't say it's impossible though b/c we don't have answers to certain questions yet.

[Daniela1982]

That's why they call it "faith" Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

[CB-Raido-Time]

I know God exist and I know Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son. I know Jesus Christ died, he was buried, and he rose on the 3rd day. And Jesus Christ is my Lord And Savior.

[Paul09]

Nope. Religion = created by man to put fear Alin people to control them. The longest brainwashing in human history

[najekim]

Religion and its related dogma was created to control masses of people by a select few (the clergy) through fear and intimidation.

[douride2]

I have no proof either way whether there is a god or not.

[OddBeMe]

Funny there’s only two options for an unprovable idea.

But god probably doesn’t exist. Too good to be true.

[DextroShade]

I hope not, because if He is real He created us just to suffer for His own entertainment.

[OfDeath]

No. There isn't anything we know so far which would make me think so.

[Philyouup]

his existence is not
provable. Cavemen existence is easier to prove

[Jersey2]

There are a lot of things that are not provable but yet exist. 100 years ago there were even more of them.

[BarryLiverstone]

Yes, He’s real. Because I have Faith and also can look back at times when He was in control

[Fuentes]

God is real but he is a deceiver and evil, the true rightful God is Satan.

[Jersey2]

Yawn

[Fuentes]

@Jersey2 keep snoring 💤

[heyuas]

I’m a non-believer

[WhitneySnow]

Yes because I have faith

[EmmaMary]

RAOFLMFAO! 🤣🤣🤣

[whirled_up_girl]

I believe in a higher power.

[ohsheeT]

I not only think. I know God is Real

[jshm2]

He is why you have objective reality.

[FunkyMonkee]

There's no proof that it ever existed!

[exitseven]

Yes he is. He is just taking a break.

[goaded]

No. Why should I?

[dreamstar72]

His free will is a debatable

[dreamstar72]

Forgot “little”

[Anonymous]

straight up no. because it makes no sense.

[Unit1]

About as real as ending world hunger.

[Jersey2]

Which funnily enough could happen if everyone truly believed.

[ryancg]

No, deities are science fiction.

[pethouse]

I have his direct phone number

[Lyndsielee666]

Absolutely not

[PragmaticProfit]

Do you believe in Satan? Hence the 666 in the username.

[Lyndsielee666]

@PragmaticProfit no. The username is nine years old 😂

[strateguy632]

yep.

[Anonymous]

Yes I believe in God

[gothbxtch]

i hink so yes

[GrantArmstrong]

Lack of evidence.

[Luopio27]

Im agnostic.

[Iron_Man]

Yes I do