How can you have faith and believe in God? - Help.com

a number of thngs can allow somebody to find faith. It could be a feeling of a force in the world greater than yourself, it could be that science cant quite explain everything in the world but i personally believe because i cant imagine that our whole lives we just live in order to eventually die and for everything to just end

why not? And why do people look at the answers of the people to explain the areas science cannot when they make no sense?

what makes sense to you?

people will always try to find their own answer 4 everything in life which is right 4 them

Well science. Logical thinking. The idea of evolution over creationism.

But they don’t make sense. General the decisions we make are based on logic, but many of the idea presented in the bible and other religious texts don’t make sense.

why peoplbelieve in things tat are clearlly disproven by science lke the world being created in 7 days i cannot tell you as i dont belive in that kind f thing but some thing are not explained by science and also religious books like the bible are primarily simbolical.

Well now they are symbolic. Many of the things we interpret more liberally were not two hundred years ago. (Generally when they were shown to be wrong)

well science only goes towards how things n this world happen but it never shows why things happen where mans persuit for finding a purpose in ones life s the primary reason for joining a religion

But why religion. Why must people turn to a higher being to find a reason to be.

i guess people like to think that their life has a highter meaning

So much so that they wish to remain ignorant to the fact that the idea is built upon pure non sense.

but u cant fully disproove any religion

receive the words of the holy bible and be faithful to him& accept christ in your heart.

mati-199 wrote:
but u cant fully disproove any religion

Technically you can’t fully disprove anything. We can’t fully disprove unicorns or big foot, but there comes a point when we can just stop looking. God and religions are no different.

That’s the beauty, it’s neither possibl to prove or disprove, and still people die for it

Perhaps not, but you certainly provide plenty of evidence to suggest it doesn’t exist. In light of this uncertainty people will still attend church every sunday and pray. Why?

you can disproove biblical events etc. but you can’t disproove god or even present evidence that would help to disproove gods xistence as everyone’s very definition of the word GOD woul be at least slightly different as every1 thinks in a different way

as much as i would love 2 continue this discussion its 2 in the morning where i live and i hav 2 go 2 sleep :)

But then there is noting to prove his existence either. There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding that as well, yet people continue to believe and live their lives surrounding this idea.

i’ll leave u with this finall thaught, Why do u continue to challange religion? if u were trying to find someone who can proove ur way of thinking right u wouldn’t challenge everything evey1 who thinks differently says so u are rather hoping 2 find some1 to prove u wrong in order to show u that life isn’t just a straight march towards death

u cant have any evidence against something that is not defined as everyones definition of god is far different

mati-199 wrote:
i’ll leave u with this finall thaught, Why do u continue to challange religion? if u were trying to find someone who can proove ur way of thinking right u wouldn’t challenge everything evey1 who thinks differently says so u are rather hoping 2 find some1 to prove u wrong in order to show u that life isn’t just a straight march towards death

Inversely, why do religious people always go out of their way to convert us? And then furiously push their points on us when we try to politely tell them to get lost? I could use the same exact reason you gave, that they want to be proven wrong.

Arkia Valkair wrote:

mati-199 wrote:
i’ll leave u with this finall thaught, Why do u continue to challange religion? if u were trying to find someone who can proove ur way of thinking right u wouldn’t challenge everything evey1 who thinks differently says so u are rather hoping 2 find some1 to prove u wrong in order to show u that life isn’t just a straight march towards death

Inversely, why do religious people always go out of their way to convert us? And then furiously push their points on us when we try to politely tell them to get lost? I could use the same exact reason you gave, that they want to be proven wrong.

Well said

Each to their own, but once you start trying to convert, it just annoys everyone else.

I was just trying to gain some insight into the people that believe in religion when it makes no sense. I cannot for the life of me understand how people can believe when logic would say it is wrong, or at least cast considerable doubt upon the idea. I was catholic up until 10 when i actually started to question what i believed in. I can only understand those naive or ignorant enough to be unaware of all that opposes religion.

http://help.com/user/243882-new-ameri…

Anonymous wrote:
I was just trying to gain some insight into the people that believe in religion when it makes no sense. I cannot for the life of me understand how people can believe when logic would say it is wrong, or at least cast considerable doubt upon the idea. I was catholic up until 10 when i actually started to question what i believed in. I can only understand those naive or ignorant enough to be unaware of all that opposes religion.

I agree with you. Yes and when you question religion, and how it doesn’t make sense, they turn on you.

Just several things not good to discuss and religion is one of them, unless you have like minded thoughts or are open to allowing others to believe what they want without trying to show your own beliefs down their throat.

Like whole thing about justifying terrible things happening, suffering, etc when if there was some supreme being, why wouldn’t everything be nice and enjoyable all of the time? No war, suffering, starving, homelessness, etc…making things good?

Anonymous wrote:
But why religion. Why must people turn to a higher being to find a reason to be.

The answer to the central question of this post, like the answer to most questions, is, “Yes and no.” Never mind that it wasn’t a yes/no question to begin with. It was in essence the question, “How can people be so stupid as to believe in religion and God?”

First, people will “believe” en mass as a form of group-think, because it is inherent in our condition that we organize ourselves. We could just as easily have invented 6 billion different Gods for 6 billion believers, but we didn’t. As a species we organized that belief into a handful of systems, a few gods. And even then, the three major monotheistic religions are at least in agreement that there is one God, with the name and specifics being up for grabs. The other major world religions that are polytheistic differ from the monotheists in both specifics and world-view. Polytheists such as Hindus and Buddhists believe in a detached Diety rather than a personal one, and view reality as cyclical rather than chronological. (Ironically the political systems of Asia are monolithic, and European/American are pluralistic, so it balances.) Western religion and western thought are dualistic, pitting good versus evil. There is a good God and an evil Devil. In the east spirituality is more focused on detachment from objective reality.

The question, “How can people be so stupid as to believe in God?” presupposes that anything that is true can be measured. But it can’t, at least not yet.

People feel compelled to believe because we are genetically bent that way. With reason, we developed the ability to think outside of what we currently see, to perceive greater possibilities. This is why an architect can have a brilliant idea for a building, sketch it out, and years later the building exists. He/she did not get duped into believing a fairy tale, but rather imagined something beyond the current reality, and worked to make it so. It’s similar with belief in Diety. An intangible urge, need or vision compels people to visualize that which is by any logical measurement non-existent.

There is no small amount of manipulation of the masses by those who stand to gain in wealth or power by their belief. Anytime there is organizing of human activity, some will choose, by virtue of the evolutionary principle of survival of the fittest, to seek their own advantage. That’s why religion sucks so badly, and why the fruits of organized religion are more often war than charity.

I’ve been replying as if I knew what the hell I’m talking about, and as if my interest in the subject was academic, when in fact my experience with religion has been intensely personal. I know because of a 40-year search for truth that it is elusive, and that anyone who claims to have a monopoly on it is deluded. I have been a Christian since I was 10, and now I’m 50. Yet what my faith has become would be considered heresy or pagan to most Christians, and mumbo-jumbo to most die-hard atheists.

There is something beyond what science can prove. In the 1600s electricity existed in the form of lightning, but no scientist of the time could prove it; most could not imagine it. In the 1800s the nature of space-time was no different than it is now, but no one had come along to theorize it. And even now, what our species and others will become.. gods and then God.. is true, but only a few scientists can conceive of it. Anyone who believes in God, or who feels a longing to do so, understands that we are being drawn beyond what we are now. The believer perceives, usually ignorantly, that which a creative scientist will one day theorize, the unknown reaches of science and existence.

The ignorant belief of fundamentalists and the intransigent logic of those atheists whose non-belief is personally driven are flip sides of a coin, a flat coin. And as any scientist worth his salt can tell you, reality is comprised of spheres.

To me, the way things work in nature and biology suggests intelligent design.

So you say that some one who believes in God is ignorant? Purely because no one can prove he exists? WOW yet you can’t prove he doesn’t and you are right WOW again!!!I mean come on just because some one believes in something you don’t doesn’t make them ignorant, or give you the right to call them such, and no I won’t argue religion with you. I just say let everyone believe in whatever they please and the whole world would be a better place to live.

The question i ask is not the existence of God, but the belief in him. You say that it is genetic, that it is the evolution of humans that has lead to the ability to envision the outcomes and possibilities of the what we know or could be. Yet more primitive animals would seem to be unaware of any pull to this idea of something greater than what we are or know, implying that this is created by the humans development of sentience and not anything greater. I ask why our lives, driven by logic and reason can be lead to believe in something that it unproven. Do you really believe simply because of this pull that draws you to something seemingly greater?

What i meant 007renegade is that we use logic in every field of our lives. If some mad man talked of the world ending tomorrow you would not believe him because that is highly unlikely. Yet we believe in God despite the doubt and unlikeliness of it being true.

But couldn’t the complexity of nature be from millions of years of trial and error?

Anonymous wrote:
But couldn’t the complexity of nature be from millions of years of trial and error?

Over millions of trys could an explosion in a lumber mill create a piece of furniture?

Well yes. It is not impossible.

Anonymous wrote:
Well yes. It is not impossible.

I guess that’s were we differ. I just don’t see ho it could happen. Boom! …and out comes a chair!

Cell wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But couldn’t the complexity of nature be from millions of years of trial and error?

Over millions of trys could an explosion in a lumber mill create a piece of furniture?

Well it won’t come out how you envision a normal chair to look like but I could see it producing an arrangement of wood that would provide the same effect. In any case that’s a poor example for comparing to how nature and life came to where they are now.

OK there’s plenty of things logic can’t explain. All I said and say is why hate someone or call someone names just because they believe in something that can’t be proven?

i can only assume you misread my post as i said that i can only UNDERSTAND those ignorant enough. I never said that people who do believe are ignorant. If i thought that then there would be no need to ask this question. People can believe what ever they want, i just want to understand how you can believe in light of all that opposes it.

Many people thought Einstein was a loony a total idiot. Now what do people think of him???

I’m also not saying that there is no God, simply that it is unlikely. The question is not the existence of god but belief in him.

Believe me for some and I say only some it was an event or events that happened in their life that made them believe.

ok if you really want to know…I have experienced God. It wouldn’t matter ho much ‘proof’ someone thought they had. That would not change the reality that I’ve experienced.

But then the experience its self is proof to you, and therefore your reason for believing is still logical. May i ask what this experience was.

Cell wrote:
ok if you really want to know…I have experienced God. It wouldn’t matter ho much ‘proof’ someone thought they had. That would not change the reality that I’ve experienced.

Oh? And how exactly have you experienced God? And how do you know that it was really God that you were experiencing?

Just pray and He will reveal Himself to you too. I talk with Him and He answers. (Not out loud, like in my heart/mind) He has given me dreams as well. I feel Him. I know Him.

I know.

Cell wrote:
Just pray and He will reveal Himself to you too. I talk with Him and He answers. (Not out loud, like in my heart/mind) He has given me dreams as well. I feel Him. I know Him.

People with schizophrenia are like that too. They talk to voices in their heads, can’t prove they exist, and they feel and know these voices. Sometimes they claim those voices are God also.

Arkia Valkair wrote:

Cell wrote:
Just pray and He will reveal Himself to you too. I talk with Him and He answers. (Not out loud, like in my heart/mind) He has given me dreams as well. I feel Him. I know Him.

People with schizophrenia are like that too. They talk to voices in their heads, can’t prove they exist, and they feel and know these voices. Sometimes they claim those voices are God also.

A little rude, no?

Unsubscribing. Only want to help, not argue.

But how do you know is was not your imagination or anything else. i get the feeling that most, at the end of the day, base their certainty on some kind of inexplicable feelings that lets them know it is God.

For me It was the fact that several times in my life there was no reason what-so-ever that I should not have died at least 3 times DOA or someone on site heard medical attendants say hes gone or he ain’t going to make it while being loaded in an ambulance. HOW!!! After the most recent I took a long look back at my whole life and realised every time I ever really and truely needed help and ask him to help ( God ) I got what I had ask for. Explain that.

Why could these just be unlikely events that did happen rather than not? How many others have died in similar incidents when asking for help and didn’t receive any. Overall the odds would say that some people should have survived. What makes it the work of god?

Cell wrote:

Arkia Valkair wrote:

Cell wrote:
Just pray and He will reveal Himself to you too. I talk with Him and He answers. (Not out loud, like in my heart/mind) He has given me dreams as well. I feel Him. I know Him.

People with schizophrenia are like that too. They talk to voices in their heads, can’t prove they exist, and they feel and know these voices. Sometimes they claim those voices are God also.

A little rude, no?

Unsubscribing. Only want to help, not argue.

A little, but I’ve found being subtle about things doesn’t work on the internet. It’s either all out or nothing. Not like I was declaring that to be the case. Was just curious of you could explain the difference. Apparently you can’t.

007renegade wrote:
For me It was the fact that several times in my life there was no reason what-so-ever that I should not have died at least 3 times DOA or someone on site heard medical attendants say hes gone or he ain’t going to make it while being loaded in an ambulance. HOW!!! After the most recent I took a long look back at my whole life and realised every time I ever really and truely needed help and ask him to help ( God ) I got what I had ask for. Explain that.

Laws of probability. If something is at all possible there will always be a case where it happens.

I ask God not the times I should have died other times and now I don’t even have to ask but just have faith and accept the turn of events as his will and now my life is easier than it’s ever been and happier and say I have nothing against anyone that doesn’t believe and do not try to make them or prove anything.

But couldn’t you argue that it is your belief in God and acceptance of what you believe that makes you feel happy and at peace, rather than the work of God himself? And you didn’t answer my previous question.

One other thing I did not mention every time these near deaths happen or close call happened on the same day and month.

That could also just be a coincidence. What makes it different?

( times huh

007renegade wrote:
( times huh

Sorry 9 times

still it is not impossible, only unlikely. Why do you choose to believe it was Gods work and not simply unlikely?

well i’ve got to sleep so good night :)

Good night

Anonymous wrote:
But couldn’t you argue that it is your belief in God and acceptance of what you believe that makes you feel happy and at peace, rather than the work of God himself?

The two are intertwined. To enjoy a glass of wine you have to open the bottle. The more you practice mastery of something (surfing, skateboarding, woodworking) the finer the results and the greater the satisfaction.

007renegade wrote:
I took a long look back at my whole life and realised every time I ever really and truely needed help and ask him to help ( God ) I got what I had ask for.

I explain it as random chance combined with the fact that things are more likely to turn out the way we want if we pursue them energetically than if we passively wait for it to happen. The person driven above all else to become rich is more likely to get rich than the one who doesn’t care one way or the other. The one actively looking for the love of their life is more likely fall in love. I do not believe that the purpose of prayer is to obtain one’s wants and needs, but to become more like God. If God reached down and intervened for some and not others, he/she would be prejudiced and cruel beyond comprehension.

Arkia Valkair wrote:

Cell wrote:
Just pray and He will reveal Himself to you too. I talk with Him and He answers. (Not out loud, like in my heart/mind) He has given me dreams as well. I feel Him. I know Him.

People with schizophrenia are like that too. They talk to voices in their heads, can’t prove they exist, and they feel and know these voices. Sometimes they claim those voices are God also.

I once went through a period of years during which I thought I experienced two-way communication with God, beyond the typical “God spoke to my heart”. I now consider that time to be one of borderline mental illness, perhaps akin to schizophrenia. Rather than dismissing the experience as a biological malfunction, I suspect that the human brain is slowly developing capabilities whose functions are not yet evident, and which science has not yet discovered. Rather than seeing God as separate, above and outside the human condition, I conceive of God as growing and evolving along with all of nature, and as only minimally conscious. One could say that God and the Universe are one and the same, but that implies a mere physical nature. I think of both as infinitely unfolding in complexity, during which process those who observe rare glimpses of that unfolding call it “miraculous”, and God as infinitely multiplying in individuality, and yet as simple, as one, as an egg.

Well it’s pretty obvious that something out there does exist, because we wouldn’t all have been created as complex beings just by chance. It simply wouldn’t have happened. Whether it’s God, or something else out their, something must have created a design. As philosopher William Paley argued with his arguement on design. Scientists say teh creation of the world started from matter colliding together. Where did teh matter coem from?
Thats hwo you can have faith in God because that easily answers questions that no sceince theory can.

So because something provides an explanation it must be true. And the evidence for the big band theory shows that matter and energy expanded from a small state about 14 billion years ago. You could argue that this is a cycle the universe goes through and that matter and energy have always existed. Both are just theories however but do explain your question. This explanation would seem to satisfy your reasoning for believing, so why do you still turn to God as the answer.
And why could the complexity of humans and nature not have been created by millions of years of trial and error and natural selection. it makes sense.
Whilst science has areas where we simply don’t have the technology to prove theories, the things we consider to be fact are based upon strong logic and evidence, while the bible has none and even its own teachings seem to conflict.
Why do you believe in a theory that makes little sense with little evidence to back?

The William Paley arguement of design, is a simple and logical theory. Still you say the matter may have existed for billions of years, but it still had to come from somewhere?

Totally-Retro wrote:
Well it’s pretty obvious that something out there does exist, because we wouldn’t all have been created as complex beings just by chance. It simply wouldn’t have happened. Whether it’s God, or something else out their, something must have created a design. As philosopher William Paley argued with his arguement on design. Scientists say teh creation of the world started from matter colliding together. Where did teh matter coem from?
Thats hwo you can have faith in God because that easily answers questions that no sceince theory can.

Then comes the question, who or what created god?

I said that matter and energy expanded from a hot dense state 14 billion years ago. Our universe may begin to contract in the future and return to this state before expanding again. This theory would mean that it has always existed and that the universe is simply going through a continual cycle.

Pepsi wrote:

Totally-Retro wrote:
Well it’s pretty obvious that something out there does exist, because we wouldn’t all have been created as complex beings just by chance. It simply wouldn’t have happened. Whether it’s God, or something else out their, something must have created a design. As philosopher William Paley argued with his arguement on design. Scientists say teh creation of the world started from matter colliding together. Where did teh matter coem from?
Thats hwo you can have faith in God because that easily answers questions that no sceince theory can.

Then comes the question, who or what created god?

Exactly. To which the answer usually ends up being something like “God has always existed”

Which then begs the question of why the same can’t be true for the matter in the universe.

Yup.

Because God is omnipitent and omniscient

That doesn’t answer our question.

Yes it does because it means good is infinite, he will always be around .. matter isn’t.

why?

I could say that matter is infinite, and that is about as sufficiant an answer as what you have given us. If we were created by god, then something must have created that god, and something must have created the god that created our god… the cycle is endless and illogical. It is not an answer to how life has come to be.

It seems more logical to me than saying something exploded and then the world was miraculously fitted together so perfectly. So that we became the complex beign we are, along with the creatures and plants around us. …. Just to let you know, i don’t believe in God, but i believe there is something out there.

Well to me it seems illogical to think that there has always been this big sentient creature that just creates stuff and that has no explainable beginning and no end, and that it just is and always will be.

Well God isn’t a creature, don’t really know what he can be described as. He is impersonsal, whih in thsi instance means he cannot be seen or touched.

Science is a very potent, forthcoming adversary to all religions. But those people of God do not wish to recognize and understand the scientific outlook, despite their lack of undeniable evidence. Faith, is being absolutely sure of what you hope for while that surety makes you feel confident in what you do not see. So to answer the uppermost question in this post, doubts and uncertainties are inadmissible to faith. The slightest amount of doubt that finds a person with faith in God has succumbed to something else. Something which will lead them to think otherwise and likely withdraw them from their faithfulness slowly but perhaps, even completely.

That isn’t what faith is, faith is believeing in something without any empirical evidence.

So since I didn’t mention empirical evidence, my definition of faith is automatically deemed incorrect by you? I don’t think you even gave my reply any thought.

Perhaps not scientific, but we make all i decisions based on some sort of evidence for reasons. There is no case in life were you are aware of both sides but still choose the one that is probably wrong. Unless you are brainwashed you don’t believe in something without good reason.

Theres no need to go on the defence i’m not trying to criticise or anything. And yee because of that fact it does seem incorrect, you didn’t even mention that it didn’t need evidence.

Totally-Retro wrote:
Theres no need to go on the defence i’m not trying to criticise or anything. And yee because of that fact it does seem incorrect, you didn’t even mention that it didn’t need evidence.

No, everything in that replys perfectly fit with the ‘correct’ definition.

If god exists he’s a ****. Period.
Death and life are similar.
Often a struggle.
So if he loves us all…why do the innocent get punished for the sins of others?

Simple explanation, free will. It’s not up to God.

But if God created everything, didn’t he create free will. Isn’t it god then that gave us the ability to do harm and evil and should be responsible for what he has created.

Totally-Retro wrote:
Simple explanation, free will. It’s not up to God.

Then God isn’t omnipotent anymore. Nor omniscient since if God knows everything he must surely know what everybody is going to do, but that would mean we don’t actually have a choice, since it has already been made, and thus we don’t have free will.

Totally-Retro wrote:
Theres no need to go on the defence i’m not trying to criticise or anything. And yee because of that fact it does seem incorrect, you didn’t even mention that it didn’t need evidence.

My failure to mention the word ‘evidence’ does not render the definition incorrect or incomplete. But I appreciate your attempt to play devil’s advocate.

And if that is the case they didn’t he make the tyrants that killed and tortured millions

Yes, he should be held responsible if that is the case. I would find it very absurd and dishonorable if God actually disavowed his own creations.

sfvga wrote:
str.org buddy God bless you

Oh wow I can do that too!

http://www.atheists.org/

I think part of it is that, while pure science does strive to work only on hard, provable fact, a lot of daily life (and a lot of science also) is based on a mixture of fact, logic, and assumption. It’s not practical to insist on living without a healthy dose of guesswork involved. Even that which is logical doesn’t always pan out to be factual. Look at the irrelevance of mass where simple gravitational acceleration is concerned, for example.

There are arguments for why it is natural/attractive to subjectively assume the existence of a non-random ordering power, but the existence of non-logical reasons for belief does not constitute a logical reason for disbelief. There are some decent arguments both for and against why such a thing existing is logical, but they are all theoretical constructs. At present there are no arguments that meet the burden of proof either way.

If we all believed in the same things life would be BORING!! we need religion, we need science, we need different beliefs for different people, as long as every religion and beliefs is all after the same thing (world peace/happiness) whats the problem! Religion answers a lot of questions science cannot. Read Angels and Demons By Dan Brown, its a great science vs. religion story. The film, might i add, is shambolic though, unfortunatly!!

I have often wondered how people don’t believe in God. It sure seems to me that the wonder of the universe and the behaviour of humanity scream of His existance.

Because there are so many mysteries in this life still to be answered. We’re mere humans, life is so fragile. It can be taken from us in any second. There has to be more to life than just living it.

They say God was “created” by humans so we can feel safe and have something to feel good about. Maybe we need that. Maybe we need some sense of security to comfort us in our lives when it goes awry. Maybe it’s okay to feel weak and powerless sometimes. Maybe it’s okay to ask for forgiveness and repent for things that make us feel bad.

Maybe there really is someone there listening to us in our most desperate times of need. Maybe there really is someone we can talk to when all have abandoned us, when we feel most alone and isolated.

Again, we’re merely human. We were born helpless, and we die helpless. Having something to look up to, someone to talk to, humbles a person, and sometimes keeps them sane. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. Its a personal feeling, a connection that not all have the opportunity to experience.

God exists and is real. If u dnt blv plz pray n He will open your eyes. thats all i cn say.

idk… but i really need him right now!

IBelieve wrote:
I have often wondered how people don’t believe in God. It sure seems to me that the wonder of the universe and the behaviour of humanity scream of His existance.

If you’re using the behaviour of humanity as evidence, it’s no wonder people don’t believe in God. Personally I believe there could well have been some sort of intelligence guiding evolution, but it’s left no trace of itself if that’s the case. On the other hand there’s no way you can prove that everything you see around you isn’t just the result of evolution. The odds against life evolving are huge, but given the size of the universe and the number of Earth-like planets there are out there, it had to happen somewhere.

People don’t like to think this way because it means that this planet really is just an insignificant speck on the blackness of space, and this makes people think of themselves as insignificant as well. I disagree though - I think that anything that exists in spite of those kinds of odds is miraculous in itself, and when I say miraculous I don’t mean there’s any kind of divine intervention, just that it’s incredibly unlikely. People talk about luck when something unlikely works out in their favour, and in that sense I say every person on this planet is born lucky.

Well said Dorian.

Thats why its called faith, there is no proof so you just gotta have faith in god

Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Belief out of fear, that’s nice.

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Yes but that makes you no better than those who have faith that god exists.

Victoria Sponge wrote:

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Its the same thing isnt it, you cant prove he is or isnt real so you just have to have faith in what you believe, somedays I question it, I dont believe in god and heaven and hell, somedays I wonder what if it is true and I am set to go to hell because I didnt believe, so you have got to have faith in what you believe

That’s what I thought.

Pepsi wrote:

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Yes but that makes you no better than those who have faith that god exists.

Are you implying that those who don’t have faith are “better” than those who do?

Dorian wrote:

Pepsi wrote:

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Yes but that makes you no better than those who have faith that god exists.

Are you implying that those who don’t have faith are “better” than those who do?

Better in that respect, yes, to put it bluntly. But that is my opinion.

Pepsi wrote:

Dorian wrote:

Pepsi wrote:

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Yes but that makes you no better than those who have faith that god exists.

Are you implying that those who don’t have faith are “better” than those who do?

Better in that respect, yes, to put it bluntly. But that is my opinion.

In what respect?

Complete faith in a god, or complete faith that there is no god.

I didnt say I have faith from fear, I was saying I have to have faith in what I believe in, but everynow and then fear bites me on the bum, same and any faith those who have faith have doubts those that dont have to have faith in something too

Pepsi wrote:
Belief out of fear, that’s nice.

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Yes but that makes you no better than those who have faith that god exists.

Basically, it makes way MORE sense for there being a God than not. In my religion, Islam, though we have creation story, it is taken as a symbolic story rather than a serious depiction of what happened. We are allowed to believe in evolution (why else would there be millions of years of decay of creatures preserved in the recesses of our Earth?). But the fact of the matter is, you can trace the earth back to the particles it once was, but what created those particle? What created space?

If you say, it just is, was and always will be. Well, then that is my explanation for God. Cheers!

Victoria Sponge wrote:
I didnt say I have faith from fear, I was saying I have to have faith in what I believe in, but everynow and then fear bites me on the bum, same and any faith those who have faith have doubts those that dont have to have faith in something too

Ultimately it’s the same difference. You say that sometimes you doubt and fear nips you in the bud, and you cling onto your faith because you just have to have it. But why? I know why. Because like you said, you are scared that if you don’t believe anymore then you will most certainly go to hell, so believing and having faith though still with wavering convictions puts you more at ease because at least then you know you won’t go to hell. So ultimately, like I said, it is belief out of fear, whichever way you put it.

Its not a belief, I have no belief, I have faith, the only things I believe in are things I have seen, everything else I have faith in and thats why it faith, I have faith that there is an afterlife a spiritual one that doesnt include burning and evil stuff, I think that the evil we need is here on earth and that death brings us peace

Why argue semantics? Faith and belief are one and the same thing. And as far as what you believe in, in terms of the afterlife, I was simply going by what you said earlier on.

Victoria Sponge wrote:
..somedays I wonder what if it is true and I am set to go to hell because I didnt believe, so you have got to have faith in what you believe

Pepsi wrote:
Why argue semantics? Faith and belief are one and the same thing. And as far as what you believe in, in terms of the afterlife, I was simply going by what you said earlier on.

No, they’re not. Faith is a type of belief but the two aren’t interchangeable

When it comes to faith and belief in god, I do think they are interchangable.

faith (fth)
n.
1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.
3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one’s supporters.
4. often Faith Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.
5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.
6. A set of principles or beliefs.

I myself am an atheist. Science and what I know of the world so far has led me to believe that there is not God, and if there was one, he certainly isn’t doing a good job.
However I feel that even though religion can be divisive and destructive, sometimes it is best to let others believe what they will. Religion can heal minds and improve people. If they become better people through believing in a ‘God’, then I see no reason why we should hinder their faith.

You can’t have faith in something if there’s proof of it. You can still believe in it, however.

It would seem fair to say that you can believe in something without proof. Commonly known as faith, it might serve to be a fallacy if you believe something to be true in the absence of proof, but it is not absolutely wrong.

If you’re seeking truth, visit this site:
Berboor.blogspot.com
It shall explain everything. Best of luck for all. (0)_(-)

Oh yah. You’re just concerned with the “Breaking Weights” articles. Good luck.

You don’t believe in something for no reason. Perhaps there is no scientific evidence to back up religious beliefs, but personals experiences act as proof to that individual. Is some man talked of the world ending tomorrow you wouldn’t believe him. Why? Well there is no proof and you know it to be highly unlikely. What makes your belief different to his? There in occasion in life where you believe in something without evidence or some sort of reasoning.

This is no occasion*

Pepsi wrote:
Belief out of fear, that’s nice.

Dorian wrote:
Is it possible to have faith that there isn’t a god?

Yes but that makes you no better than those who have faith that god exists.

The doctrine of hell, or as you put it belief out of fear, is the Achilles heel of religion. Personally I don’t believe in hell. It’s possible for spirituality including belief in God to be pure, or close to pure. But religion by its nature distorts whatever spiritual truth may be.

It’s no small irony. Religions attempt to control and dominate followers through hierarchy and a form of financial and salvation blackmail. That’s in essence the same thing that science claims to be the way the universe runs.. evolution, dominating, controlling, seeking one’s own advantage.

Another irony is that modern science’s central tenet–evolution–is still a theory (if only because of temporary gaps in the evidence)that must be taken on faith.

It’s the attitude that one is superior to another because of their religious or non-religious views, that in my opinion puts hypocrites on both side of the debate in the same sinking boat: arrogance.

Sans wrote:
The doctrine of hell, or as you put it belief out of fear, is the Achilles heel of religion. Personally I don’t believe in hell. It’s possible for spirituality including belief in God to be pure, or close to pure. But religion by its nature distorts whatever spiritual truth may be.

Well that about says it for organized religion.

Sans wrote:
It’s no small irony. Religions attempt to control and dominate followers through hierarchy and a form of financial and salvation blackmail. That’s in essence the same thing that science claims to be the way the universe runs.. evolution, dominating, controlling, seeking one’s own advantage.

Except evolution isn’t about domination and control so much as it’s about survival.

Sans wrote:
Another irony is that modern science’s central tenet–evolution–is still a theory (if only because of temporary gaps in the evidence)that must be taken on faith.

To be frank a theory in scientific terms is about as high as something can go. It might as well mean something is 99% fact.

Also, this.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/d…

This he is real no he”s not has been going on since the beginning of time and no one has proved anything either way. Hell there’s been many wars over this and still are. Why can’t everyone just let the other side believe what they want and all get along???? I personally do not dislike anyone for what they believe in. That has caused me to have many good friends from people of all kinds and that i think is great. To each his own and best wishes to all.