Why do you believe?

[youjustcomplain]

I'm curious. Why do you (those who do), believe in a god, or spirits or afterlife... Whatever your beliefs are. Why believe ?

I grew up with Anglican values as it was important to my grandmother, but I have only been to church a few times. I disliked the entire process and old guy telling me how and what to think.

I remember the day, walking home from school, where I started to question what god meant to people and what I was missing. 10 years old at the time and I certainly knew nothing about evolution, or the big bang, much less the writings of darwin. And yet, I felt confident enough to come to the likely conclusion that having faith in a god was pointless. I was 10, so realizing faith was pointless was an over simplification, to say the least.

Now, 30 years later, I still wonder why people hang on to these feelings that there is something else out there, some divine creator, or puppet master. Some all powerful being that loves us, unconditionally, but will send us somewhere very hot and painful for eternity if we don't follow his rules. What makes humans so special to deserve all this attention?

If my question offends you, please don't respond with attacks on me. I don't care to fight about the topic. But I would enjoy some engaging discourse.

[GordonH]

Okay, believe in whatever give you that reinsurance you need or want for your life. That's not the issue I have, my issues is when people or organizations/groups. Push their beliefs & doctrines onto everyone in general population, sorry everyone has the freedom of choice.

I have my own beliefs, which I would never push on to anyone & certainly not on a forum.

[youjustcomplain]

Okay, believe in whatever give you that reinsurance you need or want for your life. That's not the issue I have, my issues is when people or organizations/groups. Push their beliefs & doctrines onto everyone in general population, sorry everyone has the freedom of choice.

I have my own beliefs, which I would never push on to anyone & certainly not on a forum.

Absolutely agree with you. I'm ok with people having belief in things different from mine. I'm just curious why people have these beliefs.

Their beliefs have no place in schools, science, public policy, health care etc... And nor do mine. :)

[Glacier]

I believe I will have another drink. *burp*

To me more on topic, I liked this video. The belief part starts some 5 minutes in.

[cutter7]

I like to believe i have an open mind, still waiting for proof of life emerging from a rock or dust, still waiting for proof of one species evolving from one species to another ( lots of fossils of dinosaurs but no humans with feathers or scales) but alas there is no support for such that leaves me with no alternative but to believe life on earth is by intelligent design.

[Ranger66]

But alas there is no support for God

[zzontar]

But alas there is no support for God

There had to be an outside force to set the big bang and time in motion.

[GordonH]

But alas there is no support for God

There had to be an outside force to set the big bang and time in motion.

Sound like a job for Sheldon

[Ranger66]

“There had to be an outside force to set the big bang and time in motion.”

A force maybe but a god, no proof.

[Opeeved]

I like to believe i have an open mind, still waiting for proof of life emerging from a rock or dust, still waiting for proof of one species evolving from one species to another ( lots of fossils of dinosaurs but no humans with feathers or scales) but alas there is no support for such that leaves me with no alternative but to believe life on earth is by intelligent design.

Why would hominids have scales or feather s? They're neither reptiles or birds. You will find direct lineage through primate fossils though.

And since we don't exactly know how the pyramids were built, aliens must have built them

I've wondered the same thing from as the first post. A creator makes even less sense to me than trying to figure out particle physics, and I don't understand much at all there.

[zzontar]

I've wondered the same thing from as the first post. A creator makes even less sense to me than trying to figure out particle physics, and I don't understand much at all there.

We can create synthesized DNA already. I'd guess even an intelligent species a million years more advanced than us out of the trillions of planets would probably equate to a creator, just like a million years from now we'll probably be doing a bit more than creating synthetic DNA, which has come a tremendous way in just decades.

[Opeeved]

Well sure zzontar, Id buy that before an omnipotent being that speaks to us through other humans and carves rules in stone contrary to what it made the earth to be. I realize Christianity is but one religion of what, around 5000 or so? But that's not really the concept of the thread. And that isn't what I'd consider "the creator" of the universe. And to take it a step further- who created the alien race that created us?

[zzontar]

Well sure zzontar, Id buy that before an omnipotent being that speaks to us through other humans and carves rules in stone contrary to what it made the earth to be. I realize Christianity is but one religion of what, around 5000 or so? But that's not really the concept of the thread. And that isn't what I'd consider "the creator" of the universe. And to take it a step further- who created the alien race that created us?

You have to open your mind more. As there are only 2 choices, do all the elements that made everything have no beginning, or did they just appear?

[cliffy1]

And then there is the holographic Universe and everything is just a hallucination. In quantum physics there is no matter without an observer. Perhaps the Universe is all there is and each individual is nothing more than a unique perspective of the Universe observing itself. Perhaps reality as we know it is nothing but a dream, as the Buddhist say.
As far as I can see, beliefs are not much more than wishful thinking. Billions of people and animals have died horrible deaths because of people fighting over beliefs. Beliefs are not truths, they are only opinions. People are pretty stupid and do not deserve to even think of themselves as intelligent. We have taken this "reality" to the nth degree of absurdity and are now on the verge of annihilating all life in this pointless debate about gods and beliefs.
Of course it is only a hallucination and we will continue as unique perspectives of the One, only the next reality may be quite different than the lie we are used to. Yup, the best I can figure is that what we think of as reality is a massive hoax perpetrated by psychopaths and we bought into it. We can buy out of it but that would mean a whole lot of mental work.

[zzontar]

Strange.... you say

As far as I can see, beliefs are not much more than wishful thinking.

and then go on to state your beliefs

Yup, the best I can figure is that what we think of as reality is a massive hoax perpetrated by psychopaths and we bought into it.

as if your truth is the truth. I never give much merit to anyone who says for sure it's this way or that as there is no proof either way.