Why do you believe?

[Hmmm]

Christians have never been able to take criticism well, they used to burn to the stake anyone who opposed them. I'm sure hmm would like the blasphemy laws to be brought back.

Very funny, I believe you and everyone else has the right to your opinions.. Its just ridiculous that you feel the need to hang around a forum about religion and spirituality and the only thing you do is put others down and try to make them feel dumb. Why in the heck do you care so much about this subject if you have no faith or believe in God? Is it solely to try to convince others they are stupid for having faith?

I'm done replying though, as I tired of feeding.

[alanjh595]

I was brought-up and was taught to believe any religion that I chose.

I walked into many churches of different faiths over many years, and I listened to them. (This was long before the internet)
The option and the choice was mine to make. I was never told by my parents that any particular faith was right or wrong.

After years of 1st hand experience, I have decided that;
There is NO god.
There is no heaven or hell.
When a body dies, there is NO after-life. In fact, the moment of death occurs when the brain ceases to function. The only "after-life" is in the minds of those that remember your accomplishments that they admire.

I have donated my dead body to medical science. They can harvest any usable parts to be used as they see fit, the rest of the corpse can be used as a teaching aid for future Dr.s, medical examiners, students, research, ........I don't care what.

I am not afraid of dying.....we will all die.

[capleton]

*removed*

[capleton]

I was brought-up and was taught to believe any religion that I chose.

I walked into many churches of different faiths over many years, and I listened to them. (This was long before the internet)
The option and the choice was mine to make. I was never told by my parents that any particular faith was right or wrong.

After years of 1st hand experience, I have decided that;
There is NO god.
There is no heaven or hell.
When a body dies, there is NO after-life. In fact, the moment of death occurs when the brain ceases to function. The only "after-life" is in the minds of those that remember your accomplishments that they admire.

I have donated my dead body to medical science. They can harvest any usable parts to be used as they see fit, the rest of the corpse can be used as a teaching aid for future Dr.s, medical examiners, students, research, ........I don't care what.

I am not afraid of dying.....we will all die.

Yeah I was in the church for a long time before I started learning. Education seems to be the enemy of religion.

[alanjh595]

Yeah I was in the church for a long time before I started learning. Education seems to be the enemy of religion.

MODERN education, anyways. When I was in primary school, we still had to say the lord's prayer every morning before class began.

[Sparki55]

Christians have never been able to take criticism well, they used to burn to the stake anyone who opposed them. I'm sure hmm would like the blasphemy laws to be brought back.

Very funny, I believe you and everyone else has the right to your opinions.. Its just ridiculous that you feel the need to hang around a forum about religion and spirituality and the only thing you do is put others down and try to make them feel dumb. Why in the heck do you care so much about this subject if you have no faith or believe in God? Is it solely to try to convince others they are stupid for having faith?

I'm done replying though, as I tired of feeding.

So you'd rather we just leave poor opinion to ourselves? Tell that the the guys who bring flyers and need to speak to me on religion every month at my house. The church wants to try and convert me, but I'm not allowed to speak out? Ha

[southy]

my church did a hell of job instilling fear into me. For the longest time I believed there was this God guy up there, robe, white hair and beard who sat in judgement of me on a daily basis. He had what I called a score card and I can tell you I always felt like I was losing. The church didn't let me down as they constantly talked about my sins. Hmmmm what a comforting place to be. As I got older I fired that church and found a God of my understanding. He loves me, doesn't judge me, guides me through both the good and bad times. He's with me all the time. I don't need to go to a church. I don't need to believe what others think I need to believe. Something that I heard once really hit home - a simple statement on the difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is the study of God - spirituality is the experiencing of God. You know what I experience God everyday. Nice and simple. My way!

[Omnitheo]

Same for me. My god is science, it is the Universe. I worship knowledge and dedicate my life to its service. Nature and the universe are beautiful, powerful, awe inspiring.

Some might prefer to go to church and be told how they are sinners and drink their cult leader’s “blood” and eat “his flesh” and then go door to door taking advantage of whatever current war or tragedy is occurring to scare others into joining their cult.

I instead travel the world. I camp in the woods, I explore and learn and experience and appreciate all the beauty and wonder that nature and science have bestowed.

What I “believe” is that we have a beautiful world, and that we must work together to caretake and preserve it, because no all powerful being is going to do that for us.

[youjustcomplain]

That's a snippet from the OP of this thread. It started out with a non believer poking fun at religion. Then asking why the heck anyone would believe this nonsense.

So whine as you will...

There is plenty of fun to be poked at religion. It's by design. I mean, the supernatural is something that can not happen in nature, and yet, the bible makes all sorts of claims of the supernatural happening. This deserves ridicule. People should not be told what to think at church, the time for that was called the dark ages. As for god though, he may very well be a white male sitting on clouds judging us. No idea. I just see no evidence for it so I see no value in worship or belief. The thread is meant to help me understand why people who believe, do so. I never intended the thread to be about antitheists attacking peoples beliefs. In general I think it's in poor form.

[Sparki55]

That's a snippet from the OP of this thread. It started out with a non believer poking fun at religion. Then asking why the heck anyone would believe this nonsense.

So whine as you will...

There is plenty of fun to be poked at religion. It's by design. I mean, the supernatural is something that can not happen in nature, and yet, the bible makes all sorts of claims of the supernatural happening. This deserves ridicule. People should not be told what to think at church, the time for that was called the dark ages. As for god though, he may very well be a white male sitting on clouds judging us. No idea. I just see no evidence for it so I see no value in worship or belief. The thread is meant to help me understand why people who believe, do so. I never intended the thread to be about antitheists attacking peoples beliefs. In general I think it's in poor form.

You just posted the same stuff that believer's have been complaining about. The posters complaining asked that we only talk about why we believe, others have chimed in on why they don't believe and I think it's appropriate.

[youjustcomplain]

You just posted the same stuff that believer's have been complaining about. The posters complaining asked that we only talk about why we believe, others have chimed in on why they don't believe and I think it's appropriate.

Well, I think there is a big difference in poking a little fun at religion as a whole, than attacking people for believing it. I think that what I'm doing is poking a little fun in an attempt to get a better understanding of the what and why of people's belief. Whereas, attacking people for their belief does nothing but create a division between us. I don't attack people, just ideas.

[Sparki55]

Well, I think there is a big difference in poking a little fun at religion as a whole, than attacking people for believing it. I think that what I'm doing is poking a little fun in an attempt to get a better understanding of the what and why of people's belief. Whereas, attacking people for their belief does nothing but create a division between us. I don't attack people, just ideas.

Religion is such a strong belief to most that if you poke fun at their religion you are poking fun at them.

There is plenty of fun to be poked at religion. It's by design. I mean, the supernatural is something that can not happen in nature, and yet, the bible makes all sorts of claims of the supernatural happening. This deserves ridicule.

People who believe the bible take your above statement as an attack on their intelligence, then double down to try and reason why they believe and when they come to the conclusion that one must just have faith, they become angry if you poke at their religion again. To agree with the ridicule is to admit that one has wasted much of their life on something that isn't there, and they don't want to believe that. The longer someone has been religious the harder it is to quit.

The non-believers never get angry because science and reason are on their side.

[capleton]

That's a snippet from the OP of this thread. It started out with a non believer poking fun at religion. Then asking why the heck anyone would believe this nonsense.

So whine as you will...

There is plenty of fun to be poked at religion. It's by design. I mean, the supernatural is something that can not happen in nature, and yet, the bible makes all sorts of claims of the supernatural happening. This deserves ridicule. People should not be told what to think at church, the time for that was called the dark ages. As for god though, he may very well be a white male sitting on clouds judging us. No idea. I just see no evidence for it so I see no value in worship or belief. The thread is meant to help me understand why people who believe, do so. I never intended the thread to be about antitheists attacking peoples beliefs. In general I think it's in poor form.

I've seen certain members deny evolution, defend slavery and genocide because the Bible says its okay. I really see no reason why I should respect those beliefs.

[youjustcomplain]

People who believe the bible take your above statement as an attack on their intelligence, then double down to try and reason why they believe and when they come to the conclusion that one must just have faith, they become angry if you poke at their religion again. To agree with the ridicule is to admit that one has wasted much of their life on something that isn't there, and they don't want to believe that. The longer someone has been religious the harder it is to quit.

This. yes ! This is exactly why I started the thread.

If I thought that an alien species had intentionally created the human species and dropped 2 of us on earth to someday become what we are today and someone challenged my beliefs, I wouldn't double down on it. I would listen to their question, comment, ridicule and wonder if maybe I'm wrong.

However, people of faith in god don't do that. You're right. they double down. Some try to call in science to defend their beliefs, some try to use eye witnesses and 3rd party experience as proof of a god. Some claim that god is real and simply refuse to justify it. I'm totally ok with all of it. God might be up there. I don't know. Maybe this god abandoned me and that's why I have no idea about him. again, I don't know.

Many believers I speak to claim that they challenge their belief in god daily. Like, they claim that they need more proof and them they get it, every time. This I don't understand. I've spent my life wondering what evidence people have to support their beliefs, and I've never seen a single shred of it, anywhere I look. So how is it that everyone who believes, looks at the exact same things I look at, and see something completely different.

It's kind of the crux of my though process on the subject. My goal isn't to attack people. I'm not going to call you or anyone else stupid for seeing what I don't. But I will be curious how a black cat in a dark room can bee seen. From where I stand, there is no cat in the room.

[youjustcomplain]

I've seen certain members deny evolution, defend slavery and genocide because the Bible says its okay. I really see no reason why I should respect those beliefs.

Curious though Capleton.
Is it that they feel genocide and slavery is ok because of the bible? or is it that they are awful people, (by todays standards), and want for genocide/slavery, so they look for a common tradition, like the bible, and use it to justify what they want?

Chicken and egg issue. Are they awful cause of the bible, or were they awful already?