my belief in God is wavering...

[HombrePequeno]

<< Well if believing because of fear isn't right, then I don't see what else people believe for. I mean it isn't like believing gets you any rewards in this life. or maybe it has and I'm just a confused teenager... >>



This life may not be what's 100% important.

 

[Doomguy]

<< As for being simplistic, religion itself is simplistic. That is why it is so stupid >>



As for being simplistic, athiesm itself is simplistic. That is why it is so stupid.

That logic can apply to almost anything. Nice try.

 

[SaturnX]

<<

<< but I assume they go to hell too so I don't know. >>



If you don't believe in hell you can't really go there can you? >>



Then you don't believe in Heaven either, you can't have one without the other. The two exist out of opposition, if you have good, you need evil, or you don't know what good really is, and vice versa, same goes for heaven and hell.

*For the record I'm an athiest

--Mark

 

[jjones]

i believe or do not believe based upon a desire to understand my inner and outer world; my convictions have not been decided yet. fear has nothing to do with my desire to pursue the question of god.

 

[bellycows]

Atheism is not simple. It is very complicated. It requires that you answer all the important cosmological and philosophical questions by doing your own research and reasoning.

It does not hand you (what is supposedly) all the answers to life's important questions in a book.

 

[AreaCode707]

<<

<< but I assume they go to hell too so I don't know. >>



If you don't believe in hell you can't really go there can you? >>



Right, just like not believing in speed limits keeps you from getting tickets. I see no reason why, assuming there is a God, s/he can't set up their own set of rules for goes to heaven and hell. I'm a Christian and I don't see my religion as exclusionary at all - it's within the reach of everyone.

About belief, I suggest to develop that doubt into curiousity and start researching - different religions, different philosophies, and different scientific theories. Doubt isn't bad as long as it becomes productive and not just an excuse to be lazy about the way you live your life.

 

[JohnCU]

yeah, but, not believing in speed limits isn't the best example because speed limits EXIST without a doubt, you can go outside and look at the 55mph sign and see that. but you can't prove hell exists/doesn't exist.

 

[silverpig]

Again, Homer Simpson has the last word here:

"But what if we picked the wrong religion and every day we go to church, we're just making the real God madder and madder?"

 

[Doomguy]

<< Atheism is not simple. It is very complicated. It requires that you answer all the important cosmological and philosophical questions by doing your own research and reasoning. >>



Umm no. I'd say most Athiests are what they are because they don't like having limits put on them. Such as having morals, etc. Being an Athiest can be as simple as saying "I don't see God, so he doesn't exist".

Explain to me how all the matter in the universe came about and i'll become an Athiest.

 

[AreaCode707]

<< yeah, but, not believing in speed limits isn't the best example because speed limits EXIST without a doubt, you can go outside and look at the 55mph sign and see that. but you can't prove hell exists/doesn't exist. >>


True dismal, but that's where you're faced with the persistant what if question. I think you need to make the decisions about what you believe for yourself. The catch to that is that I do believe that, no matter who thinks what, there is an ultimate truth that is incompatible with what some people believe. So your first decision about belief has to be, is there one or more 'truths' or is everything true? If you decide it's one or more, that should be motivation to get cracking and start looking for them.

 

[silverpig]

<<I'm a Christian and I don't see my religion as exclusionary at all - it's within the reach of everyone.>>

It is NOT within the reach of everyone. Look at the old Afghanistan. Most people there didn't even know there was such a thing as Christianity, or a Christian God. If the Christian God says that the only way to heaven is through him, does that mean that a good kid executed on her 20th birthday for trying to read goes to hell because she never had the opportunity to even hear about God?

 

[Tallgeese]

"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. Good book for you to read.

In fact, a good book for all agnostics, atheists, Christians, Jews, etc. etc.

 

[AreaCode707]

Silverpig, that's where I get to trust in God's justice. Since I believe in a perfect God, that's not hard to do for me.

Side note: An Episcopalian priest I once knew had the theory that people who never had the chance to hear about God went neither to heaven or hell, instead it was "as if they never were."

Something I'm admittedly not qualified to comment on because all I can offer are my personal views, which are proof of nothing.

 

[silverpig]

Atheism doesn't claim to know everything. It can't give you answers to the hard questions. For some, not having answers is unacceptable, so they look to believe in something that has those answers.

 

[SWScorch]

<< after all these years of defending religion and what not, i'm starting to change. i've already thrown out organized religion out as a bunch of crap, although I still believe in God, but i think I only believe because of fear. I suppose that's how it's always been (belief of fear).

do you believe out of fear or what? >>



Just dont worry about it and become an agnostic. Simply say to yourself "I do not know if there is a god or not and nobody can prove it either way so why bother trying to decide?"

 

[silverpig]

HotChic, it sounds as though you believe in A God, not specifically in the Christian God. That's cool though. I just can't believe in Christianity because of some of the things it preaches. That is why I'm not a Christian (anymore I guess, I was baptized). As for belief in a God, well, as of right now, I don't believe in one, but I'm not ruling out the possibility...

 

[jjones]

<< Umm no. I'd say most Athiests are what they are because they don't like having limits put on them. Such as having morals, etc. Being an Athiest can be as simple as saying "I don't see God, so he doesn't exist". >>


and how many athiests do you know over the age of 15?

 

[JohnCU]

a lot of good information here, i appreciate all the views and respect each one.

yeah, i should ask someone in my family about this, but they are all religious and will immediately tell me to believe and if i ask my mom she will cry and say something to the effect of "i haven't raised you right! oh my lord!" :|

anymore views are certainly welcome.

 

[bellycows]

<< Explain to me how all the matter in the universe came about and i'll become an Athiest. >>



The best current scientific theory is that all matter and dimensions and time came into being at the time of the Big Bang.

Current observations indicate an expanding universe, which is consistent with the Big Bang theory.

Having seen the evidence, I am inclined to agree with the Big Bang theory.

We have more evidence about the existence of the Big Bang than we have evidence about the existence of a God. So I go with the most logical explanation.

 

[ohtwell]

<< Umm no. I'd say most Athiests are what they are because they don't like having limits put on them. Such as having morals, etc. Being an Athiest can be as simple as saying "I don't see God, so he doesn't exist". >>

So, what you are saying is that Athiests don't have morals? :|

 

[gopunk]

Umm no. I'd say most Athiests are what they are because they don't like having limits put on them. Such as having morals, etc. Being an Athiest can be as simple as saying "I don't see God, so he doesn't exist".

there are those of us who don't *need* to have limits placed on us because can act morally without religion. and saying any such thing *can* be simple is retarded. anything is what you make out of it. there are atheists who don't think much, those who do, etc.

Explain to me how all the matter in the universe came about and i'll become an Athiest.

? knowing how matter in the universe came about does not disprove the existence of a god.

 

[JohnCU]

i really don't think morals has anything to do with it. if i stop believing in god, I'm not gonna go kill someone. I know a lot of nice athiests (probably some of them a lot nicer than some christians).

 

[gohan]

As i got older my belief started waverying. I try to apply logic to religion but only come up with questions and no answers. We exist as we are because of free will. Is heaven devoid of free will? Will you retain your memories or would you be reborn into someone else?

I have so many questions but no answers. I only try to live my life the best i can.

 

[Elita1]

Like someone else said, believing for fear is the WRONG reason.

No one can tell you for certainty whether you'll go to hell no matter what you do, because no one on this earth knows, not even the Pope himself; no one has that knowledge or that right.
Only God sees what's in your heart, and in the end only he decides, on His own terms, not anyone elses(this is just what we Catholics believe).

Whatever you decide to believe or not believe, do it seeking knowledge and wisdom, and not for pressure or fear.

 

[Moonbeam]

I wish you could discuss this with somebody like Athanasius here, but I haven't seen him post lately, unfortunately. He is the kind of Christian who in my opinion has the depth to maybe help you see your way clear on some of your doubts. You might clarify what it is that is causing you to doubt. I don't particularly see a reason to doubt just because you're faith is or was based on fear. No matter how you cut it and regardless of whether there is a God or not, it is techincally always going to look philosophically safer to believe. You needn't use that natural advantage against yourself, I wouldn't think. I know many people who believe in God becuse they had a personal experience of him. It seems to me that such people have something inside them to hang faith on. And even if there isn't a God as we were brought up to believe, there is certainly a God that some people sort of merge with in mystical encounters with an ego erasing experience of oceanic Love. So if there isn't a God, there is something that is the same thing.