I just wanted to pose a simple question to Christians, Yews, Muslims... :

Why do you really believe in God?

Is it because the holy book (Bible, Torah or whatever) says so?
Is it because your parents or the local priest taught you?
Is it because you were afraid (you might be excluded from your society, or other otherwise)?
Is it because you feel that believing is right? (Without being taught anything)

Simply... why?

Simple. Look around you. The beauty of nature, the complexity. All coincidence? i don't think so!!!

i dont believe in any religion, but i believe most people believe because of teachings by parents in childhood, afterall a young mind is easiest to infuence.

Like I said: i believe in God, a creator, an engineer, because of what i see around me and not because my parents told me to believe.

for one thing i said MOST people, and second werent you thought of god by your parents? do you think such teaching has no influence when a few years pases? anyway its just an opinion, no reason to argue.

Welcome Hklmvm01 to the UM forum.

There are many here that will argue with you on the existence of any God/Gods and how blood thirsty some of them are.

I think you are right. What we might consider as (a) G(g)od can just as well be an alien who believes in an even bigger God. I've once read a book in which humans ask theirselves whether their (our) universe is made by God. The maker of our universe is asking himself the same.....

I think also that the IDtheory is worth considering. But thats obvious from my previous posts.

If I can ask......What religion are you ?

My only justification for the belief in a god (not god . . . . a god) is that there had to be some defining force of creation unless we are all insignificant products of a cosmic accident. To be endowed with the sensitivity and intelligence to reason such things suggests to me that there was a higher reason for all things and it is for that reason I embrace the concept of a god. I recognize at the same time, however, that if there was not a god, man would quickly invent one.

Our spirituality is no different than our physical sense of survival. We have a need to believe that we are more than a life form that dwells upon this planet for the snap of a finger and then is gone forever.

I believe in my concept of a god and have a special prayer I offer to him. "Dear God . . . . if there is a God . . . . please have mercy on my soul . . . . if I have a soul."

That was a good one.

I certainly have no answers or evidence.
But for me I look at it this way:

Nothing at all should exist. What I mean by that, is that nonexistence completely validates itself by virtue of no origin, no cause and no effect. That is the perfect scenario. Yet, here we are.

It is for that reason I believe in a God.

Pallidin
So in other words with out a creator nothing can exist?

Wait.... you just said you believe nothing at all should exist... yet there you are saying that god should without anything creating him. Kind of contradictory.

Let us be honest. The belief in a god is not an act of faith but an act of need.

Yes, those are my thoughts, but is only my opinion.

That is exactly my point. The very nature of "existence" is self-contradictory.

Pallidin
Without a creator nothing can exist!
Who or what created God?

No, it is not the nature of existence that is contradictory, it is the way you are portraying it. You say nothing should exist. Well, in that case, god shouldnt exist neither. If you imply that god did exist before the rest, then you're contradicting your first statement that nothing should exist. In either case, you are wrong.

I know where you are coming from, truly I do.
My humble contention, once again, is that nothing should exist. And I do mean "nothing", not even space-time itself.

Where did space-time come from? It is, after all, an aspect of "existence" is it not?

The evidence is adding up to the big bang theory.

Since it is impossible to create "something" from absolutely nothing, where did the "stuff" for the Big Bang come from?

Science may never find out that answer, but we will find out what happened after. Science keeps adding to the pool of knowledge.

Agreed. I do love science!!

I have the obligation to say this, as a religious person, i dont care if the moderators wioll banned mew for this but y HAVE to say it, that is the most STUPID thing i have read in my whole life.

Why do you think it is stupid?

look if you are not a believer it would be pointles to discus this, God is God, thats it, He is not an alien or something, He is THE maker of everything, if you dont believe that thats your thing not mine.

Why do you think religion is pointless to discuss?

Originally i am a catholic. But i don't believe in an institute like the church. I believe in God and eternal love and knowledge.

Fair answer Thank you.

You said nothing that could ban you from this site. Your comments attacked the issue, not the person. That is the distinction.

I think you have misunderstood me. It is an example out of a book. Or is it the IDtheory you are opposing against?

That just may be an indication that there was never "nothing"

Personally, I believe the you are 100% correct.

I used to question God and the beginning when I was brought up in church, but I got Corpal Tunnel when I was about 15 and was fixing to sceduale surgery and went to church where everyone prayed on me. I kept telling myself going home that I was healed. And it's cuz I really wanted to beleive and wanted to beleive I could put my faith in God and that would answer it all. I woke up next morning and it was completly gone. I didn't feel one ounce of pain and haven't had it since. My mother has been healed for many things and all because of her faith in God. I also beleive in God because he created this earth with it's beauty and and livable surroundings apart from other planets for a reason. Cuz I mean it's hard to beleive that something just exploded and earth came out the only livable beautiful planet. God created the universe with the explosion. Not like we just popped up out of nowhere. God is our creator and I'am a beleiver of him and my savior Jesus Christ.

I can not believe you can make such a definative statement.
Have you ever been to another church, or a pagan ceremony, or native american lodge, or a buddhist retreat and experienced something different, before you settled on this truth?
What have you done to explore your spirituality, to determine this is your truth?

Very good Question and Post Turtle, so often the Bible seems to be the end all know all on the universe and its philosophys, its a great text on what not to do and how to bring out the worst IMOO, any serious truth seeker would explore many paths. Namaste sheri

Or...an act of self-interest

Pallidin, Nothing i mean nothing has any meaning at all until you the creator give it one unttil you decide something! NOTHING! has any meaning if you look into this very deeply you will see that this is true. namaste Sheri

Why do I believe in God? Do you mean God as in a generic creator? Or specifically the God of the Bible?

For the first, I've always believed the most likely reason for us to be here is a creator God of some kind, just never bothered following it (so many religions, how would I know which is right - assuming any? Why would God/creator even need/want worship? etc etc). Why i believed in a creator in the first place? I don't know (as I said, it just seemed to make sense).

As for the God of the Bible, after reading the Bible when I finished High School, it just hit me that this made sense, more than other religions/faiths/worldviews. As I grew (and indeed still grow) as a Christian I have learnt and experienced many things which have reinforced my belief. Christianity was not my first foray into religion/sprituality, nor was it my last - but it was the one that made most sense.

Hope this answers your question.

Regards, PA

Well that seems like an honest answer PA I don't agree with it but, hey who am I Anyway, I would say people believe in god because without him they are alone. Being alive when things are really bad or even really good human nature is that you want to share it and I think at some point in life you are alone and need someone and there is no one there and at that point you either find god or not.....Without the idea of a higher power what are you left with other then the nothingness that you all are talking about? well for me personally i'm left with me and that's the better option. I'm left with the personal knowledge that I can handle anything with nothing more then me and my own strength without looking for some unseen unheard deity who could make himself known but chooses not to...and he doesn't because he's only in the mind of those who choose to follow blindly in his path..........but that's just my opinion

I have the impression that you believe in two Gods.
1) The "Creator God"
2) The "Christian God"

There is or was a Commandment- Thou shall have no other Gods.

Answering the original question of the post. I believe what i believe b/c of what ive experienced. No one forced me to believe, but rather i chose to follow God. Ive been through alot in my life seen alot of crazy things. i knew God existed, but i never really cared much about it until one day everything came to be to much, and prayed to God that i dont know who you really are, but I need your help and that i couldnt do it any more. After honeslty searching for God i became a christian.

Life is simply a miracle when you look at all the details of this Earth- you'll clearly see the works of a creator. To me God is in all things natural. We are the only living species that can appreciate beauty and God made us a beautiful world and when i gaze into the blue sky or into a flowing stream or when i hear the birds call and the beating of my heart- i know its the works of an Amazing creator that i thank every day for this miracle called life.

Really? What other universes and worlds are you using as a reference for this conclusion?


Really?!?!?!?!?


Really? Where is the research to back such a claim? Sounds too anthropcentric to me....

We are the only living species that can appreciate beauty and God made us a beautiful world

The truth is that we are inferior to many species. We cannot run as fast as the cheetah. We can not swim like the dolphin. We cannot fly. We do not have the sight of the eagle. We cannot hear as does a dog. We have no perception of the mental capabilities of any species other than ourselves and thus cannot make the assumption that "only we" can appreciate beauty.

The true difference between us and many other species is that when appreciating beauty, they can appreciate themselves. We cannot.

We are also the only species that seems to need to go to war, to kill for sport, and to destroy and pollute that which we need to survive.

When someone gives you a present- dont chuck it away. Look after it. God gave us this earth and the mental capability of just about anything- we're just too caught up in ourselves these days to care for the environment and its sad.

not true.

many animals are territorial and will war over territory and mating rights. we just took it to a different level of destruction.

animals destroy environs, it just is man has stepped outside of the balancing forces of nature allowing him to behave like a "plague".

animals also pollute what they need to survive. it just is in natural conditions the pollution can be broken down and cleaned up by the cycles of the ecosystem.

So I assume you have read and studied the Quran? Hinduism?