to me, "why do I believe in a possible god?" well, look at it this way. believe in something, and if it's there - great. if not, all well. :p 50/50 chance.
That is called Pascals wager, and is flawed. It is not a 50/50 chance. You are not taking into account the literally millions of current, previous, and future religions that are to come, or ones that will never be thought of. The options of things to worship and paths to take are endless. People tend to think of things in binary terms, but it is not so simple. The major religions we have today will fade with time, just as religions of the past have.
it's true, though. religion was and has become pretty vicious lol. which is why I take bits and pieces of religion, click in what religion "probably could have been a long time ago", figured what happened ("i dont like that you like men, so my god cant like you either" kind of theory), and looked around and asked questions of all different religions i find it interesting, and not restraining to learn, but to believe.
greentea, it's my opinion.... to me it's a 50/50. either "he" exists (who cares by what name) or doesn't. why 50/50, is because people believe and people don't.
although can I point out that when religion got mad at scientists... old age, they used to rely on them
Sena, 50/50 is mathematics, not opinions, and it is not 50/50. If no one cared which name, it would be 50/50. However, most religions, you suffer eternally if you don't pick the right one. It becomes one infinite reward set against infinite punishments. Not good odds.
GreenTea if you thought I am not open I am sorry if my word sounded like I wouldn't budge, but I actually LOVE to learn about new religions. At my church we actually studied other religions and compared it to Christianity. I don't say, oh this is what I am taught I must obey it. The cool thing about the God I know is he is forgiving. He tempts us to test our faith.
You do make good points, I personally would like to start trying to read the bible again. And keep what you say in my head while I read. I am not that ignorant, if I do seem that way, me and my friend that use to live by me would ha e discussions while walking home from school and talk about our religions and similarities, Muslim and Christianity.
"and that, is your opinion." (darn rights i quoted from Big Bang.) to ME it's 50/50 for me, saying "if he exists well good if not all well I was wrong".
pfft I haven't read the bible. I've read more of the Qura'an than the bibles I was given I don't like what's in the bible, however I like contradicting people who say "muslims are bad" for instance with cold hard fact of "WHEN was the book written?" and "translations down the line have severely damaged the meaning" facts.
Kfryman, have you heard of the one line in the Qura'an that says "...beat his woman lightly if he fears rebelling" or something along those lines (I forgot and i'm tired). Looking really hard into it, the word for beat is used over 40 or 50 times in the book with different meanings I brought up that with my super-catholic-scary-g-ma she says I'm condemned because I learn about other religions.
FishyFish, you can believe what you want, but that god in your book is nowhere close to merciful or forgiving. The guy in this youtube video makes my issues with it clear. If you look outside, read the newspaper, and see any sort of perfect world where theres a perfect, loving being looking out for all of us? Sorry, but that's delusion. I'm really sorry your friend is accusing you of that. That's horrible!
..... That video just blew my mind! It really has me thinking, thanks for sharing it.
I've always been greatly conflicted on where I stand on religion and my beliefs. In general I dislike religion. I feel it brings us farther apart rather than uniting us and is used to condemn those that do not follow your beliefs. Too much blood has been shed over religion.
When it comes to my own faith... I was baptized Catholic, a choice my parents made for me of course. When I was younger I remember going to Christian church often, but our family has never been very religious. As I grew older I distanced myself. I stopped feeling welcomed and began to question the Bible and God.
My father who claimed to be saved and "changed" by God used Christianity as a reason to be forgiven for everything bad he ever did. Including never being around for his children. He constantly used it against my brother and I, always quoting the Bible in his defense. Not only that, but one rare occasion when he actually contacted my brother, who lives in a care home suffering for paranoid schizophrenia, he said it was the devil inside him and that he should go to church. That is all.
I thought I was Spiritual, believing in souls and that all living things "go somewhere" but not really knowing where. I also believed in Ghosts. Lately though.... I question even those things.
The kind of God I read about does not sound like one I would want to worship. When I look at a beautiful sunset or just gaze at the sky I truly, deep down, do not believe that there is an almighty force looking down on me. I don't believe that below my feet there are souls burning in hell. They say God will not give you more than you can handle, but I call BS. People commit suicide daily, because why? Life is too much. I see people suffering and then told "God works in mysterious ways". I cannot accept that answer.
I still don't know where I stand... sometimes I find it unsettling to think that we just rot in the ground after death. Belief in life after death is a way many mentally deal with our own mortality and bare the loss of loved ones.
Thinking is good. Critical thinking is better. Attempting to completely set aside stories and traditions just to think with a clean slate, is best. Christian apologists will point to the new testament as if it negates everything Yaweh (god) said in the old testament, like they're following jesus... Well jesus was his son/him, so it's all the same.
Kfryman, if you are truly interested in learning, please watch these videos as a starting point. They are not inflammatory, just pointing out logical flaws. Once I found doubt in my head, I felt like there was something wrong, it was a test, and I was failing. Now I'm glad I had the doubt and was able to relieve myself of that stress.
Watch that above video if nothing else. QualiaSoup and TheraminTrees make some of the best videos. TheThinkingAtheist has people of all backgrounds from all over the world speak on his show, posted on youtube on a variety of subjects. I am so happy now that I went through the process of removing myths presented as truths, whether that be religious, myths about what it means to be a woman, myths about what it means to be a good person, a good partner, a beautiful or successful person. It was horrible at times, but so worth it.
LionCalie, beautifully said. Here is another gem for you. I agree completely. I understand mental solace is needed at times to get through life. Of course someone looking out for you is comforting. Unfortunately, when people believe it is someone far and away from earth, from our problems, they can often fail to realize we are the ones responsible for fixing them at the end of the day. Two hands working do more than a million clasped in prayer. We are the only ones looking out for us.
Why is a King of Jews an arabic Catholic? I've never gotten an answer (no idea why... -lol-) I rather take religion as a whole. er....kinda. in my own way o_O I'm no Muslim, but sure am not a Catholic but I do like some facts of Muslim better than the taught-catholic I group up with.
Then again, as individuals, a single sentence read is given a different meaning in the eyes of one, versus another. Hence why religion changes, forms, and creates new religions :p
Guys, this thread is just fine as long as you can all respect each other's opinions and beliefs. Keep it nice, okay? Remember, "religion" is a real hot button issue and many people feel very passionate about their beliefs.
Sena, Jesus wasn't Catholic per se. As for Arabic, well, that's the region of the world he was born in. :)
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i find it interesting, and not restraining to learn, but to believe.
I don't like what's in the bible, however I like contradicting people who say "muslims are bad" for instance with cold hard fact of "WHEN was the book written?" and "translations down the line have severely damaged the meaning" facts. 
That video just blew my mind! It really has me thinking, thanks for sharing it.
I've never gotten an answer 
