Discussion Do you guys believe in a god, or higher power/s?

[Torabol]

I can't know either way so I don't let it bother me. My intuition says no, but it'd be cool if there was a God. at the same time he has some explaining to do.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

No, not at all. At most, as someone else said, maybe some simulation type of thing by either our future selves or other intelligent life out there.
But if some deity does exist, its definitely no god worth following or praying to... just look around you. If thats his/her "work" he/she is either a sadistical, malevolent being that enjoys torturing its creations or a complete moron unable to get a single thing right.
At least I really hope theres nothing. No hell, heaven, purgatory, afterlife, whatever. One life is plenty, im good.

This reminds me of the Epicurean Paradox, I'll copy and paste a quote from Epicurean that is quite interesting

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"

 

[Techef]

I spent over 2 decades practicing (sometimes willingly, most of the time unwillingly) evangelical christianity. Even though it's been a long time since I removed myself from religion completely, I wish I had never experienced it. All it did was add a ton of guilt and an irrational fear of going to hell.

 

[bevutifulsorrow]

I was never a believer in GOD in the beginning. I went to church, sang in the choir, danced on the praise team etc, but I was the one who didn't mind saying in in Sunday school and questioning the existence of this unknown being who had so many works up his sleeve.

I couldn't understand how this high powered individual could do so many great things while I was suffering.

There were so many times I gave in but couldn't go through, but there was this experience I had at 18 that changed my whole thought process on a lot.

When I was younger I lived in a hell hole where my parent put on a facade that home was so loving and family oriented. It use to blow my mind, but anyways… back to the topic.

At 18 I felt like I've done all I can do to be good to be loved I wasn't perfect but I tried to just get my parent to tell me he was proud of me, I never got those words I never felt them. I can't even remember the exact situation that made me spiral out of no where, but I had made up in my mind it was time to go.

I took cables and wrapped them around my neck all while the tears kept coming harder and harder. I could feel my head swelling and eyes bulging out. I could feel my brain pounding so hard and I knew in a moment it was going to be over. The crazy thing about it all I heard a voice tell me don't do it. I ignored that voice 3xs, and each time it got louder. That 3rd time I gave in because it was so loud I jumped up and searched the apartment only to find I was still alone.

From that moment on I knew he was real.

 

[LunarLakes]

I don't think there is a higher power, and if there is that higher power is a horrible being. Why are so many children abused if there is a higher power who could prevent that? Why are people who actually enjoy living have their lives cut short while horrible people are alive and well? How is it god's plan to have a child be assaulted? It sickens me. I hope there is just nothingness awaiting me, no emotions and no judgement.

 

[Lamentice]

No, I don't. Even while I was being raised in a cult I didn't believe in a God, I just never have. I do still consider myself a spiritual person though, but to me spirituality is unique to an individual & completely unrelated to the mess that is religions.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Hmmm, that is interesting. Maybe I'm using it wrong. My beliefs seem to be heavily aligned with yours. I don't take offense to what you stated though, I love to be informed, even if I'm wrong which it appears I am. As the google definition of agnostic states that nothing can be known, which I don't believe to be true. If something happened that is repeatable and proves the existence of God (repeatable so it can't be ruled as some coincidence), then that might make me believe in a God.

I don't think you're wrong at all. You sound similar to me in fact. I always thought agnostic just meant I didn't know- wasn't entirely sure. Maybe that is also part of the definition. The whole 'cannot be proved' thing is bizarre though. Maybe they think God will reveal themselves (if they ever do) in a way that isn't reliably provable but then- if they really wanted to reveal themselves to the world- why would they choose such a method? I think maybe they're just trying to say to the religious people- we're not going to take your word for it if one person claims they've had a vision.

Still- I do still find it an inadequate description of what I do/ don't believe. I wish there was a better one. I think I'm probably closer to being an atheist- apparently- there are different types! According to the website bellow, I share traits with: Seeker-agnostic, Anti-theist and Ritual atheist.

Study finds six types of atheism

Researchers say lack of faith isn’t as uniform as it appears.

www.wtvr.com

 

[MourningBird]

There is no god, and no afterlife. They're man made concepts.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

There's no afterlife no reincarnation no god.

I had a different consciousness, beliefs , thinking when I was age 2 , 5, 10, 15, 20, 90, every age. I was something different at every age. What I was for example at age 10 doesn't exist anymore.

I guess they have people believing that consciousness is what goes to the afterlife. But as I showed that changes at every different age.

Which consciousness which me goes to the afterlife ?

What does that even mean an afterlife? Where's the power source , details, books of evidence and books on the details?

Consciousness is just a horrible illusion that makes you a witness to extreme unbearable pain and to feel that intolerable pain. "But we have to make everyone believe they want to keep that going for a trillion trillion years and that it actually happens."

Consciousness is created by the brain. When a cat , you or a fish see food or an object a model is formed in ur brain as if u were looking at it

https://www.science.org/content/article/ai-re-creates-what-people-see-reading-their-brain-scans

 

[captive]

yes, but i also believe that we're in simulation so there is something more powerful than any kind of god. honestly, believing in god or simulation theory is no different. it's pretty much the same concept - god creates world or someone simulates the world. it is highly unlikely that we live in the original universe, any civilization over a long time should be able to have computers powerful enough to host the simulation.

 

[Jolene79]

No. Religion is all made up nonsense. I can believe there is more, or alot we don't know about, understand or are aware of. It feels too statistically unlikely that it's just us. As for a God, no way.
Despite that, I've been crying daily, begging God for a second chance at some kind of life.

 

[Darkover]

yes, but i also believe that we're in simulation so there is something more powerful than any kind of god. honestly, believing in god or simulation theory is no different. it's pretty much the same concept - god creates world or someone simulates the world. it is highly unlikely that we live in the original universe, any civilization over a long time should be able to have computers powerful enough to host the simulation.

do you really believe mathematics can be used to construct or represent anything.?, Can you express emotions mathematically? or does this mean math is a limited tool to express reality?, i believe reality is the real deal and no amount of maths can construct emotion

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

yes, but i also believe that we're in simulation so there is something more powerful than any kind of god. honestly, believing in god or simulation theory is no different. it's pretty much the same concept - god creates world or someone simulates the world. it is highly unlikely that we live in the original universe, any civilization over a long time should be able to have computers powerful enough to host the simulation.

I don't believe in any god, afterlife, reincarnation or simulation theory. Just some reasons

1. Why ? Why why ? what's the reason for creating sentient beings that suffer so much constantly hungry for example and very probably will suffer extremely unbearable pain

2. Where s the evidence ? None that I see

3.implausible . The computer resources to create a single human would be unimaginable.

How Many Atoms Are There in a Human Cell?

Have you ever wondered how many atoms are in a human cell? It's a huge number! Here's a look at the answer.

www.thoughtco.com

100 trillion atoms in a human cell. Then to model all the complex machines inside the cell...

And a human has 30 trillion cells

Take a phone w 4k video on a trip for an hour long video. That's still a course low resolution model of reality. It's a thin slice of one low resolution recording of one short experience of one small human on a speck of dust called earth . And that 4k video will take up too much space. Too many computer resources

Again why?

 

[NoLongerHuman.]

No, but I feel like people who believe in God are ok. I feel like Gods have always been there to explain things (for example, Greek Gods) and I suppose for comfort too. I would believe in God if I see one, but besides that, I don't have anything against anybody who does.

 

[gotomrg]

the idea of God is comforting for people and it used to be even more comforting in the past where less things could be explained, science sucked or wasn't really a thing and people were even more miserable. i don't believe that God exists. it wouldn't make any sense. i know a lot of stuff about the bible and i probably know more things about God than my mother does even though she is Christian. it is the idea created by people for people. for comfort and social regulation. because thinking that life sucks because it just does and there's no powerful being to help you is very scary. that's it.

 

[Dmoore3232]

From what I have seen from studying NDE's it is a substance that is in everything. Whatever the f that means. Though the traditional sense of a person creating creation itself instead of physics and ruling over it like a monarch I do not think is correct.

 

[Victim.Of.Life]

Recently i've been debating wether I live in some sort of computer program/simulation.
I really don't know what to expect after I'm dead. I just hope I don't wake up in some sort of space ship or futuristic world.

 

[dofogry]

I wish i believed that theres a porpuse for everything, that after i die i would have a new chance of having a better life in another circumstances but there no evidence of that. Just storytelling so humans could have power of the others.

Church was only created to oppose monarchies throughout the centuries. That is a fact, unlike what they created for their book.

Dont want to be rude but its stupid to be agnostic, cause you are believing in a concept that the church introduced to the world but at the sime time saying that you dont believe in the church.

Of course there was others religions before the christians but they are all so silly that people ignore those. Christians just found a way to make those ideas more belivable and scarier.

Life is just an accident of space and time. Everything is just atoms.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

No, but I feel like people who believe in God are ok. I feel like Gods have always been there to explain things (for example, Greek Gods) and I suppose for comfort too. I would believe in God if I see one, but besides that, I don't have anything against anybody who does.

I agree. I have family that believes in god and I don't bash them for it. The God gap has always been interesting, though. I believe the stories of Greek and Norse gods can still be used as metaphors for morals within stories

 

[cryvinglightning]

not exactly god, but i do believe that there's something bigger and more powerful. during a manic episode a year ago i was fully convinced that i was living in a simulation, which apparently isn't an uncommon belief.
religion, however is something we made up entirely to find solace in existence. to an extenct i can understand people who choose to believe in god.

 

[R_N]

Something might exist out there but I am not labeling it or speculating about what it is like others. Nor do I think it exists or doesn't. I find human concepts about things like that fiction.

Universe seems vast, something being out there wouldn't surprise me. That is about it.

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

Something might exist out there but I am not labeling it or speculating about what it is like others. Nor do I think it exists or doesn't. I find human concepts about things like that fiction.

Universe seems vast, something being out there wouldn't surprise me. That is about it.

I agree, I doubt the existence of anything, but I also wouldn't be surprised if there was some higher power.

 

[brokeandbroken]

Unfortunately yes evidence is overwhelming. That said I don't think I believe humanity is in any good or worth saving hell myself included. I don't think justice occurs on earth or in the afterlife.

 

[zel]

Absolutely not.
God was invented by a bunch of low IQ drunken Osama bin laden looking types while they were sat round a campfire and bored shitless in the desert.

Woah buddy, projecting much?

I believe in god, I'm catholic and although I've been disappointed with my life I'm grateful that i will at least be able to appreciate heaven in my afterlife. God is one of the main factors causing me to want to CTB, and I don't believe he'd allow me to go to hell just for CTB, I'm sure he'll love me and my decision.

I feel the exact same way. I know he will forgive me. He has conquered death, so there is nothing to fear. It's always going to be a little intimidating of course, but I am comforted.

 

[tsumihoroboshi]

I used to believe when I was a practicing Catholic, but I became atheist before I was a teen and after some experiences, I consider myself agnostic. I believe something is there. Sometimes coincidences exist but not in the way I see them. Not the same thing everyone else does, maybe.

I also have felt the simulation belief as well. I think people that believe in any kind of God are safe. Call it a coping mechanism for humanity, they believe in something and that's beautiful. They know they will go somewhere when they die. People like me either see darkness--nothingness.

What helps me cope with the thought of no afterlife, is there thousands of years that existed before me. What did that feel like? I didn't always exist. What did I see? Nothing. So dying, I'd be going back to that. Just nothing. And that means no pain or conscious thought. Just. Not even nothing. The concept of what was there before you were born, that's what it'll go back to. It's a little comforting.

 

[DeepCD]

I used to believe when I was a practicing Catholic, but I became atheist before I was a teen and after some experiences, I consider myself agnostic. I believe something is there. Sometimes coincidences exist but not in the way I see them. Not the same thing everyone else does, maybe.

I also have felt the simulation belief as well. I think people that believe in any kind of God are safe. Call it a coping mechanism for humanity, they believe in something and that's beautiful. They know they will go somewhere when they die. People like me either see darkness--nothingness.

What helps me cope with the thought of no afterlife, is there thousands of years that existed before me. What did that feel like? I didn't always exist. What did I see? Nothing. So dying, I'd be going back to that. Just nothing. And that means no pain or conscious thought. Just. Not even nothing. The concept of what was there before you were born, that's what it'll go back to. It's a little comforting.

took the words out of my mouth! I feel the same!

.... as for the atheists who criticize agnostics bc of the label, I think it's fair to say that if you don't know you don't know ... so what would be Society's Label for that? apparently it seems that agnostic/athiest is the only term, unless someone can educate me.

it seems that agnostic or atheist or agnostic / atheist are similar labels that are put on almost all religions/beliefs. there will always be different denominations regardless of the religion or label that you are part of.

so I guess if I had to label myself, I believe in "IDK". on the other hand there are things that I feel I do know. and that is all religions are man-made. supernatural is man-made.

and if you follow any of the 3 main religions. those are most definitely man-made! Even God himself (if he/she existed would not understand those books, as well as all the interpretations of different languages, metaphors, & etc.. Even the English versions themselves are forever debatable between denominations!)

there's a reason why the Big 3 Religions Love to avoid true history, archeology, as well as astrology, & etc. the best they can. they consider the zodiac a sin because it doesn't fit their motive. you being on this website is a sin according to your religion, but then you will find reasons or quotes from the Bible in your language that will prove otherwise, that's why those books are such Ludacris, .

if you watch this attached video below w/a rational open mind, how could you still be following the 3 big religions of the world? this is a 30-minute video with so much substance! you'll learn more in this video than you ever did on a whole entire Sunday!



P. S. ... I am open for criticism, because I don't know much about astrology or ancient Astrology, I'm no certified scientist nor archaeologist. Bc ... "IDK", ... but I surely know what I do know, unless otherwise proven to me w/rationality, not Wishful Thinking.