Discussion God and all that malarkey

[cosifantutti]

When I was 36 I went back to church after years of agnosticism.
I always struggled to believe but never gave up. Even through terrible times I'd stick with it.
Earlier this year I went through six really bad months. It was as I was coming out of it that I started to really question god's existence.
I finally feel I've suffered enough. I look at my own situation and ask myself why a loving God would put me through so much.
I think of my friend J who took his life. Such a lovely guy.
I think of all the wars, starvation, natural disasters in the world.
God allows all this!
Yet people will say he helped them to pass their driving test/ to get the job/ to meet somebody.
We're supposed to trust God. To believe that everything that happens is for a reason. I'm supposed to thank God because I've got a home/it's a sunny day/someone was really kind.

I constantly tried to be brave in my suffering and although I was told God loved me I knew he'd love me more if I accepted my lot.

So I now very much doubt there's a God. I actually feel a bit better about it. He's no longer policing my thoughts, urging me to try harder. I no longer have to live up to his standards.

I'm getting a hint of being my own person. I'd stopped trying to please the world years ago but I realise I'd exchanged that for pleasing God and he's a hard taskmaster.

I'm just thinking out loud.

 

[WAITING TO DIE]

The biblical god is either powerless, evil, or non-existent.
I used to belong to a pentecostal church, yet slowly realised that a loving God is a man-made concept.
There are so many lies associated with religion.
I often wonder if Gnosticism is true, and that we are ruled by an evil God called Yaldabaoth.
Prayers are never answered.
What about children who are abused by paedophiles ?
Why does the God character never help them ?
I think the answer is obvious.

 

[cosifantutti]

I hope gnosticism isn't true. That would mean eternal suffering once we escape this.

I sometimes think he's powerless but theoretically God can 'do' anything.
It's most likely he doesn't exist. If he does he has those he really cares about and the rest of us and he doesn't give a crap about the rest of us.

I'm now going to look up gnosticism.

 

[WAITING TO DIE]

I hope gnosticism isn't true. That would mean eternal suffering once we escape this.

I sometimes think he's powerless but theoretically God can 'do' anything.
It's most likely he doesn't exist. If he does he has those he really cares about and the rest of us and he doesn't give a crap about the rest of us.

I'm now going to look up gnosticism.

Gnosticism is interesting and thought provoking . Buddhism too. I like Buddhist philosophy because it makes more sense than religion.

 

[Left]

I wouldn't mind becoming religious but I can't. I just can't magically make myself believe in something that I suspect is complete malarkey, as you put it. People constantly create copes to distract them from brutal realities and I strongly suspect just about every religion and pretty much every spiritual belief is a cope from the utterly nihilistic reality we experience in this universe.

We go outside and see death all over. Dead plants, dead animals, roadkill, rotting carcasses, etc. We must use our imagination to comfort us from the fact that we will inevitably one day end up as corpses.

 

[cosifantutti]

I wouldn't mind becoming religious but I can't. I just can't magically make myself believe in something that I suspect is complete malarkey, as you put it. People constantly create copes to distract them from brutal realities and I strongly suspect just about every religion and pretty much every spiritual belief is a cope from the utterly nihilistic reality we experience in this universe.

We go outside and see death all over. Dead plants, dead animals, roadkill, rotting carcasses, etc. We must use our imagination to comfort us from the fact that we will inevitably one day end up as corpses.

I think you're probably better off not being religious. In this last few months I feel a little bit more empowered realising I don't have to constantly impress God. And although I don't think I believe in him I'm also enjoying criticising him and realising he's the one that's messed it all up.

 

[Left]

I think you're probably better off not being religious. In this last few months I feel a little bit more empowered realising I don't have to constantly impress God. And although I don't think I believe in him I'm also enjoying criticising him and realising he's the one that's messed it all up.

Perhaps. Atheism/agnosticism hasn't done much for me; I was probably happier when I flirted with religion long ago. There are pros and cons to religion but certainly it helps provide a purpose and community to many of the individuals involved, which I see as a positive.

 

[cosifantutti]

Perhaps. Atheism/agnosticism hasn't done much for me; I was probably happier when I flirted with religion long ago. There are pros and cons to religion but certainly it helps provide a purpose and community to many of the individuals involved, which I see as a positive.

Yes it does provide community. I'm a Catholic and still go to mass. It's because of the sense of belonging and I don't want to lose that.

 

[lifewillprevail]

Perhaps. Atheism/agnosticism hasn't done much for me; I was probably happier when I flirted with religion long ago. There are pros and cons to religion but certainly it helps provide a purpose and community to many of the individuals involved, which I see as a positive.

Yes, I agree. I'm also Catholic, and living a life as such has genuinely helped me to become a better person each day. Even if God wasn't real, I wouldn't regret dedicating my life to what he teaches, it's changed my perspective about a lot of things in life and has just pulled me out of a hole that I dug myself into when straying further away from him.

I really do respect everyone's opinions however, we are all obligated to believe what we want to believe, and even my faith can be tested at times. I feel just a lot happier living as a Christian than I was when I wasn't.

 

[Cage]

I have my doubts about the idea of a personal god but I'm not sure if I'd call myself an atheist, considering how toxic and stupid most of them are.

 

[moondazed]

I'm agnostic and I think I always will be. I've been getting closer to the idea of God lately, as I've been drifting further into my nihilistic depression, but I don't think my brain will ever allow me true faith.

I think if there is a God, he's probably more of a scientist. We're an experiment. If we entertain the stories of the Bible, maybe he realized every time he intervened, he fucked it up more. And then he just let us be. Maybe he turned his back on us, seeing the mess we've made. Maybe God's not real. None of us alive can know.

 

[real person]

i don't know how you can believe in god and use this website