Do you believe in God?

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

I'd like to think I do. Light candles in a church for people that have passed away in my life. And I certainly identify as an Irish Catholic for ethnicity purposes.

Having said that, I'm firmly of the belief that when you die you're absolutely gone. If an afterlife does exist, it makes no sense how anyone would actually know what it's like there.

The church have been responsible for the most heinous crimes against individuals since the state got independence. And suicide bombers are mostly influenced by religion to carry out what they do.

I think I believe in God, but not in religion, while also thinking an afterlife doesn't exist.

Uriel.

I'm a bit like yourself, I want to believe but in truth I'm not sure I do. In a way I'm clinging on to custom and tradition as much as faith. I'd like to think however that we aspire to more than just a short existence on earth and then buried in the clay. I hope there is some form of aferlife. But probably not. I've a, probably irrational, fear of death and nothingness so I think I cling into a little bit of belief to reassure myself that there's more to come

Woke Hogan

It's as much a part of the human condition to hope against hope for life after "the end" as it is to, say, participate in or watch sport. Virtually every society has believed in some sort of deity or afterlife, after all.

That's why I despise the obese, sneering internet atheists you will find on websites like this. The kind who giggle into their braided goatees about space teapots or flying spaghetti monsters. Their claims to be operating on a higher intellectual plain instead of jogging or believing in the supernatural rings a little hollow to myself when you see them indulging in their basest urges: sitting and eating processed food until they pass out. The kind with exotic colours and cartoon characters on the packaging.

I do respect that many people are desperate for comfort as they come close to death but ultimately there's no reason in my view to believe in god.

HappyAsLarE

Nobody believes in God. If they did believe there was a all knowing being that would judge us at the end for our sins then they would be much better people.

I know God doesn’t exist, but I try to live like he does.

James Bond Junior

I believe in God. I also believe the fundamentals of all organised religions is to treat others with kindness, empathy and respect including yourself. Many people don't have God or any God in their lives in these times and society isn't better for it.

PsychoPete

No

kildare lad

There could be but I doubt it , there's too much injustice in the world for a god. Look at the Catholic Church , the biggest organisation of child molesters in history . Do you think if there was a god, he would just sit back and watch all his spokes people on Earth , rape and molest young boys for centuries and do nothing about it.
Say you were Jewish , would you not find it hard to believe in a god after ww2 . 6 million Jews were killed in gas chambers , it wasn't god that stopped it , it was allied soldiers.
I hate when you read about someone having an accident and they thank God for saving them . What about all the doctors , nurses and emergency crews that helped??
There's been thousands of different gods since time began. Who's to say our God is the only god and rest are made up. There's about as much evidence for them all .... None

yosser hughes

I have a question for you OP. You say you believe in God, light candles for people etc. So you must believe therefore that God can intervene in our lives? Do you also believe then that God is all seeing?
Do you live your life believing God can see what you do?

Joeseph Balls

No, but I respect others beliefs and don't feel the need to put a label on myself either

Canis Lupus

No, the entire concept is ridiculous.

eviltwin

No. Its illogical that a god could exist when terrible things happen to innocent people. If that's what God is I want no part of it.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

Do you believe in God?

Woke Hogan wrote: »

That's why I despise the obese

Hilariously consistent once again, Woke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M92kaRu458U

Soulsun

kildare lad wrote: »

There could be but I doubt it , there's too much injustice in the world for a god. Look at the Catholic Church , the biggest organisation of child molesters in history . Do you think if there was a god, he would just sit back and watch all his spokes people on Earth , rape and molest young boys for centuries and do nothing about it.
Say you were Jewish , would you not find it hard to believe in a god after ww2 . 6 million Jews were killed in gas chambers , it wasn't god that stopped it , it was allied soldiers.
I hate when you read about someone having an accident and they thank God for saving them . What about all the doctors , nurses and emergency crews that helped??
There's been thousands of different gods since time began. Who's to say our God is the only god and rest are made up. There's about as much evidence for them all .... None

You sound very much like George Carlin here lol
Agreed 100%

The White Wolf

I did up until I was 19, when a couple of things happened that broke my faith.

I'm going against the grain here by saying I'm worse off without it. That's the truth for me personally.

Graces7

Totally, unequivocally and with all my heart, soul and every part of my being.

kildare lad

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I believe in God. I also believe the fundamentals of all organised religions is to treat others with kindness, empathy and respect including yourself. Many people don't have God or any God in their lives in these times and society isn't better for it.

But do you need to believe in God to show kindness and respect people . I don't believe in God and yet I treat people fine. You get your values from your parents . Look at American society the most religious one in the western world . And yet, they are as far away from Christian teaching as you can go . Love thy neighbour , no let's build a big wall . Thou shall not kill , they've been constantly at war killing people since the countries been created . Do not steal , tell that to the Indians. A camel has more chance of going through an eye of a needle than a rich man has of going to heaven. And yet Americans love money , it's the most capitalist society in the world. I'm just making an example that a lot of religious people are some of the biggest hypocrites in the world .

JohnnyFlash

I don’t think so, but it’s not something I spend any amount of time thinking about. I do think some of the internet atheists believe that their declaration of there being no God marks them out as great intellectuals who have rallied against society. As opposed to it being the easiest thing in the world to do.

That said, I do send my children to private schools with a religious ethos. None of this lowest common denominator Educate Together bullshït.

Gregor Samsa

I see absolutely no reason to.

JohnnyFlash

The White Wolf wrote: »

I did up until I was 19, when a couple of things happened that broke my faith.

I'm going against the grain here by saying I'm worse off without it. That's the truth for me personally.

The God hole. The gaping spiritual hole in a person’s life that would once have been filled with faith. And now they attempt to fill that hole through worshipping the gospel of consumerism. Doesn’t work though.

kerryjack

ya I do and Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.

olestoepoke

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I believe in God. I also believe the fundamentals of all organised religions is to treat others with kindness, empathy and respect including yourself. Many people don't have God or any God in their lives in these times and society isn't better for it.

This is simply not true. We don't need to believe in an imaginary being to treat others with respect or ourselves. We do not need to believe in archaic books to have morals and empathy towards others. To say that society is better because of organised religion is simply not true. In fact many heinous acts here in Ireland and around the world have been committed by religious people and ordained people. Women persecuted, children raped, babies thrown into septic tanks or sold off to the highest bidders in the USA and all covered up by the Vatican. I don't believe in any any god that another man tells me is there without proof and proper proof not blind faith and I am a good person, law abiding and I treat people with kindness empathy and respect because it's the right thing to do not because a book written by men thousands of years ago tells me to.

smacl

Woke Hogan wrote: »

I despise the obese, sneering internet atheists you will find on websites like this...

...ultimately there's no reason in my view to believe in god.

Pot, kettle?

I don't personally believe in god, take no issue with those that do believe in god and do believe that religion enriches the lives of many people. I do take issue with those that those that try to impose their religious beliefs on me or my family and will kick back when this happens.

nthclare

I don't know whether there's a God or not.

It's a bit early yet but sooner or later you'll have the looney atheists and the strident christians coming in here to have their say.

You'll hear word's like sky fairy, Russell's teapot, the flying spaghetti monster etc
which is usually from bitter atheists who are obsessed with God, letting everyone know how intelligent atheists really are, shower of dick head's some of them.

I'm more pagan myself, just earth wind and fire baby....

mfceiling

Which one?

There's hundreds of them.

The White Wolf

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

The God hole. The gaping spiritual hole in a person’s life that would once have been filled with faith. And now they attempt to fill that hole through worshipping the gospel of consumerism. Doesn’t work though.

I wouldn't say consumerism has anything to do with it for me personally. But it does leave a hole undoubtedly. I think my lack of faith combined with my natural outlook on life is the problem, and I can absolutely understand why it would be different for many other atheists. I'm sure the day they let go of it was the day it absolutely enriched their life.

That just wasn't the case for me.

Still waters

Woke Hogan wrote: »

It's as much a part of the human condition to hope against hope for life after "the end" as it is to, say, participate in or watch sport. Virtually every society has believed in some sort of deity or afterlife, after all.

That's why I despise the obese, sneering internet atheists you will find on websites like this. The kind who giggle into their braided goatees about space teapots or flying spaghetti monsters. Their claims to be operating on a higher intellectual plain instead of jogging or believing in the supernatural rings a little hollow to myself when you see them indulging in their basest urges: sitting and eating processed food until they pass out. The kind with exotic colours and cartoon characters on the packaging.

I do respect that many people are desperate for comfort as they come close to death but ultimately there's no reason in my view to believe in god.

So atheists on the internet are bearded, obese, hate jogging and gorge themselves on coco pops every night, good to know.

nthclare

kildare lad wrote: »

There could be but I doubt it , there's too much injustice in the world for a god. Look at the Catholic Church , the biggest organisation of child molesters in history . Do you think if there was a god, he would just sit back and watch all his spokes people on Earth , rape and molest young boys for centuries and do nothing about it.
Say you were Jewish , would you not find it hard to believe in a god after ww2 . 6 million Jews were killed in gas chambers , it wasn't god that stopped it , it was allied soldiers.
I hate when you read about someone having an accident and they thank God for saving them . What about all the doctors , nurses and emergency crews that helped??
There's been thousands of different gods since time began. Who's to say our God is the only god and rest are made up. There's about as much evidence for them all .... None

That you Dawkins lol

nthclare

Still waters wrote: »

So atheists on the internet are bearded, obese, hate jogging and gorge themselves on coco pops every night, good to know.

Most on the internet are **** anyhow....

From a loving agnostic

The White Wolf

nthclare wrote: »

That you Dawkins lol

Not enough air of wanker about the post to be Dawkins.

Still waters

nthclare wrote: »

Most on the internet are **** anyhow....

From a loving agnostic

I'd agree with you on that, I'd like to think I'm agnostic but i just can't get myself to that level of belief, ill stay in the atheist box for now i think

Pherekydes

nthclare wrote: »

Most on the internet are **** anyhow....

From a loving agnostic

The question is whether you believe. Agnosticism is a different story.

arybvtcw0eolkf

LOL, no.

No more than I believe Spiderman exists based on a fictional comic book guy.

But if it makes someone feel better to believe in a god (isn't there something like 3000 of them?) and it gives some kind of comfort to them well who am I to tell them otherwise.

Dravokivich

I've no interest in such a question.

Guy:Incognito

Graces7 wrote: »

Totally, unequivocally and with all my heart, soul and every part of my being.

So why does he allow so much suffering, especially to children? What do children gain by god allowing them to be murdered , raped, abused, have generally ****ty lives by being born in situations where they wont live long and will suffer for the time they do either by being very sick or having not enough to eat etc?

And then there's this:

mfceiling wrote: »

Which one?

There's hundreds of them.

The god that Catholics believe in and follow is no more valid than Muhammad or whatever the scientologists or any others believe in. They were just invented at different times.

The fact that more recent religions are written off by the older ones is laughable in itself. People will call someone that stands in front of them mad if they say they have a god and they came to them but will blindly believe the same story written in a book a couple of thousand years ago.

AndrewJRenko

No. I had some residual, traditional belief until I dealt with a teenage death by suicide in the family, and saw the horrendous damage arising.

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I believe in God. I also believe the fundamentals of all organised religions is to treat others with kindness, empathy and respect including yourself.

I think what you're seeing there is the fundamental humanity of the people in those organised religions.

Mad_maxx

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

I'd like to think I do. Light candles in a church for people that have passed away in my life. And I certainly identify as an Irish Catholic for ethnicity purposes.

Having said that, I'm firmly of the belief that when you die you're absolutely gone. If an afterlife does exist, it makes no sense how anyone would actually know what it's like there.

The church have been responsible for the most heinous crimes against individuals since the state got independence. And suicide bombers are mostly influenced by religion to carry out what they do.

I think I believe in God, but not in religion, while also thinking an afterlife doesn't exist.

I know exactly what you mean, I don't believe in God either but was much happier when I did, people of faith are more balanced content people but then again I'm a Conservative

arybvtcw0eolkf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo

faceman

Sebastian Blue Strength wrote: »

LOL, no.

No more than I believe Spiderman exists based on a fictional comic book guy.

But if it makes someone feel better to believe in a god (isn't there something like 3000 of them?) and it gives some kind of comfort to them well who am I to tell them otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUcLBKgqNWY

Mousewar

Sebastian Blue Strength wrote: »

LOL, no.

No more than I believe Spiderman exists based on a fictional comic book guy.

But if it makes someone feel better to believe in a god (isn't there something like 3000 of them?) and it gives some kind of comfort to them well who am I to tell them otherwise.

Why do you think people believe in God just because some people wrote about it? People have believed in God or gods long before writing even existed. The logic seems to be that writing about it somehow implies its fictionality akin to Spiderman.

Tipsy McSwagger

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

So why does he allow so much suffering, especially to children? What do children gain by god allowing them to be murdered , raped, abused, have generally ****ty lives by being born in situations where they wont live long and will suffer for the time they do either by being very sick or having not enough to eat etc?

Poster is just giving her answer, doesn’t need to get into a debate.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Mousewar wrote: »

Why do you think people believe in God just because some people wrote about it? People have believed in God or gods long before writing even existed. The logic seems to be that writing about it somehow implies its fictionality akin to Spiderman.

And there are as many comic book superhero's as there are god's, so which is the best god to believe it?.

nthclare

Pherekydes wrote: »

The question is whether you believe. Agnosticism is a different story.

I believe in Love

Thats it in a nutshell, but being an agnostic I've come across more atheists being **** than religious people on these forums.

Atheist's don't ask you first which God you believe in ?

They just automatically have their mind's made up before the argument...sky faires, and bashing the church and the crusade's don't forget burning the witches...

if there was different Gods I'd consider the Abrahamic God a sand demon from the middle East
It's far from being an all loving entity, he's a right bipolar prick...

I'd rather the pagan god's myself, more in touch with the earth and humanity.

Arghus

Not at the moment.

Guy:Incognito

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Poster is just giving her answer, doesn’t need to get into a debate.

Ah right, we're not allowed question people on posts on a message board.

Although, to be fair, that's standard enough for religion. " just believe what we tell you and don't question us"

Dravokivich

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Ah right, we're not allowed question people on posts on a message board.

Although, to be fair, that's standard enough for religion. " just believe what we tell you and don't question us"

You weren't questioning her. You were questioning someone elses motives through her.

Tipsy McSwagger

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Ah right, we're not allowed question people on posts on a message board.

Although, to be fair, that's standard enough for religion. " just believe what we tell you and don't question us"

Question what? Why not just respect someone’s right to believe in something that makes them happy?

Mousewar

Sebastian Blue Strength wrote: »

And there are as many comic book superhero's as there are god's, so which is the best god to believe it?.

Well that's an entirely different point.
I'd venture though that just because you call someone Michael and someone else calls him Mick, it doesn't mean they're two different people.

basillarkin

which one

Graces7

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Poster is just giving her answer, doesn’t need to get into a debate.

amen! Thank you.

Graces7

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Question what? Why not just respect someone’s right to believe in something that makes them happy?

Absolutely; and I never mentioned religion. The question asked if I believed in GOD, not religion.

I have no quarrel with anyone. My belief is in God.

As the thread asked so did I answer!

End of. Over and out from me on this.

Guy:Incognito

Dravokivich wrote: »

You weren't questioning her. You were questioning someone elses motives through her.

Do someone else's motives and actions have no bearing on what you think of them or whether you believe they are good (or exist at all)?

The bible definition of god and the world around us ( going right back in time so not just a
"Modern godless times" ) would leave anyone that isn't a blind fanatic with the opinion that god is some sort of cruel, evil syco. All the power to to have a glorious earth for people to exist in happiness but instead goes the Evil zoo owner route that allows the animals to starve , kill each other and suffer for their lives.