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Do You Believe In God?

CuriousOwl

**Please read before posting**

I don't intend at all for this thread to become a religious debate about different people's views but am just sincerely curious as to how prevalent faith is in Ireland today, particularly since our nation has always been viewed as being quite religious. I initially thought it would be more suitable in the Religion & Spirituality section, however that section has already been sub-divided into different beliefs and therefore posting it in any particular one of those sub-sections would automatically lead to biased results.

The main question I'm asking is do you believe in a god (whatever your particular religion may be)? If you wish, you can elaborate as to why or why not.

Again, I do not intend for this to be a debate as there are other forums for that.

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Comments

[Deleted User]

KKkitty wrote: »

I do believe that a person called Jesus existed. The Bible told us many things he is supposed to have done. He possibly became so revered and venerated purely because he was unique in some regards. What I don't necessarily believe is how the Catholic church has made him out to be a super human. The Catholic church has used him to their own financial gain for centuries.

Evidence supporting the historicity of JC is very poor, and - discounting the New Testament itself - supporting texts amount to a mention by two historians, the first century historian Josepheus, and a mention of Pilates execution of Jesus in a text by the Roman, Tacitus.

How reliable these texts are is up for debate, but it's surprising that if a man existed who came close to the descriptions of the person and his life in the NT, that he's not more widely written about outside of that text.

When Christians speak of evidence supporting the existence of Jesus, it appears the Bible is their primary source. Which begs many more questions than it answers.

endacl

EoghanIRL wrote: »

Ooh, now I'm divided

The puns could multiply on this one...

Bongalongherb

I believe in Jesus, he's somewhere on boards.ie, ye know the funny guy ?.

KKkitty

Wonder when the head honchos in the Vatican realised money could be made from God though.

endacl

KKkitty wrote: »

Wonder when the head honchos in the Vatican realised money could be made from God though.

February 11, 1929.

[Deleted User]

KKkitty wrote: »

Wonder when the head honchos in the Vatican realised money could be made from God though.

When they persecuted non believers, exiled them, and rewarded themselves by looting their stuff. Probably.

They controlled the behaviours of entire populations with fear, and it extended to financial control too. Unaccountability is absolute power.

I've no problem with people believing in god or gods, it's organised religion that does the damage.

Rabo Karabekian

Candie wrote: »

How reliable these texts are is up for debate, but it's surprising that if a man existed who came close to the descriptions of the person and his life in the NT, that he's not more widely written about outside of that text.

It's only surprising because of what he came to mean, and the influence that he (or the people writing about him) had on the course of history. For the Romans, if they thought of him at all, he was a raving religious nutjob with possible revolutionary associations in a far-flung region of the empire. Even within Judea and Judaism at the time, there were messiahs and prophets and revolutionaries. Most of them could claim to have had far more followers than whatever sect Jesus belonged to. Some of them even managed to put up a fairly decent fight against the Romans.

I think it's telling that when the Romans did write about him they didn't simply say that the whole thing was ludicrous as he didn't exist. They assumed he existed, which may count for something. But as you say, whether these texts can be trusted is up for debate.

Peregrine

No. For me, the concept of a god raised more questions than it answered. There was no evidence and the beliefs didn't add up.

I don't have anything against people who believe in it. I only have a problem with religion when someone's faith affects me or others who don't share that faith.

Sheep Lover

Funny how everyone is just assuming this a Catholic thing, and the usual bandwagon haa rolled up.

What about Islam or Judaism?

Bongalongherb

I saw a few UFO's in the eighties and 90's and they were very unusual to say the least, but does that mean that I believe that they are aliens ? of course not, they are just unidentified flying objects that could possibly be secret military craft or unusual atmospheric phenomena. But I saw the proof that they exist, but I do not know what they really are, and as such I have some personal proof they exist as a physical object.

I have not seen any proof whatsoever of a God or Gods in my life-time. If God exists, then we should have some proof of this at this stage. No proof, then your papers are rejected. Find some proof and I will listen.

The Backwards Man

Don't believe, but I'm not obstinate enough to turn my nose up at the pearly gates if I'm proved wrong at the same time

candy-gal1

Of course there was a guy around millions of years ago, He had long hair and some wild ideas and he didnt do what everyone else thought was right, and that mans name was..............................................................
I forget, but the point is......................................................
I forget that too, ah you know who Im talking about, he used to drive that blue car?!
:P:D

On a serious post though, I believe that theres something out there or up there or down there thats bigger than all of us and eventually we shall see or experience it, it comes as different for everyone - God, Gods, Goddess, nature, books, knowledge, science or just in general and thats just personal to everyones individual beliefs, nothing right or wrong imho because tbh I dont know how anyone can honestly 100% say thats there definitly nothing out there other than us or that there definitly something out there

Unless youve died, experienced something and came back and can prove it of course

Some overtly Athiest people can be as bad as the overtly reiligous imho, Id just love proof and to be able to tell the tale in this life, but sure well see!

endacl

sugarman wrote: »

No.

How anyone can take a book from 2,000 as word of god / the truth is just beyond me.

We laugh now at our ancient ancestors before us worshiping planets as gods, it'll be the same hundreds of years down the line with us and god/faith.

I mean, c'mon... They even lost me at a young age as soon as it got to the burning bush. There could have very well been a burning bush, but to see/hear god coming from it just sounds like it was a bush made from hallucinogenic material.

People were also a hell of a lot more uneducated and extremely gullible back then.

I hear the burning bush thing was a mistranslation of cystitis.

:pac:

Peregrine

Sheep Lover wrote: »

Funny how everyone is just assuming this a Catholic thing, and the usual bandwagon haa rolled up.

What about Islam or Judaism?

Everyone? I don't think Catholicism was even mentioned on the first page.

Considering how over 90% of Ireland come from a Christian background, I don't find it funny at all, to be honest.

Penny Tration

Sheep Lover wrote: »

Funny how everyone is just assuming this a Catholic thing, and the usual bandwagon haa rolled up.

What about Islam or Judaism?

A few (not many) people mentioned the Catholic Church. It's not exactly a Catholic bashing thread. Most people (barring yourself and one or two others) have given polite, tolerant answers.

As for me - no, I don't believe in a god. I've no issue with people who do, whatever their religion. It's their choice and while I may not believe in the same things, I respect their right to their own views and beliefs.

Hammer89

Personally, I don't know. Isn't it more fun to believe that death isn't perhaps the end? I'm not saying I believe in heaven, but there's a comfort in not knowing I think. I lost somebody very close to me in the past year, and one of my methods of coping with the loss was to imagine being with them again. Somewhere. At some time.

I also often wonder whether or not atheists are atheists at the very end; when their bodies are riddled with cancer and on the brink of shutting down, or when their plane is plummeting from the sky. In these moments, you have to wonder if they would have a bit of an aul' pray. Personally, I think a lot of them would.

CuriousOwl

I don't believe in a god myself just because there isn't substantial enough evidence to believe in one. I don't claim that I can say for certain that there isn't one, but I live my life on the basis that there isn't because of a lack of evidence to the contrary.

I also respect everyone's right to believe in whatever they wish as long as their beliefs don't impose on the rights of others.

fergus1001

Science bitch :pac:

Bongalongherb

Hammer89 wrote: »

Personally, I don't know. Isn't it more fun to believe that death isn't perhaps the end? I'm not saying I believe in heaven, but there's a comfort in not knowing I think. I lost somebody very close to me in the past year, and one of my methods of coping with the loss was to imagine being with them again. Somewhere. At some time.

I also often wonder whether or not atheists are atheists at the very end; when their bodies are riddled with cancer and on the brink of shutting down, or when their plane is plummeting from the sky. In these moments, you have to wonder if they would have a bit of an aul' pray. Personally, I think a lot of them would.

I don't believe that death is the end. There's something after it but I can't physically prove it, but This is completely different to the thinking that God was the control of this or has any meaning in it, because of the lack of any proof of God.

All I'm saying is that I'm positively sure that something happens after death. I don't think it is the final end into nothingness, as if we even know what nothingness is in the first place, as nothing is something, we just don't know yet what it is. There's something occupying the space.

Pherekydes

No.

But most people actually believe in Frigg. Every week millions, if not hundreds, say, "Thank God it's Friday!" (Frigg's day). Ergo, Frigg is the one true God.

To the people who believe there are no atheists in foxholes (or on sinking ships), if the thought of dying brings one closer to God then suicide bombers must be doing God's bidding. Think about it: now what's the one true religion?

Hammer89

Bongalongherb wrote: »

I don't believe that death is the end. There's something after it but I can't physically prove it, but This is completely different to the thinking that God was the control of this or has any meaning in it, because of the lack of any proof of God.

All I'm saying is that I'm positively sure that something happens after death. I don't think it is the final end into nothingness, as if we even know what nothingness is in the first place, as nothing is something, we just don't know yet what it is.

That's perhaps the only beauty of death; the fact that it's probably the only subject in this world that man can't explore and then report his findings.

moc moc a moc

No, obviously

Bongalongherb

Hammer89 wrote: »

That's perhaps the only beauty of death; the fact that it's probably the only subject in this world that man can't explore and then report his findings.

Many folk have come back from pure death, but there is some proof, but it's lacking because there is no physical proof. You are only taking that persons word as to their experience. As technologically advanced as we are now in this age, maybe one day we will find the scientific evidence to prove or disprove the experience.

lulu1

Yea I do believe in God It's the way I was brought up.and although I would not be a regular church goer I could never say that I dont believe in the man above

Putin

Threads like this are interesting because you usually see two types. Those who have the capacity and maturity to respect the beliefs of others. And those who resort to predictable childish jibes & insults. I find people who are secure in their own beliefs, don't feel the need to behave in such a manner.

One eyed Jack

K4t wrote: »

Due to intense gullibility in my youth I used to believe a serious amount of stupid sh*t, but thankfully God was never one of the things I fell for.

I wouldn't necessarily correlate gullibility with youth K4. I believe that children are far more skeptical than adults give them credit for. I know far more adults that hold fast to some woefully incredulous ideas than I know children who do the same. I also know far too many adults who will believe the first thing they're told, as opposed to children who will always question the veracity of what they're being told.

Also, I think the more potent question is, why do you believe in God, given it is a choice.

Indeed that is, or at least should be the more pertinent question, as questioning the existence or indeed lack thereof, of a supernatural deity or deities, the answer is a simple yes/no, that tells us nothing about the person (unless you're one of those people who immediately dismisses people as idiots, upon discovering that they don't share your world view, which says more about you* than it does the other person).

Well, for me personally, the question of "why?" is easily answerable. I wrote this response in another thread recently in response to a person who felt they were losing their faith -

One eyed Jack wrote: »

LuckyDude before you go traipsing through the Bible, and looking for a needle in a haystack is what you'd really be doing there, trying to rediscover your faith by reading through whole tomes, I'd suggest you start with the Beatitudes. Forget about the commandments, well, not "forget" about them but put them aside for now, as they're just common sense really, but the Beatitudes are a much better guide for living your life as a Christian and in particular, certainly in my case anyway, as a Roman Catholic -

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02371a.htm

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/st-augustines-commentary-on-the-sermon-on-the-mount

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=24112

I will say too that when you find something tedious - stop doing it. There are many, many ways in which you can indulge your faith without feeling you have to prove anything, to anyone. In my opinion at least, a person's faith is deeply personal to them and them alone, and what's most important is what their faith means to them, not to anyone else.

I have many, many times questioned my faith btw, and I've researched other religions (and none) and I've found that has actually strengthened my faith. They just weren't something I could personally identify with, though I do attend a Pentecostal service after mass on Sunday and they really do know how to rock the joint, worth attending just for the experience alone!

I can say that were it not for my faith, and were it not for my continued questioning of my faith, I wouldn't be here today. One of the things I constantly have to remind myself of is that I don't get to choose when I go. It's simply not my place, so I make the most of life while I'm here.

One thing I always try and explain to people is that it isn't ideas, or even shared ideals that hurt other people. It's people that hurt other people. It's people that interpret ideas to suit themselves, and how they impose their ideas upon other people, to control and exploit other people, that hurts other people. It's not the ideas themselves that are harmful, it's how people interpret the ideas for themselves that they can use either to do harm to other people. The opposite is also true - ideas can also influence people to do good in the world.

Depending upon your perspective, that can either be a good thing, or a bad thing.

*Not 'you' personally, but 'you' in the objective sense of the word.

lizzyman

Nim wrote: »

No. For me, the concept of a god raised more questions than it answered. There was no evidence and the beliefs didn't add up.

I don't have anything against people who believe in it. I only have a problem with religion when someone's faith affects me or others who don't share that faith.

Hammer. Nail. Head.

There is nothing that suggests, let alone proves the existence of any god/gods. A recent Irish Times pol found that 62% of Irish catholics (understandably) don't even believe in transubstantiation. The majority of people in this country claiming to be Catholic are essentially playing Pascal's Wager.

One eyed Jack

Hammer89 wrote: »

Personally, I don't know. Isn't it more fun to believe that death isn't perhaps the end? I'm not saying I believe in heaven, but there's a comfort in not knowing I think. I lost somebody very close to me in the past year, and one of my methods of coping with the loss was to imagine being with them again. Somewhere. At some time.

I also often wonder whether or not atheists are atheists at the very end; when their bodies are riddled with cancer and on the brink of shutting down, or when their plane is plummeting from the sky. In these moments, you have to wonder if they would have a bit of an aul' pray. Personally, I think a lot of them would.

I don't think so tbf. In truth I think that I would prefer to invest my faith far more in the abilities of medical staff to either cure what ails me, or send me off expediently and painlessly as possible were a miracle not forthcoming. I would also invest my faith more in the abilities of the pilots actually flying the plane, to be able to pull it from a nose dive (the Israelis can do it with jet fighters, the Americans just say 'fcuk it' and eject... amazing how we take things for granted when we can afford to), than for the hand of God to intervene and pull the nose of the plane upwards...

(it's also quite possible in either scenario that I may end up simply soiling myself before the thought of prayer would occur to me as a viable solution. I've always said I have no problem with people who talk to God - it's when they claim He's talking back to them that I may raise an eyebrow)

Not a NSA agent

No, never made much sense to me. Religions reject lots of gods, what difference does one more make.

Carlos Orange

Generally speaking no but sometimes I'm open to the possibility he exists and just doesn't want anyone to know about it. He is probably kinda annoyed at all the people worshiping him.