Do You Believe In God?

galljga1 · 21-07-2015 02:35AM

Sheep Lover wrote: »

Yes, those without any faith in a higher being are hollow, unfulfilled people usually

Quite simply, no. They are usually more open minded and less gullible, quite often, highly intelligent.

galljga1 · 21-07-2015 02:38AM

Candie wrote: »

I don't believe in God, but I don't think that everyone who does is stupid either.

Some of the smartest people I've ever met have had some kind of religious faith. I don't understand it, but there it is.

Candie, possibly if a vaccine could be found for this most deadly disease, many many lives could be saved.

lanos · 21-07-2015 02:47AM

no I don't believe
and it doesn't impact on my life too much lately.
I can fornicate as much as I like but I don't as I am happily married.
I can lie-in on Sunday mornings instead of going to mass

other than that, its no big deal

wylie · 21-07-2015 02:59AM

Yeah i really do, When i was a kid i was in mass every Saturday night at 7, A gang of us from my road would go every week. It was only 5min away. Just something to do i think. I remember sitting there one night wondering about heaven and hell kinda half listening to the priest and i noticed a small statue of Christ on a crucifix at the back of the church. I wasn't religious i was 14yrs old having been raised the usual Irish way baptised communion and confirmation.(Didn't really care at that point in my life) Anyway about then we were ordered onto our knees to pray, so i did. I prayed to god and told him i was confused, that i didn't know who or what to believe an asked him for a sign. I said "see the statue your head is leaning to the left, If you are real then next week make the head lean to the right". Do that and i will believe. Yes next week the head was leaning right! I was in shock, i never told a sole. TBH i forgot about it until i walked into the church. I still remember the feeling of being excited to get this sorted out once and for all. At the end of mass i walked up and checked. Gobsmacked i was. Much older and a little wiser i still go to the same church every Sunday.(FYI You get more points for Sunday's). I go once a week for 40minutes. I don't go around all high and mighty, i don't follow every word of the bible, I suppose I decided to make my own interpretation. If he's not happy with that its hell for me i suppose. Oh well you have to do something.

I'm sure i will be slated for this, make no odds to me if you believe it or not.

galljga1 · 21-07-2015 03:11AM

wylie wrote: »

Yeah i really do, When i was a kid i was in mass every Saturday night at 7, A gang of us from my road would go every week. It was only 5min away. Just something to do i think. I remember sitting there one night wondering about heaven and hell kinda half listening to the priest and i noticed a small statue of Christ on a crucifix at the back of the church. I wasn't religious i was 14yrs old having been raised the usual Irish way baptised communion and confirmation.(Didn't really care at that point in my life) Anyway about then we were ordered onto our knees to pray, so i did. I prayed to god and told him i was confused, that i didn't know who or what to believe an asked him for a sign. I said "see the statue your head is leaning to the left, If you are real then next week make the head lean to the right". Do that and i will believe. Yes next week the head was leaning right! I was in shock, i never told a sole. TBH i forgot about it until i walked into the church. I still remember the feeling of being excited to get this sorted out once and for all. At the end of mass i walked up and checked. Gobsmacked i was. Much older and a little wiser i still go to the same church every Sunday.(FYI You get more points for Sunday's). I go once a week for 40minutes. I don't go around all high and mighty, i don't follow every word of the bible, I suppose I decided to make my own interpretation. If he's not happy with that its hell for me i suppose. Oh well you have to do something.

I'm sure i will be slated for this, make no odds to me if you believe it or not.

No one else noticed? Man, that was a miracle.

StudentDad · 21-07-2015 03:13AM

On a very basic level the belief in a god or pantheon of gods is quite appealing. We can ascribe human strengths and weaknesses to the domain of the supernatural and avoid taking responsibility for both.

For me this is a denial of who and what we are as humans. We exist for good or ill. Whether or not there is a supernatural reason for being is moot. We exist. What we choose to do with that existence is what counts, not what any religious or other body says is good or bad.

Do I ascribe to any religious body of belief? No I do not. To do so would be to hand over the responsibility for my actions to another person or group or organisation.

At the end of the day my decisions are mine to make and the buck stops with me. There is no absolution, no indulgences I can claim to rely on, no get out of hell free card. We get one shot at existence, what we do with it is entirely our own responsibility.

For me, we can leave the world a better place when we die or not. The choice is ours. That is the responsibility we must accept. Not whether or not there is a god or even a pantheon of gods we can petition for the absolution of our failings.

SD

Lucifer MorningStar · 21-07-2015 03:56AM

<

:pac:

Ruu · 21-07-2015 04:02AM

I believe in rock and roll!

Really though, no and it is none of my business or concern what others believe in.

*gets to top of escalator* Well, you are real, hah, look at that. Boy is my face red!

Juan8 · 21-07-2015 04:19AM

I dont believe in any religion and think they're all ridiculous tbh, As for their being some kind of "higher power" though, who knows I suppose

jimmytwotimes 2013 · 21-07-2015 04:22AM

Christ, no.

Canis Lupus · 21-07-2015 04:28AM

Nope. Hate religion.

Was in hospital recently and the guy next to me truly believed god spoke to him. So the chaplain was doing the rounds and it made me genuinely chuckle watching the two of them.

I love watching a 'normal' religious person squirm when confronted with someone who believes god speaks to them despite claiming to believe in a book filled with such instances....

hairyslug · 21-07-2015 04:34AM

Was raised RC, at about my mid 20s, that changed to believing in a higher power (not the God we were brought up to believe in)

Then one day, driving home from work I stopped believing

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 21-07-2015 05:04AM

No. Religion is a man made concept that originated to facilitate control. I genuinely worry about people who are convinced that there's a magic man in the sky who concerns himself with what they do - mainly because I'm terrified of what they might do if they stop believing in him. I often get the feeling that belief is all that stops some folks going on murderous rape sprees to be honest.

One eyed Jack · 21-07-2015 05:13AM

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker wrote: »

No. Religion is a man made concept that originated to facilitate control. I genuinely worry about people who are convinced that there's a magic man in the sky who concerns himself with what they do - mainly because I'm terrified of what they might do if they stop believing in him. I often get the feeling that belief is all that stops some folks going on murderous rape sprees to be honest.

Generally speaking, it's because they want to impose their beliefs on other people that some folks go on murderous rape sprees, if we are actually being honest here.

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker · 21-07-2015 05:19AM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Generally speaking, it's because they want to impose their beliefs on other people that some folks go on murderous rape sprees, if we are actually being honest here.

That's also a thing, but I've seen and heard it being asked far too often to be comfortable with why people who don't believe don't just go and rape and kill and steal since there's no god to answer to.

It's a terrifying leap in logic that makes you wonder what those people would do if they ever lost their faith. A lot of people out there genuinely don't understand the concept of morality without religion

One eyed Jack · 21-07-2015 05:36AM

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker wrote: »

That's also a thing, but I've seen and heard it being asked far too often to be comfortable with why people who don't believe don't just go and rape and kill and steal since there's no god to answer to.

Possibly because it's simply a dumb question that isn't worthy of an answer. A lack of belief doesn't give that person the right to go raping, killing and stealing either. It doesn't mean the person isn't guided by morals, it just means that they don't derive those morals from the same source as other people who choose to believe.

It's a terrifying leap in logic that makes you wonder what those people would do if they ever lost their faith. A lot of people out there genuinely don't understand the concept of morality without religion

There's no logic there though really. These people know all too well know the difference between the morality of their thoughts and the acts of their actions. They understand all too well how religion can be used as a tool to justify in their eyes at least, the imposition of their morality upon other people.

21-07-2015 07:47AM

CuriousOwl wrote: »

I don't intend at all for this thread to become a religious debate about different people's views

Now that really is a "faith" position

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 21-07-2015 07:52AM

CuriousOwl wrote: »

**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.

I think AH is hardly the place to test the prevalence of faith in Ireland, to be honest.

dmc17 · 21-07-2015 07:59AM

If there is one, then who created it? Also where does space end? And, so on.
It's hard to believe in things we have no proof/evidence of.

looksee · 21-07-2015 08:00AM

CuriousOwl wrote: »

**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.

You don't think that maybe posting on a chat forum on the internet might lead to biased results? I would make a guess that of the people who attend a church of any sort on a regular basis, only a small percentage will spend much time using a computer or chatting on forums like this.

The best you can hope for is to establish how many of the people who use Boards.ie and who happen to wander into AH and who can be bothered posting have any belief in (a) god.

List me under 'no' on the spread sheet.

Buona Fortuna · 21-07-2015 08:02AM

Nothing will sway me.

No amout of persecution or ridicule will cause me to abandon

The God of Tits and Wine

the_monkey · 21-07-2015 08:05AM

Sheep Lover wrote: »

Yes, those without any faith in a higher being are hollow, unfulfilled people usually

Absolute garbage.

the_monkey · 21-07-2015 08:09AM

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?

Equal TWADDLE

RayCon · 21-07-2015 08:16AM

No God, only religion.

jester77 · 21-07-2015 08:18AM

I believe in common sense

Diamond Doll · 21-07-2015 08:23AM

I was brought up Catholic, and went through a period in my early teens when I was still very gullible and naive, and lived in terror of not getting into heaven. I went to loads of masses and joined a religious youth group, I said a full rosary in bed every night, I lived in fear of this judgemental god seeing and knowing everything I did, and that I'd be punished or condemned to hell for eternity.

Then I learned more about other religions. And was confused. If we were right, all of those other religions must be wrong. So millions of people wouldn't get the chance to go to heaven, just because they were unlucky enough to be born into the "wrong" family? Or of course the opposite might be true, maybe everything I believed was untrue.

Then I got older, and developed an interest in science. From studying physics, chemistry and biology in depth, I learned to respect and admire the wonder of the natural world. And religion made less and less sense. Like, if a god created the world, why would they be bothered with making everything out of atoms - out of protons and electrons etc? Surely they'd just make stuff "be"? It just made no sense to me, and it seemed to somehow cheapen the world that we live in by attributing it all to one mysterious being - who has made some fairly f*cked up things and people instead. It made far more sense that this planet is how it is as the result of countless natural coincidences and phenomena. And you know what, I think that's far more impressive and comforting than the idea of some strange being creating it all and monitoring us all the time without any communication or reason.

So now, I don't believe in any gods. I'm still a spiritual person, I'm still a good person - but I don't need the threat of a god to be that way.

galljga1 · 21-07-2015 08:23AM

RayCon wrote: »

No God, only religion.

Its a choice between fact and fiction
And the whole world has gone astray
Thats why theres no religion
No religion, no religion here today

AudreyHepburn · 21-07-2015 08:36AM

I do believe god, Jesus etc....that's my own personal choice after much soul searching and I refuse to accept the idea that I am naive or gullible or stupid or any other insult you care to throw religious people.

TBH though I really don't care what you or don't believe, just as long as you don't shove it in my face, use it to hurt anyone or look down on me because I believe something different.

Ush1 · 21-07-2015 08:37AM

I'm too busy for God.

Akrasia · 21-07-2015 08:43AM

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker wrote: »

That's also a thing, but I've seen and heard it being asked far too often to be comfortable with why people who don't believe don't just go and rape and kill and steal since there's no god to answer to.

It's a terrifying leap in logic that makes you wonder what those people would do if they ever lost their faith. A lot of people out there genuinely don't understand the concept of morality without religion

I don't think this question betrays a latant urge to go out and rape and steal that is just somehow kept in check by the fear of god, I think it's a genuine mis-understanding about human psychology.

People might think that god is keeping them honest, but really, it's society and social conditioning that decides the level of violence in any given culture

'God' doesn't keep people from killing because under the wrong social conditions, people will kill, and have killed for god.

The decline in violence comes from a long term civilising trend in modern society and this is due to political and economic stability as well as the outsourcing of the justice system to the state and the decline in 'honour' based retributive justice.

We are largely passive and non violent because we can usually rely on state institutions to maintain our peace and security rather than having to defend them ourselves.

The civilising process is ongoing, Attitudes are changing.

It's completely unacceptable now to treat people the way we did in the industrial schools and magdalene laundries.
We are in the process of wiping out domestic violence as the next great civilising movement.
Animal cruelty is socially unacceptable and getting less and less acceptable as we extend our distain for violence to protect other sentient species as well as our own.
None of this is due to increasing religious faith, in fact, religion is a barrier to progress in many instances.

Do You Believe In God?

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