Do you believe in God?

nozzferrahhtoo · 09-10-2019 9:11pm

nthclare wrote: »

Maybe I need a crash course on board's.

If our paths ever cross, I shall be happy to give you one. No problem.

Professor Moriarty · 09-10-2019 9:13pm

Len_007 wrote: »

Inherent sin is a state all mankind is born into because our Federal (Representative) Head Adam rejected God's rule in his life. It's not measurable in that sense.

So someone who lived millions of years ago (6,000 if you're a creationist) did something wrong and a child must suffer today for that misdemeanour?

Therefore when an infant or anyone else dies the Bible does not give us the authority to say it is because there is a direct link between a specific transgression in their life that God has brought about their death.

So a two year old child may have "transgressed". Okay got that. But ultimately, we have no idea why that child has suffered and died?

However it is true to say, 'the wages of sin is death', death is here because of sin.

A question. Would you say that to parents of a young child who had just died? If not, why not?

Yet,the Bible has good news for the 2 year old, and the 72 year old who have come to the end before we have.

Everybody goes to heaven?

nthclare · 09-10-2019 9:18pm

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

So if god intervenes why so much injustice and downright unfairness in the world ??

He doesn't and if the Abrahamic God existed he'd definitely be a sociopath or psychopath.

Because that dude is responsible for millions of death's, countless wars and injustices.

In my opinion if it was all real, Satan was the good guy who decided to himself he's not standing for any more **** and wanted his independence and helped man kind to enjoy the more pleasurable experiences in life, while God hid away the things which were more desirable and satisfying.

Being a pagan, I am well aware of the total bull**** that comes from the Abrahamic version of lifestyle etc

Some Yoke · 09-10-2019 9:22pm

I believe in Jesus

Holly13 · 09-10-2019 9:28pm

I don’t believe in God, but I wish I did. Told my parents when I was 12 that I wasn’t going to Mass with them anymore because I didn’t believe any of it.
I love churches and lighting candles for people though.

auspicious · 09-10-2019 9:29pm

Fourier wrote: »

Not quite. This solution flies in the face monotheism.

Fourier · 09-10-2019 9:29pm

nthclare wrote: »

Being a pagan, I am well aware of the total bull**** that comes from the Abrahamic version of lifestyle etc

What type of pagan can I ask?

Norse, Celtic, Greek, etc?

theological · 09-10-2019 9:33pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

The truth is, your whole faith is based on the area of the world you happen to be born in and the book that happened to take hold there. If you were born in another part of the world youd be another religion. Although maybe youd be the lone white man in the middle east and gain a following........

This is an outdated argument for a number of reasons.

There are many more Christians outside of the Western world than there are in it.

If my beliefs were solely grounded in geography and my demographic in respect to age, race, and so on, the chances are much higher that I would be an secularist / atheist like you rather than a Bible believing Christian to be fair.

Are you sure that you aren't an atheist just based on geography or have you thought it through and looked at it for yourself?

nthclare · 09-10-2019 9:41pm

Fourier wrote: »

What type of pagan can I ask?

Norse, Celtic, Greek, etc?

I don't fall into any category to be honest.
I'm a bit of a lone wolf, but maybe leaning more towards the Celtic pagan myself.

I am mesmerized by plant's, bird's, fish all creature's big and small, good people and every morning I wake up I'm thankful to be alive.

I suppose the best thing I ever experienced was the time I realized that the whole church and Christian thing was a load of horse ****...

Pagans fought different clan's in the past and had their own battle's and rituals etc
But they never sough world domination or were saying that non believers will burn in hell.

They weren't obsessed with sex like the Christians were either, they embraced sex and had god's and goddesses, a bit like polytheism but they appreciated different energies and the season's, then the christians came....

Fourier · 09-10-2019 10:02pm

Thanks for answering nthclare. I'm not pagan myself, but I really like older mythologies especially Celtic and Norse.

nthclare · 09-10-2019 10:13pm

Fourier wrote: »

Thanks for answering nthclare. I'm not pagan myself, but I really like older mythologies especially Celtic and Norse.

It's amazing alright, more creative and action packed than the Abrahamic myths.

Being on the periphery of the Atlantic Ocean in the most western part of Europe, we've nothing in common with the sand demon of the middle East.
It makes no sense that me, all that burning in hell, eternal damnation etc

So what if there's nothing at the end, but our good deeds and friendships will live on in other peoples mind's, if we're parents and our children have children and so on there will always be a part of our DNA and the DNA of our ancestors lives on in us.

Either way, I hope to leave this place with happy memories and have been useful to others....

Professor Moriarty · 09-10-2019 10:13pm

Fourier wrote: »

Thanks for answering nthclare. I'm not pagan myself, but I really like older mythologies especially Celtic and Norse.

Greek philosophy, especially Epicureanism and Stoicism, offers very logical ways of understanding 'God'. Much more so than any current mainstream religions.

Professor Moriarty · 09-10-2019 10:28pm

nthclare wrote: »

It's amazing alright, more creative and action packed than the Abrahamic myths.

Being on the periphery of the Atlantic Ocean in the most western part of Europe, we've nothing in common with the sand demon of the middle East.
It makes no sense that me, all that burning in hell, eternal damnation etc

So what if there's nothing at the end, but our good deeds and friendships will live on in other peoples mind's, if we're parents and our children have children and so on there will always be a part of our DNA and the DNA of our ancestors lives on in us.

Either way, I hope to leave this place with happy memories and have been useful to others....

This is often wrongly attributed to Marcus Aurelius but it makes sense anyway:

Live a Good Life
If there are Gods and they are just, you will have served them.
If there are Gods and they are unjust, you should not have wanted to serve them.
If there are no Gods, your noble deeds will live on in the memories of your loved ones.

uck51js9zml2yt · 09-10-2019 10:40pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

You cant use lines from a book some lad wrote to prove the existence of the characters in the same book.

Would you accept my argument that Harry Potter is real if my only proof for it is that theres a book about him?

The truth is, your whole faith is based on the area of the world you happen to be born in and the book that happened to take hold there. If you were born in another part of the world youd be another religion. Although maybe youd be the lone white man in the middle east and gain a following........

You obviously don't know about a huge Christian Church in Communist China or the Muslims who are turning to Christ in the Middle East or the Hindus in India. Where you're born has no part to play in a belief in Christ.

Marhay70 · 09-10-2019 11:08pm

Len_007 wrote: »

I don't think that is fair. There are many characteristics (as you point out) ascribed to God in the Bible, that was one I used that I felt fit the context.

Indeed, if God is omniscient as the Bible claims him to be, then he knew how it would all go down.
Interesting that you see him being guilty of Entrapment.
Would you see life being a worthy endeavour despite the inevitability of death?
Parents have brought a life into the world knowing full well that this person will one day suffer and die, it's only a matter of time. Yet, our world is based on this fundamental principal, and we don't question the worth of doing it.

The logic of placing a guard in the way to the tree of life, was an act of grace. To live perpetually in this new state of rebellion and hatred toward God for ever was not originally intended. Therefore by God allowing a person to die, it releases them from this experience.

Incidentally, Revelation ends with mankind living with God forever with full access to the tree of life again.

The fact that God is "invisible" now, meaning that, he doesn't act in ways he did in the Bible, is not new. There were long stretches of time when there was "no new word from the LORD" during the time span the Bible covers. Sending plagues was not his day job. But, there were big tent pole events in Israel's history that were meant to be used at the time of judgment from God to wayward peoples, and then seen and understood as object lessons.
Less Psychopath, more a disciplining Parent.

What we have here is entrapment as I said. An omniscient God would know exactly what was about to unfold and, to put it simply, he must have wanted it to happen. He knew the participants, he knew the circumstances and he knew the result. He knew that, far from just condemning Adam and Eve to death, he was condemning billions of their descendants to death and on the way to that death to pain and suffering.Why create the thing if this was your plan for it?
By his duplicity he created sin and had he not created sin there would be no need for redemption so the raison d'etre of Christianity would not exist . There would have been no need for the messiah or the crucifixion or any of the suffering that has happened since then
Definitely not the reasonable actions of a concerned parent but those of a psychopath.

Marhay70 · 09-10-2019 11:12pm

Taliyah Vast Gofer wrote: »

You obviously don't know about a huge Christian Church in Communist China or the Muslims who are turning to Christ in the Middle East or the Hindus in India. Where you're born has no part to play in a belief in Christ.

What about the millions in the old world who have turned their backs on it? Even God's representative on earth couldn't draw a decent crowd in what was once the most devoutly Catholic country on earth

hgfj · 09-10-2019 11:24pm

There are no gods, only believers. God is an invention of Man. All gods created by men are merely reflections of their own biases, prejudices and desires. Man decides what he wants and doesn't want, and then projects this bias onto his creation, God. So when Man says that God says unbaptised babies must burn in hell it is in fact only Man saying unbaptised babies go to hell. The crueller the Man, the crueller the God the Man creates.

AndrewJRenko · 09-10-2019 11:40pm

theological wrote: »

You've been getting all kinds of excellent Bible based answers from a number of posters. I've got pretty much nothing to add.

The problem is that you don't like the answer. That's fine, we don't promise that you will. However, the questions I've seen on this thread have been clearly answered with reference to Scripture.

Here's a great answer below for example:

So just to be sure that I understand it correctly, the people who experience cancer and other dreadful conditions today are being punished by God for the actions of their predecessors thousands of years ago?

Doesn't it all seem a little needy, vindictive, almost psychopathic?

hgfj · 09-10-2019 11:44pm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Doesn't it all seem a little needy, vindictive, almost psychopathic?

Even human.

Len_007 · 10-10-2019 2:53pm

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Len_007 wrote: »

So someone who lived millions of years ago (6,000 if you're a creationist) did something wrong and a child must suffer today for that misdemeanour?

Had you not agreed for the "sake" of the argument with Original/Inherent sin?
Through Adam's act of rebellion all mankind became corrupted, to the extent that 'even infants bringing their condemnation with them from their mothers womb, suffer not for another, but for their own defect. For although they have not yet produced the fruits of their own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them' (Calvin).
Therefore, any suffering in this world is here because of the great taint sin ushered in. Any suffering we experience personally, is because of this general pollution in the world. And if we are not suffering, it is because God is gracious.

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Len_007 wrote: »

A question. Would you say that to parents of a young child who had just died?

I have said that there is hope of seeing their young child again. There is good Biblical grounds to think that God does not condemn persons who don't reach the age where they can make conclusions on the Grace, Glory or Justice of God.

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Len_007 wrote: »

Everybody goes to heaven?

No.

How do you answer your questions?

the beer revolu · 10-10-2019 3:32pm

Len, when, approximately, do you believe that the world was created?

Ipso · 10-10-2019 4:12pm

I don't get the great taint/original sin. God sent his only son, who was him, to save us from him. What would he have done to us if he didn't send himself?
Would it have been worse than the planned systematic slaughter that happened to his chosen people?

NaFirinne · 10-10-2019 4:22pm

I don't really like the wording do you believe in God. Cause I mean what do you mean by God.

And really to answer the question you really need to define what you mean by God.

There is so much outside of our means too percieve can anyone actually say 100% there is a God or there isn't.

nozzferrahhtoo · 10-10-2019 4:25pm

NaFirinne wrote: »

I don't really like the wording do you believe in God. Cause I mean what do you mean by God.

I agree, it tends to be an issue. I have heard many definitions and offered many of my own in the past. The one definition that I came up with that almost no Christian or Muslim has ever taken issue with however is "A non human intelligent intentional agent responsible for the creation of and/or ongoing maintenance of our universe".

That seems to be the god Christians and Muslims generally believe in and no I do not see any reason to believe such an entity exists. Nor, when asked, do any of the theists appear inclined to offer, or capable of offering, even one.

FatherTed · 10-10-2019 4:29pm

So a question for those who believe in God. So God created all of us and everything and anything, the other planets, birds, trees, the air and so on.

But who/what created God? Like where does he/she/it come from?

railer201 · 10-10-2019 4:40pm

FatherTed wrote: »

So a question for those who believe in God. So God created all of us and everything and anything, the other planets, birds, trees, the air and so on.

But who/what created God? Like where does he/she/it come from?

More than likely one of the 'know it all' boardsies - possibly a mod !

Marhay70 · 10-10-2019 4:41pm

FatherTed wrote: »

So a question for those who believe in God. So God created all of us and everything and anything, the other planets, birds, trees, the air and so on.

But who/what created God? Like where does he/she/it come from?

Which came first the chicken or the egg? These are the unanswerable questions which man has attempted to explain by creating God in all his manifestations.
You could lose your mind by contemplating this too deeply. Is there an end to the universe and if so what is the universe enclosed by and what is that enclosed by etc etc ad infinitum.

10-10-2019 4:43pm

Do I believe in Gemma O'Doherty?.......Yeah, but I wish she was as make believe as that 2,000 year old zombie Jewish carpenter everyone keeps banging on about.

nozzferrahhtoo · 10-10-2019 5:00pm

Marhay70 wrote: »

Which came first the chicken or the egg?

It was the egg, since you asked

AndrewJRenko · 10-10-2019 5:01pm

Len_007 wrote: »

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Len_007 wrote: »

So someone who lived millions of years ago (6,000 if you're a creationist) did something wrong and a child must suffer today for that misdemeanour?

Had you not agreed for the "sake" of the argument with Original/Inherent sin?
Through Adam's act of rebellion all mankind became corrupted, to the extent that 'even infants bringing their condemnation with them from their mothers womb, suffer not for another, but for their own defect. For although they have not yet produced the fruits of their own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them' (Calvin).
Therefore, any suffering in this world is here because of the great taint sin ushered in. Any suffering we experience personally, is because of this general pollution in the world. And if we are not suffering, it is because God is gracious.

So just to be sure that I understand it correctly, the people who experience cancer and other dreadful conditions today are being punished by God for the actions of their predecessors thousands of years ago?

Doesn't it all seem a little needy, vindictive, almost psychopathic?

10-10-2019 5:16pm

I was born in early 60s, RC Church had a firm grip then, only beginning to lose that in the 80s, so of course I was very influenced by the church. However, I grew up in Rathmines, Dublin, on a small road with diverse faiths, including a Jewish family directly across from us, and attended Mass in Rathgar, with a synagogue behind, and many Protestant churches in the vicinity. So I was as much conscious of the existence of a God for all as much as the particular practices of RC. I see terrible things that religion has done, or rather that human behaviour has done inside religions and how it has come to shape faith and unfaithful. Sometimes I am almost at the point of losing all faith, and I rarely attend Mass as much out of laziness and apathy as anything. However, I can see myself being more of a believer the closer I come to the knowledge I will die sooner rather than later. I pray my own prayers for people and myself out of habit, and in case they are being heard.

I don’t think science at all has come to disprove the existence of God, in fact I think this possibility is opened up even more by flexibility of time-space, and I have had life experiences which point to the possibility of God and an afterlife. But I don’t think it will ever be proven, except maybe around the time of the second coming, if such were to happen. I think our ability to grasp the concept of God/afterlife is as great as my cat’s ability to grasp a knowledge of theoretical physics. I don’t think we have the capacity, so I have to trust in my waxing-waning faith.

Marhay70 · 10-10-2019 5:35pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I was born in early 60s, RC Church had a firm grip then, only beginning to lose that in the 80s, so of course I was very influenced by the church. However, I grew up in Rathmines, Dublin, on a small road with diverse faiths, including a Jewish family directly across from us, and attended Mass in Rathgar, with a synagogue behind, and many Protestant churches in the vicinity. So I was as much conscious of the existence of a God for all as much as the particular practices of RC. I see terrible things that religion has done, or rather that human behaviour has done inside religions and how it has come to shape faith and unfaithful. Sometimes I am almost at the point of losing all faith, and I rarely attend Mass as much out of laziness and apathy as anything. However, I can see myself being more of a believer the closer I come to the knowledge I will die sooner rather than later. I pray my own prayers for people and myself out of habit, and in case they are being heard.

I don’t think science at all has come to disprove the existence of God, in fact I think this possibility is opened up even more by flexibility of time-space, and I have had life experiences which point to the possibility of God and an afterlife. But I don’t think it will ever be proven, except maybe around the time of the second coming, if such were to happen. I think our ability to grasp the concept of God/afterlife is as great as my cat’s ability to grasp a knowledge of theoretical physics. I don’t think we have the capacity, so I have to trust in my waxing-waning faith.

It is not possible with our limited knowledge and power to disprove "God" or as I like to call it "the supreme engineer" I just don't accept the concept peddled by the Abrahamic faiths. I think there is a scientific explanation.

railer201 · 10-10-2019 6:01pm

Marhay70 wrote: »

It is not possible with our limited knowledge and power to disprove "God" or as I like to call it "the supreme engineer" I just don't accept the concept peddled by the Abrahamic faiths. I think there is a scientific explanation.

Would we 'limited human beings' have the mental capacity to understand it all, and, are we missing an extra sense or senses to comprehend such explanations ?

There has to be an explanation though and possibly it's where science and the 'spiritual' will merge into a unified theory.

uck51js9zml2yt · 10-10-2019 6:22pm

Marhay70 wrote: »

What about the millions in the old world who have turned their backs on it? Even God's representative on earth couldn't draw a decent crowd in what was once the most devoutly Catholic country on earth

You see you had me interested in a discussion with you until you got to the bit of nonsense I've bolded.
He's no more God's representative on earth than the cabinet sitting in a furniture shop in tralee has an apparition of Mary on it.(Google it)

uck51js9zml2yt · 10-10-2019 6:23pm

Marhay70 wrote: »

It is not possible with our limited knowledge and power to disprove "God" or as I like to call it "the supreme engineer" I just don't accept the concept peddled by the Abrahamic faiths. I think there is a scientific explanation.

Please tell us?

Marhay70 · 10-10-2019 6:34pm

railer201 wrote: »

Would we 'limited human beings' have the mental capacity to understand it all, and, are we missing an extra sense or senses to comprehend such explanations ?

There has to be an explanation though and possibly it's where science and the 'spiritual' will merge into a unified theory.

Science and medicine agree that we use only a small percentage of the capability of our brains and that our brains have evolved from quite basic functions so who knows what capabilities we might discover in time.
As regards the "spiritual" aspect, I couldn't really explain what spiritual means to someone like me, I just know it doesn't mean what is generally acceptable in religious terms, perhaps there are other beings, other dimensions. again, anything is possible

Marhay70 · 10-10-2019 6:38pm

Taliyah Vast Gofer wrote: »

You see you had me interested in a discussion with you until you got to the bit of nonsense I've bolded.
He's no more God's representative on earth than the cabinet sitting in a furniture shop in tralee has an apparition of Mary on it.(Google it)

Obviously not spoken from an RC point of view but I'll accept that as the whole idea is ridiculous to me as well but that's the generally accepted view in Catholicism.

Guy:Incognito · 10-10-2019 6:45pm

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/people-are-coming-to-kiss-the-cabinet-and-say-prayers-devotees-flock-to-kerry-antique-shop-to-see-door-resembling-the-virgin-mary-38582333.html

The state of play in the believers camp.

nozzferrahhtoo · 10-10-2019 6:52pm

Marhay70 wrote: »

Science and medicine agree that we use only a small percentage of the capability of our brains

It does? Which science and medicine is that?

10-10-2019 6:56pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/people-are-coming-to-kiss-the-cabinet-and-say-prayers-devotees-flock-to-kerry-antique-shop-to-see-door-resembling-the-virgin-mary-38582333.html

The state of play in the believers camp.

She’s holding the infant Jesus precariously low! Must have taken a leaf out of Michael Jackson’s book!

Pherekydes · 10-10-2019 7:04pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/people-are-coming-to-kiss-the-cabinet-and-say-prayers-devotees-flock-to-kerry-antique-shop-to-see-door-resembling-the-virgin-mary-38582333.html

The state of play in the believers camp.

€10k for it? I'd deliver it for free...

the beer revolu · 10-10-2019 7:05pm

There was a Jesus guitar in Crowley's music shop in Cork some years ago, too.
I think it was more of a curiosity, though. I don't remember hearing about people praying over it.

Dr. Bre · 10-10-2019 7:07pm

Surely the moving statues here is prove that god exists lol

Pherekydes · 10-10-2019 7:08pm

Dr. Bre wrote: »

Surely the moving statues here is prove that god exists lol

Shirley you can't be serious...

10-10-2019 7:08pm

There are mental health advantages in believing in God, because making room in one’s mind for the existence of an invisible unconditionally loving being in whom we can trust gives us a certain feeling of security and hope in that no matter what goes wrong in life there is every possibility of future contentment. Mental health has become more of an issue now that the majority have no faith.

I always remember one the the last things my mother said, aged 89, not long before she died, “please do not take my faith away, I could lose it if persuaded. Please try and have some faith, try not to be dissuaded by tbe currency of disbelief, yourself because even if you are in the depths of despair you can always pray”.

Strumms · 10-10-2019 7:09pm

I’ve seen too many absolutely despicable things happen in the name of religion, done by religious people, crimes committed by religious people which were covered up by their supporters and superiors all over the planet, which they refused to acknowledge until very recently in sweeping under carpet type acts... evil by their own definition by anyone’s permeates them, selfishness and discrimination has been at the foundation of their ‘success’ and quiet frankly the lot should be banned...

In our church there was one wànker of a priest an out and out prick, recently I asked my mother what happened to him... she replied that she thought he had died.. I checked online... nope... now a bishop... they want to police everyone else’s lives but they can’t police their own priests... they actually promote them instead... the church hasn’t changed, nor will it..

BalcombeSt4 · 10-10-2019 7:18pm

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

Well Zeus did have a big huge bloody statue at Mount Olympus.

Professor Moriarty · 10-10-2019 7:49pm

Len_007 wrote: »

[

Had you not agreed for the "sake" of the argument with Original/Inherent sin?
Through Adam's act of rebellion all mankind became corrupted, to the extent that 'even infants bringing their condemnation with them from their mothers womb, suffer not for another, but for their own defect. For although they have not yet produced the fruits of their own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them' (Calvin).
Therefore, any suffering in this world is here because of the great taint sin ushered in. Any suffering we experience personally, is because of this general pollution in the world. And if we are not suffering, it is because God is gracious.

I have said that there is hope of seeing their young child again. There is good Biblical grounds to think that God does not condemn persons who don't reach the age where they can make conclusions on the Grace, Glory or Justice of God.

No.

How do you answer your questions?

How would I answer my questions. Now that you ask:

So someone who lived millions of years ago (6,000 if you're a creationist) did something wrong and a child must suffer today for that misdemeanour?

I don't believe that Adam existed. I don't believe that he passed original sin on through millennia. I don't believe that God as described by Christianity could possibly exist. Even if he were to exist, I don't believe he could possibly be so cruel.

A question. Would you say that to parents of a young child who had just died?

Would I tell those parents that the wages of sin is death? No, not under any circumstances.

Everybody goes to heaven?

I would have to believe in Heaven and Hell to believe in Heaven. Considering that Hell is such a cruel and evil concept, I would hope that a God wouldn't create a Hell. If God would not create a Hell then why would he create a Heaven? He should transport everyone up there immediately and forget about torturing and murdering innocent children.

uck51js9zml2yt · 10-10-2019 7:55pm

Marhay70 wrote: »

Obviously not spoken from an RC point of view but I'll accept that as the whole idea is ridiculous to me as well but that's the generally accepted view in Catholicism.

I never said I didn't believe in God.

nozzferrahhtoo · 10-10-2019 8:45pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Mental health has become more of an issue now that the majority have no faith.

Three issues there.

The first is that I am not convinced at all it has become more of an issue. I am not sure what stats you are drawing from here. Rather we seem to have merely become more aware of it, are more open about it, diagnose it better and are more inclined to talk about it.

Secondly even if it was more of an issue, the link to faith is a correlation/causation assumption that I do not think is warranted. There are any number of reasons and influences for why mental health might be more of an issue, if we were to assume it is actually more of an issue. I see no reason to link it to a drop in faith at all.

Thirdly I am not even sure how safe the claim is that the majority have lost faith. I genuinely do not know the current statistics or which ones you are using here. The last ones I saw were.... odd.... and hard to parse. But they did not suggest the majority had lost faith. And even those who have moved away from a particular church or other, still seem to profess a faith.

Whatever the solution to mental health issues are though, I am not sure lying to oneself is the right medicine to advocate to deal with it.

Do you believe in God?

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