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What if there is no God?

I would take comfort in the fact that this life is not a test
 
You would hear, "I told you so!" from me.
 
For those who don't believe in God why not?

For most of my life I have totally had faith in God and Jesus and now as I grow older- and wiser- it seems my faith is eroding into almost nothing. I want to believe there is some 'higher power' out there but now I'm not so sure. I mean come on, the bible is full of half truths, contradictions, and myths. When your young it's like OK it's forced on me and I'll just believe it as it's told to me. Now I can ask questions that bother me but still get no answers. Most religious people won't open their minds and say, "hey it couldn't have happened like that." Am I just getting disillusioned or am I on to something?
 
americanwoman said:
For those who don't believe in God why not?

For most of my life I have totally had faith in God and Jesus and now as I grow older- and wiser- it seems my faith is eroding into almost nothing. I want to believe there is some 'higher power' out there but now I'm not so sure. I mean come on, the bible is full of half truths, contradictions, and myths. When your young it's like OK it's forced on me and I'll just believe it as it's told to me. Now I can ask questions that bother me but still get no answers. Most religious people won't open their minds and say, "hey it couldn't have happened like that." Am I just getting disillusioned or am I on to something?
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I had questioned myself in the manner that you seem to be. I am now an atheist. I think as you are getting wiser, you are also refining your critical thinking skills. Religion defies logic. I think you are on to something.;)
 
From "Miracle on 84th St"-Faith is believing in something when logic tells you not to....eh, whatevah:mrgreen:

I think my final nail in the religious coffin was a book my own kids brought home from Sunday school-'The Kids Life Bible Storybook'. Everything you ever wanted to know about the characters in the bible, simplified. Reading it, you have no choice to think 'WTF??'
The bible is a book of moral codes and over-simplification of how things might have begun. There was no medicine practice, no way to communicate to the masses and law was made by men of belief, not lawyers.
When you consider that less than 300 years ago, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous and signs of infection in a wound were thought to be good (until of course the infected person died), when you read about the Salem witch trials or how slave owners thought their slaves were a sub-human species, it's really not hard to fathom that what is in the bible was thought to be real at the times the books were written. What amazes me is how many STILL insist that those stories ARE real, as if someone could turn to a pillar of salt, live in the belly of a whale or part the Red Sea with a wave of his staff or even build an ark large enough to house two of every creature and still float as water covered the earth. These are simply stories of morality, of consequence and of whatever belief the law-makers of those times wished their subjects to believe. Mythology is no different and in fact, there are many similarities in the bible and mythology. It's all in what one accepts as real or not.
 
There are more troubling questions raised if there is a God.
 
It wouldn't really matter that much to me. If I am worng so be it. I have no axe to grind by my faith.

I think as you are getting wiser, you are also refining your critical thinking skills. Religion defies logic. I think you are on to something
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I'm not so sure about this thinker...
 
americanwoman said:
For those who don't believe in God why not?

For most of my life I have totally had faith in God and Jesus and now as I grow older- and wiser- it seems my faith is eroding into almost nothing. I want to believe there is some 'higher power' out there but now I'm not so sure. I mean come on, the bible is full of half truths, contradictions, and myths. When your young it's like OK it's forced on me and I'll just believe it as it's told to me. Now I can ask questions that bother me but still get no answers. Most religious people won't open their minds and say, "hey it couldn't have happened like that." Am I just getting disillusioned or am I on to something?
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You can believe in God.....and not the Bibles. They are not the same thing.
 
tecoyah said:
You can believe in God.....and not the Bibles. They are not the same thing.
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yes, but what is one without the other? You believe in God but not the bible, then you believe in your own version of a God that still comes from a biblical point of view . I think the bible does influence the way you perceive religion. I understand your point though but it just seems to me it's hard to stop picturing the almighty God in the sky from the bible and think of God as something else.
 
americanwoman said:
yes, but what is one without the other? You believe in God but not the bible, then you believe in your own version of a God that still comes from a biblical point of view . I think the bible does influence the way you perceive religion. I understand your point though but it just seems to me it's hard to stop picturing the almighty God in the sky from the bible and think of God as something else.
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I get what he's saying; my rejection of biblical fables came first-it was not a 'oh, these are ridiculous, there's no God' singular moment. I 'know' the stories are basically false but the feeling that there is something 'out there' is not completely gone.
I just don't feel it's some singular entity that looks even remotely human or has the power of a single life.
I think most of us have had moments where we spontaneously 'pray'; perhaps a child got hurt or we get an urgent call and we say 'God, please let them be ok'. To me, it's a call to fate with hope things will go well or at least not be dire.
There's a phrase 'there's no atheists on board when the plane's going down' and to some extent, it's true. An episcopalian priest once told me 'every time you utter hope, even when hitting the brakes to avoid a crash with an "oh, God!", you're praying.'
 
americanwoman said:
yes, but what is one without the other? You believe in God but not the bible, then you believe in your own version of a God that still comes from a biblical point of view . I think the bible does influence the way you perceive religion. I understand your point though but it just seems to me it's hard to stop picturing the almighty God in the sky from the bible and think of God as something else.
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I believe in God and I believe in the bible but for me , I've lost faith in the church...too many gaps, too many mysteries...
 
As you seem sincere in this question....I will share something of myself here. I was raised Catholic, and studied the Bible for the better part of ten years, church everyday but Saturday, and extensive religious study during my childhood. At around fifteen I began to question the Bible as my interest in science pointed out inconsistency in my very strong faith. This led me to read a couple other versions of the Bibles, trying to find a "Cure" for the percieved errors. I did not find one.
Thus I decided to check Other scriptures in a hope there I might find something more accurate. Instead I found myself fascinated by The Vedas, and spent a couple years trying to "Be Enlightened", only to realize I was simply trading one God(s) for another, and still not feeling comfortable with the results. I then went on to read as many Texts as I could, in a search for some defining attribute that could be called "God"....this was wonderful in many ways, as it taught me a very valuable lesson.

" They are All Correct in the definition of "GOD"....correct to those who want it to be true.

So I was left to define my own version of what this thing is....and finally became comfortable in my own belief, and mine is correct as well.....for me. If you decide to use a book to fill in the blanks of spirituality...more power to ya'. Use as many as you want, Mix and Match the pieces that make sense to you. Its the Label that creates issues between the faiths...not the message.
I really dont think this God thingy cares what you decide to be called in the long run....but it likely gets a bit frustrated when people decide to hate each other based on a self made label of faith.

My Lightbulb Moment Came when my brother became a Jehovah Witness....and I decided to study that faith. It forced me to redefine my own acceptance of the "Why" people take fundamental religion to heart.

They Need It....and who am I to deny someone that which they need
 
Great post Tecoyah! I feel ya there with raised a catholic...going to church everyday except sat. I just feel like they brain washed me all those years and thats why it's hard to just say "there is no God". When I got to public high school and took science I learned about things that I should have years ago but were forbiden to teach. It's wrong of religion to take out the things they don't agree with and teach children things that are wrong or don't make sense.

goligoth, I lost faith in church a long, long time ago.
 
What if there is no God?

Essentially... nothing changes. We remain what we are and where we are. We are the children of the stars, a status that is mind boggling in itself with a heritage that can never change.

Tash
 
goligoth said:
I believe in God and I believe in the bible but for me , I've lost faith in the church...too many gaps, too many mysteries...
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The church is the Christian bible and the Christian bible is the church. The church created what the bible is today over the past 1700 years. Saying you believe in the bible but not the Christian church is a contradictory statement. Unless you mean you only disagree with the church in certain aspects or lost faith in them from actions they have taken in the past 100 years or so?

You can believe in God or some supreme being and not believe in the Christian bible.
 
Gibberish said:
The church is the Christian bible and the Christian bible is the church. The church created what the bible is today over the past 1700 years. Saying you believe in the bible but not the Christian church is a contradictory statement. Unless you mean you only disagree with the church in certain aspects or lost faith in them from actions they have taken in the past 100 years or so?

You can believe in God or some supreme being and not believe in the Christian bible.
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Bolded: The probably basis for those that don't believe in the stories or have their doubts about them.
She did not say the 'christian' (NT) bible only. She just said the bible.
How is that contradictory? Churches, in addition to using the bible as their all-being guide, have rules, procedures, doctrines that I find, personally, insulting and uncomfortable. Those feelings though are separate from my opinions of the bible itself. In fact, I find many churches rules and procedure in direct conflict with what their ministers preach from the pulpit many times.
 
I'm atheist. It puts me in a minority. Did you know that 52% of America would not vote for an atheist president no matter what his platform is?
 
OK, I`ll play along. What if there was no God, hmmm, I will be dead and you will be dead and we would never know that there is no God....
 
I don't see how there could be no creator. But, then again who created the creator? It seems like the only way to look at the universe is from a constant (never ending, never begining) view point. Anyways, who says it's an all powerful god, but rather another life form much more evolved than us. And what is beyond the universe? As far as I know we could have been created by an alien force that means as much as a spec of dirt in the universe as we know it. :shock:


Oh snap, I just blew my own mind!
 
gibberish said:
The church is the Christian bible and the Christian bible is the church. The church created what the bible is today over the past 1700 years. Saying you believe in the bible but not the Christian church is a contradictory statement. Unless you mean you only disagree with the church in certain aspects or lost faith in them from actions they have taken in the past 100 years or so?

You can believe in God or some supreme being and not believe in the Christian bible.
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I think that the bible is what really happened, to an extent....The church has mangled it though to suit their own purpose...

the church needs the bible but the bible doesn't need the church...
 
ThePhoenix said:
OK, I`ll play along. What if there was no God, hmmm, I will be dead and you will be dead and we would never know that there is no God....
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It's called science. The theory of evolution has actual validity while creationism has none.
 
goligoth said:
I think that the bible is what really happened, to an extent....The church has mangled it though to suit their own purpose...

the church needs the bible but the bible doesn't need the church...
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My belief is the bible is a collection of stories from over many years of elaborations of stories that might have happened at one point and stories that were folklore to surrounding societies.

However I do believe the bible holds certain stories of good morality and teaches a way to live a righteous life but this book should not be used to dictate laws, or to inflict any pressure on those who do not believe in the book.
 
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