Why do you believe or not believe in a higher power (ie: god)? Please share your reasons and thought

I believe in a Great Spirit, that all things are created equal, and that all things are related to each other.

reply to post by Luchare


yes, but why?

Originally posted by makinho21
Why do you believe or not believe in a higher power (ie: god)?

Because I've actually have a few personal, close encounters, with God
so I have no doubt. He's big. He's in charge. He's aware of what is
going on and even what our thoughts are. And He feels like a 'he'
even though I know that God is spirit and therefore has no gender.

Theres as bunch of higher powers and lower powers.

Can anybody beat death? No, because its a higher power.

reply to post by plainmike


Sorry that was my second post, I apologize from being too brief. To tell you the truth, I don't remember why I started believing in the Great Spirit. My mother is part Cherokee which got me reading and fascinated by the way Native Americans look after and worship Earth as the provider and birth of all things. And at the beginning of this year I 'woke up', and realized that without Earth we would never be, even if everything did start off as a single speck of dust, everything became something beautiful. We should not have abused Gaia as long as we have.

Some people(and probably most) believe in certain things because they feel comfortable with it.
And it scares the hell out of most people to think that we are allllll alone and that there is no higher intelligence/god/being/big daddy/etc.

The idea just feels so...cold, right?

But if you would step away from all the religious stuff (not that its bad or something ).. it would make sense to think that there are other life forms or high spiritual beings.

All these endless amounts of space.. only created for the humans? If that would be the case , God/Allah or whatever you call 'him'..needs a better project manager

And next tot that, certain buddhist and hindu monks are able to perform actions that go beyond the current capability of most persons. Im talking about spiritual things here.

But I still have this huge sticker on my bookshelf concerning all the mystical & Religious stuff, saying : WE JUST DON'T

[edit on 8-7-2009 by Solidus Green eye]

Depends on what you mean by god, if it is some supper being as in the bible then the answer is no as the bible is a group of stories created by man that has become distorted via time and politics. If you mean is there a life after death then the answer is yes and this is the real god which is made from all of us, not a supper being but a collection of intelligent energy that we all at death become part off. take it from me that this is the reality of god as I have been dead more times than most have had hot dinners lol, my track record stands at five major strokes, chronic lung disease, heart disease, parkinsonism and now cancer and for some odd reason I keep getting thrown back to here lol.so when your dead you will find that it is way above the wildest fantasies you could ever dream up.

There are people who just know, deep in their heart or soul, that there is no god. This is all there is and they have to depend on themselves to shape their own lives. There are others who are just as certain that what they do in this life determines how their next life will be. Yet, there are those, who without a shadow of doubt, know for a fact that there is a holy, triune God who loves them and wants their love in return. I am in this last group.

It is the culmination of our life experiences that shape what and how we believe. There is not enough room on the net for me to explain all the anecdotal experiences that brought me to where I am. I do not try to explain spirituality with logic. The short of it is; when I started to look for God, He revealed Himself to me. I could not find Him by looking at other people because people are flawed. Even the best Christians can not live up to the standards we set for them. This understanding was not an intellectual exercise but was only accomplished with a spiritual epiphany.

I do not preach to others because spirituality is a journey we must each make on our own. Why do I believe in an idea that seems so preposterous? I know it to be the truth! It defies logic, yet I know with all my being that God exists, and that He loves me. In my love for Him, I try my best to do those things which would please Him and honestly repent and ask forgiveness of those things which offend Him. I searched for God and He found me.

Originally posted by darkelf


I do not preach to others because spirituality is a journey we must each make on our own. Why do I believe in an idea that seems so preposterous? I know it to be the truth! It defies logic, yet I know with all my being that God exists, and that He loves me. In my love for Him, I try my best to do those things which would please Him and honestly repent and ask forgiveness of those things which offend Him. I searched for God and He found me.

I understand what you are saying, I have many friends who also share your look on things. and I respect that.

I think the things I have personally experienced convince me of a higher 'something' ..I just don't know what it is.

I was born "knowing" there was "something". From my earliest memories, and my first memory is of trying to escape my crib, I have always "prayed" to "something". No one ever instructed me to do this. There was no talk of God or religion in my family. There was no church going. When I was very pleased with things I would "talk" to the power and express my happiness. When I had a problem, I would discuss it with my power and ask for assistance. My "prayers" were always answered. I never discussed this with anyone. This is just how I naturally was, with no instruction. From the time I learned to read and such, I was always searching for answers regarding a higher power. In the first grade, public school, I got in trouble for drawing a picture of "Jesus" on my April calendar sheet. Through my teen years I tried out different beliefs, even a long bout of atheism. Though, whenever I had a problem, I prayed, and was answered. Once I became an adult, I delved more into religion. Hence, my dislike of most of them. Religion is about control was my finding. From the earliest remnants of man, and possibly even cavemen, man has been born with a "knowing". They left cave drawings and such. Someone always believed in something greater than themselves. As I have. My prayers, no matter how unobtainable they may be, when prayed from the heart are always answered. I can't argue with that. I can't change that. It is what it is. And the peace it brings at times cannot be put into words or recreated by humans.
I've experienced it for myself, constantly, since my earliest memory. How can I not believe??? I even spent a great amount of time trying to not believe, and was shown you can't change what you know in your heart is the truth.
My beliefs have nothing to do with religion, as most religions try to exploit these beliefs.

Originally posted by serendipitynow

My beliefs have nothing to do with religion, as most religions try to exploit these beliefs.

I agree. I do not believe in organized religion. The first Christians did not have churches or Bibles. Spirituality can utilize these resources, but is not dependant on them. I get more out of my quiet time with God than I ever did with a year of church.

For someone to ask why anyone believes in God when they admit that they do not believe in God themselves is foolish. To know God you first have to believe there is God and then you have to have the kind of heart that actually searches Him out. God can see this effort and will respond. God is not looking for people who are not looking for Him, He's looking for people looking for Him.

You say, "why?" but if people use the Bible as a reference of the things they believe as truth, it's simply unacceptable to you. My atheist brother tried that one on me one day asking me to prove God without the Bible. I simply asked him to explain how all things exist and why, and told him that this was all we could discuss as anything else would have to come from the Bible which I believe to be God's inspired word.

There are clearly two groups of humans on the Earth. The children of the living God and the others who are not of God. If you are not looking for God, and if you could care less if there is a God at all. Then you are probably in the not children of God crowd.

Certainly, those who believe in God know why they believe in God. They know faith is real and powerful once it is expressed. For the others there is no faith, no God, only this present physical world. never coming to the full understanding that we humans are also spiritual in our being. That is why when the question is asked such as "Why do you believe in God..?" it is because the asker wants to know what he already is convinced of in his heart, that there is a God. It's just that God cannot be found as a religion because God is a person and not a religion. Religion is made by man for man as man's attempt to please God with good works and service. And Jesus is God's attempt to reveal Himself to all the world through love and sacrifice, in giving out of and because of love.

As for me, I believe in God.

There, has been no evidence concerning the God of the Jews or the God of Islam ever in the history of the world, the two main Gods that make up the majority of human religion. Therefore the argument that Jesus Christ existed is irrelevant.

If you can not give evidence for God the Father of the old testament, there is nio point in believeing Jesus Christ is the human form of that God.

Ever wondered why a God of such magnificent power (as described in the Bible) will leave it up to the human intelligence to determine what God exists or does not exist?

Why not make it obvious you are God if you desire to be worshipped?

That way, he wouldnt have to go through all that trouble to create hell...

Well, if you look at current quantum theory, it pretty much states that all things are a product of consciousness. Now, I think that it would be pretty naive, if that is indeed the case, to think that there wasn't/isn't a prime consciousness.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Well, if you look at current quantum theory, it pretty much states that all things are a product of consciousness. Now, I think that it would be pretty naive, if that is indeed the case, to think that there wasn't/isn't a prime consciousness.

Not only this, but it is also know that somehow at the quantum level intelligence plays a factor. This was show with the double slit test where if an electron was sent through, it would somehow be in two places at the same time, yet when observed, it wouldn't happen. This test was done hundreds of times with the same result. Somehow, there was awareness at the quantum level. Why is this important..? Because intelligence means consciousness and self awareness.

reply to post by Solidus Green eye

Ahh but see - you assume that humans are somehow "special". In reality, we are placed on the outskirts of the universe in a relatively underpopulated area - concerning stars and other galaxies. My thoughts are we are just another lifeform a a random planet. Does that make me feel lonely? Not at all. I feel we have a duty to sustain and help all other creatures on this planet as best as we can, and not abuse the planet because we are definitely doing more damage than good at this point. If we are special, and so divine, we not put us at the center of everything - as humans once believed was the case? That would make more sense than just tossing us onto so random rock way off in the far-reaching corner of the universe. I did not mean to question your belief or anything, I just meant to point out why we differ. To me, humans are not special or enlightened at all

reply to post by Fromabove


Why am I foolish? That is a stupid thing to say. Did you not read my post. I am interested in learning if there is a specific experience or "happening" that made you suspect things work at certain way. In my view of the world, there is no need for a higher power - I was not even specifically referring to the "christian god" or jewish god or muslim god. Many different people have different views, and I wished to hear from all sides. Your reply pretty much reinforces why I am not a tad religious. I would not dare be so arrogant or presumptuous. However, have it your way. Ofcourse I don't want you to use the bible - that is a pointless endeavor. IF you have actual experiences or viable reasoning or a simple story I would like to hear it. From what I read though, I doubt that is case. You can try and obfuscate your message as much as possible, but it is clear you really have nothing beneficial to add.

reply to post by Fromabove


It's not intelligence - it's observed measurement. The electron switches from acting like a wave that interferes with itself, when measured, to acting like a single piece of matter. It's "observed" by a measuring device...not the human eye or mind. Human's don't have anything to do with changing the electron from a wave to a particle

Well I won't go to the reasons why left Catholicism but essentially after a long search I found Paganism and after another long search I called out to Isis and she answered. I talk to her on a daily basis and s listens...then typically tells me through signs exactly how it's gonna be...I say yes ma'am and move on with my choices

The way she made it clear to me was that I make my own choices and that determines my karma...my afterlife...my pain and my pleasure

Am I hallucinating all this?

Who knows...I don't think so but until then my goddess or my hallucinations are telling me to experience life, lvoe the world and help others...pretty much anyone should be able to agree with that :-p

((Note: No faith can be concretely proven to another. It is up to the user of such faith to have faith and forget the naysayers. If not 100% satisfied, please return unused faith to it's owner and allow for 6-8 years for refund of sanity and morals))

:-p

LOVE YOU ALL!

-Kyo

I have personally had many supernatural experiences from prophetic dreams, to instant healings, and things that I couldn’t even begin to explain. I was raised religious, but never had an experience. I would say that I was an atheist that saw religion as nothing more than a corrupt and powerful political tool. Somehow I got around that…

…for one thing, you cannot tell me that THIS was ALL an accident!!

It would be easier for me to believe that Leonardo da Vinci bumped his easel and palette, knocking them over and spilling his paint across a canvas that just happened to create the Mona Lisa.
Come on. I don’t care how many millions of years a blank canvas lays around, it will never produce the Mona Lisa.

The world is far more incredible than the Mona Lisa! Things don’t just pop out of thin air or some slime under a rock into a marvelous creature that can reproduce itself. If you have a painting, you have a painter, a gourmet meal, a chef, a house a builder. A novel, a writer, and the list goes on and on. WHY then is it so hard for us morons to see the complexity of the universe and then say, “Accident.” I just don’t get it.

Oh, woops, I just spilled my coffee. Hmmm, would you look at that… it looks like the mess has some sort of order to it?

Wow, it actually looks like letters.

Let’s see here, what does it say?

“Your father was a monkey.”

Evolution, by the way, is flawed. It’s time to go back to the drawing board for some other anti-god formula, folks. Darwin himself said that the fossil record would either prove or disprove his theory. 150 years later, NOTHING! Not one transitional fossil but the evolutionists still cling to their sacred religion. Yes, it is a religion. Their sacred book, ORIGIN of the Species, gives no credit to a Creator as our origin. A belief concerning God qualifies in my book. ((this is just one of many flaws, the biggest being the belief that it was all an accident.))

I’ve shared a lot on forums on my spiritual experiences and I’ve come to realize that it isn’t the place to share it. If you really care to know more, u2u me, but in the mean time I hope that you find what you’re looking for. BTW, religion is corrupt, but that is only half the picture… there is a true spirituality that an individual can experience, and it is real and truly awesome. I encourage you to be open-minded.



[edit on 9-7-2009 by apaulo]