What do you believe and why?

I believe that no religions are correct because people cannot perceive God the way he wants us to, and we are just waiting for judgement. No one religion is fully on the button because we are imperfection trying to perceive perfection. But if you do read the bible you find evidence throughout the entire thing that people never really have it correct.

the created cannot be better than the Creator

I believe in a God, Why?

With all the negativity going on in the word there must be a positive force, After all to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction. In my opinion spiritually this is what is known as Karma. The simple things in life such as Love...Anger...and Hate, The children in Palestine that still smile despite all the chaos make me believe. My conscience makes me believe............I will never doubt that there is a God no matter what I read or hear.

P.s - I'm not christian.

I'm an atheist because...

*Although it's a good story, the bible as a guide for life doesn't make sence to me. IMO If a person lives his life by the bible, I assure you they will go bonkers. And before you passe judgement on me read the bible and come back to me.

The reason being is that the "good" book says,

*you need to believe in God to be a nice person. Well, I don't beleive in god but I am a nice person.
*you need to believe in God to know the difference between right and wrong. I don't beleive but know the difference.
*and numerous other things, but I don't have time to enumerate them all.

If god truly existed and he is merciful, why does he let 3 year old children get raped and beaten to death? Why are there people being tortured? Why would he let billionaire that will never see the end of their money go out on million dollard boats and waste food and resources when what they throw away could feed a small village filled with the starving? Why is there people starving?

I'll tell you why because he doesn't exist. If you do really beleive he exists then he doesn't give a crap about you.

I also don't like label's or religions for that matter. I would say that i'm spiritual, but I still use that as a loose term.

I'm a Muslim, the Muslim's belief in The Creator of the universe is free of theomorphism...not to mention that Muslims believe that "The Creator exists without a place" and don't believe in some sky buddy or big peripatetic man on a throne.

It's actually considered sinful to follow one's parents religion without any evidence (doesn't mean that one can't become Muslim, but just that one would be, so to speak, falling short).

I believe you should surround yourself with those who seek out truth, and run away from those who claim to have found it.

God/the origin of life is too grand of a concept to say yea or nay one way or the other. He who thinks they can definitely say God does/doesn't exist, this is how we got here and this is our purpose has judged and stopped seeking. Either opinion takes a leap of faith.

I feel there is "something" guiding all this along. If it's a man in the sky or a formless energy, who knows? I don't think I'm meant to know exactly what that is in this existence. Why? 'Cause to believe anything else is what causes the madness in this world.

I'll keep seeking the truth and oneness. When I'm meant to know it won't matter. If there's nothing to know I'll be fertilizer. Either way my purpose in this existence is the same. Follow my heart and intuition. Above all else treat others as I would want to be treated. Seek. Love. Respect.

I did not read this thread through as I normally do because I think the question posed by to OP is for personal belief therefore the thoughts of others are not to be interpreted but accepted as personal belief. I will however read the thread after my posting this as the posts may expand individual aspects of my own personal belief.


It is my opinion that the "God Experience" is in the eyes of beholder. Those that are limited by what they accept as truth have limited what they see and experience. Belief is all about limits and limiting. Even to say a higher power is omnipresent is limiting as we have no Idea of the concept except in theory which is in itself a limited understanding. Science is limited as the only things considered true are occurrences that can be reproduced or occur naturally using limited guidelines of commonly accepted "Truths" within the constrains of the physical reality we perceive as truth. Its all accepted by the individual based on multiple references showing cause of "truth" or experiments done within the confines of limited "vision". Some people think this type of thinking is closed mindedness yet that in itself is a limited understanding of the individual and their experiences in their individual understanding of "Reality". Is there more to reality? Lets take this macrocosm we live in and make it a microcosm as explained by retractile geometry. Does this show there is a higher power? Yes. Are they more intelligent or more compassionate? Maybe, to say yes or no is also limiting as the individual is different in their understandings of what these terms mean to begin with. Do they even know we exist? maybe not, as we have yet to find a "Civilization" within the microcosm of our reality, but again to say yes or no is limited to observation of the beholder. Even to "remove" limitation is limited as one can only study what has been shown or seen within the "reality" of the consciousness of the individual.

"It does not matter whether God exists or not, What matters is that the world acts as if it does"

As for talking to "God" why is it that people expect "God" to listen? This is what I mean. The word Prayer comes from the word Praise, Therefore to step out and ask for something is not praise and would fall upon deaf ears. Look at it this way. Try picking up your phone and direct calling the president. Can you do it? No, there are channels and steps involved. If you perceive yourself talking to "God" then that is your perception of reality where another person may see it as simply talking to a higher being, yet others may see it as imagination. Either way the thought alone is limited to the personal perception of the beholder.

Well I do believe there is a Creator and because the contrary makes life and everything around us meaningless. I was brought up in a Christian family, and as I got older I slowly lost confidence in the 'Christian Faith'. But just recently things have been going around and I seemed to have 'woken up from babylon' aka. the world of the Devil.

There is many reasons to believe there is some sort of 'Designer' in this universe. Even the Big Bang theory cant explain our existance cause its flawed. Dont ask me why its flawed, look up Kent Hovind on Evolution and many theories pertaining it, he will explain more than myself.

And if you do believe there is no Creator, does that not mean you acknowledge there is one and don't follow it? And if you believe, that is based on faith or opinion, not fact. And why would you want to believe there is no Creator who loves you? Doesn't that make your life as worthless as a piece of dirt? How are you more special than a dog? Or a cockroach, or a virus? See my point. Believing we came to be from nothing, with no purpose, makes you feel like crap, and life isnt worth living.

Also, I am not a Christian, I follow the Truth, cause Christians are just dumb, plain and simple. Don't believe me? Ask your fellow Christians what is the Name of the Father of Heaven? Or the only Name above all Names, the Son, Messiah ? Its not the man made Jesus, and 'God' isnt a name. Its Yahuwah our Father. And His only Son is Yahuwshuwah.

By the grace of God, I am a Christian. I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I believe that God came to earth in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, and died on the cross for the sins of the world. I believe that He rose again out of the grave the third day after His death and now sits at the right Hand of the Father. I believe in the mysterious Union that the Three are One and the One are Three.
I do not believe in religion or denomination of any sort. I believe in a relationship with God. I believe the Bible encourages us to meet together with fellow believers but there does not have to be a sign out front of the meeting place.

Why?

I believe that the universe and all life screams of intelligent design. I believe the Intelligent Designer could be no less than a Deity and that Deity is God.

Most importantly, to deny my personal experiences would be to deny my own existence. I have seen bones and terminal disease healed. The terminal disease healing is documented at a hospital in Seattle, WA and the doctors recognized it as a miracle. I have heard God's voice in my heart and I have seen His hand in life. I've had a recent Spiritual awakening, by His grace, and God is more real to me than He ever has been.

No. I cannot prove it to you. I wish that I could. But Jesus Himself said to the Apostle Peter that flesh and blood could not reveal Him to men, but only His Father in heaven.

All the above has been said by the grace of God and not of my own ability.

Seeashrink

reply to post by madnessinmysoul


I am a Christian (born-again type).

I also have a background in Physics and Astronomy. It is from my observation of the universe that I conclude that it has a greater complexity than mathematical emergence, probability or evolutionary factors can adequately explain; essentially, the Anthropic principle.

I also have experience of metaphysical occurrences which support my beliefs and which, while they are significant to me, are very hard to convey to another. I have sought more "rational" explanations for these occurrences but find none in science. I am not simply talking about "religious experiences" which might possibly be triggered by environmental or mental causes, but of cases where physics has been defied right in front of me and where my views of external reality have been challenged observationally.

There is also much in Human Nature (sense of right and wrong) that defies evolutionary drivers (why would I risk my life for those I love, even those racially and genetically quite different to me?).

Why am I offended and feel wronged when someone attempts to cause me hurt (but fails) and not when someone accidently actually causes me real injury? Why do I also feel so when someone else is wronged?

Who instilled these morals and how? Morover why, what purpose do they serve?

These are just a few quick ideas, you must realise that a post on the web can hardly do justice to such a nuanced and complex topic. There are many scholaly people (Philosophers, Mystics and Religious thinkers) who have espoused these ideas for millennia and have recorded them for our education.

reply to post by chr0naut


A thoughtful post with a lot of humanism in it, whether you believe in evolution or not. A genetic memory, as proposed here,

www.bbc.co.uk...

Might just be a pointer to the way we all think and act, and could also be a 'mundane' explanation for those who have been able to recall real historic experiences, without ever possibly have been there culturally, linguistically and so on, popularly known as "past life experiences"

en.wikipedia.org...

When you come to think about it, why should our genes be just about our physical makeup?

I ussually wouldn't post in these kinds of threads, becuase- frankly speaking I find them moronic, a waste of time and most commonly filled un-substantial arguing providing no evidence. But I fill compelled to do so this time.
What do I believe? You could same I'm agnostic or even an athiest- but honestly I don't care. I don't spend my time thinking about ways in which I can debunk religion- as that is stupid. People should believe in whatever they wish too as long as their belief is peacefull.

I agree with Iversusvsversusi. Im not religious, i've never had a religion and im glad. I don't need it. My beliefs stem from research, my intuition, and personal experiences. Reading about NDE's, definetely opened my eyes into becoming spiritual 2 years ago or so. Reading about people who are literally dead, their brain and body have shut down, yet they can tell the doctors/nurses what they were talking about, or sometimes an exact line they said. Also, people who have been dead for a few days, their body is lifeless and cold, yet they somehow wake up right on the autopsy table speaking of a "spirit" which told them it was time to go back. That is unexplainable, and like many other things, science will more than likely never be able to explain it.

Anyways, besides that the main thing that made me a believer in a spirit world after death is personal experiences that cannot be explained by science as we know it. When you see it with your own eyes, or hear it, your whole perception will change. What's ironic is that a few of my latest experiences within the last 2 years started after I really started looking into it and becoming a definite, 100% believer. Literally becoming spiritual, in every sense of the word, has been great. I seem more aware, everytime I look at the Earth around me I just soak in this existence with such pride and a feeling of love it's great. I now look at some things with a different perspective, down to the smallest insect to the biggest tree.

reply to post by smurfy


I believe that the goals of post-humanism and religion are, ultimately, the same.

Man has a want to become what he was created to be, and this is something far beyond what man is now (a unity of hearts and minds basking in the wonders of the universe; is what I imagine).

If we ascend/engineer (or whatever paradigm we wrap around it) ourselves, or if God does it to us (to me, a far more likely occurrance) the die is cast and our future state is inevitable.

The only barrier to this would be to want to abstain from it (perhaps for reasons of guilt or fear). This mindset is very similar to what the Judeo-Christian faith calls "sin" and leads to what they call "hell" (being cut-off from each other and from God).

To me, the path laid out by God is preferable to one we would take as it would be inerrant, wheras our own path would be sure to be beset by horrible mistakes.

I am a dirt loving, tree hugging, realist, hippie Pagan. I was raised Pagan and oddly Southern Baptist at about the same time. My mother and father were Pagan and my grandmother a Pagan turned Baptist, yet never took to the Baptist part. I am Pagan because I can sense the patterns and energies in things around me and have always found it to be something that brings me peace and comfort. I like to see myself as a part of a whole entity rather than something that has no influence beyond the one who "gave" life. I like to think of things in a complete aspect of sorts as it took a universe to make me I should be a part of the whole.

I used to believe that no vision was wrong yet in today's happenings I do tend to question that thought. I hope you find what you are looking for in your desire to question.

Originally posted by avatar22

Originally posted by lokdog

As far as the fear, fire and brimestone arent for me. I would rather be a good person according to Jesus's teachings wich dont hurt anyone IMO than risk an eternity in hell.

Please don't take this as an attack on your beliefs, as I feel we all have the right to believe what we wish, but...
This is where I DO have a problem with Christian ideology...

Shouldn't there be more reason to be a "good person" than merely the risk of eternal damnation? Shouldn't we all strive to be the best we can be simply because it will improve our lives and the lives of those around us today?
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
"Do as ye will, lest ye harm none"
The kindness and love in our hearts and actions should be for the betterment of life, not the fear of hell.

But, that's just me...

If you believe in a just God, you will tend to subscribe to the eternal torture of the wicked.

If you believe in a merciful God, you will tend to subscribe to the final annihilation of the wicked.

but

If you believe in a loving God, you will tend to subscribe to the ultimate reconciliation of the wicked with God.

This is crucial, and where many lose their faith, if they had it. We want to believe in a loving God, but most churches teach a just God. Many years ago, I subscribed to a magazine, one issue of which contained an article on Hell. One entire page depicted the Tibetan Buddhist version of Hell. I examined it, and realized that the major difference between this Hell and the Christian Hell was artistic style. I began to wonder where our ideas of Hell came from. In time, I found the answer.

I believe because He's allowed me to know him in such an intimate way. I was raised as a baptist, but I found truth away from the churches and in a more solitary environment. Where an atheist would say, 'I have no reason to believe', I'm at the complete opposite end of the spectrum where I have every reason to believe.

I'm in love.

reply to post by chr0naut


Well, I for one would absolutely Love to hear your stories. If you ever do a thread please send me a u2u so I don't miss out.

Thanks

I was raised Southern Baptist, I guess? Like many others who were raised in a denominational setting, I have since parted from any "denomination" and just try to live as Christ did. So, you could say that my original belief was "indoctrinated?" I think that's the word.

But since that time, as time has passed, I have seen God act in my life personally, on at the very least 2 occasions that I vividly remember.

One time, my family was living out in a park woods type area in a tent, and we were flat broke, I mean, not a single cent. This lady showed up out of nowhere, came up to my parents, and gave them 50 dollars (what a fortune!) saying "God told me to find you and bring this to you!"

And another time my mom was in jail for assault on a police officer. We were sure she was going to prison. She came down with horrible pain in her abdomen, they took her to the hospital and saw that she had an infected gall bladder. At this point, I guess the county didn't want to deal with her medical bills (small town politics) so they just dropped all the charges and turned her loose. She came home, went to the hospital the next day, and the doctors told her there was nothing wrong with her gallbladder at all.

So, that's just a tiny bit of WHY I believe.

OK, picking up my thread again, for real life intervened, what I eventually found on the subject of Hell, is that it does not exist. I can find the Lake of Fire, yes, but Hell, no. There is just not enough in the Holy Bible to support such a doctrine. Further, I found that Hell, as it is commonly thought of, came over from the Pagan world.

The Law given to Moses settles the question - the ultimate punishment for the worst kind of offense is death, just simple death. So many people believe that the same God who would not mete out a worse punishment in this age, will do do in the next. I'm calling BS on that, for God says He does not change. He also says that He is Love, so I am impelled to subscribe to eventual universal reconciliation.

As to why I believe the whole program of Christianity, it is super-natural. I used to be an athiest. About 1975-1976, for no reason that I could cite, I began to be interested in spiritual things. People came into my life who made a difference, and about 1977-1978, I became a Christian and was baptised. After I came out of the water, my father told all the people in attendance that he believed that God had kept him alive (he showed them his open-heart surgery scar) so that he could see this day. I found out that he had prayed for me for years without results, but when he "cleaned up his act," positive things began to happen in my life. There are other reasons as well, but that is sufficient.

"For those who believe and have seen with their own eyes, no further argument is necessary. For those who do not believe, and have not seen with their own eyes, no amount of further argument is sufficient." LS