Thread: Why would you not belive in a god?

Originally Posted by thegnome54

Right, that's why I'm not claiming to know either way.



Alright, Mr. Smarty-Pants, what about Ganesh, then? Or what if we're wrong about thunder and lightning, and it really is Thor? How do you know?

My other main objection to this point is the assumption that if a god does exist, he would be impressed by such a display of half-hearted lip service.

i imagine if a god did exist then he would be much more impressed with my "lip sevice" then you total deniance.

Do you honestly think you can just "decide to believe in god?" That's not belief at all.

You can tell people you believe all you want, go to every church service from now until you die, but that doesn't mean you believe.

(snipped)

Edit: nevermind, my head is foggy with sleep. Goodnight.

Originally Posted by Jdog

i imagine if a god did exist then he would be much more impressed with my "lip sevice" (sic) then you (sic) total deniance. (sic)

I imagine the opposite. God wouldn't be interested in someone who was merely playing the odds trying to avoid eternal damnation.

Originally Posted by Jdog

im just saying why not belive in a god, it cant possibly hurt you, in fact most religious folks are happier than atheists.

Believing in god who hates you unless you follow his every rule wouldn't hurt you? How on earth could you find belief in someone like that comforting?

And please tell me where you came up with "most religious folks are happier than atheists." How does their higher divorce rate and incredibly higher chance of going to jail support that?

Originally Posted by Jdog

i dont belive in thor beacause there is actual evidence of his absence (he was invented by ancients who thought he was lightning or created lightning).

My dear, the Christian God was invented as well, and there is no evidence to support his actual existence.




Being an atheist is comforting for me beyond what mere words could convey.

I'm yet unaware as to the status of your footwear.

i came up with the "most religious folks are happier than atheists" from my general experience in life. i have both atheist and religious friends, and most of the time those religious friends are the ones who seem to be quite happy with what they have, rather than always searching for something more.

Originally Posted by Jdog

i came up with the "most religious folks are happier than atheists" from my general experience in life. i have both atheist and religious friends, and most of the time those religious friends are the ones who seem to be quite happy with what they have, rather than always searching for something more.

Always searching for something more is what drives scientific discovery, man.

You can't argue with statistics. Obviously you are either drawing the wrong conclusions from your friends, or your friends terribly misrepresent society in general.

I think you will be much more fulfilled at bibleforums.net than here.

Originally Posted by Jdog

most of the time those religious friends are the ones who seem to be quite happy with what they have, rather than always searching for something more.

That's not happiness, it's the slow death of human curiosity.

Originally Posted by Ne-yo

Mes Tarrant, that statement alone you made shows indication that you possess maybe not much, but a little belief in GOD.

What statement? Could you please clarify on what you mean? Thank you.

Originally Posted by Jdog

i came up with the "most religious folks are happier than atheists" from my general experience in life. i have both atheist and religious friends, and most of the time those religious friends are the ones who seem to be quite happy with what they have, rather than always searching for something more.

I have a friend who had a brief Campus Crusade period in college and still has friends from then. They all got married in their early twenties, and every one of the women she stayed in touch with came to her in tears within two years, convinced that they'd failed God in their marriage because their sex lives were so dysfunctional.

I'd just like to point out that pascal's wager is an outdated bit of half-assed philosophy invented to rationalize the indoctrinated beliefs held by an otherwise purely logical thinking man. When Blaise Pascal first presented this argument more than 300 years ago, he was operating under the assumption that there were only two options; the belief that there is no god, or the belief in the Christian god. Obviously there are as many different options as there are human brains to conceive them and more, so this reasoning holds no water.


Am I honestly the first person to use the phrase 'pascal's wager' in this thread?

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

I hear this a lot from theists these days. I think this is just something that theists want to think about atheists in order to justify their belief in a god of some sort. Yes, in fact, I think it's as simple as that.

I am telling you that atheists are not any more depressed than theists (again, just look at various published statistics). If this is the case, why is it still better to believe in something and then be proven wrong in death than to not believe in something and find that god does exist? To me, the latter option sounds much more exciting! So I went all my life thinking that there probably is no god... and then I die and presto, my spirit is still alive because I was wrong! Sounds like a party to me!

But wouldn't it be a bitch to find out that that party entailed an eternity of suffering beyond your most hellish nightmares on account of your abandoned and heathenistic lifestyle?

Mes Tarrant, that statement alone you made shows indication that you possess maybe not much, but a little belief in GOD.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Being an atheist is comforting for me beyond what mere words could convey.

I try my best baby.. I know..

Originally Posted by Jdog

i imagine if a god did exist then he would be much more impressed with my "lip sevice" then you total deniance.

I do not deny; nor do I assume.


Now I ask you again: why do you not pray to Ganesh as well, just to be safe?

Originally Posted by thegnome54

I do not deny; nor do I assume.


Now I ask you again: why do you not pray to Ganesh as well, just to be safe?

and excelent point. i honestly dont know why, i dont pray to a specific god hell i dont pray at all, whenever i have problems i dont think "please god help me" i think how can i fix this problem. i dont count on god to fix my problems or even help me in any way, i count on myself. that doesnt mean i cant belive there is a god in some form

That isn't believing in God.

Yes, why not pray to Shiva or Ganesh?

Originally Posted by Jdog

and excelent point. i honestly dont know why, i dont pray to a specific god hell i dont pray at all, whenever i have problems i dont think "please god help me" i think how can i fix this problem. i dont count on god to fix my problems or even help me in any way, i count on myself. that doesnt mean i cant belive there is a god in some form

Okay. Now I understand better where you are coming from.

The problem with believing in just some random idea of what you think god is is simply a waste of time. How do you know that if there is a god out there, that you are completely wrong about everything that he wants of you? What if he doesn't actually want you to waste your time believing in him? How do you know? The answer is you don't know, so the logical solution would be to forget about his existence or non-existence and enjoy all the things about life that you are certain about.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Okay. Now I understand better where you are coming from.

The problem with believing in just some random idea of what you think god is is simply a waste of time. How do you know that if there is a god out there, that you are completely wrong about everything that he wants of you? What if he doesn't actually want you to waste your time believing in him? How do you know? The answer is you don't know, so the logical solution would be to forget about his existence or non-existence and enjoy all the things about life that you are certain about.

an excelent point. thats preaty much the way i live anyway i enjoy the things im certin about. i still belive there may be a god in some form, and i do belive that the 10 commandments are at least a good set of guidelines to live your life by. but every time i have a problem i dont even expect any help from anyone but myself or my friends