Do you WANT to believe in God?

[sealybobo]

The belief in God is one thing, religion is another. People often confuse the two. I believe in God but I choose to be honest with myself and not fill in all the blanks because I want to and then consider them as facts.

So how does that manifest? Are you saying you believe in God but aren't religious? Don't go to church etc?

Yes, I'm a theist but not religious, unlike the eagle person I do not personalize who or what god is. I don't know and neither does anybody else. Anyoen saying so speaks from faith, which is fine and dandy, BUT when they present it as fact I gotta call bull.

Ok. Thank you. I most of the time don't believe there is a God, but when catastrophe strikes, have found myself attempting to pray and wishing it were true and that I could believe. I suppose a lot of people do this, hypocritical as it is (me, not you, lol)

That's the worst time to contemplate the idea. Better to think about it when you are not stressed and when you are being rational and logical.

If I'm swimming in the ocean and a shark starts to circle me, all of the sudden I'm praying to god too.

No, you should be hoping that in your next life that you're not such a dumbass.

What next life? Geez what a dope.

 

[Tilly]

Where's the "proof" and "evidence"?

He doesn't need it, he believes it.

Well no need for discussion then.
I thought maybe a fact was revealed or available to him he could share that we didn't have.

Yes. For the aliens to be real you have to believe in them. If you don't believe then they'll never come or beam you up when you die.

Extra-terrestrials exist. Thousands upon thousands of people have abduction stories... I don't need faith, I have proof.

But the abduction stories don't stand up to close scrutiny or provide actual proof or evidence, do they?

All lot of them absolutely stand up to close scrutiny. So do tons of UFO sightings. Also, does Roswell mean anything to you?

Yes. I've never seen irrefutable 'evidence' for any of this stuff.

Then you haven't been paying attention.
So how do you explain that suddenly around 50,000 years ago humans started an intelligence explosion, after having evolved pretty much zero in the previous millions of years? And if evolution is solely responsible, then in millions of years, will all animals be able to build spaceships and fly them to other planets?

You aren't providing evidence of anything, you're just speculating and musing, interesting though it is.

 

[Iceweasel]

Eastern christians are ateists. They believe on Satan or communism.

Jesus wasn't a capitalist.

According to the story he was a carpenter. That's an occupation that charges a fee for their service, since that was the system they lived under, capitalist is the only reasonable conclusion.

Maybe they bartered services and goods?

Then Jesus was a tax evader.

 

[September]

Or you could simply accept that fact that beliefs are beliefs and not torture yourself over it. People say they know this and that but in reality it's a belief. Believing something doesn't make it appear. You can't know something simply because you believe it.

No actually you can. You just have to understand the difference between subjective reality and objective reality.

​

 

[Iceweasel]

The belief in God is one thing, religion is another. People often confuse the two. I believe in God but I choose to be honest with myself and not fill in all the blanks because I want to and then consider them as facts.

So how does that manifest? Are you saying you believe in God but aren't religious? Don't go to church etc?

Yes, I'm a theist but not religious, unlike the eagle person I do not personalize who or what god is. I don't know and neither does anybody else. Anyoen saying so speaks from faith, which is fine and dandy, BUT when they present it as fact I gotta call bull.

Ok. Thank you. I most of the time don't believe there is a God, but when catastrophe strikes, have found myself attempting to pray and wishing it were true and that I could believe. I suppose a lot of people do this, hypocritical as it is (me, not you, lol)

Most people "find" god during troubling times. You are the most vulnerable then and it's like blood in the water for sharks if you go to a church and tell your sob story.

Religion can help you though, it does for many, including me. But it comes at a price, you lose rational thought and free thinking. Everything goes through the religion filter. And it's a social thing, peer pressure, family, friends, etc.

 

[defcon4]

Extra-terrestrials started manipulating our genes around 50,000 years ago, which is when humans suddenly started to be cognizant. The different branches of early humans were some of their failed experiments. So I don't need to believe in an invisible Big Guy theory, I know what really happened.

Interesting hypothesis but it still leaves a huge huge gap in your explanation since the question remains: "Who created the extraterrestrials?" therefore the Big Guy theory is back in full circle, no?

 

[Iceweasel]

Or you could simply accept that fact that beliefs are beliefs and not torture yourself over it. People say they know this and that but in reality it's a belief. Believing something doesn't make it appear. You can't know something simply because you believe it.

No actually you can. You just have to understand the difference between subjective reality and objective reality.
​

You made a statement you couldn't back up, color me surprised. But you need to research what the term "reality" means. Reality is not subjective.

 

[September]

Believing something doesn't make it appear.

To visualize, imagine, or dream of something and to transform that vision into reality... believing something, or believing in something, can most certainly make it "appear".


​

 

[Mr Natural]

Belief is not a choice. Either you do or you don't.

 

[Iceweasel]

Believing something doesn't make it appear.

To visualize, imagine, or dream of something and to transform that vision into reality... believing something, or believing in something, can most certainly make it "appear".

​

Visualizing, imagining, believing are all subjective terms. Transforming it into reality is objective. Any two people can observe the results.

 

[Iceweasel]

Belief is not a choice. Either you do or you don't.

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh .......whut?

Houston, we have a problem.

 

[defcon4]

Hi hun. That's hilarious. I have a Christian calling me Bonzo.
My personal favorite is Binzi though

 

[Bonzi]

Hi hun. That's hilarious. I have a Christian calling me Bonzo.
My personal favorite is Binzi though

 

[Tilly]

The belief in God is one thing, religion is another. People often confuse the two. I believe in God but I choose to be honest with myself and not fill in all the blanks because I want to and then consider them as facts.

So how does that manifest? Are you saying you believe in God but aren't religious? Don't go to church etc?

Yes, I'm a theist but not religious, unlike the eagle person I do not personalize who or what god is. I don't know and neither does anybody else. Anyoen saying so speaks from faith, which is fine and dandy, BUT when they present it as fact I gotta call bull.

Ok. Thank you. I most of the time don't believe there is a God, but when catastrophe strikes, have found myself attempting to pray and wishing it were true and that I could believe. I suppose a lot of people do this, hypocritical as it is (me, not you, lol)

Most people "find" god during troubling times. You are the most vulnerable then and it's like blood in the water for sharks if you go to a church and tell your sob story.

Religion can help you though, it does for many, including me. But it comes at a price, you lose rational thought and free thinking. Everything goes through the religion filter. And it's a social thing, peer pressure, family, friends, etc.

Fortunately, there's no pressure on me and I don't even talk about this stuff to anyone other than my better half occasionally. None of my family or friends are religious. My family are all atheists, although my mother was raised a Catholic. Actually, I do have a BAC aunt, but I hardly ever see her.
No offence to the believers here, but I too am concerned about sacrificing free thinking and rationality for something that may or may not make me feel better when in extremis. I guess that's one of the reasons I have not succumbed.

 

[the_human_being]

Sometimes I think faith is a gift. Sometimes I think it is just illogical.
If there is a God, I wish they would show their face. It would solve SO many world problems.. Alien or spirit, I don't give a shit. Show your face and explain things.

Well TN, God did appear. He actually appeared to His own and even then they rejected Him.

 

[Eaglewings]

I would never have made it through breast cancer treatment x2 without the faith that I have with Christ. God doesn't just live in the church , He lives in your heart. The more you get to know Him, ( lightbulb moments) the stronger your faith becomes.

What do you mean what happened to the believing part?

It says in the bible ( Jesus parable quotes) to believe as a child does. A child doesn't get all tangled up into the confusion of a relationship with God. They just know, and don't know the politics of life like adults do.

I feel a strong connection with God, especially after my sister died in 2001. When she died I felt my sister and God walk through me. Incredible experience it opened up the understanding of the spiritual realm around us.
.

But you said you weren't religious. My point is that you are, deeply religious.

I am deeply spiritual with my relationship with God....Not Religious ....it is different. religion is all man made rules.

Bullshit. You are dishonest. You wouldn't know jack shit about Jesus if it wasn't for the bible. You are no different than any other religious nut that thinks they have the truth.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think Eaglewings is saying that she avoids the man made trappings/aspects of religion, ie joining a particular denomination/group, going to a particular denominations church, observing rituals laid down by these groups, and so on. I've heard many people say they do this and they often state they a have a personal spiritual relationship with God/Jesus as opposed to being 'religious'.

Simple Definition of religious

• : of or relating to religion
  
  
• : believing in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion

He or she might never go to church or follow any rules but the fact is that it's still a religion. Just mentioning Jesus means it's a particular religion, Christianity. I've said the same thing myself, I was a Christian for at least 20 years. I believed I had the truthful way, but so does everybody else. It's par for the course.

Regardless of how powerful you feel about your beliefs, they are still just that, beliefs. That's why it's called a faith, not a fact.

Where did I say that I never went to church? I do not like the man made up stuff like the little children learning if they do anything they will go to hell.
I does sound like you have some anger going on , why get angry at me jerk off. There now you have a reason to be angry.

 

[Eaglewings]

I'm tired of having to do all the work. Time for someone else to help me

Or you could simply accept that fact that beliefs are beliefs and not torture yourself over it. People say they know this and that but in reality it's a belief. Believing something doesn't make it appear. You can't know something simply because you believe it.

I would agree with this statement when I first became a baby christian. Trying to believe was like trusting in santa clause.

As your journey widens and you grow , to me it is not a belief it is a living fact to me I feel the Holy Spirit..no need to wonder. Especially when I can be told anyday that my cancer is all over my body...
You get to that point in life , you do much soul searching.

You're brainwashed, you can no longer even be honest with yourself. A Muslim can be just as dedicated as you, just as devout, even more. To you it's a fact because you believe what you've been told. Facts are facts, beliefs are beliefs. Beliefs don't become facts simply because that's what we want. You are locked into circular reasoning. "I believe it because it's true, it's true because I believe it."

It's the circular reasoning and blind faith I can't 'accept' or understand too. But, each to their own, as long as they do no harm.

Becoming a Christian has nothing to do with logic or reasoning. It's revelation and a change of "heart" (or soul/spirit) -
Faith is the substance of things promised of God
The evidence of things not "seen" - you have to have FAITH that there IS a God that is omniscient (knows ALL - more than we possibly can)
It requires SUBSERVIENCE to an all knowing God.
Much like a child who must listen to their Parent, only God is the Perfect and inerrant parent.

Exactly Bonzi, 100%.

 

[Eaglewings]

The belief in God is one thing, religion is another. People often confuse the two. I believe in God but I choose to be honest with myself and not fill in all the blanks because I want to and then consider them as facts.

So how does that manifest? Are you saying you believe in God but aren't religious? Don't go to church etc?

Yes, I'm a theist but not religious, unlike the eagle person I do not personalize who or what god is. I don't know and neither does anybody else. Anyoen saying so speaks from faith, which is fine and dandy, BUT when they present it as fact I gotta call bull.

Ok. Thank you. I most of the time don't believe there is a God, but when catastrophe strikes, have found myself attempting to pray and wishing it were true and that I could believe. I suppose a lot of people do this, hypocritical as it is (me, not you, lol)

Most people "find" god during troubling times. You are the most vulnerable then and it's like blood in the water for sharks if you go to a church and tell your sob story.

Religion can help you though, it does for many, including me. But it comes at a price, you lose rational thought and free thinking. Everything goes through the religion filter. And it's a social thing, peer pressure, family, friends, etc.

Fortunately, there's no pressure on me and I don't even talk about this stuff to anyone other than my better half occasionally. None of my family or friends are religious. My family are all atheists, although my mother was raised a Catholic. Actually, I do have a BAC aunt, but I hardly ever see her.
No offence to the believers here, but I too am concerned about sacrificing free thinking and rationality for something that may or may not make me feel better when in extremis. I guess that's one of the reasons I have not succumbed.

For someone who doesn't believe, you are much wiser than many people I know.

Church is good for being around people that believe the same way that you do, not that you have to attend to be a christian. Just like someone doesn't have to attend AA meetings to be sober.

I actually got turned off when the churches adopted this political stance. Why should I go to church to guilt me into voting a certain way. Bunch of Man made crap.

.

 

[Eaglewings]

Hi hun. That's hilarious. I have a Christian calling me Bonzo.
My personal favorite is Binzi though

Wow really Bonzi, that sorta actually hurts my feelings. WTF am I even opening myself up? For you to make fun of me?

.

 

[defcon4]

Wow really Bonzi, that sorta actually hurts my feelings. WTF am I even opening myself up? For you to make fun of me?

Bonzo never makes fun of anybody.