sincere question .....What could make you believe in God ? (page 4)

caliber

Why is it that so many atheist it appears to me ,want "scientific proof"as a bases for belief in God yet right

away ( as in many comments here) turn the argument to perceived" morality of God "rather than scientific approach themselves ?

I'm not so sure that Galileo had much of a choice when it came to professing a lack of belief in God since he was imprisoned and threatened with torture for merely discussing the clear and factual observation that the planets moved. He was at the 'mercy" of Church officials who routinly did things to people so horrible that it would make a decent person sick just imagining them so I don't think he would be candid about any atheistic thoughts.

Freedom of thought and religion were not recognized rights during Christianity's heyday so any evidence presented from anyone who professed belief not born in the last 200 years is very suspect considering the pressure they were under. To anyone who lived throughout a majority of Christian history horrific torture, imprisonment, death, and impoverishing shunning were very real threats to anyone who dared to discuss a lack of belief. In many Islamic countries today it will still buy you torture and death.

Even if societal pressure was not responsible for their professions of faith the fact that they were steeped in the folklore of their times does not mean that it is scientific to believe in the supernatural. very smart Greek and Roman scientists and philosophers may have mentioned dieties from their cultures as well but I don't think that this proves Zeus , Mars, or Hercules were real (nor that they even literally believed in them).

cofty

Morality is a proper concern of science. Any morality worth caring about concerns the well being of conscious creatures. Science is the proper tool to investigate morality.

leavingwt

caliber: Let's remind ourselves that Einstein did not believe in a personal God.

caliber

leavingWT ... I have indeed heard that also. And to the others comments as well ...thanks.. I am listening and thinking

caliber

@Cofty

I don't think I am questioning using mortality as such , but why is this used as the main argument if indeed

the scientific approach is so strong in the favour of non-belief in God (non-existence) ? (evidence and facts)

Liberty

I would argue that the morality of God is a valid point of evidence. If God is the creator of morality and yet lacks morality He is a contradiction. Contradictions are evidence of falseness. If I am sickened and repulsed by the horrors evident everyday in "Creation" then God either cannot be real or He cannot be good. If I believe it is wrong to needlessly torture living things then why did God create a Universe so full of it. If God is the Creator of all this torture, pain, and death then how can I be expected to belief in something so horrible and yet call it intelligent and good? It is scientifically impossible.

dgp

Exposure to the Watchtower has the unintended effect of letting you see to what extent religions are men made. So I think that I could believe in a God if he/she (apologies to Ziddina) appeared one day, but not just to me but to everyone, and made things that were entirely verifiable. That could help. Seeing would be believing.

wobble

I do not believe in anything, using belief in the sense that you are trusting that something is true without any proof.

if proof for "god" were forthcoming, we would not have to believe, just acknowledge the facts.

In the present situation where there is no proof that any kind of "god" exists it would be plain silly for a rational person like me to profess any kind of trust that one or more gods existed, it would be verging on insanity.

That aside, what difference does it make if there are many many people like me ? We are not suicide bombers, manipulators of others lives and busy extracting their hard earned cash from them, we are not waging war with carnal weapons on those who do believe, we are simply a group who do NOT do something.

I do not play golf, I do not believe in god, neither affects my fellow man in a bad way.

Qcmbr

Morality is an important tool to critique all worldviews on because morality is so central to our quality of life. Religious belief as promoted by a few preachers here and in the dusty hebrew books carries with it a strongly defined morality which can be compared with the humanist, scientific morality. As I deconverted one of my greatest realisations is that all religious thought is pinned on utter immorality ( people have to die horribly either as a sacrifice or an eternal punishment because we are so damaged ) , I am ashamed of how ugly religious morality is when examined.

Religious thought has held sway over the world for thousands of years and we are seeing a huge crisis now as disbelief has become socially acceptable and education has freed people to think independently. The debates used to be about which religion is right, now its more about when will religious belief cease.

sincere question .....What could make you believe in God ?

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