How You Went from Faith to Unbelief in God

[rvaviator]

5 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Who made the aliens? Did they come from the explosion also, where everything came from nothing, that the earth is exactly the distance from the sun so life can survive, with the added water and food we all need to live being here? I still believe in the lie, as do billions of others.

Who made the aliens ?  That clearly was Gods work ...  Hmmmm Who made God ?

 

What is the difference ? (no need to reply) .. As I see it .. if your faith makes you happy then all good for you ... as long as 'you' do not try and push your faith onto me  .....

 

We should all respect each other ... one day we will all find out ???? ...

[Sujo]

In oz my gf had a 6yr old boy at school. Could chose to not go to religious class, which we did. 

 

He was to be taken out of that class but instead, i found out that they made him take his chair to the back of class and face the wall.

 

Also one of the other kids told him he was going to hell.

 

Needless to say i went ballistic.

[doctormann]

It might actually be better to believe in God, according to Blaise Pascal anyway.

 

Pascal's Wager (or Pascal's Gambit) is the name for an idea that Blaise Pascal had. He said that it is not possible to prove or disprove that God exists. Therefore, it is better to bet that God exists. If God existed, and the person believed in God, he would be rewarded (with happiness forever); if the person did not believe, he would be punished (with what is called eternal damnation). If God did not exist it would make no difference. For this reason, it would be better to believe in God, Pascal said. Indeed, Pascal strongly believed in this ideal.

[balo]

17 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Who made the aliens?

A big explosion does not explain it, but a God the way Christians believe in  you can thank the books for,  made up by humans.  So yes there might be a powerful creator up there , but he does not look like anything human. And it got nothing to do with Christianity. 

Many mysteries are still up there, in the universe. One day we will learn more about it.


 

Edited June 15, 2020 by balo

[Trentham]

12 minutes ago, doctormann said:

It might actually be better to believe in God, according to Blaise Pascal anyway.

 

Pascal's Wager (or Pascal's Gambit) is the name for an idea that Blaise Pascal had. He said that it is not possible to prove or disprove that God exists. Therefore, it is better to bet that God exists. If God existed, and the person believed in God, he would be rewarded (with happiness forever); if the person did not believe, he would be punished (with what is called eternal damnation). If God did not exist it would make no difference. For this reason, it would be better to believe in God, Pascal said. Indeed, Pascal strongly believed in this ideal.

I do not wish to boast but I think I am a good man but do not believe in god. I donate to charities, I help anybody I can if it is within my capabilities. I am generous and friendly but I also do things that Christians would consider to be sin.

If a god that I do not believe in really did create me and gave me a brain that is logical, curious and questioning and because of those qualities that would be god given I cannot accept his existence and would therefore condemn me to eternal damnation, then I do not want to know him/her.

[Sujo]

34 minutes ago, doctormann said:

It might actually be better to believe in God, according to Blaise Pascal anyway.

 

Pascal's Wager (or Pascal's Gambit) is the name for an idea that Blaise Pascal had. He said that it is not possible to prove or disprove that God exists. Therefore, it is better to bet that God exists. If God existed, and the person believed in God, he would be rewarded (with happiness forever); if the person did not believe, he would be punished (with what is called eternal damnation). If God did not exist it would make no difference. For this reason, it would be better to believe in God, Pascal said. Indeed, Pascal strongly believed in this ideal.

The problem is what if the god you pray to and believe in is actually the devil.

 

Then it is reversed.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Sujo said:

The problem is what if the god you pray to and believe in is actually the devil.

 

Then it is reversed.

The devil's commandments might be just a tad different.

[TKDfella]

1 hour ago, balo said:

I am watching a very entertaining new series on Amazon Prime called Upload. 

In the future , you can decide if you want a digital afterlife or if you want the good old fashion way , normal death, if you choose the digital way, your brain (head)  will be uploaded to a server and you can choose what kind of "paradise" you want to live in.  So you can live forever "online".  
And the best thing about it , you can meet your loved ones who are still alive, or not turned digital yet. Of course they also want the digital afterlife so they can come and be with you forever , in a digital version of themselves. Very entertaining. 
 

 

I'm not sure but isn't that similar to the Tom Cruz movie Vanilla Sky?

[Tagged]

3 hours ago, balo said:

I am watching a very entertaining new series on Amazon Prime called Upload. 

In the future , you can decide if you want a digital afterlife or if you want the good old fashion way , normal death, if you choose the digital way, your brain (head)  will be uploaded to a server and you can choose what kind of "paradise" you want to live in.  So you can live forever "online".  
And the best thing about it , you can meet your loved ones who are still alive, or not turned digital yet. Of course they also want the digital afterlife so they can come and be with you forever , in a digital version of themselves. Very entertaining. 
 

 

Just started to watch it. Cant say it is genious, but will give it a try

[Acharn]

When I was a kid I attended Sunday School every week, Congregationalist church in Akron, Ohio. I even, at one point, earned a medal for memorizing scripture verses. I think it was when I was around eight years old that I realized (a) the prophecies in the bible were absurd. The Book of Daniel, especially, was so childish that I, a child, could not believe it was meant to be serious. (b) the god of the old testament was clearly a vicious psychopath, demanding the massacre of whole tribes, except for the young girls. At the time I didn't know what sexual slavery was about, but I knew something bad was going on there. (c) I didn't know how babies are made, but I was quite sure that a woman didn't have a baby unless she had some kind of relation with a man. The other "prophecies" that "proved" Jesus was the Messiah were proof, to me, that he was not. (d) When I learned about the Nicene Creed, demanding that I believe Jesus was God, that clinched the deal. Since then I have met some people who believe the things I rejected. A few of them have been really good people, who tried hard to follow the example of their cult leader (rabbi, actually). Most have not been, and some (many?) have been as vicious and evil as the old testament god. It has nothing to do with me.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Acharn
clarify some thoughts

[balo]

9 hours ago, TKDfella said:

I'm not sure but isn't that similar to the Tom Cruz movie

Never seen that movie, but you might be right.   
Anyway, the main character look a bit like a young Tom Cruise. 

[teatime101]

18 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

the earth is exactly the distance from the sun so life can survive, with the added water and food we all need to live being here?

Puddle: "This hole is exactly the right shape for me. It's as if it was designed that way. There must be a God."

[teatime101]

On 6/14/2020 at 6:41 PM, Jonnapat said:

their affiliation with the monster in the White House.

It seems bizarre, until you realise that religion has always been a haven for hypocrites and authoritarians.

[Sujo]

17 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

The devil's commandments might be just a tad different.

They might not. You dont know.

[fredwiggy]

47 minutes ago, Sujo said:

They might not. You dont know.

Since he rebelled against God and isn't in heaven, I think not.

[fredwiggy]

51 minutes ago, teatime101 said:

It seems bizarre, until you realise that religion has always been a haven for hypocrites and authoritarians.

Well, I am neither a hypocrite or someone who blindly submits to God and neither is anyone I personally know that believes in God. We chose our paths. God gives us free will and we can do what we want. We chose God and you chose whatever you do.

[teatime101]

17 hours ago, Acharn said:

(b) the god of the old testament was clearly a vicious psychopath, demanding the massacre of whole tribes, except for the young girls. At the time I didn't know what sexual slavery was about, but I knew something bad was going on there.

An evil practice perpetuated and given full blessing by Mohammed. Christians and Muslims today generally distance themselves from the uncomfortable bits of scripture, of course.

[Tagged]

7 minutes ago, teatime101 said:

An evil practice perpetuated and given full blessing by Mohammed. Christians and Muslims today generally distance themselves from the uncomfortable bits of scripture, of course.

Not so different from how Isis lived their Islamic state. 

[TKDfella]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Since he rebelled against God and isn't in heaven, I think not.

G; All people are good, it is just a question of degree.

D; G is wrong! All people are bad, it is just a question of degree

[StreetCowboy]

On 6/12/2020 at 6:42 PM, Brunolem said:

I try to "believe" as little as possible, and to "know" as much as possible.

 

The more you acquire knowledge, the less the need for supernatural explanations.

 

I never was convinced by religion anyway.

 

I remember telling my father, when I was still in school, that if there really was A God, all the humans would be aware of this God, and there wouldn't be competing (often fighting each other) religions.

Many of the religions are the same, and it is mere pedantry that sets them apart.

The three monotheistic Middle-Eastern religions, and their various schisms, are basically the same, and anyone that says different is just looking for a fight.

Polytheists are polytheists, regardless of the specific spirits that they worship.

 

[n00dle]

On 6/12/2020 at 5:25 PM, stouricks said:

Something very very recent in my life convinced me that my departure from the teachings I had in my childhood were absolute rubbish. What? you ask.

 

I read you post!

 

What gives you the right to come to a Buddhist country and try to convince them that a Jewish guy 2020 years ago is the truth and the way to eternal life. BS.

Yes this defines christian arrogance.

[n00dle]

On 6/15/2020 at 5:18 PM, fredwiggy said:

Who made the aliens? Did they come from the explosion also, where everything came from nothing, that the earth is exactly the distance from the sun so life can survive, with the added water and food we all need to live being here? I still believe in the lie, as do billions of others.

At least you admit your delusions.

[fredwiggy]

5 hours ago, n00dle said:

At least you admit your delusions.

I'm sorry , but I haven't any

[rvaviator]

On 6/15/2020 at 6:33 PM, doctormann said:

It might actually be better to believe in God, according to Blaise Pascal anyway.

 

Pascal's Wager (or Pascal's Gambit) is the name for an idea that Blaise Pascal had. He said that it is not possible to prove or disprove that God exists. Therefore, it is better to bet that God exists. If God existed, and the person believed in God, he would be rewarded (with happiness forever); if the person did not believe, he would be punished (with what is called eternal damnation). If God did not exist it would make no difference. For this reason, it would be better to believe in God, Pascal said. Indeed, Pascal strongly believed in this ideal.

A colleague at work subscribed to that theory .. He said it was like 'life insurance' ... If true its great .. if not .. well it doesn't matter  ????.

[1FinickyOne]

15 minutes ago, rvaviator said:

A colleague at work subscribed to that theory .. He said it was like 'life insurance' ... If true its great .. if not .. well it doesn't matter  ????.

Pascal was a funny guy...

 

But, this is not faith, it is lip service... 

[Tagged]

1 hour ago, rvaviator said:

A colleague at work subscribed to that theory .. He said it was like 'life insurance' ... If true its great .. if not .. well it doesn't matter  ????.

It does matters, because if there is a god, he is for sure nothing like what the book religions tells us, or any preacher does. Be good to yourself and your next as animals, and do you best, and you will have your insurance. Accept people for what they are, and condemn all evil! Well evil is a wide term, but most people know what it takes to be a good human, and I am all in for forgivnes. Nature call, thats all

[OneMoreFarang]

On 6/12/2020 at 5:12 PM, fittobethaied said:

fully intent on being involved in ministering to the Thai people

If you speak to Thai people who want to know what you say that is fair enough.

 

What I find "interesting" is how some preachers try to convince Thai people to become christians.

My girlfriend told me about some foreigners who preach in her village. And they promise everybody who joins their christian clan a free funeral.

It seems lots of people in the village joined the club because they liked the free funeral. And I guess the christian preachers had some documents that they convinced x villagers to join their club. What a success... 

[n00dle]

22 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Since he rebelled against God and isn't in heaven, I think not.

Pictures or it never happened.

 

I find it baffling that you are describing what amounts to mythology as actual historical events.

 

Are the reported exploits of the greek and norse patheons to be accepted as truth as well?

 

What abput the apocrypha? What do you determine as truth and how? Why are some accounts to be taken on faith and others rejected outright?

 

What criteria helps you establish belief? it all seems rather arbitrary from where I sit.

[ThaiWai]

Only an idiot would believe something without evidence

[sirineou]

31 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

Only an idiot would believe something without evidence

I believe you