Do you believe in god? if so...why?

Do you believe in God? If so...why? I used to be a deeply religious Christian. I discovered the bible by myself, and became absolutely facinated by what is written in that book. There is so much wisdom, and interesting things there. It brought good...

changes to my life...but it also brought a lot of bad things to my life as well. I found myself unconciously judging others constantly if the bible labelled them as wrong. And at the same time I knew that it is wrong to judge others, but my judging of others continued, whether I was aware of it or not. I think this greatly prevented me from seeing the world how it truly is. It also left me constantly confused because many things written in the Old and New Testaments contradict one another.
After years of speculation, I am a non-believer now. I think God and Gods were created by man to establish a sense of identity, and sets of rules to live by in order to control society. In the old days, there were no police cruisers, security cameras, etc. so religion was also used as a tactic to induce fear...sinning would displease your God and/or condemn you. I also think that religion acts as a false sense of security and adds a false sense of meaning to life.
Jesus was not the onlyGod to be crucified and resurrected. Hundreds of pagan gods from many different cultures, such as Ra (ancient Egyptian), was born on Dec. 24th (which is the winter solstice), crucified, and resurrected three days later.
Ever since I stopped believing, and started to see the world without a filter on my eyes and ears, I have never been more at peace with my life and with people in my life then I am now.
Anyway...this is just my opinion and I am not trying to make anyone feel bad or say what is right and wrong.
So what do you guys think?

...a predetermined life... way to sell 'life' short. That devalues a person's individuality, and defies the very concept of free will. Oh, and the comment was pointless since no one asked what you 'believe' God 'knows'

He asked WHY you believe in God. Surely you can come up with a better reason than just clairvoyance.

That's an interesting theory - well put.

I personally don't believe in God for simpler reasons - no proof.

Wow, I don't believe in God either, there is no proof, and I think exactly what you said... about religion being used to scare people into acting a way that was desired. Also... I think that in the past religion was used to make people work harder, and live good hard-working lives, because they thought that they were going to heaven, a paridise after.

I also think that God was used to explain a lot of things, when humans did not now about them, things that nowadays we know more about, because we know more about science nowadays.

I on the other hand don't believe in God or anything in Christianity, but I think that for a lot of people, he can play a big part in their lives... I see how he could be a comfort, to pray to when you are worried, and to think that he is always there for you.

I don't believe though, and I just can't help not believing.

Just because there is no proof doens't mean that there is no God(s). I'm not saying that you are wrong, I'm just saying that something doesn't need to be proven to exist.

Personally I do believe that there is a God or multiple Gods. I don't know who they are, are what they are like, but I believe that they exist.

God DOES exist!Can you honestly look back on some of the experiences you had when you were saved and not see that God is real? This is just to get your heart stirring again. I can guarentee you...that if you ask God to reveal himself to you...HE WILL! God longs to know his creation! And I know he loves each everyone of you! I know God is real because he has proved himself in so many ways in my life...things that can't be explained any other way. I love him! Just ask he will show you! I hope one day you find yourself back to him...if you have anymore questions let me know! And if you know specifics of how he has revealed himself to me...I can share them with you! God Bless!

***I know God is real because he has proved himself in so many ways in my life...things that can't be explained any other way.***

Oh do tell...

There is miricals happening everday because of god one day people will know that he really exists on judgement day. don't feel gulity about judgeing people you just need to be prayed for, jesus is the way the truth and the life. being saved is like having big chains released from you. your life becomes more blessed in many ways. my parents used to force christianity on me I did'nt listen to them my life went through hell in back seriously but thanks to god I am me again the devil has no tole on me.

There is miricals happening everday because of god one day people will know that he really exists on judgement day. don't feel gulity about judgeing people you just need to be prayed for, jesus is the way the truth and the life. being saved is like having big chains released from you. your life becomes more blessed in many ways. my parents used to force christianity on me I did'nt listen to them my life went through hell in back seriously but thanks to god I am me again the devil has no tole on me.

Okay here are two common things which apparently God provides, and this is the way I view each thing...

Love: People feel blessed when good things happen to them -- Good things and bad things always happen...it's called LIFE. Believers find a sense of security when they pray because they think that the big man is watching over them and listening to them.
Fate: People think (for example) Oh I have finally found the love of my life, God has blessed me and meeting my significant other was FATE. -- Again, fortunate things happen to people around the world everyday, and some of these things happen very unexpectadly and surprisingly...fate is a belief which seems to bring much more meaning to life and is a nice thought to have.

When I was a deeply religious person, I was completely convinced that God had received me with open arms and believed that he loved me. I believed in God and dedicated my life to Him for many years. But now I am a non-believer...I wonder how a religious person might explain this? (biblically) In the New Testament (I forget exactly which part/book), it states that a person like me was never a Christian in the first place: which means that being a Christian is not like an ON/OFF switch. So apparently, God never cared about me because he knew that I would abandon Him.

I do not believe in God, I was just trying to explain my situation biblically.
Anyway...I've gone a bit off-topic, but I had to get this out of my system

Another dilemma regarding in the belief of God is this:

In the book of Genesis, it states that God created EVERYTHING. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I remember from the bible.

Everyone has seen people or animals which society labels as freaks of nature -- a baby born with a disfigured body, etc. Some of these poor beings die extremely young and are constantly in excrutiating pain, even if optimal healthcare is provided.
I've heard religious people say that this is the work of the devil.
But I thought that God creates EVERYTHING. So if he does create everything, why would He make such a careless creation?
These people and their loved ones suffer a great deal because of this.
And what I'm frightened of, is that they call this God's love.

Sooo true Geralee! God has proved himself to me by CONSTANTLY being there for me. He was patient with me and allowed me to develop my relationship with him in a much deeper level in my own time. My fiance is the young adult's pastor at our church and we go on these things called Treasure Hunts. We pray and ask God to show us who he wants us to talk to...aka his treasures. There are 5 categories the list goes into---name, location, apperance, prayer needs, the unsual. Everytime we go on these treasure hunts lives are changed. God reveals himself through us to these people. It's awesome. We went on one a couple weeks ago...where we had the name Burt, we had the location of speedway, and the prayer need of careers. We go to speedway in my town and there is a man there named Burt, who needs prayer for his career...before we even told him what was on our list. This IS HOW GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO ME! How can you deny God when he cares enough about you to know where you are and what you are doing! God is faithful and is not a respecter of persons...if you ask him to reveal himself to you in the same way he showed himself to the guy in speedway HE WILL! He loves you!

I'm not exactly sure which part of the Bible you are referring to. But yes no one is BORN a Christian or automatically a Christian. WE are ALL sinners...because of Adam's sin...we are born into sin. But Jesus died on the cross to be the ulimate sacrifice of sin. He died to take our place, so that we would never have to face hell. It is when we admit our sin and ask Jesus into our heart lives that we become Christian or saved! God still does love you care about you. He still has his arms reaching out for you...you just gotta grab on to him! He will never leave you nor forsake you. As for your second statment about why freaks of nature are born...if God creates EVERYTHING! You have to realize that God does create everything...but when man (Adam) fell...and sin entered the world...the devil could work to destroy his creation...this is why people fall away from the Lord, why people die in sickness, why people are born deformed! But God is bigger than all of this!! Trust him!

Wow, what a load of religious fanatics. I would think that you could avoid them online, but apparently, I've forgotten the web is just a projection of the real world.

There is a concept that is proven in science called entropy. Entropy is the natural chaos of matter. When matter is left to itself, it becomes self-destructive, breaking everything down around it to subatomic particles and energy. So what causes matter to remain stable seemingly on its own, even though we observe this entropy simultaneously? Even science has yet to explain that one.

Also, if the theory of evolution were correct, we would not have such a diversity and distinction of species. You couldn't tell a fish from a reptile, or a mammal from an amphibian, a result of entropy. Now, I believe in environmental evolution, which has created a number of species that didn't exist a few thousand years ago, but I don't think that we all evolved from single-cell lifeforms that just somehow occurred from inorganic matter. The only processes we find that creates organic matter is from living creatures, or can now be done in labs by mimicking these natural processes. Explain to me how a bunch of inorganic chemicals came together to form organic matter, and THEN that matter coming together to create life. We would continue observing such processes in the world and universe around us if it were so.

Now, after you explain all of that, tell me how from single-cell organisms we evolved the most complex forms of machinery know to man:the body. Even a single cell organism's functions are far more complex than any machinery made by man's hands. Many of the processes we still don't fully understand.

I think people have such a hard time believing in something greater than science and chance because they don't like the fact that if such a higher being such as a god existed, they would truly be accountable for their actions. Humans have very limited instinctual morals, generally in respect to things like stealing and killing. Sex is obviously not one, because that is purely instinctual, and you can look around us to see what happens when people aren't taught to discipline that instinct. People don't want to admit the existence of a higher being because they want to be able to do whatever they want, within the corrupt reason of man-made governments. And sometimes, they'll even ignore those limited laws.

Although I don't believe in any gods, I don't think there's much substance to the theory you've presented regarding why people cam up with the idea.

The idea of god did not arise because people have an intrinsic need for a god, it arose for historical reasons - which is why people who are not raised religious don't miss it.

im a proud athiest so dont beleive in any god
and particuarly dislike the christian god
why dont I beleive in him/them/it, ect?
no proof and all the ridiculous information they consider true

*** God creates EVERYTHING! ***

Well then...that means that He created the Ebola virus, AIDS, cancer, Hepatitus virus, malaria, yellow fever...I could go on for while.
Thanks a LOT God!!!
Thanks for all your love!!!

yes! because I wanted him in my life and he is in. But the problem is when I see the world I feel so bad about it and I start to question about GOD. but when I know about free choice and when I see my self and others using it for bad purpose I said what a real, free and democratic GOD. bro just try to see your self and pray always u 'll see him working in your life, chose him u 'll see him making your life sweet.
I can not say a lot b/c of so many reasons BUT I WISH you AND OTHERS WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN JESUS to know him in your life. MAY JESUS BE WZ you IN ALL ACTIVITY! AND I AM SURE HE IS WZ you because HE LOVES U

NO, I do not believe in God, or any other deity.

I have studied the Bible daly for nearly a decade and conclude that I can not justify with any level of dignity that its claims could be in accordance with the facts.

And it would also be very nice if the faithful could come up with even a tiny piece of empirical evidence for their extraordinary experiences and their claims of apparitions and the likes. Pretty please...?!

I'm with you on that one, Annv

I totally believe beautiful heart on this one I am also a christian and go to a christian school and church.

I've already explained this..you yourself Jozef...asked the question if GOD CREATES EVERYTHING...( you brought it up in the first place) Like I have already answered...yes he created mankind, he created the Earth, he did create everything...but when MAN (adam) FELL because of free choice...sin was brought into the world. people born freaks of nature and illnesses such as aids, etc. Is the result of sin!