Why do people still believe in Religion?

Originally posted by jon1
Why do people still believe in religion?

A lot of people on here are giving many answers but only from a none believers view. They cannot even begin to comprehend the thought that maybe it is because there is a God.

For me personally there is absolutely no doubt that God is real. I have seen and done things that make him as real to me as you are.

That was my point Jon, it's all about belief and opinion. No one is trying to take that away from you

Originally posted by jon1
the problem is, if you are a none believer there is nothing for you to see, hear or touch and that is the limit of your understanding.

Quite the opposite Jon. For believers in the Abrahamic god, there is by it's very definition only one reason for the universe and everything within it. For the rest of us there are countless wonders to behold and discover, and those discoveries keep on coming. When one idea is deemed to have been made in error or with incomplete data, and new discoveries are made, we marvel in the wonderment of reality and how it can be proven and seen by all, not just a special chosen few believers.

Originally posted by jon1
It is only when you open up your mind to other possibilities and ask Jesus to reveal himself to you through a real desire to know him

Jon, I think that is real sweet, but personally, I think if Jesus revealed himself to me through real desire, my other half would get kind of jealous, so I will leave you on that one I think.

[edit on 7-1-2008 by VelvetSplash]

I have looked through the thread after my earlier post and there have been some very valid points made. I think that the point was lost at some point when things descended into whether there was a god or not ... that wasn't the point of the thread but how and ever.

It has raised a few questions for me though.

I get a general vibe from the thread that a lot of people believe in some higher power but that they are apathetic about religion due to the ridiculous politics that now permeate a number of religious orders.

Now my point. Is there a danger that for a large portion of believers, religion has superseded God? What I mean is that people are so indoctrinated by the traditions laws and process of their individual religious orders that any real connection with what they perceive as God is lost and replaced with a belief system that is more about following the rules than actually establishing any real connection with their deity.

If I can just ask that people dont comment on this in terms of does god exist or not as that isn't my point. Also if this has moved too far away from the original post I might open up a new thread.

I had another point but I started writing this in work 4 hours ago and its slipped my mind.

Anyway let me know what your thoughts are if any.

Originally posted by XyZeR

Why do people still believe in Religion?

The inherent spiritualism of human beings + your education i.e. what your parents/family told you to believe.

You are nothing but genes and your education.

Even remote tribes believe in some sort Diety or have some form of Spritiualism (shamanism, sun gods, etc). That's what i mean by the inherent spiritualism of humans.

Is there a higher force of consciousness inside our genes that drives us to education?

That would be God.

You see that the answer for God can be found in any scientific explanation as well. It's the people who believe God is completely separate from science who are most likely to believe he doesn't exist. The greatest scientists ever known believed there was one supreme life force directing nature, and we as a scientific body are simply studying the external details of that supreme life force.

Nobody has to believe in God. Just continue to believe in the material world which 'he' manifests and you can call yourself a scientist: the word God doesn't have to be used.

You are nothing but genes and your education.

Then by that logic being raised in a VERY racist household and area I should also be racist. Correct?
Funny thing is. I'm not. I don't believe there shouldbe any races but human.

Because there is a perpetual need by people who can only be categorized as "soft" to fulfill their empty lives and provide some false sense of security.

Originally posted by Daedelus
Oh and by the way. WWII WAS a religous war, Hitler hated jews and had a belief that the arian(spelling??) race was gods race and that he needed to create lebensraum (room to live) to this race of übermensch (superhumans).

ERRRR!!!!!!! WRONG!

Ever hear of Eugenics?
Familiar with the fact that not all ethnic jews believe in Judaism? The early Christians were Jews.

reply to post by cpdaman


Not sure why I am bothering with this, the self rightous will always find some way to worm out. But here goes.

I think a large reason why people stay w/ religion or become religous (born again) is that it *provides an option for strength in a person's mental beleif system* P E R I O D

what you are willing to believe about your self internally can be reflected in your perceptions

believing that there is an external power guiding you takes the pressure off your self and gives many the power to get themselves the results they want in this wild and crazy world they live in. I am not religious , but this is one reason i will respect others beliefs. And to those that see this as a crutch , i would advise them they may be living in their own different glass houses w/o realizing it.

The whole undercurrent to you message is
"Yea, those other peoples are fools. They have their reasons, but fools none the less. I am better and special because I know the truth."

Like some great sage that has ultimate knowledge and laughs at the monkeys still trying to find it. Considering the fact there isn't a human alive IMO that has it right, of course a great many would say that they do or just act like they do.

And as for the looks like I am rationalizing comment. Why don't you just say I know you are but what am I? It's easier.

Originally posted by WraothAscendant
reply to post by cpdaman

 

Not sure why I am bothering with this, the self rightous will always find some way to worm out. But here goes.

I think a large reason why people stay w/ religion or become religous (born again) is that it *provides an option for strength in a person's mental beleif system* P E R I O D

what you are willing to believe about your self internally can be reflected in your perceptions

believing that there is an external power guiding you takes the pressure off your self and gives many the power to get themselves the results they want in this wild and crazy world they live in. I am not religious , but this is one reason i will respect others beliefs. And to those that see this as a crutch , i would advise them they may be living in their own different glass houses w/o realizing it.

The whole undercurrent to you message is
"Yea, those other peoples are fools. They have their reasons, but fools none the less. I am better and special because I know the truth."

Like some great sage that has ultimate knowledge and laughs at the monkeys still trying to find it. Considering the fact there isn't a human alive IMO that has it right, of course a great many would say that they do or just act like they do.

And as for the looks like I am rationalizing comment. Why don't you just say I know you are but what am I? It's easier.

Doesnt make him any less wrong than you. So agree to disagree. Oh, and they are fools

reply to post by 3_Libras


As are we all. Fools I mean.
You can take this antogonistic approach to some other group but if someone DARES to question you. Ohhhhhh no.


[edit on 7-1-2008 by WraothAscendant]

Originally posted by WraothAscendant
reply to post by 3_Libras

 

As are we all. Fools I mean.

Depends who you ask

Originally posted by 3_Libras
Because there is a perpetual need by people who can only be categorized as "soft" to fulfill their empty lives and provide some false sense of security.

Not a single one of those allegations fits in with true spirituality OR religion.

Nice try though.
Just more empty prejudicial BS from unsubstantiated atheists

Originally posted by NewWorldOver

Originally posted by 3_Libras
Because there is a perpetual need by people who can only be categorized as "soft" to fulfill their empty lives and provide some false sense of security.

Not a single one of those allegations fits in with true spirituality OR religion.

Nice try though.
Just more empty prejudicial BS from unsubstantiated atheists

I think George Carlin bests sums up the way you choose to live your life. I have no problems with what you choose to do, but I love laughing at you, and people like you. Does this make me better? Not at all. Do I feel better about myself? Hell yeah.

reply to post by 3_Libras



Of course. Ask the egotistical (or the zealot, or etc etc) and they will rail against such a thought that they even could be.
Though I might add others may think they are.


[edit on 7-1-2008 by WraothAscendant]

reply to post by 3_Libras

Does this make me better? Not at all. Do I feel better about myself? Hell yea!

A saying about something to do with feces and stinking comes to mind. You know it.
And well that statement contridicts itself heavily.

Ok I will prove there is a god, if you read about the probabilitys on inteligent life exsiting elswhere in the unviverse it seems very promising but when you have a poke around in space you will find nothing well i mean we have found nothing not even a germ, right the universe is big and many places have not been discoverd yet, but the universe is supposedly many billions of years old, so the unvierse is very old and very big now the probabilitys on there being a inteligent race say 20 million years more advanced than us is very high, so where the f is all this inteligent life, and dont give me the goverment is hiding everything if there where inteligent aliens i doubt they would listen to bush and the elites they would just land where they want, do what they want and leave when they want, any race that has the capability to travel through vast amounts of space in little or no time will also have the capability to eliminate any unfreindlys thetrefore science is full of crap, anyway this is not why i believe in god the real reason is that when i was 16 my girlfreind at the time was telling me that she knew a way to have a outer body experience, and she tryed it on my freind richard, i was making fun out of her story and chuckled in disbelief then suddenly my music cuts out i thaught nothing off it because it was right at end of the tape, so i went to turn over the tape and noticed my stereo had no power so i went downstairs to check the mains nothing was wrong with mains, then i started to hear the fire alarm beep every few secs which meant the batterys where low, i looked up the stairs towards my bedroom door when i started to hear footsteps along the steps and landing leading towards my mums room i was scared to go up stairs, when i did i went straight to my mums room and woke her and my dad up i told them the electric is not working, then i turned to my dad and said i dont feel right all of a sudden something had taken over my body making scream and cry like a woman very loudly while something was telling me in my head/thaugts that if i threw myself out the window it would be better, my mum called the ambulance straight away they asked if i had taken any drugs i had not i didnt even smoke/drink, they took me to the hospital where i was still literaly shaking very badly jaw and hands where out of control i told A&E i did not need there help because something was telling me in my thaughts there is a chapel in the hospital so found 1 and swear the minute i entered everything stopped and i felt 100% safe i said a prayer lit a candle and returned home with the knowledge that god is protecting me. the next day i asked my freind richard about his experience he told me my ex girlfreind was reading him passages from the bible when something took him over he started speaking like a evil devil this time a mans voice something you would see in poltergeist, i dont know if my ex girlifreinds dead mum had anything to with what we experienced, from then on i knew there were unseen forces at work if you dont think so go and start messing with the spirits i wouldnt

[edit on 7-1-2008 by MESSYSC]

Originally posted by 3_Libras

I think George Carlin bests sums up the way you choose to live your life. I have no problems with what you choose to do, but I love laughing at you, and people like you. Does this make me better? Not at all. Do I feel better about myself? Hell yeah.

See what I mean? More un-substantiated prejudicial BULL#$*%!

You have no idea how I 'choose to live my life'. I am not an enrolled member of any religious organization,

I just find it pitiable how many of you malcontents walk around labeling everyone religious nuts etc. holding your head high as if it takes strength to be an atheist.

Get over yourself, buddy. I'm familiar with George Carlin, he would have waited until somebody had proven themself a religious nut before 'laughing at them to feel better.'

You're just another kid on an anti-religious headrush, I see it all the time. New-found atheists who think the world is full of bible thumpers and they are the 'edgy' newcomers. Not even CLOSE.

I think the real question is; why do people care what someone else believes? As long as they're not bothering you, just shut up and leave them alone. Or are you so desperate to validate your own existence that you're forced to attack another person's thoughts?

Oh, and this;

Originally posted by Quazga
...it is so obvious that Religions today are mechanisms of cultural wars instead of paths to liberation and enlightenment or social mechanisms of survival...
[edit on 6-1-2008 by Quazga]

is total garbage. Religion has been used for evil, that can't be argued, but religion is in no way responsible for that evil, men are. To say otherwise is like saying a gun is responsible for murder, not the person who pulls the trigger.

reply to post by miriam0566


My interpretation is base on the premise that the quote I have extracted from GENESIS is the most controversial of all.
If you read carefully you notice that the God is actually talking to other Gods, as warning them that Adam will become like him (God) and us (Gods).
If you put down your faith (for few minutes) and try to think for your self as an independent spiritual being, then it is obvious that some kind of spiritual conspiracy was in action according to this verses.
The God or Gods of the bible and also of other similar religion where all oppressive and dictatorial trying to suppress the true freedom of human spiritual recovery.
I don’t deny an existence of a supreme being, but for sure I deny the self appoint gods of the religions. For me it doesn’t make sense that any Gods will temper in the process of spiritual evolution.
Human beings are basically good being if only left a lone.
May I remind you the time of the Vatican dictatorship in Europe back in the aftermath of the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire? Those time where some of the darkest in human history where all kind of atrocity where committed in the name of religion.
Also never forget that in today world the population has rise up to above 6 billion, in proportion all this wars and famine are well below to what was going on in the Middle Age. This is a comprehensive statistic survey, so for sure I will disagree about your claim that today is more violent.
I for one believe that we are now living in the fresh old of some kind of spiritual deliverance where man and woman will be face with their true human identity.

PS. Who’s Satan?

Kacou

reply to post by Deitrim

Now my point. Is there a danger that for a large portion of believers, religion has superseded God? What I mean is that people are so indoctrinated by the traditions laws and process of their individual religious orders that any real connection with what they perceive as God is lost and replaced with a belief system that is more about following the rules than actually establishing any real connection with their deity.

You have a good point there. I have met many people who are very religious but when you talk to them you realise that they seem to have no relationship with God. They seem to be very good with the do's and dont's but lack the ability to understand the spiritual side of their faith.
I think it becomes a habit for some people more than a spiritual experience. I nearly made a big mistake last week when i went to church and sat down randomly. A couple then asked me if i minded if they sat down next to me, even though the church was almost empty at that point.
They then explained to me that they have sat in those same two seats for the last 30 years.
My problem is that i do all the dont's and don't do all the do's.

Don't be stupid. Don't turn to religion. Turn to your spirit. You will find it within you and then you will find the God Jesus spoke of. A new God. The real God. One of love and comfort. Look further and you will find that you are, indeed gods, and eventually, you are one with God. Jesus was the first step towards realizing that you are one with God. Jesus was the next step in the evoluton of God. And you can become part of that evolution, too. Look deep within and give up the belief in "I". Become in harmony with "Us". Sounds sort of New Age doesn't it?