why do people believe in god?

hello ats i want to know why people believe in god

i have heard of people speaking of spiritual encounters and meeting god but this could be hallucination due to electro magnetism or brain damage

heres a link to a video www.youtube.com...

heres a link for spirituality and brain damagewww.foxnews.com...

it is also my oppinion that religion is a brainwashing system for the masses to be controlled heres another video www.youtube.com...

ive heard it said that the bible is historically acurate well yeah in alot of parts it is but then again its just a book and the OT which is a part of the bible i hope there is no confusion there says dragons and unicorns exist so its a bit hard to take the book seriously because of stuff like that

there is the story of the flood where noah built an arc to save his family(and the human race) and the animals from being wiped out and that either two or seven worthy animals were chosen to go on the boat, what did noah eat? the animals? they needed to stay alive to continue their species. i seriously doubt noahs family starved for 40 days and 40 nights unless they brought a stockpile of food with them or asomething but in ancient times people had poor food preservation skills and i dont think food could stay fresh for 40 days outside a refrigerator. also remember the animals? well 2 or 7 wichever you choose would create a huge bottleneck due to inbreeding and we all know inbreeding causes health problems an d those animals would not survive in the wild after a while.(you say %90 of the animals taht existed on earth are extinct? well thats our dumbass fault with pollution and over hunting and general habitat destruction not inbreeding) also if we are all desendents of noah's family then we would be inbred retards and if noahs family is all thats left then they had to be participants of incest which was a big no no in the bible(even though there are plenty of acounts of this in the bible).

the bible does contradict itself quite a bit and i cannot take it seriously

some will say "well of course there is a god! why do you think we have a bible?"
because some guy(human being) wrote it with that logic allah must be real cause of the quoran or that the hindu gods must be real because of their hily books or that mormanism is true because of the book of morman. thats why that statement is a bit ridicoulous

some will say as i have heard
"the bible says there will be many scoffers" well with some of these ridicoulous beliefs im not surprised
in old time it was said to be bad luck to take rings of someone elses fingers. this was probably a tactic to scare thieves same thing with the scoffers arguement

this is my favorite christian arguement "a watch implies a watchmaker therefore there must be a supreme designer" something to that extent
if that were true who designed the designer? remember a watch implies a watchmaker

"god created itself" well in order to create you must first exist so no
"god just always was" im not buying that
"i dont question god" are you afraid your wrong?
"the big bang is proof that god created the universe" possibly but with the above statement of who created god? it just doesnt add up

well i think ive done a fairly good amount of ranting
im sure i will run into some pissed of zealots, offended religious people and people who think im attacking thier religion

just so everyone knows this was not an attack on religion it was a question, a series of personal opinions and some things i found taht dont add up



[edit on 10-4-2010 by ashanu90]

One reason could be people's need to have something to blame their problems on.
It can take the burden of personal responsibility off of one's shoulders if they can say "The devil made me kill that person" or "If I'm supposed to have that God will see that I get it."
It's actually quite sad in a way.

There is a "god spot" in the brain, i.e. the area that lights up when people have mystical experiences.

But it is illogical to say that those mystical experiences are just the result of the brain.

First, why would we humans evolve an area in the brain where we can experience God or mystical experiences for no reason?

Second, if you say that spiritual experiences are not "real" because they occur in the brain, then you would have to say that our reality is not "real" because EVERYTHING we perceive occurs in the brain.

reply to post by ashanu90



Why do I believe in God? To put it very simply. I had a Acts 2 experience. I have actually heard the rushing of the wind. And the experience had a point and a purpose. It intended for me to have a supernatural study guide to the bible. It intended for me to learn things that are not apparent to simply reading it.

So yes there is something to it.

reply to post by DARKCYDE_CROWLEY


What I think is sad is how you generalize that everybody who believes god, says those things. Yes, religion has became this dogma that is completely rediculous. That doesn't mean evryone who bieleves in God follows a certain religion.
I could sit here for hours an explain to you what lead me to change my beliefs on god, but if you really believe it's just something to put my blame on, so be it. I take full responsibility for all my actions in life, and don't expect any leniance from god just because i believe in him/her/it. That would be the opposite of looking to better yourself.

Well prove definitively that god does or does not exist. Written word can be wrong or text can be older than we expect.

Oh and by the way, I completely agree with you that religion is just a brainwashing system to control the masses.

When I was a little kid, my neighbor and I would sit next to each other in church. She of course would pay attention and get really excited about Sunday Mass, where I would sit there playing my Gameboy and not caring one bit. As we grew up I explored other religious paths whereas my neighbor, to this day, works for that very church. She wants to become a nun.

Although her and I are still best friends, our views on religion is different. She's not the kind that is afraid to question God or even contemplate ideas that what she believes in is false. Although its sad to think about or know that at the end of the day, she truly goes back to the word of God, she's still the amazing, pot smoking, hard working girl I've known my whole life.

I guess my point is that people are going to believe in what they want. Everyone finds a different path to life, despite if it's mind controlling or not.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

reply to post by ashanu90


I would suggest that belief in God is essentially an act of trust.

How can you say why a person decides to trust in someone else?

It isn't always, necessarily, the result of scrupulous logic. In fact, trust sometimes involves accepting things you cannot understand.

If you're asking because you want to know, that's all I can say.

Originally posted by Good Intentions
reply to post by DARKCYDE_CROWLEY

 

What I think is sad is how you generalize that everybody who believes god, says those things. Yes, religion has became this dogma that is completely rediculous. That doesn't mean evryone who bieleves in God follows a certain religion.
I could sit here for hours an explain to you what lead me to change my beliefs on god, but if you really believe it's just something to put my blame on, so be it. I take full responsibility for all my actions in life, and don't expect any leniance from god just because i believe in him/her/it. That would be the opposite of looking to better yourself.

I wasn't generalizing everyone who believes in God which is why I said "one reason."
I'm sure there are many reasons for many people.
I have just been unfortunate enough to run into quite a few examples of the one's I mentioned.

Same here, it actually angers me what religion has turned into. I always knew ever since i was a child that there was something very illogical in the way religion was pressed on everybody. I'm happy i never followed religion, and kept an open mind my whole life.
I never believed in anything but pure biological process until i was around 17. I changed my beliefs when i learned about OBE's, and could varify for myself that the idea of God wasn't just some bs story. It also showed me how much religion was manipulated to control the masses.

reply to post by DARKCYDE_CROWLEY


Hey man, I get what your saying I just took that as a stereotyping kind of thing. It is unfortunate that many people think that way, I know too that many people just think that god will handle their problems for them. To me these are those people who just blindly beilieve everything someone wrote in a book.
Your completly right, its really sad that people take the easy way out rather than confront their own problems. That used to be one the reasons i didn't believe in god, because so many people believe that god will do everything for them. I can't speak for everyone, but I feel that the whole idea of god has turned into a joke because of the dogma that everybody has believed.

The wonders of nature down to cellular level represent complexity beyond all that man has understood much less built.

The question "who created God" is inapplicable because God created time itself and therefore stands outside of it.

Omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience transcend any futile attempts of objective explanation.

All claims of vestigial organs and structures have been proven false. Limitations within DNA define limits to the organism that prohibit mutation-based emergence of radically different types.

Adaptation does occur (micro-evolution) but the other five types constitute a religion that none dare call religion. If it cannot be observed, tested, or demonstrated then it is not science.

Fossils are evidence of preservative rapid burial.

Why not believe in GOD?

just becareful what you do in his name.

A correct answer to your question is sprawling, but I'll do my best here. Religion has many distinct aspects and it's hard to deal with "religion in general" as one thing. I think you mean to ask why people subscribe to religious worldviews more than you mean "why do they hold a specific belief in a higher power?" I think this because you talk about the bible, and the story of the bible and the whole enterpise of christianity in general includes much more than just believing in god and calling it a day.

The reason that people are attracted to religion is not because it seems to be the most true set of facts, or that it is supported by the most compelling evidence, or that the rational arguments which science produces are logically inferior to the claims made in religious belief systems. That's not it - that's not what it's about. People may take religion as literal truth, but, pursuit of literal, factual, truth is not the main point of religion. That's why we hear this term "faith" so often in the context of religion. Faith based beliefs are - by definition - not necessarily support by evidence, and don't have to be supported by a rational argument. They are based on "faith." A person makes a choice to believe these faith-based beliefs despite the lack of evidence, that's why they call it "faith" and not "science." If you're approaching the issue with the idea that people of faith believe in god because they set out to find the most accurate history of the world, or the most accurate characterization of physical reality, you're heading in the wrong direction. It's not about that, and admittedly so.

Now that we've established that it's not about that - which is key - let's see what it is about. For one thing, there is a biological basis for spiritual beliefs in the brain. For details, check out these NPR interviews with neuroscientists who investigate the biological basis for spiritual experiences:

More than half of adult Americans report they have had a spiritual experience that changed their lives. Now, scientists from universities like Harvard, Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins are using new technologies to analyze the brains of people who claim they have touched the spiritual — from Christians who speak in tongues to Buddhist monks to people who claim to have had near-death experiences. Hear what they have discovered in this controversial field, as the science of spirituality continues to evolve.

www.npr.org...

It makes sense that there should be a "god" function in the brain, from an evolutionary perspective. An accessible discussion of this is availible at the following wikipedia page:

Evolutionary psychology of religion is based on the hypothesis that religious belief can be explained by the evolution of the human brain. As with all other organ functions, cognition's functional structure has been argued to have a genetic basis, and is therefore subject to the effects of natural selection. Like other organs and tissues, this functional structure should be universally shared amongst humans and should solve important problems of survival and reproduction. Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand cognitive processes, religion in this case, by understanding the survival and reproductive functions they might serve.

en.wikipedia.org...

Additional information abounds. Google "evolutionary basis religion" and you'll be able to find plenty.

Besides the biological basis, religion serves a purpose for the psychology of individuals as well as groups. For one thing, religion is a coping mechanism. Whether or not religious beliefs are supported by rigorous arguments, people who hold them feel better about themselves, the world, and their place within it. It is a powerful tool, this belief which makes you feel better, and on many occasions the value of religion in this respect overwhelms people's commitment to rationality. There are many discussions of this notion, for example:

Religion impacts suicidality. One’s degree of religiosity can potentially serve as a protective factor against suicidal behavior. To accurately assess risk of suicide, it is imperative to understand the role of religion in suicidality. PsycINFO and MEDLINE databases were searched for published articles on religion and suicide between 1980 and 2008. Epidemiological data on suicidality across four religions, and the influence of religion on suicidality are presented. Practice guidelines are presented for incorporating religiosity into suicide risk assessment. Suicide rates and risk and protective factors for suicide vary across religions. It is essential to assess for degree of religious commitment and involvement to accurately identify suicide risk.

www.springerlink.com...

At the level of groups, religion serves a purpose in both justifying the status of the ruling class as well as providing the foundation for a system of objectively correct morals. When one person rules over a kingdom, many people are likely to ask themselves, "Who put that guy in charge? Why does he get to decide what we do?" If the ruler can answer that he is in charge because god wants it that way, he can compell his subjects to accept his position of power. A similar argument applies to morals and the laws that are based on them. "What should be legally and morally acceptable?" ... "Well, God gave us these tablets telling us the answer to that question. . ." Deriving ethics from a higher power is one way to legitimize an ethical system such that it can be imposed on the population without question.

Finally, human beings have an inherent drive to explain what they see. Everything from the weather, to illness, to the motion of what we see in the night sky, was at one point a total mystery. Without science, it's hard explain this stuff. People make up explanations. If stories are being told about powerful gods and spiritual forces, it's easy to connect the dots and explain all natural phenomena in mystical/spiritual/religious terms. The idea that god created everything has a certain sensibility about it which is appealing to someone who hasn't heard the big bang argument. Even then, there is an absurdity which many find distastful about the scientific history of the universe.

Does that help?

Jesus, Bellamente made some very good points.

Its been said that the human body has 3 distict parts. Physical, Astral and Mental. Something like the 'god spot' or pineal gland as its called is there for a reason.

I believe there is a divine creator just because of what I see when I look out the window. A dog takes a deuce on my lawn, then it breaks down thanks to the enviroment, and all the little critters we cant see with the naked eye. Then what grows there grows there and lives off all the waste that that dog nicely depositted on my lawn.

I realize my reason for believing in a divine creator doesnt have alot of 'aww factor' but everything on this planet has its place, except for us. Animals are based on instict so they naturally respect nature, we are based on instict and some other rather odd things, but it doesnt stop people from giving the birds antifreeze.

My point is, is that this world is way to perfect with the exception of us to be based entirely off evolution. Theres something there pushing it to adapt to the current circumstances.

My mother has believed in the God of the Christianity faith all of her life. And though she herself is blinded by the fact, she believes in God because it is a coping mechanism to get her through life. She has no real world views and opinions of her own. They are based solely on the bible and the bibles teachings. It all started when she was a child growing up in church. She was taught from an extremely young age that you put your belief system, your faith, and your life in Gods hands and he will take care of it all for you. And her belief system continues to this day at the ripe age of 79.

I don't think "God" in and of itself is the problem. The problem lies in the particular teachings of God and the constitutional makeup of the person being taught and how they interact with each other.

In other words, some people flourish and live better lives believing in God than if they didn't. While others are stuck within a belief system that is not condusive to their own personal growth.

In my mothers' case, it is the latter. It is my belief that not only did that particular brand of believing in God ruin what could have been a much better life, it also created her state of mind that she could not live without it.

Sorry, but I don't think there is a simple answer to this question.



Peace

I don't disagree that religion can be used for brainwashing. Then again so can patriotism or any other belief. Even if god is real or is fake the ideal that are brought up are good and bad. It is what you decide to do with the presented information.

Originally posted by BellaMente
There is a "god spot" in the brain, i.e. the area that lights up when people have mystical experiences.

But it is illogical to say that those mystical experiences are just the result of the brain.

First, why would we humans evolve an area in the brain where we can experience God or mystical experiences for no reason?

Funny seeing you here. . .

It wouldn't evolve for no reason. Of course it wouldn't, you're right to say that wouldn't make sense. But, the evolutionary argument is very strong, so maybe it did evolve for a reason. Every civilization on earth has developed spiritual beliefs. A really good way to explain why all these groups of humans, who were separated and not in contact with each other, all came up with their own religions is to say that religion is somehow fundamental to human beings, that it arises naturally as a result of our cognitive structure, and that this is probably a result of evolutionary factors. See my post above, and the links therein, for discussions of what might be good reasons for religion to have evolved.

Second, if you say that spiritual experiences are not "real" because they occur in the brain, then you would have to say that our reality is not "real" because EVERYTHING we perceive occurs in the brain.

Well, hold on a minute now. We're saying it's not real because it's only in the brain. One of the things that your brain does is form beliefs about the world. These beliefs are mental representations/information which may or may not correspond to something in physical reality. When we say that a belief is "true" or "correct" we mean that it corresponds to something in reality in a direct way. The reason we say religious beliefs are false is not that they are in the brain, but that these beliefs do not correspond to anything in reality. The story of genesis does not correspond to anything that actually happened in reality. The story of my typing this post does correspond to something in reality. Holding a belief in either of these things would be a mental act - the beliefs are in my mind/brain - but one belief is true because it is in my mind and in reality, and the other beief in false because it is only in my mind, and does not correspond to anything "out there" in reality.

reply to post by OnceReturned


Learned some new stuff from that thanks.

But, something keeps coming back. Why is it there? Why do we have the potential to have these experiences at all? It cant just be in there to make us happy and think there is more out there. Like, im speaking from a individual stand point, and not religious one.

Pagans saw gods and goddess, christians see angels, mormons see Joseph smith. Groups can influence each other. Why does the body even have this potential to see something thats not there when we are just gonna turn into dirt down the road?