Tell me why you don't believe in God or the devil?

1. 77

   Mandrake_1975posted 13 years ago

   Tell me why you don't believe in God or the devil?
   
   What is your logic behind your belief that people of faith or those who believe in good/evil forces believe in the absurd?  I am interested in the system of logic that you are using and would like to compare it to the most highly respected conclusions of the philosophers of old.
   
   The scientific method (which uses experiments rather than just using deductive reasoning) is not philosophy, so please do not try to base a metaphysical conclusion on the scientific method.  I want to know your philosophical reasoning (if there is any).

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2. 72

   Lady Wordsmithposted 13 years ago

   Personally, I don't believe in God (or any supernatural being for that matter), or in an afterlife other than that of being a dead thing in the ground and feeding the worms, because I cannot feel his presence at all.  I've been open to him, brought up a Catholic for the first half of my life, and he's offered nothing to me, not a shred of evidence of his existence.  I don't reason about his existence philosophically, I just know that I have no belief in him whatsoever.  Everything that I have read about God, about the Bible, about Jesus leads me to believe very strongly that he is a figment of very vivid imaginations - imagination can often cause the body to have physiological responses to things that only really exist in the mind when it comes to a person believing they have symptoms for particular ailments, and I believe that a similar sort of situation occurs when people believe that they have been visited by the Holy Spirit and such like.
   
   It was the presence of so many contradictions in the Bible (which is supposed to be the Word of God) that first made me suspicious that perhaps he hadn't actually said any of it.  Then the more I read of the Bible, the more I became dissatisfied with it, and in the end wondered how I could possibly have believed any of it.
   
   I don't know about 'systems of logic', sorry, I only know about my own personal feelings.
   
   If it turns out that he does exist, and if I'm lucky enough to meet him, I will ask him why he felt the need to be so cruel, so elusive, and so hypocritical (why he had some rules for some of his people, and different rules for others).  Then he'll cast me down into Hell, and I'll get to party for the rest of Eternity

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3. 60

   nightwork4posted 13 years ago

   because there is no god. to me it is so simple that i find it hard to believe that people don't see it. i look at the world and there is no way it was created or controlled by some god. as for the devil, that's nothing but a fear tactic which is about 80% of what religion is about.

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4. 59

   peterxdunnposted 13 years ago

   Once you understand how both the Old and New Testaments fit in with other, older religions/myths/belief systems - from which they were, essentially, copied -  you see them for what they actually are.
   
   People should also try reading the Bible 'straight' and not try to read into it something that isn't there. Take the name Lucifer from Isaiah 14: 12 - for instance - in 14: 16 Isaiah clearly states that he is talking about a MAN, '...Is this the MAN that made the Earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms?'
   
   He is actually refering to an Assyrian king: Tiglath Pilesser, whose name - when translated from Hebrew - reads, 'I place my trust in the son of Esharra'. Esharra is a semitic rendering of Astarte, Asherah (God's wife), Eostre and Ishtar. All goddesses of the spring, Easter (hence the name), the harvest and childbirth among many other attributes. They were all, also represented by both the planet Venus and the constellation of Virgo.
   
   Lucifer is  the Roman name for the planet Venus: the MORNING STAR ergo 'the son of the morning'.
   
   Tiglath Pilesser - by the way - conquered the kingdoms of Israel and Judah: that 's why Isaiah gives him a bad press.
   
   Now I know this post is going to get hammered by the god police: I also know why; some people cannot live with the truth - they'd much rather believe a lie first told in ancient Sumer 6,000 years ago.

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5. 60

   Merlin Fraserposted 13 years ago

   Remember the story of the King's new Clothes and how the people accepted what they were told because they did not want to appear foolish ?
   
   Now go back and look at the ancient teachings about God !
   
   Like all good stories if you have a Super hero you have to have a Super villian for him to play with....
   
   There is No God ... No Devil... there never was, get over it and move into the real world where we realists take responsiblity for what we do, be it good or bad.
   
   We do not look for excuses or something to blame when we mess up it isn't the Devil's fault it's ours.

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6. 0

   Muldanianmanposted 13 years ago

   Partly my disbelief is due to the lack of evidence for God.  There is evidence for evolution, yet the Bible and other religious books do not refer to evolution.  Creationism really does not agree with the facts.
   
   Partly my disbelief is because of the often fundamentalist bigoted views of the religious believer, who describe those with mental illness as being possessed by the devil, or deny equal rights to women or people of different sexualities.  If Christians were more Christlike, I would be more inclined to listen to what they had to say.  But, so often I see hatred expressed by Christians and those of other religions in the name of their god.  This will never encourage me to engage with such people.  From what I have read in the Bible, I firmly believe that Christ would not have shown the hatred towards his fellow man, that some of his followers do today.  It is Christians that put me off Christianity, not Christ.

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7. 61

   Juan Mezaposted 13 years ago

   There's an old saying, or rather phrase that goes, "You must believe in something". And it is the foundation of that phrase that goes to logic that the vast majority of people want to believe in something...and a logical conclusion is that they also want to believe in what is popular.
   I believe that there is good and evil in all people. That out actions will dictate our fate. For instance, I take some affirmative actions that KNOW will hurt someone...be it physically, economically, socially...whatever. But if in my mind and heart I know and feel that my actions are wrong and unjustified...then I can expect bad Karma tenfold.
   To rid oneself of the complexity of over a thousand religions and variations thereof...it's simpler to look at the big picture as good and bad....right and wrong...this places our morals, upbringing and ethical standards into play. The only problem with that is that not every person was raised with the same upbringing and instilled a certain moral character to make the process unanimous. But even still, it's simpler to ask yourself if your actions are right or wrong than to ask yourself if they conform to the standards, practices and dictations of a higher being.
   I believe in God...but not as someone...more as an entity. Because no matter how hard or well life treats me...I still find a bit of relief when I thank someone for the beauty of life and all around me...who do we thank?
   But as far as believing that living a righteous, God-fearing life will offer me the glory of everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven...I chose not to believe in that part. If what happens to us after we die is a matter of what is written in a book based on religion (a sort of life-manual with promises of a certain fate for one's behavior on earth)...then more educated people would choose the Koran for the perks of their heavenly rewards.
   I believe that we live and die and that is that..so what we do when we are here is what matters...and the wrongs we do while we are here we pay for...while we're here. And the goods we do we receive life's rewards...while we're here. After that...it's all over folks.

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8. 60

   akuiglaposted 13 years ago

   We can say it in a different way,like:
   Is out there good and bad things, or just pure coincidence?
   Do you consider yourself as an accident of the nature?
   Do you think that you have any purpose in live?
   Why you exist?
   Do you believe in extraterestrials?
   Why secret society of Free Masons accept only person,as a member, who believe in God,regardless of religion?Non believers are not welcome.
   How come 2/3 of humankind believe in some form of higher mind,calling that higher mind God?
   Do you know that worst attrocities in history were caused by people who didnt believe in God?
   Do you know who was Mother Theresa and why she was called by God to help the poorest  in Calcuta -India?
   When you were in desperate situation, who you were calling for help?
   Why all saints in all religions gave everything material to the poor?Like Gauthama Budha,Frances of Asisi....
   Why the richest people in USA gave almost everything,prior to their death,to charity and to enrich public life?Like John D. Rockefeller,Cornelius Vanderbilt....
   Answer those questions my friend,and you will know more,as I have.

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9. 61

   cascolyposted 13 years ago

   funny, you reject science, yet ask for logic!  there IS NO LOGIC to believing in gods and unicorns.  it calls for unconfirmed, irrational belief.
   
   philosophy is a long history of the evolution of the mind away from the bondage of a belief in any gods.  or would you rather believe in the natterings of  shepherds from 3000 years ago, only written down centuries later?  why not use the egyptian gods instead? at least their civilization lasted for thousands of years
   
   logically the only conclusion is simple -- there is no evidence for any god or devil

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