Why I Don't Believe In God

[mazHur]

Huns and Mongols had no religion just like the Thugs of India.

''I would have guessed some sort of Asian animism, but Wikipedia says "unknown" so it must be true. Another site says "Tengriism" but that is a comic book hero site, so not sure how reliable it is.''




"Traditional religion of Turkic peoples and Mongols before their incorporation of major world religions. Incorporates elements of shamanism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Sometimes called called Goktanri religion"
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila
http://www.comicbookreligion.com/?Religi…

[irishpixieb]

Below I have a link for Thomas Aquinas' 5 Proofs for the existence of God. They are the foundation of my argument. Scroll down to "I answer that". You don't need to read the rest unless you're really interested.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/aquinas3.asp

Anyway, what Aquinas is saying is that there is a prime mover in the universe. He set off the Big Bang and he created everything. This mover controls all that goes on on this Earth. The issues that are addressed can all be lumped into the so-called "Problem of Evil". The "Problem of Evil" is simply the question of why a God that is good would let evil happen? And, it's a legitimate question. I ask it myself...a lot. But, what one has to rely on here is faith, in the end. Aquinas' arguments are pretty convincing. He uses logic to get his point across. But, logic seems to falter when it comes to the "Problem of Evil".

The only thing I can say to this is that there is a reason. How much good has AIDS created? Think about all of the people who are currently helping those in need. Starving children is the same way. Think about the good that has sprung out of the evil. War has also had its benefits, despite the hellishness of it. Some of our greatest technology has sprung out of research that happened during war. Also, in World War II, women were given a chance to enter the working world and make a difference. (Sorry, I had to throw the feminist thing in there!) And hate is not the opposite of love. Hate implies that the other person cares. In a way, it is a kind of love because one cares enough about a person to hate them.

There is no easy answer to the "Problem of Evil". No one has provided all the answers. I beg you not to give up on God yet. In due time, we may know the answers. Read the Book of Job in the Bible. It talks about all the things you reference (except Katy Perry haha). God requires faith, its as simple as that.

Oh, and my final point. Pascal's Wager stated that he believed in God because it was a win win either way. If God existed, then he was good because he believed in God and would get into heaven. If God didn't exist, then he still would win because he was at least playing it safe. Just something to think about if nothing else. Other things I beg you to check out are Anselm's Proof of God and Descartes, although Descartes is a flawed argument...

That's all I wanted to say

[Varenne Rodin]

You know...I feel the same way about my decision to believe in God. Seems like many people on both sides of the coin just lack the respect for people to believe what they want to. It's completely obvious to me that He is real, but I respect your belief as well. I've got several friends on FB that we just don't discuss these things.

So, just curious...since Christmas is mostly pagan anyway (I'm not one of those who observes it religiously), do you observe the traditions of the season?

I do celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving too. I don't put up pretenses about beliefs, I just enjoy decorating, making tasty treats, and giving. Sociocultural norms, and all of that.

[BienvenuJDC]

I do celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving too. I don't put up pretenses about beliefs, I just enjoy decorating, making tasty treats, and giving. Sociocultural norms, and all of that.

oh...we are going to have a problem if you DON'T like pumpkin pie...

Have you ever had Shoo Fly Pie (aka Wet Bottom Pie)?

[JuniperWoolf]

Christmas without gifts is just Thanksgiving. I love gifts, I love having this little package sitting in my house with my name on it, and I don't know what it is, and the anticipation. I like making lists of the people that I'm buying for, dwelling on who they are and what would make them happy and then putting together little parcels of goodies for them.

It doesn't have to be expensive, I have a cousin who once gave me a jar of feta in oil with spices that he made himself and it was one of the best things I've ever recieved. Feta is one of my favorite things on earth and I loved learning that he remembered and put time and effort into creating something just for me. My brother made me a "cold kit" when he was little, and it was genius. I was often sick as a kid, so he gave me a nice little box that he decorated himself. It looked beautiful and sat under the tree for weeks, and when I finally opened it I found packages of neo-citrin, a hot water bottle, some trashy books which I love to read when I'm sick, some vapor rub and a eucalyptus-scented teddy bear. It was brilliant, so personal. I could tell that he put a lot of thought into who I was and what I would need that he could give me.

[Varenne Rodin]

Aw. I love that, Juniper. Very sweet.

Bien, I do like pumpkin pie, if it's spiced properly. Is shoo-fly pie anything like pecan pie? I have no idea.

[OrphanPip]

Huns and Mongols had no religion just like the Thugs of India.

Since when do shamanism, animism and ancestor worship not count as religion?

[BienvenuJDC]

Aw. I love that, Juniper. Very sweet.

Bien, I do like pumpkin pie, if it's spiced properly. Is shoo-fly pie anything like pecan pie? I have no idea.

Shoo Fly is similar to pecan, but with a strong molasses flavor and a crumb top. It's a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. I love it, but it's one of those desserts that you really like, or you really don't.

[mazHur]

Since God has given us Free Will, it is for us to choose between good and evil.
However, since this Free Will is subject to the Will of God we note a variety of 'evil' that boggles our minds. Perhaps, humans are easy to 'judge' things as Evil if these don't come up to their mark. God's 'mark' may be different......maybe He thinks 'poison' is the antidote of poison yet 'poison' is necessary for Him to keep the Universe in balance.

[mazHur]

Since when do shamanism, animism and ancestor worship not count as religion?

All these feature in almost every religion but without a proper name, hence calling them as religion is not quite understandable.

[BienvenuJDC]

Since when do shamanism, animism and ancestor worship not count as religion?

I guess I could also count "atheism" as a religion as well. It's just another belief system.

[Varenne Rodin]

No. It isn't. The same way not collecting butterflies isn't a hobby.

[OrphanPip]

I guess I could also count "atheism" as a religion as well. It's just another belief system.

Nonsense, shamanism is a clearly articulated form of religious belief, it simply involves the direct mediation of an individual in the tribe and the spirits/deities of the specific religion. Animistic religions are just as complex, may Native American societies involved very intricate collections of mythological nartives and traditions, believes and rituals. The statement that the huns had no religion, because they were not institutionalized at an imperial level, or monotheistic is just silly.

The reason there are no names for the religions of the Huns is because, one they were a short lived political amalgamation, and the cultures that composed the Huns were not literate. We have no direct information about the culture of those people, but it's silly to assume that they would be unique in not having an organized set of mythology or not having names for their belief system.

[BienvenuJDC]

Nonsense, shamanism is a clearly articulated form of religious belief, it simply involves the direct mediation of an individual in the tribe and the spirits/deities of the specific religion. Animistic religions are just as complex, may Native American societies involved very intricate collections of mythological nartives and traditions, believes and rituals. The statement that the huns had no religion, because they were not institutionalized at an imperial level, or monotheistic is just silly.

The reason there are no names for the religions of the Huns is because, one they were a short lived political amalgamation, and the cultures that composed the Huns were not literate. We have no direct information about the culture of those people, but it's silly to assume that they would be unique in not having an organized set of mythology or not having names for their belief system.

There are many people who simply choose not to believe in God, and that is perfectly fine. However, there are those who are adamant that not only should they themselves not believe in God, but that EVERYONE should not believe in God. There are many atheists who will ridicule those who have a belief system. However, they choose to follow the scientific belief. The evidence is fashionably cooked by those who have espoused the evolutionary model. However, they want to convert anyone and everyone to their belief system. They criticize every religion out there making their belief system a religion of their own.

[Sancho]

Oh man. I've gotta try one of those Shoo-Fly Pies.