<p>I apologize if this is a touchy subject, but the most important topics in life are the ones that spark controversy. I cannot understand why some people do not believe in God, in Jesus Christ our Savior. I mean really - He's awesome and has presented upon us pitiful humans with spiritual guidance, hope, and strength. Why NOT?</p>
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<p>10 char</p>
<p>If you were living in a Nazi extermination camp, being forced to work and never knowing when you would be tortured or killed by an officer, would you believe that the world was beautiful and majestic and that a god existed and gave you strength and hope? Likewise, if you live in poverty, your government is oppressive, and you live day by day going without food or water, would you believe the same?</p>
<p>It’s not proper to believe that we should believe in a god using this notion of a god being great, awesome, and inspiring us with hope and strength because our experience is relative. When you’re in a situation like that above, how can you possibly think that way? Similarly, when life is good and you seem to have things going your way more often than not, how can’t you think that perhaps there is a god who is making your life great? </p>
<p>People have always said that it’s all too impossible that chance could have possibly created an Earth, with the perfect conditions for life and such. But, the thing is, each one of our existences is a result of astronomical chances. Our conception itself is already an example of a one-in-a-million chance - obviously many more million than that. So to argue that we should believe in a god because our life can’t have been this good, the earth this beautiful, and our existence too lucky to be chance without a god is just illogical to me.</p>
<p>If you believe that a supernatural force exists and gives you hope, strength, and happiness to get through the day, that is perfectly fine. But how is this different from a fantasy? And why make up an institution to create stories and the like to explain the existence of your fantasy? </p>
<p>Finally, think of it in a collective vision. Obviously you believe in the Judeo-Christian God. But there are hundreds of religions, cults, and beliefs out there, and THOUSANDS of gods that are believed to exist. Then there are agnostics, atheists, and the like. Muslims will ask you why you don’t believe in Allah, Greeks will ask you why you don’t believe in Zeus (among others), Buddhists will ask you why you don’t believe in rebirth, and so on. Each side believes in its own god. If you were born in the middle east, wouldn’t you think you would have been raised a Muslim and believe in Allah? Or what about if you were born in a ‘Third World Country’…wouldn’t you believe in a mystical power or maybe be unaware of the existence of any god? Your situation has made you who you are, and in no way does that not include your religion.</p>
<p>Pascal’s Wager</p>
<p>Start believing</p>
<p>/Thread</p>
<p>I didn’t read the rest of your argument… but wasn’t the only thing keeping a lot of people alive during the Holocaust the fact that they believed that there was a God?</p>
<p>All of the Jewish survivors that I know said that their faith in God remained very strong and it was the only thing that they could really hold onto.</p>
<p>Again… I only read like the first paragraph. I’m tired. I just thought that it was weird that you said that.</p>
<p>I apologize if this is a touchy subject, but the most important topics in life are the ones that spark controversy. I cannot understand why some people do not believe in my Goddess, in the Great Mother Earth our Savior. I mean really - She’s awesome and has presented upon us pitiful humans with spiritual guidance, hope, and strength. Why NOT?</p>
<p>I agree with you. It’s quite pitiful that people don’t believe in my faith system. Why are they so blind that they can’t see the error of their ways? Luckily, my Goddess loves all Her children, regardless of whether or not they eat Her body or drink Her blood. I mean, She provides for all of us, so why are people so blind that they can’t accept Her into their hearts? The world may never know…</p>
<p>:rolleyes:</p>
<p>PS: On a completely unrelated note, I now have that stupid Hillary Duff song stuck in my head because of “Why NOT?”</p>
<p>Because people think that everything needs to be based on science, and even though there is plenty we don’t even know about, that our existing knowledge of science should be the only factor in deciding if something is real or not. If you lived in a 2D world, you could not begin to fathom what 3d is like; likewise, we don’t know what 4D is, and many people would just say it doesn’t exist while others say it’s something like time.</p>
<p>For the same reason that they do not believe in flying rainbow-colored bunnies–because such a phenomenon has not been observed.</p>
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<p>No they subsisted because they must as long as the essential organs continue to function. People don’t just die because of tremendous hardship. Humans’ will to live is so great that they will fight to live on in the face of ordeals. (paraphrased quotation from Aristotle’s Politics, Nicomachean Ethics).</p>
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Appeal to consequence.</p>
<p>“Appeal to consequence.”</p>
<p>Yes, it is. And that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.</p>
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Tell that to people who commit suicide.</p>
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Appeal to Umpire.</p>
<p>Truffliepuff, thats your opinion, and people are free to choose to believe whatever they want. Isnt that nice? Pray for peace.</p>
<p>oh my here we go. people dont believe in god for many reasons. just read hewhopnz post a couple of times and let it sink in</p>
<p>I think the real question is: “Why does TRUFFLIEPUFF believe in God?”.</p>
<p>Honestly, what were you thinking when you posted this? The debate of religion vs. science will never end, well I should rescind or rewrite that the debate vs. religion will never end anytime soon.</p>
<p>parody thread is parody</p>
<p>take a smoke guys and relax</p>
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<p>Viktor Frankl was one cool dude</p>
<p>@ My first post, of course this one would actually have posts in it</p>
<p>Maybe because religion is a crutch for those who can’t deal with the notion that this is as good as it gets</p>
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Does make it irrational.</p>
<p>To “say that to suicide…”
Suicide is irrational and contrary to nature. Any philosopher who has ever had something to say on “the state of nature” has acknowledged that self-preservation is the first law of nature. (Hobbes’s Leviathan, Rousseau’s Origin of Inequality).</p>
<p>Humans are always partly irrational. I would contend that it is quite impossible for anyone to be 100%, purely rational. Suicide has occured, has been witnessed, therefore I cannot see it as being “contrary to nature.” You must establish that suicide is arrived at by unnatural means. I also forgot that philosophers are Gods in human form and that their analyses are incontrovertible.</p>