How many of you believe or do not believe in God?

[asmallplanet]

Well put fredrikw. I talked about proofs because I meet so many atheists who swear god doesn't exist and that the non existence is a fact. Yet it is a belief, like any other.

[xzebrasx]

I agree with Duke.

Recently I became pretty annoyed with people who claim to be in the know of [x]. I don't take anything for granted these days, which is both discomforting and reassuring at the same time.

[fredrikw]

Well put fredrikw. I talked about proofs because I meet so many atheists who swear god doesn't exist and that the non existence is a fact. Yet it is a belief, like any other.

that's not what I said. I said that I don't believe. and it is a fact that I don't believe, hence it is not a belief.

[asmallplanet]

Ah, ok, my apologies. Your belief is indeed a fact within itself, but the external reality is another matter.

[emm7]

agnostic -- influenced by Christian mysticism, Taoism, Buddhism, and the music of Mahalia Jackson.

This song may help atheists to understand why agnostics and theists believe as we can draw comfort from our belief in difficult times and when in great pain. There is no comfort in Atheism!!
Hold Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFpQLJtU ... re=related

He knows how much we can bear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y6t-uvs ... re=related

Summertime / Motherless Child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPBVaRpN ... re=related

[Johnboy74]

I'm atheist and base my opinion on the fact that empirical evidence gives very good pointers to this through various modes of scientific enquiry. What we need to understand is that people have evolved in a particular way that our brains actively looks for patterns in things. This lends itself to religious belief and subsequently has evolved in our societies for millenia, along with superstitions, ufo's, ghouls & ghosts, all evolutionary manifestations altering our perceptions of reality. If as may well happen a nuclear holocaust comes to fruition and all humans are erased from this big rock, god will be erased, god is a human concept.

[JS]

I don't believe in god as per the bible.

As a teenager I said to my grandpa that I was atheist and he told me a story about being in prisoner of war camp and how some scared people that had no religion asked god to help their suffering - guess that's a reflection of social conditioning. I've never been in a life/death situation where I have felt the need to look to a higher being other than to take comfort that close relatives I have lost are some place nice as I emotionally struggle to cope with the fact they don't exist anymore.

Overall I just like to let people be and don't get too het up about "religion" and it's not something I think about really. I just like to follow as compassionate life as possible without preaching my beliefs at folk no matter how much I struggle with their belief system

Not too sure what that labels me as?

[ninearms]

I don't believe in god as per the bible.

As a teenager I said to my grandpa that I was atheist and he told me a story about being in prisoner of war camp and how some scared people that had no religion asked god to help their suffering - guess that's a reflection of social conditioning. I've never been in a life/death situation where I have felt the need to look to a higher being other than to take comfort that close relatives I have lost are some place nice as I emotionally struggle to cope with the fact they don't exist anymore.

Overall I just like to let people be and don't get too het up about "religion" and it's not something I think about really. I just like to follow as compassionate life as possible without preaching my beliefs at folk no matter how much I struggle with their belief system

Not too sure what that labels me as?

Hippy?

[erske]

Atheist!

I guess you could label me agnostic if you like, but only in the sense that you can't prove non existence (of anything). That does not make me draw the conclusion that the chances of god's existence is 50/50, but rather that the existence of a higher power in lack of ANY evidence is highly unlikely... But for all sense and purpose I am an atheist...

And If I would believe in god I would believe in a cool god, like Thor!

[BlueRose]

I personally believe in being spiritual, not religious.

[Fallen_Horse]

It is equally easy to 'prove' existence and non-existence, which is to say that neither can be proved...

[MarkNZ]

atheist except during take offs and landings

[mabli]

atheist except during take offs and landings

+1

[morg]

Athiest
I was brought up religious and had to go to church as a child, but at around ten year old refused to go anymore as the whole god thing just didnt make sense to me.
I took on board, and still stick to the priciples I was raised by dont steal, do unto others as you would have them do unto you etc, but belief in a god, no.

[Hiking Fox]

I had religion hammered out of me as a child, on account of being sent to a religious (Church of England) school in which I was taught to believe that I was stupid because I didn't talk or look at people. Any kids like me who came out with scientific ideas (such as believing in The Big bang or dinosaurs) were also severely bullied, both by other kids, and by teachers.

So I spent my teenage years and twenties as a full-on, staunch atheist punk who regarded all religion as stupid brainwashing that stops people from seeking and working for change in themselves and their communities, due to just expecting some external higher power to do it all for you.

I also have mostly Irish relatives on my mum's side of the family, and the stupid reaction to one of them marrying a Catholic split the whole family, which struck me as completely pathetic.

I've mellowed a lot in my thirties, and I really like a lot of religious art and music these days due to that sense of wonder that is in it. I like standing in Italian churches, looking at the ceilings covered in angels, and it no longer troubles me why such things were painted, I can tap in to the sense of reverence. Pure atheism does not seem to offer that sense of mystery and wonder, and of connecting to some vague universal life force.

I'm not going to analyse what that wonderous life force is though, pray to it, or regard it as a big human.

Bugger, I'm waffling. Need tea.