Why do people NOT believe there IS a God? Has the world NOT gotten worse since there's NO beliefs?

Question

Why blame it on politics, governments, and not yourself? Why do they have Bibles in jails but not in schools? Why do you have to place ur hands on THE Bible in court AND swear on it but yet take " In God We Trust " from the building?Would you rather live like there's no God then die and find out there is.... OR... live like there IS a God then die & find out there isn"t? (I "know" which one I would choose) Hasn't our daily lives (that we take for granted)gone down the drains already and keeps getting worse? Why is it SO hard to believe that there is a God? Why don't you want to believe? Do you even pray?

Do you HAVE to be a "religion" JUST to believe? Reading all you sent so far really is sad and breaks my heart to think the way you do. What exactly made you NOT believe? Not putting anyone down for what they do believe or not believe, just wanted to know why or why not. Don't knock me JUST because I DO believe! There is too much hate and no caring in todays society.

Answer 1

Actually, your assumption is wrong. Most of the people of the world believe in some kind of supreme being or an afterlife.

As far as politics goes, I have this to say: Our elected representatives and 'leaders' don't seem to represent ALL of their people. In the case of Geo. W. Bush, he brings a more radical Christian perspective with him to office. That dictates his stand on the war, gay marriage, etc. He is not fulfilling his duty by representing the whole of the United States. He, like many of his kind, use a "majority rules" attitude, thereby inflicting his ideals on those who do not share his beliefs.

Ever heard of "separation of church and state"? Do you know what that means and what that implies? In our above example, it means that the President, elected members of Congress and the Senate should not be bringing their own, personal religious agendas to the table. They should be working for the common good of ALL our country's people.

Likewise, prayer does not belong in public schools. Note I said PUBLIC schools because they are funded by the government and not, say, the Catholic Church. Private schools are allowed to have prayer because they are entities unto themselves and are not funded by the public trust.

As for "In God We Trust": You should probably understand that our "Founding Fathers" were highly religious people. Puritans to be exact. As such, they founded the United States as the direct result of their persecution in England. It is archane (at best) to say, "In God We Trust" because not everyone believes in God. They may believe in Allah, Buddha, Earth Mother, or may not believe in a god at all. That doesn't make them wrong. It just makes them different.

Many people (not all) believe the "God" should be removed from our currency, from the Pledge of Allegance because "God" is not something that all peoples of the United States believe in. Constitutional ammendments allow us our freedom of religion (and thereby LACK of religion), so why make everyone else do when they do not want to do. That's like saying that everyone should eat peanuts -even if they don't like them, or - more deadly - if they're allergic.

As for times changing, you're right. Times are changing. It always has and it always will. Hemlines, dancing, music, attitudes towards the human body - all of it. It's called progress. We've moved on from witchhunts and spirits into understanding multiple personalities, seizures, and other conditions we once thought to be the work of the devil.

Don't fear change. Try to embrace it. Or at least try to understand it. You don't even have to like it. While it may not be best for you, it doesn't mean that it's wrong for everyone. Whether that mean believing in a god, our differing political views, or our belief in UFOs.

I hope you try to adjust peacefully.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

I consider religion unnecessary. I'm educated enough to know that religion was created by man. And I can't think of any reason to worship a God. I'm an atheist.

I don't blame politics or government, they were created by man. So I suppose that means I do blame us, or at least I hold each of us responsible in our society for the current state.

I don't know what purpose a bible in jail serves. Bibles in public schools are prohibited under the separation of church and state clause of the Bill of Rights.

The use of bibles in court comes down to use from English common law.

And since I know God does not exist, the rest of your questions aren't really relevant. I don't find 'worship' difficult. I just consider it unnecessary.

EDIT:
Q: "Do you HAVE to be a "religion" JUST to believe?"
A: Yes. By definition people who believe in God are religious.

Q:"What exactly made you NOT believe?"
A: Well, I suppose knowing that God does not exist had something to do with it.

Q:"There is too much hate and no caring in todays (sic) society."
A: Religion contributes a great deal to the hate in today's world. If everyone were an atheist, there would be less hate and perhaps more caring. It sounds like you don't understand what it means to be an atheist.

Answer 3

This is dangerously close to circular reasoning, and that is why I reject it as valid reasoning. "If you don't believe, there will be bad consequences, and if you do believe, then there are not bad consequences and the possibility of good consequences." However, I do not rely on the carrot and stick approach for my reasoning.

I wish I could say that what I believe is a matter of choice, but even if I thought it were better to believe something that I do not believe, I have had some difficulty with lying to myself. You see, the problem is I can always hear what I am thinking. It puts a kink in my ability to self-deceive. Sorry. :)

To answer your question, do I pray? Yes, I do pray and talk to God (or gods) occasionally. Generally, I feel like I am wasting my time, but I am not so closed-minded as to completely ignore the possibility. So just on the off-possibility, I talk to God (or Gods). There is always that sliver of doubt that makes me act in such a way... and to be honest with you, I hope that I am wrong. What a sad world it is if this is all that there is, but what I want does not influence what I believe to be truth. Sometimes the truth is downright ugly, and I acknowledge that.

This is not to say that doubt is limited to "non-believers." I'm sure that even for those who believe in a God (or Gods), then you will still have that sliver of doubt that God does *not* exist. You see, doubt is a natural part of being a rational human being. However, "doubt" does not represent what a person actually believes... Well, unless you subscribe to Descartes' philosophy of skepticism, but that lacks very much substance, in my opinion. You have to take a stand in what you believe at some point in time, even if you can't prove it one way or the other.

A better question would be, how do people come to a certain belief system?

I do not think that non-believers have suffered in this world; instead, your religion teaches that the poor can become rich in heaven, and the rich can become poor in the afterlife. The emphasis is not on a person's state in this life, but rather what their state will be in the afterlife.

Answer 4

No, actually, I don't think the world has gotten worse. I'm not sure what you mean by "since there's NO beliefs"... look around you, there are more belief systems today then there ever have been. Why should I blame myself for how the world has turned out? I'm only 35.
You can have a bible in school... the law states that a teacher or the school in general can not lead a class in prayer or reading from the bible... unless of course you are willing to allow me and my pagan beliefs to do the same.
In Ky, there are NO bibles in court rooms. You do not Swear on the bible here and which building was "In God We Trust" taken from? Several of the buildings here in KY have the 10 commandments in them and are kept there.
If you die and there is no God... how would you know? You're dead.
Maybe your life has gone down the drain, but mine certainly hasn't.
I do believe in a higher power... just not anything set out by any of the religions out there. Why should I believe in it? And, going by your questions here I am assuming you are a Christian... so this one is for your "Do you even pray?" question. God has a plan... he has worked on this plan and will not stray from it.... then you all come along and pray for something that's not in his plan... so you're not going to get what you prayed for cause it's not part of his plan. But if you pray for something that is in his plan, you were going to get it anyway... so why pray?

Answer 5

When the belief in God was basically everywhere, you had the crusades killing the infidels, the witchhunts and the murder of hundred thousands of innocent people, the wholesale slaughter of heretics, rampant antisemitic pogroms in regular intervals, society was god-given hierarchical - lords and serfs (de facto slaves), you had an aversion to science that slowed scientific progress and people died young, from every disease possible (being clean made you seem like a Jew, whose religion made them far cleaner than the rest of the population, so it was safer to be pious and dirty) - it is hard to see that the world really has gotten worse.
I am sure it is possible to interpret the past as ever you want, this however doesn't make your view right.
For most people in the Western world life is far better than it even was for the great-grandparents - better and more food, medicine to keep you living healthyly for much longer, a life not ruled by working for bare survival only but with time for yourself and family, education for everyone, a lot of possesions and things to keep you occupied.
In the past, life was hard, violent and brutish when Christianity held a sway over the Western world, I doubt it is any worse now.

Answer 6

Why do you think the things you seem to think? Do you not know you live in a nation where a vast majority believe in the God of their choice? That over half the population attends the church of their choice? That the majority call themselves Christians?

If you want to be part of the solution to 'spread the Word,' just follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, and stop listening to those who find financial reward in stoking your fires of victimization and persecution.

Here is a clue: Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, divorce, flag-burning, who could or could not marry, John Kerry, George Bush, Rush LImbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton nor Jerry Falwell. HE DID speak of false prophets, though. And, He never ended a prayer with an appeal for funds.

Answer 7

Actually the world is getting to be a better and a more peaceful place inspite of what you see on the daily news. It is a myth that a secular world wil descend in a moral chaos. Quite the contrary. The most secular countries, the Scandavians, are the best places in the world to live.

Answer 8

garbled Pascal's Wager question number 12 million.

I am not starting wars, condemning anyone, or breaking any laws. I bring my children up to do the right thing. I do what I can to make the world a better place. I don't believe in the Christian god, and I'm quite comfortable with that.

Answer 9

yes when the church rules our llives things are much better! do you recall the dark ages? yes good times good times

why does it matter if we take in god we trust of a coin or a building if you believe in your god you don't need reminder on a coin or a building to tell you so. Also not everyone belives in God, they have that right, Chrisitanity is not the only religon, and trying to impose it on others in schools is in violation of seperation of church and state, what you want sounds more like a thoecracy

Answer 10

Many organized religions have become bureaucratic enough to alienate younger members. This causes them to run from religion in general. Also, living like there is a God just because you fear the consequence of living like there isn't one is not truly believing in Him anyway. And watch your double negatives.