How can you question Belief in Religion.?

Question

Belief is usually defined as a conviction to the truth of a proposition. Beliefs can be acquired through perception, contemplation or communication. Belief is usuall not proof or something, but rather the proof itself. Thats the basis of religion.( I think Science can also be a belief. We dont know everything there is to know. Science could discover something in 10,100, 1000, years that disproves what we accept as fact today)There will never be, in this lifetime, anyway to prove what we believe, so why argue? Those that believe accept it as truth, how can you question belief. To prove it is impossible, that defies the whole point of BELIEF! How can you condemn people for that?

Ok, lets go with weemary's Santa thing. When I believed in Santa, he was real to me, truth to me, fact to me, as long as I believed. When I stopped believing, I believed he wasnt real, it was no longer true. Now turn that into God, one person has a belief, one person does not belive. But God can not be proven, nor disproven to either, in this life, so WHY argue about it? Cant belief be enough? Just like the Belief there is NO God? That a belief too, right?

Answer 1

Well, I don't think there is anything wrong with questioning belief, but I give people the benefit of the doubt till they try and destroy what I believe. Then I would have to stick up for my own beliefs by pointing out that their beliefs are even more absurd than mine. I try not to get into other peoples business when it comes to beliefs, but if they come into mine or other people like me, I get upset. And some even try to force their beliefs down on children from a young age (brainwashing). I like ideas, so if someone shares their belief with me and I understand it, I won't discredit it.

Answer 2

The difference between believing in religion and accepting the results of scientific inquiry, is that the latter can be tested and proved (or disproved). It's true that we don't know everything; but with each passing day, we learn something that we didn't know before. Faith, on the other hand, claims "I don't know and I don't need to know!" and has made the same claim since time immemorial and will (presumably) continue to make the same claim until the day after doomsday.

And just because X number of people BELIEVE it's so, that doesn't MAKE it so. You once believed in the existence of Santa Claus, didn't you? Did that make him a real person? Did the fact that millions of small children believed in the jolly old elf make him any more real? Didn't think so.

Answer 3

Who is condemning people for believing in religion? Isn't it usually the opposite and the religious condemning the non-believers? I know personally the only problem I have with some, particularly the religious right, is the fact that they feel they have the right to push their beliefs onto everyone else. As you said there is no way to prove or disprove anything in any of the many religions. I say let everyone believe in what they want, as long as those beliefs are not hurting anyone else in the process.
Sorry if my answer really isn't what you were looking for.

Answer 4

There is nothing wrong with belief. It is what people do because of their beliefs that are the problem. Faith in something that you have no proof to substantiate is illogical and dangerous. People try to force their beliefs on other people, and this is why people argue about it. There will always be arguments about religion because everyone’s beliefs are different. That’s the way faith works. It’s not based on anything concrete, so it’s different for everyone. It’s always about whose god is better, and it’s always going to be a pissing match!

You can not compare science to religion because science is based on facts and experimentation. No religion that is based on faith can be proven, but scientific fact can be proven. You're right in 1000 years science can change completely, but that is what you want. Religion can never change though. The Christian faith will not one day realize, “Wait, we were wrong, Lucifer was actually Jesus. Oops our bad.” That would never happen because there is no proof either way. However, in science if we find proof that a previous “fact” is wrong, then we change it. That’s the beauty of it.

Answer 5

well, some people believe silly things. it really depends on what you believe, and why you believe it.

science is a little different because what is accepted as fact has not, and we believe will not ever be disproved no matter how hard we try to prove that something like gravity does not exist. science involves testing ideas. over and over and over. for an experiment to be accepted and published in a journal it MUST be reproducible with the same effects.
religion does not involve testing anything. religion is about complete and total acceptance.

Answer 6

You've got lots of questions and it would take too much space to answer them all. You also seem sincere in your questions, so I will try to help as much as I can. While it's true about belief being part of your convictions, I think it's faith that takes you past belief. Beliefs change. Faith does not. Faith comes from God, given by God. Without faith, you can't believe & have a deep conviction that what you believe is real. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." I could go on and keep quoting from the Bible, but to understand faith, you need to develop a relationship with someone who has this faith. Then, they will show you their faith by how they live. If they tell you they follow Jesus, but have a mouth like a sewer, you'll see that they aren't walking their talk. Jesus didn't have a filthy mouth. Since Christians are supposed to be modeling Christ in their lives, wouldn't it go to show that their whole life would reflect this faith they say they have? If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck and looks like one (in every way) then it's a duck. Someone who is truly living in their faith will show it, and prove it with everything they say & do. That's how the world will know that they are a Christian. There are many who say they are, but show otherwise, and that's very unfortunate. They've got head knowledge and have accepted that the Bible is true, but they haven't really given their whole life over to living for Jesus. They play church games, and talk church talk. But, when tough times come, they fall apart, with no foundation to stand on. I don't condemn people's beliefs, and don't waste my time on useless arguments. What I tell people who ask is that the important thing is to have a close relationship with God (through His word & daily prayer) and to seek His plan for your life (also through His word & prayer). He will show you the way. It's so simple, yet so many load up a bunch of extra junk on people. My life should reflect Who I've put my faith & trust in, otherwise how can anyone "see" that it's real? Sorry this is so long. I tend to get lenghty. Hope this helped. <*)))><

Answer 7

We have a duty and a responsibility to challenge the absurdity of religious belief and to work towards a better world by helping to eradicate it. We need to bring reason and enlightenment to a world which is still in many places mired in irrationality and superstition. Above all, we absolutely must continue and build upon the efforts of those courageous atheists in history who suffered persecution, torture and death to bring us the freedoms that most of us take entirely for granted today. We cannot, must not, let the world slip back to the Dark Ages. That's why we can, and should, question religious belief.

Answer 8

First of all Christianity isn't a religion. All religions are something that are manmade. True Christianity is a relationship, a relationship that is directly between man and God. The only way to obtain this relationship is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. The sooner you do it the better. Please seriously read John 3:3-6 and Ephesians 2:8-9 and think and pray about them.

Answer 9

I 100% agree with you. I have in the past worked with born again Christians and I was raised Catholic (but don't practice). I believe (or have faith in) certain things about God and when I would bring them up, I would be told "that's not true" as if they knew all of the facts of religion (even though no one can, other than God himself). I take all religion as faith, not fact, and it really irritates me when people who have their own beliefs try to push them on me as if they know something that I don't. I see this as arrogance and a certain disrespect of my own beliefs and nothing more than that.

Answer 10

I am a Christian, but I'm afraid this takes the whole stance of, "If you disprove me, I am not wrong, because I believe it." This will become circular reasoning. Example: I believe that red cars are really blue until you open your eyes. How do you know that I am incorrect? Even if you show me a red car, I am still right. How do I know? Because I believe it.