Do we believe in God because we don't really understand things?

Question

The world is far far too complicated for the human mind to understand. We are naturally curious and have to know the answer to everything. When we can't understand or explain something rationally we simply think it is the work of God and we just use him to justify in out minds why something we can't explain happened? Is this not so? I am interested to know other peoples views?

Answer 1

I think you hit the nail on the head. God is something of a fallback answer. Anytime something can't be explained using rational science or is too close to the edge of reason, the God thing is invoked. The human mind/psyche doesn't think non-linearity nor lack of understanding so we try to rationalize everything but sometime it just resorts to this.

However, we must be careful since this is also becoming true of popular science terms such as "quantum" and "chaos". One has causality implied whereas the other is more random. Some pseudosciences are beginning to invoke quantum theory to explain everything.

Personally, I put my faith in the number 42 and trans-dimensional mice.

Answer 2

There are two ways left for us.

The first is to deny any wisdom behind all creations and relax.

Or, as the second option, think whether it is possible to have so many wonderful creations without a creator. Evolution theory, Big Bang theory all are based on assumptions. Not truly based on evidences. It is impossible too.

What the science could study so far is only a minor part of the whole wisdom. So what is wrong in accepting the whole thing as the work of a super brain. Then the question of who made him remains. We have very limited knowledge about the visible things. There can be an invisible world with much more than what we have known yet.

Many times we take the name of God because we really don't understand the things. At the same time how we can deny the wisdom behind the creations?

Answer 3

Not only is the World complex, but the Universe itself is complex. Perhaps some people prefer to use the concept of God to explain things that they don't understand. Then there's another side, people come to believe that there is a higher power when looking at the complexity of the Universe as a whole, in that something so complex could not come about by random chance.

Many would say that there is no God, as scientific method of exploration has yet to find any veritable proof of God's existence. However, keep in mind that we are in our infancy with regards to scientific exploration. We haven't explored, or even understand, all aspects of the planet we live on. We know even less of our solar system, galaxy and the Universe itself. We don't even have the mathematical capability of proving the possibility of the existence of God.

Answer 4

That long freaking analogy that somebody posted has got to be the most rediculous analogy I've ever seen online! But this is how some people are. If they type enough or copy and paste enough, it helps them feel stronger about their belief and nothing you can say will change it. But that's what I think is great about religion, it helps make people strong and gives them reason and meaning. I'm all for that.

Anybody that believes that something can only exist if something created it has stuck their own foot into their own mouth. And millions believe this way. Who or what created the creator? *ding - light bulb goes on* Duh!

I think you however, have hit the nail right on the head when you stated exactly what you stated. The additional that I can think of is how religions 'create' a hell to inflict fear into people in order to bring them in to the cult of their choosing and continue on to explain how they can live in fear their entire life and only strive to reach a heaven.

I steal a candybar, don't confess and go to hell. Neighbor kills his wife, is saved, confesses and goes to heaven? Sschhhyyeaaah right. It doesn't make sense. And I don't believe it.

So yes, I believe that most people use their God to explain things that cannot be explained - or that are not able to be explained during their lifetime.

My question is this.. if it is possible to prove that The Bible was written by a bunch of people on weed living in a little city to start their little cult... do you think that our Government would ever allow this information to get out?

Other than the disbelief from so many worshiping peoples... imagine the devistation and chaos this fact would uproot. Totally amazing.

Answer 5

Billions of years ago, a big bang produced a large rock. As the rock cooled, sweet brown liquid formed on it's surface. As time passed, aluminum formed itself into a can, a lid, and a tab. Millions of years later, red and white paint fell from the sky and formed itself into the words "Coca Cola... 12 fluid ounces."

Of course my theory is an insult to your intellect, because you know that if the Coca Cola can is made, there must be a maker. If it is designed, there must be a designer. The alternative, that it happened by chance or accident is to move from the intellectual free zone.



Here is another:

"The Banana: The Atheist Nightmare"

Note that the banana...

1. is shaped for the human hand.

2. has a non-slip surface.

3. Has outward indicators of it's inward contents. Green - too early, yellow - just right, black - too late.

4. Has a tab for removal of it's wrapper.

5. Is perforated on wrapper.

6. Has a bio-degradable wrapper.

7. Is shaped for the human mouth.

8. Has a point at the top for ease of entry.

9. Is pleasing to the taste buds.

10. Is curved towards the face to make the eating process easy.

To write that the banana happened by accident is even more unintelligent than to write that no one designed the Coca Cola can.

Test 1.

The person who thinks the Coca Cola can has no designer is:

A. Intelligent

B. A fool

C. Has an ulterior motive for denying the obvious

Now the document that I am referring from states that the eye has 40,000,000 nerve endings and focuses it's muscles approximately 100,000 times a day. and that the eye has a retina that contains approximately 137,000,000 light sensitive cells.

The document continues and states that Charles Darwin stated:

"To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree" Agreed... it does not have the reference recorded so I do not know if this statement is true or false. But let me get to the point at hand.

If man can not create the human eye then how can anyone in their right mind believe that it was created by chance? In fact... man can't create anything from nothing... we just do not know how to do it. We can re-create, reform, develop... but we can not create one grain of sand from nothing. Yet the human eye... is a mere tiny part of the most sophisticated part of creation - the human body.

Again... another statement which I would have to research and verify if this person actually made this comment:

"George Gallup; "If I could prove God statistically; take the human body alone; the chance that all the functions of the individual would just happen, is a statistical monstrosity."

Now this statement concerning Albert Einstein. This is confusing... why would this man contradict himself? If he stated this... then every other statement that has been quoted at this forum is invalid because the man appears to be speaking from both sides of his mouth. In this statement Einstein is quoted to have said:

"Everyone who is seriously interested in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe - a spirit vastly superior to man, and one in the face of our modest powers must feel humble."

Test 2:

1. Do you know any building that did not have a builder? Yes? No?

2. Do you know any painting that did not have a painter? Yes? No?

3. Do you know any car that did not have a maker? Yes? No?

If you answered "Yes" to any of those statements... please give details:______________________...



Third analogy:

Could I convince you that I dropped 50 oranges onto the ground and then by chance fell into ten rows of five oranges? Logically, anyone with an intelligent mind might conclude that someone put them there. The odds that ten oranges would fall into a straight line is mind boggling. Let alone ten rows of five.

Test 3

Yes or No 1. From the atom to the universe is there order?

Yes or No 2. Did it happen by accident or must there been an intelligent mind?

3. What are the odds of 50 oranges falling by chance into ten rows of five oranges? ______________________________...

To declare that there is no God is to make an absolute statement. And for an absolute statement to be true; one must have absolute knowledge. Here is another such statement: "There is no gold in China."

Test 4 What would I need to have for that statement to be true?

A. No knowledge of China?

B. Partial knowledge of China?

C. Absolute knowledge of China?

"C" is the correct answer. In order for the statement to be true, I must know that there is no gold in China.

Likewise; to state that there is no God and to be correct then you are stating that you are omniscient. You must have absolutely certain knowledge that there isn't one.

Let's say that a circle contains all the knowledge of the universe. And let's say that you have an incredible understanding of one percent of all that knowledge. Is it possible that the knowledge you haven't yet come across, that there might be ample evidence to prove that God does indeed exist?

If you are reasonable, you would have to admit, "Having the limited knowledge I have at present, I believe that there is no God." In other words, you don't know if God exists, so you are not an atheist. You are an "agnostic." You are like a person that looks at a building and doesn't seem to know if there is a builder.

Test 5 The man who sees a building and doesn't know if there is a builder is:

A. Intelligent

B. A fool

C. Has an ulterior motive

In summary: There are plenty of things that we have faith in that we do not fully understand. Most of us do not have a complete understanding that when you turned your computer on as to why it worked. You took a step of faith that turning it on... that somehow that it would work. You accept the unseen electrical waves that appear right in front of your eyes when you type your comments here. We do not see the reason for why the messages appear... because the powers that be are invisible to the naked eye. For them to be manifest, we need a monitor... so we can enjoy the experience of this forum.

God is not flesh and blood; He is an eternal Spirit. Immortal and invisible... like the computer waves. He can can not be experienced unless the monitor is turned on. One should approach the Bible in the same way as the monitor. If it works, enjoy it and if it doesn't, forget it.

Or do you have an ulterior motive? Could it be that the "atheist" can't find God... as a thief can't find the policeman? Could it be that your logic is clouding your good judgment?

Answer 6

ddead_alive has tried to create a foolproof argument. However, his argument is fundamentally flawed.

1. He states, "To declare that there is no God is to make an absolute statement. And for an absolute statement to be true; one must have absolute knowledge."

What about, "To declare that there is a God is to make an absolute statement. And for an absolute statement to be true; one must have absolute knowledge."

2. No person who has knowledge of the theory of evolution and natural selection would ever say that the human eye or the banana has formed that way by chance. Go and do some research.

3. He uses the analogy that an agnostic looks at a building and doesn't know if there was a builder. This appears to me an attempt to demean agnostics intelligence.

Answer 7

Yea, that would be the jist of it. If there was one true religion then everyone would know about it and more would follow it, but pagan regligions have been around longer than christianity. Most older religions taught that you must help yourself before the gods would help you, and to rely on your own streangth and things from nature to get what you need. Now they say pray and have faith and it will come, if anything it's a way for lazy people to have an excuse not to do anything with their life and claim "god willed it this way"

Answer 8

I can't work out why the Tsunami happened or why so many people were killed - this is far too complex to work out but I don't go around blaming God for this.

Isn't it equally surprising to find people disregarding God with how little they really understand about the universe and life?

God is only an excuse for those simple minded and of insufficient faith.

"No God" is an excuse for those with over inflated sense of self-importance.

Answer 9

Maybe we think that God does not exist and that it is a product of human mind which cannot understand the world. But, is our science enough advanced to explore all the spheres, dimensions and aspects of universe and prove that god does not exist? We often think so, and maybe science (and scientific fundamentalism & empiricism), exactly is a product of the human mind which cannot bear with a fact that something exists which humand mind cannot see or understand.

Answer 10

To know the 'why' of everthing is a tall order; what about this- All is lessons. Humans have been curious about this for over 300,000 years and anyone who tells you it is the work of God without being more specific is an enemy. You need to Research; the internet makes it easy, just beware of disinformation- Seth material, Ra, Cassiopaean and some [discount evangelical references] Edgar Cayce material are valid. Hope this helps...