Why is it important to believe that God exist?

Question

1. Is it because you're afraid you might go to hell? Is your belief fueled by fear?

2. Is it because you were born into it? Everyone around you believes in it?

3. Is it because it's socially acceptable?

4. Is it because you want to force yourself to believe in a super security officer to feel safe?

5. Is it because your parents told you not to question the fairy tale book(the bible)?

Answer 1

is it NOT important to believe that God exists!

Answer 2

It's not that important at all. However it does seem that way to people who haven't allowed themselves to see other possibilities.

BTW, I wouldn't characterize the Bible as a fairy tale book at all. It contains the historical account of the evolution of spiritual thinking of a middle eastern nation, and the closest thing that exists to a historical record of events leading to the birth of a new, universal religion during the first century AD.

This new religion combined religious ideas of Jews and the Greek culture of the eastern Mediterranean region in the first few centuries of the common era, and continues to evolve.

If you personally don't find a belief in God in yourself,
look around and try to identify what your core values are. You might want to read some Joseph Campbell books, he writes about universal mythic themes that underly all religions, and how to reinvigorate your participation in the spiritual realm.

BTW, "myths" are not "fairy tales"; myths are stories that try to say what cannot be entirely put into speech in order to convey a deeper truth about your relationship to the spiritual realm. Thus the stories often take fantastic form, and it's important to explore what's behind the form.

Christianity as we know it is largely the creation of a man who never met Jesus --St. Paul. While zealously persecuting followers of Jesus, he had a seizure and a vision, that turned him into an even more zealous and dogmatic teacher and organizer of Christian believers. And he was absolutely certain that people who disagreed with his ideas were wrong! This has been a terrible legacy for the West and Christianity.

Unfortunately, with Christianity, a centuries- long effort went in to making a fantastic story reasonable. Catholics point to the accretion of extra-Biblical tradition that is really the carrying forward of eastern Mediterranean mythic ideas and reasonable explanations for the fantastic events recorded in the Bible. Protestants tend to point to a God-inspired book as the entire document guiding Christian life. Unfortunately we now know that the new testament was written and expanded on over generations, and has been continuously reinterpreted ever since; so that people read the text and hear the interpretations as though they were explicitly in the text.

This is a good question! Good luck to you in the search you have embarked upon!

Answer 3

1. Well certainly hell is a place to avoid, my belief is fueled by fear, but not the kind of fear that your talking about, my fear is not being able to be with God.
2. I was born into a Christian family, but not everyone that I know is a Christian. My family didnt shove Christianity down my throat, they knew that if I was going to make this big of a decsion that I would have to make it on my own, that I would have to make a choice and keep it.
3. Socially acceptable? what? look around you! Christians are persecuted everywhere!
4.I know He is real, thats all that matters.
5.Fairy-tale book? The Bible is being proven story by story, location by location, archaeologist are finding locations and artifacts and they are confirming times in history that these events really happened.Its no fairy tale book by any means.

Answer 4

Yeah id prefer going to heaven over hell but thats just me. And the Bible is no fairy tale. God chose the disciples to write the bible.

Answer 5

I don't really know about God!

But I do know this!

The Zeroth law of thermodynamics, states that thermodynamic
equilibrium is an equivalence relation.

Wait!!! Keep Reading!!!

If two thermodynamic systems are in thermal equilibrium with
a third, they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other.

This perhaps, is the only real law in our world, our Universe
I am confident enough to say I believe in.

To me it says volumes about the relationship between our
physical world (a.k.a Universe) and what ever else there may be.

It just seems to me that we, all of us, have somehow forgotten
about this connection. I mean, As above, so below!

We live in a plural Universe. Plurality permeates every atom here.

Beyond the actions and behaviors of "Human Beings" what evidence is there anything is evil in our glorious Universe?

Have fun but be safe!

Tipper - Adrift for Days!

Answer 6

It's not important to believe that God exists.

It's important to understand that humans have a basic need to understand the unknown.

If some explanations are incomprehensible, some might resort to believing that since it is unknowable by them, it must have been God's design.

That's a good thing. Even the non-believer must believe in something. Instead of God, he might substitute science. Instead of a biblical morality code, he might substitute the ethic of reciprocity.

So, instead of lamenting that some people believe in God, try to discover what you believe in and why you believe it. Try to concentrate on how you can make a positive contribution to the human condition.

Answer 7

now why would you call the bible a fairy tale book have you ever read it cover to cover
well maybe you should oh wait that would mean you are christian could you just imagine seeing into the future, which people claim they can now, 2000 or maybe 5000 yrs ago and seeing an Apache helicopter wow incredible how would you describe it
any way i will pray for you i hope to see you in heaven but maybe you will go to he ll

Answer 8

I was told once by a group of "Christians" that they would rather live their life as there was a God and die to find out there is not, then to live their life as there is no God and die to find out there is. I for one believe none of it and think that death is going to be like the state that you were in before birth, nothing.

Answer 9

None of the above. I believe in a Higher Being because I'd like to think that not all is lost and that we are not here because of some accident.

Answer 10

All of your suggestions are valid. But all religions offer an afterlife and the belief that someone is minding the store. Its comforting to believe in God and that when you die it won't be the end. This is religion at its best. Who was it who said the "if God didn't exist it would be necessary to invent him"?

Answer 11

Sometimes it's important to try to have faith in something that you can't see.... it's hard to explain, but if your implying that there is no God your wrong. Faith is all about believing in something you can't see, and I think it's EASIER for people to say that there is no God, so they can do what they want and not fear what might happen to them in afterlife.....I think non- believer are "fueled my fear"....just my opinion.