To believe or not to believe?

Question

I've pretty much always believed in God for no real reason. No one told me to & I've always shied away from church or overzealous religious people so no, I'm not brainwashed. Lately, I'm finding myself thinking what is the point in all this? I know life isn't fair, sin is man's fault, etc etc but, how can one who believes that God helps those who help themselves, reconcile the fact that seemingly good people get slammed in life and those who blatantly sin but, claim they're religious, seemingly get off scott free? If I even think about a sin, something horrific happens. I know hardships are a part of life but we all have our breaking point and I've crossed mine. I've tried the praying bit, the being a good girl bit and even the not questioning God's plan bit. I get nada each time.

My question is this, how does one who doesn't believe in God reconcile these feelings and let go of the looking to a higher power for help trip? What do you rely on to get you through hard times?

Serious answers would be great but I get this is Yahoo! and I'll get some idiotic answers. I'm not looking to be brought back from the brink of hell or anything. I want to know what people who dare to think outside of the box think.

Answer 1

You rely on yourself, and others. You can rely on the knowledge of people passed on through the ages. Even though you may not believe in the Christian concept of God, you may still choose to believe in nature or spirituality, or the mysterious forces of the universe.

I believe religion should be a lifelong quest. How can you say you truly believe in something you've never questioned? It's okay to alter what you believe as you travel through life and gain more wisdom and experience.

You may want to check out Unitarian Univeralism. It is a religion which encourages a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. They encourage debate and free thinking and are very accepting. It's a nice alternative for those who like the comfort and fellowship of a religious community without the dogma attached.

And I'm sorry for all the holier than thous who will attack you for asking an honest question. Please ignore them, I don't know why people think they can bully others into believing something.

Answer 2

- Some thoughts about God. Think about nature, the stars, the universe, destiny, fate, life after death. There must a God to make all of that happen. There must a God that holds everything and keeps everything in harmony. It is incredible.
- The basic rule in life that one should follow is: "Treat Others As You Would Have Them Treat You". It doesn't matter how things turn out, this rule should always prevail, it is simple and it makes sense.
- If you are going through hard times, try meditating, Step
back and see if you can analyze things and learn from them. Life goes on. Also you may want to share what bothers you with others By venting, you will feel relief. And surround yourself with close friends and family.

Answer 3

I had a lot of problems when I was younger because of my family. My parents always argued and such and they would sometimes lash out at me from time to time aswell as a result of their argument. My brother who is 9 yrs younger than me had to go though the same thing and it was really something difficult to see. I'm not going to go into details about my personal life....i'm sure u can understand but yeah I've been there having problems.

I reached out to God to help or to get answers and I got nothing. So I decided to just follow logic. I had realized that we all die at one point or another when i was about 10. So i asked myself, why does all this matter? why does it matter if I do good or bad? I mean in the end we are all going to die right? Well, I realized that what kept going on even after we die is mankind. Its not about you or me its about the WORLD. All of us are a part of it and directly or indirectly we move it along. Thus, from that day forward my day was dedicated towards helping others and trying to show people who were upset, sad, or had similar situations that I had to go though...that thigns were going to be ok..life would get better cause mankind has strength, we have the potential for good and to accomplish great things. I guess thats where i drew my strength from...humanity and the goodness with exist within all individuals. If you would like to talk more feel free to send me an e-mail. [e-mail]

Answer 4

I'm not a person that doesn't believe in God, but I have a lot of friends who don't. To get by without God, they try to be there own higher power or they create a higher power out of an inanimate object, like a bottle of Jack. People get by in whatever way they can. If God gives you comfort, go to him. If something else does, then that's OK too. Religion gives people hope and that's good, except when christians try to force their will upon other. That never works.

Answer 5

People either sail through life or they struggle and suffer, regardless of their moral convictions. There is no need to look for a higher power for help. Everything you need to get through the "hard times" has been put before you, your family and friends.
Seeking God during these times would just add to your hardships. If finding salvation or help through God were easy, you could be certain there would be a lot more firm believers.
However, just like anything worth striving for, a solid relationship with God could definitely prove valuable.

Answer 6

There is a god but "god" is not a conscious being. "God is more like your subconscious, so like your subconscious mind puts thoughts and dreams into your mind, so to does "god". This is why when you go to a 40 seat restaurant there are not 10,000 other people that had the same thought on the same day.
"God" is what maintains natures balance, it is not a consious being that can comminicate directly to you, its just puts ideas into peoples minds and they can only respond as best they can depending on what part of evolution they are at.
For simple primitve people this means interpreting those thoughts into a bible that was fairly simple and had to take into account all that was believed at the time, so we end up with stories of some god in heaven, and hell etc. So really we are seeing how a child would interpret the thoughts of god just as a child may interpret a dream.
"God" did not create the universe with a magic wand but as part of its own DNA.
"God" is our original DNA code that evolved from energy before matter existsed, and created this universe the same way nature evolves and changes, taking a tiny microscopic cell and truning it into a blue whale or some seeds and turning it into a forest.

Answer 7

I look to nature. I feel I am a part of a cycle that has been going on for a long time. My connection is with that. There may be something after this life. I don't know. I look to other people to talk to about life's problems. Find a good non-judgemental listener. It is difficult making belief changes. You may feel emptier than usual for a while. A quote I like is "In order for one to discover new lands one must consent to lose sight of the shore for a long time". For choosing a belief system you can ask yourself "what would I believe if I wasn't afraid of the consequences".

Answer 8

That is a common falacy to think that God helps those who help themselves, it is nowhere in the Bible.

Actually it teaches that God helps those who cannot help themselves.

When I am weak, then I am strong.

Many times people have to be brought to a completely low point till they can get that concept and finally surrender and put their hands in the air and actually rely and trust God.

Many times He works after you give up and get out of the way.

Mysuggestion is to spend more time in the word for additional strength.

I have found in life that the book of Psalms helps me alot in these situations.
Ecclesiastes also points out alot seeming injustices in life.

:
Eccl 10:5-7
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth

Things are not always as they appear.

Christ is a King that was walking as a servant.

God causes it to rain on the just, as well as on the unjust.

Peace be within thee.

Answer 9

I was that brainwashed person but upon growing up and getting a brain of my own ...the idea of a god seemed a little easy . there is this huge question of why and how we got here and people just say GOD!!! really if we are here for gods pleasure and there is no bigger reason why the heck doesn't he talk to us and visit on holidays ...OK I'm sounding really ridiculous ! i have so many questions of my own but i will tell you what if god will send people to hell for being exactly what he made them to be ...that's just wrong!!!! uggg

oh and the only person you can truly ever rely on is yourself

Answer 10

I believe in him for the bad things.

Seriously, I'm an athiest. And I don't understand why people blindly follow what their parents told them when it comes to God. The commandments are guidlines to follow for living your life. I think that some king sometime 'invented' God, the Devil, and Hell as a way of keeping his people from living in chaos. Or possibly a parent trying to keep their kids out of trouble.