Is a belief in the supernatural divinity of a "God" some kind of societally-conditioned schitzophrenia?

Answer 1

" DO BUDDHISTS BELIEVE IN A CREATOR GOD ? "

In the creator God of the Desert ? The God of the Jews, Christians and of the Muslims ? No. There are several reasons for this. "Buddhism, like scientists, sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea, the god-concept have their origin in fear!! “ The Dhammapada states,
"Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees,
and shrines (Churches). Dp. 188

A Buddhists logical reasons are such:

Primitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Finding no security, he created the idea of gods in order to give him comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. ** “Buddhism teaches us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. Buddhism replaces fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.”** This logical, rational understanding always takes first presidence !

**“The second reason Buddhism does not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any concrete evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their god, or gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. ** “Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming !!”** This second reason is the Most
Important Reason ! All human beings should reason as such, not relying of blind faith.

*”The third reason Buddhism does not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. 'Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin on the universe. But this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea.' "Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are Millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention over 8.8 million Buddhists, who live useful, happy, and very meaningful lives without belief in a god. *'Some claim that belief in god’s power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One Very often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties, through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god.' *"Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation and Atheists and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Buddhism teaches that each human being has the capacity to transform the mind, develop infinite love, patience, and compassion AND perfect understanding. Buddhism shifts one’s attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding.”**

Atheists also all agree with these reasons for not believing in a creator god, especially #2 ! ! ! Anyone who believes in a creator god, read Reason # 2 once again.

The way you worded your question, and your accusations were harsh, but I do understand your reluctance in not believing in the creator god of the jews, christians, catholics, and the muslims.

Thank You for giving me the opportunity to answer your question. A Buddhist Never attempts to convert others to our philosophy of Life. This is not our way, but an open door, through a question (or when someone asks us face to face) is a welcome invitation to share our philosophical reasoning with others.

Take Care, and Thanks.

Answer 2

No, if it really was a societally conditioned schizophrenia, as you put it, we'd all be paranoid and cynical...oh wait...never mind.

Seriously, there definitely is some sort of a divinity present, considering how many faiths there are that have sprung from this notion of a higher power, there's gotta be something to it. Not everyone in this world is a lemming, some people probably do understand the nature of God.

Answer 3

No, matter of fact I just keep getting wiser and am acquiring new information from all different kinds of spectrums, and it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not I believe in a higher being

How about you?

Oh and just so you know I don't participate in organized religion, is there something you would like to say about that?

Answer 4

Yes

Answer 5

Try asking yourself this question:
What if by some chance , there WAS a source of energy and spirit and unimaginable love. And he/It was the "God" you were referring to in your question, and you realized when you met Him face to face, that you spent the time He gave you on earth to coerce others to doubt His very existence. Would you feel ashamed?

Answer 6

Yes. These people believe in a different world than what's natural, and society has a major impact on which kind of religion people belong to. I'd say you pretty much hit the nail on the head with that.

Answer 7

It's a delusional mental illness but just a neurosis rather than a psychosis like schizophrenia. It can easily be cured by exposure to hard facts.

Answer 8

It's nothing so interesting. Its a delusion most potent in the minds of those who are both ignorant and of low intelligence. Its a mental and emotional crutch for weak minded people.

Answer 9

No. Short and sweet.

Answer 10

If thats what you call us so be it...GOD BLESS