Why are all arguments for the existence of God based on fear or shame?

Question

Why is it that if you don't believe in God it's because the Devils is 'blinding' you? Or why is it that you have to believe in God, or you'll go to Hell? Going to Heaven sounds like Hell if all you do is worship Him all day.
Why is there no good argument for God? Is He just an egomaniac that rules by fear?
Most people 'belive' just from the fear of going to Hell.

Sanzerd, your answer was amazing.
Not being picked as best tough.

Answer 1

Even as a Christian, this is one of my biggest arguments against Christianity and "organized religion". I cannot stand "forced attrition" and I think it goes entirely against a belief in a loving God.

I think the biggest reason that this happens is to maintain a hold over the people. Fear and guilt are primary strongholds over mankind. What better way for zealots to gain more followers than through messages of "it's your fault" and "you'll burn in hell forevermore"? And, what better way for churches or "The Church" to maintin control over its people than by using fear and guilt as its methods?

Speaking strictly on the "going to hell" argument...I think many Christians use fear to scare another, while trying to make themselves feel better...more superior (sadly enough). It saddens me the number of times I"ve heard "at least ILL be in Heaven, laughing at YOU in Hell!" What is that if not an attempt to instill fear while at the same time exuding feelings of superiority?

For me, however, it simply is a matter of belief. Hell just doesn't factor in at all.

Answer 2

Why not love and caring for the best good of His creation? Man is the true problem, not God. He created a perfect world and man, Adam, the first man messed everything up. God made a way to redeem man based solely on His love for us.
I see the world and even if there is chaos in man, there is order in all else. Why not believe that there is a God that created everything. That is a whole lot easier than to try the answers of man. One man dreams up an explanation, and another says no that isn't possible and here is why. Why not just accept that there is a God that created all, and seek to know Him better? My basis is the awe of creation. If you want to toss out the Bible, then what about all of the secular historians that nobody seems to want to bother with, or just don't know what they wrote about of that time period. There is also all of the historical information that supports the Bible. So, there is a whole lot of material that supports what so many choose not to accept. The Bible says that God loves us, That said, there is a judgment for those who reject God. Let's keep things in perspective. Obey God, all is well, reject Him and disobey Him, then fear of God is the least of your concerns.
One more little point, where the Bible says to "fear God", you might want to look up the word "fear" in a good concordance, such as Strong's. You'll find that the word "fear" in the use of "fear God" actually means "reverence God".

Answer 3

I am sorry to say this, but you are absolutely wrong. God does not want you to believe in him because of fear or shame. He wants you to accept him because of what he is and what he can do for you.

Atheists are restless souls in denial. All the hard evidence of the existence of God is there, people just don't want to believe. Why? Probably because of the commitments you have to make once you become a believer.

Albert Einstein, the most intelligent man the world has ever known, became a theist through his scientific discoveries.

Einstein's theories have been thoroughly proved and verified by experiments and measurements. But there's an even more important implication of Einstein's discovery. Not only does the universe have a beginning, but also time itself, our own dimension of cause and effect, began with the Big Bang.That's right -- time itself does not exist before then.

The very line of time begins with that creation event. Matter, energy, time and space were created in an instant by intelligence outside of space and time.

About this intelligence, Albert Einstein wrote in his book "The World As I See It" that the harmony of natural law "Reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."

He went on to write, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe--a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble."

For more information go to this link. "A Day Without Yesterday" - Albert Einstein, Georges Lemaitre and the Big Bang http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?u8j4uiot8...
Peace and every blessing!

Answer 4

Why are all arguments for the existence of God based on fear or shame? THEY AREN'T...

Why is it that if you don't believe in God it's because the Devils is 'blinding' you? IT'S NOT... YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE OR NOT BELIEVE AND THE DEVIL HAS NO SAY IN THE MATTER. IT IS ALL ON YOU...

Or why is it that you have to believe in God, or you'll go to Hell? EVERYONE BELIEVES IN GOD - READ ROMANS 1:19 AND 20... EVERYONE WON'T ADMIT IT THOUGH! ANYWAY YOU GO TO HELL FOR REJECTING CHRIST AS SAVIOUR AND LORD. THE PUNISHMENT IS JUST BECAUSE CHRIST DIED FOR YOU AND YOU WOULD NOT REPENT AND ACCEPT THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION GOD OFFERED THROUGH HIM. IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL THING AND THE CHOICE IS YOURS...

Going to Heaven sounds like Hell if all you do is worship Him all day. EVEN A CALLOUSED INDIVIDUAL, IF HE WILL ALLOW HIMSELF SOME RATIONAL THOUGHT COULD FIGURE OUT THAT A GOD AS CREATIVE AS OURS CAN FIND MORE FOR US TO DO THAN WORSHIP HIM AND DO NOTHING ELSE. GET REAL!

Why is there no good argument for God? YOUR ARE EITHER BLIND, DEAF, OR YOU HAVEN'T EVER READ ONE POST IN THE RELIGION SECTION OF YAHOO ANSWERS. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY EXPLANATIONS ON THIS ONE QUESTION THAT THEY COULD FILL A LIBRARY.


Is He just an egomaniac that rules by fear? NO! HE IS A GOD OF WRATH AND LOVE AND HE IS PERFECT IN ALL
HIS WAYS AND ATTRIBUTES. YOU WON'T EVER GET TO UNDERSTAND HIM UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW HIM, AND EVEN THEN YOU WON'T EVER COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND HIM. WE ARE FINITE, WITH LIMITED CAPACITIES IN ALL THINGS. HE IS INFINITE AND HAS NO LIMITATIONS OF ANY KIND.


Most people 'believe' just from the fear of going to Hell.
I PRESUME THAT YOU HAVE TALKED WITH "MOST PEOPLE"- out of millions of Christians in order to make such a bold statement. NOT! Never Assume Anything! A good rule to live by.

Answer 5

Maybe you've been talking to the wrong Christians.
I don't know why you don't believe in God, I can't read your mind or see into your heart.
But I do know who can...
What is this "hell" you speak of? do you mean "the grave"?? I suppose, in a sense, hell does exist since if you don't have eternal life, the alternative would be death, You won't feel much though. When you get tossed into the Incinerator with all that God has found to be unhealthy for His kids, you'll just be a rapidly disappearing grease spot.
There will be a great deal to do in Heaven. We have all of eternity to explore. Ought to be interesting.
If Jesus is just fire insurance, what good is your faith anyhow?
Mine is based on love, not fear.

Answer 6

I will not argue with you because a mortal like myself can not save you, only God can. There are no arguments about existence to me, there are some who believe, some who have faith, some who do not know, some who do not believe, and then there are people like me who are actual witnesses. Consider my intent, Why would I want to decieve you? Why would I tell you that there are somethings in this universe that we have not figured out yet if it were not true? Do not set a trap for yourself thinking that you have it all figured out and know things. You do not. Keep your mind open, your heart pure, and your actions just and maybe someday you will know what I do. Peace.

Answer 7

Because there is no rational scientific argument for the existent of God.///////////////Abel is always going on about Einstein believing in God, but he made it plain that he knew enough about science by age eleven, to know the Bible couldn't be true. He didn't believe in the Christian God. Or any god that interferes in your personnel life, or life after death.

Answer 8

i wished it could be based on saying that how God is the most loving, most forgiving too.
No, i dont believe in god for becuz of fear, i believe him bec/z of love. and i dont care if i go to the hell or heaven but i leave this matter on God to decide. my actions and imyself are not just good/bad enough to get through anything.

Answer 9

Insightful Question. Here is why most Buddhists do not believe in a creator god. Patiently read.

Do Buddhists believe that a God created everything and manipulates human lives? No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. Modern scientists, sociologists and psychologists, believe that religious ideas and especially the Creator-God idea have their origin in fear. The Buddha says:

"Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines ~ Dhammapada 188"

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 a God that gives 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 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 supports the Buddha's teaching that the God-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.

The second reason the Buddhists do not believe in a Creator-God is because there does not seem to be any 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. For centuries, men have prayed to God for protection from war, from natural calamities and disease. Yet till today, these prayers remain unanswered. This is not surprising. Even less surprising is that so many different religions having spent so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their God there remains no real, substantial or irrefutable evidence.

The third reason the Buddhists do not believe in a Creator-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 billions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention millions of Buddhists, who live useful, happy and 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 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 there is no reason nor any other reasonable basis to accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through reasoning, logic, and self-understanding.

But so many people believe in some form of a Creator-god, so it must be true.

Not so. There was a time when everyone believed that the world was flat, but they were all wrong. The number of people who believe in an idea is no measure of the truth or falsehood of that idea. The only way we can tell whether an idea is true or not is by looking at the facts and examining the evidence. If people continue to believe in God, they do so through faith, and faith is simply holding on to a belief when reason, logic and the evidence says otherwise.

Answer 10

If you are honestly looking for God then you will find him because he will show himself to you. He promises it in the bible. This is only if you are truly wanting to find him otherwise you might not. God can do whatever he wants so.....All I can say is God has personally proven his existence to me. If you would like to know how then you may email/IM me. This also goes for anyone reading this as well. God bless and good night.