Why do people believe in God?

Question

I laugh at people when they say they are Christians and I tell them Jesus never existed because no credible proof of him existed outside of the Bible. I also laugh at how they believe in God. There is no magical man in a magical place in the sky. It's impossible a force that strong exists. Believing in God is like believing in Santa and believing the Bible is true is like believing Harry Potter is true.

Answer 1

For emotional reasons.

Religions gain and keep converts through emotional manipulation. It starts with childhood indoctrination which creates deep emotional bonds in people to their religion. They also use fear of Hell, hope of Heaven after death, pity for their martyrs, guilt over not perfectly keeping impossible lists of rules, and unconditional love by the church to anybody who is willing to obey. They promote in-group bonding and out-group enmity. They discourage any real reasoning about their beliefs, and force people to just accept "God said so" as an answer.

It really has nothing to do with reason or logic. They only give some lip-service to reason and logic to appease lingering doubt (another emotion).

Answer 2

Wow, I guess atheists are all out of fresh good examples. Anyway, if you deny the existence of Jesus, you are using much more faith, because not only does the Bible, but also Jewish historical evidence of the time points to a man existing similar to the Biblical Jesus. As for the proof that Jesus did not exist, well there is none, we have as much proof for Jesus as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, maybe you should then not believe history at all. The miracles are a matter of faith, and they will never be scenically or historically proven. As for the belief in God, there are several miracles that can make a case for God, while for Santa there is no one that called on Santa to perform a miracle (no giving gifts on Christmas does not count) and Santa came through. Harry Potter, was written purely fiction, we all know that, the author told us it herself when she classified the book as fiction. While the supernatural events of the Bible are matters of faith, much of the historical accounts are accurate descriptions of ancient Jewish, and early Christian history.

While belief in God requires faith, to believe that Jesus existed requires less faith than to believe the contrary, to compare the Bible to Harry Potter, would be like comparing a History Book, to Narnia, and if you believe that is a fair comparison that is your deal.

Answer 3

I disagree that Jesus never existed. No credible historian would agree with you either. As far as a "magical man in a magical place," that is not my concept of God, nor the one articulated by the Christian faith. God does not exist OUT THERE, but IN HERE. Inside of everyone is the place where the kingdom of God can be found. What we have to do is connect to our spirituality. Question to you: are you against an organized concept of God or are you against spirituality in general?

Answer 4

I laugh at it too, but some of them do deserve my respect. People seem to feel the need that there be a giant pixie in the sky that would watch over them, because they're very much afraid of death, and what could happen afterwards (nothing), and the world and its many wonders. They want to explain all of it with a theistic theory that doesn't work anymore.

Answer 5

Isn't this the atheist equivalent of Christians telling people they're going to burn in hell? Just stringing together a bunch of "I laugh at this" or "I tell people that" doesn't convince anyone who doesn't agree with you in the first place.

And here's an even tougher question: why do people feel the need to ask the question "why do people believe in God?" practically every other day?

Answer 6

Well you certainly sound as if you come from the planet of apes. All it actually is, is the fact that you haven't discovered the supernatural. All your doing is basically saying the world is flat and the moon is made out of cheese. Because until you have experienced the supernatural you have no right expressing your opinion like you know something when in fact you don't.

Answer 7

It would be a very depressing place if people did not believe in something more powerful than them.

Our finite minds cannot comprehend two rocks colliding together...out of nowhere...who created the rocks?

I think for society to continue...one has to believe in something bigger than all of us....it is just a pity that religions have become so political and turned people away from the love of God...into the politics of religion.

Answer 8

word is born.

yep, alot of god originated from Burials.

it must have been hard for humans 10,000-500,000years ago too bury someone and not know that they had a heart atttack or you eat someting old and die.

God was a way for humans to have a faith or belief to get us to this scientific point.

God was there answer, no nothing, if a lighing bolt happens it's god.

They just did not know, you can't blame them as you can't blame dogs, animals just don't know

There were stupid, but smart @ the same time,
Joey

Answer 9

Are you here to ask why people believe in God or are you just trying to make fun of them?

I have my personal reasons for believing in God and your views about God are wrong, your thinking about cartoons, they put false pictures of what religion is.

I hope you really read the bible and understand well before you decided to bash on it.

Answer 10

I believe for a number of reasons, starting with personal experience, philosophical inquiry, historical study, and so forth. In fact, it was due to my conversion that I became a philosophy major to investigate these questions further. Comments such as yours are par for the course at this level of discussion, but they don't show up in academic literature or scholarly works.