Those who don't believe in GOD: If he isn't real, why do so many people believe?

Question

I'm not taking either sides.

hey, don't go against me. I don't believe, I just want to know other opnions. damn.

Answer 1

This is the answer kim

muslims are 100% occupied with promoting islam through propaganda and violance. They are also occupied with trying to keep muslims under full control because lots are secretly leaving islam

Christians and Catholics are more concerned about promoting the love of jesus through unselfishly helping millions of poor, sick and oppressed people all over the globe. As a result more and more people experience the love of jesus christ through the humanity of Catholics and christians

No matter what anyone says i will always have a great love and respect for anyone who promotes love and helps those who suffer

Answer 2

It has a lot to do with where you live. If you were born and raised in India, you'd wonder about the many deities of Hinduism. If you were born and raised in Tibet and questioned Buddhism, same thing. In America and Europe, Catholicism was so dominant in the past, even today, different versions of the same basic concept still survive. Plus, it's easy for the mind to comprehend.
There are some parts of Africa and Greece that have a distinct version of 'Christianity'. They even have their own Bible which contains different books.
I'm reading a book now called 'The Jesus Mysteries' which shows the similarities between Gnosticism and paganism and Gnosticism to the more literal brand of Christianity that exists. I heard of another book called 'God is not Great' and I think it's about what Christianity has in common with other pagan religions.
edit: re upsman's response-if everything needs a designer, who designed something as complex as God? Also, I can see with my own two eyes that reproduction HAS to include a female. The Christian version of a singular, male deity is unnatural. The myth also states that 'we' are created in God's image. But, according to one version of the creation myth, females were created as a way to 'entertain' Adam. As a second thought. So, if we are made in 'God's' image, why does it take TWO to procreate and why does it involve sex if God is so against it?

Answer 3

People believe because they see a universe that is chuck full of design. It seems to me that the intelligent design answer to the evolution question is irrefutable. It simply says that design in the universe is undeniable. The law of cause and effect says that wherever you find design you must have a designer somewhere. Since the cause must have everything the effect does and the effect(the universe) has intelligence, the cause(the designer) must also have intelligence. So you need an intelligent designer of this universe. But who could design a universe outside of a God. You call Him whatever you want to call Him. I call Him a God. That refutes evolution since evolution says that everything came about by random chance. The I.D. argument, it seems to me, is irrefutable. It's a simple logical argument:
Premise #1: Wherever you find design, you need a designer.
Premise #2: The universe exhibits design
Conclusion: The universe needs a designer.
Either you deny Premise #1 or you deny Premise #2 or you deny that given Premise #1 & 2, the conclusion follows. You can’t deny Premise #1 or #2 and you can’t deny that given Premise #1 & 2, that particular conclusion follows.
The only way around that argument is to deny the second premise. Every atheist has to deny design. As I've said before, If you read Richard Dawkins two latest books('the blind watchmaker' and 'the god delusion') that's exactly what he does. He denies design. He says that there's no design in the universe, just the "appearance of design". But that's insane. You just can't logically and realistically deny that there's design all through the universe. It's all around you. You have to be blind not to see it. There are branches of science that basically just study the design in nature.........scientific disciplines such as nano-technology and bio-mimetrics. These disciplines study the design in nature.......whales,bats,dolphins... have sonar.......and try to create machines that mimic that design. There’s even a weekly program on the science channel that looks at the design in nature trying to find leads for technology. Everywhere you look there's design. Where there's design there's got to be a designer. That's just common sense. Creation is not an unproven theory. It's a common sense fact that we come to by just using a little logic and reason.

Answer 4

I think I am in the same position as you. I really don't know if there is or is not any god at all, but i do think that masses of people believe in gods because of tradition basically. Our world is so full of corruption, some may feel the need to keep some type of god in their lives in order to feel 'goodness' or whatever they call it now. But also, think about it, people have believed in gods for so long, it has become a sort of surreal 'fact'. People will no longer seriously take action to support their questionabilities of gods because there is currently no evidence to prove otherwise. The world was thought to be flat and the earth was thought to be the center of the galaxy until proved otherwise with evidence. People believed the world's flatness and the earth being the center of the galaxy for as long as they could remember before and questioning it would have probably suggested lunacy or some evil whatever.
As science and technology are uncovering and explaining more of the worlds phenomenons, more people are questioning (but not entirely leaving their faiths) the existence of gods. But I think that these people still believe in gods either to keep some sort of hope to get them through each day, (In other words, they believe just to have something to believe in.) or to (unconciously) just act like they believe in order to feel or look 'good'.

Also, i think that people of 'way back when' were immensely influenced by people who decided to spread 'God's goodness' because they were so convincing.

Answer 5

As one who believes in God, I would never use an argument like that. Just because a lot of people believe something, that doesn't make it right. Many people believe things about God that are not true. As expected, some of the non-believers sited indoctrination, brain-washing and such. What is true about most believers is that we believe because we have experienced the goodness of God so as to be assured not only of His existence but also of His loving Character.
The reality of brain-washing and fear used as tactics to get people to believe certain things is not a sign of God not existing. It is proof of counterfeit teachings. But this would be my argument: The existence of counterfeit money does not mean that real money does not exist.

Answer 6

If Santa isn't real why do so many people believe in him?

It's a myth passed down from generation to generation. On top of that, I think it makes some people feel better to know they have a little friend floating on a cloud who can help them out of jams.

Answer 7

That's kind of an offensive and going-no-where question y'know... and most people who do believe in God grew up that way, so yeah. Probably fewer than 5% of people who believe in God were people that converted from another religion.

Answer 8

because you indoctrinate your children to be god fearing. if you really believed that not believing in your god will damn you to hell for all eternity....you wouldnt want your chilrdren and thier childrens children to go to hell either. and the idea of god has been with man kind a long time simply because in the past there was no science and people couldnt explain why or how things happened. they would usually explain the "unexplainable" with magic, superstition, and religion. why people STILL believe in the idea of god? i think it acts as a major comfort blanket and again...god fearing.

Answer 9

For the same reason so many people believe in Hindu gods or other pantheons... indoctrination or a need to be comforted by the concept.

Answer 10

if he is real, why do so many people believe that he isn't?

it works both ways

that said, a whole hell of a lot of people used to believe in the greek gods, and the roman gods, and the egyptian gods, etc. etc. yet we now admit that none of them are real

Answer 11

People inherently need to believe in something, particularly something being "in control of it all," in my opinion. Generally I find that it takes more courage NOT to be a sheep.

But that's just me. I'm responsible for what I do. I don't need to blame anyone but me when things are bad, and I can thank myself for when things go right. I'm the one in control of my life. I help myself. I don't need divine intervention to live, I don't need a book to tell me how to live. Just that simple. People are by and large, followers.