Another question.....?

Question

You pagans ask us why we have so much faith in God, why do you have so much faith in not believing in him? What proof do you have that hes not alive?

Answer 1

Many will say that seeing is believing (of course, with God, believing is seeing)

Answer 2

You directed your question to Pagans..... Pagans usually worship a god or gods... Usually, but not always, with the Female aspect of the godhead as the highest Power.
Most pagans are VERY tolerant of the religious beliefs of others. Wiccans, for example, mostly follow the "An it harm none, do what ye will." A heck of a lot more tolerant than "if your left hand offend thee, chop it off."
So most pagans would not care what god you worship, as long as you don't try to force it down their throats that yours is the Better god.... Peace.

If your question is actually directed toward atheists... The answer is a simple one: they would like some proof.
Proof should be quite simple to manifest. If you have read the bible, then you would know that god appeared quite often in the Old Testament to his followers. There are many stories of him actually walking upon the land. He even broke bread with Abraham...
So the simple thing to do would be for Christians to invite their god down for some Coffee, Tea, or wine, and invite some atheists over for a little get together and pow-wow...

Answer 3

First, Pagans do believe in the divine. Atheists do not. I think you may have mixed up the terms.

Second, here's why I do not believe in God.

You have to first define the term "God." The problem with most theists is that this term is a moving target.

In addition, because there is no evidence either for or against the existence of God, you cannot use deductive logic (a+b=c; therefore c-b=a). You can only reach a conclusion by inductive reasoning using the balance of evidence (90% of A is also B; C is B, so the chances are 90% that C is also A).

So to begin with, I will assert (and others may shoot this down) that the only RELEVANT definition of God states that GOD INTERVENES TO CIRCUMVENT NATURAL LAWS.

If God circumvents natural laws, then it becomes impossible to understand natural laws. All scientific findings would have to include the stipulation, "It is also possible that these results are an act of God, a miracle, thereby making our research meaningless."

However, we have been able to expand our knowledge of natural laws (evidenced by every appliance in your kitchen). Therefore, because the scientific method leads to applicable discoveries, and the likely conclusion is that God, at least the intervening kind, does not exist.

Additionally, if God is defined as all loving, all powerful, and all knowing, then it is impossible to explain suffering. Either God is not all loving (he acts sadistically), not all powerful (he cannot prevent suffering), or not all knowing (he created suffering by mistake because he didn't know the consequences of his actions). A God who is not all-loving, all-powerful or all-knowing is also not sufficient for the definition of God, because any God that fails to meet these criteria becomes bound by rules that are greater than God.

If God is bound by external rules and/or does not intervene in our existence, then God is either non-existent or irrelevant. The classic Bertrand Russell argument is that I cannot prove that a china teapot is orbiting the sun between the earth's orbit and Mars. But while I cannot prove this is not true, the evidence against it is compelling.

The evidence against God is equally compelling, and while it is not possible to prove beyond any doubt, it makes enormously more sense to live your life as if there were no God.

It is more compelling to me that humans have invented God (a) to help people deal with the pain and fear associated with death and loss, and (b) to reflect the thoughts of the ruling powers in a particular time. Humans are always searching for explanations. When none were found, it was the natural inclination to declare that the cause of the unexplained was "God" (or gods). As the faith grew, miracles (coincidences) and laws were ascribed to this Divinity, and an orthodoxy grew up around it.

Now it seems unhelpful to believe in such superstition. The only matters that aid in our ongoing well-being are work, location, health, sustenance, and pure, blind luck.

So that's why, I don't believe God exists. And you know what? It's okay if you do believe God exists, even if I think you have very poor reasons for doing so.

- {♂♂} - {♂♀} - {♀♀} -

Answer 4

As a pagan, it has nothing to do with having faith in not believing in your God, but rather having faith in our own beliefs. Though you may not understand it, my beliefs have nothing to do with disproving your god, they have to do with what I believe and what is spiritual to me. I see the divine in a different way then you do, simple as that. My beliefs are not an attack or affont on yours, they are my beliefs. There are hundreds of religions in the world, always have been, always will be. I think people need to accept the fact that there are people in the world who will always believe differently than they do.

To clarify one thing for you, pagans do believe in a form of the divine in one way or another. Like the term Abrahamic used to describe judaism, christianity, and islam, Paganism is a term used to describe a group of dozens of religions that are not Abrahamic or Eastern in origin. Many pagans are polytheistic (believe in many gods), though not all, some pagan religions are monotheistic, dualtheistic, syncretic, pantheistic, or panentheistic.

Answer 5

Actually, I don't remember seeing the Pagans here ask that sort of question. I certainly may've missed it - if so, my apologies - but I think you might be looking for the atheists. They're two doors down, on the right.

Most of us Pagans have plenty of faith - we've just got faith in different divine beings. ::shrugs:: I know I've got faith in my gods, because I've interacted with them.

Answer 6

Speaking for myself, the burden of proof is with those who say that god exists; not the other way around.
Plus it is very difficult to prove a negative.

Answer 7

Remember, "god" is nothing more than a nonsense word invented by men to explain away the things we can't yet understand.

Answer 8

I think you mean atheists, pagans believe in multiple deities

Answer 9

It's their choice, you believe in God, so what are you worried about? If they aren't concerned, why are you? Can't force people to believe if they don't want to.

Answer 10

I'm sure you'll get answers like, "We don't have to prove a negative." It's their way of dodging the bullet.

I'd like to see them dodge God when they die.