How many of you believe in god (or any god) because you are afraid NOT to believe?

Question

I mean, you have NO evidence for the existence of god, jesus christ, apollo or even zeus. For the over 4,200 different gods and religions, there is no evidence for their existence at all.
So, logic must dictate that the only reason you believe is because you are afraid NOT to believe, or at the very least afraid to even question.
The recent book "Misquoting Jesus" shows without a doubt that a vast majority of the bible is falsified and made up. Yet you still believe the bible, even though it is falsified. Why? The ONLY answer is that you are afraid NOT to believe and question.
For thousands of years in Asia, shark fin was seen to have mystical, healing powers. Science proved, over and over, that it does not. yet people STILL believe in eating shark fin. Why? Because they are afraid of NOT believing and afraid that they were wrong all along.

Thoughts anyone?

Answer 1

Try Bart Erhman's other literature. "Lost Christianities" and "Lost Scriptures" are both great.

Answer 2

I believe because I feel the love of God. I don't believe in heaven in the conventional sense and I've never believed in hell. I believe in the power of compassion and love. If everyone loved everyone else even a little more than we do now the world would be far better off. I do not believe to rebel against reason and science nor to set myself against governments.
I don't think you have to believe as I do so long as you find the love to put yourself into the shoes of your fellow man. If all else is delusion then still the world is better. If there is in fact a God then this God will be merciful for the sake of our love even if we get all else wrong about our faith. If there's a God that's vengeful and full of law then I don't care if he hates me for being a creature of love for I have seen the higher road and that road is the only one I'll travel.

Love without fear. Courage from compassion.

♥Blessed Be♥
♥=∞

Answer 3

Science is always proving one thing now and disproving it later. Science is a bunch of peolpe that believe in nothing but themselves and the things they do. They have there own agendas. They only want to prove what they can see or touch. One day all the scientist that believe God doesn't exists will be proven wrong. I am a Christian and believe becasue I have faith. I have had many miracles happen in my life. When the surgeon told me my son would not live without the help of God becasue there was nothing he or anyone else could do, he prayed with us, and my son is in Great health today. When you open your heart and ask God to show you his love and mercy , you can feel it inside. Theres nothing like it.

Answer 4

wrong, I have much more reason to believe in God, than you have to believe in evolution, but lets try one more time.

I base this on the "proof" that so many claims does not exist. Look at what the bible says. Its tells us that the Hebrew people built the treasure cities of Ramesies. We can see these cites today. It tells us the Joshua fought and destroyed the city of Jericho with fire. We can see its ruins. It tells us there was a king named David and a Giant named Goliath. They have found records in Babylon with David’s name and details of his kingdom; they have pottery shards with Goliath from the Philistines. There is no doubt about the Temple of Solomon. We can read where the prophets said, that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed by King Nebuchadnessar. It was. We can read about Dairies, the king of Persia and how he let the people go back to their homelands, he did. Daniel tells in detail, over 500 years before, the life and death of Alexander the great. How he rose to power, how he conquered many of the old kingdoms, how he would die in his prime how his kingdom would be split into four parts.

But look at today. The bible tells us in the last day the Jews will be hated. The whole world will be focused on Jerusalem, how its neighbors will try to destroy the people, all of this is taking place to day. How anyone reasonable person can not see this is beyond me. The list goes on and on if you don't want to believe, that’s up to you, but the alternative, "everything just is because it is” and they say we live in a delusion

Answer 5

We are mortal, we live and we die just like everything else on this planet. This is hard to swallow for 99.9% of people. It is a comforting thought knowing that everything is planned for you and that at the end of the long road there will be eternal existence in this soul society. This being said you and I and no one has the right to take that away from anyone by saying negative things about their beliefs. Hope you understand what I mean.

Answer 6

I Believe In Something I cant say for sure that it is called God, I am not believing because I am scared not too, I am believing because Nothing else makes sense to me as to how this world came about and How to explain the many miracles I see every day, such as re creation itself. I therefore am a firm believer in " A Force" , "A One", "A God", "A Power" but I rest assured it is Something...

Answer 7

Why do you care what I believe?

Misquoting Jesus was an ignorant book using phrases out of context to prove its point.

I know there is God. I see him everyday in the wonders of the world around us. Also, secular history accepts that Christ did live on the planet about 2000 years ago.

How can to be so blind as to not believe? Are you afraid there is a God that you will have to answer to?

Answer 8

Well personally, in Christianity, if you're "believing" because you're afraid not to, you're not believing. Obviously, christians like that are afriad of hell, but you'd go there anyway because if you're beleiving so dryly, and in fear, how are you to love God with a pure heart? And logic/science can't mix with the spiritual world. Yea, lots of things in the Bible don't make sense...but you'd be amazed at the stupid things people say about it. For example, an atheist told me that one thing from the Bible that is false is that "God rested on the 7th day," but that's lying because God doesn't need rest. There are so many other definitions of rest. It couldl've meant that he was simply done, and didn't do anything that day. It didn't mean he was tired of saying "let there be" then needed a power nap or soemthing.
But anyway, I still believe because emotions can't be based on something fake. An atheist told me that the emotions were "song based" (as in emotion produced by myself, just in the heat of the moment), but i still have those emotions in prayer, which is the most boring thing on earth if you don't get the purpose of it.
I never read "misquoting Jesus" or even heard of it, but even if its excuses to make the bible appear false were valid, good excuses, based on my experiences with God, it'd probably be another test for christians, testing if their faith in God is true or not.

And about the shark fin thing...idk. maybe they believe it still heals, because it's hard to break away from legends and myth types stuff that's been there for thosuands of years?

i also say that people who believe in God out of fear are basing their dry belief on fear, therefore not truly believing, but eventually find a good relationship with him that is based on love, not fear

Also, for you atheists who say that most people who are christians have some sort of life crisis- that IS probably true, but have you ever thought that God developes a crisis in our lives so that we are pushed closer to him? we, as humans can't suddenly believe entierly on our own. it's almost impossible. for this reason, i'd also add that most people truly accept christ in their teen years

also, star1, i don't think any christian would say "go burn in hell" which you basically did. why not pray for them instead? ...unless you just presented it wrong.

and for those christians who use the bible as a way to try and convert people...it's kind of stupid, isn't it? as true as it is, a non believer doesn't believe in God, therefore don't believe in the bible. i know there isn't much anything else left, but try prayer and sharing personal experiences instead?

i'm not being despriptive, but my life crisis was that God was the only reason I had to live for, therefore stopping me from suicide. i didn't not go suicide because of fear that i would jump off a cliff then die, then keep falling into hell. i didn't go suicide because I was that close with God, and could that passionatley feel his love. Now then, are you telling me that a fake being stopped all my depressions and hurts from going suicide? and yea, some people might say i'm alive for nothing then, but say what you want, cause my faith is in God

Answer 9

Who would be more justified in your eyes? A child that feared you and obeyed you? Or a child that didnt fear you and didnt obey you? Now you know how God feels.

There is much evidence and testiomny for God including your own body, but you are unwilling to examine it or hear it. God proves however only proves himself to those who love him and have faith in him. If youre an unbeliever and saw a miracle, then either you were incredibly lucky or he is judging you.

The author of misquoting Jesuswas an unbeliever. Of coarse his theme is going to be that you cant trust the Bible. So he writes a book pretending to know things telling you not trust Gods word and you think believers should listen to him? Are you really that naive?

Id much rather be accused of simply following God out of fear and doing what he says then not following him at all and not doing anything he says.

Answer 10

well that is what faith ia all about. i believe in Jesus because when i was all alone and afraid i made myself read at least a couple line from the bible. i was not influenced by anyone.....but as i read He showed me the truth. i will never forget the day i met Jesus...and He turned my whole life around. He taught me in a 20 minute span that the bible was true and He really came to save us. i was 26. it was april 3rd 1982. i know where i am going when i die and i am not afraid. everything in the bible is true. love you.

Answer 11

" mean, you have NO evidence for the existence of god, jesus christ, apollo or even zeus. For the over 4,200 different gods and religions, there is no evidence for their existence at all"

Nope. Sorry. I do have evidence. Is it applicable to YOU? No it is not. That, however, does not make it not evidence. I find cheesecake preferable to chocolate, and have no preference for either gender in the bedroom, I have these based on my evidence and experiences as well, and they are also not applicable to YOU.
If a god wanted you to follow him, her or it, he, she or it would ask you.

Fear has nothing to do with what I believe, indeed, there would be no punishment for not believing it.

And, indeed, to agree with DOI, um, not Christian, so not interested in that stuff.