WHY do you believe (or have faith) in..., A follow up to the Young Earth Creation post Options

[AbdullahOblongat...]

OK, so one guy here believes in YEC it seems... or least is willing to go against the grain. Let's discuss WHY we have such beliefs or faith. Are you a straight up aethiest? Why are you? Do you believe in creationism or planned evolution? Why? This has been the most interesting topic for me of late, no idea why, just has.\ been. Would love to hear from the edumacated masses, especially in the light that on August 22nd we're either all dead or getting Madden)

[East.Coast.J]

I have been doing some heavy predrinking for the evening at hand, so please excuse any misspellings or logical gaps I may present, as this is a topic that I have always struggled with.

I have an incredibly hard time believing in either Creation or Evolution. I went through fourteen years of Christian education and have basically had the ideology pounded into my head for my entire life that God was sitting around bored one day and decided to create the universe. For my entire life, this just hasn't really seemed all that feasible to me for one reason: If there was an all powerful and omnipotent being, he couldn't just "be", he would have had to have come from somewhere. I have never heard one rationale explanation for the origin of God that I can accept. I can't accept that he always just was, or that he is impervious to time, because that doesn't explain why he "is".

On the other hand, I can't necessarily believe in evolution either. There are functions of the human body that are so incredibly advanced that I will never be able to accept that they just evolved from the simplest forms of life on the planet. Just things like a brain that stores information like random 2nd grade memories or eyesight or instincts are things that don't just "happen". I can't fathom how even after millions of years bacteria could just magically transform into something as incredibly complex as the human body without some hand guiding it. And even Evolutionist theories like the Big Bang explaining how the universe began don't explain why the gases and the void were there in the first place.

Everything has to have come from something in my opinion. But using that logic, a starting point of either theory just wouldn't be possible. Personally I think that there must be some huge "Other" out there that explains everything in a non-Christian, non-Evolutionary way, but I don't even know if the human brain would be capable of comprehending it. It all really quite depresses me when I think too hard about it, so I try not to.

[The Electric Poe...]

I am an Atheist because I find the concept of God to be at best ridiculous. Christianity is just another in the trend of foundless make-believe religions that have been created throughout history.

[AbdullahOblongat...]

Why do you think they are make believe though? Why do you find them ridiculous?

[futureproof]

Why do you think they are make believe though? Why do you find them ridiculous?

I agree with Electric Poet. The reason I find the whole idea of Christianity to be kind of far-fetched (at least to me) is that the whole thing about God creating a whole world or universe or whatever just seems unrealistic. I think science can explain everything in the world and it certainly doesn't understand all the heroics God did or whatever. I know Jesus did exist as a person but I don't think he had all those powers or whatever that people said he did.

I just don't believe in Christianity. Or any other religions either. I think the whole point of religion is to give people hope that something might happen after they die. The harsh reality is that nothing happens because we are dead. Done. Over.

That's my opinion and obviously I don't want it to sway people into switching their opinion just because they read this post. With that said I look forward to what everyone else has to say on this topic. I won't argue or debate.

[Cameron Swift]

Well, if we're to believe that the Ten Commandments come directly from God, why doesn't he enforce them? Why doesn't he punish people who steal or kill? Why do good people who do adhere to these rules die? And what about the people who "worship false prophets"? Why doesn't God punish all the Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, atheists, etc.? He's got the power, right? And it's not as if he's not a vengeful God (see: Sodom and Gomorrah) And check out the original text of the Ten Commandments - "(5) You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, (6) but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments"

I've never believed in God, and there's many reasons why I don't (the above being just one of many ridiculous aspects of God and Christianity) But, other people believe in some type of God, and that's fine by me. Nothing wrong with having something to get you through your life. I, like most atheists, can't stand the preachy shit though. My dad always said that religion (mostly talking about Christianity, but I guess it applies for all of them) was just a tool set up by the rich rulers to keep the poor folk in line and prevent them from uprising. If you look at many of the "rules" of Christianity, it certainly seems plausible.

Anyway, the whole Adam and Eve debate only applies to part of the world. In other people's religions, these events didn't even happen. So how can the Christian history even be considered the true story?

[Phatty]

I've had a certain distaste towards religion and people who push their religion on me for quite some time. I've grown up in one of the more conservative christian parts of Arkansas, and the people around here just get on my nerves. I was once a regular church goer, but many expieriences over the years have left me disliking religion of any sort. And this includes the severe belief in evolution, I basically don't want other's beliefs to influence my own in any way.

The thing is, I really don't know what to believe in. I know that we had to get here somehow, but religions do not offer me viable explanations for their theories. Christianity's beliefs about creationism has been disproven by history thousands of times. But, at the same time...I don't believe that we evolved from the simplest of creatures either. I guess I am in the same boat as ECJ as far as what has been pushed upon us in Christianity, and what hasn't been proven in evolution.

I'm not sure where I stand right now....but, I do think I will eventually turn to Christianity when I am in my 40's, and battling a bad case of the "OH SHIT, I'm fixing to FUCKING DIE soon!"

[JTU]

For my entire life, this just hasn't really seemed all that feasible to me for one reason: If there was an all powerful and omnipotent being, he couldn't just "be", he would have had to have come from somewhere.

Which is just the other side of the coin of a random universe. I mean, I'm pretty sure the universe is made up of matter and energy, but where the fuck did THAT come from?

Which is to say, belief requires a leap of faith one way or another.

Personally? I really liked Letters From the Earth, so the idea that God came into being and then set the universe in motion just to see what would happen works for me. It's no more ridiculous than believing all existence is random, and quite a bit less ridiculous than that Young Earth bullshit.

Really, I think everyone should base their belief system around Mark Twain satire and/or Bill Hicks standup. That's the kind of world I want to live in. :-)

[primetiments]

When I was a little kid, I would go to sunday school or science class and think "If humans evolved from apes, why are apes still around?"

Faith is a tough thing for a lot of people to convey, I could quote Bill Hicks & David Cross's views on the hipocracies of it all till the cows come home. But basically, for me, it boils down to this: If there really is a place of eternal joy known as heaven, I want in. That's it. I'm not compromising any integrity to think that. It hurts no one, I whole-heartedly let others believe whatever they wish. It's not my job to judge that.

Some of the nicest people i've ever met were devoutly religious, yet there are more than enough insane folks who wish to force their beliefs upon others, thats when I disagree.

[Hammer to Fall]

Christians have measured and dealt with the suffering question forever. Is life fair? No. A very religious family in town lost two of their children with a year of each other, one in a car accident, the other in a long battle with cancer.

I'm not going to answer this very well, but enduring suffering, keeping faith, and good works will get you the ultimate reward. That does vary from religion to religion. Catholics are more into piety. Others are more into predestination. Methodists, Baptists, and Lutherans go moreso along with good works.

I consider myself a Christian. I also believe in evolution. One does not necessarily betray the other.

Science tells you that the steaming hot orb of the Earth cooled down and began developing single-celled life in the oceans. I think I can believe that God started that transformation.

I do not take the Bible as being 100% literal. After all, it's a collection of chapters told in the tongue of the day and with the scientific understanding of that era. Would you take an 18th century science text as being totally accurate? I think the same can apply here.

[offspring515]

Hammer, you pretty much sound like me.

I consider myself a Christian. I believe in the lessons of the Bible, though I don't believe that it is a historical text in any way.

But I also believe in scientific truths, one of which is evolution.

I grew up in a very religious family...but not my immediate family. My parents never went to church, or took us to church, but my aunts, uncles, grandparents etc were very religious. And my father, despite never going to church, read the Bible often and he and I have had some amazing talks about religion. He's very wise in my opinion, and that's without Church so, take that for what it's worth.

Anyhow, my family was "Old Regular Baptist". Without getting into a huge rant, that's basically meant that:

-The women can't wear pants
-women can't cut their hair
-women cannot have any say in church business, or preach in church
-women and men don't sit together in church. Each has their own side
-someone who is divorced cannot remarry under any circumstance
-they cannot dye their hair, wear makeup or anything else that is construed as "vanity"
-they cannot swim, or wear shorts, or bathing suits

There's lots more rules, but those are most of the ones that turned me off of organized religion for a long time.

I do attend Church now, with my wife, and we are Baptist. I avoided going to church with her when we were dating because I really thought that all churches were like the one my family attended. AFter going with her a few times i was surprised to find out that it was not at all the same, and that I actually LIKED going.

I've found in life that I'm often a fence sitter. It's not that I can't decide, it's that I was brought up to see both sides of a story. That's why I can't understand the "religion is fake! anyone who follows it is an idiot!" group, nor can I stand the "Our religion is totally right! the rest of you will burn in hell!" crowd.

[NateroB]

I was raised christian and still consider myself that even though I haven't been to building church is held in (the church is the event and the people not the building). I like what ECJ had to say and I agree with most of it but like primetiments, if there is a god who judges us at the end of our lives, I want to be judged as a good person who will be going to enjoy eternal life in heaven.

Not on topic and not to start any bashing of any other religion but I have a funny story about Muslims. I was in a class where we read part of the Koran and we had a guest speaker come in and explain the Muslim religion. He explained that most Muslims believe something like 70 or 75% of the Bible but not a distinct part. This girl raises her hand and says, "so what you're saying is that they believe only that amount of the bible. That's like missing out on the land on earth because you believe in only the 75% that is water." This guy's jaw just dropped and i was trying so hard not to laugh. It was pretty funny.

[Capt. Midnight]

I'm a Rocker.

I believe in electric guitars and amps. I worship by playing rock music whenever I can. I used to attend my church (gigs) all the time when I was younger, but have to sadly admit that I don't partake so much nowadays. There is obviously no God, but we have more than enough prophets to offset that somewhat. And when I listen to the best in rock music, I laugh, I cry and I feel my emotions intensify massively; it makes me feel superhuman. I love rock music and I always will.

Apologies if any subscribers to the more common belief systems are offended by this, as that's not intended. Rock music is my life, and that's the way it is.

[Na1m4rk]

When I was a little kid, I would go to sunday school or science class and think "If humans evolved from apes, why are apes still around?"

Well, have you ever figured out an answer to this question?

[TheZ]

I think the question of where we come from and why things exist is a question that noone on this planet will ever be able to answer. And I think that's also the reason why religions exist in the first place. The human being always wanted to know the answer to every question, but since they couldn't find the answer to this particular question they had to make one up and they did this all over the world. I mean every kid could come up with a story like that, that some almighty guy named god created everything. I think at first it just started as stories, but eventually those stories turned into religion. Some stuck around like Christianity and some turned into mythology, like the Greek mythology.

I can't tell you why there is life on earth, but just because I don't know doesn't mean I have to beleive in a god. That's just my opinion though.

[Biggie Biggs]

When I was a little kid, I would go to sunday school or science class and think "If humans evolved from apes, why are apes still around?"

Well, have you ever figured out an answer to this question?

Seriously.

We need some sort of USB port to people's brains with decent Dawkins, Gould, et. al. holographic future e-books (or perhaps just very well-formatted .txts) pop sci so that people can recognize.

[Capt. Midnight]

Biggs!

I'm gonna go to Music now, and I hope you've recommended some gold for me.

[strobogo]

I went to a pretty rigid Christian school as a young kid. I don't think it had too much of an impact on me, though. I don't WANT to believe in the idea of Christianity, and I don't know if I actually do, but that idea has permeated so deep that I can't get away from it. I prefer the ideas of Eastern religions. Not a specific diety, per se, but more of a way to live.

[strobogo]

I went to a pretty rigid Christian school as a young kid. I don't think it had too much of an impact on me, though. I don't WANT to believe in the idea of Christianity, and I don't know if I actually do, but that idea has permeated so deep that I can't get away from it. I prefer the ideas of Eastern religions. Not a specific diety, per se, but more of a way to live.

[abayer1138]

I believe in evidence. I don't reject the possibility of things that do not have evidence to support their existence, but barring evidence, I'm going to assume they don't exist. That is to say - God could exist. I don't know of viable evidence that disproves the existence of a deity - though there's pretty viable evidence disproving certain specific deities' existence. I believe in evolution because microevolution is out-and-out proven, and macroevolution has an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting it, and little to no evidence against it.

It's a pretty simple, rational worldview.

A.