Do you believe in God?

[Griffith]

That's the worst part, in a way. Nothing worse in my opinion than insincere believers.

I know what you mean, that's very true in a sense, but in another it can never be worse than the sincere believers that deny natural rights, science and medicine to humanity in the name of their respective invisible overlords and brand of make believe. So, although I might not want to be their friend, when it comes to societal cancers, I'll take the more benign everyday hypocrites over that malignant type any time.

Anyway, heavy philosophical chit chat aside, here's what my pop culture addled brain sees of when I think of true believers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_plI0XlrY9Q#t=2m12s

 

My personal thoughts on real Christians are that you cannot have a divorce and call your self a Christian. YOU SEE THIS DAD? FUCK YOU!  

 

[Handmade]

I've had an enlightening experience with organized religion. Quite frankly, it scares me. I liked it much better when I was a kid and considerably dumber and ignorant of my surroundings. Apart from the good food, awesome building to run around in, and the Halloween candy selection, church was a pretty bad place to be. But this was my church. I'm aware there are much, much more "relaxed" churches than the ones I've been to. What it boiled down to was when I realized I had my own opinion and will, and when my church body would join hands in prayer and take hold of my hands and close their eyes passionately, I knew I didn't belong there because I couldn't do that, not like them.

A few years ago with one of my last visits to my mother's church, I agreed to go with her for the simple fact she wanted me to. Well, it just so happened to be on a day when they were doing a thing that was quite literally "Come over to this side of the room if you believe." And my whole family went, and I remained in my seat. This caused an emotional uproar in the people that will claim they "know" me and have known me my whole life. When they sat around me, took hold of me, and began crying and speaking to me, I knew right then that church-going was not for me.

I very much agree with what a lot of you have said. I am a perfectly happy person without religion in my life.

[KuraiDragoon]

I remember the last time I went to church. It was one of those really hokey Christian churches that seems a little cultish, the kind that "slays people in the spirit"(knocks them over) and all that. Anyway, they were getting into this weird stuff. The preacher was trying to tell us that everyone can be a prophet for God.. they made us go into pairs and sit facing each other with our eyes closed. We were then supposed to go back and forth telling eachother "prophecies" about eachother, ya know, real prophecies from God. He really thought it was going to work, and the people there were all convinced that they were being real prophets. It was ridiculous. The church was trying to teach us to be fake psychics. In the name of God. If there is a God, I'm sure he was pissed. I remembered specifically from my Christian teachings that the Bible says that false prophets are an abomination and are going to hell.. so I really couldn't figure out why we were doing that. At that point I decided that church was bullshit and I was done with it. My dad told me that the next week, they started doing even weirder shit where they put people into pairs, and would have one stand in front with his eyes closed while the other walked behind him and the guy in front was supposed to use his psychic God powers or whatever to point to where the guy behind him was. That must've been some funny shit, but I think I left just in time.

Church is just not for this day and age. We're too smart for that shit now.

[VladimirPutin]

My family is from Catholic background, but I just call myself a Christian, I'm praying but I'm not practicing if practice means going to church.

[JusticeArrows]

No, not anymore. I was raised in a Catholic family, but even as a kid, I was too self absorbed to care about "God" or "religion". However, in 2011, I was admitted to a hospital because I was sick (I had sinusitis and it was bad) and in that period (2/3 weeks if my memories are correct) I cried almost every day because I was scared of dying (well, I was 12 at the time...) and after that, I became protestant. After that, I had some doubts about my beliefs, but I still believed in a God.

However, in 2014, I was at the church, and I just thought to myself: "If I stay here for one more night, I will be just lying to myself." I decided to not go to the church anymore and then I became an atheist. I felt quite free at the time. But today? I am actually an atheist-agnostic because whilst I don't think that God exists, I reckon humanity has no way of knowing if God exists or not. Who knows, right?

[Demon Knight]

I do believe in god. I know many many people these days dont believe in so called religion. But i myself still believe in god for reasons.

[Sancho]

I tend to describe myself as an agnostic, although my actual state of mind might more accurately be summed up as not giving a shit.

It's an old post, but that describe perfectly my state of mind. I respect choices, as long as those don't bring pain and violence, so i respect even the choice of having faith in something. But in my modest opinion most of religions are too childish to even bother to take them seriously and give them importance, and the "a priori" probability of the existence of God as described in the bible is no different from that of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, since we don't have any empirical evidence of either.

[Oburi]

I think Bill Maher described it best when he said " I preach the Gospel of 'I Don't Know'. And that's okay". I guess I'd be lumped into the agnostic category.

 But then again, when I really think about it, I'm always reminded of something Stephen Colbert said. "Agnostics are just atheists without balls".

[Sancho]

I think Bill Maher described it best when he said " I preach the Gospel of 'I Don't Know'. And that's okay". I guess I'd be lumped into the agnostic category.

 But then again, when I really think about it, I'm always reminded of something Stephen Colbert said. "Agnostics are just atheists without balls".

Going by what Stephen Colbert said then, making the choice itself is more important than the reasoning that led you to it. And regardless of that, i think it takes more courage to be an agnostic and have no certainties than to be an atheist and believing to have figured it out everything.

[hearTes]

Agnostics are amazing. I mean, in a way, you have to be both brave and cowardly at the same time, it takes courage to admit you know nothing and cowardice to take no stand at all. 

[IcePuck]

There's a fair amount of overlap between agnosticism/atheism. Atheism can mean lack of belief in god, or belief that there are no gods. Agnosticism can mean belief that we just don't know, or belief that it's literally impossible to know.

I mean the first definition is agreeable in both cases, but the idea that we can't even know (no matter how much our science improves) sounds absurd, and claiming that we can definitely rule out the possibility of any sort of god overly arrogant.

So are you an atheist until proven otherwise, or agnostic because there's no proof? I agree with the "Agnostics are just atheists without balls" quote in some cases, where a person feels like the idea of god is pretty unlikely and unnecessary - just call yourself an atheist like everyone else. But there are people who are truly ambivalent about the existence of god, perhaps even leaning towards the idea that there might be some kind of creative force behind the universe. In that case, I think agnostic is more appropriate.

[MrFlibble]

I don't think there is one, if an entity that could be described as God exists, man has not discovered him, nor does man know its will. I side with the fedora tippers on this one.  Apparently this emoticon is a troll, I always thought it was a dinosaur.

[residentgrigo]

I am an atheist, and i always was, but i read the bible from cover to cover. Itīs world literature after all and i will power though an audiobook of the Quran next year. Gonna be fun...

[Masacrator SR]

mix of strong + apathetic agnostic. well, that until miura finish the series, then ill be miuraist

[Sweet Prince]

I don't think there is one, if an entity that could be described as God exists, man has not discovered him, nor does man know its will. I side with the fedora tippers on this one.  Apparently this emoticon is a troll, I always thought it was a dinosaur.

Amen to that. 

[DANGERDOOOOM]

I'm very much a nihilist, and have been an atheist since I was very young. I view my experience in life as something very precious and my one chance to do what I can to help mankind and the one's I love.

[Aazealh]

I view my experience in life as something very precious and my one chance to do what I can to help mankind and the one's I love.

That's... not very nihilistic.

[Johnstantine]

That's... not very nihilistic.

Yeah that's pretty much the complete opposite of nihilism.

[Giovanna]

I'm very much a nihilist, and have been an atheist since I was very young. I view my experience in life as something very precious and my one chance to do what I can to help mankind and the one's I love.

Maybe what you meant was Existentialism, in the definition of Kierkegaard?