Do You Believe In God, Why? Don't You Believe In God, Why?

[ratiocinator]

So you know based on observation that the universe hasn't started?

You seem to have missed the 'If' that I started the sentence with.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

You seem to have missed the 'If' that I started the sentence with.

Sorry.

 

[Polymath257]

Because it is useful. That is your standard, when pressed about your beliefs.

That standard you use is that it is useful to you to believe as you do. It is useful for me to believe differently than you.

You don't control humanity and what is useful for other humans, so don't you dare use another standard than your own; i.e. what is useful to you. Or you are incoherent and apply a double standard.

What is it useful for?

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

What is it useful for?

It is not useful for something. It is useful to somebody. You based your worldview and beliefs on what makes subjectively sense to you and then demand another standard for other humans.
"Useful" is always subjective as it is based on subjective thoughts, needs/wants and/or feelings.

 

[Polymath257]

It is not useful for something. It is useful to somebody. You based your worldview and beliefs on what makes subjectively sense to you and then demand another standard for other humans.
"Useful" is always subjective as it is based on subjective thoughts, needs/wants and/or feelings.

it is useful to somebody for something. What do people find it to be useful for?

 

[metis]

In the upper right hand corner of my posts one will see where I'm coming from on the OP. I can explain if asked as I'm in a hurry because of company coming over.

 

[Quintessence]

That excludes a whole lot of entities called "god" by other people, all the Pagan and Hindu gods, the Abrahamic gods, the Shinto kami etc. You're getting much flak from believers I presume?

Eh, we're used to it. I'm about as used to it as I am shaking my head every time some atheist (and occasionally, monotheist) goes "there's no evidence for gods" when many of the gods are literally various aspects of nature and society. Some of them remember to say "there's no acceptable evidence for gods based on my understanding of what qualifies as a god," but that's unfortunately rare.

 

[ChristineM]

Not magician, but intuition from my reason.

How? With what?

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

it is useful to somebody for something. What do people find it to be useful for?

I find it psychologically useful to believe in God, since I can't do the world in only natural, physical and objective terms with science. I don't believe in naturalism and since I believe that the world includes the subjective, mental, meaningful and all those other non-natural aspects and they are not a part of a strictly natural, physical and objective world, I am honest and admit that I am religious and in effect believe in a kind of God.
In short, I don't believe the world is just impersonal and since I thus believe the world has a personal aspect, I believe in a kind of God in effect

 

[ChristineM]

now. Archaeology
and genetics have give us a deeper understanding.

Ain't science great, ir has proven that the Jewish people were a tribe.

When people would say, "There's no evidence for King David" they were abusing science

No, without evidence how can that be abusing science, you are snowing here your deep mismisunderstanding of what science is.

And you need mosquitoes like you need all animals - t

Please enlighten me why we need the anopheles mosquito, it alone is responsible for more premature deaths throughout history than any other animal.

Finally you DO need a God or god.

DO NOT speak for me, you may need something to cling on to, many people don't

The universe did not create itself when it did not exist.

May i suggest you inform the cosmology institutes of your insight.

You have no idea how our universe came into existence, some, like you say "i dont understand so god did it" others are actually considering tje phenomenon and analysing how it would have been possible

 

[Altfish]

God has always been there, and always will be in my belif

But I stop one short of that ... the Universe has always been there.
There is no need to bring god into the equation.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

...


Please enlighten me why we need the anopheles mosquito, it alone is responsible for more premature deaths throughout history than any other animal.

...

Again, all your words using science and only science. None of this woo-woo subjectivity. Be objective and only use science or you are just as much a woo-woo believer like all other humans including.
Only science in strict physical terms!!!

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

But I stop one short of that ... the Universe has always been there.
There is no need to bring god into the equation.

Is that a belief or knowledge?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Here is the question! What do you think?

I don't believe deities (Zues, jehovah, and so forth) exist. Not sure why since the only times I heard of them were in school and off and on when I read the bible. I'm indifferent to beliefs. It doesn't make sense in how I know reality to be.

I do believe "god." Here are the different ways people can interpret it... If it is an it.

Some say god...

 

[Altfish]

Is that a belief or knowledge?

Neither, but it is the best CURRENT explanation; I will change my mind if something better comes along.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Neither, but it is the best CURRENT explanation; I will change my mind if something better comes along.

So how do you know that? Or do you believe it?

 

[Polymath257]

I find it psychologically useful to believe in God, since I can't do the world in only natural, physical and objective terms with science. I don't believe in naturalism and since I believe that the world includes the subjective, mental, meaningful and all those other non-natural aspects and they are not a part of a strictly natural, physical and objective world, I am honest and admit that I am religious and in effect believe in a kind of God.
In short, I don't believe the world is just impersonal and since I thus believe the world has a personal aspect, I believe in a kind of God in effect

So, does including the subjective, mental, meaningful aspects of the world imply that there is a God? Is everything that is psychologically comforting worth believing in?

 

[Altfish]

So how do you know that? Or do you believe it?

I read/watch the latest scientific explanations/hypothesis.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

So, does including the subjective, mental, meaningful aspects of the world imply that there is a God?

Well, yes, to me. Because it rules out metaphysical naturalism and other similar variants and since I do believe in objective reality being real and I also believe in the above aspects of the world being real as in the world, I am in effect a believer in a personal world of some sorts, i.e. God. Though not a theistic God as such. More like a pan-deity if that makes sense.

Is everything that is psychologically comforting worth believing in?

No, but all worth is without evidence as per science. So if you believe in worth and that is a part of the world as real and existing, you are in the end not a materialist/naturalist/physicalist and so on. You could go for neutral monism in practice and simply hold that both materialism and idealism don't make sense.

I personally chose God and religion, because in part of these 2 academic accounts of religion:
What is Religion?
religion | Definition, Types, & List of Religions.
There are other aspects of it, but that is philosophy.

I.e. I have a non-physical, non-objective and non-natural value system and I believe that the world has personal aspects.
So it brings me comfort to be honest to myself and admit that I can't be non-religious. I have tried to be non-religious as I have sent more than 20 years around your sub-subculture of rational/scientific skepticism and science. I just took the consequences of how I understand the limits of claims of non-religion and decided to be honest:
I am religious and believe in a kind of God.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I read/watch the latest scientific explanations/hypothesis.

So you believe what you read is the best explanation or you know it?

Or is just your opinion?