I am doing a college level research paper on why people believe in god. I'm not trying to be offensive to anyone. I just would like some perspectives on some questions that non believers use on why there is no god.
I'm sure you are not asking for an atheist's response to these questions but you are going to get one anyway!
What religion are you affiliated with?
None
Why do you believe in god?
I don't believe in god because I have come to believe reason is a better model of reality than mythology and mysticism. Reason, science, evidence, and discussion produces more tangible results than irrationality and superstition.
Did you grow up in a religious family?
Yes I did. I was raised Mormon. (Joseph Smith was my great-great-great grandfather's cousin.)
Why do believe in god if there is no physical evidence?
People believe in god because it is a more interesting and dramatic explanation of the universe than scientific forces and laws of nature. For thousands of years humans have thought of answers to in-answerable questions and have had to be satisfied with mythology and gods. These beliefs server to satisfy our unending curiosity and perhaps quell many of our anxieties about the unknown. Religion and belief in gods can serve to stabilize the psyche under times of great stress and helps us in our journey to find more substantial answers to life's big questions.
If you believe god is real because of your holy books wouldn't other religions be true because they have holy books too?
Most people don't really believe in god because of their holy books, they just use them to back them up. There is a choice involved when you believe in god, the choice to believe in what you were raised to believe or what you have imagined on your own or a lack of understanding in the power of reason and scientific progress. Many people have a hard time seeing the order in our lives and are confused by the seemingly random (and sometimes truly random) things we encounter. The human mind likes to come up with explanations for things we don't understand and sometimes it is hard to let those go when better ideas come along.
How can you believe god created us with all the evidence that supports Evolution?
I don't think evolution and belief in god are mutually exclusive. Although a propensity for believing in irrationality would lead some religious people to reject the reasonable and simple mechanism of evolution. Others simply lack the scope to see how life and the earth would be when the natural every day processes are stretched over the nearly incomprehensible epochs of time of the earth's existence.
Do you believe you feel or hear god when you pray? Do you believe in alien abductions? Can't we prove alien abductions are true on the same basis that god exists because you can feel or hear god?
I did believe I could hear god when I prayed. It was very difficult to understand where those voices were coming from when I realized religion just couldn't hold up under the weight of it's own inconsistencies. The voices were scriptures that came to mind, and positive ideas which helped me get through tough times. I hear the same voices now, but I recognize them as my own thoughts or memories of things I have learned and not the voice of god telling me secrets of the universe.
If alien abductions were true we could (in theory) find evidence for them if we knew what kind of technology they were using. If they are so far advanced beyond us their technology (as Arthur C. Clarke said) would be indistinguishable from magic. If and alien were posing as god we would really have no way of knowing unless they choose to tell us. This is different from god who supposedly will never let us in on his game because his/her/it's existence depends on the faith of the masses.
Why do most religious societies have the most problems? The United States is the more religious than nations like the Netherlands who have higher levels of aethism?
I believe it is the propensity to believe in irrational ideas which religion fosters more than atheism. The idea that you can prosper from committing atrocities and then be forgiven for them later by talking to a priest or praying to god tends to numb people to the real effects of their actions on themselves, others, and their society. Not that atheists are all saints and religious people are all fools, but religion gives credence to irrational thoughts and allows people to justify foolish actions easier than an atheist who believes our only chance at life is the one we are living. If an atheist get's a life sentence that is really the end, but if a christian gets a life sentence it is just a waiting game spent repenting and preparing for the next life.
Is there any other comments that you would like to say?
I think it is important to remember than many of the great ideas we have today were once only a part of religion. Modern religion has allowed itself to be hacked away by government, philosophy, ethics, and science until only the irrational portions of religion remain in their immediate domain. It used to be religion, philosophy, and civic duty was all wrapped into one part of tribal living. Once societies began springing up human life was split into various specialties and religion became more and more ostracized as knowledge replaced superstition - as astronomy replaced astrology.
The facility of the human mind to come up with creative explanations for what we see in nature fared well for our ancestors and allowed them to survive and ultimately to allow us to be born in this day of incredible sophistication and knowledge. Even though the irrationality of religion can cause harm when it is taken as truth, creativity can lead us to more truth as long as we take the precaution to measure our ideas up against evidence from the observable universe.