religon is fake

[hypergirl]

people allways say gods real but if so then how come their is so much suffering in the world and good people die of nasty illnesses and i have said that since someone verry close 2 me died whats your veiws on religon and why

[Anthropomorphic]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm agnostic, leaning atheist.

The fact that I have a pretty firm disbelief in God does not void the ideas of religion altogether. The psychological and social creation of a deity is a direct response to a lack of understanding of how and why the world works in the way it does, a search for our own origins and the idea that there is a definitive answer to the questions of life that simply cannot be answered in certain terms (such as what happens to a person after death).

Because religion is so strongly rooted in civilization worldwide, in many parts of the world atheism is a rejection of the standard notions. Whereas a nonbeliever such as myself could ask a religious person to "prove" the existence of God, that person could simply point out all of his or her interpretations of environmental factors and personal experiences that reinforce their faith. Therefore, such discussions are rarely worth having.

[BDF]

To put it simply and in religious terms... because God gave everyone free will. God doesn't control people, and people make mistakes.

[Brandon]

There's many religions out there, and I believe that Christianity and Catholicism takes the most heat in these religious forums. Because I'm Agnostic, I believe that we can never be guaranteed which religion or scientific theory is correct until we can be 100% certain that the Christian God exists. For instance: let's suppose that tomorrow, someone proves that the big bang theory actually happened. If that's the case, most of us would probably say that God didn't create the Earth. But what about the other things? What if God had the Bible made the way it was to fuck with people? How? We don't know. We want to know, and that is what strives us to better understand the world, but I don't believe we will ultimately know whether there is a true religion. What if we die and it's just a dark abyss of nothingness; like a deep sleep except never waking up? That could've been God's plan. Perhaps God exists, but we may never visit Heaven, Hell, or even get a glimpse of Him. Potentially, religion is fake. Science can actually prove shit, but I don't think it'll prove that a certain religion is fake. The only thing we can really do is assume.

[Sythan]

Ever studied a religion other than Christianity or the Abrahamic religions? If not, you can't really say all religion is fake.

[BDF]

Originally Posted by Sythan

Ever studied a religion other than Christianity or the Abrahamic religions? If not, you can't really say all religion is fake.

Well said. Religion to me is just a belief system. Something like Christianity is a well established belief system with a very long history and historical data on it. There are more contemporary religions too (although I don't remember any by name), and in fact any belief you come up with of your own, could be called a religion. My general opinion is that the closer you tailor your own religion to suit yourself, the less "fake" it is, although I'd rather say it's based on more truth since it's you that has figured out then what you want/don't want to believe in.

[Lugez]

Suffering is a necessary part of life.

Without it, how would you know what "good" is?

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by hypergirl

people allways say gods real but if so then how come their is so much suffering in the world and good people die of nasty illnesses and i have said that since someone verry close 2 me died whats your veiws on religon and why

I'm assuming you're referring to the Christian god simply because most people do on these forums. If so, that has no bearing on all religion being fake. At most, it can mean one religion is fake but there are thousands of others.

My view on pretty much all religions is I dislike them, I dislike the entire notion of a god or other being having created us or something else in this world. There are thousands of religions, so to me, it means either some are correct, only one is correct or none are correct but the answer isn't known. The only way one supposedly knows is when they die or something else happens to them. I dislike this notion because it involves dedication and possibly even throwing away one's life for something that may be false. My last reason for disliking religion is it instills morals and values, some of which may be good and in line with society but many may not. I believe that in order to accept any religion, one has to lose some rationality, logical thinking and independence.

None of those reasons mean religion is fake, on the contrary, religion as a belief system, is quite real. The gods and other beings proclaimed to exist I generally consider to be akin to fairy-tales.

To answer why there is suffering, well simple answer is even if there is a just god, how can one describe something as "good" if there is no "bad" or "evil"? Would it be less good, more good, good good, gooder good, good gooder, goodest, etc...? That is my religious-like answer to the question. My personal views, as an anti-theist, rational, science-oriented atheist, the suffering can be accounted for by science or other events that occur. Illnesses exist and persist through evolution, death occurs as a necessity for life as initially shown by Louis Pasteur, etc... .

[hypergirl]

thanx 4 the replies i understand that people do belive in religon but honestly i struggle 2 belive it when their is much bad in the world

[Revolution]

I know exactly what you mean, but many people rely on religion to get them through the day. It has saved people, and brings people together. I'm not religious myself, and will probably never understand religion, but I wouldn't ever bash others' religion. It's just difference in opinion.

[hypergirl]

im sorry about this thread i was just upset about the death of some1 close 2 me and turned my upset in 2 anger plz do not dislike me coz of this thread i commpleatly understand how this could upset some ppl so i am deepley sorry

[John 6:29]

Just because there is suffering in the world, doesn't mean that religion, or God, are false, and lies. It just means that there is a reasoning behind the suffering in the world. Sorry about your loss. If you wish, PM me, and I'll talk to you a bit. I don't really feel like discussing here because it just turns into debate after debate after debate, and it goes no where.

[BluEiis]

Originally Posted by outsider_girl

I know exactly what you mean, but many people rely on religion to get them through the day. It has saved people, and brings people together. I'm not religious myself, and will probably never understand religion, but I wouldn't ever bash others' religion. It's just difference in opinion.

This.

I feel religion is a crutch. I feel that people turn to religion when they want to rationalize their behavior, or when they want a cause for their tragedies, a hope for their tomorrows. They hold onto religion because everyone needs something, or someone to believe in. Man cannot live without some form of guidance, and for some people that guidance is religion. I say live and let live. People need hope. Let them have their hope. Be it false hope, or real, it is a necessary hope for them and we cannot take it away.

[TheNumber42]

'Evil' is necessary because it is what defines 'good.' One without the other is impossible. They are opposite ends of the same spectrum. No matter how many times you cut one end off, there is still part of the spectrum left and each extreme is still there. Theoretically some may be removed, but in effect it never changes.

With that said, I don't believe in God or religion. In general, religion is just a set of comforting fairy tales that help people feel better about the fact that they are utterly worthless and insignificant in the grand scheme of things and to soothe their fear of death. But I won't get too deep into that because it's been discussed to death in many other threads.

[Noctis]

Originally Posted by hypergirl

people allways say gods real but if so then how come their is so much suffering in the world and good people die of nasty illnesses and i have said that since someone verry close 2 me died whats your veiws on religon and why

I would not declare religion to be fake because of that alone. No one lives forever, that is a fact beyond our control. The only thing we have control over is whether or not we used that time wisely.

[Unicorn ♥✿]

Because He gave us free will, therefore, doesn't cause these upsetting things. ♥

Plus, imagine if we never had any trial or suffering. We'd never learn to handle it all!
Jesus suffered for us, it's only right we suffer for Him x

[Tynan]

the best was i can sum it up for ya is this
sometimes God takes those closest to us, because it makes him feel better about himself. He is a very vengeful God, He's all pissed off about something we did thousands of years ago. He just can't get over it, so he doesn't care who he takes. Children, puppies, it don't matter to him, so long as it makes us sad. Do you understand?

but then you might think why would he give us anything to start with well he does because

look at it this way: if you want to make a baby cry, first you give it a lollipop. Then you take it away. If you never give it a lollipop to begin with, then you would have nothin' to cry about. That's like God, who gives us life and love and help just so that he can tear it all away and make us cry, so he can drink the sweet milk of our tears. You see, it's our tears, that give God his great power

[Composure]

You can live without religion.

Just sayin'.

[lostandalone]

Please don't think that people will dislike you because of this thread. We respect everyones opinion here, but of course we gotta get in our 2 cents in too !!! Its just a lively debate. So please don't feel that you are being "attacked"

I know how you feel. Religion is suppose to be this all great safety net and deep well of forgivness and tolerance. But it is not as perfect as thought. It is flawed or misused because of human weaknesses or greed. It can be a great source of support or pain. I think its just a personal decsion that one makes and live with. If it help them get through life then I am all for it.

My personal beliefs have been quite shaken too. Mostly by my experiences and observations. So I know where you are comeing from. I don't think its fake but I also believe that it is not the sole answer for everythng. Life is hard and the struggles eventually make us stronger. The hardships we endure make us enjoy the good things more.

[abigailkristen]

I'm a firm believer in God. I sincerely believe that God gave his life for us to live on this earth. Why is there pain? Nobody can answer that question. But in my mind i believe that everything happens for a reason. That God has a plan for our lives.
That we can't see good, until we have seen evil. That we can't enjoy happiness until we feel sadness. That we can't appreciate light, until we see dark. That we don't feel love, until we feel rejected.

I believe that God has so much in store for this life. That hes just trying to show us to appreciate when theres good things, and push away the bad.

God doesn't ask for us to have pain, he wants us to prosper; and have a good future. But its up to us if we let that happen.

[TheNumber42]

Originally Posted by abigailkristen

God has a plan for our lives.

Originally Posted by abigailkristen

God doesn't ask for us to have pain, he wants us to prosper; and have a good future. But its up to us if we let that happen.

Contradiction? He has a plan for us, but it's our choice what we do?

[~Mr. Self Destruct~]

Originally Posted by abigailkristen

God doesn't ask for us to have pain, he wants us to prosper; and have a good future. But its up to us if we let that happen.

So the children born with genetic diseases that have short lives full of suffering and debilitation made choices that lead them to deserve such a fate, didn't they?