Mainstream christianity accepts evolution et al as well. The biblical literalists are a small but vocal minority.
How did you lose faith in religion? And why is there so many believers out there
- Thread starter Johnnytoxic
- Start date
Mainstream christianity accepts evolution et al as well. The biblical literalists are a small but vocal minority.
Soldato
- Joined
- 31 May 2009
- Posts
- 21,506
Faith in the Church has been shaken and lost with the failure of the 'high command' in Ireland to resign and retire when they were responsible directly and indirectly for the child abuse scandals.
I won't set foot inside a Church until Cardinal Brady goes. I have told him in in letters twice, neither of which he replied to.
As for faith in the potential existence of God, that might still be there. I pray with my daughter at night, short prayers. I am a scientific man. I fail to see how any God or creation event wouldn't also create the rules by which their Universe exists and evolves and moves forward from birth to death. I can see science existing and working fine if God exists or if it does not.
So faith in the Church, is gone for me. Faith is God is as it always was, a question of 'potentially', and hopefully true. I'd quite like to experience something completely different after I die.
I won't set foot inside a Church until Cardinal Brady goes. I have told him in in letters twice, neither of which he replied to.
As for faith in the potential existence of God, that might still be there. I pray with my daughter at night, short prayers. I am a scientific man. I fail to see how any God or creation event wouldn't also create the rules by which their Universe exists and evolves and moves forward from birth to death. I can see science existing and working fine if God exists or if it does not.
So faith in the Church, is gone for me. Faith is God is as it always was, a question of 'potentially', and hopefully true. I'd quite like to experience something completely different after I die.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 8 Jan 2010
- Posts
- 10,263
- Location
- UK
Yes I do watch them and I choose to believe in a God. I never avoid these programmes and if it leaves me pondering (which they don't) then I'll seek out an answer from Scholars and not Google.
At the end of the day leave me to my religion and faith and I'll leave you to yours without trying to assimilate your beliefs or being insulting under "freedom of Speech".
People often pull the "you've been indoctrinated" "you've been brainwashed" calling card, but then that is no different to people being indoctrinated or brainwashed themselves whether by media propaganda or scientific theories. An opinion based on science or faith I find fascinating and an adventurous journey.
My confirmed loss of religion took place, as an Infantry Soldier, during riots in Belfast in 1969.
At one end of the street was a group of people (Christian Catholics) throwing bricks at us calling us "British B******s" and at the other end of the street was a group of people singing "God Save The Queen" (Christian Protestants) and they too were throwing stones at us. Of course; I was a bit more concerned about God saving myself rather than him saving the Queen.....
At the time I was a little too concerned with my surroundings (ducking the occasional brick, paving stone, turds in bottles) to question my faith but thank God I'm an Atheist now.
At one end of the street was a group of people (Christian Catholics) throwing bricks at us calling us "British B******s" and at the other end of the street was a group of people singing "God Save The Queen" (Christian Protestants) and they too were throwing stones at us. Of course; I was a bit more concerned about God saving myself rather than him saving the Queen.....
At the time I was a little too concerned with my surroundings (ducking the occasional brick, paving stone, turds in bottles) to question my faith but thank God I'm an Atheist now.
- Joined
- 13 Nov 2006
- Posts
- 5,798
Yes I do watch them and I choose to believe in a God. I never avoid these programmes and if it leaves me pondering (which they don't) then I'll seek out an answer from Scholars and not Google.
At the end of the day leave me to my religion and faith and I'll leave you to yours without trying to assimilate your beliefs or being insulting under "freedom of Speech".
People often pull the "you've been indoctrinated" "you've been brainwashed" calling card, but then that is no different to people being indoctrinated or brainwashed themselves whether by media propaganda or scientific theories. An opinion based on science or faith I find fascinating and an adventurous journey.
I'm not having a pop, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, just wanting to understand where your beliefs originate from.
The aspect of people's beliefs that I've never been able to understand is not why they believe in religion, but why they are so sure their religion is the right one. It's not as if they've looked at them all and picked the one that seems most plausible to them. In the vast majority of cases, they believe what they were told to believe when they are a child, and I don't understand why when they grow up they don't see that, and they don't realise they would believe an opposing religion just as strongly if that's what they'd been brought up with.
Perhaps a religous person in this thread can give their thoughts on this.
They're not mutually exclusive, but science does disprove many things that are stated as facts by the major religions. The theory of evolution is just a theory, but it's scientific fact for example, that the earth is a lot more than a few thousand years old.
Perhaps a religous person in this thread can give their thoughts on this.
They're not mutually exclusive, but science does disprove many things that are stated as facts by the major religions. The theory of evolution is just a theory, but it's scientific fact for example, that the earth is a lot more than a few thousand years old.
You denounced religion based on your experience which is totally understandable but then automatically threw the baby out with the bath water. I find this fascinating because so many broad minded rational people are guilty of it.
I actually read a bit about Buddhism, I find it fascinating. I can't quite rationalise it in my head though, the 'ethical code' side doesn't seem to sit with the idol worship side of it very comfortably.
But I guess you could say that of any religion. For me, I regard Buddhism as one of the more reasonable mainstream religions, as it seems to place far more emphasis on leading a good life than it does on ritual.
My family aren't religious - we never went to church or discussed god/s etc. Not that the subject was taboo, it just never arose. Infact, I don't think I've discussed religion with a single member of my family, which is a little odd. Or not. Either way I'm thankful for being left as a blank slate in this regard and allowed to come to my own conclusions without pressure or bias. I do remember at a young age that the things we were taught at school and at cub scouts re. christianity seemed ridiculous. Nice stories with lots of killing, which is enough to fascinate most young kids!, but silly nonetheless. It was particularly odd that grown ups were telling us these things with sincerity - stories as far fetched as anything I used to listen to in my Story Teller tapes (anyone else remember those? 
). This was at the age of 6 or 7 and at the time the word deluded didn't exist in my vocabulary, but I strongly remember that that's what I thought they were. Twenty something years later and that hasn't changed.
For the second part of the question - people believe because it makes their lives and the universe less scary.
). This was at the age of 6 or 7 and at the time the word deluded didn't exist in my vocabulary, but I strongly remember that that's what I thought they were. Twenty something years later and that hasn't changed.For the second part of the question - people believe because it makes their lives and the universe less scary.
That's quite a nice way of putting it
Thanks, I saw this in a lucid dream once, very strange experience but too "woo woo out there" to talk about on OcUK lol.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 8 Jan 2010
- Posts
- 10,263
- Location
- UK
Abraham.
That is pretty much exactly my view on things... Which is comforting in a sense, but also quite scary as it means ultimately, nothing we do or think or feel, is of any consequence at all.
Life, or specifically self awareness, is quite a difficult condition to be in, in that respect, and we desperately try to rationalise it with religion.
Last edited:
Ive seen this question answered a few times and its always been with 'faith'. Despite the fact that its only an accident of birth that made them christian as opposed to muslim or hindu, its not questioned.
"Faith" is just another fob off for they don't know, the same as when they're asked to explain Gods methods, it's always "he works in mysterious ways".
MW
The theory is simple God made the world and in the words of Kevin Bridges - we now have an empty
In all seriousness however my views has always been that faith and religion are two vastly different things. Faith and spirituality are interlinked and I have an abundance of both, however religion to me has always been a construct of man. I don't follow a prescribed religion and I wouldn't say I am religious, however I do believe in things greater than what we can see and understand.
Why do I have faith is a much harder question to answer - I just do, always have and no doubt always will. It does provide a level of comfort but it also provides an element of responsibility - I believe in Karma for instance and what I do in this life may very well affect me after I die.
My kids attend an RC school just as I did, however we are not Catholic, I just agree with their approach to teaching than I do compared to others in this area.
In all seriousness however my views has always been that faith and religion are two vastly different things. Faith and spirituality are interlinked and I have an abundance of both, however religion to me has always been a construct of man. I don't follow a prescribed religion and I wouldn't say I am religious, however I do believe in things greater than what we can see and understand.
Why do I have faith is a much harder question to answer - I just do, always have and no doubt always will. It does provide a level of comfort but it also provides an element of responsibility - I believe in Karma for instance and what I do in this life may very well affect me after I die.
My kids attend an RC school just as I did, however we are not Catholic, I just agree with their approach to teaching than I do compared to others in this area.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 37,798
- Location
- block 16, cell 12
People seem to want to believe something. Whether its UFO's, ghosts, or a God. its happened all through the ages. What makes the belief in a 'new' god any more palatable than an old god of the Egyptians or greeks etc im not sure...
Associate
- Joined
- 28 Feb 2013
- Posts
- 2,468
- Location
- Birmingham
I am an atheist purely due to there being no evidence for the existence of a "god". I find it truly astonishing that people can still believe in the stories in the bible, quran etc; but I respect their beliefs as long as they don't try to blow themselves up along with others or try to disturb the progress of human society through the advancement of science.
Also, I must add that another major reason for dismissing "god" is that throughout history nearly every single event which has occurred which was previously explained by saying "god did it" has now come to be explained using scientific reasoning. So why assume that the other events which we do not fully understand yet can be explained by "god did it" given that every other time it turns out that "god did not do it"?
Also, I must add that another major reason for dismissing "god" is that throughout history nearly every single event which has occurred which was previously explained by saying "god did it" has now come to be explained using scientific reasoning. So why assume that the other events which we do not fully understand yet can be explained by "god did it" given that every other time it turns out that "god did not do it"?
The theory is simple God made the world and in the words of Kevin Bridges - we now have an empty
In all seriousness however my views has always been that faith and religion are two vastly different things. Faith and spirituality are interlinked and I have an abundance of both, however religion to me has always been a construct of man. I don't follow a prescribed religion and I wouldn't say I am religious, however I do believe in things greater than what we can see and understand.
Why do I have faith is a much harder question to answer - I just do, always have and no doubt always will. It does provide a level of comfort but it also provides an element of responsibility - I believe in Karma for instance and what I do in this life may very well affect me after I die.
My kids attend an RC school just as I did, however we are not Catholic, I just agree with their approach to teaching than I do compared to others in this area.
Just curious. Would you have faith if religion had never existed? If the human race had developed totally absent of any religion, would we even be thinking of a greater power? Or would we have spent more time and effort focusing on man and the natural world...I wonder.