I was with a friend of mine last night, and the topic of religion came up. He told me he doesn't believe in religion, but he believes in God. So when I asked him why he believed in God, he said, "Well, I have nothing to lose you see. If i believe in God, then I go to heaven, but if he doesn't exist then I won't know it anyway. If I don't believe in God, I risk going to hell if he does exist. That's not a risk I'm willing to take." In a simpler version, what he meant to say was "I'd rather believe in God and die to find out there isn't one, or not believe in God and die to find out there is one." The first thought that came to my mind was, "Since God is omniscient, omnipotent, omni-etc, then wouldn't God know that you're just saying you "believe" in him so that you can get past his pearly gates?" It seems more of an insult to God to do this and assume he's stupid for not finding out.
there's so much flawed logic in that argument. that's exactly what religion wants. they want the fear of hell to overtake you so you believe, your friend is weak for submitting to religions mind games. i've thought about that and even if i tried to make myself believe that bullshit i couldn't make it happen, so i;m not sure how your friend can just say he believes something when he knows it makes no sense.
yeah, exactly. He's my friend so I can't really push him any further, but man if he could only open his eyes and stop submitting to God out of fear.
What god does your friend believe in? Even if his god doesn't exist there are numerous other gods who could potentially exist and then damn him to hell (or wherever) for choosing the wrong one. Many supposed gods also have vastly different and mutually exclusive requirements, which often include more than simply believing in said deity. To think that the only possibilities are either 1)the god I believe in exists or 2)no gods exists is incredibly presumptuous and naive.
The God we all know about man. The God. The lord who gave his only son for our sins. Come on man, get with the system lol. No one cares about those other Gods.
he doesnt believe in anything thats why, he just SAYS he believes if he actually believed in him he wouldnt have said something like what he said... that is just dumb
The mythical overlay is so enormous and not good. A talking snake made a lady eat an apple, so we're screwed. Heaven and hell were peddled so priests could rule through seduction and terror - Save our souls that we never lost in the first place.
Doesn't sound like he's submitting to anything, really. I bet he's not wasting his time going to church or voting their "morals." Sounds like he's found himself an excuse to get people to stop talking to him about it.
Carlin had this figured out. It's a big bullshit sales pitch, that's all it is. And if they can make you believe you got the shit end of the bargaining leverage, so much the better for them to separate you from money. It might be a good idea for all of us to throw away money, but since we're not all doing it, they're just trying to rip you off and have more for themselves. "They" being... practically everyone who isn't you, but especially if they represent a religion, a corporation, or a politician.
You're generalizing. Take for instance, me. I believe in God, because I KNOW He exists. But that's just me. I can see the atheist troll trying to counter back, 'You have proof? How do you know?' See these people can't understand what I've been through, and despite anything they say, they will never experience what I've experienced.
I understand that, and in all respect, have you ever taken a second to realize that everything you experienced is credited to you? And you yourself are more powerful than what you think? For instance, this buddy of mine just finished the semester with a 4.0, and he comes out of class screaming "Thank you God." He goes on Facebook and starts to thank God for paving the road for him, and allowing him to do great. What he doesn't understand is that he should be thanking himself, since he paved his own road, and he himself is the sole reason for doing great. Mankind, my friend, is the most powerful being on the planet. We can accomplish nearly anything, and we are capable of many beautiful things, and we owe it to ourselves, not to some divine providence. Take a second and realize how strong YOU are for getting through what you've experienced, and thank yourself.
Your friend is probably going through a transition if he used to be in a religion. it's a hard concept to toss , despite knowing the flaw , due to a bias we have to appeal to fear.
If God is omnipotent then he created atheists just as he created religious people. Murderers along with saints. Drug users just as straight edged people. This is why I don't believe in hell. And I definitely don't think believing in him for the sole purpose of saving yourself from damnation is going to influence where you wind up in the afterlife. Silly thinking IMO.
Nope, he told you the line of sight that led him to believe in God. It isn't an insult because your friend actually does believe in God. He is basing himself as person on that belief. I think your friend is smart person, the world needs more people with eyes like his.