Finding God

[fmfisdead]

I was wondering how many of you out there were like atheists before and then found god. Replying to this post is not limited to that though. I was confirmed in a lutheran church, and shortly after all of that, and while I was in confirmation classes, god started making little sense to me. And I started thinking all of these arguments against his existence and I started believing he doesn't really exist. Then some years later (present) I'm in college and taking a philosophy course. The course is kind of one sided on the god issue, it only speaks of why he DOES exist but the arguments are pretty good for his existence. While they are pretty good I don't think they are sufficient enough to say with absolute certainty that god exists. I was just wondering if any of you found god while being an atheist and if you could share some stories with me. Currently I'm scared. I'm scared because if I do start beleiving again, all along everything I've said and stood for would be wrong, and I would feel terrible knowing he might have existed all along and I argued so many times against him not existing. I have never lived my life sinfully anyways, I dont think this is a problem, and by all means, I guess you could say I lived my life christian anyways, because I always was willing to lend a helping hand and I followed the moral code. I think I'm getting off subject here, any ideas?

[jabean]

Part of life is growing and changing your ideas and ideals as you learn more. So there should be no fear in coming to a different conclusion about God or your spirituality. Over my life, I have changed my mind and developed more reasoning over time. It is a process like anything else in life. Feel good that you are questioning and exploring...it means you are growing. You will come to the right conclusion for you. You'll know it, and when you do, there will be no questions. Good luck in your quest.

[TouchNastY]

"Finding God" is finding solace in the justification of the unknown or unexplainable.

 

The Egyptians had their gods, as did the Aztecs, Nords, Mongols, as well as every other civilization, both ancient and contemporary.

 

Why?

 

Because people fear that which cannot be known. There is a need to explain.

This need to explain manifests itself in religion.

 

Religion can also be used as a tool of social control.

Look at the crusades, papal writs, excommunication, the Inquisition, jihads, et al.

 

Years from now, people will look back and ponder/ridicule the absurdity of our modern-day practices, just as we do in textbooks today.

 

 

 

You should read Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

(Or play Final Fantasy Tactics if you have a PS/emulator.)

[Kaia]

I agree with jabean. It's ok to question and not just blindly accept what people tell you. That's what make advances in science and technology possible. Like jabean said, change is a part of life. As you find out more arguments for or against god's existence, you can make your decision accordingly. There's nothing wrong with changing your belief.

[fmfisdead]

I agree with you touchnasty, religion seems to do exactly all the things you've said. And I've already said those things a million times, so I already know all these things. And a lot of those things are why I thought religion was ridiculous and the existence of god was just a false hope for people to feel more safe in this world.

Kaia, I'm not blindly accepting anything at all, I'm looking at all of this indepth with an open mind to maybe find a plausible answer. I believe that I should question my opinions from time to time and see why I have them, not just hold to them for years on end. Anyways, does anyone have anymore ideas about this? possibly some personal revelations?

[Linlo]

Well, I'm one of those people who used to be an atheist and then started believing in God.

 

You don't have to be scared of changing your mind. Just make sure, whatever you start believing, it is truly what you believe.

 

When I made the transition from atheist to theist... it began with a prayer, really. A prayer out of curiosity. Because at that time I stopped thinking, "There CAN'T be a God" and began thinking, "Well, could there be?" I had a lot of very intelligent friends who believed in God and it bugged me that they could accept this idea and I really couldn't.

 

I don't feel ashamed of making the choice. I don't feel ashamed of all the years I spent fighting against it. It was all part of a growth process. =)

 

I don't think it is ever going to be possible to say that God exists or doesn't exist with absolute certainty. The very nature of a God is such that our minds can't really comprehend. We can try, but no such physical proof exists and in the end it's down to the mind of each individual. In the end I think it's down to subjective evidence... weighing up things in your own mind and decided whether you can or cannot accept something.

 

Hmmmm. A lot of people don't believe in God (especially the Christian God) because they feel there are too many things that don't seem "nice"; things that they are uncomfortable with. I used to be in that position. I used to say, "Well such-and-such seems unfair" and "I really don't like such-and-such idea". But the way I see it now... if something is true then the truth doesn't change to fit your whims. And if you think something isn't true, you have to ask yourself, is this a decision based on dislike of the ideas presented, or is it that you really feel like it can't be true?

 

I'm not 100% comfortable with everything my religion teaches but deep down I have this sort of "knowledge" that there is a God, and it is the God of my religion, and so I have to accept that even though the truth may not always be exactly what I want it to be, it may indeed still be truth... And yes, it could in fact be false but then at that point I have to turn to my own experiences and ask myself, "Is my subjective personal evidence enough for me?" And if I'm living my life in a way that makes sense to me then it's not a problem for me.

 

OK so that was a bit of a ramble but I hope I made a little bit of sense. Hum.

[Prosper]

It doesnt matter if you choose to believe in God's existence.

 

If there is a God, he wont be so evil to take away the freedom to believe, if he is so wholly good, lest he will be even more evil than evil itself.

[thisisnotanexit]

i was an atheist and "found God."

 

i was faced with evidence i found sufficient enough to prove, to me at least, that there is a God. yeah, religion has created a bad name for itself, and yeah, you can say it's just something nice for people to believe in. but it's also a lot more powerful than that if you really look into it. i mean really, ask your atheist friends to prove existence from the very beginning. i personally don't believe in atheists. for someone to state, with COMPLETE confidence, that there is in fact no god, then that takes just as much faith that a theist has. people don't want to admit it, but when you think about it, saying there isn't a god is just as radical as saying there is one. that takes faith. but anyway, follow your heart and dont worry about what others think or say. keep looking into it, you'll find your answer. this was a groundbreaking website in my pursuit of God. you might find it interesting.

 

link removed

 

if you or anyone else wants to talk more, feel free to msg me

 

take care

[brando]

the one lesson i did learn was that spirituality is far more important to me than religion. I claimed to be an atheist for years, and i always felt an emptiness inside of me, a sort of universal disconnection. I am open to spirituality, but the religion aspect i have a hard time accepting.

[FoxLocke]

I can really relate to this thread, as I am going through the same process at this point in my life.

 

I was born and raised a southern baptist. Christianity and church has been my entire life. But, lately, I have been coming to different conclusions about my beliefs...in a way I think I am losing my faith in the Judeo-Christian Idea of god.

 

Grant it, I still believe and have faith that there is a benevolent creator. My faith in a higher power is what helps me in my life.

However, I'm uncertain--as I learn and study more--which god is the true one. Or, perhaps, each god is a different facet of the persona of the supreme almighty one?

 

Anyway, it has been hard for lately...Simply because The Baptist church has been a huge part of my life. My religious convictions have been indoctorinated in me since I was a small child. It is hard for me to move away from it without feeling like I am betraying my family...Or if God will punish me for it, as crazy as that may sound.

 

But there is just so much that I don't agree with in Christianity anymore. I'm still taking it slow and learning as I go(I never want to make a rash decision), but I feel myself becoming an ex-Christian. I'm more spiritual than religious.

[ShySoul]

I'm going to paraphrase a show I watch,

 

Maybe it doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as you believe in something.

 

As long as you have faith in something and are a good person who strives to do the right thing, does it matter what religion you are? Christan, Buddhist, Hindu, Islam, Judaism, Sikh... or any of the thousands of denominations out there. They all stress the same basic principles of love, faith, honesty, compassion, etc. Names and specifics change, thats all. What if you are an atheist? Then you don't look forward to an afterlife. All the more reason to make this world the best it can be. Regardless of what faith we choose, it should still lead to living the same kind of good hearted and loving life.

[ScreenagerX]

I am the alternative but I still have faith. Faith in myself & my family. I don't need to look for confirmation for my reason to be on this earth as I've already found them - my wife & daughter. As far as I'm concerned the afterlife couldn't be any better than the time I get to spend with them.