Have you ever believed in god?

"Jesus Is Alright" by The Doobie Brothers, 1972  

Logan wrote: The Dark Elf wrote: The problem with religion is not God, per se, but rather the people who follow it. Yes, and how people perceive God can be a problem. One can believe in God while eschewing religion. "Are you religious, and if so what does it mean to you?" would be another interesting thread. Religion is created, developed and fostered by people. I see a problem with not only certain people who follow it, but also with people who developed religions. I have a problem with people who claim to know God's will, and especially when they inculcate people with these beliefs and try to force their world view on others (sometimes in violent ways). I have a problem with those who claim to be God's chosen people, and the unbelievers, as with some, are less than human and/or are enemies. Of course some religions or sects of religions espouse values that are much more in keeping with my values, and I don't claim that my sectarian values must be universal. It's one thing to believe in God, it's another to feel that you and your ilk are the only ones to hold the truth and know his will, and all others be damned.

@Logan: Well it's something like protest reformd, if that says anything to you (I don't really know the currents). A bit of an old church (and people), but I personally prefer it to a church where everyone throw their hands in the air and scream hallelujah- just to illustrate.
I try to be very open minded but I need some kind of proof for myself and do not like too strict rules. Fortunately my parents raised me with faith and at a certain age you become curious and critical and want to know if it's real. With such an attitude I tried to behave like I thought a christian should and felt that it couldn't be different. I just knew that God existed. I can't explain you how and shouldn't because it's all personal, you have to experience itself.
I'm quite interested in philosophy and some now and then read a little about it but I can't call myself a literalist. My view is that you don't need knowledge about the bible or philosophy. Sometimes you want a question to be answered, but you must form your own answers to questions of life IMO; literature is then helpful and can be very interesting.

DDPascalDD wrote: Logan wrote: I have almost always called myself an agnostic, since I don't think that I can really know.,... One can't, but you shouldn't have to. Though pure faith (no facts, no proof) is fairly impossible. I've always been a christian btw.

One can neither prove nor disprove the existence of a God. Using the principle of Occam's Razor, which requires less assumptions, that there is a God or that there is not one? Some would say that the simplest solution is that we were created by a God, but for me to take such a leap of faith would require some evidence, and would require many assumptions. And what is evident to you may not be evident to me. And of course there's always the problem of first cause: if we needed a God to create us, what was needed to create God? Always was and always will be some would say, or exists in another dimension where time and space and our laws of physics do not apply? Anyway, I'm being silly.

What kind of a Christian are you? I'm more comfortable in an Anglican church than say a Pentecostal one, and have found Anglicans less dogmatic than most born again Chrisians I know (most of which seem uncomfortable when one one even questions the faith -- my wife was a Roman Catholic turned born again). Are you a literalist? Much of the Christian philosophy does appeal to me. I find the teachings attributed to, and the way of, Jesus in the New Testament much more palatable than those related to Mohammed, for instance. Very different characters -- the Koran sees Jesus differently than in Christianity, incidentally.

You have always been a Christian, born elsewhere you might have always been a Hindu... Maybe then you'd believe in gods....

The Dark Elf wrote: The problem with religion is not God, per se, but rather the people who follow it.

Yes, and how people perceive God can be a problem. One can believe in God while eschewing religion. "Are you religious, and if so what does it mean to you?" would be another interesting thread. Religion is created, developed and fostered by people. I see a problem with not only certain people who follow it, but also with people who developed religions. I have a problem with people who claim to know God's will, and especially when they inculcate people with these beliefs and try to force their world view on others (sometimes in violent ways). I have a problem with those who claim to be God's chosen people, and the unbelievers, as with some, are less than human and/or are enemies. Of course some religions or sects of religions espouse values that are much more in keeping with my values, and I don't claim that my sectarian values must be universal.

It's one thing to believe in God, it's another to feel that you and your ilk are the only ones to hold the truth and know his will, and all others be damned.

When religion gets in the way of rationality, yes, I can have a problem.

Edited by Logan - April 17 2016 at 17:04

Logan wrote: I have almost always called myself an agnostic, since I don't think that I can really know.

One can't, but you shouldn't have to. Though pure faith (no facts, no proof) is fairly impossible.
I've always been a christian btw.

my problem is not with religion..but those who claim to practice it. 

proglover123 wrote: I only believe in 1 god.... DAVID GILMOUR!!!!!!!

i'm a gnostic agnostic.

I have almost always called myself an agnostic, since I don't think that I can really know. That said, I relate much more to atheism than theism. I've been studying the Koran a lot of late....

Quit paddling the boat