Do you belive in God?

no

I haven't decided... there are wonderful things that have happened that have no other explanation except for there to be some kind of higher power. But then, I look around the earth and think, what kind of 'loving' god would allow child molesters, rapists, and murderers to exist? My mom has been reading some of Sylvia Browne's books, and she says that they really make sense, and give her a sense of comfort about a lot of things. I've read one that my mom gave me to look through, and it is very interesting.
So I'm still trying to make up my mind.

No.

No, I don't.

No.
Why would you have to have been to church to believe in God?

Yes, for sure.

Attending a church has nothing to do with my belief in God. Matter of fact, I have zero need of ritual. Man's free will has more to do with the state of moral decline than God's Divine Order. Matter of fact, I believe "man's free will" is God's Order for humankind.

God does not start or stop anything. Man has complete control. Always has, always will.

I believe in God, but I don't go to church. That's because I don't believe in organized religion. You can believe in God and never, ever go to church and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.

What does going to church have to do with believing or not? You can believe in God without belonging to a private religious club.

don't know, don't care

btw- wtf does going to church have to do with beliving in God?

I'll echo the rest and recap what I said during qualification: "Never been to church" What does that have to do with whether or not you believe in God? You can believe in God and have never set foot inside a church.
I also mentioned this survey that was done last November, 2005: http://surveycentral.org/survey/22955.html

I know lots of wonderful people that believe in God (very much) but do not go to church.

yes i belive in god he is the reason we are all here

Pass this on the to the user directly above you and tell them to stay in school.

"...stay in school. "

What's the difference between yes and yes, very much..Other than the amount of words..

Yes. What's with the church option? Church has nothing to do with believing in God. I've been to church, but I don't go now. That doesn't mean I don't or can't believe in God. A lot of people don't need to be in some social club to believe in God.

Yeah, I do... but I have other faiths aside from that... It's weird I know...

im an chriestian athiest. lol i kinda believe in god, but alot more in science, but not ssure on the jesus stuff, although i respect the idea since there are morals that are in it. the more i grow the more i become athiest, but i also have a tad of ocd so maybe ill always believe in god lol

How can I believe in something that doesn't exist?

Pagan, Greek pantheon

Yes.

To say "I don't believe in God", implies that God may exists, I just don't believe in Him. So, more specifically, I now try to say "I believe there is no God." (the link is to a short essay by Penn Jillette on the subject that I really liked).

Yes, I believe in God, but I don't see how going to church or not applies in this situation.

I don't believe in such a God others believe in. Just to add, I want to create a new religion some day. I do however believe something had to create us. But i don't believe we go to heaven or hell and all that nonsense. I don't believe Jesus was the son of God. That's Idiotic. Mother marry must have gotten drunk one night and slept with some stranger and never told Joseph (I mean wine was very popular back then). I believe in full logic, science, and history. I do Believe it once rained for 40 day and 40 nights. I didn't before but I heard that scientists and historians have proved that event had actually happened. Here's what I do: I look at everything, I analyze the situation, and then I go by what I think. For example, I don't agree with what George Bush is doing in Iraq. Frankly, I don't think he's a bright man. See. I don't just follow our leaders and what other people say. I make my own judgment. Now this may be single-sided but any other way of thinking is stupid. If anybody bothered to read this, this outside the box, open minded, take suggestions, analyze and make your own opinion and don't follow.

> To say "I don't believe in God", implies that God may exists, I just
> don't believe in Him. So, more specifically, I now try to say "
> I believe there is no God." (the link is to a short essay by
> Penn Jillette on the subject that I really liked).

I listened to that essay a while ago and I really liked it as well.

No. Never have. I could never get into believing in some being out there just because other people do. Other people like/believe in all kinds of things but that doesn't mean I do. I need proof and so far I have not FELT anything like this to be necessarily true. So many negative things have happened in the name of "religion" too, and this has further put me off people and their beliefs in some "god." I'm a Buddhist and believe in people helping themselves to have happy lives. I find it difficult to see how so many people can believe in something so abstract as some kind of established religion with its accompanying "god," but I suspect they do mainly because of their friends and family believing, and they just grew up accepting and believing as a consequence. My own parents professed to being Methodists but I was not impressed -- and they did not do anything to make me think this was anything but something handed-down from their ancestors; they were not in the least "religious" nor did they go to church . I guess if you grow up in a very religious family, it offers comfort and something more solid to believe in than what I have been exposed to, especially as a kid and young person.

I love "Penn & Teller's Bullcrap" (a series on Showtime)... the debunk everything, it's wonderful.

I KNOW! It's the best show on Showtime. The "Atheist Episode" kicked @$$!

So did the Circumcision Episode... I thought about it when I saw the survey on piercing a child's ears. Neurogenic Shock right after being born can't be good for any newborn, whether he can remember it or not.

> I guess if you grow up in a very religious family, it offers comfort
> and something more solid to believe in than what I have been exposed
> to, especially as a kid and young person.

I don't agree. I think, if anything, being gay and raised under the lunacy of Christianity, it makes just about everything that much more difficult. I resent my parents for forcing their disgusting belief system on me and in the unlikelyhood that hell does exist, I hope they both burn in it, right along with me. I imagine I'd be a much nicer and forgiving person if I didn't have to overcome so much self-doubt and biblically endorsed hate brought on by their perverted religion all by myself. I'd take your childhood over mine any day of the week.

Church sucks @$$, no matter what the religion.

if anyone out there dos`nt believe in GOD Almighty the Father of CHRIST our Savior and Creator of everything we know, step away from the computer, get to your knees and ask if HE`S really there. come back to your computer and post the results,, if you really wanna know , HE`LL tell you

I used to and then I thought about it and figured it must be bunk. You can see my posts on a similar topic to get my point of view on this.

In a word.. no

>I don't believe Jesus was the son of God. That's
> Idiotic. Mother marry must have gotten drunk one night and slept with
> some stranger and never told Joseph (I mean wine was very popular
> back then). I believe in full logic, science, and history.


Mary and Joseph were married and she was a 'virgin'.. I'm sure..

I can't remember this quote word for word but it goes something like this "I don't belive in God so much as a deity but as a profound sense of wonder" (This was from Robin Williams quoting Einstein)

Anyway, something like that.

> I can't remember this quote word for word but it goes something like
> this "I don't belive in God so much as a deity but as a profound sense
> of wonder" (This was from Robin Williams quoting Einstein)
>
> Anyway, something like that.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm pretty sure the Bible was written in the same manner... someone quoting someone quoting someone... or "something like that".

O well, since I was not forced to conform to any rigid expectations by my family, I would not realize how difficult it could be for others. My own childhood was very strange, however. My parents mostly ignored me and did not try to teach me manners or make me do chores, etc. and when they did try to discipline me, it was very inconsistent. They just couldn't be bothered. I can see your point, and think one of the worst things one could do to a kid is to threaten 'em with some kind of "hell." So now you have to try to do your best to overcome all of this negativeness they laid on you, and build up your self-confidence. It's a shame that religion is supposed to make one a better person, yet does such horrible things to people.

Exactly!

Yes.

Thanks for your email. This might be a bit advanced for you, but maybe not.

http://www.edgar-cayce.org/

My, "Grandma"... what big eyes, you have.

Yes and my entire life revolves around me seeking after him and his will.

What the hell does going to church have to do with believing in God? I don't get that. Are you inferring that if I don't go to church, then I don't believe in God? Is that what you're saying?

nope

Nope.

Being that it's a BIG G, thus making it a Catholic deity... no. If it was any other denomination I wouldn't beleive in it either, but a generaly spirit that we are all connected to & share, yes.

I wish I didn't then I wouldn't feel domed for fire and brimstone if I don't get my act together before I die..

What does "church" have to do with God???

Not sure?

everthing points that there is a god

I died so I know there is something out there.What I don't know I did not stay long enough. But its there.

> I died so I know there is something out there.What I don't know I
> did not stay long enough. But its there.

I believe you imagined this event, or you're lying about it.

> everthing points that there is a god

Which is why everyone all believes in a god and we get along because we all agree on this notion.

My dad doesn't believe in a god either. He says the bible is a good book written a long time ago, and the author had a hell of a publicity agent. He thinks that anyone that is devout is probably weak-minded and/or weak-spirited and can't think for themselves, so they go to church and believe in a god that tells them how to live their lives.

Smart man.

He kicks ass. He was kicked out of school in his sophomore year... he was sent home with a note to his mom that said, "Keep your son home, he's a waste of the teacher's time." Can you imagine??? But he got his GED (barely) and became a cop. He can't spell 'cat', but he's so gifted with his hands mechanically. You should see some of the stuff he has built.

...that note is awesome... did he keep it? That's a lawsuit just waiting to be won... I feel emotionally distressed by it, just hearing about it. Or is that just because I'm crazy?

He kicks himself to this day for not keeping it, or asking his mother to keep it. Back then, there were no such thing as lawsuits. But there is one that burnt my ears for some time... an Army buddy of my hubby's had a son in third grade last year, and when his teacher heard that the boy's dad was in the Nat'l Guard, she told him that his father was a baby-killer. In class!!

Judgment in favor of the Plaintiff, right there.

an Army buddy of my hubby's had a son in third grade last year, and when his teacher heard that the boy's dad was in the Nat'l Guard, she told him that his father was a baby-killer. In class!!

That was just plain,,SICK....I hope the teacher was FIRED!

I'm not sure what happened, but I don't think the teacher lost her job. The dad made a huge stink at the principal and some other places, but I don't think anything came of it.

Definitely not.

Nope.

honestly......dont get mad but who would create people jus so they could worship em! heaven=perfection, nothing to improve on BORING hell=who wants to get raped and beat everyday? i think it's jus like "hey be good follow these rules and you'll get to be perfect" sorry but i find it a little hard to follow that concept

Can't

I'm an agnostic.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I DO BELIEVE IN GOD AND JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. I GREW UP CATHOLIC, YET I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF THAT, NOR ANY DENOMONATION. I AM SIMPLY A FOLLOWER OF GOD. I DO NOT ATTENED CHURCH, NOT EVEN ON DAYS SUCH AS EASTER OR CHRISTMAS. DOES THAT MAKE ME A BAD PERSON? ALL I KNOW IS, I READ THE BIBLE ALL THE TIME, PRAY AND THINK OF GOD IN ALL I DO. I'M NOT PERFECT, I MAKE MANY MISTAKES, BUT THAT IS THE ONE THING ABOUT THE LORD THAT MAKES ME LOVE HIM MOST. I CONFESS MY SINS, ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AND IF I AM TRULEY SORRY, THEN I KNOW HE IS STILL WITH ME. WHY DO SO MANY FEEL THAT YOU HAVE TO BE AT CHURCH TO FEEL CLOSER TO GOD. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME. EVEN GOD SAID "GO BEHIND CLOSED DOOR AND PRAY". QUIET INTIMATE TIME TO ME WORKS SO MUCH BETTER. BEFORE ANYONE JUDGES ME ABOUT NOT GOING TO CHURCH, MAYBE THAY NEED TO REALLY READ THE BIBLE. CHURCH WAS FOUNDED THROUGH JESUS, YET I THINK TODAY, CHURCHES ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A MONEY MAKING BUISINESS. YES, MOST PEOPLE GO FOR THE RIGHT REASON, BUT UNFORTUNATLEY CHURCHES TODAY ARE NOT FOR GOD. IF THEY WERE, THERE WOULD'NT BE SO MANY PEOPLE STARVING OUT THERE, EXPECIALLY IN THE U;S WITH ALL IT'S SO CALLED CHURCH DENOMONATIONS. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED WITH THE VATICAN. THEY ARE ONE OF THE RICHEST RELIGIOUS "BUISNESSES" AROUND. I LOOK AROUND ME AND SEE HOW THE HUMAN RACE IS, SOME ARE GOOD AND REALLY DESERVE GOD'S GRACE, I AM NOT IN ANYWAY SAYING I'M ONE OF THE GOOD ONE'S, IN FACT I THINK THE OPPOSITE. I RECALL EVERYDAY THINGS I HAVE DONE IN MY PAST AND ARE SO SORRY FOR, I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS OR SAID THAT. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT I MEAN. EVERYONE THINKS THEY ARE GOOD, BUT REALLY THINK OF YOUR LIFE IN A WHOLE, DOES YOUR GOOD OUT WEIGH THE BAD. MINE DIDN'T. WELL MY POINT IS THIS..... MOST OF US ARE EVIL IN NATURE, EVEN IF WE DON'T WANT TO BE, LOOK AROUND YOU, EVERYTHING BAD IS ALWAYS BEING SHOVED IN OUR FACES EVERYWHERE!!!! AND THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TAKE OUT GOD. SLOWLY BUT SURELY WE ALL LET IT HAPPEN. IT MAKES ME SAD JUST TO THINK IT. GOD IS THE ONLY TRUE THING IN THIS WORLD. PLEASE, EVEN THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE CAN BE SO MEAN AND HATEFUL TOWARDS YOU , BUT BE NICE TO A STRANGER. PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD, NO MATTER HOW YOU DO IT, HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALY. AMEN AND GOD BLESS

I believe in God.