Faith is the anti-logic. It does not take faith to believe in everything, but it does take faith to believe in god.

Maybe to you. I do not consider my life empty. I accept what I do not know. I know my family and friends and my life is certainly not empty with them.

These are two very different things. Deciding which car to buy is not the same as deciding whether or not to believe in a religion. Examining the pros and cons of a particular car can be done by looking at hard facts. It may be hard to determine which aspects are most important, but there is no "leap of faith" required.

Yes, this is why we have religions--and quite the variety.

I see where you're going with this. Prey on the fear of mankind. Tell him he has to believe or he will spend eternity in a lake of fire.

To me, this depends on what you do with those "beliefs" or what your god "tells you to do."

Is your god telling you to attack another country?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/...586978,00.html

Is your god telling you to kill your children?
http://www.crimelibrary.com/notoriou...illers2/9.html

That link is particularly disturbing. There are very similar stories in the bible where they are described as great acts of faith. When they happen in modern times, they are referred to as mental illness. Which is it?

 

The proof of God's existence is everywhere, but I can't make you or anyone else see that. I can only share what I believe.

As far as atrocities are concerned (ignoring your obvious anti-Bush rhetoric link) they have been done in the name of God, in the name of freedom, in the name of politics, in the name of choice, in the name of business, in the name of science, and almost every other name. All this shows is the deplorable condition of the human heart, the very thing Christ came to save.

I have answered the original question of "What do you believe?" and I am not here to hijack this tread further. You can PM me if you want.

Thanks

 

If there were proof, we would not be talking about what we "believe".

 

What happens if you die, and find youself before God, who says, "Sorry, but the jews were right about Jesus, Please take the stairs to hell."

Extreme example but think about it, NOBODY knows the truth of what exists beyond our perception here on earth. Stating your stance on the religious debate is fine, but trying to prove it to other people is a waste of air.

You have your belief, be it one religion or another(counting athiesm here)

Your belief is not better than anyone elses

Someone terrible things happen, done in the name of religion but then again sometimes terrible white collar crimes happen, commited by people who would classify themselves as "enlightened athiest." Crime is a product of the human mind, not religiously motivated.

Religion in of itself is a product of the society it developed in, its rules and foundations build to suit whatever society that is. There can never be a "global" one true religion in my opinion because it doesn't work in every culture.

To answer the question at last: I belive there is something more after death as well as something that created everything we see around us, but I accept I don't know, could be wrong, and will only find out when I'm gone.

The only rule of living is the common sense one: treat others as you would want to be treated

 

To answer the question, I believe in a creator God and an afterlife.

I agree, and if I were lost I would want others to show me the way to getting un-lost.
Is that what you mean?

 

Well, I am guessing we are going to have different views on who is lost.

 

I kinda thought so.


But back to the thread at hand, it looks to me that in this unscientific poll, a higher percentage of athiests have responded than are in the US population.
Reference:
http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html

 

If I came upon someone lost in the woods I'd be happy to lead them back to human development.

Unless their a prius driver of course

 

I can't state any verified report thru a link, but from brief experience the only people I know whom fit the type of "open unbelievers" of god or an afterlife are well educated, and well off people as well.

Again just my experience, I kinda feel that people who have worked hard to attain a status either of wealth or education believe less in faith or any divine presence, instead thinking humans are the product of themselves and their own hard work, not any unseen force.

You could say in theory that many hybrid owners represent the higher educated part of society through their decision to purchase a more expencive car in hopes of making up the difference in the end. Hence many of these buyers might fit the type who would object to religious ideals.

Once again all my personal theory!

 

Formal religion is nothing more than an early form of government. To keep the citizens in line you had to lead them to believe that the one who ruled over them had a dialog with a higher power. It also helped to convince the commoners that people who didn't share our beliefs were evil and needed to be destroyed. More people have been killed in the name of God than any other.

That said, I checked off the first option where there is a creator and an afterlife. Because when I look into my son's eyes I feel that none of this would be possible without a little help. That might sound like a total load of crap but it works for me.