Why don't people just believe in God?

If he's real, then they'll be pleased when they die.
If he's not, then nothing else can happen to them.

Why should people belive in God? Look at the state of the world at the moment.

Originally posted by K.Diddy
Why should people belive in God? Look at the state of the world at the moment.

If god started interfering with all our lives we would eventually just depend on him and do nothing.

Originally posted by Bloigen
If god started interfering with all our lives we would eventually just depend on him and do nothing.

😉 Whatever helps you sleep at night

Originally posted by Bloigen
If he's real, then they'll be pleased when they die.
If he's not, then nothing else can happen to them.

Pascal's Wager: Believe in dragons, or one will burn your house down.

Because religion leads to war, one way or another.

Why don't people just believe in god?

Why should people?

Originally posted by Bloigen
If he's real, then they'll be pleased when they die.
If he's not, then nothing else can happen to them.

This belief (Christianity) makes people feel like there is something wrong with them. If you get rid of all that judgment, then I would agree with you.

Originally posted by Gregory
Pascal's Wager: Believe in dragons, or one will burn your house down.

Basically.

So do you?

Originally posted by Gregory
So do you?

Believe in God? Yes, I think it's a safer investment.

Originally posted by K.Diddy
Why should people belive in God? Look at the state of the world at the moment.

Yeah, and look how long "god" has been running things in our world.

Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
Yeah, and look how long "god" has been running things in our world.

He never really ran it. He got some else to, Humans. When someone builds a train station in most cases they don't run it, they get someone else to.

Originally posted by Bloigen
He never really ran it. He got some else to, Humans. When someone builds a train station in most cases they don't run it, they get someone else to.

Exactly my point.

And look at what "his" confidence has gained us. Look at what "his" teachings have resulted in; murder, war, hatred, etc.

When asking why people don't just believe in god...what's the harm, should they believ ein all gods equally? Allah, Jehovah, Jesus, etc? Or are we just talking the god in which you believe?

Originally posted by Bloigen
Believe in God? Yes, I think it's a safer investment

Believe in dragons. Every minute you don't believe in dragons is another minute they could become offended with you and burn your house down; believing in them is clearly the safer option.

Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
When asking why people don't just believe in god...what's the harm, should they believ ein all gods equally? Allah, Jehovah, Jesus, etc?

I believe the Islamic "Allah" is actually the Christian "God".

Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
Or are we just talking the god in which you believe?

You've got me there.

Originally posted by Gregory
Believe in dragons. Every minute you don't believe in dragons is another minute they could become offended with you and burn your house down; believing in them is clearly the safer option.

Well, there's the Komodo dragon and Nessie might be a dragon, so I do actually believe in them.

Which god? Religion isn't just about believing in god. If you believe the bible then even the devil believes in god. Religion is many things. In ancient times it was a way to explain what couldn't be understood. Where we came from and all. In modern times it's more about controlling how people live, arrogantly believing we were divinley created, [i]wanting[/b] to believe in an afterlife.

In the beginning, man created god.

Originally posted by Bloigen
Well, there's the Komodo dragon and Nessie might be a dragon, so I do actually believe in them.

You're playing word games and you know it. Do you, or do you not, believe in fire-breathing, telepathic (they'd have to be to know whether you believed in them, wouldn't they) dragons?

If the Christian God exists, incidently, you're going to Hell. You're supposed to love him, not cynically try to manipulate the system "just in case."

It's been my experience that people don't believe in God for one of two reasons...
1. There's no proof. The problem with this approach is that the Average Joe/Jane's idea of proof is more scientistic than scientific.
2. "If there is a loving God, why is there so much suffering in the world?" The problem with this approach is that the Average Joe/Jane's idea of God is religionistic, a fiction, an agenda-driven intellectualization.

As for Pascal's Wager: it's problem lies in the fact that Pascal did not start from a neutral position: he was a man who believed in a religionistic version of God. Therefore, when nonbelievers died, they lost everything.
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/wager.html

I prefer the Kinder, Gentler version of the Wager. It begins from the neutral premise: "I don't know." (if there is a God).
Therefore: You might as well believe, cuz if you're wrong, you'll never know it.