k,here is the deal.I am the only atheist at my school and during social studies class we had to talk about our religions out loud.The teacher called my name and i just said"I dont belive in religion"and then everyone made a little "ahh".the teacher told me 2 sit down and I wondered to myself"""why do people belive in religions""".My asked my father that question and we had a long talk.I soon remember of all the religions i learned in social studies class that every religion had something 2 do with the afterlife.He told me that when man started 2 think more loglicly,he thought that after doing all the things he had done in life that he would just die and nothing more will happen.Well,man got afraid and started 2 make a thing called "religion" that said if u act good,u go on 2 the after life.People belived there lies so much that they started to actally belive it.So im askingg u to tell me something,why do u belive in a religion?

You already posted this story elsewhere. Bad form.
What business of yours is it if people want to believe the impossible? Honestly, unless you're looking to be converted, you won't obtain any satisfactory answers. If nothing else it helps them get by.
Also, your question isn't very specific. Lumping all religious people together is even less accurate than lumping all atheists together. You and I are both atheist, but that doesn't mean I have the same reasons or reasoning as you do in coming to that conclusion.
This isn't going to go anywhere, so if you are genuinely curious as to why, go to a church. You don't need to believe them, but it can help you understand.
But if you're just trying to make them stop believing, you won't get anywhere, and it probably won't help anyone. So what if people want to believe they are headed somewhere after here?
Sometimes I wish I could think things like that.

Sorry if that was incoherent gibberish. I'm tired and don't want to organize it.

Fear all the Gods for what you'd said. You don't have the right to tell all religions are lies. It's an insult for everyone who believes in a religion.

First of all, religions can give you a lot of knowledge that is NOT a lie,therefore,are facts. Just go read a bible, go to church etc. You'll know what I'm saying is.

And about the "afterlife" or the "heaven and hell". What made you say that they cannot be true? Did you die already?

Sorry for the rudeness.

I like the end of your answer Juliet.

How do you athiests explain near-death experiences? There are stories from people who say they have crossed over into heaven temporarily but were brought back to life by doctors and they have written books and talked about the experience. If there is nothing after this life then what explanation do you have for these experiences? I mean sure you can say that everyone that has had one of these experiences is just a liar but that's a pretty weak argument in my mind....

Oh, and I follow a religion. It gives me direction in my life and by adhering to it I have lived a better life than I otherwise would have. I think that is a good enough reason to follow a religion. It makes you into a better person if you actually live it.

I do have a religion too, that's why I was offended by what Ryan said,"Well,man got afraid and started 2 make a thing called "religion" that said if u act good,u go on 2 the after life.People belived their lies so much that they started to actually belive it.". Religions are not lies,they're guides towards a bright future. That's why I agree with geeo here:

Originally posted by geeogree

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Oh, and I follow a religion. It gives me direction in my life and by adhering to it I have lived a better life than I otherwise would have. I think that is a good enough reason to follow a religion. It makes you into a better person if you actually live it.

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Ryanlube, I agree with you. Schools have been misleading for ages. If your different they laugh at you and humilate you for being, acting, and thinking different.

I look at all religions as a box in which you are held captive and restraigned to live by the rules of someone or something that none of us know exists. I believe it causes wars and is a major problem for discrimination and bloodshed throughout the world. If we all realized we are human, and all the same, set aside our beliefs / religions / differences and maybe just maybe the world would be a hell of a lot better.

I also believe religion is a tool used to control the masses just like with any other form of mass media, they are used to make you think and act a certain way.

Geeogree, as for near death experiences those can be an illusion just like a dream. I'm sure all of us have had dreams in which we were imagining something happening but in reality it was completely opposite of what it was. Sometimes, our dreams are molded around are surroundings.

For instance, I had a dream where I was drowning in a pool, waking up to realize that the reason I couldn't breath was cause my face was eating the floor. People could very well see lights of heaven but when waking up to reality those lights and angels turn out to be doctors and really bright lights from the ER rooms.

Not saying it's a load of crap but if a spirit did leave the body and into another realm it probably would not re-enter back unless it actually never left the body in the first place, in otherwords, making it a dream or illusion from the subconscious. Why would a spirit leave the body when it knows the body is still alive? It wouldn't, instead that makes more sense that the near-death experiences are just illusions of the sub conscious. When a spirit is out of the body it's gone for good.

However, I have heard of a few cases where people were confirmed dead only to wake up and rise from the dead minutes later. If that is how spirits work then they probably operate like light switches, if the switch is on the spirit stays with the body but if the switch is off then it leaves for good unless it is somehow turned back on. So it operates similar to dreams but the big difference here is the spirit completely leaving the body for good and never returning back to it. As far as saying what is real and what not is far beyond what any of us can prove but those are my 2 cents on near-death experiences and the possibilities of explaining them to my knowledge.

Jig: I don't intend to change what you're believing is, infact, almost all the infos you typed above, are 100% true....*salutes*.... everyone of us can choose what they wanna choose to believe but...

---->Ryan:
"Well,man got afraid and started 2 make a thing called "religion" that said if u act good,u go on 2 the after life.People believed their lies so much that they started to actually belive it."

It's just too much to call religions a big lie.
First of all, it's not even proven that they're actually lies made by other people. What if there's really a God watching above us or... spirits guiding us?

There are negative and positive effects done by religions in our world. All negative effects that Jigsaw said are all true. I believe them. But I also believe in the positive side...

One more thing, neither of us,living humans, can know all the truth behind "life after death" until we die.

Originally posted by juliet

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Jig: I don't intend to change what you're believing is, infact, almost all the infos you typed above, are 100% true....*salutes*.... everyone of us can choose what they wanna choose to believe but.

One more thing, neither of us,living humans, can know all the truth behind "life after death" until we die.

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Agreed, we can't know. So why do so many people assume they do know and press their ideas onto other people? And I'm not just talking about religious people, aggressive atheists do it too (i.e: Ryan). I understand contemplating what happens, but to devote a life to convincing people you're right? That's insane in any instance, not just religion.

But in atheisms defense (here comes the heathen propaganda) we don't need a reason to not believe in something. I'm not trying to compare God to things that don't exist to offend, just to show my point. Occam's razor states that when selecting from two or more hypotheses which are equal in other respects, the one requiring the least amount of postulation should be (logically) chosen. I've not seen any more persuasive evidence in God's favor than I have against him, so I've no reason to believe in him.

If you arrived home and all your things were missing, would you assume that someone stole them, or that they vanished into another dimension? Both theories give answers, but to assume that there was definitely inter-dimensional transportation involved is a little outlandish. Seeing things which are otherwise incomprehensible does not operate as a valid logical reason to believe in God. We didn't know what lightning was for a long time, but we figured it out eventually, so it isn't right to assume that there is no explanation, only that we haven't found one.

"And about the "afterlife" or the "heaven and hell". What made you say that they cannot be true? Did you die already?"
Good point, but the same argument can be posited against all theism.

Keep in mind all this against God stuff is from a purely logical standpoint, and we are not purely logical. I don't mind religion, I hold great respect for the devout, but to argue that belief in God is reasonable and provable, is to argue that faith isn't necessary. I am glad for you if you feel religion helps you, and don't mean to push anything onto anyone. I just think that if God existed, he'd want you to fight his battles spiritually, not argue his existence. And we shouldn't argue against it, since the absense of evidence is not evidence of absense. Supposing God exists, he would have made it impossible to prove his existence in order to instigate faith. There needn't be arguement against faith, because it is by definition believing the unbelievable.

Sorry if I confused anyone, I couldn't type fast enough to release my ideas logically. Just tangents. Maybe juliet will translate if it's hard to decipher.

Ahehehe... your post is too long... it makes me lazy to translate the whole post.

Don't worry, Morsalbus, your post is understandable. There's no need for me to translate.....*sweats*.....

I'm lazy but I had to read that post and Morsalbus, I have to say you rock!

so basically all that Morsalbus said is he hasn't seen enough evidence to believe in any one religion....

now the real question is: Is there any evidence/experience that would change your mind?

If there is a (judeo-christian) God, and he really wants to I'm sure he could change my mind, but if it was something that changed my mind and no one else's, I'd probably have to go to a mental hospital. It would need to be unreasonably obvious. I am an avid skeptic.

I suppose I could also just change my philosophy eventually, but I doubt it will be soon.

"I'm lazy but I had to read that post and Morsalbus, I have to say you rock!" thanks wired

you really don't undrestand the christian world view if you think that God would change your mind.... that's not what it's about... it's about making the choice without all the information laid out....

it's a matter of faith...

at least be open to learning about other religions, if for nothing else to improve your own set of beliefs.

amen geeo, lol.

Sometimes God doesn't always provide us with evidence but that's just a test of our faith. If God just gave us the answers to everything, there would be no point to this life. We were created for many reasons, one being as a test of our faith. We were also created for discovery, so that God indirectly gives us the answers, we just have to find them.

Originally posted by geeogree

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you really don't undrestand the christian world view if you think that God would change your mind.... that's not what it's about... it's about making the choice without all the information laid out....
it's a matter of faith...

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I know that you guys believe that. I said he could. I already said that I didn't think he would. And making a choice based on information rather than feeling is called logic. Logic is what led me to believe the way I do. If you made a choice with all the information laid out, it wouldn't involve faith. Faith is believing regardless of the evidence or the lack thereof. I understand it (google "critique of pure reason"), and often envy it, but I don't ascribe to it. I lost it a long time ago and refused to admit it, but I thought about it for a long while. I've asked countless christians countless questions and while their answers were differing in depth and truth, none satisfied my heart or mind. I researched alot and I decided what to keep and what not to keep of my christian upbringing. If you really think you have the truth, then good on you; but I can't handle the truth you believe in. If it's all true, I'll find out eventually anyway, won't I?

I hate to type so much, and my goal isn't to shake anyone's faith, I just wanted to explain: I'm not just ignorant, and I haven't just strayed from the flock. I'm not just rebelling. I still believe in many christian morals, and I still like learning about religions and still I expand my personal beliefs.

I don't look down on you, or try to separate people from the church. You mustn't defend yourself from me, or attack my beliefs. If you truly want a candid, easier to read (whenever I write these I feel like they're confusing), non-antagonistic conversation about it with me, PM me. But I've pretty much made up my mind about the christians' God.

faith is not believe in spite of evidence.... that is part of your problem right there....

evidence backs up my faith. There are things that I learn that help me know what I believe in is true. To suggest that people who have faith are believing blindly is so ignorant it's actually quite aggravating. No wonder you don't believe anymore.... you have a warped idea of what it means to have faith.

I said regardless of, not in spite of. I'm aware of the evidence that there is, but there's still a bit of a jump to make there. The ambiguity of the evidence is what makes it a religion. If it was truly supported by every bit of evidence possible (that is, if there was irrefutable proof), it wouldn't be argued over and everyone would go to church. I know there is evidence that strengthens faith, but it doesn't create it. You still need a little something more
Calm down.
I wasn't saying the faithful are blind, but now that you mention it, I don't think you know any more than the rest of your species because of religion.
As for that "warped idea of faith" stuff: Don't be so defensive. You don't need to tell me how wrong I am, or any vague reasons why. I already realize that alot of you think we're all wrong, ignorant, and out to destroy family values and America; so I guess I can't do anything about it. But all that hostility is kind of offputting. I'll probably raise my kids as christians if I have any, so you don't have to worry about me spreading my mental disease and blasphemous ideas to the next generation.

Main Entry:
faith
2 a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust

I realize that you guys use your brains, but you really can't get faith on logic alone. That's all I meant to say.

same difference to me... you're basically saying that people have faith in something even though there is evidence that proves otherwise.

I don't know anything more than you do because of my religion? Seriously? I know a lot more than you do. I know where I came from, what I'm doing here and where I go when I die. I know a lot more than an athiest does.

I'm not being defensive I'm being blunt. But apparently you have some idea of what I'm going to say to you.... did I say you were wrong? Nope, I didn't. Did I say you were out to destroty family values and America? No. If you want to assume all those things then I guess what I said would have seemed hostile to you.

Seriously.... you put so many words in my mouth that I never said and don't think.... but for me to say what I said was me being defensive and offputting.

I guess I'm just a blind Christian that has his head up his ass and a gun, and hates gays, and anyone that is different from me.

Well first of all atheism is a religion i mean it takes a reigion to be an athiest

Oh lords.
Please don't start the whole battle of whether Atheism is a religion or not.
It gets a bit... Flamey.

Anyways, why Religion?
I like to think it's because it gives hope for a better future.
Unfortunately some of it isn't, it's just parents forcing their children to worship a religion, or worshiping it just to avoid some sort of situation such as poverty or hunger, or whatever it may be.
Or some of it may just be blind faith.
Mind you, not all of it.

I myself am Agnostic.
My own version of Agnosticism.
I believe there may be a higher deity.
But whether it is Shiva, Allah, or God, I don't know, nor do I really care. Or perhaps there is no deity at all. Anything is possible, in my opinion.
What happens at the "end" happens, I just go with the flow.

After all, a law is a law because it has yet to be disproven.