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Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:51 am
by KevinSim
Why shouldn't I believe in God?
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 3:19 am
by Marcus
KevinSim wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:51 am
Why shouldn't I believe in God?
Do what you want. No one's stopping you.
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 3:39 am
by Jersey Girl
KevinSim wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:51 am
Why shouldn't I believe in God?
Shouldn't? What does that even mean? I saw your similar post in Terrestrial and replied.
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 3:48 am
by canpakes
KevinSim wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:51 am
Why shouldn't I believe in God?
Why should you believe in a particular God, of a particular description crafted by other people?
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 9:37 am
by Chap
canpakes wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 3:48 am
KevinSim wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:51 am
Why shouldn't I believe in God?
Why should you believe in a particular God, of a particular description crafted by other people?
That point is very important. People in who live in countries that have historically imposed or accepted pretty well universal belief in one of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) often talk as if there is only one well-known entity called <insert deity name here> whom one either believes in or does not believe in.
But that's just like asking "do you like sausages?", when the huge variety of possible sausages one might like or dislike renders the question pretty well meaningless (unless the questioner and the speaker know only one kind of sausage, in which case see above). One may like merguez, or pork sausage made with herbs, or .... (etc.) but not like other kinds.
Similarly, we need to ask KevinSim "which deity do you mean?". If the answer is the embodied deity of Mormonism, someone who might affirm belief in the deity of 21st century Roman Catholicism might say "because there are good reasons for not believing in that kind of deity".
So, KevinSim - which deity are you asking about?
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:06 pm
by huckelberry
Chap wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 9:37 am
canpakes wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 3:48 am
Why should you believe in a particular God, of a particular description crafted by other people?
That point is very important. People in who live in countries that have historically imposed or accepted pretty well universal belief in one of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) often talk as if there is only one well-known entity called <insert deity name here> whom one either believes in or does not believe in.
But that's just like asking "do you like sausages?", when the huge variety of possible sausages one might like or dislike renders the question pretty well meaningless (unless the questioner and the speaker know only one kind of sausage, in which case see above). One may like merguez, or pork sausage made with herbs, or .... (etc.) but not like other kinds.
Similarly, we need to ask KevinSim "which deity do you mean?". If the answer is the embodied deity of Mormonism, someone who might affirm belief in the deity of 21st century Roman Catholicism might say "because there are good reasons for not believing in that kind of deity".
So, KevinSim - which deity are you asking about?
Chap, I think there is more than one way to approach this question. A person may believe there is some ultimate spiritual reality over the material and then wonder what description is better, Jewish , Bahia or some other oriental understanding. Uncertainty of various degrees on that second question, which description is closest to reality, could exist with belief in that most general sense of God.
A different approach could be when someone is convinced that the Islamic understanding is so clear then there must be a God. A person may feel sure about their received tradition such as the Bible and believe God on that basis. If this path is followed then being sure which description is right would be necessary to believe in God.
I think a lot of people do not stick strictly with one or the other of these paths. I think all sorts of Mormons and Catholics can agree with each other that God exists despite clear differences in understanding. Many Mormons and Catholics can agree the other believes in God despite being wrong in their understanding about God. Certainly there are religious traditions more widely divergent in understanding than these two . Perhaps they would not all feel comfortable saying God exists but I think there would still be some common ground in back of there divergent views.
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:10 pm
by Vēritās
Why shouldn't I believe in the spaghetti monster?
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:28 pm
by Res Ipsa
The only reason I can think of would be if your belief in God caused you to mistreat your fellow humans. For me, the gradual shift from LDS to Christian to Agnostic to Atheist didn't matter at all in terms of how I interact with my fellow humans.
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:23 pm
by huckelberry
Vēritās wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:10 pm
Why shouldn't I believe in the spaghetti monster?
Veritas, are you experiencing some strong draw to this belief? Perhaps afraid of the monster dimension? I suspect the alarm and uncertainty will pass. I have not heard anyone express any reason to believe the spaghetti monster. It seems likely that any attraction to the belief will pass away without trouble or alarm.
Re: Belief in God
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 1:21 am
by Vēritās
huckelberry wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:23 pm
Vēritās wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:10 pm
Why shouldn't I believe in the spaghetti monster?
Veritas, are you experiencing some strong draw to this belief? Perhaps afraid of the monster dimension? I suspect the alarm and uncertainty will pass. I have not heard anyone express any reason to believe the spaghetti monster. It seems likely that any attraction to the belief will pass away without trouble or alarm.
It was a rhetorical question.