SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

If there is a creator of our universe as we understand it today, our poor little human understanding of such a creator would be infinitely flawed by the near-infinite vastness of the creation itself.

I think that there is a great deal more to life and what happens afterward than we can possibly have any inkling about today.

Imagine the understanding that human beings had just a thousand years ago vs. our understanding today.

The sun, apparently, no longer orbits the earth. Neither do the stars. Many of our other beliefs will fall in the years to come.

The truth, or Truth if you like, has got to be ever so much greater than we could ever imagine, comprehend or experience while we are alive.

Accordingly, I have no fear of death. I only seek to live life in the fullest way that I can. I also don't see any conflict in that view and praying to God, or Allah or whatever you might wish to call the infinite. I am however, suspicious of the concept of 'worship' since I really don't think that the 'divine' in the universe would really be moved by any such human concept.

[This message edited by TrulyReconciled at 2:58 PM, September 11th (Wednesday)]

The older I get, the more I have this conversation with myself.

The best answer I can give (today) is that I'm an agnostic.

I do believe that there is more than science can explain, however, I need more than words in a book or someone else's interpretation of said book to go by.

I basically live my life in a "treat others as I'd like to be treated" manner and go from there.

No I am an atheist.

I am an atheist because of my education in science, history, anthropology, philosophy, and personal reflection.

I grew up very religious in a devout Christian family. My parents are still very involved in their religion.

That's about all I think I can say without violating the terms of SI.

I'm on the fence. I went to Catholic school from K-6 so naturally, once I left I vowed never to go to church again, ever. And I kept my vow to myself for decades. Long story short, H grew up Southern Baptist and both he and my IL's are heavily involved in the church. Me, not so much. I just have too many questions. I believe in something - maybe it's God, maybe it's a higher power. I'm just not sure. I saw a young girl this weekend that had muscular dystrophy - she had a wonderful disposition and was very pleasant. I began questioning God - if He loves us so much, how could this happen? I even asked H and he couldn't answer me. That one incident has me questioning everything.

Nah. Don't have a good reason to.

I think there's a better argument for a deity than there is for the fermi paradox though. It's like he forgot the galaxy is a hundred fucking thousand light years across. You could teleport instantly between points and it's still stupid to think you could do much more than have a scrapbook of vacation photos. "Check out the Pillars bro" and "This nebula looks like a space dong" in a holobook is what you would get, not complete galactic colonization.

MissesJai:

I just have too many questions. I believe in something - maybe it's God, maybe it's a higher power. I'm just not sure. I saw a young girl this weekend that had muscular dystrophy - she had a wonderful disposition and was very pleasant. I began questioning God - if He loves us so much, how could this happen?

My thoughts exactly!

If I, as a parent, who by no means is perfect will go through hell and back to protect my children, why would a God that is "perfect" allow his children to suffer?!

Plus I am also scared to death that if I do question him, he may punish me to the brink of insanity to "prove to me" that he is real and all powerful.

This just scares the hell out of me. -No pun intended.

[This message edited by Exit Wounds at 3:39 PM, September 11th (Wednesday)]

Did your faith in Him strengthen past D day or weaken?

Strengthened significantly post D Day. Same for the WW. Exactly why I couldn't tell you. The lessening of the faith that came so easily in my childhood had been one of the great disappointments of my adulthood. But that seems to have completely turned around. I'm not going to over-analyze it...I'll take whatever positives I can get these days!

Did your faith in Him strengthen past D day or weaken?

after DDay one - strengthen

after DDay two - weaken... What God would let me go through this once and then I apparently didn't learn a lesson so had to do it again? psh.

My deal is this. I was raised a Mennonite which is to say religious with a capital R. However, I am at this point in my life as non religious as you can be. However, I simply can’t fathom that there is not something else going on beyond what we can understand. Explain how there can be a no beginning. Science can’t explain it. They talk about the big bang but what was there before the big bang. Nothing is something. Is there an end to the universe? How can that be? Is it a wall? What’s behind the wall? How is it possible for time to end? These are the questions that are part of how belief in a God arose.

Do I believe in God? If you are talking about the traditional beliefs, well I would have to say no. I do believe the odds are greater that there is much more going on then we can even begin to imagine, impossible for us to imagine. Whether that includes my soul or spirit I have absolutely no idea but it is not within my realm of reason to think that there is not “something” going on.

I was raised Evangelical Lutheran, I stopped practicing in my teens, but was married in a church. I began to practice Wicca in my early 20s and stopped in my late 20s. I enjoyed it but honestly the part of the emotional fallout from my D was a complete loss of faith.

I will accept the theory that maybe there is a higher power, but fail to see why I should worship that being. The kind of 'god' I could see myself admiring would probably find abject worship to be vulgar and sort of embarrassing and would just want people to be good to each other and the world.

I believe there is some kind of power in the universe(s). I don't believe it's a being of any kind. In fact the idea has been formulating in my mind that the power is within all of us, and it's up to us to unleash it as needed/desired. It can be a force that's really good or really bad.

I don't follow any religion. At all.

God is something fabricated to give people hope that something can change things in their lives simply by asking when all else seems to have failed. The Egyptians did it, the Mayans, the Greeks, the Indians, the Romans, and every other human species to walk this earth. As evolution has carried on, the dieties change as do their (its) complexities. No one wants to believe that when you die you simply cease to exist... No spirit, no ghost, nothing. Just like a bug that hits the windshield, it ceases to exist.

I believe in science. It makes much more sense to me. I believe when you die, that's it, you cease to exist.

I believe that I am here for a purpose and that things happen for a reason.

I think that there is something better that comes after this life.

Yes, I absolutely do believe in God. As one member put it though, to say more than that might get me in trouble here. However I would be more than willing to discuss it with anyone via pm's.

I hope I make sense...I have to admit not being from this country still causes me issues with trying to get across what I think makes sense in German

I think you always make sense Exit Wounds. You communicate great in English.

I was brought up Catholic. Very Catholic. 12 years of Catholic school. Wanted to be a nun when I grew up. (SisterMilkshake ~ ta-dah) But, even in school I had questions. One day in religion class I asked my 10th "why?" question and Sister Julia just threw her arms up to the heavens and said "Faith, M________ M____, faith!" Well, I thought that answer sucked. I have been asking why ever since! Got kicked out of confession because I asked Father "why?" . But, I always had a strong belief in God.

Until the past few years. The questions of "Why?" just keep a coming and I don't get any good answers. In the past year I found this quote by Epicurus. It is the same one that heartbroken_kk posted:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

Then why call him God?

This sums up how I feel. I am not ready to say I don't believe in God, but I can't say I believe, either. I feel it is possible that there is God.

there is much more going on then we can even begin to imagine, impossible for us to imagine.

This is what I feel, too, asurvivor.

[This message edited by SisterMilkshake at 8:58 PM, September 11th (Wednesday)]

To me God is not religion. Humans created religion.

To me God is love.

Humans created punishment etc.

I have had situations happen to me that I attribute to God (conceotion off dd7...there is a story to my miscarriage and then conception of dd).

Sorrow. Illnesses. Etc, to me that is just life. Life is not perfect. I believe God gives life but does not control life

To me the beauty that is just in front of our nose, that is God.

I hope I didnt cross any lines here. If I did, pls edit

I believe there is some kind of power in the universe(s). I don't believe it's a being of any kind. In fact the idea has been formulating in my mind that the power is within all of us, and it's up to us to unleash it as needed/desired. It can be a force that's really good or really bad.

I don't follow any religion. At all.

Sad, that sounds like a Jedi...

No. I really don't. Very little of any of that makes sense to me.

There are some teachings I find valuable and some guidance for living I have adopted. But I do not believe in the underlying theory at all.

I believe. If you have a hard time understanding, watch Joyce Meyers. We go through hard times to grow us, to mature us, for on the other side we become wise. People say if God loved us he wouldn't let us hurt. He sacrificed his son for us, if that isn't putting us before himself, what else is. He sacrificed his son because we couldn't follow his rules. He gave us one choice after that, come to him through his son, and most people even put their own spin on that. Ask yourself this, if we are wrong, what did we lose but a life of having faith and trying to live well. If the nonbelievers are wrong, well you know that answer.

I never blamed God for what my ex did, that is ex's fault, not God's. I have been blessed many times since divorce. I have watched my daughter be faithful to our God and watched be blessed. My heart is full of joy and thankfulness knowing my God provides what I need and wants to grow me.

As far as the bible being fiction and written by man, nonsense. Not one thing in the bible has been proven wrong.

Many atheists have tried too prove it wrong and have ended up believers.

Like I said earlier, watch Joyce Meyers show, she tells it like it is.

I believe because I see the blessings in my life and I feel the holy spirit in my life. When you believe, it is like a hole in your soul has been filled. Like when you have a child and never knew what you did before them. Love, it is your heart filled with love from a father that will bring you to your knees to save you so you won't be separated from him for eternity.