what keeps people from believeing in god ?
358730
The fact that it is a myth invented around historical happenings by people that can't deal with the simple fact that we are alone and when we die, we die.
156520
Pardon my intrusion, but I do believe in God, 100%.  Not any god or idol of worship, but Jesus Christ, the one true God.  As a believer, my opinion is that "those" who don't believe in God ARE missing out on something (many things), including friendship (if you're alone in this world), fellowship (with other believers, not persecutors), and spiritual satisfaction (always knowing that if God brings you "to it", then God will bring you "through it".)  Good question,  probably no right or wrong answers though...
736572
Agnosticism is a philosophy about knowledge. An agnostic says that the question of the existence of a god is unknown and unknowable. \n\nAn atheist does not believe in a god or gods. They do not have to say, "There is no possible way that there's a god," they simply have to not believe there is.\n\nThey can lack a belief in a god or gods as well. Babies, for instance, have no belief until they are taught to believe. \n\nI am an agnostic atheist. I say, "that the question of the existence of a god is unknown and unknowable," but I also say, "Even so, I have no belief in a god or gods," reason being that just because you can't know whether something exists doesn't mean you have to believe in it. \n\nPossibility of existence does not = likelihood of existence.\n\nThere are people that call themselves agnostic, and that is their right. It is not for me to say what they are or how they think. But in my own journey, I find that you either believe or you don't. If you believe, you are a theist/deist/etc. If you do not believe, you are an atheist. You can be either and be agnostic too.
987313
People get comfort from believing there is a reason for existence, that it's not all accidental or the product of a statistical probability. \n\nLook at it this way: if you are a believer and you die and there is no God, what difference does it make.  If you are not a believer and you die and there is a God, BIG SURPRISE!
303757
just because people son't believe in god, it doesn't mean they don't believe in something.
1057778
The way i look at it there are people out there that say why believe in something that couldn't be true? i say why shouldn't you? some people will go thier whole life not believing to find out GOD IS REAL and then spend eternal life in hell. or they could simply have the belief in Him and when they die IF He wasn't real what did they lose? nothing. but he is there and there is an eternal wonderful life that is so perfect. so the people who don't beleive come out as a loss
1100573
The existence of "God" will never be proved or disproved. Those who cling to religious believes do so because they refuse to consider alternatives.
320657
I've been on the other side where I thought that people who didn't believe in god must feel lost.  (I was raised to think they are evil.)  So, I can kinda understand why some religious individuals think that non-believers feel some sort of void or are immoral.  However, I also view that stance as an immature belief.  It doesn't take a lot of looking around to realize that agnostics and atheists are very content with their worldviews and live ethical lives.
306359
this answer is for non believers : People believe in god because humans are weak spiritually, we are unable to accept things and are constantly hoping for the impossible. But how to achieve it and will they be able to accept it if they do get their goals? therefore, in order to give themselves mental support or to feel better and explain things on a more "fiction based" way so that they can accept it, They created God. God to you may be nothing. But to these people, they feel that it is real, they believe it is real and to them it is truly real. You who do not believe will never get to experience it be it true or false for the brain is a marvelous thing.
39381
Some people will tell you they believe in God mainly because it has been drilled into their head from childhood-- many parents have used fear to make their children afraid not to believe. (i.e. If you don't believe this you we be torchered in hell for eternity.) \n\nOn the other hand, many defiant people grow up to hate the dogma of religion. mainly because they have been turned off by all of the "threats of damnation" by their parents or other influencial people in their lives. \n\nNeither of these reasons are good reason to believe in or not believe in a Higher power (God).\n\nIn reality, believeing in God is a Gut thing. For me it is logical and feels right that is why I believe. I am a christian not because of my upbringing but because I believe in the logical thinking of Christ. Christ was a thinker that didn't allow dogma to overide common sense. Here is a good example of common sense from Luke:\n"1 On a Sabbath day, Jesus went to dine at the house of a leader of the Pharisees. So they were watching him. 2 Now there was a man in front of him who had the dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the lawyers and the Pharisees: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day or not?" 4 But they made no answer. So he took him, healed him, and let him go.\n     5 Then he said to them: "If your donkey or your ox falls into a ditch on a Sabbath day, anyone of you would pull him out immediately." 6 They were unable to answer him."\n\nFollow your heart, follow your gut, follow logic and you will find God.\n\n--My 2 cents....
1061687
That's so funny.  I don't understand why people don't believe that you are god, shouldn't they just have faith that you are?  Why are they asking for proof from you?  They never needed proof before.
1078843
It all comes down to faith. No, you didn't see those things happen, and you can't see God, although you can see His creation. However, you can't see the wind, either, yet you know or have faith, that it's there when you feel it, right? Or if you are inside, and cannot feel it, but you see the trees waving back and forth, you know, or believe, or have faith, that it's there, because you see the effects of it, right? Or how about if you go to sit down on the couch; you don't question it, or it's ability to hold you, you just plunk your butt down on it, right? Well, that is faith. You have faith it will hold you. This is why Christians believe the Bible. we have faith. And I think it must just be in circles you hang in (which makes sense, if you're not a believer) that religion (I'm assuming you mean belief in God by that) is dying out, becuase from what I can see, young people are hungrier than ever for relationship with God.
699359
one answer is people were not brought up with religon in their life so they have no clue. the other one is there are a lot of antheist's out there trying to destroy our beliefs. and it is hard for some people to believe in something that they can not see. just need to pray for those people. and have God open their hearts up to him. Sometimes they need a miracle to start believing. and you really have to approach them very carefully.
476532
Two reasons:\nThe first is that a lot of people have trouble seeing other points of view.  They believe their religion, and their view of "God" and can't imagine anyone seeing it any differently or believing anything different because in their minds, thats just the way it is.\nThe second reason is that defining "God" is no easy task.  Even given one's set beliefs and intending that as their meaning of "God", its very difficult to express what is meant.
504210
None.  Everyone believes in a god.  For some it is the god of humanity for others it is the god of sports, for some it is the Divine Being in heaven.
967165
Because people cannot think for themselves. They need to have a set of "guidelines" made to follow. Other people can't believe in themselves because they see believing in gods as a bigger cause, so to speak.
1146720
I have yet to meet an atheist who had a logical reason not to believe.  Excuses - yes.  Arguments - yes. Reasons - no.  All lack of faith is an issue of the heart, not the head.  God never asked for people heads, but for their heart.  He's get the heart and the head is no longer an issue.\n\nThose who reject do so from fear, hurt, habit, ignorance, rebellion.  That's not meant to be an insult.  Most are intelligent, reasonable and even decent people.  But because of wounds and abuses in their past, they find it hard to believe.\n\nSomeone who claimed to be a Christian did something abuse, or they prayed and did not get an answer (or at least not one they wanted or recognized), or they have been wounded so many times that they can't fully trust anyone or anything.  Often, even growing up around the Christian faith the way most Americans do, they don't really know or understand what it means.  So too often God pays the price.\n\nGod never called Christians to debate for him, argue about him , or defend him.  He called us to love him and to live the kind of life that honors him, so that others will see it and want to know about him.  When they ask, that's when we are to be ready to give them an answer about the hope that is in us.