Why do you believe a religion?
488184
You say that primitive people invented religions to explain the world around them when their evolved minds became capable of asking questions of their origins.  At least I think that's what you were trying to say.  \n\nYou are a great example of why I believe the opposite.  \n\nTruth, as revealed by the Creator, has always been on the earth from the beginning.  You and people like you claim that religion is invented because you would rather allow your "devolving" (i.e., degenerate, deteriorating), primitive-seeking mind to turn you into mush.  That is always the case with weak-willed, weak-minded individuals.  You would rather your body controls your destiny than your mind or spirit.  \n\nTruth is all around you yet you actively choose not to see it!  To you, truth is what you think it is.  In other words, truth is relative to you.  It changes with your change of mind or with what you can see, hear, touch/feel, taste and smell.  You have become carnal (body controls you), sensual (you perceive with your senses only) and devilish (blown here and there by every hint of change in your life and feeling to scoff at those who know what you do not).  To you, ignorance truly is bliss and you revel in it.\n\nI'll admit to following the pattern you describe in your statement.  I guess the difference is, when I realized that I could choose for myself what to believe in, instead of discarding everything (as you seem to have done), and also not wanting to blindly believe what my parents had taught me, I decided to find out for myself if what I had been taught was true.  You see, my mind was "evolving", and that's why I say your mind is "devolving."  I was rationally testing my faith.  You irrationally discarded yours.\n\nThey say that you always know a tree by it's fruits, and if the fruits are not rotten, then it must be a good tree, right?  Well, I implemented certain principles into my life and found that the fruits were good.  Most importantly, I went to the source of truth.  If there is a God, and he does teach true principles, and if he is the source of all truth, then why not ask him?  If he loves his children, why wouldn't he answer their prayers, if they have the faith necessary to come to him with questions?  \n\nYou ask "Why do you believe a religion?"  I believe because I went to the source in humility and faith and asked my questions.  I know there is a God, because he answered my prayer in a way I cannot deny.  I cannot explain it to you, nor would I really want to.  It's deeply personal and your degenerate mind wouldn't understand it anyway. \n\nSomeday, hopefully, something will happen to you that draws out of you your need to believe in something greater than yourself or something greater than you'll find in this world.  I hope it's sooner than later for you.  Unfortunately, the world currently breeds narcissists who cannot see truth when it's all around them because they cannot see past themselves.  \n\nIgnorance is not truly bliss, but knowledge of truth truly is.  With knowledge comes power, and then the ability to choose for yourself, rather than letting others or your carnal self choose for you.  Wake up!  Be a man (or a woman)!  \n\nDon't take this all personally.  If you feel attacked, it's your mindset I attack, not your personality. Your personality will never change that much, but your mindset can be influenced and changed (truth, when obtained and tested, has an amazing way of helping this process along) and it is the root of your character, which is all you will take with you when you leave this earthly existence.  I know it's hard to change, but it is possible to do.  I encourage you to do so.\n\n"Seek, and ye shall find; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."  These are not just words, but truth.  It's a good place for you to start.
327158
If you truly do not believe in something then, to you, it does not exist - truth is the perception of the individual.\n\nSince there are countless religions with varying ideas of 'god' then they cannot all be 'right' in a strict sense.\n\nI personally do not believe (or feel the need to believe) in  a God - this, however, does not stop a God existing for you.\n\nPeace out.
1091312
Because to believe in God means to give up the concept that we rule the things around us.  It is a frightening proposition to have to let go of that feeling of self-control, and acually place ourselves in the care of another by acting in faith, not an easy thing to do..
343538
I follow my own religion, which is to learn and respect all the other religions.\n\ni.Because it is non official\nii.Because my parents do not follow it\niii.Because I truly believe on equality
377465
I don't go to church because I don't believe in god, heaven, or hell. I've tried to find a religion to believe in, and have gone to a few different churches. But religion just isn't for me.
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....
9464
I think this particular problem concerning religion stems from the fact that religion asks us to have faith in something that we cannot prove exists while at the same time promising that this thing we cannot prove exists answers all of the questions of existence.  Therefore, we want to believe in it because we want the answers to all of existence (including the meanings of our own lives) but because we cannot prove it by any scientific test yet devised, we have to wonder (maybe secretly) whether or not we have chosen the "right" religion.  When someone comes along who challenges the foundations of our religious beliefs, one of our first reactions is fear (understandably), because if they're "right" it means that we've been "wrong" all of this time and everything on which we have built our universe frame of reference (our sense of identity and where we fit into the Grand Scheme of Things) will have to be rebuilt on a new foundation.  It's fear of being wrong about something so personal that causes us to get cranky about religion.\n\nI've found that the most helpful way to approach religion is to recognize that every single person on this planet has their own unique point of view about the universe, and so no two people will ever agree fully on what it means to be here.  The best we can do is to agree that we are here now, whether by the hand of God or through mere chance, and we can only ease our existence by recognizing the truth in other points of view.
187907
On the contrary, without religions we'd be much more evolved. Religions make you believe in what cannot be proved. And that keeps humanity from growing.
874511
Hi, I am Rational Spirituality,\n\nI believe in God, because I was given an entirely logical and coherent explanation about Him and about the Universe, which I can relate to in my every day life and experience.\n\nYou may access Rational Spirituality on the Dhaxem website.
125407
AMEN!! \n\nThis is what is so confusing to me about religion. I do believe in God. But I question religion. If differing visions mean that we battle due to our beliefs, I want to do away with all religions (as if!!) and allow people to just "believe." Ok ok ok........so that's not going to happen. But you put it so perfectly. God would never torture or codemn us for our beliefs. Why do we do it to each other?? *sigh*
63503
People need religion because they are scared to face the truth.  Thinking that there is someone or something more intelligent and powerful than you who is looking out for you and loves you and has your best interests at heart is more comforting than accepting the truth.  If people accepted the truth, then they would realize how insignificant and powerless they are in proportion to the universe, and that would just be way too hard for most people to face.  Religion offers answers, and tells you that everything will be easy if you 'just believe in whatever'.  Religion tells people that they are the 'special ones' the 'chosen ones' that they are right in everything they do if they only believe.  Also religion symbolizes things that are actually taking place in people's lives.  Just about everyone can relate to the religious stories if they try.  I believe that things can be learned from religion, but only if it is taken purely as symbolisim.  like little kid's stories that teach lessons, only religious stories are meant to teach bigger lessons to everyone.  It's easy to see why so many people desperately need religion and take it as fact.
630992
i do it for two reasons:\n\nfirst: to be a christian, it takes a lot of time and study to understand the bible or quran, and grow faith in God. For me as an atheist it took a lot of study to understand the bible and quran, and come to the conclusion that there is no God. I concluded that for myself, based on study and education. So, of course i have an opinion about religion. To me, atheism is a form of religion.\n\nsecond: my girlfriend, whom i gonna marry next year, is a christian. Not a very biblical one, but she is raised christian, her whole family is christian. So, i ask questions here to try and understand even more about christianity and their aims and goals.\n\non almost all my questions i get one or two reactions like 'why are you in this section'. Those are the reactions that i always try to ignore, because it strikes me as a silly reaction.\n\ni do it to even educate myself more, and to understand my family-in-law even better. and i think i have that right.
391452
I believe in people's right to chose their own religion\nI believe that it is my job to help people when I can and ask nothing in return\nI believe that people are fundamentally good, there's no such thing as an evil person, only mistaken patterns of thought\nI believe that religion is good when used to help people, but that it can (and has been) used as a weapon, which is wrong\nI believe that science is also good, in that it leads us to better understand the world around us\nI believe in the divine, and divine mercy, but I do not believe that the divine has only one aspect, or that the divine is necessarily male
355666
To give them a handle on life and where they fit in. Also because many are unable to handle the concept that their only reason for existence is to experience life in the physical realm. People NEED something to believe in and religion is the biggest and most popular thing to buy into to stave off uncertainty and insecurity.
422483
i believe in Life, Love and Oneness. no need to call it a religion, because religions can seperate and create disharmony. yet, i don't judge anothers view point. if believing what they believe makes them feel good, and keeps them doing good things for others, then it is doing something good. but it is also smart to expand your mind, to open up to other possibilities, and to respect all of life.\ni know, i feel what is true for me. "God" is the creator. and we are also creators, but on a smaller scale. collectively we are a part of God. Energy. Divinity. Life.\n\n*peace
620717
Spiritual, don't think that's a "religion", but don't really like the thought of someone else telling me what to believe. I was raised hard-core catholic, catholic school, church twice a week, pray before every meal, and told that if I ever went against God, I would burn in Hell forever. Why would you want to be afraid of what you believe in? I believe in God, but not church, not Adam and Eve, not "religion".
347116
We don't believe in God. Therefore we also don't believe in heaven or hell.\n\nSome of us were brought up in non-religious households, some turned away from religion for whatever personal reason. There are many, many reasons why people are atheist - as many reasons as people are religous. I am atheist because the thought that there is a god who tests peoples faith and judges them on how well they worship him appalls me. I hope other athiests will tell you why they don't believe.\n\nI do, however, respect people's religious beliefs and believe that we each have the right to our own faith. I would not want to deny anyone the right to their beliefs.\n\nSome people think that atheists are ignorant, arrogant or just plain stubborn, that we have no morals - sometimes these are people who claim their religion preaches tolerance and respect. Atheists don't feel that we need God's guidance to tell us what is right or wrong - that comes down to common sense and a desire to protect and continue humanity.\n\nMost of us have reached our belief through a lot of thought, and that decision doesn't come lightly - it takes courage to stand up and say that you don't believe in God. \n\nI hope this has helped.