# Why do I believe in God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 26, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073 "2014-04-26T20:15:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/41 "2014-04-27T02:55:55Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > I have decided I won’t be punished or rewarded after I die. > > By taking responsibility for my own life and my own actions there is no need for an imaginary deity to judge me, reward me, or punish me. Ironically, in your attempt to ridicule me you have hit on a profound truth: It will actually be YOU who “judges” you! Red Dwarf had an episode about that: “The Inquisitor”. Check it out if you want to know what I mean. In the episode they state that it is “the only fair way”. You will have to answer to YOURSELF! God will show up as Your Perfect Self and will know all your strengths and weaknesses. Your Perfect Self will know what you could have accomplished and will “judge” you accordingly. You are responsible for your own fate! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/42 "2014-04-27T02:58:49Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Red Dwarf had an episode about that: “The Inquisitor”. Well, who can even argue with that? WHO? ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/43 "2014-04-27T03:00:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Are you aware that one of the central tenets of Buddhism is to try to get out of the system you’ve described? Buddhists don’t regard the cycle of Samsara as a good thing. I am not strictly a Buddhist per se. Buddhism is the most “convenient” form of Religion that I identify with but I have my own beliefs. It’s just that Buddhism is easy for me to tell people when they ask what Religion I believe. As I have already stated, I agree with tenets from Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, with smatterings of my own experiences. “Find your own path” is my most basic Religious belief. ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/44 "2014-04-27T03:09:07Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Well, who can even argue with that? WHO? The World Health Organization? Yeah, I think they might argue with that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/45 "2014-04-27T03:27:42Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Ironically, in your attempt to ridicule me you have hit on a profound truth: It will actually be YOU who “judges” you! > > Red Dwarf had an episode about that: “The Inquisitor”. > Check it out if you want to know what I mean. > In the episode they state that it is “the only fair way”. > > You will have to answer to YOURSELF! > God will show up as Your Perfect Self and will know all your strengths and weaknesses. > Your Perfect Self will know what you could have accomplished and will “judge” you accordingly. > > You are responsible for your own fate! I won’t be judged by anyone or anything, after I die, I will be dead. I will no longer exist in any form. What part of that are you having trouble with? Trying to convince me there is a god and an afterlife by telling me that I myself will be my own judge is circular and makes no sense. If you are trying to say that morality can only come from an external magical being, then you not saying anything new. You’ve just put the same old ideas in a new wrapper. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/46 "2014-04-27T03:44:18Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Ironically, in your attempt to ridicule me you have hit on a profound truth: It will actually be YOU who “judges” you! > > Red Dwarf had an episode about that: “The Inquisitor”. > Check it out if you want to know what I mean. > In the episode they state that it is “the only fair way”. > > You will have to answer to YOURSELF! > God will show up as Your Perfect Self and will know all your strengths and weaknesses. > Your Perfect Self will know what you could have accomplished and will “judge” you accordingly. > > You are responsible for your own fate! So…we’re each our own god? ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/47 "2014-04-27T03:49:03Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > I won’t be judged by anyone or anything, after I die, I will be dead. > I will no longer exist in any form. What part of that are you having trouble with? > Trying to convince me there is a god and an afterlife by telling me that I myself will be my own judge is circular and makes no sense. > If you are trying to say that morality can only come from an external magical being, then you not saying anything new. You’ve just put the same old ideas in a new wrapper. I am not saying that at all. I’m saying that whatever you believe, you had better be right. Most people believe they will never be held accountable for their actions. I’m saying they will. Most people believe the “Justice System” we have on Earth is _IT_. Most people believe they can get away with murder if they are clever enough to hide their tracks. I’m saying NO ONE gets away with anything and EVERYONE will be held accountable for their actions, whether they believe it or not. You meet God… God: Here I am. You’ve been denying me your whole life, you’ve been ridiculing me your whole life. Well, here I am – say it to my face! You: Come on man, be cool dude! I was just going by what I was taught. Science. Physics. They said you don’t exist! Come on man, I’m not a bad person! God: Let’s take a look at your life. You: Aw dude. Come on man! I didn’t think it would ever get to this point. It is not “retribution”. You made your own choices and you are responsible for your own choices. Take responsibility for your own life and your own actions. That is all I am saying. ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/48 "2014-04-27T03:50:03Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > So…we’re each our own god? Essentially, yes. It is God (the one true God) but God will manifest Godself as a reflection of you. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/49 "2014-04-27T03:52:54Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Essentially, yes. > > It is God (the one true God) but God will manifest Godself as a reflection of you. Gotcha. It’s so much easier being an atheist and taking responsibility for myself without wondering if there’s someone that’s waiting to take me out behind the woodshed after I die. Especially if it’s me…I don’t go easy on myself so that would be bad. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/50 "2014-04-27T03:54:13Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Why do I believe in God? > There are basically two aspects to Creation: the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine. That’s some interesting sexual chauvinism. How do you know God isn’t based on budding? Or bacterial conjugation? God made all life without a partner, so maybe it was more like a spore thing… ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/51 "2014-04-27T03:55:35Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Most people believe they will never be held accountable for their actions. > I’m saying they will. > > Most people believe the “Justice System” we have on Earth is _IT_. > Most people believe they can get away with murder if they are clever enough to hide their tracks. [You are mistaken:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations) > [@](#): > > The CIA’s World Factbook gives the population as 7,021,836,029 (July 2012 est.) and the distribution of religions as Christian 33.39% (of which Roman Catholic 16.85%, Protestant 6.15%, Orthodox 3.96%, Anglican 1.26%), Muslim 22.74%, Hindu 13.8%, Buddhist 6.77%, Sikh 0.35%, Jewish 0.22%, Baha’i 0.11%, other religions 10.95%, non-religious 9.66%, atheists 2.01% (2010 est.). ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/52 "2014-04-27T03:58:30Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Mostly Buddhism because it respects most religious practices as long as they’re based in peace and compassion But Buddhism doesn’t really proclaim a capital “G” god. Angels and mystic creatures are described but not placed above human or described as a creator of the universe as far as I recall. So it’s odd that you would describe yourself as “mostly Buddhist” and yet feel compelled to witness your God publicly. Eta: and of course if I had read the thread I would have seen you address this already ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/53 "2014-04-27T03:59:43Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Gotcha. It’s so much easier being an atheist and taking responsibility for myself without wondering if there’s someone that’s waiting to take me out behind the woodshed after I die. Especially if it’s me…I don’t go easy on myself so that would be bad. It has nothing to do with being an atheist or a theist. God really doesn’t care if you believe in God or not. (At least that’s what I believe and I could be wrong.) God only cares how you live your life. God only cares if you take responsibility for your life instead of trying to “get away with murder”. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/54 "2014-04-27T04:00:31Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > I am not saying that at all. > I’m saying that whatever you believe, you had better be right. > > Most people believe they will never be held accountable for their actions. > I’m saying they will. > > Most people believe the “Justice System” we have on Earth is _IT_. > Most people believe they can get away with murder if they are clever enough to hide their tracks. > > I’m saying NO ONE gets away with anything and EVERYONE will be held accountable for their actions, whether they believe it or not. > > You meet God… > God: Here I am. You’ve been denying me your whole life, you’ve been ridiculing me your whole life. Well, here I am – say it to my face! > You: Come on man, be cool dude! I was just going by what I was taught. Science. Physics. They said you don’t exist! Come on man, I’m not a bad person! > God: Let’s take a look at your life. > You: Aw dude. Come on man! I didn’t think it would ever get to this point. > > It is not “retribution”. > You made your own choices and you are responsible for your own choices. > > Take responsibility for your own life and your own actions. > That is all I am saying. Like I said, same old threats. ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/55 "2014-04-27T04:04:37Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > But Buddhism doesn’t really proclaim a capital “G” god. Angels and mystic creatures are described but not placed above human or described as a creator of the universe as far as I recall. So it’s odd that you would describe yourself as “mostly Buddhist” and yet feel compelled to witness your God publicly. > > Eta: and of course if I had read the thread I would have seen you address this already So I’m “odd”. I’m used to it. I am a nerd and I am weird. So what? I still believe in God and I still believe everyone will be held accountable for their own lives. ---
**Author:** ![Nederwiet420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e4f/32.png) [@Nederwiet420](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nederwiet420)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/56 "2014-04-27T04:06:54Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > That’s some interesting sexual chauvinism. How do you know God isn’t based on budding? Or bacterial conjugation? God made all life without a partner, so maybe it was more like a spore thing… I am simply speaking in METAPHOR!!! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/57 "2014-04-27T04:13:49Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > So…we’re each our own god? “You are all individuals!” ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/58 "2014-04-27T04:19:24Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > So I’m “odd”. I’m used to it. > I am a nerd and I am weird. > So what? Well, the “so what?” for me was that you mostly identify with a religion that specifically doesn’t endorse a god. As long as you acknowledge that’s a little weird then fair enough. There was a poster here who I was a bit at odds with for a while, but I think we came to an understanding. I fear he is gone from this world now but as an act of remembrance, I think I’ll link to his last contributions here. I believe he would have liked for you to read them: [The Aesthetical Jesus - Part I](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=517779) [The Aesthetical Jesus - Part II](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=518838) [The Aesthetical Jesus - Part III](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=519789) [The Aesthetical Jesus - Part IV](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=521231) No pressure, no reply needed - you just reminded me of him for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/59 "2014-04-27T04:24:45Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Most people believe they will never be held accountable for their actions. > I’m saying they will. > > Most people believe the “Justice System” we have on Earth is _IT_. > Most people believe they can get away with murder if they are clever enough to hide their tracks. No, most people are religious and do think that their god will call them to account . Which encourages vile behavior, since gods are merely imaginary so their “god” will always conveniently agree that whatever atrocity they feel like committing is just fine. Enabling and encouraging evil behavior has always been one of the central uses of religion. > [@Nederwiet420](#): > > You meet God… > God: Here I am. You’ve been denying me your whole life, you’ve been ridiculing me your whole life. Well, here I am – say it to my face! > You: Come on man, be cool dude! I was just going by what I was taught. Science. Physics. They said you don’t exist! Come on man, I’m not a bad person! > God: Let’s take a look at your life. > You: Aw dude. Come on man! I didn’t think it would ever get to this point. And then God tortures me forever because I’m not a bad person. Or just for fun. God as he is portrayed is a monster. Your argument not only presumes that there is a God, but that it’s good and not evil or indifferent. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/60 "2014-04-27T04:30:29Z")
So Nederwiet420, when Der Trihs gets up there and says “You know, I don’t think you’re worthy of worship. How you like them apples, God?”, what do you suppose the answer would be? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073.md?page=4)