# 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:** 4
**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, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/61 "2014-04-27T04:31:03Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > 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. “Metrosexual Jesus” Sweet! Thanks CarnalK!! 🙂 ---
**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, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/62 "2014-04-27T04:31:04Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > 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. What if you’re wrong? What if one of the other religions god is real? The one you ignored because you came up with your own? I don’t believe in any of them but, for the sake of argument lets try this: You die, you’re out stomping around the afterlife in your brand new self-god suit and self-judging yourself and all of a sudden the real deal shows up. What would you say to it? Would you suddenly drop to your knees and worship it? Would you deny it and be sent to eternal suffering? What if you died and nothing happened? You’re just dead. All that time wasted being “good” when you could have been doing all the evil things you could think of with no consequences afterward. Then again you’re still alive right now. You could live your life being a fine upstanding example of morality without the threat of punishment or the promise of eternal rewards. That leaves you as just a decent human being who did the “right things” for no other reason than it was the decent thing to do. No promises, no threats. No 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, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/63 "2014-04-27T04:33:29Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > 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? As I have already posted… It has nothing to do with being an atheist or a theist. God really doesn’t care if you believe in God or not. God only cares how you live your life. ---
**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, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/64 "2014-04-27T04:38:27Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > What if you’re wrong? > > What if one of the other religions god is real? The one you ignored because you came up with your own? > I don’t believe in any of them but, for the sake of argument lets try this: > You die, you’re out stomping around the afterlife in your brand new self-god suit and self-judging yourself and all of a sudden the real deal shows up. > What would you say to it? > Would you suddenly drop to your knees and worship it? > Would you deny it and be sent to eternal suffering? > > What if you died and nothing happened? You’re just dead. > All that time wasted being “good” when you could have been doing all the evil things you could think of with no consequences afterward. > > Then again you’re still alive right now. > You could live your life being a fine upstanding example of morality without the threat of punishment or the promise of eternal rewards. > That leaves you as just a decent human being who did the “right things” for no other reason than it was the decent thing to do. > No promises, no threats. If I’m wrong and there is No God, then it really doesn’t matter what you believe and it really doesn’t matter how you live your life. You, me, Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson, Marilyn Manson – _ALL_ of us have EXACTLY the same fate! Everyone will be just as dead as everyone else. In that scenario, murderers, child rapists, domestic violence abusers, saints and sinners, and everyone else will simply PERISH. But I don’t believe that. I believe WE ALL will have to answer for our actions. ---
**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, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/65 "2014-04-27T04:39:37Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > As I have already posted… > > It has nothing to do with being an atheist or a theist. > God really doesn’t care if you believe in God or not. > God only cares how you live your life. Meaning what, God scolds you, or God sends you to a heaven or a hell? What’s God’s position on bestowing this moral authority onto himself, unilaterally? ---
**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, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/66 "2014-04-27T04:40:58Z")
Well, I’m curious if you think God will literally take some time to judge people, even if it’s an imperceptible amount of time to us mortals. Do you believe in the buddhist idea of kharma as a straight forward consequence of actions or is their specifically an entity saying “yea” or “nay” to a person’s (after?)life? eta:looking at your username, ummm, how do you feel about Rastafarianism? lol ---
**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, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/67 "2014-04-27T04:45:38Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > As I have already posted… > > It has nothing to do with being an atheist or a theist. > God really doesn’t care if you believe in God or not. > God only cares how you live your life. Which god? How does he or she think I should live my life? If I had to pick one, I’d go with Bacchus. He would be pleased if I drank a lot and had regular orgies. That’s a god I can get behind! (Yes, I meant it that way) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/68 "2014-04-27T04:46:06Z")
> [@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! To which I’d reply: "I’ve never denied your existence completely, Lord; I’ve only said, if you actual exist, you’d be a real cocksucker. And now that I know you exist and you’re here… [you’re a real cocksucker!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8olTfKZnFiM&t=150s) (Incidentally, I’ve actually quit a few jobs that way, including a college internship. It was so totally worth it!) ---
**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, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/69 "2014-04-27T04:46:54Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Meaning what, God scolds you, or God sends you to a heaven or a hell? > > What’s God’s position on bestowing this moral authority onto himself, unilaterally? It is not “scolding”, it is not “reward”, it is not “retribution”. To put it as simply as I can, I believe that when you die, everything that you have ever done to everyone else is done to YOU. You don’t have to be a “saint”, you don’t have to be a “martyr”, you don’t have to live by any “holy sacrament”. If you were basically a kind person and you helped people when you could, you get to experience all that gratitude and compassion. And if you were a murderer or a rapist, you get to experience all of that too. It’s all based on YOUR ACTIONS!!! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/70 "2014-04-27T04:47:31Z")
[QUOTE= Master Kan] Quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand. When you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave. [/QUOTE] … ---
**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, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/71 "2014-04-27T04:48:24Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well, I’m curious if you think God will literally take some time to judge people, even if it’s an imperceptible amount of time to us mortals. Do you believe in the buddhist idea of kharma as a straight forward consequence of actions or is their specifically an entity saying “yea” or “nay” to a person’s (after?)life? > > eta:looking at your username, ummm, how do you feel about Rastafarianism? lol Yes, basically I believe in the idea of Karma. I have (briefly) studied Rastafarianism but I admit I don’t know much about it. Other than Jah as the name of 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, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/72 "2014-04-27T04:52:01Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Which god? How does he or she think I should live my life? If I had to pick one, I’d go with Bacchus. He would be pleased if I drank a lot and had regular orgies. That’s a god I can get behind! (Yes, I meant it that way) Ultimately, there is only ONE God, no matter which name/persona/facade you wish to give God. As long as you don’t “hurt” anyone – meaning you don’t infringe on anyone’s freewill right to live their own life how they want – I would say Bacchus is a perfectly reasonable God to worship. (Yes, that is my own opinion and I could be wrong.) To reiterate again, it is all about HOW you live your life. It is all about taking responsibility for your own life and your own actions. ---
**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, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/73 "2014-04-27T04:53:11Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > Yes, basically I believe in the idea of Karma. > > I have (briefly) studied Rastafarianism but I admit I don’t know much about it. > Other than Jah as the name of God. Well, Rastafarianism is a direct christian off-shoot. I think they interpret themselves as the lost tribe but don’t quote me on it. You might want to look into it closer. Might unite your two loves. 😛 ---
**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, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/74 "2014-04-27T04:53:58Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > … Thank you Grasshopper! ---
**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, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/75 "2014-04-27T04:55:04Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > It is not “scolding”, it is not “reward”, it is not “retribution”. > > To put it as simply as I can, I believe that when you die, everything that you have ever done to everyone else is done to YOU. > > You don’t have to be a “saint”, you don’t have to be a “martyr”, you don’t have to live by any “holy sacrament”. > > If you were basically a kind person and you helped people when you could, you get to experience all that gratitude and compassion. > > And if you were a murderer or a rapist, you get to experience all of that too. > > It’s all based on YOUR ACTIONS!!! Ok, and then what? Eternal blackness? Reincarnation? Non-existence? Or does this infliction last forever? ---
**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, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/76 "2014-04-27T04:57:07Z")
I’m still confused as to how any of this lead you to believe there is a 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, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/77 "2014-04-27T04:59:44Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Ok, and then what? Eternal blackness? Reincarnation? Non-existence? Or does this infliction last forever? Reincarnation or Moksha. It is YOUR choice!!! ---
**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, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/78 "2014-04-27T05:06:59Z")
> [@Nederwiet420](#): > > If I’m wrong and there is No God, then it really doesn’t matter what you believe and it really doesn’t matter how you live your life. > > You, me, Jesus Christ, Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson, Marilyn Manson – _ALL_ of us have EXACTLY the same fate! Everyone will be just as dead as everyone else. > > In that scenario, murderers, child rapists, domestic violence abusers, saints and sinners, and everyone else will simply PERISH. And what makes you think that anyone should take seriously your claim that there are not only gods, not only just one god, but it’s specifically your god and not one of the innumerable alternatives? You are presenting a false binary choice between there being no gods at all and there only being one, who just happens to agree with you. ---
**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, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/79 "2014-04-27T05:07:27Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > I’m still confuse me as to how any of this lead you to believe there is a god. It leads me to believe in God because I don’t believe that our lives are ultimately the result of “random” forces. I am a computer programmer. As a computer programmer, I can (and have) write a program that is mostly random but generates results within predefined parameters (that I have chosen). Maybe I’ve been smoking too much (ha!) but that is a perfect analogy of the Universe to me. Those “parameters” to which I refer are analogous to the Gravitational Constant, Absolute Zero and the Planck Constant. Those are just analogies so don’t take them too literally. The point is that “random” is often really only “pseudorandom” and what we perceive as “random” may not be truly random after all. Yes, I believe in Darwinism but even Darwinism is only an algorithmic process. But I don’t believe that the Human Experience is purely an algorithmic process. ---
**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, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073/80 "2014-04-27T05:10:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And what makes you think that anyone should take seriously your claim that there are not only gods, not only just one god, but it’s specifically your god and not one of the innumerable alternatives? You are presenting a false binary choice between there being no gods at all and there only being one, who just happens to agree with you. As the Hindus believe, there is ultimately only ONE God. However, that one God has infinite manifestations which are expressed as the many Hindu deities. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-believe-in-god/687073.md?page=5)