# Why don't people believe in God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 21, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766 "2013-08-21T00:49:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Timo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/201 "2013-08-21T17:42:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Depends on your definition of “faith”. Just so’s we’re clear, what _is_ your definition of “faith”? Taking a step to believe what you can’t see. You can’t confirm, yet you still believe. You can’t comprehend, yet you still believe, You don’t understand, yet you still believe. Sometimes you don’t find God’s way just, yet you know it is just. Sometimes you don’t understand why God causes natural disasters and allow people to suffer, yet you know there is a just reason. You realize that you won’t know everything about God, you won’t have all your questions answered, yet you still believe. That’s what faith means to me. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/202 "2013-08-21T17:43:20Z")
**Timo** , what version of the Bible do you follow, and why? ---
**Author:** ![Timo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/203 "2013-08-21T17:44:33Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Gambling and faith are different things. Interesting that you think they are somehow related. > > Personally, I don’t subscribe to either vice. In my way of thinking, whenever you gamble, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you have faith that something will happen. Please tell me how they aren’t related, maybe that would make more sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/204 "2013-08-21T17:45:00Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Then that’s a choice, and that’s a truth that you picked, because you believe that none are right. It’s the conclusion that I arrived at by applying some critical thought given the available evidence, yes. What critical thought have you applied and what evidence are you using to reach your conclusions? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/205 "2013-08-21T17:47:48Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > In my way of thinking, whenever you gamble, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you have faith that something will happen. Please tell me how they aren’t related, maybe that would make more sense to me. Now is a good time to introduce you to the concept of [Pascal’s Wager](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Pascal's_wager). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/206 "2013-08-21T17:47:53Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Taking a step to believe what you can’t see. You can’t confirm, yet you still believe. You can’t comprehend, yet you still believe, You don’t understand, yet you still believe. Sometimes you don’t find God’s way just, yet you know it is just. Sometimes you don’t understand why God causes natural disasters and allow people to suffer, yet you know there is a just reason. You realize that you won’t know everything about God, you won’t have all your questions answered, yet you still believe. That’s what faith means to me. Is faith also believing even if evidence to the contrary comes up? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/207 "2013-08-21T17:48:19Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > In my way of thinking, whenever you gamble, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you have faith that something will happen. How well does that work? Better than chance? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/208 "2013-08-21T18:04:06Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > In my way of thinking, whenever you gamble, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you have faith that something will happen. Please tell me how they aren’t related, maybe that would make more sense to me. Something always happens - you have evidence that thier are 52 cards in a deck and x have been shown - you have evidence that (sometimes only observed) that things always fall due to gravity. You have zero evidence that your god exists outside of a ‘holy book’ that was written by men and those same men TOLD you it was ‘from GOD’. Take away your holy book - would you still come to the same conclusions? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/209 "2013-08-21T18:04:18Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Taking a step to believe what you can’t see. You can’t confirm, yet you still believe. You can’t comprehend, yet you still believe, You don’t understand, yet you still believe. Sometimes you don’t find God’s way just, yet you know it is just. Sometimes you don’t understand why God causes natural disasters and allow people to suffer, yet you know there is a just reason. You realize that you won’t know everything about God, you won’t have all your questions answered, yet you still believe. That’s what faith means to me. You originally asked why (some) people don’t believe in god. The reason is that while this way of thinking seems enough for you, it falls short for many others. What you take on faith without further question or explanation, some do not. ---
**Author:** ![Timo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/210 "2013-08-21T18:05:18Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > It’s the conclusion that I arrived at by applying some critical thought given the available evidence, yes. > > What critical thought have you applied and what evidence are you using to reach your conclusions? I see where you’re going with this. If you’re trying to make me prove with physical evidence that there’s a God. I can’t, maybe someone else can, but I can’t, so you’re just wasting your time. Maybe you can look towards the future, of course, if we live that long. These are just a few of what is to come and has already or is happening. [http://www.raptureforums.com/BibleProphecy/101lastdays.cfm](http://www.raptureforums.com/BibleProphecy/101lastdays.cfm) 1. There will be a divine, one-world government 2. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14 - 3. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:7 4. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet Matthew 24:6 5)Knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4) 5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:5 6. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.Matthew 24:9-11 Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3-4 ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/211 "2013-08-21T18:07:32Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > I see where you’re going with this. If you’re trying to make me prove with physical evidence that there’s a God. I can’t, maybe someone else can, but I can’t, so you’re just wasting your time. Maybe you can look towards the future, of course, if we live that long. These are just a few of what is to come and has already or is happening. > > [http://www.raptureforums.com/BibleProphecy/101lastdays.cfm](http://www.raptureforums.com/BibleProphecy/101lastdays.cfm) > > 1. There will be a divine, one-world government > 2. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14 - > 3. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:7 > 4. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet Matthew 24:6 > 5)Knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4) > 5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:5 > 6. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.Matthew 24:9-11 > > Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3-4 all of those things were PROMISED to happen close to 2000 years ago before the ones Jesus was talking to DIED. Are they still walking around? I don’t think so - in which case those are all EMPTY promises or outright lies. And this also makes you an ‘end times’ type of believer - Go look at Luke 21 and tell me one reason why I should listen to you/your sect… ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/212 "2013-08-21T18:08:07Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > In my way of thinking, whenever you gamble, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you have faith that something will happen. Please tell me how they aren’t related, maybe that would make more sense to me. Let’s make it very simple. You are betting on a coin toss. If you reduce the only two choices are heads and tails, (overlooking losing the coin, or it landing on its side, it not coming down, whatever) what do you mean faith is knowing something will happen? That it will land heads or tails? Those are the only two logical choices, the fact that it lands on one or the other has nothing to do with faith. You didn’t know what it was going to land on, but you knew one of those two things would happen. Is this what faith has been reduced to? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/213 "2013-08-21T18:08:42Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > I see where you’re going with this. If you’re trying to make me prove with physical evidence that there’s a God. No, he’s not. He is asking for reasoning and evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/214 "2013-08-21T18:15:57Z")
**Timo,** you have done a good job of ignoring most posters and most posts in this thread, including most of mine. Are you afraid to confront our (mostly) serious questions? Can you answer any of them without resorting to a book of myths that carry zero weight here and have no relevance beyond your personal beliefs? I double dare you. ---
**Author:** ![Timo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/215 "2013-08-21T18:16:20Z")
> [@razncain](#): > > Let’s make it very simple. You are betting on a coin toss. If you reduce the only two choices are heads and tails, (overlooking losing the coin, or it landing on its side, it not coming down, whatever) what do you mean faith is knowing something will happen? That it will land heads or tails? Those are the only two logical choices, the fact that it lands on one or the other has nothing to do with faith. You didn’t know what it was going to land on, but you knew one of those two things would happen. Is this what faith has been reduced to? What was faith like before? And this is a genuine question, it’s not rhetoric. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/216 "2013-08-21T18:20:50Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > What was faith like before? And this is a genuine question, it’s not rhetoric. [I’m so glad you asked.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=551435) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/217 "2013-08-21T18:24:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So says _your_ holy book. What others have you read? It isn’t clear that he has even read his book very critically. Like most Christians, he’s read just enough to pick and choose passages which he has been told support his ideals and mostly out of context to boot. > [@Timo](#): > > In my way of thinking, whenever you gamble, you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you have faith that something will happen. That kind of “faith” exactly what the house is relying on to keep people rolling in. Of course, the house itself has no such faith; it sets games and odds based upon the mathematical laws of statistics and empirical evidence, and then collects a guaranteed minimum profit like any well-run business. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Timo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/218 "2013-08-21T18:25:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Then before you quote “God’s Words” with such assurance, maybe you’d better find out if they really are. Otherwise, you could quote from _The Joy of Cooking_ with just as much impact on us. > > It’s vitally important that you understand why your “God’s Words” are not the same others’ “God’s Words.” Believers in the Koran or the Book of Mormon are just as sincere as you are and just as dedicated to their beliefs. Why do you think that is? > > Here’s a hint. Consider how you arrived at your beliefs. Did you sit down with all the holy books and reference works you could find, examine each, then conclude that only one was true? Probably not. It’s most likely you are a Christian because your family was or is. This is exactly why Islam begats Islam, Buddhism begats Buddhism and Methodists begat Methodists. > I suggest you start first with an excellent set of essays, [Who Wrote The Bible?](https://login.secureserver.net/index.php?app=wbe&plid=1) It’s in 5 long parts, and you need to knuckle down, read it all, and understand it. Before you do that, quoting verses is just parroting some ancient text that _only you_ (in this thread) think are divinely inspired. Tradition? And I know, this is a two-way street. What they have in stubbornness, so do I. Oh, well there we go. True. Maybe my arguments would be more effective if I knew about other religions. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/219 "2013-08-21T18:26:29Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Tradition? And I know, this is a two-way street. What they have in stubbornness, so do I. > Oh, well there we go. > True. Maybe my arguments would be more effective if I knew about other religions. You might want to read the link provided and know more about your own, too. ---
**Author:** ![Timo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/220 "2013-08-21T18:28:58Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > It isn’t clear that he has even read his book very critically. Like most Christians, he’s read just enough to pick and choose passages which he has been told support his ideals and mostly out of context to boot. > > That kind of “faith” exactly what the house is relying on to keep people rolling in. Of course, the house itself has no such faith; it sets games and odds based upon the mathematical laws of statistics and empirical evidence, and then collects a guaranteed minimum profit like any well-run business. > > Stranger Haha…yeah you’re right… oops…I’m seventeen, not saying that’s an excuse, but I just didn’t know that I was picking and choosing passages, but thanks for showing that side to me. I think I understand better now why people don’t believe in God, that was definitely a genuine question. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766.md?page=12)