# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/161 "2013-08-21T13:08:43Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Just look at whooping cough. > > Believe in God if you want. But don’t forget to give him full credit for _all_ his wonders. whooping cough? - that’s one of God’s wimpier wonders. Try Ebola or Marburg. Nothing like little kids bleeding out to convince you of God’s wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/162 "2013-08-21T13:13:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > “Golly! You say this “Jesus” guy died for _my_ sins, and now I can go to this place called “Heaven”? Why didn’t anybody tell me about him before??” 😃 ---
**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, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/163 "2013-08-21T13:28:42Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Then my mom wanted me to be baptized at 13. Mind if we ask, are you still a young man? > [@](#): > > We’re constantly trying to discover the world, and we’re also trying to use it to disprove God. Which, to me, in my opinion, will never work. In my opinion, I think God made science, or at least what we call science. If so, then maybe he prefers atheists since half of all scientists reject god, and over 90% of the truly eminent scientists reject such a being. > [@](#): > > Well I’m just saying, if you’re going to ask me to prove God, then you’re going to have to do your part and disprove him. **Czarcasm** tried to give you heads up on this earlier. You really need to study up on who has the burden of proof, logic 101, what amount of time, money and resources would be involved in trying to prove a universal negation on existence claims such as this, that sort of thing. Read about Hume’s scale or something, then you’ll realize why scientists don’t deal with universal negatives and can’t disprove god any more than unicorns, or that all pigs can’t fly. What they can show you is how unlikely such a thing is. You could spend a great deal of time and resources running 1,000,000,000 pigs off of a cliff, and guess what? If all 1,000,000,000 pigs were shown not to be able to fly, that still doesn’t prove that all pigs can’t fly. However, how easy would it be to find one pig that could actually fly if such a thing existed? You could have the pig itself, and this could easily be replicated as many times as you needed to do so. Well, provided it wasn’t some long distance flyer, and flew off altogether. 😃 Even then you could have filmed it, took pictures of it, other eyewitnesses and their cameras could have done the same. The pics and film could have been analyzed to make sure no special effects or tampering had occurred. There still might be reason to be skeptical, but at least there would be some evidence for at least one pig flying, anyhow. Try to apply this to gods now. First, one would have to give God some descriptive term. They don’t seem to be able to get past this one. But if they did, secondly, one would also have to limit the domain of the search. So you tell me, assuming you could even give an empirical definition to your god, where would you start searching to try to disprove such a being? All of earth itself, why, that isn’t going to disprove such a being, he may be dug in and located in the center of the earth. He may be hanging out on the moon, or Mars, or another planet altogether in some far away galaxy. What kind of money, time and resources would be involved to try to disprove this god? Spend all the money you want, all the time you want on it, and one still couldn’t disprove such a being. But maybe if he’s omnipresent we truly wouldn’t have to look so far. So you have a location for us? If he’s omnipresent, what shall I look for in my own home? You should be able to have some evidence of such a being before you set out to believe in it. There are various descriptions of religious folk describing their particular god, and most like all of the Big O’s, being Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnibenevolent, and having Sentience, after all, that is pretty impressive resume that would top all others. Unfortunately, as others have already shown, having just several of these attributes makes it logically impossible. So forget any god that has all of these attributes, of which I think the biblical writers claims this god also has in various places, so do you have any more gods you would like to try? Also remember what promises the bible said you could do if you had faith. Why isn’t this ever demonstrated today? I can quote scripture too: “It’s easier to fool people, than to convince them they have been fooled.”—Mark Twain 1:1 “Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool." - Mark Twain 3:16 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/164 "2013-08-21T14:16:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Welcome to the SDMB, **Timo**! > > Do you like music? [There’s a conversation going on here about musicians who have appeared in TV commercials.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=699818) > > How about food? Do you enjoy bad-mouthing foods you don’t care for? [Come on over!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=699999) Everyone has _something_ interesting to say about some kind of food they hate. Throw in your two cents (unless it’s about Communion wafers)! > > [Ooh, here’s a fun one:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=550730) Trivia Dominoes! Make sure you read the entire thread before you put one of your own down – we don’t want any repeats! > > SDMB is a great place! You can have a real good time hanging out here. > > Oh, and when people on the SDMB don’t believe in God, the answer to the question “Why don’t people believe in God?” is usually _“Because there isn’t any particular reason why they should.”_ > > Now that we’ve got that out of the way, go enjoy the SDMB! The Board is your oyster! 🙂 He seems like a decent guy to me too, **kaylasdad99**. **Timo** , I think you should spend some time in the other forums talking about some other subjects. Board members are not too welcoming to people perceived as one trick ponies. You may enjoy reading other religion threads here too, and I hope you have found some food for thought. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/165 "2013-08-21T14:52:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > On the contrary, they become much less impressive and much more horrible. All the cruelty and suffering in nature suddenly becomes the deliberate design of some uncaring or sadistic god. This. As Douglas Adams said: “I’d take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day.” Of course, it is possible that his tragically early death was just a little joke by a vengeful god, and that right this minute Adams is contemplating an eternity of torture, fire and sharp pointy things for having the temerity to point out that religion is, in fact, bollocks. But I doubt it, because the universe seems a much more wonderful place if you set aside any notion of a finger-wagging authority figure shuffling the pieces around. Theists often seem to have the notion that atheists are unable to appreciate beauty, kindness, love and myriad other virtues of life because they don’t see it through the prism of religion. That couldn’t be further from the truth, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/166 "2013-08-21T15:50:37Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Twice, myself. I was actually interested in being a nun at sixteen - and NOT just for the romantic sixteen year old idea, I felt a “calling.” > > (Why do this type of Christian assume that we’ve been raised in a closet and all we need to do is be exposed to The Word to see the light. I’ve spent the last five years teaching comparative religion in Sunday school - the Christianity sections do not necessarily compare favorably in World Religions for making sense. - Its not Hinduism, but I’m not sure too many Hindi’s take the gods part of their religion literally). _Ahem_. We’re Hindus. The language is Hindi. 🙂 And since I have posted in this thread, I will add - I just don’t have any belief in my heart. I tried. I read the Bible, the Q’uran and parts of the Gita, and the Mahabharat, and the Ramayan when I was young. It isn’t that I am an angry atheist. I don’t even think about your god 99% of the time. I just have no belief in my heart for an empty space. I will not have a relationship with air, and besides, I am still nominally Hindu, why in the world would I convert to Christianity? What little bit I need of religion I get just fine from Hinduism. ---
**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, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/167 "2013-08-21T16:01:13Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Well… at the end of the day, I just can’t physically prove to you that God exists. It’s all based off of faith. What I think, once you take that first step to try to know God, he’ll send you the Holy Spirit, which will then prove to you, or at least lets you acknowledge that a God can exist. Correct me if I’m wrong. You are wrong. A misapprehension shared by a cohort of people does not make it any more valid without objective evidence. I spent a childhood full of people trying to imbue me the the “Holy Spirit”, complete with snake-handling, speaking in tongues, ritual cannibalism, symbolic bathing, and obtuse interpretations of what is often near gibberish very incompletely and imprecisely translated from the original Hebrew and Aramaic. The same people uttler refused to recognize the pagan heritage of many of their most sacred rituals and holy days, or acknowledge the objective scientific evidence that contradicted many of their most dearly held beliefs. Curiously enough, in every cases where a religious explanation existed for some phenomenon or event which was later revealed to be due to entirely explicable physical and chemical processes, the religious crowd retreated into the stock explanation of “Sure, it’s not actually supernatural, but our God was behind the scenes manipulating the laws of physics to make it happen so,” and “God will put all things right once you follow His plan,” which incidentially is actually the exact plot of the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer movie _The Wizard of Oz_. Stranger ---
**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, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/168 "2013-08-21T16:05:20Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I just have no belief in my heart for an empty space. I will not have a relationship with air, and besides, I am still nominally Hindu, why in the world would I convert to Christianity? What little bit I need of religion I get just fine from Hinduism. And besides, the Hindus have better artwork and more exciting gods than the cheesy Superhero Jesus cartoons we were forced to read in Sunday school while choking down watery punch and generic cookies. The Hindu pantheon are like The Avengers in comparison to Christianity’s “Fantastic Four minus Thing” trinity. Stranger ---
**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, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/169 "2013-08-21T16:28:22Z")
> [@stranger on a train](#): > > … Superhero jesus cartoons we were forced to read in sunday school while choking down watery punch and generic cookies. luxury! ---
**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, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/170 "2013-08-21T16:58:23Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Why do you think people who don’t believe are “bad”? Priests molesting boys seems pretty “bad”. Pastors living in mansions while asking pensioners to give them more money seems pretty “bad”. Clergy sleeping with prostitutes will condemning them to hell seems pretty “bad”. > > I grew up in a christian, fundamentalist church and school. Most of the bad people I know are christian. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. - Honestly, do you think when they molest boys or asking prisoners for money- an earthly thing- they are doing the will of God? I agree that there are bad priests, pastors, and clergies. God does address this and warns us about them. He tells us to test the spirits (or their spirit I believe) to see if they are really from God or not. God’s apostles were told not to bring anything with them when preaching the gospel. In fact, I believe it says somewhere in the Bible, that they slept in hospitalities. So if you think about it, If you really want to build a relationship with God. Do not look towards man, because we’re all sinful. In a way, I think people are always going to disappoint. Pastors are just human. Priests and clergies are human. The pope is just human, hope I didn’t insult anyone, but it’s true. Instead, Jesus could be your role model. To me those people are like pharisees in the past. Not trying to like…say all those people are bad, but it is hard to think otherwise. "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long"Matthew 23:1-39 **Verses as reference** 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. ---
**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, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/171 "2013-08-21T17:00:41Z")
**Timo** , why do you continue to throw verses at people that don’t believe in the Bible? Why won’t you respond to us directly in your own words? edited to add: Why do you continue to talk about building a relationship with your god as if we believe he exists? Show us why your god exists and the other don’t. ---
**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, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/172 "2013-08-21T17:05:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The ways of Umar The Unwound are even more mysterious than that of the the Christian god, in that He didn’t write _anything_ down, and He refuses to communicate with mortals until after they die and meet Him in The Aluminum Fields Of Plentherth. If blind faith is the only path, then He is truly the God you should worship. Well said. However Umar The Unwound does not give the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is to be obtained by those who are baptized. Acts 2:38- just as reference. Once you receive the Holy Spirit by repenting and through baptism then you will be able to know that God is the only God. John 16:12-15/John 14:26 - The Holy Spirit guides us in all in truth. I believe that is the difference. ---
**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, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/173 "2013-08-21T17:07:19Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Well said. However Umar The Unwound does not give the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is to be obtained by those who are baptized. Acts 2:38- just as reference. Once you receive the Holy Spirit by repenting and through baptism then you will be able to know that God is the only God. John 16:12-15/John 14:26 - The Holy Spirit guides us in all in truth. > > I believe that is the difference. So says _your_ holy book. What others have you read? ---
**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, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/174 "2013-08-21T17:11:34Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > **Timo** , why do you continue to throw verses at people that don’t believe in the Bible? Why won’t you respond to us directly in your own words? > edited to add: Why do you continue to talk about building a relationship with your god as if we believe he exists? Show us why your god exists and the other don’t. Haha, because I honestly don’t know how else to preach the Gospel without using God’s words. I’d be willing to learn if someone knows how. I guess I was just excited to be able to use verses in the Bible as answers. Because I believe in God, I just assumed that the verses stood as truth. I never thought it in your perspective, that the verses may be false and I’m just chucking it out there. However, In a way, you guys are helping me be more grounded in the Bible haha 🙂 I’m learning a lot from this, even if it may not help others. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. - 1 Corinthians 2:13 ---
**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, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/175 "2013-08-21T17:13:37Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > I believe that is the difference. Without quoting from the bible, how do you know what you believe is correct? Or do you not give a damn about what anyone here has responded because you just want to use every post as an opportunity to post more biblical quotes in the hope that someone will clutch their chest and fall to their knees in an epiphany? ---
**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, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/176 "2013-08-21T17:16:40Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > However, In a way, you guys are helping me be more grounded in the Bible haha 🙂 I’m learning a lot from this, even if it may not help others. Ah, the christian martyr complex. I suspected as much. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/177 "2013-08-21T17:18:28Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > And besides, the Hindus have better artwork and more exciting gods than the cheesy Superhero Jesus cartoons we were forced to read in Sunday school while choking down watery punch and generic cookies. The Hindu pantheon are like The Avengers in comparison to Christianity’s “Fantastic Four minus Thing” trinity. > > Stranger This is really probably politically insensitive, but I agree. When I was a child, I got mocked by these little Christian children for being Hindu and worshiping a “blue” god. I didn’t understand why I should worship theirs! He was always so sad, and kind of scary, with the blood and the thorns and the way he was hanging, and their churches were so blah - wooden pews and so plain. My temples were brightly coloured and my gods were smart and savvy and politically aware. Krishna is freakin amazing! And he’s happy! And he wants us to be happy! He doesn’t want us to suffer or say this world is all suffering. ---
**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, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/178 "2013-08-21T17:19:05Z")
> [@Timo](#): > > Haha, because I honestly don’t know how else to preach the Gospel without using God’s words. I’d be willing to learn if someone knows how. I guess I was just excited to be able to use verses in the Bible as answers. Because I believe in God, I just assumed that the verses stood as truth. I never thought it in your perspective, that the verses may be false and I’m just chucking it out there. However, In a way, you guys are helping me be more grounded in the Bible haha 🙂 I’m learning a lot from this, even if it may not help others. > And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. - 1 Corinthians 2:13 The random "haha"s? Tiresome. Again I ask-what other holy books have you read? Do you deny other religions without knowledge of them? ---
**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, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/179 "2013-08-21T17:22:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So says _your_ holy book. What others have you read? None, and yes, yes I do. Look at it this way. Only one truth can be made. Only one religion can be true, or there is no God at all, or Gods at all. a) There is a God b) There are no Gods c) There is more than one God d) If you come up with any other But these can’t contradict. The Bible says there is only one God, but then other people believe, or other religions, that there is more than one God. Obviously, you can’t have both to be true. You can only pick one to believe, because only one will be true. In the end, we may finally confirm 100% which one is true. So, basically what I’m saying is, the Bible can be true, or the Bible can be false. There is no in between. So when the verses say that if you can receive the Holy Spirit that teaches understanding, that can either be true, or false. Or maybe there are multiple Gods, then the Bible is false, right? Or maybe there are no Gods, then the Bible and the religion with multiple Gods is false. But only one can be true. I hope that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766/180 "2013-08-21T17:24:13Z")
In the case of stewed prunes, are two not enough and four too many? That is what you sound like, **Timo**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-believe-in-god/666766.md?page=10)