What's The Real Deal With God?

[Quintastic One]

Note: This is obviously a topic meant for discussion in regards to Christian beliefs. There's obviously nothing stopping you from simply posting "I don't believe in God so this topic doesn't apply to me" but I'd rather if you're atheist/agnostic/other that you could at least say "I don't believe but here's what I think about the question". Being of a different set of beliefs and still adding to the topic is better than just derailing this thread into yet another "God doesn't exist there's no proof stop trying to indoctrinate me" argument.


I couldn't find a real proper title for this specific kind of situation. But I've been to many different kinds of churches, and I hear a certain rebuking from preachers that is contradictory from denomination to denomination. Sometimes even within the same denomination, simply spread out through different sermons.

Sometimes, I hear preachers ya know, preaching. They say that average people thank God when things are going great in their lives, but the second something bad happens to them, they abandon their beliefs and say "I don't understand why God would do this to me".

However, there are other times I hear preachers ya know, preaching. They say that average people pray to God and worship him heavily when times are bad, praying for a better life. But the second things get good for them they forget God and don't thank him for their blessings.


Now I want some opinions on this as to which example above you think is correct. Do people praise God when times are good and then run when there's rain? Or do they pray to God for help and once life is good they don't think they need God anymore as their crutch? Or could it be both and just subject from person to person?

 

[VivaLaRaza]

Sorry nobody responded. I can't say why people do or do not praise a higher power when times get tough but here is my belief.

I really don't know exactly what "faith" to follow, but I have no doubt we are more than our physical shells. Sorry, I know that's not exactly what you asked.

 

[JurassicBonez]

I think it depends on how religous you are. There are people who are powerfully religous. With them when something goes bad, they say that God is testing them or something to that extent. This guy I worked with was real religous, anything good that happened to him, he praised god. Somebody that he knew lost a family member, instead of being like "I praise this guy for everything and he takes him away from us and cause us hurt and pain" it was "It must be his time". His hours got cut at work where he only had one day on a schedule, instead of being mad, he said "well, god must have something else for me to do". And I'm like wtf? So he quit, this was months ago and he's still jobless. But I bet he's still praising him.

Then there are those that turn their back once something bad happens. The type that makes me laugh, is that you have people that only pray when they want something, or they are in a life or death situation and be like "please god, don't let this happen" and so on. I think it's sad though with some people. They think they have to believe in God, because if they don't, they will go to hell. Or that they would be punished.

Me, I'm kinda in the middle with the whole God, Lord, Jesus, creation thing. I've been into animals since I was a kid. So I know a lot about evolution. I believe in that. Though I believe in heavon too. I've never read the bible, but from stuff that I hear what others say, alot of it that I've heard sounds like bs.

 

[JurassicBonez]

:laugh:

[YT]dhqrcxrpCMs[/YT]

 

[biggs]

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but as I'm just recently fanning out from the e-fed, I came across this question, and found it to be intriguing.

I am a Christian, and I do wrestle with this question a lot. Ideally, one would praise God at the good times and the bad, as well as pray to him for strength and growth all the time, because none of us is perfect. Personally, I have a tendency to be overly grateful to God during the good times, while focusing on asking for comfort and strength during the bad times, without acknowledging all the good things that God is doing for me all the time. I know that my mindset isn't the most mature when it comes to this topic, and I hope to grow to the point where I'm always grateful for what God's done for me, but also acknowledging that I have a lot of work to do, and I need his help to become a better person. That's just where I'm at.

 

[Solid Stinger the Big Boss]

There is no theory, just about anything is real.
I can make up some story about how a mouse is god and it'll be plausible.

If you believe in one god, NOTHING makes it any more real then another god. Sure you were raised on believing it, but put yourself and somebody else's shoes and to them its just as real.

Having a religion is the dumbest shit ever.

Yeah I missed the point of the thread but I needed to vent

 

[Kizza]

I'm a Catholic that find the notion of having a higher power ridiculous. Going to a Catholic school and sitting through 12 years of religions has been horrible. I find it really stupid that we worship something we can't see, get a response from or something that will do something with/for me. I'm mush more of a fact person and just can't understand this whole "Higher Power" crap. And that goes with any other religion, not just Catholicism/Christianity. Religion regularly causes more problems then helps.

 

[Quintastic One]

There is no theory, just about anything is real.
I can make up some story about how a mouse is god and it'll be plausible.

If you believe in one god, NOTHING makes it any more real then another god. Sure you were raised on believing it, but put yourself and somebody else's shoes and to them its just as real.

Having a religion is the dumbest shit ever.

Yeah I missed the point of the thread but I needed to vent

Fair enough. We all need to vent about this stuff every now and then. Even if it's not exactly on topic. lol.

I'm a Catholic that find the notion of having a higher power ridiculous. Going to a Catholic school and sitting through 12 years of religions has been horrible. I find it really stupid that we worship something we can't see, get a response from or something that will do something with/for me. I'm mush more of a fact person and just can't understand this whole "Higher Power" crap. And that goes with any other religion, not just Catholicism/Christianity. Religion regularly causes more problems then helps.

I've never been Catholic so help me out with this one. How can you call yourself Catholic, and yet be an atheist? lol. Are you referring to being raised Catholic? Because if you've decided there's no God after the fact then what's the point of calling yourself a religious denomination?

 

[noumenon]

Religion like anything else when put in the hands of the wrong people can go horribly wrong. Most of the morals and lessons it tries to instill are fine and if you want to live your life by them and try to be a better person and use religion as your reason for it, cool go for it.
No one wants to have anything pushed on them, especially not religion or beliefs. So when kept to yourself or in your church, fine go for it.

No one can say if God does or doesn't exist, it's impossible to know. Could he exist? Sure. Could he not exist? Sure. That's what my name means "noumenon"... it's something you can think about never truly fathom...IE God or infinity.

So those are my basic feelings on religion. It's not a force of evil as some people try to say. It's not going to save anyone who doesn't otherwise want to be saved, it's just there... and as most things in the world people choose to put their own spin on it, use it improperly and take it over board. So...whatever.

I know I didn't answer your question but...it's an old thread so...fuck off

 

[monkeystyle]

I've never been Catholic so help me out with this one. How can you call yourself Catholic, and yet be an atheist? lol. Are you referring to being raised Catholic? Because if you've decided there's no God after the fact then what's the point of calling yourself a religious denomination?

It's not really any different than any kind of Christian saying that they are okay with abortion or gay marriage. A contradiction is a contradiction and with the religious you'll find plenty of them.

Either way, religion is the most pointless pursuit on the planet. Instead of mankind doing something about their problems they find ways of being complacent about them by saying it's god's will. Whatever that means. Or even better yet, when someone wants something they content themselves with praying and again, leaving in god's hands instead of going out and getting it for themselves.

Organized religions stunt individual social and mental development.

 

[Italian Outsider]

Religion is the impotence of the human mind to deal with occurrences it cannot understand

,,,,

 

[monkeystyle]

Smart guy that Marx. His one major failing though was failing to recognize that religion can be a useful tool.

 

[Italian Outsider]

I honestly don't remember where, but in one of his books he states religion is actually a useful tool to control the masses. So yea..

 

[monkeystyle]

Nah not just talking about control. That's what organized religions are there for. Healthy individual growth can be achieved by deciding what you as a person believe in as opposed to being oppressed and limited by what someone else believes.

 

[Italian Outsider]

Well, that too. I still appreciate his contribute in the religion debate. Too bad the rest of his theories are hilarious jokes.