Something I've always wanted to ask a religious person

[Cpt_Cutter]

Hey all, I have a question I've always wanted to ask someone who is truly religious, but I've never really gotten the chance due to now wanting to come off sounding bad. But hey, If I cant ask it here then I cant ask it anywhere, so here goes:

What makes you believe in your god but not anyone elses?

And to non-religious people reading, Why don't you believe in a god?

I mean I personally don't believe in a god because I feel technology has advanced to the point at which a large enough portion of what religions were created to explain is now known that I feel confident the rest will be discovered in time, but if I did, I would much prefer to believe in one of the old Greek or Roman ones, or something like Buddha, which seem to just be more interesting. To quote a friend (which I could swear I've heard before) - "Everyone's an atheist, religious people just skip one".

Lets keep this civil please, don't want any insults against others beliefs, and don't want this locked.

[Kid0809]

For me I do believe in my Catholic God but I also respect and tolerate other people's interpretation or opinion on God

[conniption]

I don't believe in a god because I really don't see the need to believe in one. Religion, to me, was created to comfort people. I mean, nobody wants to believe that once they're dead, they're dead. Religion gave them a sense of security from things they didn't know much about. I don't need to believe that there is a being bigger than I, or life itself, because by that definition, the universe is God. The universe is unpredictable, it's mysterious, and I don't think anybody will ever truly understand just how amazing it is. There is no God looking down at us from up above; The only things up there are other stars, planets, asteroids and other great things still waiting to be discovered. But it's alright, everything around us, including ourselves, was once part of a star or asteroid or planet, and if you don't think that's cool, then I don't know what is.

[GrazzCity]

I don't believe in a god because I really don't see the need to believe in one. Religion, to me, was created to comfort people. I mean, nobody wants to believe that once they're dead, they're dead. Religion gave them a sense of security from things they didn't know much about. I don't need to believe that there is a being bigger than I, or life itself, because by that definition, the universe is God. The universe is unpredictable, it's mysterious, and I don't think anybody will ever truly understand just how amazing it is. There is no God looking down at us from up above; The only things up there are other stars, planets, asteroids and other great things still waiting to be discovered. But it's alright, everything around us, including ourselves, was once part of a star or asteroid or planet, and if you don't think that's cool, then I don't know what is.

Damn you would be a good companion for the Doctor :P

Personally, I was raised catholic, and I have too many ideas, to put here, right now, on my phone, so I'll just say this: Human Secularism.

That's not all though, if you want to have an in depth conversation about it, you can pm me.

-edited. -Emerald Dream

[Lovelife090994]

I believe in my God, yes the Christian God out of love and compassion for what I have seen him do. I am tired of people telling me my faith is weak or silly, and I hold to my beliefs and think for myself. I could care less the religions of others but as a subject, religion and theology interest me greatly.

For Christians the reason why we believe in God as the True and Living God, the Great I Am and the Only is because of our faith, love, loyalty, and also the commandment of thou shall not have any god above him. That commandment also has another meaning of not serving two masters. We choose our own path and beliefs and for me mine is with the Christian God. I understand that I am not as religious as I ought to be probably but I am going to keep my faith before I let others and other Christians hit me down with words. For other faiths? Others may share some of my reasons too and some may not.

[Cpt_Cutter]

I believe in my God, yes the Christian God out of love and compassion for what I have seen him do. I am tired of people telling me my faith is weak or silly, and I hold to my beliefs and think for myself. I could care less the religions of others but as a subject, religion and theology interest me greatly.

For Christians the reason why we believe in God as the True and Living God, the Great I Am and the Only is because of our faith, love, loyalty, and also the commandment of thou shall not have any god above him. That commandment also has another meaning of not serving two masters. We choose our own path and beliefs and for me mine is with the Christian God. I understand that I am not as religious as I ought to be probably but I am going to keep my faith before I let others and other Christians hit me down with words. For other faiths? Others may share some of my reasons too and some may not.


But why is it the christian god you chose to put your faith in? why not any other? I'm truly interested and am sorry if I come off as insulting.

[LunarScorpio]

It is almost parent influence. If you are brought up Christian you will believe in that god, Muslim you believe that god. I don't think of people by their religion, I don't know why i chose this god, probably because my parents, school has based on that

[Lovelife090994]

But why is it the christian god you chose to put your faith in? why not any other? I'm truly interested and am sorry if I come off as insulting.

To be Christian is a choice. God does not force his followers to him. I was raised Christian but I know how good a relationship with God can be. I actually chose and decided to keep it. If I were raised with my father, I would have been atheist but I probably would have become Christian too. Lately I've been questioning if I would be Catholic because some things in the vast branches of Protestantism (the many strict doctrines) I do not agree with. You are not insulting. I am not interested in other faiths like Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, or Hindu. Why? I already have a faith, why change? Plus I would rather study other religions.

[tovaris]

I dont believe in no good because there is non. Not to mention the fackt that humanety needs no more devine enteties to enforce moral rule...

[Zenos]

id like to say this my parents are christian while i never could connect to their god or their religion faith spiritual path.i am a driud i connected with the deities and spiritualty of my ancestors. recently my mom had a major heart attack and was in the icu her heart stopped eight times and she was at the ponit she could die or live i got off to a spot by myself in a park across from the hospitial and prayed to my Gods and i felt their presence and that night she stabilized on her own with out the doctors help and is now recovering.thats why i believe in them

[Achillea]

The reason I believe in my God and not any other God/ Gods is because A.) After looking at various other religious texts (Torah, Quaran) I gained a newfound appreciation for my Christian God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as unlike in Judaism and Islam, he is all forgiving and not vengeful. He spreads a message of love and peace whereas others could have an inconsistant message of Love, Peace...but only when they follow me! It's not really the God though that makes me follow my religion but the lessons it teaches me. Now I do admit that I have never read the New Testament from begining to end, so I could be contradicted:)
B.) Raised this way, Parents, School, Goverment, Friends...I never knew another God till after I made my confirmation but thank God it wasn't a choice I regret!:)

[Zenos]

The reason I believe in my God and not any other God/ Gods is because A.) After looking at various other religious texts (Torah, Quaran) I gained a newfound appreciation for my Christian God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as unlike in Judaism and Islam, he is all forgiving and not vengeful. He spreads a message of love and peace whereas others could have an inconsistant message of Love, Peace...but only when they follow me! It's not really the God though that makes me follow my religion but the lessons it teaches me. Now I do admit that I have never read the New Testament from begining to end, so I could be contradicted:)
B.) Raised this way, Parents, School, Goverment, Friends...I never knew another God till after I made my confirmation but thank God it wasn't a choice I regret!:)

um sorry the jews and christians believe in the same god.only diffrence is the jews believe Allgood and evil come from yahweh/jehovah himself where as christianity was influenced by the dualistic beliefs of zorastrianism in the belief in an allgood god and an all bad one as

[LouBerry]

Hey all, I have a question I've always wanted to ask someone who is truly religious, but I've never really gotten the chance due to now wanting to come off sounding bad. But hey, If I cant ask it here then I cant ask it anywhere, so here goes:

What makes you believe in your god but not anyone elses?

And to non-religious people reading, Why don't you believe in a god?

I mean I personally don't believe in a god because I feel technology has advanced to the point at which a large enough portion of what religions were created to explain is now known that I feel confident the rest will be discovered in time, but if I did, I would much prefer to believe in one of the old Greek or Roman ones, or something like Buddha, which seem to just be more interesting. To quote a friend (which I could swear I've heard before) - "Everyone's an atheist, religious people just skip one".

Lets keep this civil please, don't want any insults against others beliefs, and don't want this locked.

So many things. First, "religious people"? Really? I'm assuming you are talking about people of the Christian religion? If so, saying "religious people" is crazy vague and actually kind of a slur, which some people find offensive.

Now, as to your question, my God not something that can be explained. Not by me, not by the Pope, not by the most ingenious philosopher. So it's difficult answer why I believe in Him instead of some other deity. We'll start with the fact that I see him everywhere. There is so much beauty in this world, so many things that science and reason can only guess at. Also, He is my best friend. And sure, he doesn't come to me in my dreams, or shout out from a mountain to talk to me, but that doesn't mean that I don't hear him. He guides me in everything I do. Then there's the fact the I've seen miracles. I've seen someone live through a circumstance that astounded even the doctors and nurses that were present. You can't not believe in something that is present and obvious in everyday life.

Besides all that, I believe in God because I want to. Why wouldn't I? My belief promises a beautiful life after death. It tells me that there is nothing I can't do. It points me in the right direction, no matter when choice I'm faced with. It helps me be the best person I can be. It gives me friendships that are stronger than those I have with others. It gives me hope.

[Zenos]

It is almost parent influence. If you are brought up Christian you will believe in that god, Muslim you believe that god. I don't think of people by their religion, I don't know why i chose this god, probably because my parents, school has based on that

if that held water id be a christian not a druid

[Cpt_Cutter]

"So many things. First, "religious people"? Really? I'm assuming you are talking about people of the Christian religion? If so, saying "religious people" is crazy vague and actually kind of a slur, which some people find offensive. "


No, I am seriously asking for the opinions of people of any religion who are on here, I don't want to annoy anyone though so I could change the main post if you want.

[Jess]

I don't believe in a god because there's no evidence for one. It's just a fairy tale to me, like believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. I also see no reason to believe in one. If there is a god, he is very uncaring and cruel. Gods and religion were made up to explain things long ago. Now we have science.

[whatsgoinon53]

Hey all, I have a question I've always wanted to ask someone who is truly religious, but I've never really gotten the chance due to now wanting to come off sounding bad. But hey, If I cant ask it here then I cant ask it anywhere, so here goes:

What makes you believe in your god but not anyone elses?

And to non-religious people reading, Why don't you believe in a god?

I mean I personally don't believe in a god because I feel technology has advanced to the point at which a large enough portion of what religions were created to explain is now known that I feel confident the rest will be discovered in time, but if I did, I would much prefer to believe in one of the old Greek or Roman ones, or something like Buddha, which seem to just be more interesting. To quote a friend (which I could swear I've heard before) - "Everyone's an atheist, religious people just skip one".

Lets keep this civil please, don't want any insults against others beliefs, and don't want this locked.

This is definitely the hardest question you can ask a religious person!

I believe in my God, not just because I have been taught of his almighty power, but from my own understanding of his glory. I have seen, and even heard signs that my God is real! It might be hard to believe but if I communicate to God through prayer, then I will always get an answer. It might take weeks, months or years, but he will ALWAYS give me an answer. I don't need proof that God exists because my heart tells me he exists and I have seen miracles by my God. He is truly awesome!

[Cpt_Cutter]

This is definitely the hardest question you can ask a religious person!

I believe in my God, not just because I have been taught of his almighty power, but from my own understanding of his glory. I have seen, and even heard signs that my God is real! It might be hard to believe but if I communicate to God through prayer, then I will always get an answer. It might take weeks, months or years, but he will ALWAYS give me an answer. I don't need proof that God exists because my heart tells me he exists and I have seen miracles by my God. He is truly awesome!

This was the kind of response I was looking for :P, its nice to have faith in something i guess.

[CosmicNoodle]

I don't believe in a god because I really don't see the need to believe in one. Religion, to me, was created to comfort people. I mean, nobody wants to believe that once they're dead, they're dead. Religion gave them a sense of security from things they didn't know much about. I don't need to believe that there is a being bigger than I, or life itself, because by that definition, the universe is God. The universe is unpredictable, it's mysterious, and I don't think anybody will ever truly understand just how amazing it is. There is no God looking down at us from up above; The only things up there are other stars, planets, asteroids and other great things still waiting to be discovered. But it's alright, everything around us, including ourselves, was once part of a star or asteroid or planet, and if you don't think that's cool, then I don't know what is.
Beilieve it or not that is cool, and something that blows my mind on a regular basis. I tend to think about things like that a lot. Also he is right, you would make a good Doctor Who, your wording was perfect.

[Achillea]

um sorry the jews and christians believe in the same god.only diffrence is the jews believe Allgood and evil come from yahweh/jehovah himself where as christianity was influenced by the dualistic beliefs of zorastrianism in the belief in an allgood god and an all bad one as
I used to think that too, including Islam's Allah but as I explained earlier, my God is not the Jewish Yahweh because my God is a combination of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and God the Father. That is the key difference. In my understanding, Jesus was a Jew who became increasingly dissatisfied with Judaism and its idea of God, but then again I wasn't there so its just my idea:)

[Zenos]

I used to think that too, including Islam's Allah but as I explained earlier, my God is not the Jewish Yahweh because my God is a combination of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and God the Father. That is the key difference. In my understanding, Jesus was a Jew who became increasingly dissatisfied with Judaism and its idea of God, but then again I wasn't there so its just my idea:)

well u just reinvented the trinity three aspects of one god

[CharlieHorse]

Personally, I was raised catholic, and I have too many ideas, to put here, right now, on my phone, so I'll just say this: Human Secularism.



Secular Humanism
yes :)

[Sugaree]

You know, OP, if you have any questions regarding religion, you can always go to this thread (http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=177542) and ask whatever you want about the religions presented in the original post. While I'm not aware if some of the people who volunteered to answer questions regarding some religions are still around, I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have regarding Buddhism.

[Twilly F. Sniper]

I don't believe in a god. Scientific evidence to the otherwise.

[Hundred Spirited God]

you know,i have deep link with god,and im not saying you shouldn't stop believing in what you want,but I think there's only one god,and for anyone who says their isn't a god,who do you think created,us,animals and life? god controls all the good things,without him,we're screwed,also I have this gift called a third eye,i don't expect you to believe me,but I asked god that I wanted to help people,and guess what,i got the third eye,all the good things that you get and all the good things that happen are from god,and joe is right,unless you have a third eye like I do,you cant handle the pressure of knowing the truth about everything,cause It can build up to the point where you just want to commit suicide,i mean do you want to know about all the good things that will happen? yea its boring

[GrazzCity]

id like to say this my parents are christian while i never could connect to their god or their religion faith spiritual path.i am a driud i connected with the deities and spiritualty of my ancestors. recently my mom had a major heart attack and was in the icu her heart stopped eight times and she was at the ponit she could die or live i got off to a spot by myself in a park across from the hospitial and prayed to my Gods and i felt their presence and that night she stabilized on her own with out the doctors help and is now recovering.thats why i believe in them

i don't want to insult you or anything, but there are no historical records of the religion, culture, or even language of the Druids. I highly doubt you are druid, what people call " The Druid Religion " now a days, has nothing to do with the culture or the gods of that time and culture. I guess you could say all other religions are also just made up by someone at some point, but somehow when they are made up this late in the modern age, they seem less justifiable.

um sorry the jews and christians believe in the same god.only diffrence is the jews believe Allgood and evil come from yahweh/jehovah himself where as christianity was influenced by the dualistic beliefs of zorastrianism in the belief in an allgood god and an all bad one as

Yea religions that have a single god: Christianity (all sects, including Catholicism), Judaism, and Islam; believe in the same entity, they just worship and interpret in different ways.

Oh and technically Buddhism isn't a religion, it's more of a philosophy, or way of life, Buddha is a teacher not a god, you don't worship him. Also, anyone, no matter their faith, is allowed in a Buddhist temple to pray.


-double post merged. -Emerald Dream

[Faolan]

I was raised Reform Jewish and as part of a reconciling Methodist church (meaning they approved of gay marriage and other great stuff...). I was taught to come up with my own ideas of God or of the lack thereof. I consider myself mainly agnostic, since I don't believe that there's an omniscient and sentient being out there who created everything and that we're all pawns in a cosmic chess game. My "god" consists of loving experiences and dazzling views of mountains, etc... but it's more made up of emotions and spiritual connections rather than of a heavenly being.

I believe that anyone and everyone should be free to believe what they will, as long as it doesn't harm other people.

[AlexanderTheGreat]

It is almost parent influence. If you are brought up Christian you will believe in that god, Muslim you believe that god. I don't think of people by their religion, I don't know why i chose this god, probably because my parents, school has based on that

I agree with you! Parents massively influence your religious beliefs. I had a talk with my parents a few months ago and they said that they didn't want to influence my religious beliefs in any way. They waited me to decide. I remember when I was very young (7 or 8), I was in school and all the teachers, whether it be in class or assembly, put out a message to the pupils saying that there is a God. Now whether there is a God or no I don't think it was right to influence our decision, thisnis religion we are walking about!! If you have faith in a God or not will change your life massively, I can remeber going home and talking to my mum asking her where God lives. I went to a non religious school but they seemed to push Christian beliefs into us. I don't think this is right! Everyone should make up their own minds on religion and so I respect my parents MASSIVELY for not influencing my beliefs.
Woah, that was a lot.

[Achillea]

well u just reinvented the trinity three aspects of one god

Reinvented is a little harsh.... And I think that does make our God a different one to Yahweh or Allah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit makes up 2/3 of our God. I understand that the other 1/3 is very similar to Yahweh or Allah because they all stem from the same root but in Christianity we believe Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit also make up this one God...I hope I explained it okay;)

[Name1ess]

Hey all, I have a question I've always wanted to ask someone who is truly religious, but I've never really gotten the chance due to now wanting to come off sounding bad. But hey, If I cant ask it here then I cant ask it anywhere, so here goes:

What makes you believe in your god but not anyone elses?

And to non-religious people reading, Why don't you believe in a god?

I mean I personally don't believe in a god because I feel technology has advanced to the point at which a large enough portion of what religions were created to explain is now known that I feel confident the rest will be discovered in time, but if I did, I would much prefer to believe in one of the old Greek or Roman ones, or something like Buddha, which seem to just be more interesting. To quote a friend (which I could swear I've heard before) - "Everyone's an atheist, religious people just skip one".

Lets keep this civil please, don't want any insults against others beliefs, and don't want this locked.
I don't believe in God because it is just illogical, there is no evidence for it, and because most religions devalue life.

[TheBionicWorm]

Here's personally why I'm Christian (Not trying to step on anyones toes just what I think) First off I was raised Christian so It's all I know. Secondly, to me it makes the most sense because: 1. It's one of the worlds oldest religions. 2. It gives answers (granted sometimes confusing ones) I just can't fathom that the Earth could be perfect for life, the life evolved so complexly, ecosystems are perfect, etc. etc. from a big bang.

Once again I'd like to reiterate that this is my belief and if you want to believe differently I can respect that.

[Henry VIII]

Hey all, I have a question I've always wanted to ask someone who is truly religious, but I've never really gotten the chance due to now wanting to come off sounding bad. But hey, If I cant ask it here then I cant ask it anywhere, so here goes:

What makes you believe in your god but not anyone elses?

And to non-religious people reading, Why don't you believe in a god?

I mean I personally don't believe in a god because I feel technology has advanced to the point at which a large enough portion of what religions were created to explain is now known that I feel confident the rest will be discovered in time, but if I did, I would much prefer to believe in one of the old Greek or Roman ones, or something like Buddha, which seem to just be more interesting. To quote a friend (which I could swear I've heard before) - "Everyone's an atheist, religious people just skip one".

Lets keep this civil please, don't want any insults against others beliefs, and don't want this locked.

I believe in The Holy Trinity which is: The Son, The Father & The Holy Spirit. It is not the fact that I do not believe in God, it is more that I chose to believe in this one.

I also I think The Holy Trinity is fascinating, interesting & mysterious. God is interesting in different ways to say Buddah or Mohammed that is all, yes Mohammed & Buddah are interesting but so is God!

There is so much more to Christianity than God creating The World, Humans & Life. One might argue that God is responsible for the technological advancement of The World. Although, that ia not my point. People believe becuase they need to, becuase they want to, because they can! In my eyes when you accept Christ you are set free from sin & the burdens of this World!!!!

What do you mean by your quote?

[NeuroTiger]

I follow Islam and firmly believes in Allah.
The religion is perfect if one practices it the proper way;
It's a masterpiece within itself since it caters for all eras...

[Cpt_Cutter]

I believe in The Holy Trinity which is: The Son, The Father & The Holy Spirit. It is not the fact that I do not believe in God, it is more that I chose to believe in this one.

I also I think The Holy Trinity is fascinating, interesting & mysterious. God is interesting in different ways to say Buddah or Mohammed that is all, yes Mohammed & Buddah are interesting but so is God!

There is so much more to Christianity than God creating The World, Humans & Life. One might argue that God is responsible for the technological advancement of The World. Although, that ia not my point. People believe becuase they need to, becuase they want to, because they can! In my eyes when you accept Christ you are set free from sin & the burdens of this World!!!!

What do you mean by your quote?


I believe my friend meant when he said it that Everyone doesn't believe in 99% of the gods of history, and some people don't believe in 100% of them, but Religious people just miss that 1 god. I never asked him what he meant, so I probably should.

[TheBionicWorm]

I don't believe in God because it is just illogical, there is no evidence for it, and because most religions devalue life.

Did you not notice the please don't insult people message? I mean of course you have the right to your opinion but you could have phrased it a bit better.

[darthearth]

I believe in Jesus Christ because considering all known facts and personal spiritual reflections/experiences it makes sense. We commit errors of unlovingness, so we need forgiveness. Makes sense that God would send a way for this to happen. I am a conscious being having discussions about God and I look at beautiful complex life, seems there is a creator responsible. Makes sense. There are historical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus. We have a person who persecuted the early church changing his tune 180 degrees because he had a personal run-in with the risen Lord. We have a burial shroud that seems to have evidence of the body of Jesus transforming into pure radiant energy. I believe in the shroud because I believe that the drawing in that prayer book from the 1100s was the shroud, plain and simple (read up on the Shroud of Turin if you want to understand that, I reject the carbon dating based on that and all the other arguments challenging the carbon dating date).

I am a Christian because I believe in Jesus as a divine entity walking the Earth, His crucifixion for humanities errors (to establish forgiveness and salvation through grace and faith) and in His physical resurrection and ascendency to Heaven. Is that clear enough? It just makes sense.

[Seemyheart]

I was raised to believe in god, and that He is there no matter what, and in hard times of my life, I pray to him, to help me, and in some way shape or form, my conflict gets resolved

[Kahn]

What makes you believe in your god but not anyone elses?

My belief in God is sort of unconventional. I don't subscribe to any of the major faiths, and I find no better term than to describe myself as spiritual. Fundamentalism is a purely modern phenomenon; many of the men who practiced religion would see this as utterly blasphemous. The scriptures were never intended to be read as a historically accurate account of the world. "He" is not all knowing, good, divine, or intelligent in any way that we can understand.

The God western faiths praise today closely resembles the "Sky God" or "High God" of one of the earliest ancient cosmologies. This God dwelt in the farthest reaches of the heavens and singlehandley created heaven and earth. This God found it's way to irrelevance. How could such a being- even a God- be responsible for being itself? Because of this contradiction the High God fell into obscurity, and though people called on him in emergencies (as we would today) he scarcely ever impinged on their daily lives. Sounds slightly familiar.

I like to use the idea of Brahman. Brahman is being itself; and also the ground of the human psyche. The transcendent (or in our societies case, the divine?) was neither external nor alien to humanity, but the two inextricably connected.
I mean I personally don't believe in a god because I feel technology has advanced to the point at which a large enough portion of what religions were created to explain is now known that I feel confident the rest will be discovered in time, but if I did, I would much prefer to believe in one of the old Greek or Roman ones, or something like Buddha, which seem to just be more interesting. To quote a friend (which I could swear I've heard before) - "Everyone's an atheist, religious people just skip one".

I used to feel the same exact way as you. I believed that technology has gotten to a point where we can explain how we've come to be, through quantum physics (although 85% of all matter in the universe is unidentified) and other various sciences. But because of these technologies, our society has become one of logic, and thus fundamentalism and modern atheism are spawned. Our society has become governed by scientific rationality, rather than human intuition. Because the spoils of this change of worldview were and are abundant, we've essentially done away with preexisting ideas of theology. Man can no longer see the point of ritual, and religious knowledge has become theoretical rather than practical.

One last quote. (Taken from The Case for God, Karen Armstrong)

The Allegory of the Cave, Plato

In The Republic, Plato's description of an ideal polis, he described the process of philosophical initiation in his famous allegory of the cave. He imagined a group of men who had been chained up all their lives in a cave; turned away from the sunlight, they could see only shadows of objects in the outside world cast on the rocky wall. This was an image of the unenlightened human condition. We are so inured to our deprived vision that, like the prisoners, we assume that the ephemeral shadows we see are the true reality. If the prisoners were taken into the upper world, they would be bewildered and dazzled by its light, brilliance, and vibrancy; they would find it too much and would want to go back to their twilight existence. So they must be initiated gradually into this new mode of being. The sunlight was a symbol of the Good, the highest of the forms, source of knowledge and existence. The Good lay beyond anything we could experience in ordinary life. But at the end of a long apprenticeship, enlightened souls would be able to bask in its light. They would want to linger in the upper world, but had a duty to go back to the cave and enlighten their companions. They would be able to assess the problems of their shadowy world far more clearly now, but they would get no credit for it. Their former companions would probably laugh at them. They may even turn on their liberators and kill them-

Just, Plato implied, as the Athenians executed Socrates.

I am not implying my belief is right. I'm just answering the questions. I respect others beliefs, regardless of how similar or dissimilar they are to mine.

Lets keep this civil please, don't want any insults against others beliefs, and don't want this locked.

[MrBlueSky]

I'm Catholic, but I feel that most all religions are interpretations of the same God. Of course, these interpretations may be radically different, but the commonality is that all practitioners believe in a higher cause/being that him/herself. I heard a quote once that I liked: "Religion is like a cell phone; they may have different features, but the most important thing is who you are calling"

[Ashthefox]

I don't believe in a god because there's no evidence for one. It's just a fairy tale to me, like believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. I also see no reason to believe in one. If there is a god, he is very uncaring and cruel. Gods and religion were made up to explain things long ago. Now we have science.

I totally understand your unbelief, but what makes you think that god is, or sorry, would be, cruel and uncaring? Yes awful things happen but amazing things happen too. Have you ever seen the invention of lying? It kind of answers some questions like this.:yes:

[CharlieHorse]

I don't believe in a god because I was not raised in a religious household. Simple. That's all it takes to become religious or non-religious. Not like you have a choice, your parents will brainwash you with anything they want.

[Celtic.]

you know I looked what a deist is today. Its a person who believes god is real but does not interfere with his creation. Also they do not see the purpose of religion. This actually defines me so I would say im a deist. My parents are religious and would probably kick me out of the house for saying what I just said.. Ive asked my parents this question and they were Shocked. I question their beliefs because they simply make no since to me.