How do you find God if you don't believe?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

Your title is misleading because the way you describe your experience with religion is incompatible with many religions, including non-Orthodox Judaism. It’s annoying when people say “god” or “religion” when they really mean some denominations of Christianity.

OP's post seemed pretty clear to me

“God” does not mean what OP is describing for the vast majority of Jews, for one. OP needs to be specific.

There is no description of God in OP. OP is specific in his or her search of God, and there is only one God. I am sure he or she will find him, regardless of what vast majority of Jews thinking about. OP's journey to find the God is not hinging on what other people think the god is or should be.

?? Since when? There are literally hundreds of gods, and throughout history thousands of them.

Not PP but omg are you really that dumb?

Maybe, but why don't you go ahead and tell us what is so dumb about this. Seems exactly correct to me.

How many gods people have come up with is a totally separate question from reality. Logically speaking, there can only be one God (regardless of which we are talking about, be it Zeus or Allah or Jesus), or no God. Can we agree on that? If you have multiple deities, it doesn't answer the question of who created them or where their warring powers come from. It just makes no sense. Philosophically speaking, God should be defined as "that which nothing greater can be thought."

Hey, it’s the “let’s declare on a random forum that we ALL agree so it’s true!” poster. A few rando anons posting here can’t agree and make something true, that’s incredibly silly.

+1. I see this tactic as hopeful and silly. It fits in with many believers' penchant for making the type of conclusive, encompassing statements that they hear from the pulpit.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

Your title is misleading because the way you describe your experience with religion is incompatible with many religions, including non-Orthodox Judaism. It’s annoying when people say “god” or “religion” when they really mean some denominations of Christianity.

OP's post seemed pretty clear to me

“God” does not mean what OP is describing for the vast majority of Jews, for one. OP needs to be specific.

There is no description of God in OP. OP is specific in his or her search of God, and there is only one God. I am sure he or she will find him, regardless of what vast majority of Jews thinking about. OP's journey to find the God is not hinging on what other people think the god is or should be.

?? Since when? There are literally hundreds of gods, and throughout history thousands of them.

Not PP but omg are you really that dumb?

Maybe, but why don't you go ahead and tell us what is so dumb about this. Seems exactly correct to me.

How many gods people have come up with is a totally separate question from reality. Logically speaking, there can only be one God (regardless of which we are talking about, be it Zeus or Allah or Jesus), or no God. Can we agree on that? If you have multiple deities, it doesn't answer the question of who created them or where their warring powers come from. It just makes no sense. Philosophically speaking, God should be defined as "that which nothing greater can be thought."

No, I don't. I think that's disrespectful of polytheists and pantheists. And no church worships "logic." Quite the opposite in fact. Too bad we don't have a Philosophy forum so you can explore your logic/metaphysics more deeply.

Great, I already know you disagree, but what I was hoping was some offer of an explanation. I offered my logic. I hear silence... which speaks volumes. I might be disrespectful of polytheists and pantheists, but what does that have to do with seeking the truth? Seeking truth will always disrespect those who haven't quite gotten there yet (if they choose to take it personally). In other words, you will never find truth if you worry about hurting people's feelings. That is also logic right there. I was going to ask if we can all agree on that, but i guess i shouldn't bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

If you don’t believe in G-d, even though you’d like to, and G-d does turn out to exist, maybe G-d wants you to be an atheist.

One possible reason: A lot of atheists are terrific people. Maybe that’s G-d’s way of showing us more theistic people what hypocrites we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

If you don’t believe in G-d, even though you’d like to, and G-d does turn out to exist, maybe G-d wants you to be an atheist.

One possible reason: A lot of atheists are terrific people. Maybe that’s G-d’s way of showing us more theistic people what hypocrites we are.

Lots of religious people are terrific too. Belief in god is immaterial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

If you don’t believe in G-d, even though you’d like to, and G-d does turn out to exist, maybe G-d wants you to be an atheist.

One possible reason: A lot of atheists are terrific people. Maybe that’s G-d’s way of showing us more theistic people what hypocrites we are.

Are you suggesting the God purposely made atheists terrific people as an example to believers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

If you don’t believe in G-d, even though you’d like to, and G-d does turn out to exist, maybe G-d wants you to be an atheist.

One possible reason: A lot of atheists are terrific people. Maybe that’s G-d’s way of showing us more theistic people what hypocrites we are.

Are you suggesting the God purposely made atheists terrific people as an example to believers?

DP. Perhaps other atheists, but not the rage-filled obsessive atheists on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Replace the word "faith" with wealth, love, children, career success etc as things people think will cure depression. They probably won't.

No, they won't. Because only God has that power to lead you to happy, healthy and long life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asking this question after reading a previous post about people being depressed because they don't have religion in their lives. I am an atheist in my 40s, although I considered myself Christian until my early 20's. However with life and experience I find it impossible to believe in a 'God' and especially anything written in the Bible. It all seems totally unbelievable to me and I hate the way it has given people reasons to discriminate against LGBTQ communities.

I struggle on and off with depression and sometimes I wished I did have a faith to comfort me. It is very easy for people to say you should turn to Jesus etc, but to me it is like believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

If you don’t believe in G-d, even though you’d like to, and G-d does turn out to exist, maybe G-d wants you to be an atheist.

One possible reason: A lot of atheists are terrific people. Maybe that’s G-d’s way of showing us more theistic people what hypocrites we are.

Are you suggesting the God purposely made atheists terrific people as an example to believers?

Example of what? You can be a terrific person, but if you don't lead the life God told you to lead, you will not be welcome in his kingdom. There are a lot of terrific people who will hear at the end of their days "I don't know you".