the one reason!

[sherminator]

Just a little exercise for believers and athiests. If you had to pick the one main reason why you do or don't believe in god(s) what would it be?
I'm actually going to cop out cause im still trying to decide what the main reason is for myself why i dont believe but am very keen to hear other peoples thoughts on this.

Thank you

[jake-the-peg]

I find that a great number of people have what I call a utilitarian view of God.

They say to me things like "Wouldn't you like to believe? " and "I feel sorry for you because I find religion a great comfort"

To me and people like me this is a really strange idea - to believe in something because of what you get out of it, rather than believing in something because it is your personal assessment of truth.

Yet it appears very common.

And I think this is why you see such a disconnect when athiests try to convince believers with logic - totally blind to the fact that logic plays no part in their decision to believe or not.

I think this is why so many lose faith when confronted with traumatic personal events or experiences of great "Evil" like Auswitz.

That comfort, that benefit that they derive from religion is whipped out from under them, they feel betrayed. That pact of faith for comfort is broken.

I will still play logic games with believers about what is and is not rational to believe but these days I'm aware that these are just games and they are no more likely to be converted away from belief by logical argument than I am to find faith through emotions and feelings.

[Seadragon]

Sorry Alec, you had referred to being with the First British Regiment in the past. For some reason I thought there might have been one particular 'act' that had so profoundly affected you. I realise now that that one 'act' is the all-encompassing encounter with the Nazi Concentration Camp which I thank you for not going into detail about as I know from reading just how horrific that was. And I sympathize with Jake's point that people can lose faith when confronted with 'Evil' - as did happen after the War to many.

But I think it takes a great deal of strength to be an Aetheist as much as it does to believe, if not more. Jake you say you find it a strange idea 'to believe in something because of what you get out of it' and that believers are 'totally blind to the fact that logic plays no part in their decision to believe or not.' I was quite moved with what you wrote. I think people turn to faith for a number of reasons personal, family, bereavement, lifestyle etc. I can only talk for myself and to be honest, some people can have so much sh1t in their life that even though I was not brought up in any religion or had even heard of God other than through tele, I am the biggest believer of God in my family.

To deal with all the cr@p, I find it quite logical to have a belief as a means of survival in maintaining my sanity from day to day and with day to day experiences. I saw a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist for afew weeks before I decided that they were not only mad but unhelpful. (My experience) So you're right when you say that non-believers can only play games.

[Seadragon]

Post scipt - To take an example, we discussed physical violence against children the other day and I don't know your experience but sometimes the child only 'sees' the mother, father or whoever beating that child, they do not 'see' a God as being responsible. I know some people say that there is so much sadness, how can there be a God? but from the point of view of that child, God has nothing to do with the beating and pain they are being subjected to. On growing up, some may take the view then that 'people' are bad and God then becomes a source of help and comfort. It is one view that that child can grow up with.