The obstacles which prevent faith

[mhmtas63]

Why all people have not faith or why not believing in Creator of universe? What are obstacles?

I know or think some reasons. We have free will and God wish to exam people. Believing in such invisible thing/person is so difficult because we live in a material world. If you cannot point existence an object as physically so it is absent! There are many religions and sects. And religious people have many wrongs which conflict with a perfect God. Faith is not a math exam to prove through a formula. There are degrees in faith that some faiths are so weak and other powerful… So Believers or atheists wha do you think?

 

[DeSales111]

There are probably many reasons. For me personally, when I was away from my faith I was caught up in secularism, simply put, no urgency to even consider faith. An honest reason why religion turned me off then, it bored me and I did not want an opposition to the secular good times. I thought I was free when actually I was a slave to sin. Back then it was easier to walk away from God than to walk with God.

I now thank God for allowing a demonic attack to occur to my wife and I about 9 years ago, that really showed me and taught me a valuable lesson, there was a reason to find urgency in my faith. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we got healthy dose of fear alright. Now we are walking with Jesus not away from Jesus. It took reality to make us Believers.

 

[CapitalistCatholic]

I have a friend who is Agnostic. No matter how much I prayed for his conversion, he still wishes not to discuss religion anymore than we already have. Personally, I feel he is hesitant to commit to something he is not so sure about. A touch of fear ruins the purest creatures.

 

[awesomecatholic]

Pure pride. I know several agnostics and I think they believe they don’t need God,they want to control their own lives. People allow today’s society and culture surround them.

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

It’s not a matter of pride, as some have suggested. In our daily lives we constantly make decisions where he have no or limited information. Should I switch jobs not knowing if the new company will still be thriving in 5 years? Should I take this medicine? Should I trust what this politician says?

Religion, all religions, are no different. Should I trust what is being said is true? Why are there so many different religions if just this one is true? Should I accept the many explanations given to try and resolve the various issues with this religion?

And just like the questions in our daily lives, some say yes and some say no. That doesn’t mean either side can definitively shown to be right, because the vagueness and unknowingness of religion prevents a definitive yes or no. What are the obstacles to faith? For me, it just doesn’t add up and the apologetics don’t do nearly a good enough job trying to make it jibe. Others, like yourselves, disagree – and that’s OK. The one thing I would ask is to be courteous and avoid claiming that non-religious haven’t done a thorough assessment of the available evidence simply because they disagree with you. It’s not only bearing false witness it prevents insight into the very topic: The obstacles which prevent faith.

 

[Dan_Defender]

Many people choose themselves over God. They are proud of their rationality and do not want to consider anything spiritual. They feel that they have everything they need in this world, so why bother with God? Pray for them.

 

[niceatheist]

Many people choose themselves over God. They are proud of their rationality and do not want to consider anything spiritual. They feel that they have everything they need in this world, so why bother with God? Pray for them.

And what about those who have considered spirituality?

 

[OKComputer]

From what I see from my friends who don’t believe it’s mostly science that pushes them into atheism. I think that’s a barrier for many people.

 

[Dan_Defender]

IMO a spiritual person would try to fulfill the purpose for which God made him, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

Many people choose themselves over God. They are proud of their rationality and do not want to consider anything spiritual.

Or they’ve considered it before and did not find it believable. It’s rather hard to put something you don’t believe exist above oneself.

They feel that they have everything they need in this world, so why bother with God?

IOW, to such people, religion is the answer to a problem they do not have (or perceive).

Perhaps there is a set of personality types that just aren’t big on religion when given the opportunity not to practice. Perhaps what the the OP and studies are seeing is the result of relaxed social pressure?

 

[mhmtas63]

Religion, all religions, are no different. Should I trust what is being said is true? Why are there so many different religions if just this one is true? Should I accept the many explanations given to try and resolve the various issues with this religion?

Who said just one religion is true? The first step is faith not religion. If you have some problems with religions and apologetics then try to find the creator of every thing. Faith is not just with mind and logic but it should be supported by heart. Do you have a heart? Do you ever love or worry? If God is exist(at least that is a probality because thousand people claimed that with some miracles and revelation) so every one can find a way to God through heart and soul. Religions are disciplines to make it easy.

 

[mhmtas63]

And what about those who have considered spirituality?

They should ask the source of spirituality.

 

[mhmtas63]

Or they’ve considered it before and did not find it believable. It’s rather hard to put something you don’t believe exist above oneself.

The conscience could feel the existence of that omnipotent and omniscience God. We are so weak we need an omnipotent tutelary. We need so much things most of which we could not reach. So we want a Rich wo can give us what we wish. We have so enemies we need a very powerful Protector. We do not die and dissolve. An eternal God could help us. We can feel that God through our perfect designed body and in our souls. And also through very orderly universe. An needle cannot be without an operator so how a very perfect and orderly universe could be without an owner?

 

[mhmtas63]

Perhaps there is a set of personality types that just aren’t big on religion when given the opportunity not to practice. Perhaps what the the OP and studies are seeing is the result of relaxed social pressure?

A social pressure should be! That is good. If we do not shame and abstain so what scandals we could do!

The way of faith is not straight so we need some advices and society do that. The religion is advice.

If most of society consort on an issue so that must has a point. People exam and quest the issues with logic and heart. And they experience the case. The faith and religion should have passed the whole obstacles and exams.

 

[Pug]

Obstacles

• The believers themselves
• Busy with other things, don’t see the point in investigating
• Desiring the case for belief to be much stronger or more compelling
• Unable to will themselves to feel certain, which they are often told they must do
• Belief seems to provide them no benefits that they recognize
• Reject a particular belief as patently false, so reject it all

 

[mhmtas63]

From what I see from my friends who don’t believe it’s mostly science that pushes them into atheism. I think that’s a barrier for many people.

On the other hand the science make some’s faith most powerful!. I think the point is “view”. One look at a flower and see that that plant has wonderful colors and very nice flavors and miraculous art and design and a life … He think that non of the materials which construct and built the body of that plant has no life and aesthetic knowledge and color and flavor. So the constructer and designer of that plant must have miraculous attributes who can control and possess all materials. Otherwise every matter must have a deity attribute.

And other could think in that way: all that could be the conclusion of random actions! He cannot reason that exactly but why not!

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

Who said just one religion is true?

I probably should have said that no more than one religion is true. Religions are mutually exclusive. Many of them share similar beliefs, which means that if one is true others might be partially true. But in the end either one or zero are entirely true.

The first step is faith not religion. If you have some problems with religions and apologetics then try to find the creator of every thing.

The first step in all things should be truth. That’s what I was talking about in my earlier post, that when presented with a religion and the evidence for it, we have to each make a determination as to whether it is true or not. No religion has incontrovertible proof that it is true. Faith is just a desire for something to be true without the evidence for it. That’s never the best way to find truth.

Faith is not just with mind and logic but it should be supported by heart. Do you have a heart? Do you ever love or worry? If God is exist(at least that is a probality because thousand people claimed that with some miracles and revelation) so every one can find a way to God through heart and soul.

People following mutually exclusive religions have come to them via their heart, so we know it’s not completely reliable in finding truth.

Religions are disciplines to make it easy.

Few things are as complicated as studying and comparing religions.

 

[FredBloggs]

I think the question is wrong to begin with.

The idea of there being “obstacles” to faith implies that one must want to find faith but find things in the way which prevent it. That’s the wrong way to look at it. Or rather, it’s a believer’s way to look at it.

I - and most atheists I know - disbelieve for one reason only: we have come to the rational conclusion that there is no reason to believe in gods - any gods. There is no evidence, and the “logical proofs” are not, in fact, logical - all are flawed and beg the question in one way or another.

There are no “obstacles” to faith for me, as religious faith is not a goal I consider worthy of pursuit. Which faith would I pursue? And why? To what end?

I presume nothing and let the evidence take me where it will. That approach has proved profoundly successful in providing reliable information about the world. I see no reason to abandon that simply because it might in some way provide me with false comfort that someone is watching over me.

 

[niceatheist]

Well, there are obstacles even in atheism. The one I wrest with these days is the origins of the fundamental laws of nature. While science has by and large discarded any consideration of metaphysics (and not without good reason, Hume’s rather grim view of metaphysics is one I share, a lot of words, verbiage and specialized language designed, it seems, to say nothing at all).

Atheism for me has been more about the problems I have even figuring out where God is supposed to fit in. I tend towards the notion that the Universe is finite in time, but that there is no T0, the closer you go back to the starting point, the steeper the curve. You can get close but never quite get to where it all began (the analogy would be like trying to accelerate to the speed of light, you can, with lots and lots of energy, get very close to c, but it would require an infinite amount of energy to actually accelerate to c). In such a scenario, where is there room for any creative event?

But the sticky point always is why T0 at all (reachable or not)? Science is very likely either never going to be able to answer the question, or if it does, it’s going to be something like M-theory, which just pushes the question back.

Part of it, I think, is that the human brain just well and truly cannot fathom the twin notions of infinity and nothingness. Aristotle and Aquinas both ran up against that problem, and rather than stare it straight in the eye and say “I know there’s a concept I cannot hope to grasp”, they basically flinched and invoked the Prime Mover argument; an unmovable unchangeable entity that can still actually doing things. But all they did was create the paradox in a different form.

This is why my atheism is of the weakest variety. I keep feeling that if the right argument came along, if the right set of logical steps were put before me, then I might become some sort of theist, deist or pantheist. But at every turn, I end up seeing the same paradox, the same “intellectual singularity”. At least science has an inherent honesty which amounts to “Maybe we can never know the ultimate truth.”

 

[mhmtas63]

I think the question is wrong to begin with.

The idea of there being “obstacles” to faith implies that one must want to find faith but find things in the way which prevent it. That’s the wrong way to look at it. Or rather, it’s a believer’s way to look at it.

I - and most atheists I know - disbelieve for one reason only: we have come to the rational conclusion that there is no reason to believe in gods - any gods. There is no evidence, and the “logical proofs” are not, in fact, logical - all are flawed and beg the question in one way or another.

There are no “obstacles” to faith for me, as religious faith is not a goal I consider worthy of pursuit. Which faith would I pursue? And why? To what end?

I presume nothing and let the evidence take me where it will. That approach has proved profoundly successful in providing reliable information about the world. I see no reason to abandon that simply because it might in some way provide me with false comfort that someone is watching over me.

If you have not faith that points there are some obstacles between you and faith.

People did not invented or fabricated the idea there must be a God. God revealed some chosen people to preach that fact. And some of these chosen people performed miracles. There are many evidences for existence of God. But you cannot find those just by logic. We are not just a logical being but also we have some spiritual attributions. If billions people claim that there is God then it is very worthy to regard.

Someone is always watching you. That may distort your comfort but provide an endless life.