Why do we choose to believe in something that might not be real?

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itullian said:
i mean, it goes for every religion or belief that requires a leap of faith.

why do we do it?
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I believe in God because I realised that I could no longer believe in the childish illusions of this world- perception, physical reality, causality, concepts, words, existence, non-existence, meant nothing to me. After having removed these things, there was a great nothingness remaining. This nothingness had no properties, and therefore no imperfections, and hence was perfect and perfectly tranquil. It had no limits in any respect, and was therefore infinite in all respects. I needed a word to apply to this nothingness- the word ‘nothingness’ was insufficient, as it implied a simply a negation or antithesis of ‘thingness’- and it became obvious that this reality/non-reality was identical with (i.e. was) God.

I exist in a relationship to something infinitely beyond me, beyond knowledge, beyond ‘relationship’. In fact, I suggest that this relationship to infinity, eternity, nothingness, non-existence, is the primary reality of all rational humanity. The name of the unknown ‘Being’ with which we have this relationship/non-relationship is ‘God’.

So, faith is not so much for me a matter of ‘believing’ in something, but rather a matter of not-believing in the finite. For disbelief in the perceived is identical with belief in the transcendent.
 
littlenothing said:
Invisible sky daddy? Im sorry, cerad, but we’re pretty much people of faith here who call this “sky daddy” our beloved Father. You can sure relive whatever you want, but could you perhaps refrain from choosing an irreverent and demeaning name for the One I hold most dear? I wouldn’t call someone you love a stupid name.
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:clapping:
 
dissurnmnt said:
😃 👍
Not necessarily: how about folks who come to faith when they’re adults? And how do you explain an atheist who was brought up a Fundamentalist or a Catholic? And maybe a person believes not primarily because of paradise, but because they yearn for the perfection of God’s goodness Himself, they yearn to swim in and breathe in His very majesty and excellence; maybe they despise, loathe and abhor the filth of human society, this contamination of ear, eye, soul, skin and lungs. :mad:
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Yes, there are plenty of exceptions. But I think that most religious people believe what they believe mostly because that’s what they’ve always believed, and have never seriously questioned it. And the attraction of religion isn’t only the promise of paradise, but it’s also the idea that there’s a supernatural force out there that cares for you and you can turn to in times of need. The moral aspect is another attraction. So you’re right - I was just painting with a very broad brush.
 
itullian said:
i mean, it goes for every religion or belief that requires a leap of faith.

why do we do it?
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Because the mind abhors a vacuum. In other words, if there is not knowledge, there is belief that serves that role. Hence, chaos. It is not money that is at the root of all evil.
 
Because God answers all the questions.

Why are we here ? What happens afterwards ? Why should we have hope for the future ? How could something almost infinitely vast come out of virtual nothingness ?
 
wcknight said:
Because God answers all the questions.

Why are we here ? What happens afterwards ? Why should we have hope for the future ? How could something almost infinitely vast come out of virtual nothingness ?
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If God “answers” all those “questions,” Why are the conclusions so wildly different? And if it is the fault of th listener, what good is the answer? So far, the only perceivable consistency ovver ages, cultures, times and conditions, has been, as far as I can see, the pointer offered by the proponents of non dualism, whenever and wherever they wrote.
 
Poseidon said:
Yes, there are plenty of exceptions. But I think that most religious people believe what they believe mostly because that’s what they’ve always believed, and have never seriously questioned it. And the attraction of religion isn’t only the promise of paradise, but it’s also the idea that there’s a supernatural force out there that cares for you and you can turn to in times of need. The moral aspect is another attraction. So you’re right - I was just painting with a very broad brush.
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Poseidon:

I don’t think that’s so. Rather, I think most kids have little or no religious stirrings at their ages. In fact, many, well into their upper teens if they’re churched, do so either out of respect for a family habit, and don’t give “God” much thought. That’s the way I understood kids when that age.

Kind of like love. At 19 one meets a girl (or boy) and falls into lust. Hopefully, that intense feeling keeps them together for several years, after which they may just recognize that “love” successfully replaces “lust” with a stronger attraction.

Anyway, the dilemma is the problem of the other. I’m not sure if anyone ever comes to perfect knowledge that his wife, or her husband, really loves him or her. People just “choose to believe.” Of course, a certain comfortability adds to easier acceptance of the veracity of that choice.

God bless,
jd
 
tonyrey said:
Why do we choose to believe in ourselves? That requires a leap of faith!
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If it is beleief in ourselves, then why religion instead ofactual knowledge? Or did you mean to say “our Self?”
 
Actually, I don’t. God has done enough in my life that I cannot doubt his existence or his ability to guide me to Heaven. Mind you, I spend time in conflict with him, anyway. I’ve even spent significant stretches of time infuriated with him, but it’s always been the fury of a wilfull child. At this point, though, I can’t doubt that he’s there with me any more than I can doubt gravity.
 
Gaber said:
If it is beleief in ourselves, then why religion instead ofactual knowledge? Or did you mean to say “our Self?”
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I have simply asked a question which refers to the “we” in the OP - without any reference to religion.
 
itullian said:
i mean, it goes for every religion or belief that requires a leap of faith.

why do we do it?
Click to expand...
I don’t believe Christianity is a religion that necessarily requires a “leap of faith.” Many times faith in the God of the Bible comes after much learning. In other words, people generally have to have some kind of knowledge and understanding of God before they can realize faith: “Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Therefore, it can be said that faith in Christianity does not come simply by placing trust in unproven things; rather, faith comes to fruition after logically hearing, examining, and observing the evidence.
 
itullian said:
i mean, it goes for every religion or belief that requires a leap of faith.

why do we do it?
Click to expand...
I’m surprised no one has yet brought this up, but this question is not just about religion. Think of a country that you have never been to, never actually seen or experienced. Does it really exist? Of course you will respond that it does. How do you know it exists? You see and hear about it from so many people that you gather enough “proof” to accept it as true. Sure, the question about whether a country exists or not is not nearly as debated as religion and the existence/non-existence of God, but it is a similar process, you gain enough “proof” so that you accept it as true or not true, depending on which side you see the “proof”.
 
pigzig said:
Lets be honest here, we all want eternal life.
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Do we? If we were given the option of a pointless worldly life, followed by complete oblivion (complete non-existence), I’m not sure that wouldn’t be a popular choice. The growing popularity of atheism suggests that it might.
 
pigzig said:
Lets be honest here, we all want eternal life.
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I’m also not sure about this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to lie and say it doesn’t sound wonderful. But for me the focus is not at all on life after death. It’s on the here and now. I see all the good around me and want to be a part of it. It all comes from God, Goodness itself, and is good only in so far as it participates in His Goodness. I see the good in and am drawn to it and want to be a part of it here and now, not in some distant afterlife.
 
itullian said:
maybe it was compassion for the dead?
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Not to mention the odor that comes when the body begins to decompose…:rolleyes:

All kidding aside, I do not doubt that they sensed something more… I believe we all, all generations, do/did.

We all come from the same Creator. We are connected that way. His love, and knowing Him, is etched on our souls. That’s why we seek “something”.

Fr. Robert Barron touches on it… (and of course I’m paraphrasing and going from memory) but…you know that feeling you get when you first fall in love? That achy, sort of sad, bittersweey feeling that moves you deeply? We ache because our soul knows that there is a love even greater than this. God’s love.
 
thewanderer said:
I’m also not sure about this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to lie and say it doesn’t sound wonderful. But for me the focus is not at all on life after death. It’s on the here and now. I see all the good around me and want to be a part of it. It all comes from God, Goodness itself, and is good only in so far as it participates in His Goodness. I see the good in and am drawn to it and want to be a part of it here and now, not in some distant afterlife.
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But don’t you want both?

I get what you’re saying and I agree. I do the same thing. But I also long and hope for what is to come.
 
Little_Mary said:
But don’t you want both?

I get what you’re saying and I agree. I do the same thing. But I also long and hope for what is to come.
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Sure, like I said, I’m not trying to imply that it isn’t a wonderful thing. It’s just not at all what I focus on. It’s not the driving force behind my belief.
 
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