Why Do I Only Believe in God When I'm Scared?

[Col. Tartleton]

I think every agnostic and atheist has had those moments when something freaked the out of them.

And their first reaction is "Dear God."

You'd be hard pressed to see someone watch a satanic oriented horror film (or a more traumatic life experience...) and not walk away thinking about how much of a sinner you are. You start thinking "What if all this is real and by not walking the strait and narrow I'm in for some deep ." You start thinking about the sorts of jokes you make and realize how screwed up you are sometimes. About all the people you've mistreated or ignored. The things you say to people and the impression you give. Whatever it is you wind up thinking you're a bad guy, there's a demon around every corner about to get you and you go to church to try to atone and wash your soul off.

And a day later it's forgotten.

The difference between a Theist and an Atheist is a Theist thinks this is a legitimate possibility and an Atheist thinks is a defense mechanism. What's scarier? That we need to rely on an omnipotent good to protect us from a near omnipotent evil? Or that we're just a bunch of crazy "intelligent" animals who have sent men through an airless void of space to walk on the moon and still are afraid of what lies in the dark even though we're damn sure that it's an evolutionary fear of darkness for safety because we're diurnal animals...

Is it more scary to believe in God or not to? God's comforting I guess, but that other guy...

[Elfdude]

I think it's natural to talk to yourself when you are afraid to console yourself. I can't remember appealing to a god specifically or any god for that matter when I'm fearful although I do tend to repeat mantras and what might be considered prayers with my inner monologue, but I would not assign those religious significance. I do it more because I understand that my mood is rather alterable if I work on it and comforting myself when I'm fearful prevents me from being blinded by the fear.

[Gordon Freynman]

I think every agnostic and atheist has had those moments when something freaked the out of them.

And their first reaction is "Dear God."

You'd be hard pressed to see someone watch a satanic oriented horror film (or a more traumatic life experience...) and not walk away thinking about how much of a sinner you are. You start thinking "What if all this is real and by not walking the strait and narrow I'm in for some deep ." You start thinking about the sorts of jokes you make and realize how screwed up you are sometimes. About all the people you've mistreated or ignored. The things you say to people and the impression you give. Whatever it is you wind up thinking you're a bad guy, there's a demon around every corner about to get you and you go to church to try to atone and wash your soul off.

And a day later it's forgotten.

None of this is true for me, guess I'm a rarity.

[Veni]

None of this is true for me, guess I'm a rarity.

I don't think we are.

[CamilleBonparte]

I'm going to assume you're referring to the Christian concept of God and if I'm wrong you can correct me.

Is it more scary to believe in God or not to?

Well there is nothing scary at all about believing in God. According to Christianity faith in God (and in Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection) means the gift of salvation, peace of mind, eternal perfect life after death, etc.

God's comforting I guess, but that other guy...

I don't understand. If you believe in God, then what could you possibly have to fear from the devil? Temptation? Seduction? Even if you fall victim to these things recovery is never out of reach for the believer. The requirements of heaven are not a perfect life, it is simply faith.

I know you're an atheist and I'm just gonna get flamed for daring to more clearly represent my position but that's my response.

[Lord of Lost Socks]

If I say, "Good God" or sumthin' when something terrible happens. I'm not expressing my faith. I'm using an expression.
Doesn't mean I believe in God.

[Bromordra]

If I say, "Good God" or sumthin' when something terrible happens. I'm not expressing my faith. I'm using an expression.
Doesn't mean I believe in God.

What this man said. If English had developed in such a way that the phrase 'Oh Sassafrass!' was a universally recognized utterence of shocked disbelief or fear, then I would use that. Saying 'Oh my god!' or, (the one I personally use the most) 'mother of god!', is just my upbringing and cultural surroundings coming to the forefront and that's all. It is not a statement of belief.

This thread also reminds me of the old saying 'There are no Atheists in Foxholes'. Which is, quite honestly, one of the most insulting phrases to enter our lexicon. The assumption in play here is that when exposed to fear, an atheist will instantly convert and give up one of the main tenants of his lifestyle for some momentary comfort.

[Caliph]

He doesn't seem to reward and punish people on a particularly fair basis though, if that is in fact what he is doing.

And He won't.

Working with the concept that God is fair & just. If God punished me for every single sin while I am still alive, and rewarded me for every good deed while I am still alive also; then my status after death in front God would be neutral. I will neither be a sinner cause I served punishment and I won't be among the righteous cause I received the reward for my good works already.

Judging me on how I lived my life would be pointless.

It´s dangerous. It´s the danger of making a system of morals depend on a metaphysical system - because the ethics of the Christian religion depends/is deduced from the Christian conception of God. In a connection such as this, ethics is subordinated to metaphysics.

You make an intelligent point.

But you may be over-estimating the power of one's faith in not being affecting by society's norms, and in breaking a country's laws which are derived from any given society's ethics, just to fulfill the metaphysical aspects of his faith. That's why I don't see the danger you pointed out from a practical stand-point.

[Helm]

And He won't.

Working with the concept that God is fair & just. If God punished me for every single sin while I am still alive, and rewarded me for every good deed while I am still alive also; then my status after death in front God would be neutral. I will neither be a sinner cause I served punishment and I won't be among the righteous cause I received the reward for my good works already.

Judging me on how I lived my life would be pointless.

God dishes out eternal rewards and punishments after you're dead though, did you do anything to deserve either? Has anyone?

[Caliph]

God dishes out eternal rewards and punishments after you're dead though, did you do anything to deserve either? Has anyone?

Every single human being deserves eternal reward after enduring this miserable existence called Life.

Though those who have been unjust to others cannot be the equals to those who have for the most part been good to their fellow human beings. And that's who hell is for, it's for paying and taking responsibility for one's crimes in life until God sees fit, and His sentence is unquestionabely divine and righteous. For a holocust victim and the man who ordered his gassing to end up in the same place would make God unjust.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

You start thinking "What if all this is real and by not walking the strait and narrow I'm in for some deep ." You start thinking about the sorts of jokes you make and realize how screwed up you are sometimes. About all the people you've mistreated or ignored. The things you say to people and the impression you give.

That's called a concience, and it's there for a reason. I hope more people listen to it, even when they're not watching Dario Argento movies.

Whatever it is you wind up thinking you're a bad guy, there's a demon around every corner about to get you and you go to church to try to atone and wash your soul off.

Well because that's true. When you do something wrong, you have to make it right again. It's kind of part of that whole goofy "concience" and "morality" thing we got going on. It's really not too bad though.

And a day later it's forgotten.

Not really no. It's kind of like ignoring the elephant in the room.

The difference between a Theist and an Atheist is a Theist thinks this is a legitimate possibility and an Atheist thinks is a defense mechanism. What's scarier? That we need to rely on an omnipotent good to protect us from a near omnipotent evil? Or that we're just a bunch of crazy "intelligent" animals who have sent men through an airless void of space to walk on the moon and still are afraid of what lies in the dark even though we're damn sure that it's an evolutionary fear of darkness for safety because we're diurnal animals...

It's really not quite like that. The theist "relys" on God much like how man and plant rely on eachother. They eat up our carbon dioxide and we eat up their oxygen. We love God and yearn for God to have a presence in our lives. While it is true that God protects us from the darkness, that's not all their is to it. We don't believe in God just because we're afraid of the dark.

[Boer]

I'm an agnostic but was raised christian and I know what you are talking about and have giving it thought before. I think it has to do mostly with being raised as a christian, something that many or most western agnostics/atheists can relate to. From an early age it was drilled into me that god/jesus is my friend, he'll comfort and protect me, ect, and that I should pray to him, especially when things go wrong.
So when I'm worried or stressed or scared or whatever, I find myself repeating some childhood prayer. But I never expect some supernatural power to swoop in and intervene on my behalf. I think of it more as a mantra or meditation; it is something that calms me when I repeat it, partly because it gives me something else to think about or do, especially when whatever the problem is is outside my control. I could receive the same benefit by repeating any mantra, but I usually go with a prayer because it is the most familiar to me.

[Tacitursa]

I think It's because people tend to be irrational when there scared. It doesnt happen often enough for the brain to deal with it properly. Speaking to god is bassically the brain saying "Im desperate and i dunno what to do"

[♔Goodguy1066♔]

I know the feeling. I am a Theist all the way, but the instances I came closest to dropping it all was when things were going great.
I don't know why is it, since us Jews believe God never interferes in the everyday life of an individual, but I guess it's in our instincts to think that bad moments are divine punishments and good moments are all our own doing.

[Col. Tartleton]

I know the feeling. I am a Theist all the way, but the instances I came closest to dropping it all was when things were going great.
I don't know why is it, since us Jews believe God never interferes in the everyday life of an individual, but I guess it's in our instincts to think that bad moments are divine punishments and good moments are all our own doing.

He made the earth stop spinning for Joshua to extend the light of day.

That's got to be up there in terms of silly interventions with Israel getting sucker punched by God and God writing it off as a tie.

"Oh? All right, we'll call it a draw."

The God of Israel does work.

[Yosemite]

because god exist

[Matterhorn]

Honestly, Christianity (my beliefs) scare the living crap out of me. When I sin and I know it, I shake and feel an immense guilt. That's not why I believe in God (because I'm afraid of going to hell) but because of the good it teaches. It makes me feel like I'm not walking this earth alone. I think all humans have some sort of attachment to God when they are born. When something scares them they go back to that attachment. Modern science has "disproved" God's existence. It's a few people who don't want to bow down to somebody else say he's not real, and convince others he's not real. But they have a completely false idea of God. You bow down, but in return he carries you through life.

[Squiggle]

Honestly, Christianity (my beliefs) scare the living crap out of me. When I sin and I know it, I shake and feel an immense guilt.

Guilt I can understand, but why should you feel fear? Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins, you should feel joy. Your saved, despite your inadequacies, you are, and everyone can be, saved.

That's not why I believe in God (because I'm afraid of going to hell) but because of the good it teaches. It makes me feel like I'm not walking this earth alone. I think all humans have some sort of attachment to God when they are born. When something scares them they go back to that attachment. Modern science has "disproved" God's existence. It's a few people who don't want to bow down to somebody else say he's not real, and convince others he's not real. But they have a completely false idea of God. You bow down, but in return he carries you through life.

The bolded is, quotation or not, simply untrue. I can go through why if your curious, but its definitely simply untrue...

[Matterhorn]

The bolded is, quotation or not, simply untrue. I can go through why if your curious, but its definitely simply untrue...

Science's teachings have said that it's illogical to believe in God. Apparently it was just a tool for early peoples to understand their world, and it's no longer relevant. Otherwise, why do so many people, upon hearing Science, does not agree with what religion teaches. It does not make sense to me how science has replaced God in the lives of so many people. This is what I was talking about in the liberal Christian forum. I want to know if, since so many people give up religion when hearing about science, if science and religion can completely coexist where some teachings of each aren't overshadowed, and have it not contradict the bible.

Oh, and I am not unsure of my faith at all. I am 100% a Christian, and I live every day in Christ's name. I am 100% sure of God's existence. I am not questioning my faith. I am not going to say why I am sure God exists, because I will be attacked by the atheists for incorrect science and illogical thinking, but I have proof, in my mind, and it makes me sure of God.

[Squiggle]

Science's teachings have said that it's illogical to believe in God.

No it hasnt. I can list you tons of cosmologist, biologist or whatever who not only believe God works with scientific theory, but are themselves self professing Christians...

Apparently it was just a tool for early peoples to understand their world, and it's no longer relevant. Otherwise, why do so many people, upon hearing Science, does not agree with what religion teaches. It does not make sense to me how science has replaced God in the lives of so many people. This is what I was talking about in the liberal Christian forum. I want to know if, since so many people give up religion when hearing about science, if science and religion can completely coexist where some teachings of each aren't overshadowed, and have it not contradict the bible.

People give up religion because of science, due to the fallacies you are presenting. Popular culture reinforces this false dichotomy, and between faith and objective facts, people go with the certain. Science. But the dichotomy is, as I said, false. Science works with God, it reinforces Christian beliefs. There is absolutely no issue.

Oh, and I am not unsure of my faith at all. I am 100% a Christian, and I live every day in Christ's name. I am 100% sure of God's existence. I am not questioning my faith. I am not going to say why I am sure God exists, because I will be attacked by the atheists for incorrect science and illogical thinking, but I have proof, in my mind, and it makes me sure of God.

And I have both strong scientific and philosophical reasoning for believing in God. Its valid, its defended by people with far more phd's than either you or I can hope to earn in our life time. Dont shirk away from defending your faith- rationally- because people wont agree. And dont, above all, play to this idiotic false dichotomy that its science and rationality OR God. Doing that marginalizes you, and makes you, to be frank, a fool.