Comments on: When One Craves Belief http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/ A Godless Skeptic's Notes on Liberty, Religion, Society, and More... Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:03:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Mana http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-811 Mana Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:49:29 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-811 George, once again, you believe in God. The question was for those who don't believe but want to believe. I know... it's a very uncomfortable question for those in that group--Why do you want so badly to believe in god? Are you saying that those who don't believe but want to believe, do so because they know that those who believe are soothed by believing? But if you don't believe and just want to believe, can you be soothed , while you're struggling to find out how to believe? George, once again, you believe in God. The question was for those who don’t believe but want to believe. I know… it’s a very uncomfortable question for those in that group–Why do you want so badly to believe in god?

Are you saying that those who don’t believe but want to believe, do so because they know that those who believe are soothed by believing? But if you don’t believe and just want to believe, can you be soothed , while you’re struggling to find out how to believe?

]]> By: George http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-802 George Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:30:29 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-802 Well Mana, I am passed the age of believing in the existance of Frankestein or any other Hallowen "scary" product. What I meant by "monsters" is the genetic mutations, different medicine meant to cure, but which in the long run proves to have a side effect much stronger than the cure, and so on. My point is, people believe in things/creatures/ideas and so on. When they push it to fanatism is when it's wrong. There are as many studies to scientifically prove whatever, as there are religious explanations to prove the existance of a God. Human beings are "made" in a way that they need to have a certain support. Whether is God or a science god, it helps. We cannot be alone, and if and when we are alone, we find escape in a certain belief. "Trying to find god, the true church, consumes you, yet there’s never one god or one church that ever makes complete sense" I believe in God. It doesn't consume me, I doesn't overwhelm me, it soothes me. I am religious, but do not go to church on a regular basis. I do not mistaken the priest for God, as many other co-believers. I have something to turn to when times are hard, even though I haven't got any...divine proof of His existance. I accept people for what they are, not for what they believe in. I have friends who are Muslims, atheist, catholics, Hindu, Jewish and so on. I find it interesting going to churches of different faiths, I find it interesting hearing my atheist friend talking about her "non-beliefs". My point is, it doesn't matter what or who you believe in. What really matters is not to be judgemental. That's when the fight starts. Well Mana, I am passed the age of believing in the existance of Frankestein or any other Hallowen “scary” product. What I meant by “monsters” is the genetic mutations, different medicine meant to cure, but which in the long run proves to have a side effect much stronger than the cure, and so on. My point is, people believe in things/creatures/ideas and so on. When they push it to fanatism is when it’s wrong. There are as many studies to scientifically prove whatever, as there are religious explanations to prove the existance of a God.
Human beings are “made” in a way that they need to have a certain support. Whether is God or a science god, it helps. We cannot be alone, and if and when we are alone, we find escape in a certain belief.
“Trying to find god, the true church, consumes you, yet there’s never one god or one church that ever makes complete sense”
I believe in God. It doesn’t consume me, I doesn’t overwhelm me, it soothes me. I am religious, but do not go to church on a regular basis. I do not mistaken the priest for God, as many other co-believers. I have something to turn to when times are hard, even though I haven’t got any…divine proof of His existance. I accept people for what they are, not for what they believe in. I have friends who are Muslims, atheist, catholics, Hindu, Jewish and so on. I find it interesting going to churches of different faiths, I find it interesting hearing my atheist friend talking about her “non-beliefs”.
My point is, it doesn’t matter what or who you believe in. What really matters is not to be judgemental. That’s when the fight starts.

]]> By: squnlimited » When One Craves Belief http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-801 squnlimited » When One Craves Belief Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:45:27 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-801 [...] all the details here [...] [...] all the details here [...]

]]> By: Mana http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-800 Mana Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:31:09 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-800 George, you are correct, that is an Orthodox Church, the Metropolitan Seat of Transylvania. I made a mistake in my caption, which I promptly corrected. However, you are missing the point of my question. I am asking those who don't believe but want to believe why they want to believe. And no, science doesn't create monsters, people create or can act like monsters, regardless of science. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean by monsters and you mean Frankenstein's monster, which of course is a fictional character, and proved in the end to be ruled by human instincts like the rest of us. George, you are correct, that is an Orthodox Church, the Metropolitan Seat of Transylvania. I made a mistake in my caption, which I promptly corrected.

However, you are missing the point of my question. I am asking those who don’t believe but want to believe why they want to believe.

And no, science doesn’t create monsters, people create or can act like monsters, regardless of science. Unless I’m misunderstanding what you mean by monsters and you mean Frankenstein’s monster, which of course is a fictional character, and proved in the end to be ruled by human instincts like the rest of us.

]]> By: George http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-798 George Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:10:16 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-798 What is so wrong with believing in a God? From what I read, you find your peace in science, which is your god as well, and your religion. If there was no faith in God, you couldn't be called an atheist today. Why do you rely so much on science? Isn't it the science that creates monsters? Isn't it science that "finds" today a cure for a disease which tomorrow proves to be poison? Science....faith in a religion....it's all the same to me, when it is brought to fanatism. It is not a matter of what we believe in, it is a matter of knowing when to draw a line, when knowing to apply whatever makes you happy and gives you solace. And BTW, the church you show in the picture....is a pure Orthodox Cathedral... What is so wrong with believing in a God? From what I read, you find your peace in science, which is your god as well, and your religion.
If there was no faith in God, you couldn’t be called an atheist today. Why do you rely so much on science? Isn’t it the science that creates monsters? Isn’t it science that “finds” today a cure for a disease which tomorrow proves to be poison?
Science….faith in a religion….it’s all the same to me, when it is brought to fanatism. It is not a matter of what we believe in, it is a matter of knowing when to draw a line, when knowing to apply whatever makes you happy and gives you solace.
And BTW, the church you show in the picture….is a pure Orthodox Cathedral…

]]> By: Christian » When One Craves Belief http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-795 Christian » When One Craves Belief Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:53:52 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-795 [...] pearlie wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTrying to find god, the true church, consumes you, yet there’s never one god or one church that ever makes complete sense. Sound familiar? Then I only have one question left, why do you want so badly to believe in god? [...] [...] pearlie wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTrying to find god, the true church, consumes you, yet there’s never one god or one church that ever makes complete sense. Sound familiar? Then I only have one question left, why do you want so badly to believe in god? [...]

]]> By: When One Craves Belief · Wine Database http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-794 When One Craves Belief · Wine Database Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:39:46 +0000 http://skepticum.com/when-one-craves-belief/#comment-794 [...] Skepticum wrote a fantastic post today on “When One Craves Belief”Here’s ONLY a quick extractWhen I was a child my nanny would drag me to church with her. My family was religiously mixed (as I like to call it, they may disagree) and as a result religion was only used as an excuse to pick fights at the end of a copious family dinner. And every family dinner had to end with a big argument spiced up by wine, after which the ladies would retire to chat and the men and children would pass out and nap. My nanny felt obliged to save me from being religiously confused, so with every [...] [...] Skepticum wrote a fantastic post today on “When One Craves Belief”Here’s ONLY a quick extractWhen I was a child my nanny would drag me to church with her. My family was religiously mixed (as I like to call it, they may disagree) and as a result religion was only used as an excuse to pick fights at the end of a copious family dinner. And every family dinner had to end with a big argument spiced up by wine, after which the ladies would retire to chat and the men and children would pass out and nap. My nanny felt obliged to save me from being religiously confused, so with every [...]

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