Does anyone actually believe in God or are they just afraid...

[Joe]

Does anyone actually believe in God or are they just afraid of the personal ridicule they would receive if they said they didn't?

Over the last 2 weeks I've gone on dates with 4 single girls that all swear to me that they are very religious, I don't say anything about it. I just say I was raised in a Catholic household.

Well after our 1st date I "drop a bomb" the next day and tell them, that I don't think it's going to work because I'm agnostic. Hesitant at first, they are all ok with it after I tell them that 80% of my friends go to church and that I participate in volunteer activities, and social events at a local church, just because I find that it's typically made of high quality people.

After saying this, they have no issue... so my thinking is that no one actually believes, they just like the type of people that go... typically thought of as conservative, college educated well mannered and successful.

 

[Ricter]

Many talk as if there is a God, but few act as if there is one. Anyway, the real urgency of being "unequally yoked" comes during a crisis, not during fair weather.

 

[Wide Tailz]

They're women, of course they are easily tempted away from their "faith", which probably began the same way - wanting to "go along" with friends, and one thing lead to another.

To answer your original question, yes, some of us do believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, that He was resurrected incorruptible to eternal life, and so shall those who follow Him.

 

[CaptainObvious]

So let me get this straight. Over a 2 week period you have dated 4 young women, right?. All four claimed to be "very religious" on the very first date? Odd topic for a first date. Then in the same 2 week period you had a 2nd date and all four then said, well, we're not really all that religious? You might want to widen your "date" pool to something other than strippers.

 

[jem]

I would just as seriously ask, do many people really think this all came about by random chance? Random chance requires as big or a bigger leap of faith.

 

[Ricter]

... Random chance requires as big or a bigger leap of faith.

For some people, but not all.

 

[bigarrow]

Does anyone actually believe in God or are they just afraid of the personal ridicule they would receive if they said they didn't?

Over the last 2 weeks I've gone on dates with 4 single girls that all swear to me that they are very religious, I don't say anything about it. I just say I was raised in a Catholic household.

Well after our 1st date I "drop a bomb" the next day and tell them, that I don't think it's going to work because I'm agnostic. Hesitant at first, they are all ok with it after I tell them that 80% of my friends go to church and that I participate in volunteer activities, and social events at a local church, just because I find that it's typically made of high quality people.

After saying this, they have no issue... so my thinking is that no one actually believes, they just like the type of people that go... typically thought of as conservative, college educated well mannered and successful.

I think each Christian believes in their god in their own way. No one actually believes in the actual word for word of the bible or else we'd have people stoned to death, firehouses would be shut down on Sunday and on and on. I think what you're seeing is Christians accepting those who don't believe in a god. They can't accept atheist as an idea but they can accept the individual being an atheist, which is an improvement.

 

[jem]

1. Please then explain how the constants of universes are so fined tuned without taking a leap of faith.
Particularly, the cosmological constant which is tuned to 123 decimal places.

and

2. please explain without taking a leap of faith, how life evolved into non life within a few billion years without there being some drive to life or directed evolution imprinted in lifes building blocks.

For some people, but not all.

 

[bigarrow]

Science tells us random chance takes faith.

1. According to what science knows now, random chance requires almost infinite other unseen universes to exist.

its is possible they do, but that takes belief.

2. Also if you read the great biologists on the matter... they are still looking for a plausible pathway for evolution to take us from non life to life. Its still looks very unlikely life came about by random chance.

Instead you now have some scientists speaking of an imprint of directed evolution or a drive for life.

There is no way to jump from that idea to believing in the Jesus story. Intelligent design is just a backdoor to get Jesus in the public schools, in my opinion of course.

 

[Ricter]

Science tells us random chance takes faith.

1. According to what science knows now, random chance requires almost infinite other unseen universes to exist.

its is possible they do, but that takes belief.

2. Also if you read the great biologists on the matter... they are still looking for a plausible pathway for evolution to take us from non life to life. Its still looks very unlikely life came about by random chance.

Instead you now have some scientists speaking of an imprint of directed evolution or a drive for life.

Shrug. Belief in a creator requires almost infinite previous creators to exist.