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Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre  I find the question of why people believe in God to be a very interesting one. And it's hard to answer that question without considering the question of God's existence. |
Not really. Yes, you have to consider it, but it's the same question as why people believe in gods, plural. Does Odin exist? I think he does. Just as I think the Christian God and the Jewish God exist. Both of them. Different. Or maybe I should say, "All 100 of them." But that's beside the point.
Why people believe in God has nothing to do with whether or not he exists. If he does, and he put a little Belief seed inside our heads that may or may not have grown, then understanding the basis of belief will naturally lead us to become aware of him.
The existence of God is an effect, not a cause, like most other yes or no questions. If you disagree, perhaps-- well, let's do that.
People say that God is important because he is the cause of this or that. Like morality. Or the universe. Or potatoes in Idaho. Or that new girl across the street. Fine. So, the return question is, if God didn't exist, would it change? That's a question you're not allowed to ask, because it's nonsensical to anyone who cares about the question of God's existence.
The people who think God exists say, "That's a stupid question."
The people who think he doesn't say, "That's a stupid question."
And the people who aren't sure, but spend their time wondering, say, "Hmmm... that's interesting." And they'll say the same thing in twenty years, because they still haven't made up their minds, they still care, and they still haven't gotten anywhere.
Doesn't sound like much of a cause to me. It's mental masturbation. It feels good. Hell, it makes you feel great. But it doesn't make any babies. Nothing comes out of it. It's a dead-end, no matter what the answer is.