Do you believe in a higher power?

[Keltronn]

You had a little bit of a point until the "deserve to be hated" line. Nobody deserves to be hated. I won't comment on the rest.

I do agree, but it's people like that who annoy me. They're too ignorant to even understand what religion is about but are very quick to post hate about it.

I'm not religious, in any way; but I respect their opinions and don't bash it. As soon as they start to hate on people's opinions, I'll hate on them.

[rzy]

Let me ask this, if there is no higher power or creator, how are we here?

Science tells us that bro.

[Sanctioned]

Nope, nothing happens. You die and that's the end.

[Nachopie]

No, death is the end .

Alot of people dont see this and want to live in a Heaven/Hell fantasy or hide behind their religion but thats people i guess.

It's foolish to act as if you know either way, however. That said I do not think there is a "heaven/hell". It is interesting to think how everything got here though; humans, earth, the galaxy, the universe, etc.

[Nachopie]

Science tells us that bro.

Actually it doesn't. It tells us how we got here but how did everything get here? Science has not yet told us where everything in the universe came from. Was it at some point created? Was it always there? (an inconceivable thought really.)

Where did the building blocks of the universe originate from?

[Against the Modern World]

I don't understand why one should ponder over such things as 'what happens after we die?' questions, when you won't find out until you actually end up in the grave.

Why care about a plane or train safety? When it explodes, you'll be dead, so you'll never know there was a bomb.

You can find it out with special "spiritual exercises", and you can change it, but only if you're strong willed enough.

The power that governs the destiny of all living beings is called the “Eagle”, not because it is an eagle or has anything to do with an eagle, but because it appears to the eye of the seer as an immeasurable jet-black eagle, standing erect as an eagle stands, its height reaching to infinity.
The Eagle devours the awareness of all the creatures that, alive on earth a moment before and now dead, have floated to the Eagle’s beak like a swarm of fireflies, to meet their owner, their reason for having had life. The Eagle disentangles these tiny flames, lays them flat, as a tanner stretches out a hide, and then consumes them; for awareness is the Eagle’s food.
The Eagle, the dark sea of awareness or the indescribable force, that power that governs the destinies of all living things, reflects equally and at once all those living things. There is no way, therefore, for man to pray to the Eagle, to ask favors, to hope for grace. The human part of the Eagle is too insignificant to move the whole.
Every living thing has been granted the power, if it so desires, to seek an opening to freedom and go through it. It is evident to the seer who sees the opening, and to the creatures that go through it, that the Eagle has granted that gift in order to perpetuate awareness. To cross over to freedom in this way does not mean eternal life as eternity is commonly understood – that is, as living forever. Rather, warriors can keep their awareness, which is ordinarily relinquished at the moment of dying. At the moment of crossing, the body in its entirety is kindled with knowledge. Every cell at once becomes aware of itself and also aware of the totality of the body.
The Eagle’s gift of freedom is not a bestowal, but a chance to have a chance. We’re warriors, and warriors have only one thing in mind: their freedom. To die and be eaten by the Eagle is no challenge. On the other hand, to sneak around the Eagle and be free is the ultimate audacity.

[smallz]

Let me ask this, if there is no higher power or creator, how are we here?

This might be the simplest question to ask, and the hardest to answer. It will be many years till we will fully understand every last thing that leads to our existence, but saying "godditit" is basically giving up.

[Zyzzyx]

George Bush was a pretty high power.

Also, we're likely here because of all that silly "evolution and big bang stuff". It's the one that sounds feasible, since both options are absolutely insane.

[Dacien]

I believe in God. I believe I'm going to heaven when I die.

[isadorr]

They had to make religions to keep people in line to do good. Just like when parents tell their kids stories so they dont do certain things. If you do this or this then you go to hell, be a good person and go to heaven. It is amazing seeing people believe in a book that has been changed over and over through thousands of years yet if you try to pass along a saying from one end of a classroom to the other 95% of the time its not right when it gets there.

[Destrina]

I'm a polytheist. I believe in the gods, and spiritual concepts.

Believing only in what science says is fine, but they are frequently changing their stories. Example: The "raisin theory" before plate tectonics. It's asinine to believe we know so much about everything that we can conclusively rule everything out that we don't know about.

[Grimbold21]

This might be the simplest question to ask, and the hardest to answer. It will be many years till we will fully understand every last thing that leads to our existence, but saying "godditit" is basically giving up.

No, its a stupid question that can receive a stupid answer: if your creator exists, then who created teh creator?

The fact that we cant prove that god exists, doesnt mean that he does.

[Dacien]

They had to make religions to keep people in line to do good. Just like when parents tell their kids stories so they dont do certain things. If you do this or this then you go to hell, be a good person and go to heaven. It is amazing seeing people believe in a book that has been changed over and over through thousands of years yet if you try to pass along a saying from one end of a classroom to the other 95% of the time its not right when it gets there.

Very good point. Over the years, I've started to lean towards the hypothesis the the Bible is full of white lies. There are things that aren't true, but it's written that way for your own good. Just a hypothesis. (Btw, I'm not a "Christian")

[Kharnn]

Actually it doesn't. It tells us how we got here but how did everything get here? Science has not yet told us where everything in the universe came from. Was it at some point created? Was it always there? (an inconceivable thought really.)

Where did the building blocks of the universe originate from?

This ^

Jesus crits you for 50k

GG

[msdos]

first you gotta ask yourself.. is it more arrogant to believe that something special happens after we die or is it more arrogant to believe you know what's going to happen after you die?

how do you even believe in the unknown? i randomly believe there is a huge blackhole in the center of the universe.. no, no, i got this idea from somewhere else. nobody is coming up with this crap on their own, that's for sure.

your belief is either going to be the most logical thing you can think of or the most pleasant thing your mind wants to believe in. rarely is a belief something completely out of the ballpark, otherwise you're made a fool of.

if i go write a book about how i believe when we die, all our souls are transported to the center of a random galaxy, i'm sure people will be inclined to believe since there's credibility behind it. like anything you could link on wiki has credibility.

give me your own creative belief and i'll see if i can buy it anymore than i could buy any other doctrine crap anyone wants to toss around.

[Deleted]

I'm not an atheist, but I cannot reasonnably believe in any culturally-fashioned deity. If there's a higher power, it's not tied to any of the cultural characteristics, names, values... that various societies give it. At least not in an exclusive way.

Generally speaking, my stance can be summarized by three statements :
- Nobody knows, and unless that higher power manifests itself in a way that we recognize as such, the human race won't be able to see it as it is for a very, very long time. In other words : we don't know, and will probably never know if such a thing exists. Or, we could discover it tomorrow. Who knows ?
- We shouldn't confuse "Do we believe in a higher power" with "Do we believe in the afterlife / Do we believe in God-given moral values / etc.", because those are very different questions.
- I find it hard to believe that the Universe, with all of its incredible achievements - organic life or the laws of physics, for instance - came out of pure randomness. I'd be surprised if there wasn't an original, order-inducing something, whether it be a sentient entity, an eternal being made of pure physics, or something else.

[Kuhnta]

No I do not believe in a "higher power" .. sometimes I wish I would, but I just don't.

I also hate religion.. not peoples believes. If someone wants to believe in a god and etc fine and dandy. I just believe that every religion in someway is just like the westboro baptist church cult. Most are no where near extreme and simply sassing people at wal-mart for not taking one of thier free tiny bibles and telling me ima burn lol.

[appleezz]

I believe it cuz i believe in magical/spiritual things. (no not magic as in sheeping and casting lightning bolt or something) I think love is a magical/spiritual thing. So if something as amazing as love can exist, then so can some kind of after life. People TRY to explain logically or scientifically how or what love is, but I think it's something that can't be explained. And neither can some form of after life. There just seems to be to much for death to be the end. Of course it's just my opinion though.

[Schattenlied]

I do not, I believe that this higher power is an imaginary friend for people that don't have the ability to make decisions on there own, so they have to ask and then look for what they believe to be a sign for what to do.

That couldn't be further from the truth, we look into our hearts for the right thing to do, what we FEEL is the right thing to do. We do not look to god every time we face a problem.

[Deleted]

Very good point. Over the years, I've started to lean towards the hypothesis the the Bible is full of white lies. There are things that aren't true, but it's written that way for your own good. Just a hypothesis. (Btw, I'm not a "Christian")

Be careful not to confuse moral values with the belief itself. It's one thing to believe that there is a God who created the world, it's another thing to believe that this God wants me to behave this or that way.