Is it logical to believe in god?

Is it logical to believe in "G-d", Faith as defined by Merriam Webster: belief and trust in and loyalty to God, belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion; firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust.

Which is to say in modern times when there has been no provided proof as to the activities of G-d that stand up to scientific scrutiny, much less by definition the concept of Faith is that there can be no proof or scientific process to examine the merit to a claim, No it's not logical. It flies in the face of reason.

Simple answer .... yes ...

Book: Belief in God, Its Origin, Nature, and Basis
By Jacob Gould Schurman
http://books.google.com/books?id=O8ETAAAAYAAJ

So, first of all it is a legitimate question, not rhetoric, and certainly not rhetorical. That just makes no sense... it is simply a question, and it has answers. Appearantly, just not yours.

You also assume that just because someone does not beleive in a god, they, unlike you, have done no research, asked the tough questions, or looked inside themselves. That is a huge assumption, to assume that only you or religious people have done their research.

You also believe that popele who ask this question no longer care about what they believe. Again, a big assumtion. Tell me, where did that come from? Do all athiests and agnostics fall into this category? Just silly, dimwitted trolls agonizing thier way though life, lost, and hopeless? According to you, we all make bad choices, and up depressed and suicidal. I am willing to bet, if you care to research it, that more religious people make irrational decisions, walk into post offices and kill everyone in sight, and commit suicide. Making religion fit into modern society is something that requires belief, not logic. It is impossible to do without dismissing reality at least on some level.

And again, you assume that we have doubt! How reflective of you! Religious people have doubts, dear, much more so that athiests. Agnostics leave it open. Just who has doubts here?

A heck of a lot of assuming going on!

And finally, your advice to us is to go to a Catholic church? Are you serious? Just a few decades ago they taught that eating meat on a Friday was a cardinal sin, and the pope was as good as Jesus! Crusades, wars, exclusion, politics, hate, discrimination, chauvanism, the Dark Ages and the Inquisitions, child molestations and centuries of hiding it... all good historical reasons to seek advice from these people...

Doubting is illogical? LOL! Look, every advance in science came about with the help of doubt... every discovery has to be proven... that settles doubt about findings. Doubt keeps children safe from predators, women safe from rapists, and sanity in business, politics, and the law! According to you, doubt is illogical! I wouild hate to have you and your kind on a jury where I was accused of something I did not do!

Lord, you are WAY off! And a perfect example of religion creating the "holier than thou" attitude so charming in human relations...

"Is it logical to believe in [god]?"

This is a rhetorical question. I am not surprised that atheists and agnostics employ the use of rhetoric.

Everyone uses rhetoric when they have not gone after the facts themselves uses this! I call it lazy man's logic.

The persuasive effect of the question is, for me anyways, lost as well when the person you are answering no longer cares what they believe or why.

Someone tell me how this question can be considered anything more than rhetorical in this day and age.

A hollow question that purports to be logical and challenges others to be logical deserves a hollow answer.

My answer? Yes, it is logical to believe in God, and that would be implied by what anyone presupposes is true and however you use logic to validate what you are saying. Wake up people! Go take a course in propositional logic and find out for yourself! Presupposing is the logical step that everyone takes since every human being is capable of using logic simply because they are able to use language, in whatever form. What follows after that is what can easily be corrupted into what is "illogical" simply because a person doesn't use logical ways of organizing their thoughs and so often find themselves sounding illogical(which has almost nothing to do with truth as it does validity but there is some truth analysis but it is awfully hollow).

Everyone has a right to their own opinion as well which is completely beside the point of "logic." She has her own opinion which is why she and other atheists doubt. The truth is that their opinions ring hollow especially when times get tough.

And if you have doubt, I suggest you look into what you believe and why because doubt often leads to depression and irrational behavior, even suicide. You might want to even consider getting some help from a local christian church, because that is one of the services that they provide, helping people sort out what it is they believe in a logical way.

If you can't do that because you're afraid, then don't. Go see a shrink. But get some help. Don't do what this woman is doing because she does not resolve the question to adieu. She only creates more questions just like everybody else who doubts what they believe.

Let's just say doubting is illogical especially when you don't do anything about it to help yourself.

There is no logic in turning water to wine, raising the dead, walking on water, burning bushes, parting seas, talking beaver felt hats, floating gold laws, or spaceships flying in the tails of comets.

Silly question.

Humans want easy answers for difficult questions, so we invent gods. No logic, just a simple answer.

the only logic is believing in yourself. You are the god of your own world. G-O-D...Gaining One's Definition.

It's not that believing in God is logical or illogical, but in fact it is out side the entire realm of logic, for it cannot be proved or disproved for every time an argument is given against god, it somehow strengthens a God believer's faith, and when an argument is given for God, it proves to non-believers that God does not exist.
I say that it is pointless to ask either way unless you want to be trapped in a never-ending cycle of critically analyzed confusion and it is better to just be happy while not hindering any other person's happiness while you're at it.

there will always be this balance point in life..faith or doubt..logical or ilogical..god or devil..e.t.c.
The balance point is What you like to believe..so the process of life can always be Live..some call it God others may not..be Alive Though.
Grow-Or-Die...

"If looking at this from a purely scientific view, the natural order and ways of how the universe came to be can exist without God"

uh, yeah just exactly how did the universe come into being thru the natural order? That seems like a leap of faith there to trust the theories of the day which maybe the laughing stock of future generations armed with better knowledge of the "nature" that is beyond our comprehension.

Something Positive about God? Really? Is this Current? Where am I?

I personally agree and think that it is illogical to believe in God. If looking at this from a purely scientific view, the natural order and ways of how the universe came to be can exist without God (pretty much in agreement with flyingkick's statement.)

And, I also see very little "benefit" from believing in God. I understand that many people who do believe in God find comfort and security in the thought of an afterlife and good deeds etc., but, at what cost? Holy wars, colonialism, and an endless list of atrocities committed in the name of God throughout history all for what?

Lately, I've been seeing religion as a tool to create another binary which makes people hate one another. Binary oppositions seems to be what makes the world go round...and will probably be the same force which will end the planet.

Of course it's not logical to believe in God.
Logic is based on proofs.
If the existence of God could be proven, faith would be eliminated. Logic and faith are opposing.

However, the world is not a logical place. And intelligent people do illogical things all the time.

No, it is not logical to believe in god. Occam's razor: one should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything. Everything can be explained without God. Hence, God is superfluous and an illogical assertion.

Yet logic is empty. To say belief in God is illogical is not saying much.

I like what John Lennon said: God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

Ultimately I think belief in God is a mistake; a crutch for the weak of intellect or character. To face the truth and to dispense with the superstitions of the past
is the task of the mature. One is obligated to drag oneself out of the cave of religious shadow and into the light Yet only the strong make the journey..

Even though religion is faith-based, it can still be logical, for both nonbelievers and believers, to the non-believers, doubt is the key source and proof that this religion is not real, is pretty much logical..for the believers, their faith and the reference to the religion they are worshipping can be logical...reasoning with both the believers and non-believers can be logical as well...