Religion: why do people believe in God?

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." Hebrews 2:14-15

yeah, i quoted the bible, i know, it's probably the least effective way to do anything on current. but i can't see how so many people here can assume that christianity is, at it's essence, a thing of fear. it's not. there's so much christian scripture to back that up, and the above is just a bit of it.

Jesus offers us truth and freedom is such an entirely unique way that the two are intimately connected (see john 8:32). if anyone actually reads this, i just ask that you honestly look into the person of Christ and the claims made in christianity, without prejudice, without anger, and without bitterness. it was in doing that that i can truly say that i have come to know the Truth, and i can't even begin to describe the freedom found in It.

That's actually really cool.

Is that something you came up with yourself?

Yea it is original...just came to me while I was reading. People will find anything to fight about.

That's really cool.

It is how some people work.

very well said. those are some great examples!

well said.

The church near my house has food drives, encourages people to volunteer at soup kitchens and habitat for humanity.

They also teamed up with other local churches to manage a food bank.

How close do you think they are in their plan to subjugate the human spirit?

Like you when you described it in the other comment you made.

Trying to scare and control people.

Maybe Lutheran churches are just different, but the two phrases I'd use to describe it would be:

"Nice people" and "Weak Coffee and Donuts"

God is a concept. Humans create concepts.
The statement "the sky's the limit"...I adopt the mind is the limit. For some religion dictates the limit. I propose dictating our own individual purpose and creating the concepts that support it.

thought industry rules ,, lol

I try to goto church twice a month, I enjoy the music, the people, it is a nice peaceful way to cap your week, and they serve donuts afterward.

However, I once went to a cousin's church where they played a DVD message from James Dobson, showed *another* DVD conflating pro-lifers and the holocaust, and the sermon was about how an old testament lesson says that everyone should give more money to the church.

I nearly walked out.

But after seeing the latter, I can understand why some people really dislike "religion".

Religion is a tool.

Whether you believe that nightly prayer is a communication with a metaphysical higher being, or just a form of meditation to focus your conscious and unconscious mind on a particular issue, doesn't matter.

At the end of the day, spending a couple minutes thinking about how you'd like to improve yourself and whether there are any people in your life who could use some help, is rarely a waste of time.

What religions are based on truth? Christianity? Islam? Hinduism? Please enlighten me.

Well, I am a Christian. The nice thing is this. I am free to believe that there is truth in all religions. Of course, where there are differences, I choose to believe the Christian perspective.

I unequivocally acknowledge that you're right when you talk about religion being used as a tool of oppression and manipulation (fear and control), which is tragic. Many have done horrible things in the name of my faith, I'll certainly admit. Nevertheless, one of the most important things you can do is relentlessly pursue the meaning of your life. Whatever you believe, make sure you know why. Question, endlessly.

Truth? We don't have truth to our own existence let alone or religion. It is possible that truth is what we perceive to be true? If so, many things come in to questioning not just our religion or our belief in an all knowing, all good God. We can believe in truth, but can we say that truth is more of an opinion than anything else? But I love to think that what I am thinking right now is the truth of my amazement of the word truth, and its definition.

Religion exists because inside each human, with out being told, or taught, is the desire to seek out the truth. This truth cannot, by its very nature, lie outside of the human body. The external world is subjective, upside, and always contradicting itself. So, as truth-seekers, we can only travel inwards and find the only truth we will ever know: our Truth: our choice of unity over fear. The way we (as a collective) know this truth is singular is because those who "find it" live in harmony with the the source of all existence (the Buddhas, Jesus, Ghandi, etc...) and thus with all others. They learn of the Truth, and then the only thing they can do is tell us: "Hey! It's in you! You are a god in amnesia! Love yourself!"
But, if every thing we're told is a lie since birth, we will seek what we think is truth and we can come to accept the lies as truth (as long as they are extensive and multifaceted enough).
So, there is Truth, and then there is truth. To distinguish one from the other, one must see if it resonates in one's heart and mind.
Once you see the Truth, you always see the Truth.