Does God exist? I'd like to be clear in my mind

Belief =an acceptance that something exists or is true without
‘Proof’
Christianity= a faith/belief that Jesus did exist without proof

There are many more beliefs & religions , I guess it’s great to find one that suits our own thoughts & feelings
I also guess many of us try to be ‘good’ & helpful ‘ people ( yes even on Gransnet (joke ?) thought I would add that before I get hauled over the coals ! Again ! Yes I know too many exclamation marks.o

SirChenJin, I'll see you your self limiting view of seeking proof and raise you a question: What did your face look like before your parents were born?

Having real proof of God existing would not work.

Other believes such as Loch Ness monster, aliens, aura, etc have photographic proof and still not "proofed" enough.

You know that saying: if there wasn’t a god we’d have to invent one. When you see the beauty of nature all around you, it is easy to feel uplifted and for some this involves a spiritual connection. In our 21st century polluted, corrupt environment- not so easy perhaps and of course science has come a long way since our ancestors sat round fires telling stories about the origins of man. For me the laws of physics, mathematics and nature are sufficient for personal fulfilment, meaning and happiness but each to their own.

I don’t envy anyone with a faith - nor do I feel I have to believe in gods to have a better relationship with anyone.

I’m intrigued about the proof that a god exists though. Actual, real, scientific proof?

blzzl thats called being brainwashed ,we've seen it over centuries ..in recent times in cults

What child makes a "choice" to have cancer or some of the hoorib;e diseasesI saw in the childrens ward a number of years ago? I dont think much of any "god" who punishes innocents .sure Some people make a mess of their lives .many more are a victim of circumstances .I'm afraid your god isn't my kind of being if he thinks this is right or just or fair .

I'm one of those people who don't believe, but sometimes wish I did. However I don't see that the fact of evolution is at all incompatible with a belief in a God who may have masterminded it all. The sheer, astonishing diversity of life on this planet, and the amazingly intricate workings of so much of the biological world, do occasionally make me wonder.

I have a personal theory that the idea of some powerful, omnipotent being - or beings - originated very early in the history of the first humans - when they tried to explain or understand the appearance of a rainbow.

How else would they have even begun to explain it so many thousands of years ago? Especially maybe after a storm or very heavy rain. Look! The Being was angry - and now he's showing us that he's angry no longer.

Why is it assumed people only find comfort in faith ?

I find comfort, I find joy. When my elder daughter was born
such joy, when she died yes comfort .

Yes, yes, yes and a thousand times yes. God does exist! I know it and I have proved it! He loves us and cares deeply for us. If we turn to him, acknowledge Him and are willing to follow Him, we will develop a personal relationship with Him that is a million times better than any human relationship we can have on earth.

I agree with SirChenjin

I envy those of you who can find comfort in your faith

I'm with you in those beliefs Anniebach I don't think everything in the Bible and religious teachings was meant to be taken literally. A lot of the stories for me are just illustrations about life as it was and an ethos to live by.
Whatever faith people hold if it brings them comfort then that can only be a good thing.

What anniebach says.

Jesus said ‘he who believes in me believes not only in me but in the one who sent me’,

For me , belief not only brings comfort but joy.

Religious wars are carried out by man , greed and power hidden behind faith.

Jimmy Saville , man allowed him to abuse by remaining silent

Children starving - enough for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed . Gandhi

God is useful to blame for the evils in the world not man.

I will take a look , thanks for link

Try this:
www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/authors/goldstein/36%20Arguments.pdf

It is said that God sent his son Jesus to show us of his existence & that to further show the proof of his love for us he would have his son sacrificed by being crucified. Bit extreme to say the least, surely there could have been a better/ different way/ways to show us.
The questions are as prolific as are the proffered explanations If belief brings comfort then that is a good thing. People find comfort in many beliefs & organisations, as long as it is not harmful to others & gives comfort then no harm done.( and maybe & often it give purpose & positivity to our lives)

I wish very much that I had faith, I just struggle to believe in something so powerful, I do believe in Jesus, but not as the son of God.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I'd like to be clear in my mind - a vain hope I fear! I don't even try.

I try and live by a doctrine of kindness - anything else seems entirely irrelevant as far as I can see.

Evolution for me too. Darwinism.

I wrestle a lot with this and can totally understand the other posters I can’t wotk out what I believe in Why do good people suffer and often bad people get away with it all A good child dies from some horrible horrible disease and a Jimmy Saville lives on and on
I used to believe in a God I was baptised a Protestant went to a Catholic school (because my mum saw it as the best school in town) I became quite a believer then and was unshakable but as the years have gone by I ve become more and more of a doubter
I don’t want to think there’s nothing but the practical part of my brain tells me there isn’t and it’s just something used as a comfort to some and a rod for others the amount of wars caused by religion the amount of badness the mockery the hypocrisy turn me away from formal religion and with it beliefs
I would love to be unshakable

My father was raised a Catholic (I didn't even know that until I was an adult!), my mother Methodist. They married in the Church of England, which is where my elder sibling was baptised. By the time I came along, they decided not to bother at all. Our primary education, as was the norm in our area, was in C of E schools
I'm only giving this information to set the scene, to show that religion really wasn't a big factor in my upbringing (despite school).

Like my late dad, I really can't believe in some all seeing, all knowing God. Less still one that expects us all to believe blindly in 'his' existence.
My own feeling is very much that if such a power existed, it would leave us in absolutely no doubt of its existence. If it had the power to create our world, that would be a doddle.

Rather than the word 'God', I prefer to think (and 'feel') in terms of 'good'.
That's where my mind takes me when I marvel in a wonderful sunrise, sunset, or any other marvellous natural joy that the world has to offer.

I'm just saying what I personally feel, and certainly don't mean to offend anyone who does believe in God

I agree paddyann.

The wonder for me isn’t in gods - it’s that we as sentient beings have worked with the natural world that has evolved over billions of years and that harmony has created everything we know, both good and evil. It’s such a profound thought - how can anyone fail to be moved by the enormity of that.

Last week I picked up my grandchildren from school and my granddaughter was explaining how they are learning about the big bang theory, I asked her little brother what he had been learning, and he said, how God created the earth, which do you believe? my granddaughter wanted to know, and it got me thinking. I’m not a religious person, and I certainly don’t think God created the world in seven days, but it seemed comforting to my grandson, he said of course it’s true, God can do anything, and he loves us all the time. I couldn’t bring myself to burst his bubble.