I understand how beautiful it is to hear God speak and to see Him in action in my own life. That is what keeps me believing when the rain and the storms roll in.

In the end all we have to go on is our own personal experience. You should know inside if something is good for you or not.

Is that necessarily a reliable way of determining what’s good for you? My semi-informed opinion is that your gut feeling will be highly reliable – but only if you’re a savannah-living australopithecine. The world we live in has changed so much that there’s no way our instincts can be expected to keep up.

This is completely unrelated to the original topic of conversation, I just get flashbacks to the Colbert Report every time I hear a comment like this

you can measure a vaccuum, see an atom, see stars millions of light years away, etc etc.

When there is a Godamometer, or better yet, proof you can’t make one, I’ll be so happy.

I recognize that this is your statement of faith, I also recognize that you and most of the other folks here are pretty rational with respect to how god affects you, or doesnt.

I don’t think I or any other atheist would really care if all the religious folks were more like you. I doubt you would ever have seen that Angry Atheist post by Greta if what we encountered was more people like you.

The problem is not only do we not see more people like you (how can we? you arent the noisy ones with signs), the Noisy Ones With Signs (NOWS, LOL), are influencing government, schools, economy, and environment (if you need, I’ll happily provide examples).

The NOWS do this with the idea that god exists. ALL of them have the same evidence as you. All personal anecdotes and arguments of incredulity. That is why its hard to have a discussion about your personal belief, that position hurts society in general, by not focusing on humans responsibility to give hope.

Its one of the reasons I like working with engineers. If you give them a seemingly impossible task (land on the moon, and return; take a picture of an atom; teleport things; etc) hope and optimism and knowledge that people are capable of anything is what makes the impossible achievable.

Hope comes from knowing that humans are capable of virtually anything, and this has always been the case. We were capable of great feats when we believed in different gods (pyramids), we developed radically different and more fair forms of governments when we believed in yet other gods(romans/greeks), we developed amazing technology and medical advances while yet different gods were popular (your god and vishnu&friends).

Human progress continues regardless of god (or shall I say: in spite of). THAT is what gives me hope. There is no challenge we can’t over come, whether it is technological, environmental, medical, or societal once we recognize our power and cast off our innate desire to hold on to superstition. I can’t find anything in any religion that gives that sort of recognition to measly humans or that sort of powerful hope.

But even at the village level. If you are a christian, and get hit by a car, do the hindus avoid you? Religion fades away for the emergency (in general), and returns later (pooh). Your good friends love you, and will continue to love you (nothing show you your good friends like changing religion) regardless of religion.

for basic human needs and human advancement, religion no needed, and often becomes a hinderance. Hope, self empowerment and joy is so clean, so crisp, and so fulfilling when it comes from yourself, or recognition that people have done this for themselves.

As for near death experiences, high stress encounters, and other things that cause religious experiences, I’ll just refer you here

From what you know about me, am I the type of person who would do nothing and expect God to do all the work for me?

No. At least, I don’t think I am (especially right now since I’m not actively talking to God).

So then…your statement really doesn’t apply to me, does it?

Yet, I still say my belief in God gives me hope. Because it does. It gives me hope. Hope in my future. Hope in my choices. Hope in my life.

He gives me the hope that, no matter what, everything is going to be okay.

I feel that it gives many people the opportunity to do NOTHING and expect god to do all the work for them (look at Min and the whole global warming debate: let’s just pray, and god will fix everything instead of humanity taking an ACTIVE role in our existence. Or even worse- infertile?? don’t GO to a clinic and DO something- just take the passive role of praying and god will fix it for you. Come on!!!)

Amanda, I’m still not getting the no god/no hope argument. No hope for what, is my question, I guess.