Attention Non Believers...

[baza]

Why do you not believe in a God?...

[doctordb]

Because I think it's all a bit stupid.

[Buenchico]

How many thousands of reasons would you like?

OK, let's try just one:
The size of the Universe, together with a bit of basic probability theory, suggests that there are likely to be several billion species out there which are vastly more developed and intelligent than us. (They'd probably look at us in the same way that we'd look at an amoeba). The idea that our totally insignificant species (on a totally insignificant planet, revolving around a totally insignificant star) could possibly be somehow 'chosen' by a 'god' as the only ones to have 'souls' and to benefit from an 'afterlife' is utterly preposterous.

[baza]

nice to see all the non's rushing to put their point of view.
Now the blue touch paper has been lit I will retire to a safe place.

[joko]

yeah baza... all two of them ...

[jakep]

Many, many reasons - I will cite just one. Having to comfort my beautiful six year old niece who was distraught because she was told at school that she had been born with mortal sin.

[joko]

also not sure why you consider this question as 'blue touch paper' ...

you haven't really made any inflammatory statements - you actually haven't said anything at all except 'why'.

how does that provoke?

you might want to try a bit harder if you wish to start heated debates on here ...

[doctordb]

'nice to see all the nons rushing to put their point of view'

Two answers in? :)

[FredPuli43]

Because there is no reason to.

[Frank97]

I think I just grew out of it, although if I'm honest, I can't actually remember a time when I did believe. I suppose I must have done as a child, but apart from being forced to go to church by the school, I never had any sort of religious upbringing.

[plowter]

Your question makes the arrogant assumption that everyone knows what is meant by 'a God' (with a capital 'G').

Why not give your definition of what you understand to be 'a God' (with a capital 'G') and we can discuss?

[Clanad]

Chris, is that your answer or is something you've read someplace else? I'm not trying to argue... gave that up a long time ago, but you are so common senseical that I was just wondering on what facts you place your belief... Thanks!

[jomifl]

When I reached the age of 14, having prayed as instructed and received no reply, having gone to sunday school and been unconvinced by the bible classes and having seen what appeared to be evidence of god's existence disappearing like a snowflake in hell I realised that religion was just a big con and people were daft enough to believe, well that was their problem. For 40 years or so I thought that an attitude of live and let live was ok on my part, then I realised that believers weren't quite so 'laissez faire' and needed to have their dogma challenged otherwise the world would become a madhouse full of irrational zealots.... QED

[Kromovaracun]

"Why do you not believe in a God?"

This really depends what you mean by "God", but for purposes of answering I'll assume you mean a conscious entity - which is morally good - responsible for designing and creating the universe and capable of (at least) forming personal relationships with people and at the very least offering some kind of guidance. If these are not the things you mean, then my answer will change.

I do not believe in this because I think the idea is so incompatible with what we know about the world as to be literally impossible. It would have to hold that a morally good God quite happily designed the niagleria fowleri amoeba - which burrows into your brain and devours it slowly, and kills a few hundred children every year for no reason other than they were unlucky enough to go swimming at the wrong time.

It would have to hold that a morally good God separated the continents and thus knowngly prevented the indigenous peoples of the Americas from becoming resistant against diseases which were more widespread in Eurasia. This resulted in hundreds of millions of innocent people dying slowly and horribly when the Europeans eventually arrived, and is probably one of the most complete examples of the annihilation of an entire people recorded in human history.

That, for me, is the most persuasive argument against a morally good, personal God who is powerful enough to have any agency in the universe. It is fundamentally incompatible with even our incomplete knowledge of the world - and as we learn more, it has simply become even more so. Other arguments are more effective depending on what kind of god you are arguing about.

[modeller]

The causes of the 'big bang' may have been vast and varied from millions of separate components. There is no reason to believe in a single separate source . Millions of elements under millions of different conditions could have been around for billions of years until inevitably a reaction or a series of reactions resulted in the 'big bang' , or whatever name you chose to call it. There is no logical reason to believe in a single source which we humans chose to call God. The reverse is far more logical that it is a combination of causes which finally gave us the big one.

On a more mundane level, to think that a single entity could simultaniously
know and act upon what is in the minds and prayers of the billions of organisms throughout the universe is nonsense .

At a personal level when thinking about our culture, the God of the OT is a monster . How can anyone excuse the vengeance , violence and injustice that is portrayed in the OT , is beyond my understanding. When I read the NT which I'm told explains the old, I find Jesus in general supports the OT and adds the threats of hell fire to anyone who disagrees .

I trust that answers your question baza as fully as possible. Which is more than your fellow theists did when asked the opposite question.

[baza]

^^^^ interesting points, however Iam not argueing for or against with this question, just as it says.

[joko]

woo hoo! yeah, this thread is on fire!

just look at all the fighting and arguing! I love a good old cyber barney!

... oh ... wait ... there is none ... people are just calmly answering ...

weird.

[modeller]

wf8man //Do you know, I think God phones Hell every day to ask old nick if the "fires" are still on high heat. You never know, God might change his mind and send us all down to the inferno! //

He doesn't need to phone , all those fat bishops make wonderful fuel.

[beso]

Complete lack of evidence to suggest there is a god.

Complete lack of need for a god to exist because science shows how we arrived where we are without the need for a god of any intelligent intervention.

The obvious fact that the attitudes attributed to purported gods are nothing more than those of the men who conceived of the idea.

The fact that the suggestion of the presence of a god is entirely from "prophets" whose behaviour is consistent with people experiencing epileptic seizures of the temporal lobes of their brains.

[suechu]

Because I believe it is human nature to dream up some sort of higher being giving comforting reason and purpose to life, but that's all it is - a comforting fantasy.