If God is real, why are there atheists?

[Oneironaut]

The biggest problem with the God hypothesis, so far as I can tell, is accounting for the fact that there is absolutely no concrete evidence for God anywhere. My question is: what kind of God would set things up that way? Why would God create a universe in which it is possible to be an atheist, if he wants us to believe in him?

There are a four ways of explaining this that I can think of:

(1) There is a God, but he doesn't want anybody to believe in him.
(2) There is a God, but he doesn't care whether or not we believe in him, and doesn't care about the feelings of those who are desperately trying to find out for sure whether he is real.
(3) There is a God, and he wants us to believe in him, but for some reason he doesn't like people who can only be convinced by logic and evidence, preferring those who take things on blind faith.
(4) There is no God.

Of the four options, number 4 seems to me to be the most logical. I just can't fathom why a God would create the universe and humanity and everything, then fail to reveal himself, and sit idly by watching as people argue and kill each other over their various religious beliefs. God could easily settle the whole matter with one grand miracle, telling us which (if any) of the world's religions are correct, or at least giving us some kind of hint. If there is a God out there, he just doesn't seem to give a shit about what we think or do down here.

Oneironaut Reviewed by Oneironaut on 12-23-2006. If God is real, why are there atheists? The biggest problem with the God hypothesis, so far as I can tell, is accounting for the fact that there is absolutely no concrete evidence for God anywhere. My question is: what kind of God would set things up that way? Why would God create a universe in which it is possible to be an atheist, if he wants us to believe in him? There are a four ways of explaining this that I can think of: (1) There is a God, but he doesn't want anybody to believe in him. (2) There is a God, but he doesn't Rating: 5

[Polymirize]

The biggest problem with the God hypothesis, so far as I can tell, is accounting for the fact that there is absolutely no concrete evidence for God anywhere. My question is: what kind of God would set things up that way? Why would God create a universe in which it is possible to be an atheist, if he wants us to believe in him?

There are a four ways of explaining this that I can think of:

(1) There is a God, but he doesn't want anybody to believe in him.
(2) There is a God, but he doesn't care whether or not we believe in him, and doesn't care about the feelings of those who are desperately trying to find out for sure whether he is real.
(3) There is a God, and he wants us to believe in him, but for some reason he doesn't like people who can only be convinced by logic and evidence, preferring those who take things on blind faith.
(4) There is no God.

I'd say there's always the possibility that god in some way exists, but in order to allow people to be free can't go about revealing himself. If you knew god existed you couldn't really believe in him. You'd know. Empirical knowledge is very different from belief, but maybe you need both. Maybe god made us not to be perfect but rather to be human.

I'd also suggest the possibly that even if god is simply created by man that doesn't really invalidate the concept.
Do you think its even possible to believe in anything larger or greater than yourself?

[Matt the Funk]

Simple. Free will. It's God's law. It can't be broken. Every human has choices.

Not a difficult concept.

That, and he is just testing us.

[Herbal]

That, and he is just testing us.

Kinda like a crazy girl does with her games?

hmmmm... is it possible god is bipolar too? *smokes a bowl and thinks about it*

[Hamlet]

Yeah, that one always bugged me too. "Wait a minute. I don't have to 'believe' there is a President of the United States! Why do you have to 'believe' in a God?"

When you would ask a fellow believer the answers got pretty ambiguous like the ones posted here. Usually accompanied by a scowl that let you know it was something you weren't supposed to question.

But the God arguement here always centers around the Judeo-Christian interpretation of God. You could probably add a few more choices to your list if you were to think about it.

5) There is a God, but he's really not all that powerful. He can set a Universe in motion like a kid with a chemistry set, but can't really control the details when the experiment takes off. <--this one fits the Biblical God if you think about it. Adam and Eve doing what they're not supposed to; the devil rebeling and starting a war in heaven; God always having to interceed and fix his mistakes. Very similar to the greek concepts and stories of Gods and Godesses.

6) There there could be an 'Intelligent Designer' but it is not really a 'God'. Maybe it's just a program running on some superbeings entertainment center, or a Superconsciousness permeating everything but so far removed from what we can conceive of, and think of as to what constitutes 'intelligence' and 'consciousness' that interaction and detection is an impossibility for us.

This list could get really big. And all the Bible God arguments are so worn out they're not even interesting any more. Expanding your list could be though, ..interesting that is. It might even take the discussion into the realm of spirituality instead of tired old theological arguments.

[LIP]

There is no God. We [Humans] created him, and he is nothing more than a figment of our imaginations.

The bible is a story, it's a book, and because it's a story, it cant be used as evidence in any way.

I'd love to belive in God, but i cant belive in something that isnt there.

[LIP]

Prove God doesn't exist.

You cant, but you cant prove he does exsist. It's an individual's perception.

My view is he doesnt exsist, simple as, and i dont need to prove it to anyone, and your view may very well be that he does exsist, and you dont have to prove THAT to anyone, but if someone wants me to belive in God, i need 100% proof, not a book that isnt true. There's too many contradictions in it, and it's changed so much since it was "first" wrote.

[Pass That Shit]

Lip,

I think you're right. There is no God in your heart. Therefore he doesn't exist.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God exists in my heart. You guys need proof against something that exists.
You keep seeking for proof, look around, but if you can't see it, there isn't any.
I have substance and evidence so you become the accuser.

Do you guys know the saying about the clay and the potter? Why did you make me this way?

God is real, that's why there are atheists. imp:

[AlwaysBlazed]

If god was real, there would be evidence.

[jbuckets]

God is just a persons way to explain death and infite. These are the only two things the human mind cannot comprehend. Our brains cannot understand what it means to no longer exist so we develop the idea of an afterlife to help us cope. Our brains also have a difficult time understanding something that is never ending, such as the universe. Since we are binded to the world by what we see, we make up things to explain the unexplainable. Noone wants to belive that we are some sort of product of evolution, we would much rather believe we were here for a purpose. I have much more on the subject, but im too sober and lazy to type right now. If you want real thoughts about truths in the universe, read some Socrates, he explains the universe in the best way..that it cant be explained.