What is the number 1 reason why you do not believe?

[older]

I am reminded of a photojournalist I knew who did a story about an eight-year-old girl who was dying of cancer. The most powerful photo in the set was of this little girl wearing a hospital gown, sitting on the foot of a hospital bed in the cold diffused light of the windowless hospital room, her hair falling out and her body pudgy due to the extreme chemotherapy, her arms connected to several lines of tubes hooked to bags of IV fluids, and wires attached to monitors on the wall in the background. She was looking down at the floor, an expression of pain and resignation on her face.

 

There is no way a loving, all-powerful god would allow this.

 

She died a week later.

[pantheory]

18 hours ago, Weezer said:

 

The biggest deception ever played on human beings!

 

Yes, In some cases maybe deception, but also many or most non-science uneducated folk are not lacking in imagination and exposure to Groupthink which provides enough mental space for religion to sink in, unfortunately IMHO.

[◊ Weezer ◊]

7 hours ago, pantheory said:

 

Yes, In some cases maybe deception, but also many or most non-science uneducated folk are not lacking in imagination and exposure to Groupthink which provides enough mental space for religion to sink in, unfortunately IMHO.

I guess I'm not understanding your point.  The religion itself is a deception.  A hoax.  Not true.  Fairy tales.

[pantheory]

I don't think religion is a deception. If you believe in heaven & hell and teach your kids the same thing you are trying to help them not deceive them. Even most of the Original Jews, Christians, and Muslems believed in what they were preaching IMO, even though we know it's all fairy tales. I also even believe that many of those that knew that they were deceiving in some way also generally had good intentions to help their fellow man. For this belief I've been called a bit naive and somewhat of a Pollyanna , but I questioned my mother about the reality of Santa and his helpers about age 4 and she fessed up to me     I do follow the adage:: believe nothing of what you hear, question everything you read, and believe only half of what you see.

[☆ moxieflux66 ☆]

44 minutes ago, pantheory said:

  I do follow the adage:: believe nothing of what you hear, question everything you read, and believe only half of what you see.

AND THERE IT IS!  Couldn't be more true right now. Thank you. 

[◊ Weezer ◊]

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[Ushiromiya_Battler]

One thing that makes me have trouble completely believing is because there are people who weaponize their religion and so called "Christian principles" against those who think differently or believe differently from them. As a trans man, I have a dad that is a converting catholic....he luckily still supports me as his son...but there is still that fear that he will become too far gone and start misgendering me and saying I am not worthy of God or whatever. I don't know. it just makes me have trouble believing when a good majority of these religious zealots use it to hurt others. Or to simply judge others who believe differently.