When i was a kid (or when i was in Nepal), i used to believe in God. I did however have reservations on religion but i still believed in God. Its been a year in US now and having met people from other cultures, the existence of a supreme being doesnt make sense anymore. 

I think that believeing in GOd instills in a person faith, confidence and positivity to get through good times and be appreciative of the bad ones. I want my children to have these qualities so i dont want to tell them that GOd doesnt exist. Moreover, i cant imagine what my parents/relatives will make of me when i talk to them about this. It isnt going to be pretty. 

It does give me great discomfort to think about all this. I must admit i feel less confident and more pessimistic these days. I want to believe in God but my logic doesnt give in anymore. In fact, i get irritated when i hear things like "God COMMANDED you to.." "GOd will PUNISH you if..", "We are SERVANTS in from of Him" "(on Christianity): "Jesus died on the cross for you"(THere are many who have made a similar magnitude of sacrifice). 

I think that God and religion are ancient theories that havent been discarded yet. And it hasnt due to the fear in people of what might happen if they didnt. One of my teachers once said "if there is no god and you believe in god, there is no harm but if there is god and you dont believe in god, there is harm". i feel this and cultural and social stigmas lead people to be religious and not question their beliefs. 

I wanna know what you guys make of this.

Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) in the tenth chapter of the Rig Veda says

Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.

so if you are talking about hinduism , you can be atheist and hindu
but in also hinduism you can show the proof of god's existence ,
example , sun is god 
               we all know sun exists and is the most basic element of our life,

I believe in god as a supernatural thing , not a human being

 

 Pinpoint,
I exactly feel u man. I am also in the same boat. I am here in US for last 10 years. As days passes by, I start feeling that the defination of god given by any religion does not make sense. Especially in cristianity and islam, it sound lke as if ppl made these religion to enslave other ppl back in the days. I also do want to believe in the god as it is explained in those books but doesnot make any sense. After looking at the enormousness of this universe and analysizing all the knowledge via biology, chemistry, physic and math, it just sound stupid to believe in religion. You should read the book "universe in a nutshell" and "brief history of time" then u will look this world with different prespective. However, as u said nowadays I am less enthugiast and pessimestic in life. I just dont wanna do anything. I am worried that time is passing by eveyday no matter what ever u do. This life sound too short for me. when I look at other ppl, they are all worrying on useless stuff that worth nothing. Nothing intrest me any more, I sometimes feel I am prisioner in this body. I read alot of stuff regarding this issue. In my leasure time, I always google about "what is life" and "what is god", but no answer. Actually nobody knows, they r just try to convience themself with these thing.
       The thing that worries me most is what if there is seriously no god and life is just useless phenomenon. Then, its all messed up. we r just born here and die after few dacades. like us billions of ppl were here and will be here, doesnot know anything about all this, just living in vein. We r just runnin behind all stupid stuff, dying ( sacrifying such a precious life) in the name of country, god and other stupid stuff, finishing life for nothing. I donno man, this sounds pretty crazy. 

This is a deep philosophical question. Before answering this I think what recent development in Science is sayiing about the universe and our existence. Darwin has established that we have not been created but have evolved over billions of years from single cell. Darwin's Theory is not only theory, but it is a established fact and 99 percent of scientific community do not deny this. However, IN America Churh is more strong and Darwin's theory is not well taught in Schools.

You should read recent books by Richard Dawkins like "God Delusion"," The selfish Genes" and "The greatest show on Earth". The recent best seller by Stephen Hawkins "The Grand Design" is another book which can convince you of non-existence of God, but there are books like "The Mind of GOd "written by a well known british scientist PAUl Davies tries to convince you about the super natural forces behind our existence.But Scientific community as a whole does not believe in Personel God who looks after our prayers, sufferings.

Stephen Hawkings has claimed in "The Grand Design" that there is no need of God to ignite the torch of creation. This univese can create it self and destroy it self. We are here by mere chance and evolution of consciousness in Human being is just a quirk of nature.

I too want to belive in God, but do not see direct linkage between our existence and the God.

 Yes, i do believe in God because it gives me a hope.

धर्मको बिकास त्यो समयमा भएको हो जुनबेला अहिले जस्तो नियम कानून, पुलिस र सिपाही जस्ता संरचनाहरु थिएनन् । त्यति बेला यसको निर्माण मानिसलाई सामाजिक अनुशासनमा राख्न भएको थियो नकी अहिले जस्तो तेरो धर्म ठुलो र मेरो धर्म ठुलो भनेर एक अर्कामा घ्रिणा गर्न । म हिन्दू धर्ममा हुर्किएको मान्छे तर हिन्दू धर्ममा बर्णन गरिए जस्तै तेतिसकोटी देवीदेवतामा विश्वास गर्दिन । तर पनि संसार चलाऊने त्यस्तो कुनै पनि शक्ति छैन भन्नु अघि जव म भौतिक विज्ञानको मुख हेर्छु यो प्रश्नमा उसलाई अत्यन्त निरिह पाउछु । स्टेफिन हकिम्सका थुप्रै ग्रन्थ पढिसके तर पनि चित्तबुझ्दैन । हरेक कुराको पछाडि कारण खोज्ने भौतिकवाद भन्छ 'Creation come form nothing' अलि पत्याउन गार्हो हुन्छ । राछसले भने जस्तै मैले पनि भगवान छन् भन्ने कुरा प्रमाणित गर्नको लागि पनि आफ्नो आशाको त्यान्द्रो बचाइ राख्न भगवान मान्छु ।

Nepal234 and pinpoint,

In many ways, the confusion you are experiencing is what a very famous psychiatrist named Viktor Frankl called: an existential vacuum. You are feeling depressed because you are finding the world and life completely meaningless.

Viktor Frankl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl

He wrote a very famous book called 'Man's search for Meaning':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man's_Search_for_Meaning

According to a survey conducted by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Library of Congress, Man's Search For Meaning belongs to a list of "the ten most influential books in [the United States]." (New York Times, November 20, 1991). At the time of the author's death in 1997, the book had sold 10 million copies in twenty-four languages.

Both Viktor Frankl and Karl Jung have written a lot about how religion gives man the meaning that he seeks from life so he does not experience this existential vacuum and become depressed.

I had written a small article a while ago on the subject that you all are talking about:

The fate of the confused Hindu:

Can two contradictory forces paralyze motivation?

In other words think of a young child. His parents are fighting. He respects both his parents. But all of a sudden his parents ask him to pick sides. Ouch. Painful. So now he is torn. His motivation is paralyzed. He loves both. He cannot choose. But the parents are adamant that he can't have both. How is he supposed to choose between them?

Now imagine that the two parents are not individuals but rather two groups. Two groups of peers. This is middle school. And the two groups of peers are putting pressure on the individual. The individual must choose sides. There is no middle ground. The political environment of the school is poloarized and charged. There is no room for the middle.

And let's up the ante a bit more. Let's say that one of the groups is secular and is about ambition and external achievement with no interest in religion what so ever.
And let's say that the other group is ultra-religious. This group is about sacrificing fog God, doing service in temples, doing puja and following religious rituals.

And let's say that there are Hindus who haven't adamantly chosen either polar group but rather find themselves in the middle--you know, the confused Hindus. Could the sheer force of the two polar groups paralyze the confused individuals in the middle?

In other words think of the confused individual in the middle as a little iron ball.

Now think of the ultra-religious Hindu peer group as a big magnet on the left. And think of the purely secular peer group as a big magnet on the right. Now both the peer groups are influencing the iron ball in the middle. There is no question of him not being infuenced with such powerful magnets at play. So what happens to the iron ball? Does he go to the right? Does he go to the left? Does he vacilate back and forth depending on how the circumstances are changing? Or does this iron ball get paralyzed, unable to act because he is so torn between the two powerful magnetic forces?

Could this individual in the middle just not want to do anything in his life because he is so torn between these powerful forces playing inside of him, ripping him asunder? Where the individual struggles with trying to find peace between these two powerful forces playing within him, but can't. He just can't figure out how to live his life in such a way as to find a happy medium between the two unyielding and absolute forces acting on him?

The two forces cannot see eye to eye. They are diammetrically opposed. Where one exists the other cannot. They are like light and darkness. They are like high and low. They are like heavy and light. Does the individual in the middle get crushed? What happens to him?

 

I don't believe in existence of any GOD or any GOD figure so to speak. there is no proof of GOD's existence, no measure of any god like creature in any shape or form. I don't need to believe in any GOD figure to tell me what is moral and immoral and what is right and what is wrong, provide me hope or influence my judgement. Those are all self realization which can be attained without the use of a figure called GOD.

As someone pointed out sun is the proof of god's existence i would like to say the Sun is not a proof of god's existence, sun much like any of the millions of stars in the universe is a ball of fire fueled primarily by hydrogen and helium combination. There is nothing supernatural about the sun. 

@hannspress: how do you know god is supernatural? can you provide any proof of god's existence?

This is relevant

Chaurey,

Do you believe in Prithvi Narayan Shah? Why do you believe in Prithvi Narayan Shah?

homey ji,

Did i say i believe in PN shah? nope there is no absolute certainty because i did not meet him or see him in person, do i think he existed based on the evidence? yes absolutely, Why?  with all the evidence pointing to his existence, his kingdom, his lineage,  even his enemies talk of him to this day (some Kirtipur basindas still hate his guts for what he did to their ancestors), the historic time line, official history of Nepal says he so called "unified" Nepal. I believe that there is credible evidence that PN Shah did exist. However, if you have evidence to the contrary or proof that would discredit this, I'm open to it.

Of course. There are literally HUNDREDS of INDEPENDENT, CONTEMPORARY, CREDIBLE, and CORROBORATING reports of his entire life from MULTIPLE cultures, friends, and foes, and from MULTIPLE fields ranging from legal documents, geography accounts etc.  please go to chauni museum and gorkha palace.




what evidence do you have of existence of an imaginary friend of yours?

Chaurey,

You are so gullible, my friend. You believe in Prithvi Narayan Shah? Ha ha ha.
What is the proof of his existence my friend? Ha ha ha. His enemies talk of him? And that made you believe in PN Shah? You are making me laugh so hard.

Who are these so called enemies of PN Shah? Ha ha ha. I would also like to meet them. Oh my goodness, I could introduce you to so many people who consider ghosts their enemies. And yes, these people are very afraid of ghosts. Does that make ghosts real to you, Chaurey?

Where is your proof of Prithvi Narayan Shah? I can't believe you are so weak-minded that you need to believe in PN Shah. LOL.

as i pointed out, go to gorkha palace, go to chauni museum go to kirtipur durbar and do some research before you laugh out loud.

again what is the disproving factors that you have of PN shah's non existence?

and what is the proof you have of GOD's existence?

 Chaurey bro,
Did you perform DNA test to verify your parents? 

and how is that relevant ? if i want to be absolutely sure i can correct? is there a test as such that i can perform to find proof for existence of GOD? let me know

Chaurey,

You think you know everything. You are very arrogant and close minded. You need to open up your narrow-mind and smell the roses, my friend, and listen. I suggest you read this:

Seven Steps When Learning Really Important Life Lessons

How quickly one can go through these phases may define how open minded someone can be about learning something new. There is no hurry. One may take all the time in the world moving forward. Simply being honest and humble with oneself and others is the main requirement.

So here it goes:

1. IDEALISTIC

Wonderful. I know what I want and I know why. My ideals are solid and I'm right. Of course I'm right! I have my ideals, and fair enough, I have many reasons to be idealistic. And that can be a good thing!

But just when I thought I was cool, someone comes to me and presents me with a whole new and sound concept that may go against my idealistic perspective. After some honest debate or the simple acceptance of my ignorance, I then becomes Frustrated because I realize I'm not as 'cool' as I once thought I was.

Needless to say, this stage is always the most difficult to deal with. An overly idealistic state can be surrounded by hubris, and hubris is the ultimate killer of learning. So I know that if I am to learn something new I must be humble and accept that I may not know it all.

However honest I am, here comes the following progressive emotional reactions upon learning something new contradicting my original idealist views.

2. FRUSTRATED

This state of frustration is some sort of anger. It really sucks being wrong, and even more so when proved wrong. So I'm angry, and rightfully so. And subsequently I become Defiant also. That can't be true!

3. DEFIANT

Even if it means a few seconds... or a lifetime, this state of defiance is actually quite natural and it can be used for further learning. At least I'm feeling something. I now know that I will have to Synthesize such new data and this can be painful. But I know I have to do it if I'm to be cool again. That nagging feeling that I was actually not so correct in my assumptions hurts the ego.

So sure enough at some point I simply, Resign!

4. RESIGNED

I give up on it. I just don't want to talk about it, hear about it, and I don't care. I will go to sleep and eat chocolates. Maybe that will bring some Awareness..

5. AWARE

If I'm serious about learning and once some of these emotions are under control, I realize that I am now aware that I may have actually learned something new. Being aware means to accept it, and in fact I am grateful for such learning experience itself.

Now I need to do something about it.

6. DECISIVE

Now I can make better decisions based on my Awareness of what I have learned.

7. COMMITTED

Inevitably I commit myself to action, which is where anything really happens as the change I want to see.

I can easily become paralyzed in any of these phases for any indefinite period of time, or I can also go through these in one single day; depending on the depth of the subject and its relevance.

The main danger is always pride. Since the cycle repeats itself, once I think I am Aware and Committed I may also become Overly Idealistic again.

Knowing these has helped me go through a few things, become more accepting, and not so jaded simply because I don't know something and can't do anything about it. It's a good way to simply accept the learning process for what it is.

 

 

Homey brah! i have never said anywhere that i know everything but i can tell you this that i know nothing about proof of existence of god

what is this thesis you copy pasted? Is that your answer to the evidence pointing to existence of god? still waiting!

 homey ji, its nice of you to share your article with us, but i must say you have kept your position as equivocal as possible, you seem to empathize with the confused "middle" position, but don't mention clearly whether you identify yourself as one of them or not.
I'm an athiest, and let me know about your belief in (or the lack of ) God(s)(desses) if you think we can have an intellectual conversation. 
And by the way, I do believe that Prithvi Narayan Shah existed. 

Chaurey,

You are asking me to go gorkha palace and chauni museum and kirtipur durbar for PN Shah's existence? 

My friend, I suggest you go to the Budhanilkantha statue lying down, go to the Krishna mandir in Patan, and you will find proof of God.

You are such a fool to believe Prithi Narayan Shah was real. It is foolish Nepalese like you that have ruined Nepal.

hahaha is that the best you can come up with? im asking you to go to these places and read the historic scriptures, official transcrpits do some historic research, do an independent analysis if you don't think you believe in official history of Nepal, and what am i going to be looking at budhanilkantha statue? a fkin statue created by man and that's the proof of god's existence? seriously?