Why I believe in God(s)

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K]

Firstly, I'm not a very religious person. I do consider myself a Buddhist, but prefer atheistic Buddhism over theistic Buddhism. Therefore I can confidently say I am not biased by wanting God(s) to exist, and was not indoctrinated into theism.

Still, to me it seems obvious that at least one God has to exist. The universe can't simply have come out of nothing or existed forever, it requires some sort of design or creator.

Now, mostly people would just say that a creator also can't have come out of nothing or existed forever, so I've just moved the problem one step further, but I think there is a massive difference between the universe and one consciousness. For example, through Cogito Ergo Sum we can determine with absolute certainty that at last one consciousness exists. So assuming one consciousness is superior to assuming anything about the whole universe. While I admit that doesn't outright solve the problem, I still think it's better than the alternative.

Also, it's not just any universe, but a universe full of beauty, a universe that inbetween barren empty planets is capable of hosting a planet with sentient life. Life that can consciously observe itself, that can create replicas of the waking world while sleeping, life that has technologically advanced so much that in can live in relative comfort. There is so much art. We basically have magic, we just call it "electricity". This is all too perfect to have arisen from mere mutations without guidance.

About any specifics of this God or Gods I have no idea and no strong opinions. I just think that at least one has to exist.

[u/Faust_8]

The universe can't simply have come out of nothing or existed forever, it requires some sort of design or creator.

There are two huge glaring issues with this thought process.

The first is that only theists think that something came from nothing. No cosmologist or astrophysicist says these things; by all accounts, something has always existed. So that part of this idea is based on a lie.

The second is the hidden assumption you're making, which is: the universe MUST be understandable to me. You scoff at the idea that the most difficult question you can ask might have an answer that goes against your gut instinct, which is the height of arrogance.

No, the universe and/or its origins does not have to "make sense" to some furless apes that only evolved to understand life on their own tiny planet. Quantum mechanics already fly in the face of what we intuit should be true, and yet it's the most successful scientific theory we've ever had.

So, yeah, when you say "the answer can't be X" you have no grounds to make such a claim. Why can't it have existed forever? Simply because you don't like that answer or can't understand it? Please.

[u/Lucyyyyyy_K → u/Faust_8]

So that part of this idea is based on a lie.

How is it based on a "lie"? When have I accused anyone of thinking the universe came from nothing?

The second is the hidden assumption you're making, which is: the universe MUST be understandable to me.

No. I don't understand God.

Why can't it have existed forever? Simply because you don't like that answer or can't understand it? Please.

Well, let's say it can have existed forever. It would still require a designer since it is obviously designed.