ro4eva
Bluelighter
That's a good question.
My personal, honest to God view on the matter is that I truly feel that there is something out there observing us. Whether that "something" is one entity or more, I obviously don't know. Not to sound like some ufo conspiracy nut (which I really am not), but I refuse to believe that we're all alone in our universe. And so this is a major part of why I persist.
That being said, when it comes to the Bible, I've actually had a chance over the past few years to study it, and I've come to one fundamental conclusion above all else: mankind's flawed, biased hands have been all over it since its inception nearly 2,000 years ago. In its current form, it is full of contradictions, and there is much evidence which strongly suggests it has been edited constantly to suit the needs of those whom wielded the power to make changes without being accused of heresy and burned at the stake.
Not only that, its origins are questionable. For example, according to what is known about its origins, the Bible was originally written in three languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Now, when Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples (actually there was over 70 of them) were alive, they spoke in Aramaic according to the writings of scholars living at the time. And that's a real problem.
Why?
The first four books of the New Testament - which are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John respectively - were originally written in Greek. And furthermore, available evidence allegedly shows that these 4 books were written around ~85 A.D. And apparently none of these four apostles were able to speak (let alone write) in Greek. Yet even if any of them actually did speak this language, they had already passed away by the time the four aforementioned books were first written, which suggests that someone else wrote them entirely.
Enough about the history lesson, sorry.
Is there a God? If there is, it appears he has turned his back on us (then again, who can blame him).
Do I believe there is a God? In a manner of speaking, yes. Whether or not "God" is simply my conscience and nothing more is in my opinion irrelevant next to the fact that I believe I am a decent human being who does what he can to ensure no one is harmed by his actions. And I also firmly believe that decent human beings come from all religions or lack there of, and what is important is that they are happy in the end.
What I'm trying to say is that I know men and women from different religions or lack there of whom are good, decent human beings because their conscience transcends religious views; they know right from wrong without having to bring religion into it. And I'd rather associate with such people regardless of what they believe. I feel better spending time with such individuals than I do with many hardcore evangelical Christians (whom I've been harshly judged, condemned and threatened by more so than anyone else representing any other religion or lack there of), I'm sorry to say.
If I'm not making much sense, then I apologize - I tried. "God" is something which I am still... it's a work in progress... I have no concrete answers, and I'm definitely keeping an open mind while at the same time trying my best to not be prejudiced or biased.
Edit - Regardless of whether I believe there's a sky God watching my every move or not, I'd hope above all else that others who are aware of my views in this case do not allow it to influence their own views about me, because it sure as hell is not something I obsess over or ever attempt to use against someone (e.g. Bible thumping). I sort of wished this thread would fade into obscurity to be honest - it has felt like a bad idea from the start. And so if I do not post anymore in it, this would be the reason why, good day.
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