Has anyone here ever convinced you to change your religious beliefs?

I don't think that being atheist makes sense though, because there's no way you can disprove the existence of God and same goes for Religion because there's no true compelling evidence that there is a God. dann14v

No, but if someone can provide me with evidence showing that there is actually a god, i'll believe it.Bloodbath_87

Agreed. I just haven't found that person or evidence in 33 years.

no! PRAISE JESUS ALLEHUIA!!!!! (lol j/k!)

Seriously, no. I form my own beliefs, not what my parents forced on me when I was younger. I think for myself.

The sad part is that many people just follow their religion because it was forced on them since they were born by their parents, by their teachers at school, and by their peers.

No, and no one ever will. I'm firmly set in my beliefs. What I really don't see is how random, anonymous people on an internet forum could ever convince someone to change what they believe in. elblanquito_81

I am a devout catholic, and i know from experience that it is pretty tough to convince people that ur beliefs are right. Religion is based on faith and believing. It can be proven scientifically. But i have to say, to me, it's a lot easier and more comforting to know that a supernatural being loves us and created the universe and beauty of nature. Believing that the universe was created from very low probablity chance scientific phenomena driven by only molecules colliding into big bang and such complex structures like DNA being created randomly, it's hard to believe that without believing that someone was behind all those processes. As for evidence, there have been many miracles like bleeding host, the apparitions of mary, so on. And another thing i can say is that it is better to have a religion, what else is there to lose? By being atheist, u aren't even attempting, taking a huge risk. Again, I am not a theologian, but i can give u my views on why i still support religion (specifically christianity)

[QUOTE="elblanquito_81"]No, and no one ever will. I'm firmly set in my beliefs. What I really don't see is how random, anonymous people on an internet forum could ever convince someone to change what they believe in. C_Town_Soul

No... can't say I was. I came to my beliefs all by myself, like a big boy. :)MattUD1

Yes sir, I came to the same way.

Actually, this is my first day as a member of any forum, so I suppose I didn't have the time to be converted to agnosticism, as I was agnostic before I got here.

no! PRAISE JESUS ALLEHUIA!!!!! (lol j/k!)

Seriously, no. I form my own beliefs, not what my parents forced on me when I was younger. I think for myself.

The sad part is that many people just follow their religion because it was forced on them since they were born by their parents, by their teachers at school, and by their peers.

diped

Yeah, I know what you mean.

Try being an agnostic fourteen year old in an all catholic school, with catholic parents and catholic friends. You get tired of being hassled.

Sorry for the double post.

No. I have my own particular views of the world, I try to be realistic and (although the thought of nothingness frightens me) think that there is no god and no afterlife of any kind.

But even if there was a god, I don't believe anything any organized religion tells me, and I've never heard an argument from any religious person that's solid enough to make me change that, I think it's just a bunch of people trying to control the masses using their fear of the unknown and the fact that probably no one will ever know what happens when you die or how the universe came to exist.

So if there is actually aconsequenceto what we do in this life, I think it would be something like "moving on" to a better place, and no matter what you do when "passing through" this life, as long as you don't harm anyone and feel good with yourself and what you did in the end, you'll make it. That's what I think it would be like.

i know more about christianity that almost all christians do and im positive that its absolute JIVELord_Ifrit

for example?

Oh. I thought the poll was referring specifically to having your opinion changed because of this forum, and I chose the "No, but..." option. I was a devout Christian for most of my life, until I did serious research in to Islam in High School and began to consider converting...in college I stopped believing in God altogether. I'm open to changing my opinion if I see evidence to support a different one. Islam > Christianity, IMO, because it deliberately corrects many of my main objections with Christianity -- which is why I started to convert. The Qu'ran is a historical document -- and preserving its original language is one of the fundamental tenets of the religion, whereas the origins of the Bible are open for debate. Mohammed was, without question, a real dude who really did/said everything he's credited with doing/saying. That's a deal breaker for me. If there were a God who gave a damn what I did, I doubt there'd be any doubt that He existed and wanted me to behave in a certain way. Ultimately, the existence of more than one religion makes THAT version of God a contradiction.

[QUOTE="Deity_Slapper"][QUOTE="criinok"]

This is an awesome idea for a thread/poll, dude. Wish more people would reply...

But yes, people on OT helpedmy fall in religion from being a highly religious Catholic, seriously considering becoming a Jesuit... all the way to becoming a full-on Atheist.

Yeah.

Now, OT wasn't the REASON I converted, but people's points on several threads led me to thinking, but mainly it was one of my friends who had recently turned Atheist, and I talked to him about it...

But you can say people here convinced me to change my beliefs.

Funky_Llama

You see that everybody? And you thought it wasn't possible...

I've helped 3 people out of the depths of religious oppression myself, and they've all been grateful for it.

It just takes a humble soul willing to look at different possibilities, as well as courage to face any changes that might occur. Sadly, many people don't have these qualitites, and THAT'S why "de-conversions" don't happen very often - not because religions are true.

Yes... the evidence is all there, but people are so closed-minded that they don't see it.

the evidence ive seen points in a different direction. and i have seen very few atheists open there minds slightly to christians points on this site so in my opinion most of the "open minded" atheists arent so open minded at all. its just a cool thing to say these days. any way nobody has presented a good enough case to change my mind

[QUOTE="omfg_its_dally"]No and I probably never will (I'm pretty set on what I believe in, as a Christian), but I am open to evidence and such contrary to my belief. If its hard fact I'll try not to argue.deepdreamer256

I probably should have mentioned in my first post that I'm a theistic evolutionist. In fact OT kind of helped me believe in evolution. So yes I am open to evidence from both sides.

I don't think that being atheist makes sense though, because there's no way you can disprove the existence of God and same goes for Religion because there's no true compelling evidence that there is a God. dann14v

It's not about disproving god, it's the fact that there is no proof of god.

Why do people keep saying "disprove god"? How many times do I have to say you can't prove a negative?

If something just isn't there, it just isn't there. How am I supposed to prove that it's not there? Just look for yourself and you'll know. Jeez. For example, do you actually want someone to do the impossible and prove that there ISN'T a second sun? :roll:

Until a second sun is ever found, there's no reason to beleive that there is one. Same with god. Do you guys understand yet, the concept of non-belief based on complete lack of evidence? It has NOTHING to do with disproving anything, and it's definately not something that makes anyone evil. Atheists are not bad people.

the evidence ive seen points in a different direction. metaldude05

It couldn't have, because there is none. What we have here is a case a personal interperetation.

and i have seen very few atheists open there minds slightly to christians points on this site so in my opinion most of the "open minded" atheists arent so open minded at all. metaldude05

Wrong. Most atheists were christians, so we've been open to both sides to begin with, if we ever became atheist. Plus, many of us will still listen to christian viewpoints to see if anything has changed, but it hasn't. It's just the same stuff over and over, that we already decided against in the past.

Atheists have proven they are open-minded simply by stating that they WOULD BELIEVE in god, if he would just show himself, or if some other undeniable evidence came along. So, if christians really want us to believe in their god so bad, then they should work on gathering that evidence...and it can't be the same ol' crap we've already heard and debunked before. Give us something new. Atheists are only being realistic. How can you fault us for that?

I don't believe in any mainstream religion, although I accept the possibility that there may be a God/Gods or some"all-powerful Being" that created the universe (or the singularity prior to the Big Bang). Is this what you call agnostic? If not, then what is it?super_mario_128

That is Deism sir :) www.wikipedia.org/deism

Believing that the universe was created from very low probablity chance scientific phenomena driven by only molecules colliding into big bang and such complex structures like DNA being created randomly, it's hard to believe that without believing that someone was behind all those processes.

The_Nintendawg

Why does their have to be someone behind it all? This is what I have never understood. Christians always say "something has to have stated it", but why? Why does it need a being to start it? It wouldn't change our reality at all.

The human mind may not be able to comprehend the complexities of this Universe, ever. When faced with this unknown people will substitute in God. It's simple, it's easy and its comforting. I think the idea of a naturally occuring universe and all the intricacies of life developing according to this chaos is beauty in itself, more so than any God magically creating it.

[QUOTE="The_Nintendawg"]
Believing that the universe was created from very low probablity chance scientific phenomena driven by only molecules colliding into big bang and such complex structures like DNA being created randomly, it's hard to believe that without believing that someone was behind all those processes.

Red-XIII

Why does their have to be someone behind it all? This is what I have never understood. Christians always say "something has to have stated it", but why? Why does it need a being to start it? It wouldn't change our reality at all.

The human mind may not be able to comprehend the complexities of this Universe, ever. When faced with this unknown people will substitute in God. It's simple, it's easy and its comforting. I think the idea of a naturally occuring universe and all the intricacies of life developing according to this chaos is beauty in itself, more so than any God magically creating it.

I second that.

I am a devout catholic, and i know from experience that it is pretty tough to convince people that ur beliefs are right. Religion is based on faith and believing. It can be proven scientifically. But i have to say, to me, it's a lot easier and more comforting to know that a supernatural being loves us and created the universe and beauty of nature. Believing that the universe was created from very low probablity chance scientific phenomena driven by only molecules colliding into big bang and such complex structures like DNA being created randomly, it's hard to believe that without believing that someone was behind all those processes. As for evidence, there have been many miracles like bleeding host, the apparitions of mary, so on. And another thing i can say is that it is better to have a religion, what else is there to lose? By being atheist, u aren't even attempting, taking a huge risk. Again, I am not a theologian, but i can give u my views on why i still support religion (specifically christianity)

The_Nintendawg

I understand and respect your point and views but strongly disagree with the Atheist no even attempting. I was a Christian for 20 or so years, and stopped believing in God, but have spent the last 12 or so years reading the Bible several times, and the Quran and Torah. I go to church every week, but still can't bring myself to believe it's not true, but I also keep an open mind and try to constantly learn. Being an Atheist isn't as easy as saying "screw it" most of us think for many years to come to that conclusion.

[QUOTE="omfg_its_dally"]No and I probably never will (I'm pretty set on what I believe in, as a Christian), but I am open to evidence and such contrary to my belief. If its hard fact I'll try not to argue.deepdreamer256

Absolutely. The more books I read and the more pastors I listen the more they shape my beliefs. Obviously, it's up to me to filter out what I believe to be true or not. But it's stupid to think that our beliefs aren't somehow shaped and changed by other people. I've changed from a Republican to a... abstainer/liberal/pacifist/etc. I can't really take the credit for thinking up all those great ideas that I now adhere to and endorse. Mentors, authors, politians, and parents have all played a role in that. They all contribute their own experience to my life. I have the opportunity to benefit from their more extensive experience with life.Kalel559

Interesting point. Out of curiosity, what are your religious beliefs?

I'm open to any and all opinions, but I believe in God and I won't change that. I respect everyone's beliefs and disbeliefs and hope that mine will be aswell.Efielret

Same here. Everyone is allowed to be in what they want.

Let me tell u this, if u atheist believe there is no God (the Creator) how can u believe the Big Bang and how the universe came to being. NOTHING can be created out of nothing unless something was already existing. Science has proposed that the Universe came from the Big Bang. Something must have started this "bang". It's hard to believe everything came out this perfect through random low chance probability. There must have been a Creator who created all of this. As for proving God, you can't prove God. IF God was directly 100% provable that every one would convert without a doubt, that would be against God's plan. Otherwise, we would be robots without free will. God has put that void in our heart that can only be filled with love from God that is driven by faith. The atheist, you depend way too much on evidence. Religion and Science are not opposing forces, they come from God. Look at the world, there are tons of people who are part of a religion. There have been many people who have died from religion, martyrs. How many atheists do u know died because of their rejection to God. There is so much to talk about religion, and so much we know and don't know. A lot of it is mysteries, and God's plan is for all of us to do our best and believe, not give up.

Let me tell u this, if u atheist believe there is no God (the Creator) how can u believe the Big Bang and how the universe came to being. NOTHING can be created out of nothing unless something was already existing. Science has proposed that the Universe came from the Big Bang.

The_Nintendawg

The only thing all atheists have in common is that they don't believe in god; not all atheists believe in the big bang theory. Take me for example, I'm an atheist and I don't necessarily believe in the big bang. I don't know all the answers about the universe.