Why Do We Need Something To Believe In?

The slippery slope and the concept of nessessary evil. When I was re-discovering and studying Christianity I asked myself the same question as a lot of other people have asked. God is omnipotent, meaning he could, at a whim, erase all evil and hardship from the world. If he cares so much for mankind, and hates to see us suffer so, then why doesn't he?

Then I go to thinking of how appreciative we tend to be of peace right after a war, and how we take it for granted when we've had it a while. And I decided that such things to have a purpose in being. They help us to recognise and appreciate the good things in life when we see them

If we did not have war, then we'd take peace for granted and it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be important.
If only love existed, then we'd think it so normal that we'd forget how much we were loved because we don't know what the opposite end (hate) is.

If we did not have disease, and death, how would we appreciate living in good health?

I then took it a step further and found that evil, hate, and all those other things would probably recreate themselves if resolved.

Say that organizations like Save the Children completely succeeded, and noone ever went hungry. Ok, then we get used to the idea and start seeing that 'hey, these people aren't as well fed as everyone else, they must be starving' They're still better off than they were, but the bar has been raised, and they still seem the same. rinse, repeat.

Or poverty... Today, we pretty much live like kings compared with those we read and hear about on this website. If you find homes for all the homeless, then there is no longer that floor. After a while, even though everyone hasa home, the people in the lowest type of housing look to society like the homeless look now. All they way up until they're living in a guilded palace, but we still think them in poor shape because their palace doesn't have as much guilding as everyone elses. If everyone were well off, we'd loose focus on just how well off we are.

If we had no war, we'd get so used to peace that even the slightest thing like looking at someone wrong would tick them off royally or even start a fight, which puts us right back where we started...
The experience of fights and wars, helps us maintain perspective and forgive the person who pulls out in front of you or gets that parking pot you were heading for, or forgets to turn the light out.

Just my view on what might happen


And typos help us appreciate proper spelling perhaps?

This post has been edited by Aaediwen on 18-Jun-2004, 05:19 PM

Why does evil happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? We don't know. The only thing we do know (if you believe the bible) is that God created man with a free will. God gave us the power to be stupid. Yes, sinfull man left to his own devices lets evil things happen-such as unfairness, poverty, hunger,war, add on whatever you think is evil. However, God created a perfect world
"Man created the car, called it awesome. God created trees, called it good. Man created the refridgerator, called it neat. God created rabbits, called it good. The wheels fell off the car, and the refridgerator broke down. The trees still stand and the rabbits still go." -Bill Cosby
The whole world changed when adam and eve ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. God killed an animal to cover Adam and Eve. They tried to use fig leaves. God showed that death was the result of sin and the only thing to take sin away. Sin had now entered the world and by sin so had death. We don't know what God had originally intended for all the biological processes we see now. We can't compare the world we have now to what God originally intended. We didn't have the intended world long enough to be able to make that comparison.

I thought of something later, This is one place where faith comes in. Why help the homeless if the homeless help us to appreciate our own homes better? Faith tells us too. My Faith, christianity, tells me that helping the homeless is a good thing. Science does not tell us to do this. I cant remember who said it but,
"the drunk in the gutter is exactly where he belongs."
He is weak and that weakness is in his genes, hence the genepool would be better off if that gene is eliminated. Evolution has no room, for creatures that make mistakes. Yes, other peoples bad experiences may help us to appreciate our own circumstances more. But, the Bible says that God is not the author of evil. My faith in the Bible helps me to believe that this world is not what God intended, but that he intended a world much better and different than the one we live in. That same faith helps me believe that No evil such as cancer, disease, or any other "neccessary evil" was created by God during the 6 days of creation. God created the tree of life also that man may eat of it and live forever. So, what I know of God's character from the Bible tells me that death, disease (which scientists have found evidence of in fossils), or other evils were not there until after the 7th day when God rested.
Again, this is my faith not scientific evidence.

This is why man must believe in something. Personally I think that the Bible is the only truth about religion, others disagree with me. This string is not for that discussion however. The absence of any religion is why we see our societies going down the tubes. School shootings, racism, "babies having babies." People who believe there is a greater power and that said power has laid down some rules are less likely to be involved in those things. (not 100% there are always those that do it anyway, again God gave us the power to be stupid.)

Everybody interprets the world he sees according to his faith.

I agree that we should help our fellow human being. I don't believe that the kind of weekness you describe is in the genes either, and the drunk in the gutter could probably pull himself out of it and be a productive member of society if he wanted it bad enough. I still have a problem with an idea of an omnipotent God letting something that is wrong/evil/sinful continue just because he did not bring it into the world. "I didn't create it, so I'll let it keep killing my children" sounds pretty lame to me, and doesn't sound like a view God would take. Unless it had a deeper meaning.

The answer to the question you ask can not be given by any man, see our thoughts are not His thoughts and His thoughts are far above ours! We are never told that if we accept Him our life will be easy or that we will never walk through the deepest valleys! We are told that when we can not take another step He will carry us, we are told that we will never be alone for He is always with us. I will post this as a thought, I never judge anyone or what they believe. I will never try to force what I believe on anyone. I thank you if you have taken the time to read this post!

JESUS
My King was born King; the Bible says He's the seven-way King.
He's the King of the Jews- that is a racial King.
He's the King of Israel - that's a national king.
He's the King of righteousness,
He's the King of the ages,
He's the King of heaven,
He's the King of glory,
He's the King of kings and
He is the Lord of lords.
Now, that's my King.

"Well, I wonder if you know Him do you know Him?
Don't try to mislead me - do you know my King?
David said, "The heavens declare the glory of God
and the firmament shows His handiwork."
My King is the only one, whom there is no means of measure can define His limitless love.
No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supplies.
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing.
He's enduringly strong, He's entirely sincere, He's eternally steadfast, He's immortally graceful, imperially powerful, He's impartially merciful.

That's my King. He's God's Son, He's the sinner's Saviour. He's the centrepiece of civilisation, He stands alone in Himself. He's awesome, unique, unparalleled -
He's unprecedented.

He's the miracle of the age. He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He is the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He's available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathises and He saves.
He foreguards and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleanses the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?

Well, my King is the King of knowledge.
He's the wellspring of wisdom, He's the doorway of deliverance.
He's the pathway of peace, He's the roadway of righteousness, He's the highway of holiness, He's the gateway of glory.
He's the Master of the mighty, He's the Captain of the conquerors, He's the Head of the heroes and He's the Leader of the legislators!
He's the Overseer of the overcomers, He's the Governor of the governors.
He's the Prince of princes, He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords.
That's my King.

His office is manifold and His promise is sure. His light is matchless,
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting and His love never changes.
His Word is enough, His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Well, I wish I could describe Him to you, but He's indescribable!
He's incomprehensible, invincible, irresistible.

I'm trying to tell you the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him,
let alone a man explain Him!
You can't get Him out of your mind. You can't get Him off of your hands.
You can't outlive Him and you can't live without Him!
Well, Pharisees couldn't stand Him but they found out they couldn't stop Him.
Pilot couldn't find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree and Herod couldn't kill Him.
Death couldn't handle Him and the grave couldn't hold Him.
That's my King!

He always has been and He always will be.
I'm talking about, He had no predecessor and He'll have no successor.
There was nobody before Him and there will be no one after Him.
You can't impeach Him and He's not going to resign.
That's my King!

Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.
Well, all the power belongs to my King.
We around here talk about black-power, and white-power, and green-power, but it's God's power! Thine is the power and the glory!
We are trying to get prestige and honour and glory for ourselves but the glory is all His.
Yes, Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever and ever
and ever (how long is that?) and ever
and ever and ever and ever.
And when you get through with all of the forevers, then - "Amen!"

- As inspired by Pastor Dr. Shadrach Meshach Lockridge.

I can't believe a PERFECT creator made such things as disease, famine, and suffering. especially one that is loving and wants the best for his people. If he did, then He is not a loveing and caring God.

God has allowed it because men want it. If every man decided to do good we would not have war, famine, etc. But the sad fact of the matter is that some men do want it, or these are the side-effects of what they want. God does not impose his will on us and overide the free will that he gave man. Evil is there because men have put it there. God has allowed it to continue because to simply banish it would take the choice away from men. Then what's the point. God wants us to follow Him and believe in Him but He will not force us too.

When sin did enter the world God gave us a way to get away from it. He may not have caused the problem but He gave us a solution to the problem. Religion is the solution to the problem of sin and evil. Relgion is the positive aspects of society, the helping others, the giving of food, the advocates of peace. Most of these activities are conducted by religious people. Belief in God has made the druggy clean, made the drunk sober, and the worthless worth something. God has freed so many people from the chains of sin that bind them.

This is a matter of Faith, either you believe it or you don't.

However, this is the only thing that makes sense to me.

camchack: I have heard that speach before and love it. Thanks

Now you are getting into genetic engineering. I thought the church said that was a no-no.

No, I was not talking about genetic engineering. I was saying that through speciation, mutations, and natural processes, genetic information has been lost not changed. we were talking about a hypothetical world were adam and eve had never sinned. I was saying that in that world before sin and the curse - man, plants and animals were perfect unlike they are today.

p.s. to my last post. Just because God saves us from our own sins, does not mean that we aren't affected by somedody elses or experience the consequences of our own past sins.

I beleive that there is a Perfect Creator (aka God). He crearted everything perfect in the Garden of Eden. There was no famine, disease, etc. Man was perfect. God gave man a free will. God did not want to force anything, He wanted man to be able to choose. Well, mankind did choose. They chose the wrong choice. This led to the "fall of man", which led to imperfection. That is where war, and famine, and disease came from. Mankind created those things, not God. He creates perfection. It is the choice of mankind that changes it. Make any sense?

O'siyo maisky,
Whew! You need a raise in pay when it comes to making someone laugh so hard it prevents them from typing
~~Sty-U

O'siyo,
Why do we need something to believe in?
To make our wrongs seem forgivable, to make our rights seem righteous, to create a false bravado of freedom, give us purpose, keep us focused and to help us create more sins
Let me reiterate, *enter at your own risk*
~~Sty-U

O'siyo,
~ Why do we need something to believe in?
~~ So that we can make ourselves believe we are important and in this huge universe, believe our lives are the only ones that matter~
~~ It gives 'us' courage
My two-cents
~Sty-U

For the pure fact of believing in something we get up each day and go through our mundane routine. Weather we believe in a higher power or believe in an idea or hold fast to ideals. If we did not believe in something or someone, none of us would do what we do daily. Sounds pretty vague doesn't it? Well, for a lot of us what we believe in is. Without something to believe in we would not be driving cars or motorcycles, typing on computers and flying in planes. Weather we believe in our goals or faith in God, we need to believe in something just to make it through the day.

I threw in a few more cents then nermal.

Deep, deep is the well that flows cold clear water to rejuvenate ones soul.

O'siyo Aragorn,
~Vague? nah, not really...actually I would say well put!
~~Sty-U, have a blessed and peaceful day and eve!

For a sense of hope and welbeing for some

A sense of care for others

different people need something to believe in for different reasons, others don't need anything to believe in. It's all in the person who you are!