Theists, What Would It Take For You To Lose Your Faith?

[IATIA]

So yeah god got bored pretty quickly.

Though not high on the list, that is another argument against a god. If a god could create one universe then it must be able to create two or an infinite number. How long could god entertain itself? Forever is a long long looooooong time.

[dyresand]

So yeah god got bored pretty quickly.

Though not high on the list, that is another argument against a god. If a god could create one universe then it must be able to create two or an infinite number. How long could god entertain itself? Forever is a long long looooooong time.

Well here is the best part what if god has a god and god died? So wouldn't god go to some super heaven then? So then what would mean there would have to be a after after life.

[Davka]

If you read enough stories of de-conversions (and there are lots of them), you will come to the conclusion that no theist has the slightest clue what would cause them to doubt or lose their faith. Prior to the events leading to a crisis of faith, theists cannot conceive of anything that would change their minds. This, I believe, is due to the extreme compartmentalization needed to cling to faith in the face of cognitive dissonance.

A couple of characteristics that seem likely to lead to a loss of faith are Intelligence, Curiosity, and a Love of Learning. Theists who possess these characteristics in abundance will have a harder time denying reality in the long run.

What are you talking about?

Something that's way over your head and beyond your (current) comprehension.

Drich,

Do some reading about confirmation bias.

Maybe you should do some reading on confirmation bias. The key to it is cradled in the turning a blind eye to the truth for what one wants to be true.

Correct.

I deeply, deeply wanted it to be true that Jesus died for my sins; That He loved me and, simply because of my willingness to ask, had forgiven me and made a place for me with God forever. I wanted to believe that God answers prayer; that there is a global fellowship of believers who are known by their love; that the Bible is the Word of God.

I wanted to believe those things so badly that it took years of encountering powerful evidence to the contrary before I began to allow myself to question whether what I wanted to be true really was true. It was a terrible, frightening thing when it really came home to me that it was all just a story. I felt that the earth had been yanked from beneath my feet. I desperately did not want to believe that there is no god, and in fact I tried hard to continue to believe.

Even today, I wish I could believe in the loving, comforting God that I once believed I was praying to, and from whom I earnestly believed that I was getting confirmation. I still ask God for proof of His existence, although i ask less and less these days, since there pretty obviously is nobody there to answer.

Atheism is not what I want to believe. It's where the evidence takes me.

I have repeatedly said I have direct confirmation of the truth from God.

That's what you believe. It's also what you want to believe. That's how confirmation bias works.

The irony here is your confirmation bias will not allow you to accept this truth. Because what you believe demands you ignore anything God is willing to offer us.

I realize that it's extremely difficult for you to even begin to understand what it is that I actually want to believe, and why it is that I no longer can believe. It has nothing whatsoever do do with confirmation bias. Confirmation bias would have me still believing in god, not accepting the stark, painful truth.

[Tonus]

i mean.. at least be creative i mean god if a god ever existed wouldn't even bother listening to vocal or any sort of request or prayers.

I don't see why not, especially if we were made in his image. People seek one another out for help, favors, supplication, and any number of other requests, and many times they get something out of it. I do think that a god would not want prayer to be some rote repetition of a few phrases, as if he has a bad memory and needs to be badgered constantly in order to get something done. But taking requests and helping people? That would seem natural. It's certainly not something we see any imagined gods doing.

[dyresand]

i mean.. at least be creative i mean god if a god ever existed wouldn't even bother listening to vocal or any sort of request or prayers.

I don't see why not, especially if we were made in his image. People seek one another out for help, favors, supplication, and any number of other requests, and many times they get something out of it. I do think that a god would not want prayer to be some rote repetition of a few phrases, as if he has a bad memory and needs to be badgered constantly in order to get something done. But taking requests and helping people? That would seem natural. It's certainly not something we see any imagined gods doing.

But even then if god did help when we ask for help and we see the evidence say for instance i fall of a cliff or some guy falls off a cliff he says dear god help me and suddenly is either carried back up to safety or lands softly then we know god is there to help you and confirm god is real.