Is That the Right Word?

[Cinjin]

It's rare that anyone asks me what I believe because most assume that I'm an atheist. I sound like an atheist. My best friends are atheists. I loath nearly all religions and what they do to the world. It all adds up to a fair assumption.

Very recently -
The christian god came up in conversation at a bar I was performing at. The portion of the conversation I'm referencing went like this:

Christian (at least on some level): A bunch of atheists bitching about god. (laughs jokingly)
Me: Actually, I'm a Deist ... of sorts.
Christian: Whats that mean?
Me: Well very basically, the term "god" is just man's term for some kind of intelligent creative being or force and it certainly has nothing to do with ancient books written by fucktards.
Christian: But you do believe in god.


And this is where I cringe. What do you mean by "BELIEVE?" What does anyone mean when they say the words, "do you believe?" Is believe the right word?
Does a person believe in aliens? Does a person believe in Bigfoot? Atlantis? Ghosts? Because I KNOW children do indeed believe in Santa Clause.
What does that tell you?
For me, it says that anyone who believes in anything is automatically a bit of an idiot. Why? Because the only reason you need to believe in something is when you don't have evidence of it's existence.

I don't know if it's the right word. My outlook regarding god doesn't feel like a belief to me. It feels like a theory that I'm biased towards. I don't claim it as fact so therefore, how can I possibly "believe" in god??

Is that when belief becomes the correct word? When you can't prove something exists but still claim it to be fact??? If that's the case, than no, I do not believe in god. My deistic views only allow me to favor the idea without proof.

Thoughts?
Is believe a dirty word? Maybe?

[Minimalist]

What do you mean by "BELIEVE?"

be·lieve
   [bih-leev] Show IPA verb, be·lieved, be·liev·ing.
verb (used without object)
1.
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

Or, in the case of "god" no proof whatsoever.

[Brian37]

Skip it, seriously.

You are not a deist, you are an atheist who simply wants your sense of awe to mean something more than "wow".

If you don't buy into an invisible being, and simply chalk it up to what humans want to be, then you cannot be even a deist.

It is nothing more than human imagination, that is the only "god" there is. Which is our imagination, not a god.

It is humans mistaking our wishes for reality.

Einstein treated god as a metaphor too. But that does not make any god real. It only means that humans have vivid imaginations.

The idea of a non material thinking entity a "something" with no location or description is ripe for the proxy war of people who want power, not evidence, and is fueled by the desire of being the alpha male.

[Kayenneh]

Honestly? I think you're filling the gap of uncertainty with a shadow.
But you're not obnoxious, you do not force your beliefs (for the lack of a better word) down others throats and you don't judge other people with an outdated scripture as your reference. People are entitled to their hypothesis, as long as they don't hurt others with it. And going with a gut feeling isn't always wrong

[Cinjin]

What do you mean by "BELIEVE?"

be·lieve
   [bih-leev] Show IPA verb, be·lieved, be·liev·ing.
verb (used without object)
1.
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

Or, in the case of "god" no proof whatsoever.

So according to the definition of Believe - I don't truly believe in god ... as according to the definition, my god offers me no purpose. I live fine without need of him/her/it.

Skip it, seriously.

You are not a deist, you are an atheist who simply wants your sense of awe to mean something more than "wow".

If you don't buy into an invisible being, and simply chalk it up to what humans want to be, then you cannot be even a deist.

It is nothing more than human imagination, that is the only "god" there is. Which is our imagination, not a god.

It is humans mistaking our wishes for reality.

Einstein treated god as a metaphor too. But that does not make any god real. It only means that humans have vivid imaginations.

The idea of a non material thinking entity a "something" with no location or description is ripe for the proxy war of people who want power, not evidence, and is fueled by the desire of being the alpha male.

Very interesting. The problem with your take on my personal views is that I am not in awe of creation. I didn't dream up god because I was just so impressed with a dragonfly or a sunrise. For all I know, "god" could simply a be long dead alien who created our universe from an alternate universe. Maybe my god is supernatural, but maybe he isn't. I don't get all that caught up in who god is, rather this question I have to occasionally answer regarding the word believe.

I agree humans cooked up the idea of god. No doubt about it, but that doesn't mean our existence couldn't have come from intelligence billions of years ago. I don't know that it did, I just know that a creator being fills in spaces for me better than leaving empty holes that science may be centuries away from solving. If and when science answers my queries, I will gladly leave my theories behind, but make no doubt about it, although I serve no god, I do think of him/her/it as more than just a metaphor.

I know its difficult at times to separate the way I use the word god and the way the religions of the world use the word god, but I'm just trying to figure out this word, believe. I don't think it's something I believe, I think it's a preferred theory.

Honestly? I think you're filling the gap of uncertainty with a shadow.
But you're not obnoxious, you do not force your beliefs (for the lack of a better word) down others throats and you don't judge other people with an outdated scripture as your reference. People are entitled to their hypothesis, as long as they don't hurt others with it. And going with a gut feeling isn't always wrong

Filling a gap with a shadow is an admittedly fair synopsis. I'm not into magic and old books about magic. I'm not into talking snakes and floating corpses. I think in most regards I'm an extremely rational person, but I leave the possibility of a creator being (god) open.
Somewhere in there, one could easily make the argument that I both believe and don't believe in god.

[Erinome]

I hate it when people use the word 'believe' along with evolution. No, I don't believe in evolution, I'm simply aware of it and accept it as fact. I know what you mean, Cin. You don't believe in god, in fact, I've always secretly considered you to be agnostic.

[Minimalist]

The sun will rise in the east tomorrow. This is not a "belief." It is the accumulated observations of every day of my life. Now, if the sun did not rise in the east THAT would be a miracle.

It would probably also play hell with the stock market.

[Cato]

Cinjin,

You do understand that your christian 'friend' (pub patron; whatever) did not ascribe to your definition of god. Without this understanding, why the confusion over the term belief?

The term believe has been hijacked. It has been stripped of any meaning proposing the requirement of evidence. It is now synonymous with 'faith' in common usage.

If you want to call pre big bang 'god', so be it. I'm comfortable with saying 'I don't know'...yet. The real issue you're wrestling with is the definition of 'god', not believe.

Jim

[KichigaiNeko]

I personally refuse to use the words "belief"/ "believe" and am quite happy stating that "I do not 'believe' in anything....I understand a great deal ...but...my understanding is limited."

I feel that the word belief/ believe has been hijacked, and I cringe when I hear people use the word. For me "belief/ believe" is equal to "an opinion that has no proof or reasonable basis. This is my understanding.

[Panglossian]

"Believe" certainly is a dirty word when used by creationists, and if not a dirty word, it has certainly developed into an ejector-seat sort of word when discussing their faith with those that do not share it. Any time I've ever debated with a creationist on the subjects of evolution, abiogenesis, the complete ineptitude of their god, they'll simply say "well, if that's what you want to believe..." and swan off, blissfully unaware of how infuriatingly ignorant they are. Scientific principles/theories are not to be believed, they are to be studied, learned, and accepted.

There's another word that seems to be on the tip of every minority's tongue nowadays. "Offensive." "I find that offensive." "Do you have any idea how offensive that is?" I just wish it would stop. So bloody what if you're offended!? By announcing it publically, you have demonstrated your lack of control over basic emotions, and are seeking out someone else to control them for you. It's interesting, also, just how often it can be replaced with the word "threatening."