Do you believe in God? Why/Why not?

[JWeinCom]

mZuzek said:

JWeinCom said:

Well, we could in almost any circumstance say "it might have been Y", but that's a pretty meaningless statement.  Unless we could say "we have a good reason to think it was Y", then it's really pointless to consider Y as a possibility.

Of course it's meaningless, this whole debate is meaningless because there is no side that will come up with an answer or even a solid hint for one. Because of this, everyone can just have their own beliefs and assumptions, and no one's either right or wrong about them - the only ones who are wrong are those who try to force other people to think the same way.

These beliefs can have very real impacts on human lives, so they are very meaningful.  And while everyone can have their own beliefs, those beliefs are in fact correct or incorrect.  There is a god, or there is not.  He wants us to mutilate the genitals of females, or he does not..  These are positions where there is a definitive answer.  We may not be able to find the answer, but we can evaluate whether there is good reason to believe they are true or not.  And it's a pretty important endeavor.

WolfpackN64 said:

JWeinCom said:

I don't think we can say God doesn't exist because there is no proof.  However, we are very justified in saying we are justified in not believing god exists because there is no proof.

I've obviously heard of Russel but never actually heard him speak, so thanks for the link.  I'll put it on my watch list.

Of course there is much justification for not believing as well. Just goes to show how inconclusive this all still is. (which doesn't mean philosophizing about it is useless).

I'm kind of confused... Can you believe that not believing and believing are both justified positions?  That seems contradictory.