Which is better, believing in a god or not?

I was born a Roman Catholic and to be honest as I got older I began to question the very rules and guidelines that they impose and more and more I'm beginning to doubt Christianity and Catholicism as a whole and God himself. I'm trying to find something good God has done and I found none, I'm sticking with this religion for now since it's frowned upon if you change (I live in a generally Catholic/Christian country).

And I don't know if I should continue trying to believe in him or If I should just shun him and go atheist because I just think if there is a god then he's just observing us and not even trying to help the world and this makes me get mad at him and makes me feel that all that bible studies and Christian talk is just crap. So right now I'm at a standstill on whether I should change religion or not.

I honestly want your opinion guys on this, which is better for you? Believing in a God? or not? Maybe with your insight I could better understand what I must do.

I'm atheist, but I don't push atheism on others. I don't believe in god, but I think I might be better off if I actually did believe in god. I lack self discipline don't work as hard as my goody goody friends. However, I also don't want to waste my time every Sunday or read the Bible (Don't get me wrong, everyone should know basics about the Bible for intellectual purposes).
I've heard of people say that you don't lose anything by believing in god but not changing your life because of it, but that's no better than not believing in god.

As my English teacher once told me, never debate/argue/discuss religion unless you agree that you'll be willing to change your mind.

I am willing to change my mind and the fact is, as of now I believe there is a god but I think he's an observer who simply watches while we try to stay alive. I think there's a certain religion that I fall under I just can't recall..

I don't believe in God, I wish I did, but I can't believe in something of which I have no proof. I used to be a Christian until I realized I couldn't believe in something I can't perceive and thought; "To hell with it."

      Anyhow, for me, organized religion was not the way, why bow your head down for someone who will punish you for acting on instincts that He implemented in you? Why bow your head to someone who's sole existence is based on the principle that people believe in him? Why grovel in your own filth because He punishes you for something that He Himself is also guilty off?
      I'm not trying to convince you to abandon your religion, but that's just a few reasons to why I threw mine away. The thing about religion is that no one can ever know if "God" exists in any form, so it's always a gamble, not only to believe or not, but also what to believe in, the chances that you're right are pretty minimal. And since this is the case it doesn't really matter if you believe or not. Some people think that just because you have faith in a higher being you're ignorant and stupid, and some will say the opposite, but in the end some people feel comfortable being able to trust and rely on a greater power while some have an urge to find a more "logical" solution. So just do what you're comfortable with. As long as you keep an open mind and not force your beliefs on someone else it's alright, in my opinion at least.

I perfectly understand how you feel Chlor, I'm at conflict of what to do because I don't see God or feel him in my life. I'm like a lawyer, I don't believe until there is actual evidence it exists then if there isn't it's just theories or baseless statements so that gave me a bit to think about though thanks...

God or not, its always good to have faith in something. An alternative to religion is to have a goal in life. Believe in yourself, that should get you through the day.

Secularism and Agnosticism

That's pretty much is the finite answer to your question of how most people should live if they're caught in between beliefs like you are. Btw atheism isn't a religion, you can still be atheist and a catholic at the same time.

"Born a roman catholic"
Wrong.
Christined a roman catholic. Kay ?

Officially I'm a roman catholic as well, but I'm a non-believer

In 1st grade me and half of the class hid our holy bible + theology study books in the back of the classroom and lied to our parents about the books went missing. Ofcourse my parents not being so strict allowed me to drop out of theology classes so I didin't even got my first communion (sry don't know how to say it in english, it's hard-translated with google translate)

OT : I say it doesen't really matter. As long as you're okay with it you can believe in everything just don't secrifice humans or do some crazy cult shit mmmkay ? XD

Whatever gets YOU through the day with a smile on your face. In cases like this their is no "better", believe what you want to believe to bring yourself happiness.

It may be more comforting for some people to believe in an invisible sky daddy who is watching us and helping us in subtle ways. But to me, that is creepy as fuck.

The simple truth is: there are as much teachings as there are people.

Many times during life we are being pushed to adopt different beliefs and points of view. Why?
Because people feel assured as long as there are like-minded among us. Be it religios, philosophical or other approach to life - a human remains a human. If there are non who share our beliefs then we feel alone and start to doubt our selves. That's why sometimes we see people trying their hardest to convince their children, parents, friends and neighbours
in God, Evolution, Paranormal, Anything ...or dissuade from a certain something.

But this did not stop me from learning about zen-buddhism, daoism, qigong and other doctrines that are condemned in christianity. Contrary to their warnings, it helped me broaden my understanding of the Bible and other community interactions.

so tl;dr
I think it is something you should find out yourself and Not solely rely on example of majority here or anywhere else.
Don't rush on quitting christians though - it will only mess/confuse things up at your place.
Instead inwardly learn about other views on life.

Believing in that which their is no proof of seems a little pointless.

Yes.

What should you believe? Well that's up for you to decide. Don't use rules and regulations as a means of identifying a belief. Just because you don't like the rules and regulations of something, doesn't mean you don't relate to some of the teachings they provide.

The whole point of churches and religious communities, and a lot of people miss this, is to just be there to help refine your beliefs.

So what you should do is just keep your mind open. Listen to what people have to say about things and then just refine things for yourself until they feel right for you. It's when you become closed minded that you stifle your reasoning and logic in the area and become ignorant.

Well, I used to be a Catholic, until I realized, why believe in something that there is no proof on? The most annoying part was my mother though. When I told her, she told her sister. Then she came here and took me to church every Sunday, but it didn't even change my thinking. What's the point in forcing someone to believe in something that has no proof? Until we find that proof one day, then maybe...

What ever floats your boat. Me? I don't believe in him, and even if there were evidence of his existence I still wouldn't follow him. I highly disagree with most of his teachings. I was born raised in a Catholic home and I hate how the Catholic church made people feel guilty. I cannot follow a god who wants to be worshiped as the only god and to be feared.
But that's me.

There we go thats it, thanks for all of your valuable insight guys this has given me a lot to reflect upon and to think about =D I really appreciate you taking your time to reply to my topic and to share your personal opinions on the matter.

I happen to be a skeptic, and I'd say that I know more about religion than 90% of the believers. (Meaning, that I actually analyze them, compare them, check them trough psychology etc.) I have fairly strong reasons not to believe in a supernatural god being.


The lack of evidence, the contradictions with science, the fact that you can say anything and get away with it and personal experience with religious fundamentalists.

But I am not against religious people as long they don't try to use their world views as absolute and undeniable truth. Then things get tricky. And I think you should check how the Catholic church interacts with the world, and decide if you want to be a part of that.

PS. I was raised a catholic creationist.

Deism is the path I follow. On topic though, its neither better to believe or not believe in a higher force, it's merely a matter of personal opinion. When you strip it down to base elements, what does believing in God do for you? It gives you faith in life beyond this and a sense of self peace. That's how I see it, anyway. In essence, it's not better to follow either option, the important thing is having self peace and being happy with everything.

Deism.... I seriously am considering that because it could be the right path that I should take. It's the most interesting choice out of all.