My Faith is a Waste of Time?

I am in the same boat you are – while I do know that there are many other ways that people become good people and help others (I don’t think Christians have a monopoly on that by any means)…I also feel that my faith has really positively influenced me and how I view all of humanity. Although, most importantly, I believe it’s true, and from that truth comes good when honestly pursued.

It is true.. what has one lost by the ABC’s; Admit, Belived and Confess. All is gain to me. I appreicate you sharing your Walk with your friend. You planted a Seed and God will take care of the rest. I am like you.. I am a better person. The Lord has gotten me through all kinds of waters. Without HIM, I am lost.

well i am a Deist , i believe there is a God, that we do have a creator, and i base that on things that seem reasonable to me, like the way man and women were designed in a certain way to create babies for example, i believe alot is planned, but i do not believe in the god the bible has made, i dont not believe in religion,..just forget what ppl tell you, its all about what you Feel is right.

I don’t know what’s out there but I don’t think it’s a waste of time looking for what seems right to you…

Please know that not all atheists feel that way. I’m an atheist myself and in no way do I believe that YOUR faith is a waste of YOUR time. Even if you change your mind or end up being “wrong” you still will have learned something and followed the path you were meant to.

Random note: Good on you for establishing your boundaries and sticking to your beliefs. I wish more people would “waste their time” making the world a better place. Happy new year!!!!

I come down on similar lines to your friend. It depends on where your values lay, though. If your values lay with feeling good, then that’s going to determine your world view in a certain way and a very self-centered view of the world seems most acceptable to that kind of person. On the other hand, if your values lay with making good positive changes and not being as negative as you may have…

…been in the past, then that’s going to make ideas like the christian god appealing to you. And if you value objective truth most of all, then ideas like “christian thought is foolish and a complete waste” become appealing for many reasons. I suspect you’re closest to the person in the middle and your friend is the latter. When you value the objective, measurable truth above all else…

…ideas that are based on ‘faith’ or ‘I feel that way’ are aversive because they’re not useful. They don’t help you get to an answer. They’re unmeasurable and there are many, MANY objective reasons to not trust or believe such statements. And when you’re talking religion, there’s a LOT there to take issue with that doesn’t have anything to do with the concept of god or jesus.

Consider the way the church has treated it’s children for 100s of years. One idea against religion is that if religion were true, its followers would not try to bludgeon their young into an artificial conformity; but would merely insist on their unbending quest for truth, irrespective of artificial backgrounds or practical consequences.

*shrug* I guess what I’m trying to say is that what’s going on here is that you and your friend clearly have different values. Imo all that’s being said there is hey, I value this and you value that. Both valuing goodness and valuing truth is important. Both of you are okay to me. In my own pov, I def value truth over goodness. However, goodness is very important too…

…, even if you are doing it for objectively false reasons. So I value faithful provided they’re good and decent people. On the other hand it irritates me, truly irritates me when I read things like in your entry where you say your own growth could not have been possible without god. That bothers me because you’re believing that the symbol has determined your actions.

In my view, god did not reach down and force you to do a damn thing. That strength came from YOU. The changes in your life from broken hurt and lonely to happier, stronger and willing to do things for the homeless came from YOU. God had nothing to do with it. Nothing. It’s just the symbol you needed to realize what was important in the world. That’s it. It all came from you and saying…

…that god did all that is devaluing YOU and the good that YOU did. Further, it’s devaluing the pastor/religious person/whoever encouraged you down that path of helping people and the positivity THEY helped create too. I don’t like that. We should spend time valuing each other and the good things we do, not a symbol. To me it’s misdirected love and caring that would be better spent on…

…others, especially others in need, than on being infatuated with an idea.

Good for you!

Stay close to God and he’ll keep showing himself to you. 🙂

There are countless ways to waste time, and they could all be argued (even video games could probably be shed in a positive light. Not to compare your religion to video games, just an example). Anything that brings positivity and a good mental space to an individual is not a waste of time for that person. That’s the beauty of being an individual.

Amen. And in the end, there’s only going to be one thing that matters.

Jesus is the answer to life. You, at your young age, have found Him. Thank God. Just keep on believing! God bless.

That is a typical atheist for you. They don’t have that kind of outlook on just Christianity. It’s for every belief out there. I don’t see why they don’t leave people be and let them believe in whatever they want. They concentrate so much on Christianity that they forget to do exactly what they tell us Christians we should be doing. They forget to live their lives not obsessing over someone’s belief and become angry and a bitter person. They have their right to not believe in God, but they do not have a right to shove that fact down the throats of people who choose to believe. They tell us Christians not to shove our belief down their throats when most of the time they don’t and turn around and shove their opinions down our throats. To me, I don’t see why it’s so difficult to just leave us be and have them get their own life.

For you, it may not be a waste of time…. but other people may think it is. Different people have different views. What works for you doesn’t necessarily work for others. Keep that in mind when you bring things like this up.

No, you didn’t offend even if you disagree. About what you were saying though…you said you equate the bible/god/christ/etc with truth. I was very deliberate about my words when I was talking about truth; I said the objective truth. Those things are not objectively true. You can’t measure them. I can’t go up to God for an interview. Christ isn’t there. What people of faith might…

…construe as a miracle does not mean that that experience was an act of God. For example, I work as an EMT and I’ve experienced motor vehicle accidents where my patients tell me that God must have been looking out for them because they came out unhurt. In reality, the thing that saved them from that damage was that they wore their seatbelt,…

…the prevalence of not only frontal airbags but side airbags too not to mention how cars are designed to crumple up on striking an object while maintaining the frame of the car to deflect and absorb the force of the crash. None of those things are god reaching down and protecting you. Those are man-made devices that took years to develop (and the experience of many many deaths)…

…and THAT’S what protected them. On the flip side, when people get hurt it’s often because of their choices. Old cars without the safety devices installed in them, not wearing their seatbelts. It’s not god (or the devil or a demon) reaching down to cause them pain. It’s their own actions and the actions of others around them. That’s measurable, observable, aka objectively true.

So yeah, I understand what you mean by you feel it’s true, but that’s a subjective truth. Without proof, all you can do is feel it is that way. In the same way, I might feel that purple is the best color ever and you might feel pink is the best, but without a way to measure ‘best’ we can never find out which is which (or if neither are best). It’s just an opinion.

I get what you mean by people giving you opportunities. Same goes for them, though. They are doing what they FEEL is right, not being objective about why they do what they do. To sum up what I’m trying to say here, what you say is true is not true. Until there’s empirical evidence, it’s an opinion which may or may not be true. And if you took the time to look at the bible, REALLY look at it…

When God makes Himself known, none of your time spent with Him is wasted….and so nice to know that you have felt His presence in your life.

…in a search for truth, not to mention the institutions around the church, you’ll find many objective reasons to disbelieve and only emotional, subjective reasons to believe. Here’s a link I found incredibly fascinating, it’s by a christian guy describing his faith and how it panned out for him. It’s a fairly long series, but very worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOmSYHzeoNA&list=PLA0C3C1D163BE880A

I think you should believe what you believe. That is not wasting time. A person can follow their own faith/path & still better themselvles & the world. To each their own.

Amen!

Oh, isn’t Halcyon just oh-so-very clever! I’m an atheist too, but there’s a big difference between being an atheist and desperately trying to validate your “intellect.” He’s a try-hard who doesn’t even have a four-year degree, playing at seeming intelligent, on a website full of young girls and housewives who won’t call him out on his utter lack of reasoning skills.

Anyway, I’m an atheist, but I basically agree with this entry. Although Pascal’s wager is deeply flawed, I really do think that anyone who is leading a good life and striving to do good in the world is spending their time on earth in a worthwhile manner. If Christianity can inspire people to go out there, help others, and lead lives full of goodness and compassion, then what’s so bad about it?

Its not a waste of time at all, I personally Don’t believe in god and things a Like I am more of a person who believe’s in the science’s point of view and things like,trot Readings,runes,calenders, and the horoscopes.but believe its everyone’s personal choice on what they make of things surrounding “god & nature and things alike”

the only thing I hate is when people use “god” as an excuse to hurt and kill others whatever faith they are in weather its witch doctors or Christian’s to Muslims I feel stuff such as that is uncalled for Especially Child or animal sacrifice ritualistic killing in order to please, propitiate or force a god or supernatural beings in order to achieve a desired result

i love this entry. Very well-written!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascals_Wager

I am an ATHEIST, but also spent a lot of time with various communities of faith. Enough to know that anyone who says that pursuing faith as a ‘waste of time’ is full of it. Faith and bettering oneself and the world are not mutually exclusive. And those who suggest otherwise are mindless extremists who are perhaps more close-minded and dogmatic in their beliefs than they would like to admit.

Christianity is a relatively new religion. If you study all of the major world religions, you can see common symbols, stories and threads woven among them all. When you are really educated and understand them thoroughly you can see that they are all partially correct and partially incorrect. Most of the stories really should not be taken literally. Many of them are symbolic of something greater. Some have great morals that can help people improve and for Christianity, the fear of hell and a vengeful devil certainly can help those who need something harsher to improve themselves. What really matters is what you are getting out of it. As long as you are using it as a tool to help you improve yourself, that is excellent. Don’t ever let it be a crutch. When it stops serving you as a tool for self improvement, you should don’t be so attached that you can’t let go of it for something greater that will benefit you more. It makes me sad to see so many people divided by religion when education and knowledge can unite them. Individual religions are fingers on a hand and sadly most people don’t realize it’s really all one thing.

I have no faith whatsoever, and this is a great rebuttal. I wish there were more people out there who have thought this out enough to clarify faith from religion like you have.

As an atheist myself, I do think that people have a right to religion as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else. Yet for anyone to say there are no consequences is about as wrong as your are naive to say it. People around the world are being stoned to death, burned at the stake and some are blowing themselves up for what they believe in. Religion hurts people on a daily basis. There are many consequences because religion tells people to kill those who don’t believe their cause, and that is what makes it dangerous to everyone. Religion has harmed us all in many ways you can not even imagine, so it definitely has consequences. The fact that we know all religions to be false only compounds that harm as many continue to sabotage the progress of science and women’s rights just to name a few things. There are consequences, even if you haven’t felt the effects of them yet.

I am an atheist, but I don’t believe that it is ok or right for others to tell people who have a set faith, or religion, that their faith is a waste of time. Your friend talked about how you could have been bettering the world and belittled you. But, did they honestly think that they were bettering the world by telling you that your thoughts and feelings are wrong?? But I say good for you for

being true to yourself and knowing what is right in your heart. All of the things that you mentioned that you have been able to do by being a Christian is a beautiful thing. And definitely NOT a waste of time.

You are very young to have strong faith, very good for you! I have been a believer for 30 years and am only now just seeing some of the things you have discovered already. Being a Christ follower makes the world better. Striving to live in a Christlike manner makes the world better. It’s a beautiful thing!

It’s too bad your friend feels the way they do, but fortunately not all atheists are like that. I am with you. I see my faith as a deeply positive force in my life. It motivates me to seek social justice. What Is Real doesn’t matter nearly as much as What Is Right.

Also, Halcyon is a troll. He thinks he has everything to teach and nothing to learn.

I fully agree that having Faith (the variety doesn’t matter) in something greater than yourself, helps you strive to be a better person. And that, like you said, is never wasted. Light of heart,

Doing/pursuing/believing/whathaveyou anything you are passionate about is never a waste of time.

You might be interested to read about Pascal’s Wager: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager Of course, it’s formulated within the Christian tradition and doesn’t account well for religious pluralism (the possibility that other faith traditions might be “right”), but subsequent analyses have nicely parsed out some of the very questions you’re asking! Hope you like it- and Happy New Year!

You are awesome…keep the faith! God loves YOU!!

Just after reading the notes, I have to mention the idea of truth. Truth is found in the Bible, and no one has even spoken about the Bible being the inerrant word of God. In the Bible it says there will be many false prophets, many “teachers” who sound knowledgable, many people claiming to know the TRUTH but who are false/wrong. Truth can only come from God himself — the only way we can know

Thank you for standing up for your Faith. Too many young people won’t hen f faced with a friend that belittles them for it.

They say Christianity is a waste of time but they are the ones arguing against a God they don’t even believe in. Who’s wasting more time the person who believes or the one who doesn’t but has to harp on it?

Faith and religion is a very personal thing so I don’t believe that even if it turns out not to be true, you’ve wasted any time. Your faith has enriched your life. Personally, I’m an athiest but that doesn’t mean that I bash the beliefs of those around me. It means that I personally don’t believe in a creator. Everybody is entitled to their beliefs without being slammed for it….cont

athiest or otherwise 😀 I notice one of your notes talking about “typical athiests” but that kind of statement isn’t anymore acceptable than your friend slamming your faith

I’m sorry but your friend is completely right. You Are wasting your time which could be better used elsewhere. You say you are a better person for having ‘found’ god but this is demonstrable nonsense. You have merely used god as a crutch, as an excuse, to turn your life around because you weren’t strong enough to do it yourself. Nothing wrong with that but it’s now time to grow up.

I feel that way too – every moment I’ve spent connecting with God has been time well spent. My relationship with Him has made me a better person in a lot of the same ways. It’s made me more patient and fair, and it’s given me a broader perspective on life. It’s my biggest motivation to take care of others. If someone were to tell me my faith is a waste of time, I would realize they don’t understand me at all. I hope that your friend will listen to your side and broaden his horizons a bit. He’ll probably become less of an absolutist with age and exposure to different people and beliefs. And really, does he spend every spare moment bettering the world? I’ll freely admit that if I have a spare hour, I’ll use it playing Candy Crush. Not because I’m a selfish jerk, but because I’m human and bettering myself is a pretty vague concept anyway. Plus it sounds like you’re doing plenty of concrete things to make the world better – and that’s way better than just talking or thinking about it.