I often take it for granted that hardly any metal fans believe in God, but I was just curious how right I am about this.

Does anyone believe in the being who Christians, or any other religion for that matter, call God?

If not, does anyone have a wider belief in the supernatural or divine forces?

As the non-existance of such a being can never be proven, I am not asking "who feels that there could be a divine being beyond our understanding" - I think most people would acknowledge the possibility of this. I am asking if anyone actively believes in the existance of such a being/power, and if so, why?

I'm likely to delete silly or pointless answers (with the possible exception of "Halford").

I would consider myself Agnostic. And that is because I regularly sit on the fence, I don't think there's enough proof either way, of a "higher being".

I feel organised religions are bloody evil, but just let deluded fools get on with worshipping an.. idol. At the end of day, there could be something, but all that Christianity is based on is hilarious stories. Like Scientology.

Of course there is no God.

I'm undecided. I hope there is an afterlife or something, I would hate to think you die and thats it (although I believe this to be more likely to be honest).

I wish there was a god or divine force more than I believe in one, though I do believe that things and people get together by more than chance. Something is there in my life, I've just never tapped into it. It's an idealism for me more than a faith.

As for a christian, muslim or jewish faith and all its scriptures you have to follow. Nah, not for me, load of old bollocks.

life sucks and the you die! kinda sums it up
As some philosopher said
If god is almighty why doesnt he stop all the suffering?
Is he able but not willing? Why call him god?
Is he willing but not able? Whats god about that?

^ Yeah, it's by Epicurus:

"Is [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?"

H.O.D. Feemo wrote:I do believe that things and people get together by more than chance.

Interesting; what's led you to believe that?

I can understand why people believe in God, yet I don't subscribe to the version of God that I was brought up to believe in. I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, or that Jesus died for my sins.

To put it simply, I'm still a bit of science vs. religion man - anything that science hasn't explained is 'God'. There are, though, a fucking shit-load of questions that science won't explain in my lifetime.

What I do get pissed off about is your generic rant against organised religion. The most contented people I've met have had some sort of faith. I'm not going to look down on them for investing their lives in something I can't. I'd be happy to have someone tell me why they can or can't accept me by their religious standards as long as they don't tell me that they are the be-all and end-all of religion.

If anything, I wish I had a better knowledge of the Bible. Not for faith's sake, but because I'm sad enough to be interested in history. Or even just knowing quotes. My mum went to a convent and some of the general knowledge she has of the Bible really fucks me over when we play Trivial Pursuit.

Metal Iain wrote:IIf anything, I wish I had a better knowledge of the Bible. Not for faith's sake, but because I'm sad enough to be interested in history. Or even just knowing quotes. My mum went to a convent and some of the general knowledge she has of the Bible really fucks me over when we play Trivia Pursuit.

I agree - I've read the whole New Testament but that was a while ago now. When I have time I'd like to read both Old and New properly, as it is a vastly important literary achievement that I want to fully grasp. Of course, I want to be in good standing to know exactly what the holy book that people base their lives on actually says as well.

James wrote:

Metal Iain wrote:IIf anything, I wish I had a better knowledge of the Bible. Not for faith's sake, but because I'm sad enough to be interested in history. Or even just knowing quotes. My mum went to a convent and some of the general knowledge she has of the Bible really fucks me over when we play Trivia Pursuit.

I agree - I've read the whole New Testament but that was a while ago now. When I have time I'd like to read both Old and New properly, as it is a vastly important literary achievement that I want to fully grasp. Of course, I want to be in good standing to know exactly what the holy book that people base their lives on actually says as well.

Well, I'm mainly compelled by the Discovery Channels.

For example, I watched a documentary about how James was allegedly Jesus's elder brother but he wasn't allowed to publish his account of Jesus's life because he was Jewish (Jerusalem was in Roman hands at this point), whereas Paul was because he was a Roman citizen and he became a key source in the New Testament. James and Paul allegedly had a scrap about how to write about Jesus and everything, ending in James's arrest.

That was a cool documentary.

But how would you get any of that out of reading the books themselves?

James wrote:But how would you get any of that out of reading the books themselves?

Exactly!

You have to go back to shit like the Dead Sea Scrolls, which I wish I fucking could. OK, history is pretty complicated when it's 2000 years gone but I still find it cool. Yet historians have found the manuscripts and spent their lives pouring over them.

I'd probably find the historical accounts found in 'the' Bible (how many variants can you buy today?) quite frustrating.

Yet I wish I was fucking doing this sort of thing at Uni instead of politics. I don't have much of an interest in becoming religious, but I could happily settle for a career in trying to work out the history of religion in Europe and the Middle East.

Metal Iain wrote:I could happily settle for a career in trying to work out the history of religion in Europe and the Middle East.

So could I!

As long as you don't act as cuntish as Richard Dawkins.

Dawkins can come across arrogant but otherwise I think he rules, and the more he conveys the points he does to the public, the better!