What are the advantages to bieleve or not in god?

[thatsme]

Whenever I am asked if I beileve in god or whatever you want to call it.
I answer bieleiving or not, does it change my life?
And my answer no it does'nt.
So I ask is anyone able to spot either a bielever or not?
is a bielever happier of his life than a not bielever? or viceversa?

 

[Revenant]

If you can get your logic around the various theological difficulties of God, then I can see believing in God as possibly being very beneficial, or quite detrimental.

For those people who see God as a loving father figure, it has according to a psychological study helped make life happier to a small degree. People can say 'I will try, and then it is in God's hands, and he will do what's best even if I don't understand why it's best'.

But were one to not be able to get rid of the idea of a judgemental God, one that would cast you into hell at the end of time, one that would watch your every step, and one that chose but one people (the Jews), and left all others to their ultimate end fate, well then I can see why a lot of people can't see that particular God as being the true God.

 

[lilyofthevalley]

Pascal's wager is the most famous argument for the advantage of believing in God. I think it basically is that if you are a good Christian and it turns out that there is no God, no harm is done, but if you are an atheist and there really is a God, you will be sent to Hell (well according to non universalist beliefs), so overall it is better to be a Christian.

 

[Mars Man]

This is interesting, in how so much spin has been put on it by the conservative, 'moral majority-like' masses. By believing in something like this, be it god or whatever, an outlet for emotional attachment beyond what physically lies in the senses is being created--at least that's how it got started, and what basically happens today.

In the happiness studies, it is invariably found that 'religious people are generally happier than non-religious.' The statistics are likely being misapplied here because it is not the 'belief-systems' database' that produces the element for happiness, but rather the 'religious attitude' and 'in-group belonging' that does that. Here, 'religion' is a state of mental disposition/deep emotion--NOT (as so often mistakenly used in far too narrow range) a belief-system with its theology and doctrine. This is what can make for greater happiness, I'd argue.

At the same time, to rate degrees of satisfaction--as the surveys do, basically--is to rate the individual's concept of what it means to be happy in the first place. This then, can be seen to also likely act as a shut-off switch--a preconcluded conviction can, it has been shown, cause brain maps to shift so as to fit that conviction. It happens in severe schizophrenia cases, as well as in split-brain patients, and can be seen in normal cognitive processes as well.

Therefore, I'd be very reluctant to assign comparatives or superlatives to being happy between different subjects (as in people or animals, here) in this type of study. Various states within my own experience, of different strengths of emotion (happiness) I can measure in such comparative ways, or situations between subjects in a given situation--such as the emotion express by the winner of the bronze medal as opposed to that by the winner of the gold medal.

Believing in a god can make a person happy in some ways, just as believing in a sure success can make a person happy in some ways. It is not the circumstances of the external reality (what actually exists outside the brain) but rather that of the internal reality. The conclusion I reach then, is that there is no difference on the spectrum of life--including, of course, non-human animals... surely seem to have happiness too. (as has been shown through fMRI and other tests)

 

[pugtm]

studies show religous people suicide less, divorce less and have lower crime rates etc.
ill try and find the study.
i thought i had it stored on my pc but apparently i dont...

 

[thatsme]

studies show religous people suicide less, divorce less and have lower crime rates etc.

But does that mean they are happier?
if by committing less suicide and divorce equal to happiness, then fine.

 

[Half-n-Half]

Pascal's wager is the most famous argument for the advantage of believing in God. I think it basically is that if you are a good Christian and it turns out that there is no God, no harm is done, but if you are an atheist and there really is a God, you will be sent to Hell (well according to non universalist beliefs), so overall it is better to be a Christian.

I happen to disagree with this theory. Even if you were to take an agnostic or atheist and tell them to become Christian to, in a sense, cover their bases, I doubt it'd work. Being an agnostic myself, if I said I was Christian I wouldn't truly be Christian. The omnipotent all-powerful God above would surely know that my heart is not Christian and still cast me into Hell. If Christianity is as shallow as just going to church, praying to something I wouldn't believe in, and performing tricks for this God, then I don't want to be Christian.

studies show religous people suicide less, divorce less and have lower crime rates etc.
ill try and find the study.
i thought i had it stored on my pc but apparently i dont...

What, you mean this one?
Divorce Rates for Atheists Lower Than Christians

The highest divorce rates are in the Bible Belt: "Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Oklahoma round out the Top Five in frequency of divorce...the divorce rates in these conservative states are roughly 50 percent above the national average"

I don't know what sources you saw, but all the ones I've looked at indicate that atheists/non-theists divorce less than Christians. True, Christianity is not the only religion, but if they divorce less then at least Christians how can they divorce more than ALL religions?
And, I don't think suicide rates has anything to do with happiness. The only reason a Christian wouldn't commit suicide is because it is a mortal sin and he's afraid to go to Hell if he does. So, the atheist/agnostic commits suicide, while the Christian doesn't, but still lives a miserable life.

 

[Mycernius]

Pascal's wager is the most famous argument for the advantage of believing in God. I think it basically is that if you are a good Christian and it turns out that there is no God, no harm is done, but if you are an atheist and there really is a God, you will be sent to Hell (well according to non universalist beliefs), so overall it is better to be a Christian.

Pascals Wager is very easy to shoot down in flames, and is not a particularly good reason for believing in any god, let alone the christian god.
Let us take the amount of religions currently in the world today. It ranges from 6000 to 10 000 depending on which resource you go by. That is 6000 to 10 000 different seperate beliefs in god/gods. So your odds are that you have picked the right one, Christainity is already 1 in 6000/10 000. Would you usually take this kinds of odds with your life? No, you wouldn't. Next if you have picked christianity there are over 30 000 diferent denominations of just christianity. So now you have the odds that your particular christianity is the right one at 1 in 30 000. The odds are stacked rather high against you. So Pascals wager is really a statistical game that doesn't bear out in real life.
So it is not overall better to be a christian, anymore than it is better than to be a muslim or a jew.

studies show religous people suicide less, divorce less and have lower crime rates etc.
ill try and find the study.
i thought i had it stored on my pc but apparently i dont...

Funny, most results I have seen bear the opposite to that. Most of the criminals in prison, especially in the states are religious. Sweden, a country with about 80% of its population regard themselves as atheist or agnostic have one of the lowest crime rates in the western world. The US, where 80% of the popuation call themselves Christian has one of the highest crime rates.
Atheists have a lower divorce rate than christians, again especially in the US
Divorce Rates for Atheists Lower Than Christians
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I'm not sure on the suicide rates, I couldn't find anything on a quick google, but you don't find many atheists strapping bombs on themselves and blowing themselves up because of a faith, or even, for that matter, setting fire to themselves for a religious reason.

 

[Haruspex]

But does that mean they are happier?
if by committing less suicide and divorce equal to happiness, then fine.

You're either a believer or not, its not your decision, at least its not a decision you make conscioussly.
So my answer would be:
There's no benefit for you if you are asking for it. If you want benefit, and are asking for it so openly you are clearly not a believer.
Its better the admit what you believe to yourself, than force something on yourself. This is why I find both the pro-religion and atheist extremists kinda funny. They want to decide for other people, they think peoples' needs are universal, and they're the enlightened ahmygawdwhatevers who are supposed to banish ignorance and whatnot. You do what you want, you ask none, you care for no one's opinion, and you don't necessarily take advices, only when you want.

And I see no reason to think too much about all this.
If you're an atheist cool, well? Who cares?
If you're religious, same. Who cares?
Really, in our world, who the hell has enough nerves, time and energy to wage a crusade on either side? Religion plays a very small role in peoples lives, no harm comes from believing in God or not believing.

 

[ge6a_ppl]

Hmm...that's a difficult question,but to me,god doesn't exist,because there are so much bad things happening,everywhere in the world.God is supposed to be good,and to have enormous power,spiritual or not,who posseses such thing will just sit and watch his children die.My people were 5 centures under Turksih ocupation,til 1876,and belive it or not all the people who had ever thought of freedom had denied God.Then the church said "In order to save your soul,be humble,and don't riot".At the end of the occupation there was the Batak Massacre,in wich were killed more than 2,500 man.women and children.I don't understand if there was god,why would he let such things happen....

 

[thatsme]

Hmm...that's a difficult question,but to me,god doesn't exist,because there are so much bad things happening,everywhere in the world.God is supposed to be good,and to have enormous power,spiritual or not,who posseses such thing will just sit and watch his children die.My people were 5 centures under Turksih ocupation,til 1876,and belive it or not all the people who had ever thought of freedom had denied God.Then the church said "In order to save your soul,be humble,and don't riot".At the end of the occupation there was the Batak Massacre,in wich were killed more than 2,500 man.women and children.I don't understand if there was god,why would he let such things happen....

I am sorry you feel like that.
but the original question is by bieliving or not would you gain any benefit?
or are you happier?
And I am sure by your reasoning there are other billions of people that would say a similar thing about their own country.
Cheers