Do we need to believe in God to be happier?

[Arlindomarco]

The renowned writer Richard Dawkins contends that believing in God is a mistake.I'm catholic and I don't agree with him at all.What do you think?

www.doctorenglish.blogspot.com

[Jamie (K)]

There has been a big (I think organized) assault on belief in God by various atheist intellectuals recently. The thing that always amazes me about these guys is that they have full adult reasoning abilities, but their understanding of religion is at a very juvenile level. They're opposing religion at the simplified level that is taught to children, and they seem to have no idea that full adult religious belief exists.

If you are Catholic, you'll appreciate the articles that a writer named Dinesh D'Souza has been publishing lately. Here are four of them:

A Challenge to Believers and Nonbelievers
http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/10/08/a_challenge_to_believers_--_and_non-believers

My Debate with Christopher Hitchens
http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/10/16/my_debate_with_atheist_christopher_hitchens

The atheist Indoctrination Project
http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/10/22/the_atheist_indoctrination_project

And here's the best one:

What Atheists Kant Refute
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1017/p09s06-coop.html

As for the subject of happiness, I don't think that has anything to do with believing in God. Happiness is not a permanent state, and people are happy at times and not happy at other times, whether they believe in God or not. Read the Book of Job in the Bible. That guy was unhappy for some very good reasons, but it didn't shake his belief in God. God's not the ghost of Walt Disney or some funny uncle who brings you presents when he comes over.

[Boke]

different strokes for different folks

I certainly don't think you need god to be happy but if they makes you happy go for it, my basic idea is live and let live , you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt others, you wanna get busy with a horse? No problem, just do it in your house (or barn) , you wanna shoot heroin? Go at it? You wanna believe that god was some dude that was crucified 2000 years ago and believe a book that was written and rewritten and translated and retranslated , go at it.

[Jamie (K)]

[Boke]

I think most of us would agree that a mother shooting heroin is hurting others, its the other more difficult topics , homosexuals, recreational drug use, suicide, ect..

[Jamie (K)]

Recreational drug use supports criminal enterprises that oppress and murder people all the way along the supply chain, so you are hurting others when you do it, even if you can't see the people right in front of your face. A person who commits suicide causes problems for his family, for the people close to him, and for the people who have to clean up his mess. Almost everything that's traditionally considered immoral hurts someone, and your type of moral relativism is an untenable position.

[Boke]

In terms of numbers alchohol and tobacco kill more people worldwide than any other drug, a huge majority of people around the world are addicted to caffeine , next time you wake up try not drinking that morning coffee see what happens its called withdrawal. Why don't these drugs support criminal enterprises?Why don't these drugs oppress and murder people along the supply chain? Because they're legal, the drugs themselves and the consumption of those drugs do not support criminal activity its the law that brings about these situations, the law makes these drugs more expensive (and hence more profitable) which leads to them being produced and supplied by criminal organinizations and the murders of people. If you want to end the murder of all those people along the supply chain wouldn't be more feasible to legalize and regualte the drug use? Then the prices of those drugs would plummet to levels where criminal organizations would not participate in the drug trade, why would they?There's no profit to be had, anyone that would want the drugs would go to licensed store and buy it legally, afterall thats what they do with alchohol and tobacco, thats what they do with Prozac and Ritalin.

What's traditionally immoral? Did you decide that for us?Did your God decide that for me? There's a lot of different cultures on this forum and I would guess that a lot of your "traditional morals" don't relate to them. Do you wear clothing that reveals your ankles? Well at one time it was "traditionally immoral" to do so but guess what? Times changed.

Your thinking is my morals are correct. My values are correct. So everyone, lets be good little people and follow MY morals and values.Thank you.

Who decided these "morals"?

[*Delta*]

I think it's really important to believe in god
and for me it's considered as a way to happiness
cuz if we dont' believe of him who created all of us
we won't feel happy , and we won't be saticfied at all

[BuddhaGeo]

I am an atheist and for me, every God out there is nothing but a mere creation of men.

[Jamie (K)]

[Ahmadov]

Most people who believe in God, does so not because they want to be happy, but because they want to believe in what is true...
_________________
Learning is a sacred engagement.

[BuddhaGeo]

[Jamie (K)]

[BuddhaGeo]

I'm an atheist, and I don't believe in any sort of God. And I am not suppressing my beliefs. For me, Zeus, your God, Allah, Jupiter, Mars and the Flying Spaghetti Monster are all the same.
And if I ever become religious when dying, I'd choose the Flying Spaghetti Monster, for he is the only true creator.
May his benevolence bestow upon you.

[Jamie (K)]