what would be an actually good reason to believe in a god.

[Heisreal]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

[Hydra009]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

That argument could be used to support literally anything.

Pray to Dagon and he'll bless your crops, improving yields.  What do you have to lose?

[Heisreal]

That argument could be used to support literally anything.

Pray to Dagon and he'll bless your crops, improving yields.  What do you have to lose?

I don't expect you to understand, you believe the Holy Bible is fiction. But if you go back far enough in your lineage you'll find that your folks didn't know Dagon, Madok, or the Greek gods, they knew Jehovah God, the God of the Bible. And He said:

Isaiah 45:5-6
I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. 

[Hydra009]

I don't expect you to understand, you believe the Holy Bible is fiction. But if you go back far enough in your lineage you'll find that your folks didn't know Dagon, Madok, or the Greek gods, they knew Jehovah God, the God of the Bible.

They were northern European, so it's Protestant for a few generations, Catholic for a bit longer, then paganism/animism back to the dawn of time (more likely than not, with the occasional doubting Thomas)

So...which one of my ancestors' many religions am I supposed to declare my loyalty towards, and why?

[Mike Cl]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

I disagree.  I have much to lose in believing in a fiction.  You become dumb to maintain your belief.  Belief requires no thinking--well, not critical thinking.  You are giving your time, talent and treasure for a fiction.  I don't fear your fiction, I don't miss being with those who believe in your fiction and I like the freedom to think and do as I think is correct to think and do.  You are simply a willing slave.

[trdsf]

I don't expect you to understand, you believe the Holy Bible is fiction. But if you go back far enough in your lineage you'll find that your folks didn't know Dagon, Madok, or the Greek gods, they knew Jehovah God, the God of the Bible.

Most of our ancestors weren't even animals -- we all share a lineage all the way back to the moment of abiogenesis and all but about the last ten thousand years of it was pre-literate.  Not only were most of our ancestors not christian, most of them weren't even human.

And I don't believe the bible is fiction, I know it is from its own internal inconsistency.  It is not possible for it to be a true document.  Some bits of it may be, but it can not all be true.

[trdsf]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

Except that it applies to *any* god: what if it turns out it's Zeus and not Jehovah?  You're just as hosed as everyone else.

Also, this assumes a god that can be placated by lip service.  This isn't belief you're talking about here, this is merely the philosophical toss of a coin -- I can only assume that the agnostic thinks the coin landed on its edge.  ;)

[doorknob]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

god's pretty diabolical that way. Loving is laughable. It's like the Chinese government thought police. You believe what the government tells you or else. Well that's basically the same thing your god is doing. Believe in me or else!

Sorry but fear is not a good reason to believe something. Even if you do believe something out of fear how do you know you actually believe it and aren't just placating the god or gods? Surely they will know. In which case it is not just the unbeliever who is in trouble but also the fake believers.

Which kind are you? 

[Mr.Obvious]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

Actually, and not 100% sure if its a causal link, but I find life much more enjoyable since I became an atheist. Again, maybe it's not completely a causal link, but it very well might be. Losing that, if we only have one life to live, is losing a lot.
Add to the fact that I wouldn't worship a deity puts worshipping him and believing in him over being good to your fellow man and trying to make the world a better place anyway, so that doesn't give me any incentive.
And lastly; what if there is a God, but he's nothing like what you think him to be? What if the God did his best to hide himself from his creation, as would fit what we see, and values rational thinking and logic and science above anything? What if he sends to hell those who believe in a fake God to oblivion and only keeps those souls and minds that withstood the test with him for another plain of existance? Do I believe that? Hell, no. But it has the same weight to it as your idea, so it cancels your reason out.

[Baruch]

The best reason to believe in God, in my opinion: if I'm wrong about God, I have nothing to lose, if the unbeliever is wrong about God, he loses everything.

Pascal's argument is a fail.  Buddha is right, and you are reincarnated as a toad.  There are a thousand gods ... which one please?  For me, the god of Abraham, but the Buddha was a smart fellow too.

[Baruch]

I don't expect you to understand, you believe the Holy Bible is fiction. But if you go back far enough in your lineage you'll find that your folks didn't know Dagon, Madok, or the Greek gods, they knew Jehovah God, the God of the Bible. And He said:

Isaiah 45:5-6
I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

Jews wrote the Bible, not G-d.  As I Jew I am not ashamed to admit to this ... scam.  Precious writing from Heaven goes back to Gilgamesh.  Of course the Muslims make the same claim ... but they are all false.  Writing comes from inside, not outside, as anyone who has ever composed a mere sentence, can attest.

[Baruch]

Most of our ancestors weren't even animals -- we all share a lineage all the way back to the moment of abiogenesis and all but about the last ten thousand years of it was pre-literate.  Not only were most of our ancestors not christian, most of them weren't even human.

And I don't believe the bible is fiction, I know it is from its own internal inconsistency.  It is not possible for it to be a true document.  Some bits of it may be, but it can not all be true.

G-d isn't consistent ... Aristotle was wrong.  But because a human wrote it, you know the Bible is fiction.  A purely logical thing, is a tautology, a mere abstract statement  without any human content.  Other logical statements are contingent or inconsistent ... but I am not going there.  As best I can tell, any statement about reality, that is beyond an abstract truism ... is contingent.  And hence free will.  If I do this, then that will happen.

[Unbeliever]

I don't expect you to understand, you believe the Holy Bible is fiction. But if you go back far enough in your lineage you'll find that your folks didn't know Dagon, Madok, or the Greek gods, they knew Jehovah God, the God of the Bible. And He said:

Isaiah 45:5-6

I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. 

The Bible says the name of your God is Jealous, not Jehovah - or maybe that's just a nickname...


Exo 34:14

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

[OldFaithful]

A good reason to believe in God is not having to say you're sorry

[Blackleaf]

A good reason to believe in God is not having to say you're sorry

So...being a Christian gives you an excuse for being an asshole?